John Smith

“Not outside a cinema,” Liv said, her brow still furrowed, “And certainly not in a hospital cafeteria. Why are you wearing it?”

“It gives you... a different perspective.” John explained as he continued to observe things, head tilting a little and eyes squinting. “Sometimes a new perspective is the best perspective to have.”

“Well luckily, I don’t need to worry about them anymore tonight.” Jane smiled, as much as she loved the kids she nannied, she needed a night for herself. 

“It would seem so.” John said with a chuckle as they disappeared into the distance. “So what are your plans now then? Since you are child free.”

“At least you’re owning it. That’s the important thing.”

“Perhaps that’s because I don’t see it as a bad thing.” John answered with a grin. 

“Well,” Hermione said with a small laugh, “I’ve never thought to question your sanity. Why do you question your own?”

“Because I am intelligent enough to know that you must be a little insane to have a creative mind.” Plus he knew he tended to see things differently to most other people. He was perfectly fine with that though.

“Oh please, call me Hermione,” She said, smiling, “Question it because of the bow ties or for other reasons?”

“Hermione it is.” He responded with a little smile. “Oh, question it for other reasons, most definitely.”

“Mine is certainly not,” Hermione said, “I’m not usually so… sparkly,” She laughed, “Who doesn’t love a good bow tie?”

“Well, sparkles become you Ms Granger.” John answered with a smile. “And I don’t know. I question their sanity if they do... but then I regularly question my own too.”

“That is like telling the sun to stop being so bright,” Nora pouted, then chuckled. “To be fair, I think you’re mistaking me with Alex.”

A chuckle fell from John and he shook his head. “I don’t know, but I suggest you go before I have to do something about you.”

“You, totally, I don’t need to convince myself.”

“If you insist.” Though John clearly didn’t seem to be believing the womans words. “I suggest you be less conspicuous then next time.

“I won’t deny that that’s all interesting,” she nodded, having joined every club back in high school including ones dedicated to physics or astronomy. Rachel had to put a foot in every door. She knew no other way. “I’ve always just been more of a music and performing arts type of person.”

John could tell his enthusiasm wasn’t quite reciprocated and that was fine. It rarely was where those kind of things were concerned. Sometimes he imagined a completely different life to the one he was living. “I see, well we all have our passions.”

Amelia let out a sigh, her entire life she’d felt like something was missing, but even talking about her dreams left her feeling weirdly empty. “That must be it… Otherwise how could I have created the characters in my books.”

John let an understanding smile drift over his features. “I understand that need for... well more than what we have here. That desire and knowing that there is something beyond our small lives that... well it creates a longing...” At least in his case. He found himself staring up at the stars some nights until the sun chased them from the sky, yearning for some imagined life out in the stars. “If you keep chasing those dreams, at least you will always achieve more than you thought possible, Amelia Pond.”

“Why thank you. I’m pleased you think I’m capable of causing such massive destruction.”

“Can you say with complete honesty that I am wrong?” John asked, humour lilting his words. “But really Miss Holleran, you ought to keep yourself out of trouble.”

“Oh you’ve got a PhD! Sorry, doctor then,” Rachel corrected herself. “Ah yes, that explains why I didn’t recognize you right away,” she nodded, glad to know her memory was still pretty intact. She liked to be in the know of everything. “Do you like your job?”

The truth was he had several PhD’s. He’d always been a bit of an overachiever but it wasn’t something he brought up. A grin drew across John’s face at the question. “Do I like it? I love it actually. Physics... the universe... how everything works.... Don’t you find things like that infinitely fascinating and mindblowing just how much this universe has to offer?”