The Universe's Mixer

He needed a drink.

He needed time.

He needed to redo everything and maybe be back on Serenity where none of this would have happened in the first place.

He needed to run.

Simon had left the fire by Serenity, a fire that would have been welcoming if he still felt welcome on the ship. It had been his home for a very short while, and he maybe he had hoped that he might be able to fit in; but, fate, destiny, whatever it was that seemed to control his life sometimes had other plans.

The good doctor didn't go home; he let the City take him wherever it wanted, and he was soon standing outside a building he had never seen before. He really wasn't surprised by this; the City did like to present new places to its inhabitants on occasion. He was also too emotionally exhausted to feel surprise. Although, he did wonder how he could have missed it. The tall dark building. He should have been able to see it from the Hospital, probably anywhere in the City actually.

Crossing the street and being careful of any cars rushing by - that'd been how he'd met George, she'd been hit by an oncoming car - he was soon standing at the front door to the building. There wasn't anyone in the lobby as far as he could tell; no, wait, a security guard. Just one security guard for such a big building. The structure reminded him a little of home, so clean and tall and modern. Without really thinking about it, he rested his forehead against the glass and stared at his reflection, what he could see if it around the "Wayne Industries" logo.

"And this is why you're a winner with the ladies. They love a man full of self-loathing."

continued from here

Ace grinned broadly as she snatched the key from The Doctor’s hand. She was well eager to see how the Doctor had changed the TARDIS interior. She would bet it was as different as he was. Ace opened the door and was almost bouncing as she walked in.

“Bloody hell, Professor,” she said as she looked around the control room. “This is totally wicked! Ah man. You can see all the working bits and everything.” She dropped her backpack on the floor and practically ran around the room, making sure she saw everything. “Oi, better hope none of your mates drop a contact on the floor though, right?”

Gone were the white walls with the ovals everywhere and the boring solid floor. The old push button controls that looked like a twelve year-old designed were replaced by these really cool levers and things. Ace couldn’t wait to start playing around with…. Well, with everything! Why did he wait so long to change things up and make everything so cool? Whoever it was that was traveling with him now better really appreciated all the fun they were going to have with the Professor.

“Right then, I guess we did one of those time whatsits where you’re from like the future or something,” she said, putting together the pieces of what he had told her. “I mean, if you know me, you can’t be one of your past selves.” She poked a few random buttons on the control panel. “You can’t get the TARDIS to move? You think the Master is in on some plot?” It would just like that wanker to trap them somewhere, just like on the Cheetah Planet.

“Oi, Professor? Shouldn’t you have someone here with you? You never travel alone.”

Wally's Ice Cream World was having a taste test. This was a frequent occurrence; after inflicting new flavor concoctions on his staff, the proprietor sent the least vile creations out for public consumption. Sometimes the options were tasty, but more often they were a bit odd.

Afternoon was headed on to evening, and one of Wally's cashiers was standing in front of the shop. She was short, petite, and a paper hat reminiscent of the soda-fountain days of yore sat perched atop her head. It was too small, and kept threatening to blow away when the breeze picked up. The tray of sample cups, complete with little pink plastic spoons, balanced precariously in her right hand as she reached up to secure her cap with her left. "Potato Chip," the tray label read. "Try one."

Judging by the number of cups on the tray, the teenager hadn't been able to entice many takers.

"Ice cream!" Raven called, a pleading edge to her voice. "The samples are free."

Karen felt like she hadn't had anything to "eat" in weeks. On a normal day, she was okay with things as long as she fed at least once. But apparently when you got yourself shot by your psycho ex girlfriend and then blown up by her, it took a lot out of you. Literally.

Her stomach was tugging at her in a way that she'd never felt before. Especially not in 'life'. She'd supplemented herself with booze and pills and hadn't really been very into the whole food thing.

Now she felt like she might be dying. And her hands looked gray and almost skeletal. It was ugly. Karen didn't like being ugly. That was the whole purpose to becoming a vampire in the first place. Not being ugly. Never worrying about being ugly again. Like a permanent round of plastic surgery that lasted forever.

She reached over the side of her tub and picked up the phone she kept there. Dialed the number that she'd memorized without even having to try and listened to it ring.

"George. I need you tonight. Load up on jello. Hell, make it jello shots. I'm dying here."