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Fic: The Problem with Boxing Day. (1/4)
I am working on the next chapter of 'Dating the Cleverest Boy in the World' (and it should be done fairly soon), but this plot bunny just came out of nowhere and attacked me. And since it'll be fairly short... well, I though I might as well post the first part.
Summary: Alexander Saxon hated Boxing Day.
Setting: Boxing Day 2013. (AU post-Sound of Drums.)
Spoilers: S3. (Are spoilers even an issue?)
Rating: PG.
Characters: Ten, Lucy, the Master (Simm), OCs.
A/N: I know that child-centric fics aren’t very popular, but I’m afraid that I found it fascinating to look at the world through the eyes of a Timelord child. (Also, I never really explored the Doctor’s approach to parenting before - or rather, how he went about bringing up the son of his archnemesis... something much trickier.) Anyway, I think this ought to stand alone - in case anyone decides to give it a try without prior knowledge of the ‘verse.
Chapter 1
Alexander Saxon hated Boxing Day almost as much as he loved Christmas.
Not that this - or any of his other peculiarities - was immediately evident from looking at him: in appearance he was a perfectly ordinary little boy.
He had blonde hair (like his mum) and brown eyes (like his dad) - but when grownups saw him they inevitably said: “My goodness, doesn’t he look like his father!”
Then they remembered that his father had murdered the whole Cabinet and the American President (and was now languishing in an undisclosed high security facility), became embarrassed, and swiftly changed the subject - usually by asking him how old he was.
To this question they only ever wanted to know the simplest answer (6 years), not anything interesting - like how many seconds (two hundred and ten million, six hundred and eight thousand, five hundred and ninety seven and counting...)
Sometimes he converted the seconds into rels for fun, but his Uncle told him that humankind didn’t know any of the universal standards yet, and that, as a matter of fact, they would never give up their odd and impractical way of measuring time - so he wasn’t allowed to tell anyone that he could count time in rels...
On the whole Alex wasn’t too impressed with the apparent intelligence of the average adult human.
Thankfully most days grownups were easy enough to ignore or avoid - except today was Boxing Day...
Boxing Day meant a whole day spent with Mum’s family, and Mum’s family was full of people who were either embarrassed or rude - sometimes both. They always covered up both sentiments with unwavering politeness, and it drove him mad that they expected him not to see through it, just because he was little.
He could hear the lies in the shades of their voices, see their true feelings parade across their faces as clearly as if they’d broadcast them on a large plasma screens, and it was agony to try to be ‘well-behaved’. His mother was of course always impeccable, meeting the concealed sneers with a facade so courteously impenetrable that not even Alex could work out what went on in her head.
He didn’t know how she did it, and to be honest he didn’t care. He just wanted not to go.
But every year Uncle and Mum said he had to go - in voices that he knew he couldn’t argue with - so he sullenly let his mother dress him in his ‘best’ clothes, which were uncomfortable and annoying.
“But why?” he asked for the umpteenth time as she led him downstairs, and Uncle looked up from the TV magazine he was reading and automatically said: “Because they’re the only family you’ve got!”
Alex shot him a grumpy look. It wasn’t fair. Sure he knew that Dad and Uncle had lost all of their family (their whole world!), but even so...
Particularly unfair was the fact that he knew that his Uncle (and Dad, if he behaved) would spend the whole day embedded in front of the TV catching up on all the programmes they’d missed.
Of course Uncle probably needed the rest...
He’d walked through the door rather late the day before - much too late for Christmas dinner - eyes stormy and dark, his suit crisped and burnt around the edges, and his steps so heavy that Alex wondered if he’d put something really enormous in his pockets-that-were-bigger-on-the-inside. Alex’s mum had not said a word, just pressed her lips together and filled up a plate with food and heated it in the microwave. Even Dad had only taken a swift look at him and muttered something unintelligible about Christmas, before grabbing a bottle of whiskey and removing himself to the conservatory, silently watching the falling snow.
Alex had waited five minutes precisely, then walked up with a cracker. Because he knew that no one could be sad with a colourful paper crown on their head - and he’d been right. The shadows had run away from Uncle’s eyes, and then there had been lots of fun and silliness and presents, and an incredible box with actual real tiny little living people in it, acting out a wonderful story. His Uncle said that it was called a Miniscope, and that he was going to get the people out and take them back to their different home worlds - but that he thought Alex might enjoy seeing it first.
Alex enjoyed it very much indeed - not just the thing itself, but all the questions it threw up. Like how had the people been miniaturised? Dad just smiled smugly and Alex was sure he knew, but Uncle shook his head, and that was the end of that. Alex dearly, dearly wished he could have kept the box, but obviously it wasn’t nice to keep people locked up.
Right now though, he’d happily have swapped with them. As his mother brushed his hair, his dad emerged from the kitchen, eyes lighting up and a bright smile on his face. (One of the reasons Alex loved Christmas was that Dad was home for days and days and days.)
“Alexander, my Great One, good morning! Getting ready to face the dragons?”
Alex shrugged, feeling even more miserable.
Really, going to see The Family wasn’t entirely unlike being stuck in a Miniscope... OK, so everyone was the right size, but they were all stuck in one place, and everyone went through the same rituals as every year just as if they were hypnotised puppets.
The only upside was that if he was good he’d get to go to Josh’s house tomorrow. Josh was Jewish, and Alex knew that they still had Hanukkah decorations up, and wouldn’t mind telling him all about their traditions and history (again), and might even teach him how to cook some of their special food. Josh had no family, except his mum and his grandma - who was a fantastic cook - and Alex thought that Josh was very lucky.
Once he’d asked Josh’s mum about where Josh’s dad was, and her eyes had flashed and she’d said that he ‘wasn’t in the picture’. Alex had frowned and said that he wasn’t in any of the pictures, pointing to the photo gallery on the mantelpiece, and then she’d laughed and called him too precious for words, before hugging him tightly and giving him a kiss. He liked to replay that moment in his mind - not just because Josh’s mum was the most physically beautiful human he knew, but because she was also friendly and warm and when she said she liked you, you knew it was true.
The exact opposite of his own human relatives...
As usual Uncle dropped him and Mum off at the train station closest to the family seat (if anyone asked, they’d come by train). Standing outside the station, feeling the TARDIS fade into the vortex and waiting for the chauffeur driven car to pick them up, Alex fervently wished that his mother was not the sister of Lord Cole; that they didn’t have obligations, and rules to follow; and had no relatives he had to pretend to like.
The day loomed ahead, long and grey and endless, and the seconds ticked by in his mind, not hurrying up the tiniest bit no matter how hard he wished.
Boxing Day was The Worst Day Ever.
Chapter 2
Summary: Alexander Saxon hated Boxing Day.
Setting: Boxing Day 2013. (AU post-Sound of Drums.)
Spoilers: S3. (Are spoilers even an issue?)
Rating: PG.
Characters: Ten, Lucy, the Master (Simm), OCs.
A/N: I know that child-centric fics aren’t very popular, but I’m afraid that I found it fascinating to look at the world through the eyes of a Timelord child. (Also, I never really explored the Doctor’s approach to parenting before - or rather, how he went about bringing up the son of his archnemesis... something much trickier.) Anyway, I think this ought to stand alone - in case anyone decides to give it a try without prior knowledge of the ‘verse.
Chapter 1
Alexander Saxon hated Boxing Day almost as much as he loved Christmas.
Not that this - or any of his other peculiarities - was immediately evident from looking at him: in appearance he was a perfectly ordinary little boy.
He had blonde hair (like his mum) and brown eyes (like his dad) - but when grownups saw him they inevitably said: “My goodness, doesn’t he look like his father!”
Then they remembered that his father had murdered the whole Cabinet and the American President (and was now languishing in an undisclosed high security facility), became embarrassed, and swiftly changed the subject - usually by asking him how old he was.
To this question they only ever wanted to know the simplest answer (6 years), not anything interesting - like how many seconds (two hundred and ten million, six hundred and eight thousand, five hundred and ninety seven and counting...)
Sometimes he converted the seconds into rels for fun, but his Uncle told him that humankind didn’t know any of the universal standards yet, and that, as a matter of fact, they would never give up their odd and impractical way of measuring time - so he wasn’t allowed to tell anyone that he could count time in rels...
On the whole Alex wasn’t too impressed with the apparent intelligence of the average adult human.
Thankfully most days grownups were easy enough to ignore or avoid - except today was Boxing Day...
Boxing Day meant a whole day spent with Mum’s family, and Mum’s family was full of people who were either embarrassed or rude - sometimes both. They always covered up both sentiments with unwavering politeness, and it drove him mad that they expected him not to see through it, just because he was little.
He could hear the lies in the shades of their voices, see their true feelings parade across their faces as clearly as if they’d broadcast them on a large plasma screens, and it was agony to try to be ‘well-behaved’. His mother was of course always impeccable, meeting the concealed sneers with a facade so courteously impenetrable that not even Alex could work out what went on in her head.
He didn’t know how she did it, and to be honest he didn’t care. He just wanted not to go.
But every year Uncle and Mum said he had to go - in voices that he knew he couldn’t argue with - so he sullenly let his mother dress him in his ‘best’ clothes, which were uncomfortable and annoying.
“But why?” he asked for the umpteenth time as she led him downstairs, and Uncle looked up from the TV magazine he was reading and automatically said: “Because they’re the only family you’ve got!”
Alex shot him a grumpy look. It wasn’t fair. Sure he knew that Dad and Uncle had lost all of their family (their whole world!), but even so...
Particularly unfair was the fact that he knew that his Uncle (and Dad, if he behaved) would spend the whole day embedded in front of the TV catching up on all the programmes they’d missed.
Of course Uncle probably needed the rest...
He’d walked through the door rather late the day before - much too late for Christmas dinner - eyes stormy and dark, his suit crisped and burnt around the edges, and his steps so heavy that Alex wondered if he’d put something really enormous in his pockets-that-were-bigger-on-the-inside. Alex’s mum had not said a word, just pressed her lips together and filled up a plate with food and heated it in the microwave. Even Dad had only taken a swift look at him and muttered something unintelligible about Christmas, before grabbing a bottle of whiskey and removing himself to the conservatory, silently watching the falling snow.
Alex had waited five minutes precisely, then walked up with a cracker. Because he knew that no one could be sad with a colourful paper crown on their head - and he’d been right. The shadows had run away from Uncle’s eyes, and then there had been lots of fun and silliness and presents, and an incredible box with actual real tiny little living people in it, acting out a wonderful story. His Uncle said that it was called a Miniscope, and that he was going to get the people out and take them back to their different home worlds - but that he thought Alex might enjoy seeing it first.
Alex enjoyed it very much indeed - not just the thing itself, but all the questions it threw up. Like how had the people been miniaturised? Dad just smiled smugly and Alex was sure he knew, but Uncle shook his head, and that was the end of that. Alex dearly, dearly wished he could have kept the box, but obviously it wasn’t nice to keep people locked up.
Right now though, he’d happily have swapped with them. As his mother brushed his hair, his dad emerged from the kitchen, eyes lighting up and a bright smile on his face. (One of the reasons Alex loved Christmas was that Dad was home for days and days and days.)
“Alexander, my Great One, good morning! Getting ready to face the dragons?”
Alex shrugged, feeling even more miserable.
Really, going to see The Family wasn’t entirely unlike being stuck in a Miniscope... OK, so everyone was the right size, but they were all stuck in one place, and everyone went through the same rituals as every year just as if they were hypnotised puppets.
The only upside was that if he was good he’d get to go to Josh’s house tomorrow. Josh was Jewish, and Alex knew that they still had Hanukkah decorations up, and wouldn’t mind telling him all about their traditions and history (again), and might even teach him how to cook some of their special food. Josh had no family, except his mum and his grandma - who was a fantastic cook - and Alex thought that Josh was very lucky.
Once he’d asked Josh’s mum about where Josh’s dad was, and her eyes had flashed and she’d said that he ‘wasn’t in the picture’. Alex had frowned and said that he wasn’t in any of the pictures, pointing to the photo gallery on the mantelpiece, and then she’d laughed and called him too precious for words, before hugging him tightly and giving him a kiss. He liked to replay that moment in his mind - not just because Josh’s mum was the most physically beautiful human he knew, but because she was also friendly and warm and when she said she liked you, you knew it was true.
The exact opposite of his own human relatives...
As usual Uncle dropped him and Mum off at the train station closest to the family seat (if anyone asked, they’d come by train). Standing outside the station, feeling the TARDIS fade into the vortex and waiting for the chauffeur driven car to pick them up, Alex fervently wished that his mother was not the sister of Lord Cole; that they didn’t have obligations, and rules to follow; and had no relatives he had to pretend to like.
The day loomed ahead, long and grey and endless, and the seconds ticked by in his mind, not hurrying up the tiniest bit no matter how hard he wished.
Boxing Day was The Worst Day Ever.
Chapter 2
no subject
I laughed at the fact that most of the time he just ignored the average human. Go kid. And ah, I LOVE the description of Lucy's family. Rudeness disguised beneath perfectly polite behaviour—and of course Alex caught that, though they would never have believed it! It was perfect. The way you described that… He could hear the lies in the shades of their voices, see their true feelings parade across their faces as clearly as if they’d broadcast them on a large plasma screens, and it was agony to try to be ‘well-behaved’. So vivid and evocative, that sentence just killed me :D Also loving how perfectly in control Lucy was. Seeing what you meant about pretending… But he wasn't quite there yet himself. (Thank god. Goodness, not at six.)
I love the fact that he is both so superiorly clever and so deliciously kid-like. Once more, lovely kid behaviour there—the mum is showing ;) I liked how simply aware of his father's and uncle's loss Alex was, too. The loss of Gallifrey was there, a simple fact. (But the Doctor was reading a TV magazine? I can totally picture he and the Master watching TV—my god, Teletubbies—but I don't know why, I had trouble picturing the Doctor with a TV magazine.)
The part about the Doctor at Christmas was amazing. I just loved the way you depicted all of their reactions, Lucy's, the Master's—and Alex's was so perfect, I wanted to hug that kid until he choked. Also loved the Miniscope, Alex's questions—always with the questions, a normal kid to the power 149—and the fact that he would have loved to keep the people, but knew it would have been wrong. Morals :)
I giggled at the Master calling Alex "my great one", and at The Family with CAPITAL LETTERS! The comparison with the Miniscope was also very cute ;) Poor little love. The part about Josh was delightfully warm and moving, the boy was so curious again, and the part with the mum was great.
Okay, here we go. Fixed the LJ fail. *side-eye*
no subject
Haha, oh dear. I just LOVED the way you depicted people's reactions to Alex. There was such a feeling of boredom coming off him by waves at that moment, like they all thought the same, all asked the same questions, and just thought he was any kid—either they didn't realize how stone-cold brilliant he was, or they simply didn't have the intellect themselves, lol.
Kids, generally, find most adults a but dull I think, so I figured they'd be even more so for Alex... (And you earn many, many bonus points for 'stone-cold brilliant'! <3)
I giggled at his counting seconds and converting them to rels—and I swooned at the little mention of his Uncle :) Doctor-Alex closeness is ace.
One of my favourite things about writing this fic was to show the Doctor's parenting skills. He very much does it his own way...
I laughed at the fact that most of the time he just ignored the average human. Go kid.
Indeed! :)
And ah, I LOVE the description of Lucy's family. Rudeness disguised beneath perfectly polite behaviour—and of course Alex caught that, though they would never have believed it! It was perfect.
Smart, smart kid. And oh, we've all met people like that I think...
So vivid and evocative, that sentence just killed me :D
*beams*
Also loving how perfectly in control Lucy was. Seeing what you meant about pretending… But he wasn't quite there yet himself. (Thank god. Goodness, not at six.)
Got it in one! There is so much lying - keeping up pretenses and a facade. And of course it's necessary, but I'm not sure any of them really consider what impact it has on him... They mostly try to keep him safe.
I love the fact that he is both so superiorly clever and so deliciously kid-like. Once more, lovely kid behaviour there—the mum is showing ;)
*grins*
I liked how simply aware of his father's and uncle's loss Alex was, too. The loss of Gallifrey was there, a simple fact.
Kids have a way of just taking stuff on board.
(But the Doctor was reading a TV magazine? I can totally picture he and the Master watching TV—my god, Teletubbies—but I don't know why, I had trouble picturing the Doctor with a TV magazine.)
TV Listings - to find out what to watch.
The part about the Doctor at Christmas was amazing. I just loved the way you depicted all of their reactions, Lucy's, the Master's—and Alex's was so perfect, I wanted to hug that kid until he choked.
\o/ (My Ten never goes through 'Waters of Mars', as he [obviously] never ends up in such a dark place.)
Also loved the Miniscope, Alex's questions—always with the questions, a normal kid to the power 149—and the fact that he would have loved to keep the people, but knew it would have been wrong. Morals :)
This. And he doesn't quite understand, because kids don't. He knows what's right and wrong, but like any child he wants to keep the fun toy.
I giggled at the Master calling Alex "my great one", and at The Family with CAPITAL LETTERS! The comparison with the Miniscope was also very cute ;) Poor little love.
Nasty, horrible grown-ups spoiling a perfectly nice day... (And the Master as father never gets old. <3)
The part about Josh was delightfully warm and moving, the boy was so curious again, and the part with the mum was great.
Josh will - later - be one of the main characters, and get a story of his own. (Not only is this a story about an OC - his friends go off and spawn stories of their own! /o\)
Thank you again SO MUCH for reading, I am all a-flail.
no subject
Yes! I don't have work yet, but I was up to date with all my emails and drabble-typing, so I figured, why not. :D
Kids, generally, find most adults a but dull I think, so I figured they'd be even more so for Alex...
Definitely ;)
(And you earn many, many bonus points for 'stone-cold brilliant'! <3)
*swaggers*
One of my favourite things about writing this fic was to show the Doctor's parenting skills. He very much does it his own way...
From the quick glance I had at the next chapter, it's going to be interesting in that regard!
Smart, smart kid. And oh, we've all met people like that I think...
We certainly have… =P
I'm not sure any of them really consider what impact it has on him... They mostly try to keep him safe.
Indeed. They're doing what's best, but there are always consequences. *grins brightly at you*
TV Listings - to find out what to watch.
Yes, I figured—but for some reason I just couldn't picture it—why would checking what's on TV feel more mundane than actually watching TV? Well, to me it somehow did…
\o/ (My Ten never goes through 'Waters of Mars', as he [obviously] never ends up in such a dark place.)
I'd never considered that possibility, but of course, now that you mention it…
This. And he doesn't quite understand, because kids don't. He knows what's right and wrong, but like any child he wants to keep the fun toy.
♥
Nasty, horrible grown-ups spoiling a perfectly nice day... (And the Master as father never gets old. <3)
♥♥♥
Josh will - later - be one of the main characters, and get a story of his own. (Not only is this a story about an OC - his friends go off and spawn stories of their own! /o\)
Looking forward to that! :D
Thank you again SO MUCH for reading, I am all a-flail.
You're welcome :D
no subject
♥ When you want the next story, just say. (It's called 'Alien Abduction'. Summary: This story begins with abduction and ends with waffles. In between there's some adventuring and some heartache and a fair few truths are revealed. Alex, Matt, Josh, the Doctor (Tenth), the Master, Lucy, Jack. (Set 2023 when Alex is 16.) 18000 words. 7 parts.)
*swaggers*
'Cause he is. Stone-cold brilliant, that is. *g*
Indeed. They're doing what's best, but there are always consequences. *grins brightly at you*
Indeed. (That's one of the main lessons I learned from Buffy.)
I'd never considered that possibility, but of course, now that you mention it…
It's all very AU! Eleven doesn't show up until whenever, and I'm not sure what to do with the Ponds...
Looking forward to that! :D
Stories within stories within stories.
no subject
Okay =) I'll probably go dig for that on my own, whenever I think I have the time. Thanks for the heads-up! (Appealing summary btw. But… Matt?)
'Cause he is. Stone-cold brilliant, that is. *g*
This. :D
It's all very AU! Eleven doesn't show up until whenever, and I'm not sure what to do with the Ponds...
Well, I'm quite curious to see how you'll handle all of that =) (And I know, I need only read ahead to satisfy that curiosity… ;))
Stories within stories within stories.
Bigger on the inside!
no subject
The master post is here. (It needs updating a little, I've just realised... But you can find all the main stories there.)
(Appealing summary btw. But… Matt?)
Thanks! :) And Matt is the one whose father made balloon animals in the Christmas story.
Well, I'm quite curious to see how you'll handle all of that =) (And I know, I need only read ahead to satisfy that curiosity… ;))
I've... done exactly nothing so far. *g*
no subject
Thanks!
And Matt is the one whose father made balloon animals in the Christmas story.
Okay, I remember this one =)
I've... done exactly nothing so far. *g*
In the future then ;)
no subject