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Fic: A Good Day (or: The War in the Medusa Cascade). Chapter 8.
Look, it's the last chapter! (Well, there's an epilogue.) But! I finished it.
Dunno if anyone will actually read, what with Doctor Who being back on our screens and all that, but if I wait until S8 is finished no one will remember what was happening here. So... Enjoy!
Previous parts here for anyone who is wanting to catch up:
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7
And Master post for the whole 'verse here.
Summary: "Why is it only ever the bad guys who have a proper plan?" The Master's son finally meets the Daleks. And he thought it a good day. (TSE/JE rewrite with Eleven and Clara and a host of extras.)
Setting: Future AU TSE/JE. (Set between Name of the Doctor and Day of the Doctor)
Spoilers: The Name of the Doctor (S7.13)
Rating: PG-13.
Characters: The Seeker (OC, the Master's son), Eleventh Doctor, Clara, the Master, Jack, River, Roda (OC), Davros, others.
Beta: The always lovely![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kathyh. (Any mistakes mine!)
Thank yous: Tothe_redjay for the loan of Roda.
Feedback: I am not too proud to beg...
Chapter 8
They left.
(So many people, so much talking, so much arguing, so many emotions, after decades of blissful solitude.)
He watched the Doctor’s TARDIS take off, saw the instruments in front of him register the moment they left the pocket universe.
(Peace, quiet, stillness all around him, like clear water on a sweltering day.)
He took a deep breath, stood up straight and let go of the control panel.
He’d barely moved a muscle, but they’d done as he told them. His power invisible, yet it had moved giants. He had never done that before (never had a reason, nor the power) - never forced his will through like this.
He knew he had only delayed the ongoing confrontation, but the Doctor had yielded…
‘Oh father - I can see why you love it so.’
He could also see why it was so addictive. To just force the arguments to go away - it was an option he’d never really thought of before. So far he’d tended to just lie, or to let people draw their own conclusions; hide himself away…
Yet that had backfired rather spectacularly. He’d let the Doctor believe whatever he wanted, hoping that if the Doctor thought he adhered to all the unwritten rules he’d be left alone. Which - to be fair - had worked beautifully until today.
However, three hundred years’ worth of harsh honesty in one go was not ideal, and the Doctor had (predictably) reacted very badly.
And it would probably all have been salvageable if it hadn’t been for… Jerusalem.
It was still playing in his mind, glorious and undiminished by everything else that had been happening.
He’d stepped into a chariot of fire - bow, arrows and spear at the ready - but all they saw was danger of burning and tried to drag him out.
But how could anyone abandon a chariot like that?
The hymn was, in many ways, mad impossibility, and yet the vision it contained so glorious that how could anyone be unmoved? He’d only given in once before (so young, so very high), and he still remembered the exhilarating feeling of a thousand people, all singing with his voice.
Yet that had been a misstep, no matter how seductive.
That kind of power was… intoxicating. The key word being ‘toxic’.
Because ordinary people were far too… biddable.
The word hit him like it always did, straight in the chest, somewhere between his hearts. So heavy he sank with the very weight of it.
‘Not this time’, he decided, face hardening. ‘There is another way now. I’ve hidden myself away for centuries, I refuse to let ancient fears get in the way of this.’
Slowly, he smiled. His father had shown him the way… It was so delightfully absurd that he almost laughed out loud.
‘I will be Alexander the Great, and they won’t stop me.’
Despite everything - so happy. He never seemed to have the emotions people expected. Maybe he’d feel guilty later.
His future still lay there, golden and incredible, yet everyone would be breathing down his neck now. His father, eager to exploit him; the Doctor, desperate that he should not ‘go bad’. Jack, worried. Roda... might just leave completely. And she’d be unhappy. River would leave him alone probably - but then their lives intersected so very rarely anyway.
He was caught between them all, the way he had always been, but this time there was no telling them to leave him alone...
What he needed was time. Time to work out what he wanted to do, and how. Golden ideas needed to manifest themselves physically, or they were no good - the how was vital... The wrong ‘how’ could be worse than nothing.
But how to get the peace he needed? He had a planet, sure, could even lock it, but both Jack and Roda had unlimited access, and he didn’t want others putting pressure on them. Didn’t want Roda to feel that her one bolt hole in the universe was somewhere she was no longer welcome. He needed to get away, but where? Where could he find peace and quiet?
Stretching, he flexed his shoulders and pulled off the coat, throwing it over a dead Dalek, before rolling up his sleeves. Right now he had work - beautiful, hard, wonderful work. Clearing his mind to focus on the immediate issues, he stowed the problems into a side space where they could tick over in peace while he worked.
The spoils of war - being able to move planets was a boon he was more than happy to claim. So much incredible Dalek technology, he felt like a kid in a sweet shop. Winning… was good. Yes, it had been a good day. Nevermind the Doctor’s moral conniptions.
~~~~
Clara gratefully took the teacup given to her by an enigmatic twin. She seemed to remember that originally they had planned to go to Tochwood in order to meet these twins… And Jack and Roda of course. Had that only been this morning? She took a sip of her tea and tried to look around to take in the surroundings better.
Torchwood, it turned out, resided in an underground base in Cardiff, and was strange mixture of Victorian tiling and futuristic technology. Jack was there when they arrived, but Roda had already gone out, although Jack had added ‘Left her keys, though. Can’t have gone far.’
This seemed to calm the Doctor, for which she was also grateful. She was used to the Doctor being at the heart of everything, of having to fix things, of fighting… And today had seemed all sideways. Nothing had worked out like it should. Mostly she felt very small and insignificant.
The Doctor was pacing unhappily, the Master - thankfully handcuffed to a large metal structure - throwing snide remarks at him at every opportunity.
River and Jack (and Clara herself) were sitting on various pieces of office furniture, drinking the tea the twins had made.
The Doctor had taken a cup also, only to immediately go off on another rant about how they need to ‘Make him see sense!’, which had necessitated arm waving, and had left the cup empty and some odd-looking equipment drenched.
Jack had taken a deep breath, and the twins had poured a fresh cup before spiriting away the now fizzling contraption.
She was beginning to see why the Seeker had been struggling to describe them - they were two, yet moved as one, mostly silent and seemingly anticipating what people would want or say. And they were undeniably beautiful, in a strange other-worldly way. Large purple eyes sat above tall cheekbones; jet-black hair - carefully and ornately pulled back - fell almost to their waist, and their skin was the colour of dark honey. They would not have looked out of place on Akhaten, she thought, their colourful silk robes (one orange, one green) elegant, yet practical. Currently she could spy them working on fixing whatever the tea incident had broken and found herself mesmerised. It truly was like watching a creature with two heads and four arms… Purple eyes apart they - physically - looked human (although she couldn’t have said which gender), but watching them work she was curious which species they actually were. They seemed more alien than the Doctor, despite his many different faces. (They had given her the strangest look when they arrived, yet not said anything. Disconcerting was maybe the best word to describe them.)
“But what did you say to him?” the Doctor was rounding on the Master now, angry and frustrated, and the Master lifted an eyebrow. Clara turned her head from the twins to study the confrontation - she, too, would like to know the answer to this. The Master chuckled, studying the Doctor as if he was a child.
“I thought that would be obvious, Doctor. I told him he was a hero.”
Jack’s teacup stopped halfway to his mouth.
“I’m sorry?”
The Master sighed.
“Why are we here? This one’s so stupid. And don’t I get any tea?”
One of the twins raised its head, studied him coolly, then resumed working while the other said ‘No’ in a flat, disinterested tone.
“Heroes inspire worship,” River said slowly, her eyes fastening on the Doctor. “Worship, dedication, loyalty…”
A slow smile spread across the Master’s face.
“Clever thing, aren’t you? All the points to the woman who was mad enough to marry you, Doctor.” He glanced over at the Doctor with amused superiority. “My dear son now possesses all the most important things he needs for ruling - or at least to make an excellent start. All I did was point it out.”
“All you did…” the Doctor said slowly, and the Master smirked. He seemed to have a whole line in smirks. All of them unpleasant.
“Indeed. He is my son, I knew he’d be able to see the possibilities. The prophecy was a surprise, although a very welcome one.” A sudden bark of laughter. “You see Doctor, it was all predestined, so don’t you be blaming me!”
The Doctor glared, then abruptly turned to Jack.
“Jack - he asked you to stop him. He knew about the prophecy, and must have told you too…”
Jack shook his head.
“Stop. Doctor, I know what you’re doing, what you’ll ask. And the answer is no. What happened between myself and the Seeker is… private.”
River’s eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head musingly.
“You know I always wondered about you two.”
Jack’s jaw dropped.
“What the- why does everyone think that? Nothing of that sort has ever happened between us! Hell I’ve never so much as kissed him!’
The Master cleared his throat.
“As someone more than happy to opt out of that ‘everyone’ can I just say thank you for laying my mind to rest? Not that I think he’d ever stoop as low as you…”
Jack’s face clouded over in pure anger, so furious that Clara almost felt it physically. But only for a moment. Instead his eyes turned steely grey, and - setting aside his tea cup and embedding his hands in his pockets - with measured steps he walked up to the Master, studying him silently for a long moment before speaking.
“Master. Try this quandary on for size one day, if you feel up to it: If your son had to make a choice between you and me - whom would he go for?”
The Master shook his head, his face a dismissive sneer.
“Don't be ridiculous.”
But Jack only smiled. Slow, almost predatory, yet with perfect confidence.
“Of course. ‘Ridiculous’. But think about it. You... or me.”
Clara gripped her cup. Something had shifted. With a few words Jack had somehow won a battle she sensed had gone on for… how long? Centuries? They were all so old. What had the Seeker said about Jack? ‘Because I love him best.’ More than his own father? No wonder Jack had given his loyalty...
Suddenly it all just seemed ridiculous - how could any of it be real? She’d watched herself die… Maybe it was all a dream.
Then there was a whoosh of wind and the Seeker’s TARDIS faded into existence, branches and tree trunk materialising next to the Doctor’s blue box.
Did this mean more arguments? She just wanted to go home...
~~~~
The Doctor took a deep breath, straightened his bow tie.
‘I need to make him see sense. Need to… something. But how?’
A few seconds later the door opened and the Seeker leaned himself against the doorframe. He was no longer wearing his coat, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, his previously white shirt now greased and dirty. He still had the cigar, but it was nearly burnt down to the end, and he looked exhausted, but satisfied.
With a wry smile touching his mouth he let his eyes pass over them all.
“Oh look, it’s my judge and jury.”
He felt like he was back to square one. Three hundred years, and they had not moved, except he was no longer dealing with a small stubborn child but a supremely capable adult, yet with the very same dreams. How had it come to this? Where had he gone wrong?
He really ought to say something - except he wasn’t sure what. Everything so far had gone wrong.
Before he could make up his mind, the Seeker - so very much like his father this time round, even in looks - sighed. The anger that had flared when they left was clearly long gone.
“Look, I’m not going to take over the world today, OK? Or even tomorrow, would you believe it. Quite frankly I’m knackered as it’s been a very, very long day, so I’m really not in the mood for further extended discussion about morality… If you want to argue and try to make me ‘see sense’, can we reschedule for tomorrow? My planet, ten o’clock.”
Glancing around the Doctor saw the relief on Clara’s face, and supposed it had been a long day for all of them… And there was River. He didn’t know what to do with her either.
“Very well,” he eventually replied, and the relief on the Seeker’s face was evident.
“Thank you. And now for the second reason I’m here…” A sudden, mischievous smile broke out on his face, so at odds with the general mood that the Doctor took a few seconds to process it.
“...I’ve come for some TLC.”
A pause followed his words, as everyone studied him, surprised.
The Master grinned.
“Sorry son, don’t think the lovely Redjay is going to be very forthcoming with her pleasures for the foreseeable future. Besides, she’s skedaddled as she always does.”
Another sigh.
“Dad, I don’t suppose it’s any use to tell you not to gloat quite so openly over the fact that I’ve alienated all my friends? The rest of you - you’re all idiots. Roda and I are friends, I wouldn’t dream of asking her now. No... this is very different.”
Looking past them all, he smiled - eyes warm and happy, his whole demeanor so changed from the glum looks he had aimed at the rest of them that it could have been a different man:
“Shafali. Neelam. I would be honoured to accept your proposition.”
There was a beat as they looked around, confused, but Jack turned to the twins, eyes widening.
“Wha- Twins?”
“We have names you know,” one of them said, archly.
“Although apparently only the Seeker seems to remember them,” the other added.
“I’m probably the only one who can tell you apart,” the Seeker replied, smiling, then tilted his head, voice suddenly silky smooth.
“I don’t think this was the face you were expecting. But then… I don’t believe it’s my face you’re interested in.”
Identical smiles graced their beautiful faces.
“No, what we are looking for is something much more than skin deep… Time Lord.”
Taking a step out of his TARDIS, he held out a hand.
“Seek, and ye shall find.”
As they walked across the central space, perfectly composed, Jack was the first to find his voice.
“I… don’t understand. What proposition? When?”
The Seeker took a slow drag of what was left of his cigar.
“They - you - sent a message. The message was encrypted with Jamie’s Song. Only one person in the universe would understand what that meant… Me.”
“Oh.” The Doctor’s eyes widened, understanding flooding in, as he remembered the encoded message earlier on - and the manner of the encoding. Sex… as music. (Although that was a crude sort of description - what he had seen had been stunningly beautiful.) “So that’s why- but-”
“But nothing. If you would excuse me, Doctor, I shall claim these last spoils of war.”
He studied the twins, eyes dancing:
“Do you mind being called that?”
One of them turned, amused.
“Jack calls us worse.”
“But-” The Doctor was thrown, and flailing, he knew it, and yet...
“Do you know who he is? What he did?”
They both looked at him, purple eyes an ocean of calm. He once more marvelled at what they could possibly be - he’d never come across anything like them. No wonder Jack had asked him to come along to meet them.
“He is a hero. The saviour of worlds. And we wouldn’t exist without him.”
“We will not apologise for being intrigued-”
“-Or grateful. To be perfectly honest-”
“-one of the main reasons we took the job was for an opportunity like this.”
And with matching enigmatic smiles they swept into the Seeker’s TARDIS.
For a second he stared after them open-mouthed, probably looking several kinds of fool, before turning to the Seeker, grasping for words.
“Seeker - this? Now? Didn’t you hear a word I said?”
The Seeker turned in the TARDIS’ doorway, studying him with something between confusion and suspicion.
“You don’t know who they are... Oh Doctor, you are getting old. Are you forgetting things on purpose now?”
When he didn’t reply - his mind scrambling for some sort of pointer to who the duo could possibly be and coming up blank - the Seeker shook his head, eyes growing cold.
“They are flesh and blood reminders of the worst thing I ever did. So don’t you dare stand in judgement of my conscience!”
With that he slammed the doors to his TARDIS shut, and a second later it dematerialised.
Turning, thrown and lost, he studied the others.
“Who are they?”
Eventually Jack replied.
“The twins are... the great-grandchildren of Josh and Jamie.”
It took a moment to bring their faces, and stories, to the fore of his mind, and then he almost winced physically, fingers threading together nervously without realising.
Yes he remembered. Little Josh, who’d been around since the boy was four, charming and ambitious - he’d become an architect, his buildings exquisite and extraordinary. He’d been thinking about taking Clara on a tour to see them all. And enigmatic Jamie, as beautiful as sie was mysterious. Had sie become a writer? He wasn’t sure.
But above all he remembered the Seeker’s face. He had been young, so very, very young - twenty one years old, only a child... brown eyes pleading, yet composed, taking full responsibility for what had happened even though it had been an accident - the shock clearly still reverberating through him.
‘Doctor... Help me. Please - I didn’t mean to, I didn’t understand, I… I only meant to be kind. They’re my best friends, they trusted me. And now - human minds are so fragile, I didn’t realise...’
The Doctor had felt a chill go through him.
‘Seeker - what did you do?’
A smile far too bitter for someone so young.
‘What dad did to mum. And what’s more, I understand why he did it.’
The Doctor had shaken his head.
‘You can’t know that-’
‘Yes I can.’ The response had been unequivocal. (How did he know? The Doctor had never dared ask, sensing he would never get an answer.)
‘Just please, help me. Fix them. Undo what I did. Please Doctor, I’m scared. It would be so easy to...’
His voice had trailed off, but it had been simple to fill in all the blanks. So easy to take advantage. So easy to take his father’s path. So easy to pretend it was a one-off, that it wouldn’t happen again…
As lessons went, it had been a harsh one. Moreso because the Doctor had not been able to reverse the damage... In the same way as how even a small drop of colour would irreversibly change the hue in a glass of water, they were forever more watching the world through different eyes.
(Not that they knew, or had ever understood, what had happened. To them, the world had always been golden, and didn’t grasp how it could be otherwise.)
“Such a waste,” the Master sighed. “If I told him once, I must have told him a hundred times - they were absolutely perfect. Beautiful, and so perfectly biddable I couldn’t have done it better myself - I hope he has learned something by now.”
But the Doctor stayed silent.
‘Worst thing I ever did’ still rang in his ears. And for the first time since he had found Earth missing he felt like maybe, maybe he could breathe.
Eventually he looked around, his eyes slowly fastening on River. He hadn’t known whether to run towards or away, but finally… Maybe he could step into the past for just a little while.
“River Song. Could I ask you out to dinner?”
She met his eyes, unflinching, composed, yet wary. (She knew. She always knew.)
“On one condition.” A beat, as her face stayed completely devoid of emotion, although somehow he sensed that there was laughter hidden in her eyes. “We don’t talk about the kids.”
~~~~
He stayed under the water for as long as he could. How did humans cope without a respiratory bypass system? He was weightless, cushioned, and everything was peaceful.
Eventually he had to breathe and broke through the surface feeling almost new. A spectacular sunset was painting the sky in hues of brightest amber to darkest red, the grass looked aflame, and the surface of the lake was like molten gold.
But what made him smile wasn’t the beauty of his planet - it was the laughter.
The twins were playing with the Toclafane, trying to spray them with water, but the spheres were too fast and always moved just before they were soaked.
(They had been his very first playthings - he could still recall reaching out, delighted, for their bright lights and funny voices when he was a tiny baby. They had been the best toys ever, and he had been sad when they’d disappeared.)
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard laughter like that - happy and carefree. Not since before he’d regenerated, certainly. He’d been so busy, burying himself in work…
‘This is what I want’, he thought. A quote floated up from somewhere - detached from its origin, yet it made his smile deepen with its aptness.
Not that Shafali and Neelam were children… In any way.
Sensing his presence they turned, like mirror images, dark eyes watching him, slim bodies outlined against the sky, shimmering with wetness. Desire weighed down the air between them - what they wanted; what they would give in return.
(So many things he’d never made time for yet in this regeneration. But then he’d died alone, his first memories in his new body waking up in the destroyed remnants of the work of nearly a century. There had been nothing but devastation. He had been wrong - made a simple mistake - and the consequences had been… incalculable. His ginger self had been so confident, so sure - but this time he had been born into doubt and the aftermath of failure.
He had gone to find Roda and she had looked at him with eyes he could only now read, and softly shaken her head: ‘I’m sorry...’
Jack hadn’t been much better, essentially saying ‘Come back later’. Maybe that’s why he had built his TARDIS… He wondered if any of them knew why it looked like a tree. (Things lost, yet the memories were still alive, still meaningful.) But the TARDIS had led to the Toclafane, and the Toclafane to this day… So how could he regret any of it?)
‘Come.’
The evening was warm, but with enough of a breeze to make the air pleasant rather than humid. He sank into the soft grass with a beautiful body in each arm, and for a single moment the sense memories threatened to paralyse him.
But today was the beginning of the rest of his life, and he knew he would never be able to move forward before laying the ghosts of the past to rest.
‘Sing to me. Sing me your songs. Your hopes and dreams, your life, your world.’
(Their existence pure chance. Tracing it back, they had sprung from a criminal fugitive, a one-night stand, a chance meeting - and his own… ‘miracle making’. Could such serendipity happen when order was applied? How far could you interfere? How far did the end justify the means? Where did he go from here? What was the best path to take?)
But then there were lips against his, hands drifting along his chest, and music filling his mind… And he let himself sink into the release and joy they offered, waves of pleasure washing away all worries and doubts and dreams.
Letting himself fall into the eternal now, he forgot everything about the past or the future.
~~~
The next morning dawned with a twin sunrise fit to be described as one of the wonders of the universe. The sky changed from deepest ruby to clear amber, the distant snow-capped mountains glowed like diamonds, and as the silver leaves of the forest caught the golden light they looked like molten fire rippling across the valley.
And all across the sky, right out to the horizon, endless, endless Toclafane, moving as if in a silent dance, shifting in countless patterns, the sunlight fracturing over and over again against their shells, and the Seeker - standing at the top of the tall, graceful tower that formed the centre of his house - thought his hearts might stop at the sheer unexpected beauty.
(He had promised them a home. Had never imagined they would repay him in beauty.)
Dispatching Harvey with barely more than a breath, he didn’t have to wait long before he was joined by Safali and Neelam - their curious looks changing into stunned, wordless appreciation as they turned to take in the view.
(He’d thought of them as one person in two bodies… Only now did he understand how wrong he had been. They were more like two people in one body - so distinctive, he wondered how he had ever thought them similar.)
For the longest time they all three just stood there, drinking in the beauty, and the Seeker marvelled at how much things could change in a single day.
He felt… free.
There had been some mightily uncomfortable moments the day before, but everything was out in the open now. No more lies. No more hiding. And he had a dream, a purpose, a goal.
Of course the Inquisition would be arriving in a few hours, and he had plenty to do before then…
‘Come on, my gorgeous ones. I was going to make waffles. And then I’m going to ask you to do me a favour…’
~~~
They stood outside the Seeker’s front door, watching as the Doctor’s TARDIS appeared in the large circular courtyard, and the Doctor, River, Clara and the Master stepped out. The Master still in handcuffs.
‘Do you think he slept in those?’
‘Hope so.’
But Clara and River were wearing different clothing, so presumably they’d had a rest. Clara was looking around curiously, and Shafali’s eyes narrowed. (There was a dead girl in Torchwood’s mortuary, whose name was Clara Oswald, and who looked exactly like this one. They’d started a new line of research whilst waiting for Earth to be saved, and had so far turned up twenty three girls with matching names and faces from Earth’s history. Clara looked like she was going to make a very interesting project.)
A moment later Roda’s TARDIS turned up, with Roda and Jack. (Roda looked wary, but much better than she had the evening before. Which was good. They liked Roda.)
Neelam waved, and Jack waved back, then looked around and caught the Doctor’s eyes, before focussing on them again.
“Twins… Where is he?”
Safali tilted hir head.
“He left.”
The Doctor stepped forward.
“What do you mean, ‘left’? Where did he go?”
Safali smiled, as Neelam explained: “Somewhere impossible. But he gave us a message to pass on.”
Pressing a button, they activated the hologram message, and the Seeker popped to life - if a see-through hologram could be deemed ‘life’. The hologram smiled:
‘Hello everyone! I hope you are all well rested, and have polished your arguments to a shine. I’m so very sorry I can’t be there to hear them, but I’m sure you’ll still remember them when I return. You see, I decided I needed a break to get my head together in peace and quiet and work out what I’m doing - so I’m off to do a little inter-dimensional travel. And Doctor, before you say something… It is not impossible. Just ask a Dalek.’
He grinned wickedly, before the smile faded.
‘Roda, Jack - I hope you will still consider this place as your own. The Toclafane are not allowed on the southern hemisphere, so you should be able to visit without ever knowing they’re there. Everyone else - the planet is going into lockdown in an hour from the end of this message, so unless you want to be trapped, please leave. And if someone could give the gorgeous twosome a lift back home, that would be great. See you when I get back!’
He winked, and the hologram flashed out of existence.
After that there was some confusion and shouting and arm waving, which they watched with quiet amusement. No wonder he’d wanted to get away.
Lacing hands together they waited for the commotion to die down so they could get home, tilting their heads so they could watch the Toclafane above, trying to map the patterns (they were good at patterns, their minds constantly spinning out along potential possibilities - they had streamlined Torchwood to a degree Jack hadn’t thought possible), and marvelling at the delightful complexity.
(‘They are us, in the far, far future. One day we will save the universe.’)
A single day, and the whole cosmos could change. They looked at each other and smiled - it had been a good day.
Epilogue
Dunno if anyone will actually read, what with Doctor Who being back on our screens and all that, but if I wait until S8 is finished no one will remember what was happening here. So... Enjoy!
Previous parts here for anyone who is wanting to catch up:
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7
And Master post for the whole 'verse here.
Summary: "Why is it only ever the bad guys who have a proper plan?" The Master's son finally meets the Daleks. And he thought it a good day. (TSE/JE rewrite with Eleven and Clara and a host of extras.)
Setting: Future AU TSE/JE. (Set between Name of the Doctor and Day of the Doctor)
Spoilers: The Name of the Doctor (S7.13)
Rating: PG-13.
Characters: The Seeker (OC, the Master's son), Eleventh Doctor, Clara, the Master, Jack, River, Roda (OC), Davros, others.
Beta: The always lovely
kathyh. (Any mistakes mine!)Thank yous: To
the_redjay for the loan of Roda.Feedback: I am not too proud to beg...
Chapter 8
They left.
(So many people, so much talking, so much arguing, so many emotions, after decades of blissful solitude.)
He watched the Doctor’s TARDIS take off, saw the instruments in front of him register the moment they left the pocket universe.
(Peace, quiet, stillness all around him, like clear water on a sweltering day.)
He took a deep breath, stood up straight and let go of the control panel.
He’d barely moved a muscle, but they’d done as he told them. His power invisible, yet it had moved giants. He had never done that before (never had a reason, nor the power) - never forced his will through like this.
He knew he had only delayed the ongoing confrontation, but the Doctor had yielded…
‘Oh father - I can see why you love it so.’
He could also see why it was so addictive. To just force the arguments to go away - it was an option he’d never really thought of before. So far he’d tended to just lie, or to let people draw their own conclusions; hide himself away…
Yet that had backfired rather spectacularly. He’d let the Doctor believe whatever he wanted, hoping that if the Doctor thought he adhered to all the unwritten rules he’d be left alone. Which - to be fair - had worked beautifully until today.
However, three hundred years’ worth of harsh honesty in one go was not ideal, and the Doctor had (predictably) reacted very badly.
And it would probably all have been salvageable if it hadn’t been for… Jerusalem.
It was still playing in his mind, glorious and undiminished by everything else that had been happening.
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!
He’d stepped into a chariot of fire - bow, arrows and spear at the ready - but all they saw was danger of burning and tried to drag him out.
But how could anyone abandon a chariot like that?
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England's green & pleasant Land
The hymn was, in many ways, mad impossibility, and yet the vision it contained so glorious that how could anyone be unmoved? He’d only given in once before (so young, so very high), and he still remembered the exhilarating feeling of a thousand people, all singing with his voice.
Yet that had been a misstep, no matter how seductive.
That kind of power was… intoxicating. The key word being ‘toxic’.
Because ordinary people were far too… biddable.
The word hit him like it always did, straight in the chest, somewhere between his hearts. So heavy he sank with the very weight of it.
‘Not this time’, he decided, face hardening. ‘There is another way now. I’ve hidden myself away for centuries, I refuse to let ancient fears get in the way of this.’
Slowly, he smiled. His father had shown him the way… It was so delightfully absurd that he almost laughed out loud.
‘I will be Alexander the Great, and they won’t stop me.’
Despite everything - so happy. He never seemed to have the emotions people expected. Maybe he’d feel guilty later.
His future still lay there, golden and incredible, yet everyone would be breathing down his neck now. His father, eager to exploit him; the Doctor, desperate that he should not ‘go bad’. Jack, worried. Roda... might just leave completely. And she’d be unhappy. River would leave him alone probably - but then their lives intersected so very rarely anyway.
He was caught between them all, the way he had always been, but this time there was no telling them to leave him alone...
What he needed was time. Time to work out what he wanted to do, and how. Golden ideas needed to manifest themselves physically, or they were no good - the how was vital... The wrong ‘how’ could be worse than nothing.
But how to get the peace he needed? He had a planet, sure, could even lock it, but both Jack and Roda had unlimited access, and he didn’t want others putting pressure on them. Didn’t want Roda to feel that her one bolt hole in the universe was somewhere she was no longer welcome. He needed to get away, but where? Where could he find peace and quiet?
Stretching, he flexed his shoulders and pulled off the coat, throwing it over a dead Dalek, before rolling up his sleeves. Right now he had work - beautiful, hard, wonderful work. Clearing his mind to focus on the immediate issues, he stowed the problems into a side space where they could tick over in peace while he worked.
The spoils of war - being able to move planets was a boon he was more than happy to claim. So much incredible Dalek technology, he felt like a kid in a sweet shop. Winning… was good. Yes, it had been a good day. Nevermind the Doctor’s moral conniptions.
Clara gratefully took the teacup given to her by an enigmatic twin. She seemed to remember that originally they had planned to go to Tochwood in order to meet these twins… And Jack and Roda of course. Had that only been this morning? She took a sip of her tea and tried to look around to take in the surroundings better.
Torchwood, it turned out, resided in an underground base in Cardiff, and was strange mixture of Victorian tiling and futuristic technology. Jack was there when they arrived, but Roda had already gone out, although Jack had added ‘Left her keys, though. Can’t have gone far.’
This seemed to calm the Doctor, for which she was also grateful. She was used to the Doctor being at the heart of everything, of having to fix things, of fighting… And today had seemed all sideways. Nothing had worked out like it should. Mostly she felt very small and insignificant.
The Doctor was pacing unhappily, the Master - thankfully handcuffed to a large metal structure - throwing snide remarks at him at every opportunity.
River and Jack (and Clara herself) were sitting on various pieces of office furniture, drinking the tea the twins had made.
The Doctor had taken a cup also, only to immediately go off on another rant about how they need to ‘Make him see sense!’, which had necessitated arm waving, and had left the cup empty and some odd-looking equipment drenched.
Jack had taken a deep breath, and the twins had poured a fresh cup before spiriting away the now fizzling contraption.
She was beginning to see why the Seeker had been struggling to describe them - they were two, yet moved as one, mostly silent and seemingly anticipating what people would want or say. And they were undeniably beautiful, in a strange other-worldly way. Large purple eyes sat above tall cheekbones; jet-black hair - carefully and ornately pulled back - fell almost to their waist, and their skin was the colour of dark honey. They would not have looked out of place on Akhaten, she thought, their colourful silk robes (one orange, one green) elegant, yet practical. Currently she could spy them working on fixing whatever the tea incident had broken and found herself mesmerised. It truly was like watching a creature with two heads and four arms… Purple eyes apart they - physically - looked human (although she couldn’t have said which gender), but watching them work she was curious which species they actually were. They seemed more alien than the Doctor, despite his many different faces. (They had given her the strangest look when they arrived, yet not said anything. Disconcerting was maybe the best word to describe them.)
“But what did you say to him?” the Doctor was rounding on the Master now, angry and frustrated, and the Master lifted an eyebrow. Clara turned her head from the twins to study the confrontation - she, too, would like to know the answer to this. The Master chuckled, studying the Doctor as if he was a child.
“I thought that would be obvious, Doctor. I told him he was a hero.”
Jack’s teacup stopped halfway to his mouth.
“I’m sorry?”
The Master sighed.
“Why are we here? This one’s so stupid. And don’t I get any tea?”
One of the twins raised its head, studied him coolly, then resumed working while the other said ‘No’ in a flat, disinterested tone.
“Heroes inspire worship,” River said slowly, her eyes fastening on the Doctor. “Worship, dedication, loyalty…”
A slow smile spread across the Master’s face.
“Clever thing, aren’t you? All the points to the woman who was mad enough to marry you, Doctor.” He glanced over at the Doctor with amused superiority. “My dear son now possesses all the most important things he needs for ruling - or at least to make an excellent start. All I did was point it out.”
“All you did…” the Doctor said slowly, and the Master smirked. He seemed to have a whole line in smirks. All of them unpleasant.
“Indeed. He is my son, I knew he’d be able to see the possibilities. The prophecy was a surprise, although a very welcome one.” A sudden bark of laughter. “You see Doctor, it was all predestined, so don’t you be blaming me!”
The Doctor glared, then abruptly turned to Jack.
“Jack - he asked you to stop him. He knew about the prophecy, and must have told you too…”
Jack shook his head.
“Stop. Doctor, I know what you’re doing, what you’ll ask. And the answer is no. What happened between myself and the Seeker is… private.”
River’s eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head musingly.
“You know I always wondered about you two.”
Jack’s jaw dropped.
“What the- why does everyone think that? Nothing of that sort has ever happened between us! Hell I’ve never so much as kissed him!’
The Master cleared his throat.
“As someone more than happy to opt out of that ‘everyone’ can I just say thank you for laying my mind to rest? Not that I think he’d ever stoop as low as you…”
Jack’s face clouded over in pure anger, so furious that Clara almost felt it physically. But only for a moment. Instead his eyes turned steely grey, and - setting aside his tea cup and embedding his hands in his pockets - with measured steps he walked up to the Master, studying him silently for a long moment before speaking.
“Master. Try this quandary on for size one day, if you feel up to it: If your son had to make a choice between you and me - whom would he go for?”
The Master shook his head, his face a dismissive sneer.
“Don't be ridiculous.”
But Jack only smiled. Slow, almost predatory, yet with perfect confidence.
“Of course. ‘Ridiculous’. But think about it. You... or me.”
Clara gripped her cup. Something had shifted. With a few words Jack had somehow won a battle she sensed had gone on for… how long? Centuries? They were all so old. What had the Seeker said about Jack? ‘Because I love him best.’ More than his own father? No wonder Jack had given his loyalty...
Suddenly it all just seemed ridiculous - how could any of it be real? She’d watched herself die… Maybe it was all a dream.
Then there was a whoosh of wind and the Seeker’s TARDIS faded into existence, branches and tree trunk materialising next to the Doctor’s blue box.
Did this mean more arguments? She just wanted to go home...
The Doctor took a deep breath, straightened his bow tie.
‘I need to make him see sense. Need to… something. But how?’
A few seconds later the door opened and the Seeker leaned himself against the doorframe. He was no longer wearing his coat, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, his previously white shirt now greased and dirty. He still had the cigar, but it was nearly burnt down to the end, and he looked exhausted, but satisfied.
With a wry smile touching his mouth he let his eyes pass over them all.
“Oh look, it’s my judge and jury.”
The Doctor remembered a little boy. Golden haired and brown eyed, four years old (four and three quarters, an indignant little voice reminded him), being asked what he wanted to do when he grew up…
The boy’s eyes had lit up. “I want be a fireman, or a space adventurer, or the ruler of the world!”
The Doctor had dragged a hand through his hair.
“Alex, we've talked about this. The answer is still no, you can’t!”
But the boy had only lifted his chin defiantly. “But Daddy said I could! Daddy promised!”
“Yes, but that was a long time ago, and he's no longer in a position to make such promises, is he now?”
The boy was stubborn though: “But I'd be really nice! I don't like burning things - I'd look after everyone.”
The Doctor had sighed, seeing the father’s influence far too clearly...
“You can't. Humans need to look after themselves.”
“Daddy said I could rule the whole universe! And we’d have a castle! You’re not fair!”
He felt like he was back to square one. Three hundred years, and they had not moved, except he was no longer dealing with a small stubborn child but a supremely capable adult, yet with the very same dreams. How had it come to this? Where had he gone wrong?
He really ought to say something - except he wasn’t sure what. Everything so far had gone wrong.
Before he could make up his mind, the Seeker - so very much like his father this time round, even in looks - sighed. The anger that had flared when they left was clearly long gone.
“Look, I’m not going to take over the world today, OK? Or even tomorrow, would you believe it. Quite frankly I’m knackered as it’s been a very, very long day, so I’m really not in the mood for further extended discussion about morality… If you want to argue and try to make me ‘see sense’, can we reschedule for tomorrow? My planet, ten o’clock.”
Glancing around the Doctor saw the relief on Clara’s face, and supposed it had been a long day for all of them… And there was River. He didn’t know what to do with her either.
“Very well,” he eventually replied, and the relief on the Seeker’s face was evident.
“Thank you. And now for the second reason I’m here…” A sudden, mischievous smile broke out on his face, so at odds with the general mood that the Doctor took a few seconds to process it.
“...I’ve come for some TLC.”
A pause followed his words, as everyone studied him, surprised.
The Master grinned.
“Sorry son, don’t think the lovely Redjay is going to be very forthcoming with her pleasures for the foreseeable future. Besides, she’s skedaddled as she always does.”
Another sigh.
“Dad, I don’t suppose it’s any use to tell you not to gloat quite so openly over the fact that I’ve alienated all my friends? The rest of you - you’re all idiots. Roda and I are friends, I wouldn’t dream of asking her now. No... this is very different.”
Looking past them all, he smiled - eyes warm and happy, his whole demeanor so changed from the glum looks he had aimed at the rest of them that it could have been a different man:
“Shafali. Neelam. I would be honoured to accept your proposition.”
There was a beat as they looked around, confused, but Jack turned to the twins, eyes widening.
“Wha- Twins?”
“We have names you know,” one of them said, archly.
“Although apparently only the Seeker seems to remember them,” the other added.
“I’m probably the only one who can tell you apart,” the Seeker replied, smiling, then tilted his head, voice suddenly silky smooth.
“I don’t think this was the face you were expecting. But then… I don’t believe it’s my face you’re interested in.”
Identical smiles graced their beautiful faces.
“No, what we are looking for is something much more than skin deep… Time Lord.”
Taking a step out of his TARDIS, he held out a hand.
“Seek, and ye shall find.”
As they walked across the central space, perfectly composed, Jack was the first to find his voice.
“I… don’t understand. What proposition? When?”
The Seeker took a slow drag of what was left of his cigar.
“They - you - sent a message. The message was encrypted with Jamie’s Song. Only one person in the universe would understand what that meant… Me.”
“Oh.” The Doctor’s eyes widened, understanding flooding in, as he remembered the encoded message earlier on - and the manner of the encoding. Sex… as music. (Although that was a crude sort of description - what he had seen had been stunningly beautiful.) “So that’s why- but-”
“But nothing. If you would excuse me, Doctor, I shall claim these last spoils of war.”
He studied the twins, eyes dancing:
“Do you mind being called that?”
One of them turned, amused.
“Jack calls us worse.”
“But-” The Doctor was thrown, and flailing, he knew it, and yet...
“Do you know who he is? What he did?”
They both looked at him, purple eyes an ocean of calm. He once more marvelled at what they could possibly be - he’d never come across anything like them. No wonder Jack had asked him to come along to meet them.
“He is a hero. The saviour of worlds. And we wouldn’t exist without him.”
“We will not apologise for being intrigued-”
“-Or grateful. To be perfectly honest-”
“-one of the main reasons we took the job was for an opportunity like this.”
And with matching enigmatic smiles they swept into the Seeker’s TARDIS.
For a second he stared after them open-mouthed, probably looking several kinds of fool, before turning to the Seeker, grasping for words.
“Seeker - this? Now? Didn’t you hear a word I said?”
The Seeker turned in the TARDIS’ doorway, studying him with something between confusion and suspicion.
“You don’t know who they are... Oh Doctor, you are getting old. Are you forgetting things on purpose now?”
When he didn’t reply - his mind scrambling for some sort of pointer to who the duo could possibly be and coming up blank - the Seeker shook his head, eyes growing cold.
“They are flesh and blood reminders of the worst thing I ever did. So don’t you dare stand in judgement of my conscience!”
With that he slammed the doors to his TARDIS shut, and a second later it dematerialised.
Turning, thrown and lost, he studied the others.
“Who are they?”
Eventually Jack replied.
“The twins are... the great-grandchildren of Josh and Jamie.”
It took a moment to bring their faces, and stories, to the fore of his mind, and then he almost winced physically, fingers threading together nervously without realising.
Yes he remembered. Little Josh, who’d been around since the boy was four, charming and ambitious - he’d become an architect, his buildings exquisite and extraordinary. He’d been thinking about taking Clara on a tour to see them all. And enigmatic Jamie, as beautiful as sie was mysterious. Had sie become a writer? He wasn’t sure.
But above all he remembered the Seeker’s face. He had been young, so very, very young - twenty one years old, only a child... brown eyes pleading, yet composed, taking full responsibility for what had happened even though it had been an accident - the shock clearly still reverberating through him.
‘Doctor... Help me. Please - I didn’t mean to, I didn’t understand, I… I only meant to be kind. They’re my best friends, they trusted me. And now - human minds are so fragile, I didn’t realise...’
The Doctor had felt a chill go through him.
‘Seeker - what did you do?’
A smile far too bitter for someone so young.
‘What dad did to mum. And what’s more, I understand why he did it.’
The Doctor had shaken his head.
‘You can’t know that-’
‘Yes I can.’ The response had been unequivocal. (How did he know? The Doctor had never dared ask, sensing he would never get an answer.)
‘Just please, help me. Fix them. Undo what I did. Please Doctor, I’m scared. It would be so easy to...’
His voice had trailed off, but it had been simple to fill in all the blanks. So easy to take advantage. So easy to take his father’s path. So easy to pretend it was a one-off, that it wouldn’t happen again…
As lessons went, it had been a harsh one. Moreso because the Doctor had not been able to reverse the damage... In the same way as how even a small drop of colour would irreversibly change the hue in a glass of water, they were forever more watching the world through different eyes.
(Not that they knew, or had ever understood, what had happened. To them, the world had always been golden, and didn’t grasp how it could be otherwise.)
“Such a waste,” the Master sighed. “If I told him once, I must have told him a hundred times - they were absolutely perfect. Beautiful, and so perfectly biddable I couldn’t have done it better myself - I hope he has learned something by now.”
But the Doctor stayed silent.
‘Worst thing I ever did’ still rang in his ears. And for the first time since he had found Earth missing he felt like maybe, maybe he could breathe.
Eventually he looked around, his eyes slowly fastening on River. He hadn’t known whether to run towards or away, but finally… Maybe he could step into the past for just a little while.
“River Song. Could I ask you out to dinner?”
She met his eyes, unflinching, composed, yet wary. (She knew. She always knew.)
“On one condition.” A beat, as her face stayed completely devoid of emotion, although somehow he sensed that there was laughter hidden in her eyes. “We don’t talk about the kids.”
He stayed under the water for as long as he could. How did humans cope without a respiratory bypass system? He was weightless, cushioned, and everything was peaceful.
Eventually he had to breathe and broke through the surface feeling almost new. A spectacular sunset was painting the sky in hues of brightest amber to darkest red, the grass looked aflame, and the surface of the lake was like molten gold.
But what made him smile wasn’t the beauty of his planet - it was the laughter.
The twins were playing with the Toclafane, trying to spray them with water, but the spheres were too fast and always moved just before they were soaked.
(They had been his very first playthings - he could still recall reaching out, delighted, for their bright lights and funny voices when he was a tiny baby. They had been the best toys ever, and he had been sad when they’d disappeared.)
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard laughter like that - happy and carefree. Not since before he’d regenerated, certainly. He’d been so busy, burying himself in work…
‘This is what I want’, he thought. A quote floated up from somewhere - detached from its origin, yet it made his smile deepen with its aptness.
‘I want to make my kingdom beautiful, to fill it with fat men and pretty maids and laughing children. I want my people to smile when they see me ride by.’
Not that Shafali and Neelam were children… In any way.
Sensing his presence they turned, like mirror images, dark eyes watching him, slim bodies outlined against the sky, shimmering with wetness. Desire weighed down the air between them - what they wanted; what they would give in return.
(So many things he’d never made time for yet in this regeneration. But then he’d died alone, his first memories in his new body waking up in the destroyed remnants of the work of nearly a century. There had been nothing but devastation. He had been wrong - made a simple mistake - and the consequences had been… incalculable. His ginger self had been so confident, so sure - but this time he had been born into doubt and the aftermath of failure.
He had gone to find Roda and she had looked at him with eyes he could only now read, and softly shaken her head: ‘I’m sorry...’
Jack hadn’t been much better, essentially saying ‘Come back later’. Maybe that’s why he had built his TARDIS… He wondered if any of them knew why it looked like a tree. (Things lost, yet the memories were still alive, still meaningful.) But the TARDIS had led to the Toclafane, and the Toclafane to this day… So how could he regret any of it?)
‘Come.’
The evening was warm, but with enough of a breeze to make the air pleasant rather than humid. He sank into the soft grass with a beautiful body in each arm, and for a single moment the sense memories threatened to paralyse him.
But today was the beginning of the rest of his life, and he knew he would never be able to move forward before laying the ghosts of the past to rest.
‘Sing to me. Sing me your songs. Your hopes and dreams, your life, your world.’
(Their existence pure chance. Tracing it back, they had sprung from a criminal fugitive, a one-night stand, a chance meeting - and his own… ‘miracle making’. Could such serendipity happen when order was applied? How far could you interfere? How far did the end justify the means? Where did he go from here? What was the best path to take?)
But then there were lips against his, hands drifting along his chest, and music filling his mind… And he let himself sink into the release and joy they offered, waves of pleasure washing away all worries and doubts and dreams.
Letting himself fall into the eternal now, he forgot everything about the past or the future.
The next morning dawned with a twin sunrise fit to be described as one of the wonders of the universe. The sky changed from deepest ruby to clear amber, the distant snow-capped mountains glowed like diamonds, and as the silver leaves of the forest caught the golden light they looked like molten fire rippling across the valley.
And all across the sky, right out to the horizon, endless, endless Toclafane, moving as if in a silent dance, shifting in countless patterns, the sunlight fracturing over and over again against their shells, and the Seeker - standing at the top of the tall, graceful tower that formed the centre of his house - thought his hearts might stop at the sheer unexpected beauty.
(He had promised them a home. Had never imagined they would repay him in beauty.)
Dispatching Harvey with barely more than a breath, he didn’t have to wait long before he was joined by Safali and Neelam - their curious looks changing into stunned, wordless appreciation as they turned to take in the view.
(He’d thought of them as one person in two bodies… Only now did he understand how wrong he had been. They were more like two people in one body - so distinctive, he wondered how he had ever thought them similar.)
For the longest time they all three just stood there, drinking in the beauty, and the Seeker marvelled at how much things could change in a single day.
He felt… free.
There had been some mightily uncomfortable moments the day before, but everything was out in the open now. No more lies. No more hiding. And he had a dream, a purpose, a goal.
Of course the Inquisition would be arriving in a few hours, and he had plenty to do before then…
‘Come on, my gorgeous ones. I was going to make waffles. And then I’m going to ask you to do me a favour…’
They stood outside the Seeker’s front door, watching as the Doctor’s TARDIS appeared in the large circular courtyard, and the Doctor, River, Clara and the Master stepped out. The Master still in handcuffs.
‘Do you think he slept in those?’
‘Hope so.’
But Clara and River were wearing different clothing, so presumably they’d had a rest. Clara was looking around curiously, and Shafali’s eyes narrowed. (There was a dead girl in Torchwood’s mortuary, whose name was Clara Oswald, and who looked exactly like this one. They’d started a new line of research whilst waiting for Earth to be saved, and had so far turned up twenty three girls with matching names and faces from Earth’s history. Clara looked like she was going to make a very interesting project.)
A moment later Roda’s TARDIS turned up, with Roda and Jack. (Roda looked wary, but much better than she had the evening before. Which was good. They liked Roda.)
Neelam waved, and Jack waved back, then looked around and caught the Doctor’s eyes, before focussing on them again.
“Twins… Where is he?”
Safali tilted hir head.
“He left.”
The Doctor stepped forward.
“What do you mean, ‘left’? Where did he go?”
Safali smiled, as Neelam explained: “Somewhere impossible. But he gave us a message to pass on.”
Pressing a button, they activated the hologram message, and the Seeker popped to life - if a see-through hologram could be deemed ‘life’. The hologram smiled:
‘Hello everyone! I hope you are all well rested, and have polished your arguments to a shine. I’m so very sorry I can’t be there to hear them, but I’m sure you’ll still remember them when I return. You see, I decided I needed a break to get my head together in peace and quiet and work out what I’m doing - so I’m off to do a little inter-dimensional travel. And Doctor, before you say something… It is not impossible. Just ask a Dalek.’
He grinned wickedly, before the smile faded.
‘Roda, Jack - I hope you will still consider this place as your own. The Toclafane are not allowed on the southern hemisphere, so you should be able to visit without ever knowing they’re there. Everyone else - the planet is going into lockdown in an hour from the end of this message, so unless you want to be trapped, please leave. And if someone could give the gorgeous twosome a lift back home, that would be great. See you when I get back!’
He winked, and the hologram flashed out of existence.
After that there was some confusion and shouting and arm waving, which they watched with quiet amusement. No wonder he’d wanted to get away.
Lacing hands together they waited for the commotion to die down so they could get home, tilting their heads so they could watch the Toclafane above, trying to map the patterns (they were good at patterns, their minds constantly spinning out along potential possibilities - they had streamlined Torchwood to a degree Jack hadn’t thought possible), and marvelling at the delightful complexity.
(‘They are us, in the far, far future. One day we will save the universe.’)
A single day, and the whole cosmos could change. They looked at each other and smiled - it had been a good day.
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Initial response? buhdsgfdzwr\fb <33 *and sadness*
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Initial response? buhdsgfdzwr\fb <33 *and sadness*
Curious about the sadness. But pleased with the 'buhdsgfdzwr\fb <33' :)
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*hugs you hard*
Thank you for this...thank you.
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Aw, thank you. So glad you enjoyed it, and hope you like the epilogue! <3 <3 <3
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Jerusalem! I have my own associations, but I went and looked back up the Red Lion scene from Dating too. Seeker's “mad impossibility” line also reminded me of the novelization of Battlefield, where something (the Brigadier pinning one of his roses to Seven's lapel?) was called “as English as treason, and as incapable of it”.
Eleven ranting and spilling his tea. And I can hear the rant in Six's voice, but the clumsiness is all Eleven's. (And Jack being alarmed and the twins cleaning up the mess.)
The Master saying “Why are we here? This one's so stupid”, but then recognizing and appreciating River's cleverness.
Jack stopping the Doctor, and then getting some sort of revenge on the Master for the Year that Never Was.
Eleven straightening his bow tie preparatory to fixing things, and you can hear Amy from Asylum noticing and mocking him for it.
The Master/Seeker dynamic. "Dad, I don't suppose it's any use to tell you not to gloat quite so openly over the fact that I've alienated all my friends?”
The terrified care with which I imagine Eleven asking a River in the wrong time out to dinner.
The Twins. “Do you think he slept in those?” / “Hope so.” And noticing all the identical dead Clara Oswalds. And being amused at all the arm-waving and understanding why the Seeker had wanted to leave.
And the Seeker not taking over the universe right away after all, but the step along the way – looking forward to the Epilogue!
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♥ ♥ ♥
Jerusalem! I have my own associations, but I went and looked back up the Red Lion scene from Dating too.
That's exactly what I hoped people would do! (Or at least just remember everything that happened, as it obviously influences him here.)
Seeker's “mad impossibility” line also reminded me of the novelization of Battlefield, where something (the Brigadier pinning one of his roses to Seven's lapel?) was called “as English as treason, and as incapable of it”.
Oooh I like that! Thank you.
Eleven ranting and spilling his tea. And I can hear the rant in Six's voice, but the clumsiness is all Eleven's. (And Jack being alarmed and the twins cleaning up the mess.)
Such a simple thing, yet it just pinged off everywhere and involved everyone. Tea is a fun story accessory. :)
The Master saying “Why are we here? This one's so stupid”, but then recognizing and appreciating River's cleverness.
He really doesn't like Jack, but I think he's rather jealous of River... (Whether he wishes he was River, or that he could have a relationship with her - well I'll leave that up to you. *g*) He appreciates cleverness, generally. (I would give my right arm to see them meet.)
Jack stopping the Doctor, and then getting some sort of revenge on the Master for the Year that Never Was.
This Jack has come a long way from the Jack in the show, and knows how to put down boundaries. Plus he finally snapped re. the Master - that had been coming for a long time.
Eleven straightening his bow tie preparatory to fixing things, and you can hear Amy from Asylum noticing and mocking him for it.
YAY! That's exactly what I was thinking too. (Also he can't fix the Seeker, nor does the Seeker need fixing. Which is where he goes wrong. The Seeker learned to be 'self-regulating' more or less.)
The Master/Seeker dynamic. "Dad, I don't suppose it's any use to tell you not to gloat quite so openly over the fact that I've alienated all my friends?”
They are rather delightful... (Have you read the Seeker/Roda stories? They feature the Master a fair bit.)
The terrified care with which I imagine Eleven asking a River in the wrong time out to dinner.
Yeah that sentence just... did not work, whatever I did with it. So I figured that leaving it awkward was probably the way to go.
The Twins. “Do you think he slept in those?” / “Hope so.” And noticing all the identical dead Clara Oswalds. And being amused at all the arm-waving and understanding why the Seeker had wanted to leave.
The Twins are a little like cats (they take after Jamie in a lot of way) - very self-contained, but curious about the things they are interested in. Like, say, a girl who seems to be duplicated over and over. (They don't ask her, even though she is right there - they want to work it out themselves.)
And the Seeker not taking over the universe right away after all, but the step along the way – looking forward to the Epilogue!
Yes, he's a very cautious creature. He wants to work out what to do, and how. In peace & quiet. Epilogue coming as quickly as I can write it... (Bother work and RL and family etc. *g*)
Thank you so much for your wonderful comments - they totally made my day! ♥
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1/3
Great way to start. Very final, blunt.
(Peace, quiet, stillness all around him, like clear water on a sweltering day.)
Also very clever. It's good to see the parallels between what he wants, and what is happening. How relaxed he is without everyone else around. They want the best for him, but they're suffocating him.
He’d barely moved a muscle, but they’d done as he told them. His power invisible, yet it had moved giants.
And though it scares them all, they'd directly added to the thrill of it.
However, three hundred years’ worth of harsh honesty in one go was not ideal, and the Doctor had (predictably) reacted very badly.
Which the Seeker knew. It wasn't a hand he wanted to play quite so dramatically until the Doctor forced him. Well, until everyone did.
And it would probably all have been salvageable if it hadn’t been for… Jerusalem.
You should listen to Broadsword and here is a link. Will find the recording of me singing it if you like?
That kind of power was… intoxicating. The key word being ‘toxic’.
But at least he knows it?
Slowly, he smiled. His father had shown him the way… It was so delightfully absurd that he almost laughed out loud.
Which is funny, 'cause that's really the part that alienated Roda. That he listened to the Master, if not directly. But there are lessons to learn from someone else's mistakes...
His future still lay there, golden and incredible, yet everyone would be breathing down his neck now. His father, eager to exploit him; the Doctor, desperate that he should not ‘go bad’. Jack, worried. Roda... might just leave completely. And she’d be unhappy. River would leave him alone probably - but then their lives intersected so very rarely anyway.
I liked this. Thinking through the aftermath of everything. It's so amazing right now, but later he's going to have to deal with people again. And though he doesn't want to deal with them, and doesn't want to let them change his mind, it's still going to hit home, hard. Especially Roda... the break-up was out of the blue for both of them.
‘I will be Alexander the Great, and they won’t stop me.’
Oh dear...
Didn’t want Roda to feel that her one bolt hole in the universe was somewhere she was no longer welcome.
...good point. I hadn't thought of that. Also, well addressed, later on, if I forget to say so.
Stretching, he flexed his shoulders and pulled off the coat, throwing it over a dead Dalek, before rolling up his sleeves.
I can picture this perfectly and for some reason it makes me giggle. Such an amazing image, all the same. To the victor, the spoils.
So much incredible Dalek technology, he felt like a kid in a sweet shop.
It must be killing him not to get to ask Roda about the weapon she had, too.
Re: 1/3
The last chapter was all arguments and I wanted to start with a clear page, as it were.
Also very clever. It's good to see the parallels between what he wants, and what is happening. How relaxed he is without everyone else around. They want the best for him, but they're suffocating him.
Yes, I wanted to show the contrast - inside, outside. How they... don't really know whats in his head.
And though it scares them all, they'd directly added to the thrill of it.
Good point.
Which the Seeker knew. It wasn't a hand he wanted to play quite so dramatically until the Doctor forced him. Well, until everyone did.
He didn't want to upset the Doctor, but since the Doctor was *there*, he couldn't help it. He was using the Toclafane, and he was going to enjoy it, and then he'd take the fallout. (It had been 300 years since their last proper argument, so he figured it was probably time for another one anyway. *g)
You should listen to Broadsword and here is a link. Will find the recording of me singing it if you like?
It fits well with this story - if you see the Broadsword as the Toclafane. Thanks for linking me! :)
But at least he knows it?
Oh he knows it. He's spent his whole life aware of all the ways and all the reasons he shouldn't do it.
Which is funny, 'cause that's really the part that alienated Roda. That he listened to the Master, if not directly. But there are lessons to learn from someone else's mistakes...
And it just... can't be helped. The Master's words sparked the sudden insight. (Truth is truth, even if spoken by a liar.)
I liked this. Thinking through the aftermath of everything. It's so amazing right now, but later he's going to have to deal with people again. And though he doesn't want to deal with them, and doesn't want to let them change his mind, it's still going to hit home, hard. Especially Roda... the break-up was out of the blue for both of them.
This is where he is... so very pragmatic. This is what he wants. This is the price he will have to pay. (See when he decides to date Allison, but to lie to her about what he is.) He doesn't like the price, but he'll pay it, and not complain.
Oh dear...
I love to walk that edge between 'He's being very reasonable' and then reminding people what it is he wants.
...good point. I hadn't thought of that. Also, well addressed, later on, if I forget to say so.
He doesn't want her to be worse off because of him, and is now worried.
I can picture this perfectly and for some reason it makes me giggle. Such an amazing image, all the same. To the victor, the spoils.
Mmmm. This, exactly.
It must be killing him not to get to ask Roda about the weapon she had, too.
He reckons he'll wait fifty years or so, and then ask. He can be patient...
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2.0/3
This jars so much with the end of the previous scene, which is good. It's nice to get back to Clara's POV but to see that things are very different where the rest of the party is.
She seemed to remember that originally they had planned to go to Tochwood in order to meet these twins… And Jack and Roda of course.
Not off to the greatest start.
but Roda had already gone out, although Jack had added ‘Left her keys, though. Can’t have gone far.’
I may have already started writing this scene.Nothing had worked out like it should. Mostly she felt very small and insignificant.
Clara under pressure.
the Master - thankfully handcuffed to a large metal structure
*giggle*
Jack had taken a deep breath, and the twins had poured a fresh cup before spiriting away the now fizzling contraption.
I can just picture this. Jack trying not to lose his temper, the Twins just dealing with it.
they were two, yet moved as one, mostly silent and seemingly anticipating what people would want or say. And they were undeniably beautiful, in a strange other-worldly way. Large purple eyes sat above tall cheekbones; jet-black hair - carefully and ornately pulled back - fell almost to their waist, and their skin was the colour of dark honey. They would not have looked out of place on Akhaten, she thought, their colourful silk robes (one orange, one green) elegant, yet practical. Currently she could spy them working on fixing whatever the tea incident had broken and found herself mesmerised. It truly was like watching a creature with two heads and four arms… Purple eyes apart they - physically - looked human (although she couldn’t have said which gender), but watching them work she was curious which species they actually were.
Just... *hands* all of this, I love it. I can see them so clearly, I love it.
“I thought that would be obvious, Doctor. I told him he was a hero.”
Jack’s teacup stopped halfway to his mouth.
“I’m sorry?”
You could cut the tension with a knife. *on the edge of my seat*
One of the twins raised its head, studied him coolly, then resumed working while the other said ‘No’ in a flat, disinterested tone.
I love them. I utterly love them.
“Clever thing, aren’t you? All the points to the woman who was mad enough to marry you, Doctor.”
An insult wrapped up in a compliment. But then, the Master can't help but respect River, in many ways.
“What the- why does everyone think that? Nothing of that sort has ever happened between us! Hell I’ve never so much as kissed him!’
HAH.
Not that I think he’d ever stoop as low as you…”
I almost wish Roda had been there to punch him.
“Master. Try this quandary on for size one day, if you feel up to it: If your son had to make a choice between you and me - whom would he go for?”
oh, YES. <33333
Slow, almost predatory, yet with perfect confidence.
I don't think you were going for *guh* but it happened.
I love Jack.With a few words Jack had somehow won a battle she sensed had gone on for… how long? Centuries? They were all so old.
That's a good point, Clara is the youngest one there. Everyone else has seen years... It's amazing she copes when they all floundered; for all their experience, none of them are quite... stablised.
She just wanted to go home...
She and the Seeker would have gotten along so well under better circumstances.
He was no longer wearing his coat, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, his previously white shirt now greased and dirty.
Again, *guh*!
Re: 2.0/3
Yeah, he made the arguments go away... But they're still there. (And poor Clara.)
Not off to the greatest start.
No, really not.
I may have already started writing this scene.
And amazing it is too! <3
Clara under pressure.
Shut down, withdraw.
I can just picture this. Jack trying not to lose his temper, the Twins just dealing with it.
(Why did they have to bring the arguments HERE?) (It's almost as if the arguments are a physical thing that get moved around. Oh, like the spot in Cat In The Hat! *g*)
Just... *hands* all of this, I love it. I can see them so clearly, I love it.
I've been wanting to share for sooooo long. *bounces* Mah Twins!
You could cut the tension with a knife. *on the edge of my seat*
I just.... adored that whole part.
I love them. I utterly love them.
They are very awesome indeed! <3
An insult wrapped up in a compliment. But then, the Master can't help but respect River, in many ways.
Exactly! (To both of those.)
HAH.
Mphh. This is, like, 3 million times more hilarious than your original comment. ♥
I almost wish Roda had been there to punch him.
He deserves it, oh yes. But Jack does get his own back. >:)
oh, YES. <33333
And considering what has just gone down in the previous chapter... The Master knows he is standing on thin ice.
I don't think you were going for *guh* but it happened. I love Jack.
*guh* is sort of always hovering around when dealing with Jack.
That's a good point, Clara is the youngest one there. Everyone else has seen years... It's amazing she copes when they all floundered; for all their experience, none of them are quite... stablised.
She is a teacher? Ahem. Also, she mostly just kept out of the way.
She and the Seeker would have gotten along so well under better circumstances.
I know! It's a shame.
Again, *guh*!
That part was originally from Clara's POV. She... appreciated the view.
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2.5/3
Yet no Roda.
“I want be a fireman, or a space adventurer, or the ruler of the world!”
Did I ever tell you that my brother, at one point, wanted to be "a doctor, a vet, a dolphin trainer AND a pilot"? Simultaneously. He had it all worked out so well... this scene just reminded me of him, which made the whole thing oddly so much more poignant.
“But Daddy said I could! Daddy promised!”
And he kept his promise....
“Daddy said I could rule the whole universe! And we’d have a castle! You’re not fair!”
Another song comes to mind: My Lullaby.
Quite frankly I’m knackered as it’s been a very, very long day, so I’m really not in the mood for further extended discussion about morality…
That's them telled. And I love that it's just so matter of fact to him, not even something to worry about. Yet.
“Sorry son, don’t think the lovely Redjay is going to be very forthcoming with her pleasures for the foreseeable future. Besides, she’s skedaddled as she always does.”
*loud wince* Oh my.
“Shafali. Neelam. I would be honoured to accept your proposition.”
They have names! Hooray!
“I’m probably the only one who can tell you apart,” the Seeker replied, smiling, then tilted his head, voice suddenly silky smooth.
I suspect Roda would if she wasn't just that little bit unnerved by their telepathy. She kept them at arm's length, I suspect, pleasant and cheery enough but never close.
“No, what we are looking for is something much more than skin deep… Time Lord.”
*shivers*
“Do you mind being called that?”
One of them turned, amused.
“Jack calls us worse.”
Heh. I liked this bit, he's such a flirt (the Seeker) and a gentleman when he is.
“-one of the main reasons we took the job was for an opportunity like this.”
And in the background Jack's ego is slightly bruised :P
It took a moment to bring their faces, and stories, to the fore of his mind, and then he almost winced physically, fingers threading together nervously without realising.
Oh god, yes, this scene. It all came rushing back to me. No wonder the Doctor has cause for being unnerved...
In the same way as how even a small drop of colour would irreversibly change the hue in a glass of water, they were forever more watching the world through different eyes.
Oh... *cups hand over mouth*
“If I told him once, I must have told him a hundred times - they were absolutely perfect. Beautiful, and so perfectly biddable I couldn’t have done it better myself - I hope he has learned something by now.”
I'm seething. Which I gather was the point - to remind us that the Master is not as helpless as he currently seems. He is an antagonist. He antagonises.
Eventually he looked around, his eyes slowly fastening on River. He hadn’t known whether to run towards or away, but finally… Maybe he could step into the past for just a little while.
“River Song. Could I ask you out to dinner?”
I loved this. Just... the Doctor giving in, deciding to seek some comfort of his own. Though my first thought was 'and what will Clara do?'.
Re: 2.5/3
He is probably happy about that, hoping that she's gone off to get some peace.
Did I ever tell you that my brother, at one point, wanted to be "a doctor, a vet, a dolphin trainer AND a pilot"? Simultaneously. He had it all worked out so well... this scene just reminded me of him, which made the whole thing oddly so much more poignant.
That is adorable! And the whole thing is from the original Not The Last story. (Chapter 4a)
And he kept his promise....
Well... He doesn't need Daddy anymore.
Another song comes to mind: My Lullaby.
I've never seen Lion King 2. Interesting song, yes. Thank you.
That's them telled. And I love that it's just so matter of fact to him, not even something to worry about. Yet.
He is... excessively good at compartmentalising.
*loud wince* Oh my.
He is also trying to save face. A lot.
They have names! Hooray!
I HAVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG! And they are the prettiest names I could find. (Neelam is an Indian girls name meaning Beautiful Sapphire, always shining bright. And 'Shafali' is a member of the orchid family.) I think their mother was Indian/Arabic. (That is also where they get their colouring from.)
I suspect Roda would if she wasn't just that little bit unnerved by their telepathy. She kept them at arm's length, I suspect, pleasant and cheery enough but never close.
I'm sure she could, yes. But they're fairly closed off generally (quite like Jamie in that regard), and even the Seeker didn't know how they really functioned until they allowed him in.
Heh. I liked this bit, he's such a flirt (the Seeker) and a gentleman when he is.
He can finally let his hair down a bit. The relief is almost palpable. (They don't care about... any of it, really. They just want him.)
And in the background Jack's ego is slightly bruised :P
I know! (So many fun little notes to this.)
Oh god, yes, this scene. It all came rushing back to me. No wonder the Doctor has cause for being unnerved...
It was the thing that affected him more than anything else. I've had this planned out for so long, and the twins are pivotal here. (He comes full circle, makes peace with the past.)
Oh... *cups hand over mouth*
It took me so long to find a way of putting it across so it would be easy to grasp for people not familiar with the original story. I couldn't exactly retell 5000+ words of plot... But I was very happy with that analogy. :)
I'm seething. Which I gather was the point - to remind us that the Master is not as helpless as he currently seems. He is an antagonist. He antagonises.
It is that one word, endlessly painful, endlessly dangerous. A Pandoras box of nastiness.
I loved this. Just... the Doctor giving in, deciding to seek some comfort of his own.
He so needed it!
Though my first thought was 'and what will Clara do?'.
Like I said elsewhere, Jack very gallantly offered to look after her. ;)
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3/3
Finally, a happy scene. I'm glad you chose to go this route. He so needed a break...
The twins were playing with the Toclafane, trying to spray them with water, but the spheres were too fast and always moved just before they were soaked.
I - just - I can barely process the toclafane as the good guys, still. But this is cute.
(They had been his very first playthings - he could still recall reaching out, delighted, for their bright lights and funny voices when he was a tiny baby. They had been the best toys ever, and he had been sad when they’d disappeared.)
I'm picturing a child's umm... mobile, I think they're called.
‘I want to make my kingdom beautiful, to fill it with fat men and pretty maids and laughing children. I want my people to smile when they see me ride by.’
I'm going to call him Khaleesi now, and I do not apologise.
but this time he had been born into doubt and the aftermath of failure.
Which would very much colour his personality, I think.
He had gone to find Roda and she had looked at him with eyes he could only now read, and softly shaken her head: ‘I’m sorry...’
*bites knuckles*
‘Come.’
I'M SO SORRY I HAVE A FILTHY MIND I'M SO SORRY.
Tracing it back, they had sprung from a criminal fugitive, a one-night stand, a chance meeting - and his own… ‘miracle making’.
Oh, wow. That realisation makes this so much more beautifully complicated.
The sky changed from deepest ruby to clear amber, the distant snow-capped mountains glowed like diamonds, and as the silver leaves of the forest caught the golden light they looked like molten fire rippling across the valley.
That sounds so beautiful, too. Galifrey 2.0.
I was going to make waffles.
Always waffles.
(There was a dead girl in Torchwood’s mortuary, whose name was Clara Oswald, and who looked exactly like this one. They’d started a new line of research whilst waiting for Earth to be saved, and had so far turned up twenty three girls with matching names and faces from Earth’s history. Clara looked like she was going to make a very interesting project.)
This is almost threatening? But not. Slightly clinical, actually.
They liked Roda.
Heh.
and the Seeker popped to life - if a see-through hologram could be deemed ‘life’.
PLOT TWIST. GASP. /I was not expecting this!/
It is not impossible. Just ask a Dalek.’
Again - heh.
And if someone could give the gorgeous twosome a lift back home, that would be great.
*giggle* I suspect that'd be Roda and Jack, then. I wonder if Clara and Eleven will stay for their original intention afterwards, too...?
After that there was some confusion and shouting and arm waving, which they watched with quiet amusement. No wonder he’d wanted to get away.
...yeah I can see all of this.
Lacing hands together they waited for the commotion to die down so they could get home
CUTIES.
Re: 3/3
It's been arguments and shocks for ages. Everyone needed a break! :)
I - just - I can barely process the toclafane as the good guys, still. But this is cute.
It's funny, because I've had this planned for so long that it's perfectly natural? (No really, since 2008 - not this exactly, but to have the Toclafane as the 'saviours'. Not that others ever liked them (as you can see from the future Jack/Harvey tension) but to the Seeker they were always friends.)
I'm picturing a child's umm... mobile, I think they're called.
Yes, just like a child's mobile. Except not attached to wires. :)
I'm going to call him Khaleesi now, and I do not apologise.
He would be quite honoured. (And amused.)
Which would very much colour his personality, I think.
Oh yes. This day is a huge breakthrough, and helps him regain equilibrium to a degree it'll take a long time to process. (It... sort of ties in with the Josh & Jamie chapter in Dating - just a huge break, accepting himself for what he really is. But in a positive way, rather than what he isn't. If that makes sense.)
*bites knuckles*
Yeah, he got the brunt of the breakup then - and without knowing why. He screwed up, and died because of it, and when he went to the one person he relied on for comfort... She just backed away.)
That sounds so beautiful, too. Galifrey 2.0.
This is literally copied & pasted from the Prologue. It's the very first lines. I wanted to create a direct link to the day before, but also mark that it was a new day - and then add the Toclafane, to show just how much everything could change. (He pretty much committed genocide - yet he is rewarded with beauty... I'd say, go read the very start again. It all ties together!)
Always waffles.
Of course. There must be some consistency.
This is almost threatening? But not. Slightly clinical, actually.
Yes, they're... very logical. They could just ask - since she is right there - but they much prefer research. (They are very very good at their job. But not people people. *g*)
Heh.
Of course they like Roda. She's interesting.
PLOT TWIST. GASP. /I was not expecting this!/
I honestly can't tell if you're being serious.
Again - heh.
I can even expand on how this works!
*giggle* I suspect that'd be Roda and Jack, then. I wonder if Clara and Eleven will stay for their original intention afterwards, too...?
Yes, Jack & Roda. Once they've had enough of the arguments. And I shall leave that up to you...
...yeah I can see all of this.
People. Shouty people. Not good. Computers are much nicer and far more logical.
CUTIES.
They are my darlings. ♥
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Poor Clara was really a bit lost, what a day. Indeed seeing the Doctor so out of his depth was radically different from her usual, and rather unsettling. I cracked up at the arm-waving that resulted in tea-related damage to a nearby piece of technology… how very Doctor XD Clara's description of the twins, and the attention she gave them, was very interesting and intriguing. The description is just beautiful and really catches the reader's interest, and it also goes to show how peculiar and unique they appear that Clara is so caught and intrigued by them, despite the current situation and her having so much on her mind. Well, she might also have needed something else to think of, which would have been quite understandable… And they obviously would have caught anyone's curiosity. It's also somewhat meaningful that Clara can break away from the day's troubles and ponder about the twins and where they might come from, how different they were, whereas the Doctor later on would be entirely clueless as to the very same question—the situation is so much more personal to him, and it's understandable he may miss things, but there it seemed really symbolic to the way he couldn't seem to understand anything that was going on in the Seeker's mind anymore, the rift between them had just grown so much and he was so lost. But I'm racing ahead with that, lol! Back to Clara… ;)
I love the twins' reaction to the Master. XD And what the Master did say to the Seeker—of course it was so very simple, compared to whatever the Doctor could have expected. Yet so meaningful… And River was the one to point out just how meaningful, yesss ♥
The part about Jack and the Seeker was really great—Jack's irritation at everyone making the same assumption regarding their bond, the Master's casually cruel jab as always. But Jack's reaction was so intense—such a jarring, powerful moment. It just took my breath away. And Clara perceived all those implications, all that emotional weight… so, so much baggage, and soaking everything in was so exhausting to her, no wonder it seemed a bit surreal after a while.
And then the Doctor's POV as the Seeker arrived… of course. Bracing himself to talk him out of this once more, though he couldn't, and didn't get his POV at all. Poor Eleven. I loved the Seeker's line as he arrived, and the flashback about the little boy who wanted to rule the world. So sweet, yet so meaningful ♥ Meaningful, yet wrong, because it feels to the Doctor as though there has been no progress, and thus he doesn't acknowledge the Seeker's move as something more than that childish, dangerous fantasy… which was ever so dangerous.
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Yes he doesn't like big crowds. Especially doesn't like arguments.
The whole power theme, the exerting his will against others'—whereas he had formerly preferred to simply elude confrontations—was also rather fascinating, the high of that was obvious and so very new to him.
He's always been stuck between all these powerful figures, trying to negotiate his way. To be able to throw his weight around, that's new. He rather likes it... (Or to be a player, rather than just manipulate.)
And that was only so little of what power could truly be… Jerusalem was just a perfect way to evoke that point—glory, greatness, sublime and irresistible. How could such a mind not embrace this? How could anyone? And yet everyone else saw only the danger, not the incredible beauty and potential…
Jerusalem holds a ton of connotations for him (far too complex to delve into), but it's something that has always been there. Something he has never allowed himself to give in to before.
I also really liked your reminding of mistakes of his past, that had warned him against losing control in the thrill of such ideas, the awareness that it could be toxic—but his resolution not to let those fears deter him, allowing them to keep him lucid and grounded but not giving them further power over him, so he would be enlightened and powerful. That really emphasizes how layered and lucid his outlook is.
Yes, there is... history. And he is so very wary, yet he's not a child anymore. He's made mistakes and learned from them. So from his POV he's good.
Yet others didn't trust that, and indeed they were not going to leave him alone, lol. I liked the way he pondered that, trying to find another way than the obvious one, that would have switched the pressure to Jack and Roda—which he just wouldn't allow…
The Doctor *is* known for meddling... And for fighting if he thinks the cause is just. The Seeker accept this, but doesn't want his friends caught in the middle.
Poor Clara was really a bit lost, what a day. Indeed seeing the Doctor so out of his depth was radically different from her usual, and rather unsettling.
It's like she has ended up in the wrong story... *g*
I cracked up at the arm-waving that resulted in tea-related damage to a nearby piece of technology… how very Doctor XD
Well there HAD to be tea, obviously. And with Eleven around... /o\ (Plus, comic relief was called for.)
Clara's description of the twins, and the attention she gave them, was very interesting and intriguing. The description is just beautiful and really catches the reader's interest, and it also goes to show how peculiar and unique they appear that Clara is so caught and intrigued by them, despite the current situation and her having so much on her mind. Well, she might also have needed something else to think of, which would have been quite understandable… And they obviously would have caught anyone's curiosity.
It's a bit of both - part distraction, part fascination. I love my twins, and they *are* something very different, so fulfilled both roles very well.
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Yes, he has been deeply unsettled by everything... It is partly the Seeker's fault, because the Seeker has wanted an easy life, quite simply not letting the Doctor know what he was up to. (I don't mean the Toclafane, just... how he's developed. If you get round to Dating one day you'll see how jarring the development is.) And when the Doctor is on the back foot, he doesn't cope well, as we know.
I love the twins' reaction to the Master. XD
We don't like you, and we're not scared either. (Oh, when you get to know Josh & Jamie you'll understand where this comes from...)
And what the Master did say to the Seeker—of course it was so very simple, compared to whatever the Doctor could have expected. Yet so meaningful… And River was the one to point out just how meaningful, yesss ♥
No big grand statements, no mind games, just... a simple truth. And River (oh so many shades of AGMGTW here) of course gets it immediately. Enemy/Hero/Warrior - they're all different aspects of the same thing.
The part about Jack and the Seeker was really great—Jack's irritation at everyone making the same assumption regarding their bond, the Master's casually cruel jab as always. But Jack's reaction was so intense—such a jarring, powerful moment. It just took my breath away.
The two have a long and very painful history. And this was the moment when Jack had enough. (And he won, and they both know it.)
And Clara perceived all those implications, all that emotional weight… so, so much baggage, and soaking everything in was so exhausting to her, no wonder it seemed a bit surreal after a while.
She is rather thrown in at the deep end... I think they forget she is there, pretty much. (And I don't think anyone really wants a look at this particular group when they're 'private'...)
And then the Doctor's POV as the Seeker arrived… of course. Bracing himself to talk him out of this once more, though he couldn't, and didn't get his POV at all. Poor Eleven.
Yes, he's been on the back foot through out, much like Clara, except more so? It's not her life, but for the Doctor it's the boy he brought up, the one who is pretty much like a son to him...
I loved the Seeker's line as he arrived, and the flashback about the little boy who wanted to rule the world. So sweet, yet so meaningful ♥ Meaningful, yet wrong, because it feels to the Doctor as though there has been no progress, and thus he doesn't acknowledge the Seeker's move as something more than that childish, dangerous fantasy… which was ever so dangerous.
That line is straight out of the first story (chapter 4) - it's a red thread running through the whole narrative, and the Doctor finds it very very difficult to untangle it from all his issues with the Master. Because they're always been fighting over the boy, and it seems as if the Master finally won. Of course it's far more complicated than that, but the Doctor isn't in a very good frame of mind, so defaults to binaries... (See 'Into the Dalek' for the perfect example of this. *g*)
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The scene on the Seeker's planet was just dazzlingly beautiful—the scenery, the laughter, the image of him underwater, weightless and peaceful… the Toclafane having been his first toys, his friends, truly, on a level others couldn't understand… the laughter he couldn't remember hearing for so very long—really, this day brought him back something he'd been missing before… The quote—so perfectly right. And the twins and him, sharing such an utterly beautiful and timeless moment that erased all painful memories of his regeneration, all endless questions about the random miracles of existence. Wow :D His awakening was gorgeous too, his beholding the incredible view, the twins at his side, and his thoughts about them too. Such harmony—and indeed, at that moment, he felt so entirely liberated. A good day… he could call it no other way.
Loved the twins' POV at the end :D How they saw and perceived so many things, their curiosity about Clara and wanting to make a project of figuring her out, the simple "They liked Roda", and most of all how wonderfully calm and detached and coolly amused they were all along, most of all regarding the commotion that followed the Seeker's message. XD Loved their coolly waiting for the shouting to subside, mapping the patterns of the Toclafane and just marvelling. The Toclafane, the far-away children of earth, become saviours instead of killers. It's beautiful. Yes, a good day ♥
It's a great ending really! Wow, so odd to think that after the epilogue this will be done ;) Wonderful story! ♥
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I'm sure I've mentioned how good he is at compartmentalising, and this is another instance. :)
The moment with the twins was very interesting, with everyone's astonishment, the Master misunderstanding at first and thinking of Roda, and then the twins. The twins whose names no one had mentioned before… ♥ The dialogue between the twins and the Seeker was very interesting, as was the reveal about the message and the Doctor's confusion and questions, to the twins and about them
I kept them secret until now! Aren't they pretty? And of course people would misunderstand. ;) Although I set it up way back in chapter 1... Have had it all planned for sooooo long!
The Seeker's sharpness as he mentioned "the worst thing he ever did" was very interesting, and how that was somewhat of a relief to the Doctor once he did understand what the Seeker had meant… I loved that story, the Seeker doing to Josh and Jamie what his father had done to his mother, the terror this caused in him, how desperate and frightened he was at the notion of slipping and falling down that path.
It is... so complicated, and it was almost impossible to try to put it across so that someone not familiar with the background story would grasp it, but I hope I succeeded. His motives were very very different from his father (and it was a complete accident besides), but even so it happened...
And the Master used the very same word the Seeker had previously, biddable… It's all so very troubling.
Yesssss, it worked! That word is pivotal, the thing it all turns around. So glad you picked up on that.
And once more, I loved how seeing that, the Doctor could also see that the Seeker still held on to the lessons that frightened young man had learned, that he wasn't losing touch—that he couldn't understand, but he could still trust him, in a manner. Just a small relief to allow him to calm down some until their next confrontation, to see something that wasn't his terror about the Seeker—and turn to River. Loved that :D
Yes, finally something he could grasp, something that made sense - hope, even if it was just a whisper. Which he sorely needed. And once he had, he was finally able to move forward.
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Finally writing that was just wonderful. <3
the Toclafane having been his first toys, his friends, truly, on a level others couldn't understand…
To everyone else they were terrors - to him they were baby toys. Fuzzy happy memories from his earliest days.
the laughter he couldn't remember hearing for so very long—really, this day brought him back something he'd been missing before…
Yes, he's been very lonely (or alone, rather) since he regenerated. Which is partly because of timey-wimey issues of course, but he is now realising how that has affected him.
The quote—so perfectly right.
You can call him Khaleeshi if you like. *g* (Which makes the Toclafane the Unsullied...)
And the twins and him, sharing such an utterly beautiful and timeless moment that erased all painful memories of his regeneration, all endless questions about the random miracles of existence. Wow :D
Soooo much of this will make more sense once you get to Jamie & Josh's story. But for now the important point is beauty - and the fact that the twins symbolise all kinds of things, things he wants to take into consideration before running off and crowning himself emperor...
His awakening was gorgeous too, his beholding the incredible view, the twins at his side, and his thoughts about them too. Such harmony—and indeed, at that moment, he felt so entirely liberated. A good day… he could call it no other way.
All this is a direct copy & paste of the prologue (Toclafane aside) - if you go back and read the first couple of paragraphs, you'll see how it all ties together. :)
Loved the twins' POV at the end :D How they saw and perceived so many things, their curiosity about Clara and wanting to make a project of figuring her out, the simple "They liked Roda", and most of all how wonderfully calm and detached and coolly amused they were all along, most of all regarding the commotion that followed the Seeker's message. XD
They are kinda hilarious. Very matter-of-fact, no time for histrionics. They know what they want and what they like, and really don't care much for anything else.
Loved their coolly waiting for the shouting to subside, mapping the patterns of the Toclafane and just marvelling. The Toclafane, the far-away children of earth, become saviours instead of killers. It's beautiful. Yes, a good day ♥
And because they are so detached, they see what others overlook. They have no preconceptions of the Toclafane, so see them merely as saviours. The Seeker, to them, is their family's 'miracle maker' who helped their great grandparents, as well as being intriguing and a wonder of the universe. If someone said 'Doesn't it bother you that he wants to take over the universe?' they'd just shrug and reply that he'd probably be very good at it. What's it got to do with them? They're not his keeper.
It's a great ending really! Wow, so odd to think that after the epilogue this will be done ;) Wonderful story! ♥
Thank you! ♥ ♥ ♥ And thank you for taking a chance and reading. I really can't explain how much it means to me. ::hugs::
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(Mind you, it's also a problem with having lots of characters. I prefer less, but this story it couldn't be helped.)