(no subject)
Title: Untold Adventures
Author: UndeadAuthor on ff.net, sparrabethx on livejournal
Rating: PG
Summary: He caught his breath and it felt like both of his hearts stopped. That voice-he thought he'd never hear it again... He smiled weakly. "Hello, Rose Tyler."
Word Count: 1152
“Where are you going?” the Doctor shouted at the dashboard as the TARDIS lurched through what he could only assume was Hurricane Katrina or one of her affiliates. He’d never known the TARDIS to fly any way other than semi-smoothly (ish). But this--this was ridiculous. He’d had to latch himself onto a railing with some rope he’d found laying around the canoeing shed. He was being jerked around a ridiculous amount and he could not fathom where it was taking him.
Three minutes of internal injuries around his middle later, the TARDIS slowed enough that he could stand properly again. He’d been trying to visit Wilfred (he’d always been one of the Doctor’s favorites, truth be told) when suddenly the machine lurched and took him in a decidedly not-Wilfred direction.
After the metallic thrumming had stopped, he cautiously approached the doors and gingerly reached out to open it as if it were capable of bursting into flame at any second (he didn’t count it out entirely).
He opened the doors, bracing himself for what waited on the other side. When he saw where he was, he frowned. It was--it was a nursery. Filled with baby things.
“Why on Gallifrey...” he muttered as he stepped out to (if you’ll pardon the crude expression) poke things with a stick. The room was navy blue and gold-themed, with what looked to be the night sky painted on the ceiling. A mobile with the cartoonish, human interpretation of the moon and stars hung over a cot. He extracted his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the inside, in case this was an elaborate trap. But instead of some machine deactivating, he heard wailing. From a baby. He chuckled. “I don’t know what I was expecting.”
He examined the baby as it quieted down a bit. Dark brown hair, and eyes about the same. The nose, the chin... He frowned. It seemed like he knew those features from somewhere, but he couldn’t place where.
Suddenly a voice came from outside of the room: “Wait, honey, the baby’s crying. I’ll get him.” He caught his breath and it felt like both of his hearts stopped. That voice--he thought he’d never hear it again.
The door opened, and she stopped in the frame. He smiled weakly.
“Hello, Rose Tyler.”
She’d grown up (what did he expect to happen) but not just older--she looked more mature. She was wearing a nightgown and had gotten a bob he’d expect to see on a--
On a mother.
She looked from the TARDIS to him, hand over her mouth and eyes wide. “I... Doctor?” she said in disbelief.
“Who else,” he said, and it wasn’t a question.
She stepped towards him with hand outstretched. “You’re... you’ve changed your face again.”
“Yeah. I’ve got this floppy mess now.” He pulled on a strand of hair in front of his face, and she smiled.
“You look so young.”
“Yet I’ve never been older. Or maybe I have. I don’t know anymore.” He waved this thought away and smiled wearily at her. “So... you’re a mum now, huh?”
She smiled and nodded. “Yep. Got a little one.” She picked the child up and kissed him on the forehead. “Name’s Jack. For--”
“Captain Jack. Very nice.”
Nodding and laughing, she said, “The Doctor says--” but stopped suddenly, remembering whom she was talking to. “I mean, you say that no matter how good of a friend Jack was, if our boy is like him we’ll abandon him. He’s--you’re joking, of course, but...”
He doesn’t laugh, but focuses on the floor. “So... you and the other me...?”
Her eyes were sad, though he couldn’t tell why. “Yeah.”
He looked at baby Jack who was cooing at his mother. “The one adventure I can never have, eh?”
Tears were forming quickly in her eyes. “Oh, Doctor.”
They were quiet for a few minutes, with only Jack making any sort of noise.
“I’m dying, Rose.”
Her brow furrowed as she took in what he’d said. “You’re... but you look fine!”
He laughed. “It’s more like I’m going to die. My... friend has to kill me.”
“Like hell!” she said, louder than she’d probably meant to, and Jack started fussing. Shushing and bouncing him in her arms, she looked incredulously at the Doctor and whispered fervently, “If he’s your friend--”
“She.”
“She, whatever, if she’s your friend she wouldn’t do that!”
“She has to. My death is a fixed point. It has to happen.”
“Time can be rewritten!”
He laughed. “It’s funny how that’s the scapegoat for all things that my friends don’t want to happen. ‘Time can be rewritten, Doctor!’” He tries to keep the bitterness out of his voice; she doesn’t deserve it. “Not this time.”
She sniffled as tears spilled down her cheeks. “But you’ll--you’ll regenerate right? You don’t have to die--”
“This time I do, Rose. I can’t undo it. I have to die. River has to do it.”
“River? Is that her name?”
He nodded.
“What sort of name is that?”
“A brilliant one.”
“Wait-Doctor, how’d you get here?” she asked. “This is another dimension, it’s not like you can come visit quick as you please.”
He scratched his head with the screwdriver. “I’m not entirely sure. I was going to visit… someone else, but the TARDIS just came here of her own accord. She shouldn’t have been able to do that…” he trailed off.
“Maybe this is where you needed to be,” she said quietly.
A silence fell over them once more, and they just stood there looking at each other.
“Rose, I...” He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued, “I just wanted you to know that you were fantastic. Absolutely brilliant.”
She shook her head desperately. “Doctor, please don’t... I’ve got one of you right here, I don’t need to miss you again. I had two years of that. Please.”
Her face was so old as he looked at it. She’d been through so much for him. She was right; he didn’t need to make her think about him any more. He laughed darkly. His selfishness sometimes surprised even himself.
“Well, I--I shouldn’t overstay my welcome.” He cut off her protests. “No, Rose, I need to go. People to see. Deaths to be died.”
Kissing Jack on the forehead, he whispered, “Jack, you are going to be brilliant and brave and compassionate and I--he’s the luckiest man in the world, your dad.”
Rose was full on crying as he turned and opened the TARDIS doors. He couldn’t look back. He wouldn’t let himself.
It felt like his heart had been put through a meat grinder, but maybe that was just what he needed before his death.
The Doctor: You didn't always take me where I wanted to go.
Idris: No, but I always took you where you needed to go.
Author: UndeadAuthor on ff.net, sparrabethx on livejournal
Rating: PG
Summary: He caught his breath and it felt like both of his hearts stopped. That voice-he thought he'd never hear it again... He smiled weakly. "Hello, Rose Tyler."
Word Count: 1152
“Where are you going?” the Doctor shouted at the dashboard as the TARDIS lurched through what he could only assume was Hurricane Katrina or one of her affiliates. He’d never known the TARDIS to fly any way other than semi-smoothly (ish). But this--this was ridiculous. He’d had to latch himself onto a railing with some rope he’d found laying around the canoeing shed. He was being jerked around a ridiculous amount and he could not fathom where it was taking him.
Three minutes of internal injuries around his middle later, the TARDIS slowed enough that he could stand properly again. He’d been trying to visit Wilfred (he’d always been one of the Doctor’s favorites, truth be told) when suddenly the machine lurched and took him in a decidedly not-Wilfred direction.
After the metallic thrumming had stopped, he cautiously approached the doors and gingerly reached out to open it as if it were capable of bursting into flame at any second (he didn’t count it out entirely).
He opened the doors, bracing himself for what waited on the other side. When he saw where he was, he frowned. It was--it was a nursery. Filled with baby things.
“Why on Gallifrey...” he muttered as he stepped out to (if you’ll pardon the crude expression) poke things with a stick. The room was navy blue and gold-themed, with what looked to be the night sky painted on the ceiling. A mobile with the cartoonish, human interpretation of the moon and stars hung over a cot. He extracted his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the inside, in case this was an elaborate trap. But instead of some machine deactivating, he heard wailing. From a baby. He chuckled. “I don’t know what I was expecting.”
He examined the baby as it quieted down a bit. Dark brown hair, and eyes about the same. The nose, the chin... He frowned. It seemed like he knew those features from somewhere, but he couldn’t place where.
Suddenly a voice came from outside of the room: “Wait, honey, the baby’s crying. I’ll get him.” He caught his breath and it felt like both of his hearts stopped. That voice--he thought he’d never hear it again.
The door opened, and she stopped in the frame. He smiled weakly.
“Hello, Rose Tyler.”
She’d grown up (what did he expect to happen) but not just older--she looked more mature. She was wearing a nightgown and had gotten a bob he’d expect to see on a--
On a mother.
She looked from the TARDIS to him, hand over her mouth and eyes wide. “I... Doctor?” she said in disbelief.
“Who else,” he said, and it wasn’t a question.
She stepped towards him with hand outstretched. “You’re... you’ve changed your face again.”
“Yeah. I’ve got this floppy mess now.” He pulled on a strand of hair in front of his face, and she smiled.
“You look so young.”
“Yet I’ve never been older. Or maybe I have. I don’t know anymore.” He waved this thought away and smiled wearily at her. “So... you’re a mum now, huh?”
She smiled and nodded. “Yep. Got a little one.” She picked the child up and kissed him on the forehead. “Name’s Jack. For--”
“Captain Jack. Very nice.”
Nodding and laughing, she said, “The Doctor says--” but stopped suddenly, remembering whom she was talking to. “I mean, you say that no matter how good of a friend Jack was, if our boy is like him we’ll abandon him. He’s--you’re joking, of course, but...”
He doesn’t laugh, but focuses on the floor. “So... you and the other me...?”
Her eyes were sad, though he couldn’t tell why. “Yeah.”
He looked at baby Jack who was cooing at his mother. “The one adventure I can never have, eh?”
Tears were forming quickly in her eyes. “Oh, Doctor.”
They were quiet for a few minutes, with only Jack making any sort of noise.
“I’m dying, Rose.”
Her brow furrowed as she took in what he’d said. “You’re... but you look fine!”
He laughed. “It’s more like I’m going to die. My... friend has to kill me.”
“Like hell!” she said, louder than she’d probably meant to, and Jack started fussing. Shushing and bouncing him in her arms, she looked incredulously at the Doctor and whispered fervently, “If he’s your friend--”
“She.”
“She, whatever, if she’s your friend she wouldn’t do that!”
“She has to. My death is a fixed point. It has to happen.”
“Time can be rewritten!”
He laughed. “It’s funny how that’s the scapegoat for all things that my friends don’t want to happen. ‘Time can be rewritten, Doctor!’” He tries to keep the bitterness out of his voice; she doesn’t deserve it. “Not this time.”
She sniffled as tears spilled down her cheeks. “But you’ll--you’ll regenerate right? You don’t have to die--”
“This time I do, Rose. I can’t undo it. I have to die. River has to do it.”
“River? Is that her name?”
He nodded.
“What sort of name is that?”
“A brilliant one.”
“Wait-Doctor, how’d you get here?” she asked. “This is another dimension, it’s not like you can come visit quick as you please.”
He scratched his head with the screwdriver. “I’m not entirely sure. I was going to visit… someone else, but the TARDIS just came here of her own accord. She shouldn’t have been able to do that…” he trailed off.
“Maybe this is where you needed to be,” she said quietly.
A silence fell over them once more, and they just stood there looking at each other.
“Rose, I...” He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued, “I just wanted you to know that you were fantastic. Absolutely brilliant.”
She shook her head desperately. “Doctor, please don’t... I’ve got one of you right here, I don’t need to miss you again. I had two years of that. Please.”
Her face was so old as he looked at it. She’d been through so much for him. She was right; he didn’t need to make her think about him any more. He laughed darkly. His selfishness sometimes surprised even himself.
“Well, I--I shouldn’t overstay my welcome.” He cut off her protests. “No, Rose, I need to go. People to see. Deaths to be died.”
Kissing Jack on the forehead, he whispered, “Jack, you are going to be brilliant and brave and compassionate and I--he’s the luckiest man in the world, your dad.”
Rose was full on crying as he turned and opened the TARDIS doors. He couldn’t look back. He wouldn’t let himself.
It felt like his heart had been put through a meat grinder, but maybe that was just what he needed before his death.
The Doctor: You didn't always take me where I wanted to go.
Idris: No, but I always took you where you needed to go.