fic: Box Blue, Shrubbery Green
Title: Box Blue, Shrubbery Green
Rating: G
A/N: Forgive similarities to other submissions (in title, content, etc). It wasn't on purpose, I promise!
At the end of an adventure, Amelia would sit at her kitchen table and illustrate what had happened that day, with her box of crayons and her Raggedy Doctor.
"Remember when those big flying things almost got us?" she would whisper, coloring intently. In her mind the Doctor would reply, They never could have taken us far. We're too heavy! And she laughed to herself. (In the other room, her aunt bit her lip and wondered if she needed to make another appointment with a psychiatrist.)
One day, instead of going home for supper, Rory hung about in the garden. "My mum's not going to be home until late," he said, looking down at the stringy tie he used to dress up as the Raggedy Doctor. "D'you think I could come in with you for a while?"
Amelia looked at him consideringly. He glanced up at her, hopeful. "Come in," she said finally. "I'm drawing our adventure."
He looked odd sitting at the table, in the chair where the Doctor had sat but so much smaller (even though Amelia couldn't help but notice how he'd grown this past year). "What should I do?" he asked.
"You can draw the man-eating shrubbery," she told him, tossing him a green crayon.
"What are you going to draw?" he asked, looking sadly at the rest of the box she was hoarding.
"I'm drawing me and the Doctor, saving the day." She was already scribbling away.
"Oh." He fiddled with his crayon for a moment then began a careful outline of the huge, man-eating shrubbery that had threatened them only an hour before. It had reached out to them with its spiky branch-like arms and promised that they would go the same way as all the other passerby, never to return.
"I think we should run," Rory had said after Amelia relayed the shrubbery's threat.
"We can't run. We have to save the -- the baby from getting eaten! The Doctor's going to get a big stick --" she'd gestured at the rake and Rory hurriedly picked it up -- "and poke it. Not like that!" Rory jerked the stick back in surprise. "The Doctor is looking for just one leaf, a leaf that will turn it back into a normal plant. He'll jab it and everyone will be saved!"
Rory was jolted out of reminiscing (his green crayon made a jagged line across the page) at the sound of Amelia's whisper. "Remember how you poked the man-eating shrubbery until you found the special leaf?"
"Yeah," he replied softly. Amelia startled so violently she knocked over the whole box of crayons, and drew a similar jagged line across the face of her Doctor.
"I wasn't -- I wasn't talking to you!" she said breathlessly, glaring at Rory for a moment.
"Who were you talking to, then?" Rory asked. He started gathering up the crayons spilled across the table.
"I was talking to the Doctor, of course."
"But I was the one that poked the bush. We thought I'd never find it and the baby would be eaten. But I found it, it was at the top."
Amelia scowled at her ruined drawing. "Well, I wasn't expecting you to answer."
Rory remained silent. A few crayons had fallen on the floor, so he crawled under the table to get them so she couldn't see his face. It was always the Doctor with her. He liked the idea of the Doctor, really, and couldn't blame Amelia for liking the idea too. He even liked that she chose him to play the Doctor. But it seemed at times like this that Rory didn't matter, only the Doctor.
And the Doctor wasn't even real!
Rory picked up the blue crayon; it was worn down somewhat more than the others. Due to the Doctor's blue box, no doubt. He rubbed the crayon between his fingers thoughtfully, then gently closed his fist around it.
"Hey." Amelia was looking under the table, half a mischievous smile on her face as he jumped and bonked his head on the table leg. "Come out from under there." But he was still rubbing the bump on his head when she slid off her seat and joined him on the floor.
"You okay?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I'll live." He blinked the pain tears out of his eyes, hoping she hadn't seen, then handed her the blue crayon.
She took it from him delicately, rolled it into her hand, and sighed. "Rory?"
"Yeah."
"Remember how glad that mother was to get her baby back?"
He rubbed his head a bit longer before answering. "She was really happy. It was kind of an ugly baby but I thought she would kiss me she was so glad."
"There's no accounting for a mother's taste, is there?" Amelia said, smirking. "Your mother still loves you," she added, and nudged him so hard he nearly knocked into the table leg again.
"Watch it," he warned her. He knew she was saying sorry -- he'd be really worried if she didn't push or punch him. His rebound made him collide with her, and she laughed.
"You watch it," she retorted. "I can beat you up any day."
"I never forget it," he assured her.
"Good," she said smugly. "Let's finish. You can draw the ugly baby and its mother if you want." She crawled out from under the table. Rory stayed for a moment or two more, gathering the rest of the fallen crayons.
Amelia was already scribbling with the blue crayon by the time he got up. "Wanna play again tomorrow?" she asked. "I've got this great idea for underground tunnel worms."
"Sure," Rory said. "The Raggedy Doctor and Amelia Pond will save the day again!"
"We always do," Amelia murmured. "You and me."
Rory smiled. He couldn't be completely sure, but he thought it quite possible that Amelia's comment was meant for him this time, and not the Doctor.
Rating: G
A/N: Forgive similarities to other submissions (in title, content, etc). It wasn't on purpose, I promise!
At the end of an adventure, Amelia would sit at her kitchen table and illustrate what had happened that day, with her box of crayons and her Raggedy Doctor.
"Remember when those big flying things almost got us?" she would whisper, coloring intently. In her mind the Doctor would reply, They never could have taken us far. We're too heavy! And she laughed to herself. (In the other room, her aunt bit her lip and wondered if she needed to make another appointment with a psychiatrist.)
One day, instead of going home for supper, Rory hung about in the garden. "My mum's not going to be home until late," he said, looking down at the stringy tie he used to dress up as the Raggedy Doctor. "D'you think I could come in with you for a while?"
Amelia looked at him consideringly. He glanced up at her, hopeful. "Come in," she said finally. "I'm drawing our adventure."
He looked odd sitting at the table, in the chair where the Doctor had sat but so much smaller (even though Amelia couldn't help but notice how he'd grown this past year). "What should I do?" he asked.
"You can draw the man-eating shrubbery," she told him, tossing him a green crayon.
"What are you going to draw?" he asked, looking sadly at the rest of the box she was hoarding.
"I'm drawing me and the Doctor, saving the day." She was already scribbling away.
"Oh." He fiddled with his crayon for a moment then began a careful outline of the huge, man-eating shrubbery that had threatened them only an hour before. It had reached out to them with its spiky branch-like arms and promised that they would go the same way as all the other passerby, never to return.
"I think we should run," Rory had said after Amelia relayed the shrubbery's threat.
"We can't run. We have to save the -- the baby from getting eaten! The Doctor's going to get a big stick --" she'd gestured at the rake and Rory hurriedly picked it up -- "and poke it. Not like that!" Rory jerked the stick back in surprise. "The Doctor is looking for just one leaf, a leaf that will turn it back into a normal plant. He'll jab it and everyone will be saved!"
Rory was jolted out of reminiscing (his green crayon made a jagged line across the page) at the sound of Amelia's whisper. "Remember how you poked the man-eating shrubbery until you found the special leaf?"
"Yeah," he replied softly. Amelia startled so violently she knocked over the whole box of crayons, and drew a similar jagged line across the face of her Doctor.
"I wasn't -- I wasn't talking to you!" she said breathlessly, glaring at Rory for a moment.
"Who were you talking to, then?" Rory asked. He started gathering up the crayons spilled across the table.
"I was talking to the Doctor, of course."
"But I was the one that poked the bush. We thought I'd never find it and the baby would be eaten. But I found it, it was at the top."
Amelia scowled at her ruined drawing. "Well, I wasn't expecting you to answer."
Rory remained silent. A few crayons had fallen on the floor, so he crawled under the table to get them so she couldn't see his face. It was always the Doctor with her. He liked the idea of the Doctor, really, and couldn't blame Amelia for liking the idea too. He even liked that she chose him to play the Doctor. But it seemed at times like this that Rory didn't matter, only the Doctor.
And the Doctor wasn't even real!
Rory picked up the blue crayon; it was worn down somewhat more than the others. Due to the Doctor's blue box, no doubt. He rubbed the crayon between his fingers thoughtfully, then gently closed his fist around it.
"Hey." Amelia was looking under the table, half a mischievous smile on her face as he jumped and bonked his head on the table leg. "Come out from under there." But he was still rubbing the bump on his head when she slid off her seat and joined him on the floor.
"You okay?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I'll live." He blinked the pain tears out of his eyes, hoping she hadn't seen, then handed her the blue crayon.
She took it from him delicately, rolled it into her hand, and sighed. "Rory?"
"Yeah."
"Remember how glad that mother was to get her baby back?"
He rubbed his head a bit longer before answering. "She was really happy. It was kind of an ugly baby but I thought she would kiss me she was so glad."
"There's no accounting for a mother's taste, is there?" Amelia said, smirking. "Your mother still loves you," she added, and nudged him so hard he nearly knocked into the table leg again.
"Watch it," he warned her. He knew she was saying sorry -- he'd be really worried if she didn't push or punch him. His rebound made him collide with her, and she laughed.
"You watch it," she retorted. "I can beat you up any day."
"I never forget it," he assured her.
"Good," she said smugly. "Let's finish. You can draw the ugly baby and its mother if you want." She crawled out from under the table. Rory stayed for a moment or two more, gathering the rest of the fallen crayons.
Amelia was already scribbling with the blue crayon by the time he got up. "Wanna play again tomorrow?" she asked. "I've got this great idea for underground tunnel worms."
"Sure," Rory said. "The Raggedy Doctor and Amelia Pond will save the day again!"
"We always do," Amelia murmured. "You and me."
Rory smiled. He couldn't be completely sure, but he thought it quite possible that Amelia's comment was meant for him this time, and not the Doctor.