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And Then The TARDIS Fell Into Pete’s World. Chapter 6.
Hello there LJ! The sun is shining, my flist (and inbox) is full of fabulous birthday greetings and assorted pretties and yay it is a GOOD DAY!
ETA: Will do a 'proper' birthday post later on btw. I just couldn't not dance a little bit here. :)
Anyway, I bring you fic. Hope you enjoy - it's a bit rough round the edges, but I doubt I can make it any better, sorry. And as always (because I am me), it gets a little more serious in this chapter because I can't resist going for the deeper character-stuff. Many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kathyh for the look through. Previous chapters here.
Title: And Then The TARDIS Fell Into Pete’s World.
Rating: PG
Characters: TenToo, Rose, Eleven, Amy, Rory, River, Jackie, Pete.
Genre: AU crack!fic.
Spoilers: ALL OF S5 OMG!!!!
Setting: Post-The Big Bang.
Summary: The TARDIS falls into Pete’s World. Stuff happens. (I don’t know yet. It’s a thing in progress. Respect the thing.)
Wordcount: Approx 3000 words.
Feedback: Would be an awesome birthday present! ;)
Chapter 6
“Could you specify what kind of problem, Pete?” Rose’s Doctor asked.
Pete leaned forward, his face – complete with worried frown - huge on the screen. Rose silently prayed that somehow they could sort this thing out before her mother returned from showing the house off to Rory and Amy. She inevitably got very worried whenever her father had that particular look on his face…
“The alien kind, I’m afraid. That clever detector you set up for us has traced a signal… It’s far off, but quite distinct.”
“Just past Jupiter, and advancing fast,” River cut in. “Chelonian vessel, medium size, no official codes or standard greeting messages as far as I can tell.”
She was reading off the screen of her small, handheld device, and the New Doctor was instantly at her side.
“Interesting. Could be a contingent of their peaceful faction, if we’re lucky. Hang on.”
He brought out his screwdriver and buzzed it.
“See if you can get anything more indepth. Hacking into their systems might be tricky, but if they’re heading this way…”
“And who might the Chelonians be when they’re at home?” Pete asked, and Rose’s Doctor began filling in. Apparently they were some kind of cybernetic humanoid tortoises who (as usual) loved warfare and thought that humans were useless parasites. Except with time they’d go all peaceful and devote themselves to flower arrangement.
Sometimes Rose wondered if the Doctor didn’t just make stuff up on the spur of the moment – it wasn’t as if anyone could contradict him. Flower arranging, really? Except- the other Doctor was here….
She turned, just in time to see the New Doctor hold out his arm to River.
“Shall we Dear?”
“Oh I think so,” River replied, smiling and taking his arm as she pressed a button on a familiar-looking wrist strap.
“Wait-“ Rose cried, and her Doctor pivoted on the spot, as the couple disappeared in a flash. He stared wide-eyed at the now empty air.
“What? How?”
“River had one of those… what’s it called? A teleport thing like Jack had…”
“A vortex manipulator?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“What’s all this?” Pete asked, and Rose’s Doctor turned round again, completing an on-the-spot circle.
“The one in the bowtie was me. Well, the original me, he regenerated and then dropped in unexpectedly, and now he’s gone and swanned off that spaceship along with River – she was the one with the comm unit…”
Pete, as always unflappable, tilted his head. “Surely that’s a good thing? If he could neutralise the possible threat-”
Rose’s Doctor didn’t have time for a response as the screen flickered, blanked out, and then the New Doctor’s face appeared, a blocky spaceship interior behind him.
“That’s it River! Super!”
He smiled down at them.
“Sorry about running away like that, you know how it is. And the TARDIS does need a rest. Hang on…”
His attention was caught by something outside their view, and he frowned.
“But-” Rose’s Doctor began, as the New Doctor began muttering to himself and then shouted over his shoulder at River to come on, quickly – he needed about five more hands.
“Well I’m right here!” Rose’s Doctor continued, “and I’m very handy!”
The New Doctor shook his head, obviously carefully fiddling with something below the screen.
“Oh dear me no, you are the last thing we need!”
“…what?”
It was more of a breath than a question, and Rose could see all the issues from the past few years instantly rear their ugly heads.
There was a beat, then the New Doctor looked up, gazing straight at his former self, eyes inscrutable. For a long moment they looked each other silently, before the New Doctor lowered his eyes once more, talking swiftly.
“Well, this could become very dangerous, since they’re not a peaceful faction, and if anything happened to you, Rose would never forgive me. Remember, you’re only human now. Only one life.”
He glanced up, finger raised.
“Plus, technically you’re only two years old!”
“Doctor!” River’s voice cut through, “I think they’re coming!”
“Excellent!” He soniced something or other, and Rose could hear River shouting impatiently, voice almost a growl.
“Doctor – now!”
“See you in a mo!” the New Doctor smiled, and the screen went black.
Turning to her own Doctor, Rose saw that he had become very very still, narrowing eyes focussed on the now blank screen.
“Something is rotten in the state of Gallifrey…” he muttered, eyes slowly finding their way to her face.
“I’m sorry?” she asked and he shook his head, eyes distant.
“Something is wrong, something… I wasn’t sure, but it’s obvious now. He resents me, something about me, but what?”
Rose bit her lip. “Well you’ve got me…”
“No that’s not it,” he replied, absentmindedly, as he dragged a hand backwards through his hair.
“Right. ‘Course not,” she said, trying her best not to sound too bitter – of course it’d not be her. It wasn’t as if she’d crossed universes for him or anything. Could it be only two years since they’d run towards each other on that abandoned street? This strange New Doctor behaved as if it was centuries. Not that she wasn’t happy that he’d… moved on, and she really didn’t want the two of them to be fighting over her or anything, but…
Then Pete re-appeared on the screen, looking a tad puzzled.
“What just happened? There was some kind of transmission – we traced it to the ship, but then-“
“Oh that was the other me,” Rose’s Doctor explained impatiently, “they’re onboard and should have it sorted out soon, I hope. Don’t worry about it.”
“Very well,” Pete answered. “Although I’ll keep monitoring the situation.”
“Sure, fine,” Rose’s Doctor replied, mind clearly elsewhere, and Pete took the not-so-subtle hint and excused himself.
Rose with sinking heart recognised the darkly inward look on her Doctor’s face far too well. It appeared so much less now, but it could mean days – or even weeks – of brooding… Of course she loved him, but there were limits to how much she could cope with. And he’d been doing so well – why did the New Doctor have to come crashing into their lives like this? It'd play havoc with her work schedule...
Thankfully her mother – Amy and Rory in tow, and Tony bouncing ahead – chose that moment to return and the Doctor had nowhere to run, as she immediately started talking at both of them.
“Rose! I can’t believe I didn’t tell you this already. Honestly, I’m losing my mind, but that’s not really surprising is, what with inter-dimensional visitors dropping out of the sky!”
She noticed Rory opening his mouth, clearly getting ready to apologise, and patted his arm.
“Oh I don’t mean you, sweetheart! Honestly Amy, you’ve got yourself a keeper there – it really is almost impossible to find a good man these days! But that reminds me what I was going to say – Rose! While we were at the cinema, the Doctor told me about how our Mickey is doing! You’ll never believe it, but he’s married!”
“M… married? Mickey?” Rose stammered, once more blindsided by the way things never stayed the same. Everyone moved on…
“Oh and you’ll never guess who to!” her mother continued, eyes wide with excitement. “That Martha girl – you know, she was there when-“
“Martha?” Rose’s Doctor exclaimed, abruptly torn out of his musings. “My Martha? And Mickey? Oh that’s brilliant! Fantastic! What about the others? Did he say anything about Donna?”
Jackie considered this, hand on hip.
“She’s also married – can’t remember the name, something Temple. And Sarah Jane almost got married – he didn’t really explain that, but said her fella was really great and very brave, so I guess he died.”
“And Jack?” Rose asked, but her mother only shook her head mutely.
“Jack’s story isn’t yours anymore,” a voice said behind them, and they all turned to find River and the New Doctor standing in the middle of the floor once more. The New Doctor looked a little singed around the edges, and he’d lost his fez, but otherwise they seemed OK.
“You’re… back?” Amy said. “Where’d you go?”
“Just some Chelonians that needed a bit of… persuasion. They’ve now wisely decided to leave Earth alone.”
River smiled to herself – a smile not entirely unlike Jack’s, Rose realised – as she removed her wrist strap and carefully stored it away in her handbag.
“You were very quick,” Rose said, and River chuckled.
“Cheated a little – but really, what’s the point of being able to travel in time if you don’t break the rules a bit? From what I’ve heard he bent quite a few rules for you… “
Vividly recalling the near-fatal fallout from her desire to see her father, Rose smiled politely and tried to look less uncomfortable than she felt. To her great relief her Doctor decided to cut in.
“We need to talk,” he said, addressing the New Doctor.
River looked from one Doctor to the other, and raised an eyebrow.
“Ominous words, those, Doctor, coming from yourself…”
For a moment it looked like the New Doctor was going to attempt to weasel out of it, but then he sighed deeply, and held out a hand towards the door.
“Lead the way. I’m presuming you don’t want to discuss things with an audience.”
Rose’s Doctor nodded and grabbed her hand.
As they left, Rose heard Amy call out, “Hey Doctor – you want us to look out for any evil alien pensioners?” which made no sense whatsoever, but caused the New Doctor to chuckle, and then look very sombre.
A little later the Doctor found a suitable room – one of those that had no purpose that Rose could figure out, but still needed expensive furniture - and the New Doctor cast a cautious look at Rose.
“You sure you want her here?”
“Where I go, Rose goes,” her Doctor replied, folding his arms and studying the New Doctor coldly. “So - talk. And don’t pretend that you don’t know. ‘Last person we need’? I want an explanation. There’s more to this than our usual squabbling.”
“’Usual’?” Rose asked, puzzled.
“Get a few different regenerations together and everyone starts arguing,” the New Doctor explained, and her own Doctor shook his head.
“This is not an argument about ridiculous clothing choices - I want to know why you won’t look me in the eye!”
There was a long, rather uncomfortable pause, during which the New Doctor seemed unable to work out which way to arrange his limbs.
He finally decided to grasp onto the table behind him, watching Rose’s Doctor with a look she couldn’t work out.
“After I left you I had the worst year of my life. And I mean that quite literally. I’d lost… everyone, and, being several kinds of a fool, decided to travel on alone. That lasted for a good while, and I thought it wasn’t too bad. Well, comparatively. But then one day I ended up on Mars, on the single worst day possible.”
Rose’s Doctor nodded slowly, sympathy in his eyes.
“Oh. I see.”
The New Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose, then slowly continued.
“Should have left immediately, of course, but it was Adelaide. Just as extraordinary as you’d expect. Moreso, to be honest. And… And then I watched them die, one after the other. I explained to Adelaide why I couldn’t help, and tried to walk away, but then…”
He looked up, caught Rose’s Doctor’s eyes.
“Then I realised – there was no one to stop me anymore. I won the Time War. Me. So…” He made a sweeping motion with his hand, “I saved them. Well those that were left. Adelaide, Yuri and Mia. Took them back to Earth.”
“What?” Rose’s Doctor asked, incredulous. “Did you… did you actually go insane?”
The New Doctor let his hand fall down.
“I think so, yes. Didn't feel like insanity. Felt like... finally, everything made sense. Guess it's how the Master sees the world... The freedom is extraordinary. But then Adelaide killed herself. That’s what brought me back down to earth.”
Rose’s Doctor shook his head mutely, as the New Doctor’s eyes narrowed.
“Something wasn’t right with me. Or with the me-who-was-you, rather.”
Abruptly he turned to Rose, who’d been feeling rather lost and forgotten. Who were these people and how come her Doctor knew them if he’d never met them?
“How is he doing? You know, you mustn’t let him brood, it’s very bad for him. He gets ideas. Doesn’t know when to stop.”
Her own Doctor’s mouth fell open. “Excuse me, but I haven’t been walking around breaking the Laws of Time!”
“Well you are me, or rather, I was you, and I know.”
The New Doctor leaned in, studying his other self with unnerving concentration. “Somewhere, deep down, there is a crack, and with too much pressure, you break. So, if you want to know, that’s why I find it hard to look at you. Well part of why. Too many bad memories.”
“And what’s the other part?” Rose’s Doctor asked, stubbornness on his face, and the New Doctor sighed deeply and then started to rummage around in all his pockets.
“Hang on, I’m sure I’ve got it here somewhere…”
“Got what?” Rose asked, but then the New Doctor said “Ha!” and held out his hand, on the palm of which laid a diamond in two pieces, split down the middle.
Rose’s Doctor stared at it, involuntarily taking a step backwards as he abruptly turned very pale.
“No,” he whispered. “No, that’s… that’s not possible.”
The New Doctor’s eyes drifted to the gem he held.
“It’s a long and rather complicated story. All you need to know is that on the night of Christmas, a star fell from the sky. The star was a diamond. And the diamond was a white point star.”
“How…” Rose’s Doctor still looked ready to faint, and Rose was beginning to get thoroughly fed up with all the crypticness.
“Is either of you going to explain anything about what this all means?”
“The white point star is only found on one planet – Gallifrey,’ her Doctor said, voice barely above a whisper. “Which means… It was the Time Lords. The Time Lords returned.”
He was still watching the diamond as if it was going to jump out of the New Doctor’s hand and eat him alive, and Rose shook her head.
“But – isn’t that good?”
The New Doctor shook his head, a soft, sad smile on his face, and his grey eyes ancient and tired.
“The Time Lords weren’t ‘collateral damage’ in the Time War, Rose. The war… changed them. So I destroyed them, just like I destroyed the Daleks, because what they were planning was just as deadly.”
“Oh,” she said quietly, eyes of their own accord finding their way to her own Doctor, who was studiously avoiding her gaze – and she was yet again hit by the realisation that she might love him, but she still knew so very little.
“What happened?” her Doctor finally asked, and the New Doctor sighed.
“I picked up a gun, and I fought.”
Rose’s Doctor swallowed, and grasped her hand so hard that she almost cried out in pain.
The New Doctor either didn’t notice or pretended not to, picking up one half diamond and studying it carefully.
“I’d had my death foretold a good while beforehand, mind you, and had been running from it for months. Oh, it was a long, lonely, dark year, where I couldn’t see beyond my own pain - good riddance all told.”
He sighed and lifted his head.
“Rose?“
“Um, what?” she said, and realised that he was holding out a half diamond towards her.
“I think you should have this.”
“But- but I can’t-“
“I want you to have it. You could make it a family heirloom. Something to pass down the generations, so they know where they came from. I think that would be rather fitting, don’t you?”
“I… thank you,” she said, and held out her hand, for a second feeling the cool touch of his hand as he carefully laid the gem in her palm.
“Sweetie? I hate to interrupt, but our window is closing.”
River’s voice cut through the moment, and they all nearly jumped, turning to the curly haired woman who now stood outlined in the doorway. As she took in the scene she tilted her head, then quizzically turned to the New Doctor.
“Don’t I get a diamond?”
“Not this one,” he replied somewhat curtly, depositing his own half back in the pocket where it had come from.
“Lucky for you that I’m not the jealous type,” she remarked, and he frowned.
“Wait. You said our window was closing. That shouldn’t happen for another twelve hours.”
“Have a look for yourself,” she said, holding out her comm unit. He glanced at it briefly before stalking out of the room, muttering that he needed to check things properly in the TARDIS.
“No need to thank me by the way!” River called after him, turning back to Rose and her Doctor with a fond shake of her head, seeking out Rose’s eyes.
“I have honestly no idea how you cope with having him around 24/7 – I’d go absolutely out of my mind!”
“Oh that’s… not a problem at all,” she replied, turning to her Doctor, noticing the way his smile returned and finding herself unable to help her own smile widening in response.
“Actually, Doctor,” River said, “I’d like a word with Rose in private. Would you mind?”
“Um- no, sure,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze and then walking out of the room, leaving Rose alone with a woman she couldn’t work out at all, and who quite frankly unnerved her a great deal. But she held on tightly to the Gallifreyan diamond in her hand, and took a deep breath. She’d seen eternity, no way was she going to be intimidated now.
Chapter 7.
ETA: Will do a 'proper' birthday post later on btw. I just couldn't not dance a little bit here. :)
Anyway, I bring you fic. Hope you enjoy - it's a bit rough round the edges, but I doubt I can make it any better, sorry. And as always (because I am me), it gets a little more serious in this chapter because I can't resist going for the deeper character-stuff. Many thanks to
kathyh for the look through. Previous chapters here.Title: And Then The TARDIS Fell Into Pete’s World.
Rating: PG
Characters: TenToo, Rose, Eleven, Amy, Rory, River, Jackie, Pete.
Genre: AU crack!fic.
Spoilers: ALL OF S5 OMG!!!!
Setting: Post-The Big Bang.
Summary: The TARDIS falls into Pete’s World. Stuff happens. (I don’t know yet. It’s a thing in progress. Respect the thing.)
Wordcount: Approx 3000 words.
Feedback: Would be an awesome birthday present! ;)
“Could you specify what kind of problem, Pete?” Rose’s Doctor asked.
Pete leaned forward, his face – complete with worried frown - huge on the screen. Rose silently prayed that somehow they could sort this thing out before her mother returned from showing the house off to Rory and Amy. She inevitably got very worried whenever her father had that particular look on his face…
“The alien kind, I’m afraid. That clever detector you set up for us has traced a signal… It’s far off, but quite distinct.”
“Just past Jupiter, and advancing fast,” River cut in. “Chelonian vessel, medium size, no official codes or standard greeting messages as far as I can tell.”
She was reading off the screen of her small, handheld device, and the New Doctor was instantly at her side.
“Interesting. Could be a contingent of their peaceful faction, if we’re lucky. Hang on.”
He brought out his screwdriver and buzzed it.
“See if you can get anything more indepth. Hacking into their systems might be tricky, but if they’re heading this way…”
“And who might the Chelonians be when they’re at home?” Pete asked, and Rose’s Doctor began filling in. Apparently they were some kind of cybernetic humanoid tortoises who (as usual) loved warfare and thought that humans were useless parasites. Except with time they’d go all peaceful and devote themselves to flower arrangement.
Sometimes Rose wondered if the Doctor didn’t just make stuff up on the spur of the moment – it wasn’t as if anyone could contradict him. Flower arranging, really? Except- the other Doctor was here….
She turned, just in time to see the New Doctor hold out his arm to River.
“Shall we Dear?”
“Oh I think so,” River replied, smiling and taking his arm as she pressed a button on a familiar-looking wrist strap.
“Wait-“ Rose cried, and her Doctor pivoted on the spot, as the couple disappeared in a flash. He stared wide-eyed at the now empty air.
“What? How?”
“River had one of those… what’s it called? A teleport thing like Jack had…”
“A vortex manipulator?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“What’s all this?” Pete asked, and Rose’s Doctor turned round again, completing an on-the-spot circle.
“The one in the bowtie was me. Well, the original me, he regenerated and then dropped in unexpectedly, and now he’s gone and swanned off that spaceship along with River – she was the one with the comm unit…”
Pete, as always unflappable, tilted his head. “Surely that’s a good thing? If he could neutralise the possible threat-”
Rose’s Doctor didn’t have time for a response as the screen flickered, blanked out, and then the New Doctor’s face appeared, a blocky spaceship interior behind him.
“That’s it River! Super!”
He smiled down at them.
“Sorry about running away like that, you know how it is. And the TARDIS does need a rest. Hang on…”
His attention was caught by something outside their view, and he frowned.
“But-” Rose’s Doctor began, as the New Doctor began muttering to himself and then shouted over his shoulder at River to come on, quickly – he needed about five more hands.
“Well I’m right here!” Rose’s Doctor continued, “and I’m very handy!”
The New Doctor shook his head, obviously carefully fiddling with something below the screen.
“Oh dear me no, you are the last thing we need!”
“…what?”
It was more of a breath than a question, and Rose could see all the issues from the past few years instantly rear their ugly heads.
There was a beat, then the New Doctor looked up, gazing straight at his former self, eyes inscrutable. For a long moment they looked each other silently, before the New Doctor lowered his eyes once more, talking swiftly.
“Well, this could become very dangerous, since they’re not a peaceful faction, and if anything happened to you, Rose would never forgive me. Remember, you’re only human now. Only one life.”
He glanced up, finger raised.
“Plus, technically you’re only two years old!”
“Doctor!” River’s voice cut through, “I think they’re coming!”
“Excellent!” He soniced something or other, and Rose could hear River shouting impatiently, voice almost a growl.
“Doctor – now!”
“See you in a mo!” the New Doctor smiled, and the screen went black.
Turning to her own Doctor, Rose saw that he had become very very still, narrowing eyes focussed on the now blank screen.
“Something is rotten in the state of Gallifrey…” he muttered, eyes slowly finding their way to her face.
“I’m sorry?” she asked and he shook his head, eyes distant.
“Something is wrong, something… I wasn’t sure, but it’s obvious now. He resents me, something about me, but what?”
Rose bit her lip. “Well you’ve got me…”
“No that’s not it,” he replied, absentmindedly, as he dragged a hand backwards through his hair.
“Right. ‘Course not,” she said, trying her best not to sound too bitter – of course it’d not be her. It wasn’t as if she’d crossed universes for him or anything. Could it be only two years since they’d run towards each other on that abandoned street? This strange New Doctor behaved as if it was centuries. Not that she wasn’t happy that he’d… moved on, and she really didn’t want the two of them to be fighting over her or anything, but…
Then Pete re-appeared on the screen, looking a tad puzzled.
“What just happened? There was some kind of transmission – we traced it to the ship, but then-“
“Oh that was the other me,” Rose’s Doctor explained impatiently, “they’re onboard and should have it sorted out soon, I hope. Don’t worry about it.”
“Very well,” Pete answered. “Although I’ll keep monitoring the situation.”
“Sure, fine,” Rose’s Doctor replied, mind clearly elsewhere, and Pete took the not-so-subtle hint and excused himself.
Rose with sinking heart recognised the darkly inward look on her Doctor’s face far too well. It appeared so much less now, but it could mean days – or even weeks – of brooding… Of course she loved him, but there were limits to how much she could cope with. And he’d been doing so well – why did the New Doctor have to come crashing into their lives like this? It'd play havoc with her work schedule...
Thankfully her mother – Amy and Rory in tow, and Tony bouncing ahead – chose that moment to return and the Doctor had nowhere to run, as she immediately started talking at both of them.
“Rose! I can’t believe I didn’t tell you this already. Honestly, I’m losing my mind, but that’s not really surprising is, what with inter-dimensional visitors dropping out of the sky!”
She noticed Rory opening his mouth, clearly getting ready to apologise, and patted his arm.
“Oh I don’t mean you, sweetheart! Honestly Amy, you’ve got yourself a keeper there – it really is almost impossible to find a good man these days! But that reminds me what I was going to say – Rose! While we were at the cinema, the Doctor told me about how our Mickey is doing! You’ll never believe it, but he’s married!”
“M… married? Mickey?” Rose stammered, once more blindsided by the way things never stayed the same. Everyone moved on…
“Oh and you’ll never guess who to!” her mother continued, eyes wide with excitement. “That Martha girl – you know, she was there when-“
“Martha?” Rose’s Doctor exclaimed, abruptly torn out of his musings. “My Martha? And Mickey? Oh that’s brilliant! Fantastic! What about the others? Did he say anything about Donna?”
Jackie considered this, hand on hip.
“She’s also married – can’t remember the name, something Temple. And Sarah Jane almost got married – he didn’t really explain that, but said her fella was really great and very brave, so I guess he died.”
“And Jack?” Rose asked, but her mother only shook her head mutely.
“Jack’s story isn’t yours anymore,” a voice said behind them, and they all turned to find River and the New Doctor standing in the middle of the floor once more. The New Doctor looked a little singed around the edges, and he’d lost his fez, but otherwise they seemed OK.
“You’re… back?” Amy said. “Where’d you go?”
“Just some Chelonians that needed a bit of… persuasion. They’ve now wisely decided to leave Earth alone.”
River smiled to herself – a smile not entirely unlike Jack’s, Rose realised – as she removed her wrist strap and carefully stored it away in her handbag.
“You were very quick,” Rose said, and River chuckled.
“Cheated a little – but really, what’s the point of being able to travel in time if you don’t break the rules a bit? From what I’ve heard he bent quite a few rules for you… “
Vividly recalling the near-fatal fallout from her desire to see her father, Rose smiled politely and tried to look less uncomfortable than she felt. To her great relief her Doctor decided to cut in.
“We need to talk,” he said, addressing the New Doctor.
River looked from one Doctor to the other, and raised an eyebrow.
“Ominous words, those, Doctor, coming from yourself…”
For a moment it looked like the New Doctor was going to attempt to weasel out of it, but then he sighed deeply, and held out a hand towards the door.
“Lead the way. I’m presuming you don’t want to discuss things with an audience.”
Rose’s Doctor nodded and grabbed her hand.
As they left, Rose heard Amy call out, “Hey Doctor – you want us to look out for any evil alien pensioners?” which made no sense whatsoever, but caused the New Doctor to chuckle, and then look very sombre.
A little later the Doctor found a suitable room – one of those that had no purpose that Rose could figure out, but still needed expensive furniture - and the New Doctor cast a cautious look at Rose.
“You sure you want her here?”
“Where I go, Rose goes,” her Doctor replied, folding his arms and studying the New Doctor coldly. “So - talk. And don’t pretend that you don’t know. ‘Last person we need’? I want an explanation. There’s more to this than our usual squabbling.”
“’Usual’?” Rose asked, puzzled.
“Get a few different regenerations together and everyone starts arguing,” the New Doctor explained, and her own Doctor shook his head.
“This is not an argument about ridiculous clothing choices - I want to know why you won’t look me in the eye!”
There was a long, rather uncomfortable pause, during which the New Doctor seemed unable to work out which way to arrange his limbs.
He finally decided to grasp onto the table behind him, watching Rose’s Doctor with a look she couldn’t work out.
“After I left you I had the worst year of my life. And I mean that quite literally. I’d lost… everyone, and, being several kinds of a fool, decided to travel on alone. That lasted for a good while, and I thought it wasn’t too bad. Well, comparatively. But then one day I ended up on Mars, on the single worst day possible.”
Rose’s Doctor nodded slowly, sympathy in his eyes.
“Oh. I see.”
The New Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose, then slowly continued.
“Should have left immediately, of course, but it was Adelaide. Just as extraordinary as you’d expect. Moreso, to be honest. And… And then I watched them die, one after the other. I explained to Adelaide why I couldn’t help, and tried to walk away, but then…”
He looked up, caught Rose’s Doctor’s eyes.
“Then I realised – there was no one to stop me anymore. I won the Time War. Me. So…” He made a sweeping motion with his hand, “I saved them. Well those that were left. Adelaide, Yuri and Mia. Took them back to Earth.”
“What?” Rose’s Doctor asked, incredulous. “Did you… did you actually go insane?”
The New Doctor let his hand fall down.
“I think so, yes. Didn't feel like insanity. Felt like... finally, everything made sense. Guess it's how the Master sees the world... The freedom is extraordinary. But then Adelaide killed herself. That’s what brought me back down to earth.”
Rose’s Doctor shook his head mutely, as the New Doctor’s eyes narrowed.
“Something wasn’t right with me. Or with the me-who-was-you, rather.”
Abruptly he turned to Rose, who’d been feeling rather lost and forgotten. Who were these people and how come her Doctor knew them if he’d never met them?
“How is he doing? You know, you mustn’t let him brood, it’s very bad for him. He gets ideas. Doesn’t know when to stop.”
Her own Doctor’s mouth fell open. “Excuse me, but I haven’t been walking around breaking the Laws of Time!”
“Well you are me, or rather, I was you, and I know.”
The New Doctor leaned in, studying his other self with unnerving concentration. “Somewhere, deep down, there is a crack, and with too much pressure, you break. So, if you want to know, that’s why I find it hard to look at you. Well part of why. Too many bad memories.”
“And what’s the other part?” Rose’s Doctor asked, stubbornness on his face, and the New Doctor sighed deeply and then started to rummage around in all his pockets.
“Hang on, I’m sure I’ve got it here somewhere…”
“Got what?” Rose asked, but then the New Doctor said “Ha!” and held out his hand, on the palm of which laid a diamond in two pieces, split down the middle.
Rose’s Doctor stared at it, involuntarily taking a step backwards as he abruptly turned very pale.
“No,” he whispered. “No, that’s… that’s not possible.”
The New Doctor’s eyes drifted to the gem he held.
“It’s a long and rather complicated story. All you need to know is that on the night of Christmas, a star fell from the sky. The star was a diamond. And the diamond was a white point star.”
“How…” Rose’s Doctor still looked ready to faint, and Rose was beginning to get thoroughly fed up with all the crypticness.
“Is either of you going to explain anything about what this all means?”
“The white point star is only found on one planet – Gallifrey,’ her Doctor said, voice barely above a whisper. “Which means… It was the Time Lords. The Time Lords returned.”
He was still watching the diamond as if it was going to jump out of the New Doctor’s hand and eat him alive, and Rose shook her head.
“But – isn’t that good?”
The New Doctor shook his head, a soft, sad smile on his face, and his grey eyes ancient and tired.
“The Time Lords weren’t ‘collateral damage’ in the Time War, Rose. The war… changed them. So I destroyed them, just like I destroyed the Daleks, because what they were planning was just as deadly.”
“Oh,” she said quietly, eyes of their own accord finding their way to her own Doctor, who was studiously avoiding her gaze – and she was yet again hit by the realisation that she might love him, but she still knew so very little.
“What happened?” her Doctor finally asked, and the New Doctor sighed.
“I picked up a gun, and I fought.”
Rose’s Doctor swallowed, and grasped her hand so hard that she almost cried out in pain.
The New Doctor either didn’t notice or pretended not to, picking up one half diamond and studying it carefully.
“I’d had my death foretold a good while beforehand, mind you, and had been running from it for months. Oh, it was a long, lonely, dark year, where I couldn’t see beyond my own pain - good riddance all told.”
He sighed and lifted his head.
“Rose?“
“Um, what?” she said, and realised that he was holding out a half diamond towards her.
“I think you should have this.”
“But- but I can’t-“
“I want you to have it. You could make it a family heirloom. Something to pass down the generations, so they know where they came from. I think that would be rather fitting, don’t you?”
“I… thank you,” she said, and held out her hand, for a second feeling the cool touch of his hand as he carefully laid the gem in her palm.
“Sweetie? I hate to interrupt, but our window is closing.”
River’s voice cut through the moment, and they all nearly jumped, turning to the curly haired woman who now stood outlined in the doorway. As she took in the scene she tilted her head, then quizzically turned to the New Doctor.
“Don’t I get a diamond?”
“Not this one,” he replied somewhat curtly, depositing his own half back in the pocket where it had come from.
“Lucky for you that I’m not the jealous type,” she remarked, and he frowned.
“Wait. You said our window was closing. That shouldn’t happen for another twelve hours.”
“Have a look for yourself,” she said, holding out her comm unit. He glanced at it briefly before stalking out of the room, muttering that he needed to check things properly in the TARDIS.
“No need to thank me by the way!” River called after him, turning back to Rose and her Doctor with a fond shake of her head, seeking out Rose’s eyes.
“I have honestly no idea how you cope with having him around 24/7 – I’d go absolutely out of my mind!”
“Oh that’s… not a problem at all,” she replied, turning to her Doctor, noticing the way his smile returned and finding herself unable to help her own smile widening in response.
“Actually, Doctor,” River said, “I’d like a word with Rose in private. Would you mind?”
“Um- no, sure,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze and then walking out of the room, leaving Rose alone with a woman she couldn’t work out at all, and who quite frankly unnerved her a great deal. But she held on tightly to the Gallifreyan diamond in her hand, and took a deep breath. She’d seen eternity, no way was she going to be intimidated now.
Chapter 7.
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Hope it's fabulous!
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ETA: And Happy Birthday!!
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*grins* I honestly didn't have a clue where to end this chapter, but that seemed like a good place. ;)
And thank you! :)
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I like this section--it has some real weight to it :-)
You always bring up these past events in this fic that I'm like "oh, yeah, that would be character-relevant at this point, wouldn't it?" The connections always take me by surprise, I'm glad you're bringing them out.
Sometimes Rose wondered if the Doctor didn’t just make stuff up on the spur of the moment – it wasn’t as if anyone could contradict him. Flower arranging, really?
Damn straight, Rose.
“Plus, technically you’re only two years old!”
Tactful as ever.
“Oh I don’t mean you, sweetheart! Honestly Amy, you’ve got yourself a keeper there – it really is almost impossible to find a good man these days!
I love that so much. Exactly what Jackie would think of Rory.
“Actually, Doctor,” River said, “I’d like a word with Rose in private. Would you mind?”
Oooooo, yes, please!
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Thank you! And I've had both, and more besides. :)
I like this section--it has some real weight to it :-)
Yay! This was one of the reasons I wrote it - to be able to get Ten and Eleven to talk.
You always bring up these past events in this fic that I'm like "oh, yeah, that would be character-relevant at this point, wouldn't it?" The connections always take me by surprise, I'm glad you're bringing them out.
Totally my pleasure - I tend to worry that it's all too obvious, I'm very relieved to hear that isn't the case.
Damn straight, Rose.
Absolutely. Although everything he says is 100% canon!
Tactful as ever.
I HAD to use that line. *g*
I love that so much. Exactly what Jackie would think of Rory.
Isn't it just? She'd be mothering him like there was no tomorrow!
Oooooo, yes, please!
You know, that idea came about thanks to the fic you linked to. I suddenly thought - hey, what WOULD they say to each other? So thank you. :)
Also, I got icons! (I'd asked prettily quite a while ago, and then they turned up on my birthday!) This is one of them. *pets it*
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Yay!
I tend to worry that it's all too obvious, I'm very relieved to hear that isn't the case.
Well, it's also very possible that I'm just thick. I would not rule that out.
You know, that idea came about thanks to the fic you linked to. I suddenly thought - hey, what WOULD they say to each other? So thank you. :)
Sweet. I can't wait.
Also, I got icons! (I'd asked prettily quite a while ago, and then they turned up on my birthday!) This is one of them. *pets it*
That is a perfectly fantastic icon. I hope there will be much use for it in the future :-)
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Allow me to rule that out!
Sweet. I can't wait.
Will write as soon as I can! (Oh, and I edited this chapter a tiny bit, adding a few lines to Eleven's talk about Waters of Mars. I thought you might like it.)
That is a perfectly fantastic icon. I hope there will be much use for it in the future :-)
I had the idea quite a while ago, and am lucky to have talented friends. This is the other one!
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You're very kind. I'll just say then that I know myself to have some serious blind spots :-P Thank you for filling them in.
Will write as soon as I can!
*fidgets*
(Oh, and I edited this chapter a tiny bit, adding a few lines to Eleven's talk about Waters of Mars. I thought you might like it.)
O_o Love it.
This is the other one!
LOL--very appropriate. Although I hope the Doctor will come out of whatever cataclysm is coming up with full use of his limbs and sight.
(. . . does that make Rose the mad woman in the attic?) *ahem* What, no, I didn't say that.
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My pleasure. Esp since you tend to fill in my blind spots. :)
*fidgets*
Heh. It won't be long - I think there's only one chapter left, and I want it *done*.
O_o Love it.
:D I just suddenly realised that this was a chance for Eleven to reflect on his insanity, try to explain it, and I *had* to add that. Plus (and it's SUCH a tiny thing), I let him refer to the Master in the present tense. He doesn't outright tell TenToo that he came back, but I liked putting in that tiny clue. (I, uh, obsess over details rather.)
LOL--very appropriate. Although I hope the Doctor will come out of whatever cataclysm is coming up with full use of his limbs and sight.
You mean SJA? Oh I'm sure. *pets them all* (Also I AM IMPATIENT!) Although, would that make Sarah Jane the mad one? Or is it just too early and I'm not following you?
(. . . does that make Rose the mad woman in the attic?) *ahem* What, no, I didn't say that.
::snerk:: But no, he didn't marry her, so can't be. Did any of his Companions ever go mad though? Hmmm. ETA: He married Queen Elizabeth I!!! Heeeeeeeeee!
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I support this. I suffer from the same affliction.
You mean SJA? Oh I'm sure. *pets them all* (Also I AM IMPATIENT!) Although, would that make Sarah Jane the mad one? Or is it just too early and I'm not following you?
I meant "when everything changes." *eyebrow waggle*
Hmmm. ETA: He married Queen Elizabeth I!!! Heeeeeeeeee!
Lol. I'm sure the TARDIS has an attic somewhere she can hang out in :-)
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I had an inkling that might be the case. ;)
I meant "when everything changes." *eyebrow waggle*
*head hits desk*
Lol. I'm sure the TARDIS has an attic somewhere she can hang out in :-)
Handy thing, a TARDIS. (And then he regenerated and there was FIRE everywhere! Ha! My theory works!)
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Anyway this is lovely! Too many great moment to mention them all, though Rose's doctor being excited to hear about Micky and Martha was a highlight.
I really like the way you dealt with the white point star. It makes tons of cannon sense, and it gives a solid emotional oomf. Very nice!
And nice tying up loose Waters of Mars ends. Very satisfying!
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LOL! I actually thought about mentioning something about keeping up Hobbit traditions. :)
Anyway this is lovely! Too many great moment to mention them all, though Rose's doctor being excited to hear about Micky and Martha was a highlight.
Thank you! And I had to have that in there - TenToo would be THRILLED about Martha/Mickey.
I really like the way you dealt with the white point star. It makes tons of cannon sense, and it gives a solid emotional oomf. Very nice!
*beams* It was one of those scenes where they just talked for ages, so I thought that if I used the white point star I'd get a different kind of punch to proceedings, since it'd explain a lot just by its precsence. V. glad it worked. :) (Also I LOVED giving half to Rose & TenToo - a physical link to the past and the world they came from.)
And nice tying up loose Waters of Mars ends. Very satisfying!
Oh that part was wonderful to write - because I doubt Eleven will ever really talk about it, so having TenToo *force* him was fascinating. How does he view it? (Also a nice bit of antagonism in there, I figured - Eleven is in so many ways a reaction against Ten...)
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Oh, I love this!
Her own Doctor’s mouth fell open. “Excuse me, but I haven’t been walking around breaking the Laws of Time!”
And I love Rose's Doctor.
I'm very curious about what River will say to Rose...
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I somehow could not resist...
And I love Rose's Doctor.
He is rather brilliant, it's true. A million issues lurking beneath the surface, of course, but that feistiness always comes out top! :)
I'm very curious about what River will say to Rose...
You know, that was totally a last minute addition, inspired by another fic, but I suddenly realised that of course I had to write such a scene. :)
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Ooh, Wonder what River has to say to Rose.
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It rather had to, yes. And much like plot, crack tends to be a vehicle for smuggling in lots of characters stuff. I really ought to warn people...
Ten deserved to know what happened to... himself, though thankfully Eleven spared him from actually obtaining the memories.
Yes, this. Exactly. I did consider a proper mindmeld, but I figured TenToo could do without more trauma. (I could say more, but I'll deal with it in the next chapter.)
I'm glad they did though, somehow it's nice to see Eleven chat with someone who understands what he's speaking of.... even if that person is technically himself >.> though I suppose it's a bit odd, as Eleven said, he usually doesn't get along with himself very well XD.
I'm not sure they *do* get on with each other, to be honest. Not that there's outright hostility, but TenToo is rather wary of Eleven and Eleven has rather a lot of issues with his past self (to say the least) - he's just rather good at not talking about it.
Ooh, Wonder what River has to say to Rose.
Am currently working on that, actually, and it's proving a little tricky. (Well, I know what she's going to say, it's just how to best put it.)
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If Eleven mindmelds with Ten, make it be the happier stuff, like Jackson Lake or his goodbye spree (which was sad in a sense, but hey, isn't it nice to give Ten one last look at his friends too?). I think actually learning what happened when he snapped might shake him up severely, which Eleven knows, more than anyone, would be bad.
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Shall we put it down to greater maturity? Eleven is, when not pushed, by nature very calm and rather buttoned up.
If Eleven mindmelds with Ten, make it be the happier stuff, like Jackson Lake or his goodbye spree (which was sad in a sense, but hey, isn't it nice to give Ten one last look at his friends too?).
That's not a bad idea, esp considering the latest SJA ep...
I think actually learning what happened when he snapped might shake him up severely, which Eleven knows, more than anyone, would be bad.
Oooooh yes. That scene was going to be a lot harsher and more accusatory when I first planned it, but I realised I had to tone it down a lot for TenToo's sake.