In The Lost and Found (1/1)
Earlier this afternoon, I completed and posted a fic for the then_theres_us challenge called Five Ways to Lose Your Path On An Alternate Earth (And One Way To Find It). The first segment, however, was originally a lot longer--so long that it completely threw off the balance of the fic. But since I like it, here's the unedited first segment:
"This is rubbish!"
The Doctor turned the map on its side, peering at it as if the ink printing of Great Britain might suddenly shift and realign itself with his opinion of how the country should work. This should have been a shortcut--gotten them to Cardiff in half the time, even! He squinted up into the sky, staring at the sun in the hopes that it might give him an answer before…
"We're lost, aren't we?"
…before that. The Doctor buried his nose in the map, studying the tiny black dot that was Blackpool with extreme interest. That little 10-pixel circle of black ink was definitely safer, at least, than the woman currently slumped in the passenger seat of the car. Rose had assumed the traditional "offended girlfriend-wife-undefined-female-partner" stance, automobile variation, with her feet up on the dashboard, arms crossed tight over her chest, eyes straight ahead and scowl firmly in place. He assumed she still was, anyway. Since both were very pointedly not looking at the other, it was a bit hard to tell.
"Lost?" he echoed, shifting his weight from side to side in increasing agitation. "Nah, we're not lost, couldn't be. There's London, there's Cardiff, we're right on course. Somewhere outside of Cwmcarvan, we should be, headed straight for Wales as the crow flies--or a swallow, European or African, doesn't make much difference I suppose although European would be more likely. Did you know, Rose, I actually inspired that bit! Well, not the French part, but there I am with an African swallow fluttering about the TARDIS console, don't have any idea how it got in, but it was driving the poor old girl mad diving around her struts and so I'm trying to shoo it out by any means necessary, broke the broom, sonic only made it more upset, so I toss a coconut--I don't know where I got the coconut from, actually--and it goes soaring out, coconut right behind it, and who does it hit but--"
"I DON'T BLOODY CARE."
The fury behind that statement made a Jackie Tyler slap sound like the promise of sweets. The Doctor cringed inwardly. Well, this was it, two months as a part-human and his life was about to end at the hands of the love of his life. The love of his life who was now opening the car door with unnecessary force and stomping over to poke him in the chest straight through the map, which he was still holding up in front of him like a shield.
"You kidnapped me." Rose's eyes were glittering, her cheeks flushed with anger and the warmth of the summer sun, and the Doctor was certain he should not be wanting to shove her up against the car and snog her senseless. The mood she was in, he'd probably get his tongue bitten off for his trouble. "You've spent six weeks hiding in the mansion, barely saying two words, and then this morning, bang! I think we're heading off to the shops, and all of a sudden the doors are sonicked shut and you're announcing that we're," her voice dropped into a fairly credible imitation of his, "'going to check the rift in Cardiff, Rose, take the scenic route, the old team!'"
The Doctor opened his mouth, but found himself overruled by Rose's continuing tirade. "Which would be fine! Honestly, running off with you, what do you think I came across universes for?! But then I try to call my mum, let her know where we're going, and you toss my cell out the window! Why was that necessary? Not to mention," her voice dropped again, and the Doctor was getting a bit unnerved by how good her impression was, "'we'll take the scenic route, I modified the car for off-roading!' So now, we're stuck out in the middle of nowhere, somewhere between England and Wales, completely out of petrol, and no way to phone for help!"
After that final frustrated cry, the open field seemed very quiet indeed. The Doctor blinked several times over the top of the map. He wasn't sure what he could say; nothing she had said wasn't true. It was just... he'd meant well! Of course, that was precisely what he usually did, and, well…
Oh, why did he even expect things to go properly anymore, especially when he "meant well" by it?
"Thought it'd be a bit of an adventure," he said earnestly, finally daring to meet her eyes. "Thought maybe you and I…we could be alone a bit. The old team. I like your family--and don't you dare tell Jackie I said so--but for a mansion, that place was awfully crowded." If he were a more honest Time Lord, he would use the more correct word for what he'd been feeling: claustrophobic. "I needed to run, and…" He scratched the back of his neck nervously, "…well…I couldn't run without you."
Rose managed to keep her face stern for precisely four point seven seconds more, and then a tiny smile curved her lips. The Doctor finally exhaled, suddenly aware that his lungs hurt and maybe he should practice breathing with part-human lungs so he didn't accidentally suffocate himself in moments of suspense. His relief, or possibly oxygen deprivation, made him feel almost weak. "You're so full of it," she pronounced, and the tiny smile blossomed into a true grin.
The Doctor beamed back. "Sor' of, yeah," he agreed, mocking up a Northern accent to see if it would make her giggle. It did.
"You could have just asked, you know."
"Well, sure, could've done. But it would have ruined the surprise!"
Rose laughed. "Yeah, I was definitely surprised. I'm not exactly sure why, though. It's very you."
"Oh, always."
The Doctor's blues notwithstanding, he and Rose had been indulging in every opportunity for sorely-missed hugs since the moment they'd seen each other on that deserted street, and now they added a brand-new make-up hug to their resume. Rose, emboldened by a good rant, managed to stretch just high enough on tiptoe to plant a sweet kiss right on the Doctor's lips, another hobby they had been pursuing with gusto. When her toes wobbled, the Doctor chased her mouth right down and toyed with the tongue that had tried to flay him.
"Hmmm." The Doctor made a small, happy noise as they parted. "I didn't actually throw your mobile, you know." He shook his sleeve, and the phone dropped into his palm. Feeling daring, he tucked it into her back pocket, maybe getting just a tiny bit of a feel in the process.
"Oh." Rose looked a tiny bit dazed. "We can call for help, yeah? Get somebody to bring us some petrol?"
"Soon as we figure out exactly where we are," he confirmed happily.
"I knew we were lost," she teased, but now without rancor.
"Awww, maybe just a bit, but come on, we've always loved being lost! Where would we have been if we'd never gotten lost?" The Doctor tried to gesture expansively but, discovering that that would mean letting go of Rose, opted not to.
A tiny bit of tongue appeared in the corner of her smile, taunting him. "A lot fewer jail cells, that's for sure."
"Maybe so, yeah. But, do we usually have a lovely picnic--packed by yours truly--to snack on while we're waiting?" The Doctor almost glowed in his cleverness.
Rose stooped, picked up the discarded map, then returned directly to his arms. "You made us a picnic?"
The Doctor took the other end of the map, holding it open between them. "Yep! Sandwiches and crisps and bananas with chocolate sauce."
"Well, then." Rose dropped her head onto his shoulder. "Maybe we can start by holding the map right side up."
Finis