The Doctor tiptoed out of the Tardis and pulled the door shut quietly behind him, grimacing when it gave a faint squeak.

He sighed and dusted his hands off. Then stuck his hands in his pockets with satisfaction, pivoted on his heel and strode out along the boardwalk.

Late night tourists and holidaymakers still studded the ancient gray boards. Half the stalls had already extinguished their party lights and shut down for the night.

Things were thinning out. He stopped at a colorful stand and bought a swirly multicolored ice cream cone from a bored and impatient vendor.

He took a large handful of napkins and dropped an extra large denomination coin on the counter.

He strolled along the waterfront, napkins sticking out of his pocket in a wad. The three moons were nearly full, bathing the beach with a ghostly radiance. The sea shushed and slithered as the tide smoothed the sand.

He licked his tutti fruiti treat, the flavors tart and creamy on his tongue. He took the spiral ramp down to the beach, and strolled along the sand until he found an abandoned chair. He dusted it off, and plopped down, careful to hold his cone up.

He settled back and stared up at the starry sky. Amy and Rory were asleep. The boardwalk was growing quiet as the last of the businesses shut down, and the last of the tourists left as the warm day turned to chilly night.

The Doctor sighed and crunched the edge of his cone. He tucked one hand in the opposite armpit, and crossed his legs. He lay back and watched the silent show of rising moons and twinkling stars.

The salty sea breeze ruffled his hair. He grinned, it was as soft as a lover's touch.

A stray dog wandered up and snuffled at him, its nose crinkling. The Doctor tossed it the last nubbin of his cone. The scruffy dog snapped it up and crunched happily. It sat down in the sand, just beyond arm's reach, looking out to sea. Its tail faintly wagging.

A large shape broke the water, a bright spume shot up with a hard exhale. The tower of water misted away in a twinkling shower, scattered by the breeze. A large fluked tail slapped the water and the whale continued on its submarine journey.

The Doctor laced his fingers over his stomach. Silence. The soft shush of the sand. The settling creak of the boards. The soft snores of the hound that had laid down beside him.

He smiled. He might not sleep, but he did rest.

All the universe was his. Not just the bright shining bits, with the running and the explosions. But the soft bits too.

They'd always told him the universe was full of monsters.

But the real secret was, the universe was full of heaven too.

—

For more stories by this author click on "betawho" at the top of the page.

Please take a moment to leave a review. Thank you.