Challenge Fic: Stories (Prompt: 'fossil')
Title: Stories
Author: carly21
Betareader: darkbunnyrabbit
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose
Genre: Humour, Fluff, Angst... humorous Flangst?
Rating: Teen
Words: 846
Summary: “Is this one of these moments when you point and laugh at archaeologists?”
Disclaimer: Don't own nothin', I do.
Author's Notes: ABC Challenge story for the prompt 'fossil'.
Thanks goes to darkbunnyrabbit who did a brilliant beta'ing job! :)
Stories
“And this, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a dog!” the guide says, pointing to the skeleton of something that, to Rose, looks like an interbreeding of a horse and an elephant. The crowd 'ooh'-ed and 'aah'-ed while taking pictures, some urging forward to get a better look at the unknown creature's bones.
When the crowd goes on, the Doctor and Rose stay behind, both grinning madly as they step towards the showcase, eyeing its content with amused looks.
“Is this one of these moments when you point and laugh at archaeologists?” Rose asks, tongue slipping out between her teeth.
“Absolutely,” the Doctor answers, putting on his glasses and leaning forward to read the descriptions on the creature's showcase. “Found in Mauina,” he reads out. “Go figure. That's Africa in your time, Rose. Probably found a zebra's skeleton near to that of an elephant et voilá: you've got a new specimen. Wouldn't surprise me if they've used a bad scifi-film for reference, either...”
“That's what I don't understand,” Rose says, tilting her head thoughtfully. “There is so much material in my time... films, photos, books and stuff. Not to mention hard drives, computer chips and what not. How come they still get things so wrong?”
“Easy-peasy. Information gets lost over time, no matter the form. Take the 23rd century for instance. A small group of people gathered with the vision of a world without technology, back to the roots so to speak, and two hundred years later, that small group becomes a nation. The nation conquers the world and billions of data is being destroyed over night! Of course, one week later everyone misses TV, microwaves and cars, so they quickly go back to normal but a lot of information was already lost by then.”
Rose snorts. “Sounds rather stupid.”
“Oh, it was!” the Doctor exclaims, clearly glad that Rose catches on so quickly. “Went down as the most embarrassing point in all of Earth's history. Weeell, that and those cheese fanatics who prayed to the Goddess of Gouda and wanted to turn half of the population into cheese, so their Goddess could eat them. Never appeared, the Goddess, I mean, and the turning to cheese thing didn't go over that well either... Most of them just became a puddle of yellow goo. It's rather tragic when you think about it.”
Rose blinks. “...Come again?”
“Oh, and the interplanetary Olympics in the 32nd century! Losing to Adipose in every single category... what was that about?! You might think a race of people with such a long history of sports could win against creatures consisting out of pure fat, but na-ah! That! That was terrible!” the Doctor says, touching the showcase's glass. His expression suddenly changes. His smile vanishes and his eyes look way beyond the old fossils. “Those things are normally remembered, 'cause people talk about them, pass the stories on. Not everyone is quite so lucky...”
Rose knows what he is talking about. She has seen that expression a lot of times, not much on this face, this body, but she knows what it means... knows what the Doctor remembers. His free hand is shaking and Rose reaches out to take it, warm fingers spending comfort with such a simple gesture.
”In the course of history, so many stories are getting lost...” he goes on, his voice staggering. His hand squeezes hers, drawing strength from the touch to go on. “So many brilliant people are forgotten. Nothing lasts. Everything... vanishes, gone for eternity.”
“Not for us, though,” Rose says, her voice soft and soothing to his ears. He turns to her and Rose lays her free hand over his chest. “We can still visit the people, hear the stories from them, yeah?”
“Some things are lost forever...” the Doctor whispers, his right arm coming around her waist, pulling her close and resting his head on her shoulder.
“Only when no one remembers, Doctor.”
They stand like that for a while, enjoying the proximity until Rose pulls back, lays her hand on his cheek and looks into his eyes. “Tell me about them. Tell me everything you remember... pass it on.”
The Doctor touches the hand on his cheek, encircling Rose's wrist and pulling it to his mouth to place a short kiss on her palm.
Eyes closed, he nods.
They sit down on a bench in front of the showcase and he begins.
He tells her about his people, his planet. About the most brilliant of minds and the most retarded.
He tells her about the Master, how they were friends and soon became enemies...about stealing the TARDIS, getting banished from Gallifrey... and about the Time War, the last moments of his people.
Rose is the best of listeners. She laughs with him at the right places, squeezes his hand when his breath catches in his chest and hugs him when his grief becomes too much.
He passes the stories on and together, they remember.
Author: carly21
Betareader: darkbunnyrabbit
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose
Genre: Humour, Fluff, Angst... humorous Flangst?
Rating: Teen
Words: 846
Summary: “Is this one of these moments when you point and laugh at archaeologists?”
Disclaimer: Don't own nothin', I do.
Author's Notes: ABC Challenge story for the prompt 'fossil'.
Thanks goes to darkbunnyrabbit who did a brilliant beta'ing job! :)
Stories
“And this, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a dog!” the guide says, pointing to the skeleton of something that, to Rose, looks like an interbreeding of a horse and an elephant. The crowd 'ooh'-ed and 'aah'-ed while taking pictures, some urging forward to get a better look at the unknown creature's bones.
When the crowd goes on, the Doctor and Rose stay behind, both grinning madly as they step towards the showcase, eyeing its content with amused looks.
“Is this one of these moments when you point and laugh at archaeologists?” Rose asks, tongue slipping out between her teeth.
“Absolutely,” the Doctor answers, putting on his glasses and leaning forward to read the descriptions on the creature's showcase. “Found in Mauina,” he reads out. “Go figure. That's Africa in your time, Rose. Probably found a zebra's skeleton near to that of an elephant et voilá: you've got a new specimen. Wouldn't surprise me if they've used a bad scifi-film for reference, either...”
“That's what I don't understand,” Rose says, tilting her head thoughtfully. “There is so much material in my time... films, photos, books and stuff. Not to mention hard drives, computer chips and what not. How come they still get things so wrong?”
“Easy-peasy. Information gets lost over time, no matter the form. Take the 23rd century for instance. A small group of people gathered with the vision of a world without technology, back to the roots so to speak, and two hundred years later, that small group becomes a nation. The nation conquers the world and billions of data is being destroyed over night! Of course, one week later everyone misses TV, microwaves and cars, so they quickly go back to normal but a lot of information was already lost by then.”
Rose snorts. “Sounds rather stupid.”
“Oh, it was!” the Doctor exclaims, clearly glad that Rose catches on so quickly. “Went down as the most embarrassing point in all of Earth's history. Weeell, that and those cheese fanatics who prayed to the Goddess of Gouda and wanted to turn half of the population into cheese, so their Goddess could eat them. Never appeared, the Goddess, I mean, and the turning to cheese thing didn't go over that well either... Most of them just became a puddle of yellow goo. It's rather tragic when you think about it.”
Rose blinks. “...Come again?”
“Oh, and the interplanetary Olympics in the 32nd century! Losing to Adipose in every single category... what was that about?! You might think a race of people with such a long history of sports could win against creatures consisting out of pure fat, but na-ah! That! That was terrible!” the Doctor says, touching the showcase's glass. His expression suddenly changes. His smile vanishes and his eyes look way beyond the old fossils. “Those things are normally remembered, 'cause people talk about them, pass the stories on. Not everyone is quite so lucky...”
Rose knows what he is talking about. She has seen that expression a lot of times, not much on this face, this body, but she knows what it means... knows what the Doctor remembers. His free hand is shaking and Rose reaches out to take it, warm fingers spending comfort with such a simple gesture.
”In the course of history, so many stories are getting lost...” he goes on, his voice staggering. His hand squeezes hers, drawing strength from the touch to go on. “So many brilliant people are forgotten. Nothing lasts. Everything... vanishes, gone for eternity.”
“Not for us, though,” Rose says, her voice soft and soothing to his ears. He turns to her and Rose lays her free hand over his chest. “We can still visit the people, hear the stories from them, yeah?”
“Some things are lost forever...” the Doctor whispers, his right arm coming around her waist, pulling her close and resting his head on her shoulder.
“Only when no one remembers, Doctor.”
They stand like that for a while, enjoying the proximity until Rose pulls back, lays her hand on his cheek and looks into his eyes. “Tell me about them. Tell me everything you remember... pass it on.”
The Doctor touches the hand on his cheek, encircling Rose's wrist and pulling it to his mouth to place a short kiss on her palm.
Eyes closed, he nods.
They sit down on a bench in front of the showcase and he begins.
He tells her about his people, his planet. About the most brilliant of minds and the most retarded.
He tells her about the Master, how they were friends and soon became enemies...about stealing the TARDIS, getting banished from Gallifrey... and about the Time War, the last moments of his people.
Rose is the best of listeners. She laughs with him at the right places, squeezes his hand when his breath catches in his chest and hugs him when his grief becomes too much.
He passes the stories on and together, they remember.