on the corner
On the Corner, Eleven/Rose, pg-13
...his name was Jimmy Stone, 1096
The humid air hung heavy with exhaust, dirt and the stench of millions of people coming together all at once. London seemed too full, its streets congested with vehicles of all kinds, from taxis to bicycles and the occasional horse, the sidewalks filled with men, women and the infrequent alien in disguise and the summer blue sky nearly blocked out with the far-reaching buildings and city smog.
He stands on the street corner, the immovable rock in the stream of life that flows around him. He takes no notice. Businessmen intent on making the most of their lunch hour, college students happy to have only a few mid term courses to complete, young couples who just met at the coffee shop, all of them, make their way to and past this tall man in his tweed jacket and his mismatching bowtie. Most pay as little attention to him as he does to them. But most of them don’t know who he is.
Amy and Rory had taken note of his silence and left him to it, mumbling something about getting some decent chips and a drink while they could. Amy hadn’t wanted to leave him to the mood he was in, but Rory, in one of his rare persuasive moments, had gotten the redhead to exit the TARDIS with minimum fuss and left the Doctor sitting in his jump seat staring at the console.
The date was 19 June 2003. The day Rose left Jimmy Stone.
“’E was a bad’un, ‘e could be. I honestly dunno what it was I saw in him. I thought it was love, you know? The kind of love that lasted forever. But it wasn’t. He hurt me. Hurt me in more ways than I knew then. I finally left ‘im. The day after my birthday. He didn’t like that.”
His fists clench at the memory and an approaching street seller suddenly finds that he’d prefer to give his gimmick to the little old lady quite far from this young but old seeming fellow. The Doctor’s eyes don’t move from the apartment building across the street, his gaze very possibly able to burn a hole through the green wooden door.
A hand claps him on the back, startling him out of his vigil.
“You remember, too, huh?”
The brash American voice is one that the Doctor is likely never to forget. Especially since he’s got his suspicions of who Captain Jack Harkness would turn into. The man looked to not have aged a day.
The Doctor’s eyebrow raises in response to Jack’s flirtatious wink. “How’d you figure out it was me?”
The man gives a careless shrug, moving to stand next to the lankier Time Lord, crossing his arms and facing Jimmy’s apartment building. “Well, you’ve been standing on this corner for quite some time now, occasionally taking out that upgraded model of a sonic screwdriver out of your pocket (I was sad to see it wasn’t something else) and you’re here on this date. Which we probably shouldn’t be.”
The Doctor’s jaw set at Jack’s last words. He couldn’t ignore the implications in the sentiment, but he also couldn’t forget Rose’s face as she’d told the story of Jimmy Stone. His strong Rose had had tears in her eyes as she stared unseeingly ahead, one small hand coming up to rub her face in an unconscious movement. He’d gotten angry at this Jimmy, who’d laid hands on her in a manner not fit for Rose or any woman and he remembered meeting Jack’s eyes and seeing a similar anger in them.
“But I’m glad we’re here anyway. Because that boy’s going to get the beating he deserves. Even if we don’t get to talk to Rose,” Jack continues.
The Doctor nods, too keyed up at the moment to say more. The green door had burst open across the way and a girl, no more than 17 or 18 years old comes stumbling down the steps. She’s crying and trying to pull her sweater around her, in jerky, painful movements. She’s running towards them and he has to hold himself still with all that he has to not catch her up in his arms. He didn’t want to risk doing something that would ruin him being able to meet her later. He could feel the different threads of time slowly swaying together and away. He didn’t want to risk a tangle.
“You bloody bitch! Don’t think you can just use Jimmy Stone and get away with it!” A wiry man in his late twenties follows Rose out into the street, holding a bag full of clothes and what looks to be random appliances. His face is contorted in anger as he shouts obscenities at the girl who’s stopped in the middle of the street to look at him, heedless of traffic coming her way.
“Jimmy! I’m sorry! I just-“
Her words cut off in a cry as the man hurls the pink bag at her face, hitting her just above her eye and she goes down. The Doctor doesn’t even think-he doesn’t give a damn about tangles, about not supposed to be here in the first place, about maybe not meeting her again-she’s hurt and she needs him now.
He picks her up off the ground and carries her to the sidewalk, her petite frame curled up, as if she’s trying to contain the pain inside. Jack rushes past him, thunder in the tails of his long coat. “You take care of her. I’ll take care of him.” The Doctor barely acknowledged him as he bends over his girl.
Her eyes are shut tight and tears are squeezing out at the corners as heartbreaking sounds of suppressed cries come from deep inside her. She’s wearing too much make up and it’s running together. Her hair’s too blonde from the shade he’s used to but he doesn’t care because it’s her. His hand is running down her hair and touching her face gently and he’s whispering nonsensical, reassuring sounds and she slowly stops sobbing. Her eyes open and his hearts clench inside as her brown eyes meet his.
Reluctantly he lets her go as she sits up in his arms, confused but not scared. He brings his hands to her shoulders and kisses her gently on her forehead. “It’ll be okay,” he can’t help but whisper. She doesn’t say anything back, just looks at him before shutting her eyes and nodding. He touches her hair one last time before he leaves. Before he can’t let go of her again.
...his name was Jimmy Stone, 1096
The humid air hung heavy with exhaust, dirt and the stench of millions of people coming together all at once. London seemed too full, its streets congested with vehicles of all kinds, from taxis to bicycles and the occasional horse, the sidewalks filled with men, women and the infrequent alien in disguise and the summer blue sky nearly blocked out with the far-reaching buildings and city smog.
He stands on the street corner, the immovable rock in the stream of life that flows around him. He takes no notice. Businessmen intent on making the most of their lunch hour, college students happy to have only a few mid term courses to complete, young couples who just met at the coffee shop, all of them, make their way to and past this tall man in his tweed jacket and his mismatching bowtie. Most pay as little attention to him as he does to them. But most of them don’t know who he is.
Amy and Rory had taken note of his silence and left him to it, mumbling something about getting some decent chips and a drink while they could. Amy hadn’t wanted to leave him to the mood he was in, but Rory, in one of his rare persuasive moments, had gotten the redhead to exit the TARDIS with minimum fuss and left the Doctor sitting in his jump seat staring at the console.
The date was 19 June 2003. The day Rose left Jimmy Stone.
“’E was a bad’un, ‘e could be. I honestly dunno what it was I saw in him. I thought it was love, you know? The kind of love that lasted forever. But it wasn’t. He hurt me. Hurt me in more ways than I knew then. I finally left ‘im. The day after my birthday. He didn’t like that.”
His fists clench at the memory and an approaching street seller suddenly finds that he’d prefer to give his gimmick to the little old lady quite far from this young but old seeming fellow. The Doctor’s eyes don’t move from the apartment building across the street, his gaze very possibly able to burn a hole through the green wooden door.
A hand claps him on the back, startling him out of his vigil.
“You remember, too, huh?”
The brash American voice is one that the Doctor is likely never to forget. Especially since he’s got his suspicions of who Captain Jack Harkness would turn into. The man looked to not have aged a day.
The Doctor’s eyebrow raises in response to Jack’s flirtatious wink. “How’d you figure out it was me?”
The man gives a careless shrug, moving to stand next to the lankier Time Lord, crossing his arms and facing Jimmy’s apartment building. “Well, you’ve been standing on this corner for quite some time now, occasionally taking out that upgraded model of a sonic screwdriver out of your pocket (I was sad to see it wasn’t something else) and you’re here on this date. Which we probably shouldn’t be.”
The Doctor’s jaw set at Jack’s last words. He couldn’t ignore the implications in the sentiment, but he also couldn’t forget Rose’s face as she’d told the story of Jimmy Stone. His strong Rose had had tears in her eyes as she stared unseeingly ahead, one small hand coming up to rub her face in an unconscious movement. He’d gotten angry at this Jimmy, who’d laid hands on her in a manner not fit for Rose or any woman and he remembered meeting Jack’s eyes and seeing a similar anger in them.
“But I’m glad we’re here anyway. Because that boy’s going to get the beating he deserves. Even if we don’t get to talk to Rose,” Jack continues.
The Doctor nods, too keyed up at the moment to say more. The green door had burst open across the way and a girl, no more than 17 or 18 years old comes stumbling down the steps. She’s crying and trying to pull her sweater around her, in jerky, painful movements. She’s running towards them and he has to hold himself still with all that he has to not catch her up in his arms. He didn’t want to risk doing something that would ruin him being able to meet her later. He could feel the different threads of time slowly swaying together and away. He didn’t want to risk a tangle.
“You bloody bitch! Don’t think you can just use Jimmy Stone and get away with it!” A wiry man in his late twenties follows Rose out into the street, holding a bag full of clothes and what looks to be random appliances. His face is contorted in anger as he shouts obscenities at the girl who’s stopped in the middle of the street to look at him, heedless of traffic coming her way.
“Jimmy! I’m sorry! I just-“
Her words cut off in a cry as the man hurls the pink bag at her face, hitting her just above her eye and she goes down. The Doctor doesn’t even think-he doesn’t give a damn about tangles, about not supposed to be here in the first place, about maybe not meeting her again-she’s hurt and she needs him now.
He picks her up off the ground and carries her to the sidewalk, her petite frame curled up, as if she’s trying to contain the pain inside. Jack rushes past him, thunder in the tails of his long coat. “You take care of her. I’ll take care of him.” The Doctor barely acknowledged him as he bends over his girl.
Her eyes are shut tight and tears are squeezing out at the corners as heartbreaking sounds of suppressed cries come from deep inside her. She’s wearing too much make up and it’s running together. Her hair’s too blonde from the shade he’s used to but he doesn’t care because it’s her. His hand is running down her hair and touching her face gently and he’s whispering nonsensical, reassuring sounds and she slowly stops sobbing. Her eyes open and his hearts clench inside as her brown eyes meet his.
Reluctantly he lets her go as she sits up in his arms, confused but not scared. He brings his hands to her shoulders and kisses her gently on her forehead. “It’ll be okay,” he can’t help but whisper. She doesn’t say anything back, just looks at him before shutting her eyes and nodding. He touches her hair one last time before he leaves. Before he can’t let go of her again.