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doctenwho · 4 years

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Should Be Me

Hello! Thank you for the prompt, and all the kind things you said! It means a lot that you like what I make :)

I wasn’t sure what to do with the someone who likes/ flirts with reader, so I just went with Jack Harkness. It adds a bit more because the Doctor isn’t really Jack’s biggest fan, and I thought it added more of a blow to the sitaution! Hopefully you don’t mind, and I got Jack’s character decently right.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 4,505

Summary: Read the prompt above!

(Gif is not mine! Credit to creator!)

You’d met very few of the Doctor’s friends. Well, you weren’t even sure you could call them friends, the Doctor never really seemed too happy to see any of them. So... acquaintances maybe? People who knew of the Doctor, but had never really seen the man as much more than a savior, or a guardian of sorts. There was usually at least one where ever you went, the Doctor had really made a name for himself.

You’d asked before, of friends he had around the universe, or of people who stood out to him in his years of travels, and even people who he thought about from time to time. He of course mentioned his past companions—Rose, and Martha and Donna too, as well as a few others from before he’d regenerated, but you weren’t really sure that was the same as a friend.

Companions were really on a field of their own when it came to the Doctor.

He tended to avoid the question whenever you brought it up, or whenever you talked about some of your own friends back on earth. You knew he didn’t really like talking about himself—nothing too personal because he didn’t like getting attached, but that didn’t mean you weren’t curious.

Few people ever called out to the Doctor, and never in friendly tones. If the Doctor was being called out in a crowd, he was usually ushering you along and insisting that the two of you run from whoever was calling.

And on earth, whenever he was noticed (which did occasionally happened) it was never someone who really knew him, and instead fans, or people obsessed with the aspect of aliens, who’d heard stories of the Doctor.

So... you’d never really met anyone the Doctor had told you about. Not really past companions, or creature on other planets, or just anyone who knew the Doctor more than occasional conversation.

Well, until one evening in an alien bar not so different from any of the ones back on earth.

The day had been long, you and the Doctor escaping danger, but just barely. The Doctor had come out of the event chipper and energized, but you, well, you were a bit tired. It turned out threats on your like tended to wear you out.

The Doctor had perked you up with the promise of a nice bar within the galaxy that he was happy to take you to, since you were a bit down. You’d agreed only because you could do with a drink right now. The Doctor didn’t have any liquor in the TARDIS, and you wouldn’t even really trust anything you found in the kitchen, even if you did happen across something.

There was always that thought in the back of your head that you were in a space-time ship, even if looked very much like a house down the twists and turns of the TARDIS. You couldn’t just trust everything you found, as safe as the Doctor tended to be.

The Doctor promised it was a popular bar among the aliens and human space travelers alike, and that nothing truly harmful for you to ingest could be found (and at your raised eyebrow, the Doctor promised to taste everything before you, just in case).

It hadn’t taken long to arrive at said bar, the Doctor managed to land the TARDIS in a broom closet in the bar, and then the two of you were stepping out the TARDIS doors, and then the broom closet doors, and greeted by a lively bar.

True to the Doctor’s word, the bar wasn’t just filled with aliens, but many humans too. The bar tender was a creature you’d never seen before, but looked friendly enough as he took people’s orders and served drinks. The atmosphere was great, there was music that was noticeable, but not overwhelming, as well as some sort of sport playing on a weird looking television above the alcohol lining the shelves behind the bar.

There was friendly chatter, that faded off into multiple different languages that probably would’ve overwhelmed the TARDIS if she would’ve tried to translate everything for you. A lot of the patrons were speaking English, and the bar tender seemed to be switching to whichever language he was spoken to in.

Over all, it wasn’t much different than any of the bars you’d been to on earth. The same energy. The same scene. Alcohol. Patrons. The only noticeable difference was, of course, the aliens sitting on stools around the small but crowded bar.

“Fantastic, isn’t it?” the Doctor asked at your side, leaning into you so he wasn’t shouting over the music, or whatever game was on the space TV. “I told you there would be humans here too.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you laughed, leaning towards him so he could hear you as well, “you were right.”

“Of course I was,” the Doctor grinned, prideful and playful, “let’s get us a drink, shall we?”

“Sounds like a plan,” you agreed. You followed close behind the Doctor, who was sparing greetings at some of the patrons who looked your way. Everyone seemed nice enough, which was all you could really ask for as a human in a space bar.

You were just happy you weren’t the only human for the first time in what felt like forever.

You could thankfully read some of the alcohols lining the shelves, a couple from your earth. There was a bunch of alcohols that you had no idea where they’d even come from, and a couple drinks on patron's hands had you confused.

You were curious about them, but not curious enough to try anything. You’d stick to drinks you knew this time. You just weren’t sure which drink you should go with. There were quite a few to choose from, and you really didn’t know what the bar actually had for making drinks.

“Order for me?” you asked the Doctor, sliding into one of the empty seats at the bar while the Doctor stood beside you for a second. The Doctor studied you for a second before bowing his head in an easy nod and looking back towards the bartender. He moved swiftly to an opening at the bar a few feet away, waiting to be noticed so he could order the drinks.

The Doctor knew a few drinks you liked. You had been traveling with him for a few years now, and you had dragged him to a human bar a couple times on your many trips to earth ever few months. Plus, this way, you didn’t accidently order something wrong. The bartender spoke English, as far as you knew, but that didn’t mean things couldn’t get lost in translation.

The Doctor was ordering drinks as soon as the man tending the bar came around to him, both leaned towards each other on either side of the counter to hear the other over the noise of the bar.

“Well, hello there,” a voice beside you called. You turned fast, looking away from the Doctor and coming face to face with a human looking gentleman. “You’re not from around here.”

It wasn’t a question, but you being a human was fairly obvious. And humans were greatly lacking in space travel, where most other planets were not. There were far fewer humans than any other creature in this specific bar, even if there were more than what you were expecting.

You wanted to say the same to him, but you just didn’t know. He honestly could be from around here, despite him looking so very human. He looked pretty human, just as human as you looked. But then again, the Doctor also looked pretty human, and he was a Time-Lord many, many years older than you.

You couldn’t help but notice just how familiar (in the human sense) the man was. The little quirks and traits of the man. He had a nice, flirty smile, and bright eyes that were watching you closely, but not in a creepy way.

Like ninety percent human, you were sure.

“I’m not,” you cleared your throat before agreeing easily, “and what about you? From around here?”

“I’m from everywhere, been here and there, you know,” the man gave you a dazzling grin before leaning a bit closer, “Jack,” he introduced, holding his hand out for you to shake—a familiar and very human gesture, “Jack Harkness.”

You hesitated for a moment before deciding to be bold and taking his hand into you own, “(Y/N).”

“(Y/N),” he repeated with that grin, “a beautiful name for a beautiful gal.”

You could barely stop your cheeks from heating up at the compliment. You could already tell this guy was a flirt, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t friendly. And... well, you kinda liked the attention from the man. It was nice, considering the Doctor was always so guarded whenever he was around you.

You knew the Doctor liked you, but sometimes it really didn’t feel like it. He was always guarded, and watching himself—holding himself back for whatever reason.

“You must be from earth,” Jack continued on, “someone as pretty as you would have to be from earth. Gems like you are always from earth.”

“I am,” you told him, before briefly wondering if that was like telling a random guy in an earth bar your street address. Would you be easy to find if he knew your planet? “Are you from earth too?”

“I am,” he flashed another grin, “I was an earth time traveler turned space traveler. Different points in time on earth was great and all, but I was shown a world far greater than ours, and I just fell in love with it, which,” he lulled his head in your direction as he took a sip of his drink, “I’m sure is not far off from you, am I right?”

It sounded a lot like you. The Doctor had really shown you a world greater than you own, and now you weren’t sure you could ever be content living on earth again—not when you knew there was so much out there. “You could say that,” you agreed.

He gave you another grin, “so, can I buy you a drink?”

You opened your mouth to reply, but before you could, someone was brushing up beside you, and a drink was set right beside your hand. You turned, smiling up at the Doctor, who was giving the stranger a hesitant, guarded look.

You looked back at Jack, just as his eyes trailed up from the cup still int the Doctor’s hand, up to the Doctor’s face. He stared for a second, before he broke into a grin brighter than anything, he’d given you since sitting down beside you, “Doctor! It’s been a while!”

“Captain,” the Doctor frowned.

And then you were confused. “You two know each other?”

“We do,” Jack turned his attention back to you, eyes warm, “he’s the one who introduced me to space travel. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the Doctor.”

You looked between the two of them for a second, from Jack’s gleeful look at finding the Doctor again, to the Doctor’s look of masked disdain, before it finally clicked, “Jack was one of you companions?” you turned swiftly, jaw dropping in surprise.

You’d never met a companion—and definitely not one the Doctor had never breathed a word of. This was a huge surprise, and you weren’t sure if it was a good one, or a bad one. You’d never really thought of the Doctor having any male companions, not when all he talked about was the female ones.

The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows in the way he did while he was trying to figure out how to explain something to you, before frowning at Jack, “for a while, yeah.”

“Well, a bit longer than a while--” Jack paused, now looking between you and the Doctor, “wait, if she’s here with you, that must mean (Y/N) is your companion, right? We were just getting to know each other, small universe.”

“Clearly,” the Doctor frowned distastefully. “What’re you doing here?”

“The same as everyone else,” Jack informed with a grin, taking another sip of his drink, “having a drink, and talking with the pretty patrons.” The man all but fluttered his eyelashes at you, and you had to glance away before your face flushed brightly at the compliment.

“Some lovely ladies here tonight,” he slid a bit closer, and you couldn’t find it in yourself to be mad at it. The Doctor however, looked as if he was barely containing himself. And that in itself was a sight to see, since the man was usually so well put together.

The Doctor scowled at Jack, then dropped his attention to you, frowning at your flushed cheeks before returning his scowl back onto Jack. “No,” the Doctor’s expression hardened, “stop that.”

“Stop what?” Jack raised his hands in mock surrender, but his smile was teasing and he was clearly trying to rile the Doctor up in a way you couldn’t understand. “I’m not doing anything.”

The Doctor glowered at Jack, who simply lifted his drink to his lip and took a sip, “we were just talking, weren’t we? No harm there, Doc.”

“Just talking,” you agreed, looking back at the Doctor with a raised eyebrow. “Is there something going on between the two of you that I don’t know about?”

“No,” the Doctor said with a sigh as he finally withdrew his hand from your drink, “it’s not important. Nor the time, or the place to get into that. He’s just a companion who could no longer travel with me.”

Jack was frowning at the Doctor as he spoke, but he didn’t say anything to refute it. They were tense, the both of them. You desperately wanted to know what had happened for the Doctor to not want Jack as a companion anymore—just to know what not to do.

You lifted your drink up to sniff as a way out of the stiff atmosphere the men had created, frowning at it hesitantly, before holding it out to the Doctor. The man looked at you for a moment before he was taking the glass and taking the promised taste test sip. “It’s completely fine, I promise,” he told you with a fond smile that had wiped away the glare he’d had locked on Jack.

As soon as he glanced away from you though, the grim expression was back.

“So,” Jack cleared his throat, tension disappearing and flirty smile returning as he rested his chin in his hand, and looked towards you. “Where were we?”

“You were offering to buy me a drink,” you gave a laugh as you lifted the drink the Doctor had brought you to your lips. It was not something you’d ever had on earth, but it was delicious. “Someone beat you to it. Tough competition around here.”

“Right,” Jack laughed as well, “maybe I can buy the next one?”

“Maybe you could,” you couldn’t resist the tease in your voice. You didn’t bother looking back at the Doctor who was sitting himself on the seat on your other side. The other patron must’ve left.

The Doctor didn’t say anything, which was slightly worrying. But if he wasn’t going to give you a solid reason as to why you shouldn’t be talking to Jack, you were going to go off your own experience with him, which was pretty good.

Conversation with Jack was easy. He liked to talk, and he was very intriguing. Everything he told you, had you on the edge of your seat. He threw in compliments that had you blushing, and talking in a sultry tone that had the Doctor scoffing beside you.

Jack told you stories of his time at war, and his travel stories—which you shared a few of you own. He told you about his adventures with Rose and Martha, as well as his meeting with Donna. You were a bit jealous of that, since you’d never met any of them, but you supposed you’d met Jack now, who still counted as one of the Doctor’s companions.

Jack told you stories of his time with the Doctor, to which the Doctor jumped in and steered the stories away from himself and onto Jack. Some kind of rivalry between the two of them?

You talked with Jack for ages, the Doctor sitting near silently beside you, listening as well, but also completely dismissive of everything Jack was saying. It was weird to see the Doctor like this. He was usually so chipper and happy. And by the way he talked about his other companions, and the few run ins he’d had with them after their travels, you’d expected the man to be a bit happier about seeing Jack.

You did have a second drink, which Jack insisted you try one of his favorites and then bought for you. You thought about asking the Doctor to test it, like the first one, but Jack had ordered the same thing for himself, and had taken a sip of his first, so you decided it was probably okay.

That drink was good too, but you liked the one the Doctor ordered for you more.

It was nice to be talking to another human who’s seen the things you’d seen, as well as who’d travelled with the Doctor. And Jack seemed like a really nice guy, and had you not been completely enthralled by the Doctor, you might’ve even been interested in really getting to know him.

He was a bit too... friendly for you currently though, especially when you had no interest in any man besides the Doctor, not that he’d ever looked at you in that way.

“Well,” Jack smiled widely, “it’s been great meeting you, (Y/N). I’m sure it’ll be ages before I meet someone as lovely as you again.”

You bit your lip to stop yourself from blushing again, watching as Jack drained what was left of his drink. You saw the Doctor roll his eyes out of the corner of your eye as he muttered a ‘stop it’ under his breath.

“I’ve gotta get going,” Jack finally said, “but I hope I’ll see you again sometime, (Y/N). It really was a pleasure.”

“Maybe,” you smiled with shrug. You weren’t really flirting back, just playing a bit, “if you’re lucky.”

“Well, I sure hope I am then,” Jack gave you a wink before giving a small laugh. He stood from his seat, and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair before he looked towards the Doctor, “it was nice seeing you as well, Doctor.”

“Yeah,” the Doctor sigh, finally looking at Jack with something that wasn’t a scowl. He didn’t look happy by any means, but it was a step up from scowling, “I’m sure we’ll meet again. You’re pretty hard to get rid of.”

“You know it,” Jack gave another bright smile, but this one was more knowing than the others. Some secret you probably couldn’t crack even if you tried, “you know better than anyone, Doc.”

The Doctor huffed what could almost be a laugh, as he gave Jack a small smile. With that, Jack threw a wave over his shoulder and disappeared into the crowd. You watched the way he’d gone for a second before looking back at the Doctor, who was frowning as he stared off into space.

“Doctor?” you questioned hesitantly. He looked towards you with a blank expression before he gave you a small smile as well. This one was a bit bigger than the one he shot Jack though. “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” he answered quickly, “let’s get back to the TARDIS. Places to be, things to see.”

He stood up, staying in place as you quickly finished off your glass and stood to follow him. Like coming in, you stayed close to the Doctor on the way out. He pulled the door to the broom closet open, letting you in before following suit and shutting the door behind himself.

The two of you stepped into the TARDIS, and as usual, the Doctor was quick to leave.

You sat silently on the chair, as the Doctor did circles around the control console, flying the TARDIS as he usually did. But something was different. Something was different with the Doctor. He was quiet. Quieter than you’d ever seen him, and the only thing that could’ve caused that was Jack.

“What’s the matter?” you asked quietly from where you were sitting. The Doctor gave a hum of acknowledgment, but didn’t bother looking at you.

“I’m fine,” he told you, but his voice gave him away. He didn’t sound fine.

“No,” you huffed, “really, what’s the matter?”

When he finally looked at you, his eyes were sad, and he was trying not to frown, “why do you think something’s wrong?”

“Why won’t you tell me what’s wrong?” you asked, a bit hurt he wasn’t saying what was bothering him. You’d been with his for years now, and he still told you nothing. He still refused to let himself be sad or vulnerable around you. “Did Jack do something wrong?”

“No,” the Doctor sighed, running a hand through his hair, “not really. It’s... it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“I am worried about it though,” you told him honestly. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

The Doctor looked at you with a kicked puppy look before he dropped his attention to the floor. He didn’t say anything for a moment, like he was trying to figure out how to say something, “I... well, I didn’t like that.”

“Didn’t like what?” You raised a confused eyebrow, unsure of what the Doctor was talking about. You’d thought the even was nice.

“Jack and... and you. The, uh, flirting.”

“The flirting?” You blinked, “what was wrong with it?”

“I just didn’t like it,” the Doctor frowned, “Not with.... not Jack. He shouldn’t be flirting with you. Honestly, he’s far too friendly with everyone he meets, and I don’t think he’s good for.... for you.”

You scrunched your nose up as your eyebrows furrowed. You didn’t know what that meant, but it didn’t answer any questions. It actually annoyed you a bit, that the Doctor would be mad you were flirting with someone else when he didn’t give you the time of day.

“I liked Jack,” you told the Doctor, crossing your arms across your chest. “He was nice, and I have no reason not to like Jack, Doctor. And I can flirt with whoever I want too, why would that upset you?”

“Of course,” the man agreed quickly, looking spooked and apologetic, “I didn’t mean anything by that, you’re free to do as you please, I just... never mind, it’s not important. Anywhere you’d like to go?”

“Stop doing that,” you told him annoyed. “You always do that, just tell me it's not important and change the subject. Why don’t you tell me anything?”

The Doctor frowned, dropping his attention from you once more. You narrowed your eyes at him, debating between continuing the conversation and leaving to your room for the night.

“I didn’t like him flirting with you because I don’t like anyone flirting with you,” the Doctor spoke into the room, “I don’t like anyone flirting with you, not while I’m around... Well, not at all, but certainly not while I’m around. It should be me, I should be the one making you laugh like that and flirting with you. And it irks me when people do so anyways, because you’re not mine. I have no say, it truly is your choice, (Y/N). You could leave me tomorrow—back to earth, or to join Jack or someone else, and there’s nothing I can do about it because you’re not mine.”

“Not yours?” you repeated before you froze, blinking at the Doctor, “you... you were jealous? Of Jack?”

The Doctor made a face of embarrassment before giving an approving dip of his head. “I’m sorry. I have no right to be jealous, I know. But I can’t help it, you’re my companion, and I’ve never... felt like this with any of my other companions.”

“You like me?” You asked softly, because you thought he didn’t. He’d never said anything.

“More than anything,” he breathed with a frown, “I tried not to get attached, like I always do with companions,” he told you, “I really did. But you’re just... you’re you, and it was a lost cause. I was destined to fail at keeping you at arm's length from the moment you first smiled at me.”

You’d never imagined the Doctor could say anything like that. That the Doctor would ever be jealous of a man flirting with you, because he never showed any interest in you.

“I can’t stand seeing you with someone else,” the Doctor told you, “it breaks my heart, because I want so badly for it to be me you like--”

“It is you I like.”

The Doctor stopped, blinking repeatedly at you. He looked like his brain had just short-circuited. Like he couldn’t believe what you’d just said.

“What?”

“I like you too,” you replied in a soft, fond voice, “I have from the start. I just... didn’t think you liked me in return. And I didn’t want to ruin this, Doctor. I couldn’t ruin our friendship if you didn’t feel the same way.”

“Really?” the man looked completely overjoyed by the news. “I... never noticed. You-- you’re serious?”

“Completely,” you gave a laugh, “I thought you just didn’t want to mention it. I didn’t know you really didn’t know.”

“I didn’t,” he assured with a surprised expression, “I didn’t think you’d ever like me like I like you, so I... never said anything. I suppose I just couldn’t handle seeing Jack flirt with you.”

“You really don’t like the guy, do you?”

“It’s not that I don’t like him,” the Doctor huffed, “it’s just that—you know what? We can get into that later. Right now, though... I’d really like to kiss you, if that’s alright with you?”

“Fine with me,” you grinned, watching as the Doctor returned the smile and made his way towards you. He’d stabilized the TARDIS right after you’d gotten angry at him, so he didn’t have to worry about it.

“You’ve no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this for,” he muttered as he leaned towards you. His eyes were locked with yours, warm and adoring.

The Doctor settled one of his knees beside you, his other supported him on the floor, pressing against your knees as he leaned into your space. His arm curled around your waist as he brushed his nose against yours.

You tilted your head for a better angle, as your arm wrapped around the back of his neck. You smiled as you pulled him just a bit closer by your hold on him, fluttering your lashes at him.

“Well,” you teased, “get on with it then, Doctor.”

<><><><>

Don’t mind me trying to write Jack because I couldn’t come up with a whole character with a personality (which I’m truly terrible at) for this prompt. Hopefully no one minds, and I didn’t butcher his personality to badly. What I know about him is just from seasons 2-4 of Doctor Who, and a bit of research, so sorry if anything’s wrong!

Anywho, as always, feel free to prompt again if this wasn’t what you were looking for! Thanks once more for sending a prompt, and I hope I did it justice!

#Tenth Doctor #tenth doctor x reader #tenth doctor x you #10th doctor #10th doctor x reader #10th doctor x you #doctor who #doctor who 2005 #reader insert #jack harkness #writing prompt #TARDIS

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moonlightserenadeeznutz · 3 years

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(New) Doctor Who hasn’t been good since S4.

(Please note: This post is really only for people who already agree with me, rather than people who disagree with me, because I don’t want to change anyone’s opinions, nor do I want to ruin DW for anyone. So if you disagree with me, you have no obligation to read any further, and I hope you have a nice day). ~ Okay, look...

First of all: I love Matt Smith. I think he was a fantastic Doctor. He was an absolute sweetheart, and a wonderful actor.

I also loved Clara Oswald as a companion. And all in all, I enjoyed post-s4 of NewWho, with a number of episodes that stood out to me (mainly written by Neil Gaiman... please can we make him a permanent author) and genuinely didn’t dislike it.

However, I really believe that the Steven Moffat era (s5 and onwards) and especially the Chris Chibnall era (s11 and onwards), couldn’t live up to the Russel T Davis era (s1-4).

For starters, I found the episodes post s4 really difficult to get invested into. I feel like the writers tried too hard to make it dramatic, and in turn simply made it complicated to follow along and frankly, a little boring. Too many characters had an unnecessary amount of importance placed on them, and too many episodes contained more than one plot point (again, as an attempt to make it dramatic, and therefore making it too complicated).

I also disliked the complete disregard for anything that happened pre-s5. I understand the timeline to an extent, for example, by the time the Doctor met Amy it had technically been about a hundred years since he’d last seen Rose give or take (though it had literally only been a few days since he’d last seen Donna and she wasn’t mentioned at all). This may just be my inability to really cope with major change, but then, a lot of people are like me, so disregarding everything just makes the show inaccessible to a number of people. I was screaming at the TV screen half the time wanting the Doctor to mention Rose, or Martha, or Donna, or Jack, but they hardly got a look in. Even in The Day of the Doctor, the appearance of “Rose” was frankly disappointing.

And this is just talking about s5 and onwards. I haven’t yet mentioned how good pre-s4 was. I’m not saying every episode was a masterpiece, but there were an incredible amount of well-thought out and interesting storylines. The entire Bad Wolf storyline and how it threaded through all four seasons even after Rose had gone was, and still is, my favourite thing ever. The Daleks and the Cybemen were actually threatening (as opposed to just nuisances like they were post-s5, which I suppose by that time they were, but it’s funny how some characters were described as the most dangerous and evil characters when tbh they really weren’t, but the Daleks and the Cybermen hardly ever were. I’d also like to point out that the Cybermen hadn’t actually been seen again by the Doctor since the battle at Canary Wharf (although I may be wrong on this, someone please correct me), and when Eleven did see them again, he acted more as if they were just an inconvenience, rather than the reason he lost one of his companions).

And don’t even get me started on the companions of pre-s5. Yes I love Clara, but that’s really about it. I never got invested in Amy, despite the show making her out to be god incarnated and the most important person in the Doctor’s life. I actually got more invested in Rory tbh. I’m not saying I didn’t like Amy, I just didn’t really see the big deal. Adding this to the fact that my favourite companions (all of which are in pre-s5) were never mentioned made me genuinely angry at Amy. It wasn’t her fault, but she had an air of smugness around her, as if she knew everything there is to know about the Doctor, but out of all of the companions she actually doesn’t know that much at all. She barely even knows that the Doctor can regenerate.

The companions in s1-4 were on a different level. Rose Tyler is my beloved, who absorbed the time vortex and became Bad Wolf. Martha Jones was the most badass motherf*cker who literally became a walking legend throughout the entire world as she travelled for a year on her own to defeat the Master- which she did, single f*cking handedly. Donna Noble was Catherine Tate. (And also she was the most hilarious, wonderful won’t-take-shit-from-a-spaceman icon who literally became a Time Lord. AND JACK MOTHERFUCKING HARKNESS THE GUY I LITERALLY NAMED MYSELF AFTER THE IMMORTAL OMNISEXUAL ALIEN JOHN FUCKING BARROWMAN LGBTQ+ ICON ALL THE WAY FROM 2005 CANNOT BE COMPARED IN LOVE WITH THE DOCTOR FLIRTS WITH EVERYONE SMOOTH SON OF A BITCH WITH A SMILE THAT CAN KILL EVEN MY LESBIAN ARSE.

Amy was just... sort of nothing? I don’t want to criticise too much because I know she’s the favourite companion of a lot of people, and I don’t want to ruin her for them. I don’t think she’s a bad companion. A lot of my anger towards her is more to do with me rather than to do with her. I just feel that she was placed on a pedestal and treated way more than her predecessors for no real reason.

She was “The girl who waited”. She was an eight year old who sat outiside for a night waiting for the Doctor. It’s sweet and all, but why is that literally her only personality trait?

There’s probably more I can add, but I’ve gone on long enough. And I must reiterate this is only personal opinion. I understand the title is a bit too blunt, one of those “if you don’t agree with me you’re an idiot” sort of posts, but it isn’t. This is just how I feel, and I encourage you to disagree with me, because I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone. Believe me, lots of things have been ruined for me by someone giving a negative opinion about it (though I’m not calling those people out or anything) because I’ve felt obliged to agree, or I’ve felt that my opinion is wrong. So I’m not trying to do that, I’m really just writing this for the people who already agree, rather than the people who disagree, because I’m not here to change anyone’s opinion.

Amy’s great. Matt Smith is fantastic. S5 and onwards has some enjoyable storylines. Neil Gaiman is a fantastic writer, so is Russel T Davis. Chris Chibnall isn’t but I think we can all agree with that. Martha is underrated as shit. Catherine Tate is queen of my life (I met her once, she gave up her seat for me on the Tube when I was a kid. Didn’t know who she was back then but my mother was very excited). Rose Tyler can marry me. Jack Harkness is the only reason I’m happy. And Clara is a sweetheart who needs constant protection.

Thank you for coming to be TEDTalk.

#long post #doctor who #not hp #newwho #david tennant #russel t davis #rose tyler #rant #doctor who rant #neil gaiman

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capybaraonabicycle · 3 years

Text

A Family Wedding - Part 4

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Rating: Teen

Summary: Jenny meets her mums’ friends and the wedding is drawing to an end

Warnings: Some innuendo and the dagger makes another appearance, also consummation of alcohol

Words: ~3000

AO3

Eventually, they made their way back to the party. The Doctor wanted to introduce her daughter to some of her friends and the Ponds had agreed that her and River couldn’t completely ignore their duty as hosts. Thus, Jenny spent the rest of the very long night talking to an endless number of people who were important to her mum in one way or another.

Bill and Heather immediately decided they were basically cousins and had to get together for space trips some time. Bill wrote her number onto a napkin and made Jenny promise she would get a phone so they could stay in contact. She also talked a lot about the eyebrows-version of her mum, saying it was a shame Jenny missed him. But at least now she got two badass mums and according to Bill, that was pretty perfect when it came to parents.

Missy, her mum’s best woman, casually mentioned she should abduct Jenny, as it would be the perfect leverage over her mum. This remark made Amy threaten her with the cake knife while Rory protectively put his arms around Jenny. Missy made a point of ignoring Jenny’s grandparents, promising Jenny would meet one of her regenerations again soon.

“Your mum is obsessed with me, Honeybunch” she said, trailing her nails over the blade of Amy’s knife thoughtfully, “I’m sure she will come running again with you in tow to foil my next brilliant plan. She can’t let me be on my own for a second. It’s quite embarrassing, really.”

She gave a little dramatic sigh at this, pushing the knife away to move past Jenny. “She just loves me so much.”

Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Petronella Osgood were luckily part of an earlier version of UNIT than the one, Jenny had enraged. They were fascinated by her and she had to describe in great detail how the machine worked that had birthed her.

“Now, Kate” the Doctor warned her when she walked by and overheard, “Don’t you dare try building that device. I will come and destroy it, I promise you.”

Prompted by Jenny’s heartbroken gaze she explained why she was against the machine, recounting how it had been used to produce soldiers, dispensable to die in a day.

“Maybe I should build one then, the next time you are not traceable, Doctor” Kate joked to the Doctor’s affront, “Just so you’ll come running.”

Clara tried teaching Jenny the names of her Gallifreyan relatives. Apparently, she had met some of the Doctor’s family when she had been something she called an ‘echo’. It was quite confusing, really, because the Doctor kept contradicting her and neither of them were really sure how many siblings, nieces and nephews Jenny had in total. It was still great fun to see them argue whether the people they remembered actually existed and how they were related to her.

Captain Jack Harkness got as far as introducing himself to Jenny, when the Doctor already shot in between them.

“Back off my daughter, Jack” she growled, pressing both her palms into his chest to physically keep him from touching Jenny.

“Your daughter?” Jack asked, his eyebrows wandering up to his hairline.

“My daughter, Jenny” her mum presented proudly, just to return to her strict voice the next second, “And you are not to flirt with her.”

“I was just saying ‘hello’!” Jack complained which made her almost strangle him.

“Ianto Jones” the man next to Jack presented himself to Jenny very softly, considering the wrestling couple with quiet confusion and some distress, “His boyfriend.”

“Ah” Jenny said, grimacing, “So sorry for this.”

That made Ianto smile.

“Right back at you” he murmured.

Martha and Mickey found Jenny, when she was sharing a piece of wedding cake with River, expressing their relief that Jenny seemed welcome in the family. They talked about Donna for a while and Jenny learned that their friend had lost her memories after saving the Earth from Daleks.

Her mum recounted how when the Doctor first met her, Donna had been there, too. They exchanged a few stories about her, unanimously deciding they would have loved to know her better. Martha and Mickey said they sometimes checked up on her.

"Only from afar, though" Martha sighed. "She can't see us or else her memories might get triggered."

She and Mickey then told Jenny about their job, how they were freelancers now, hunting hostile aliens.

"Sounds fun" River commented and Jenny had to agree.

"You could join us some time" Martha offered, "Both of you."

"Really?" Jenny asked delightedly, grabbing River's arm in excitement.

"Of course" Mickey grinned, "It always pays to have some backup."

They added their phone number to Bill’s on the napkin and promised to let Jenny know the next time they had an interesting assignment.

“How is everyone immediately adopting me?” Jenny asked Yaz, Ryan and Graham, when they had proclaimed her part of the ‘fam’ as soon as they heard she was the Doctor’s daughter.

She had already gotten the invite to travel with Bill and Heather, Clara and Me and to live with her grandparents, Martha and Mickey, Jack and Ianto, Sarah Jane Smith and even the Paternoster Gang, although she had tried to avoid them after the pudding incident.

"The Doctor is family" Ryan shrugged. "Which means you're family, too."

The other two nodded in agreement.

“And we all know you can use the support with her being your mother” Ryan continued with a low chuckle, and Jenny stared at him with wide eyes.

“It’s nothing bad” he hurried to appease, “The Doctor’s great, she’s just…”

“The Doctor” Graham finished, and Ryan nodded as if all was said now.

“She’s a little chaotic” Yaz tried to explain.

Graham snorted, “Yeah, right, a little.”

“And irresponsible” Yaz added, “And most of the time you can’t understand a thing of what she’s doing or saying. And the things she does…they tend to go wrong.”

“But she’s wonderful” Ryan said and the other two nodded again.

“‘Brilliant’” Graham said with a low chuckle.

“She’s the best person I know” Yaz ended with a smile and Jenny found herself returning it.

“And you’ll have River and me travelling with you” Yaz concluded, gently nudging her with her elbow, “We’ll take care of you and among the three of us, we’ll also manage to take care of her.”

Jenny was just talking to a head in a box and a nice couple owning an antiquarian bookstore, when her mums approached her. They were exchanging conspirative glances and the Doctor was hiding her hands behind her back, so Jenny immediately decided whatever they were up to was more interesting than the blonde guy’s obsession with easter eggs. She excused herself and made her way over to her mums.

“River said you might still feel insecure about whether the TARDIS is your home” the Doctor said without greeting, “So, I got you a gift.”

She revealed a tiny package from behind her back with great flourish. It wasn’t much bigger than her thumb, obviously wrapped in leftovers from her own wedding gifts. Without knowing what was inside, Jenny decided it couldn’t have been more perfect.

“Thank you” she beamed and hurried to open her present.

Unfortunately, that was almost impossible for the amount of tape her mum had used. Now that she paid attention to it, it became apparent the Doctor had fought quite the fight against the tape - strips of it were also sticking to her suit jacket and her forearms. One even made its way into River’s hair and Jenny dreaded the moment she would find out about it. Luckily, she missed it when she wordlessly reached into her hairdo upon seeing Jenny struggling. She pulled out the mini dagger again, handing it over to her. With its help, the tape and wrapping paper soon were torn, and a silver key fell into Jenny’s hand.

“It’s for the TARDIS” the Doctor explained. “Now you can come and go whenever you like and stay as long as you like.”

“And once I’ve shown you how to fly her you can also use it to take the TARDIS out on your own whenever you like” River supplemented, and the Doctor glared at her.

“Don’t you dare encourage Jenny to steal my TARDIS!” she grumbled, “It’s bad enough when you do it.”

Then she turned and beamed at Jenny again. “But yeah, pretty much: Welcome to the TARDIS!”

Jenny felt herself tear up a little, clutching the key tightly. It was real! She had a family and a home and she was welcome.

She pulled both her mums into a hug, smiling when they embraced her tightly.

“Thank you so much” she murmured.

Suddenly, an aggressive flash blinded her.

“Oops, sorry” Bill said, lowering a vintage looking camera from her face. “It wasn’t supposed to do that.”

She fumbled with the flash a little bit until Heather took over and switched it off. When Bill raised her gaze again and noticed the whole family was still staring at her, she blushed.

“Don’t mind me”, she said. “I’m just repaying a favour. Have been taking pictures all night. You will want something to remember this day by, Doctor. And yeah, I recalled what you did for me with my mum and thought…I should do that for you, too.”

She smiled sheepishly and the Doctor looked like she was about to melt.

“That is a lovely idea, Bill” River found, pulling Jenny and the Doctor close again to pose for another shot, “You know what? We should get my parents and do a proper family photo!”

“Did I hear family photo?” Jack said, miraculously turning up behind Bill with Ianto in tow. “Can’t do that without uncle Jack!”

“Oh, they most definitely can” Missy chuckled, appearing next to him. “This is not about you, puppy. It’s just for real family members. Like me.”

She pushed past him, positioning herself next to the Doctor and facing the camera with a thin but content smile. “I’m ready when you are, Loves.”

“Uh, yeah, that’s not happening” Jack decided, joining River’s side and slinging his arm around her waist, pulling Ianto with him into the frame.

While Bill shot the photo, Jenny could see more guests taking notice, some approaching them fairly quickly.

“Seems like everybody wants to have their picture taken with you” River whispered to her and Jenny chuckled.

“I am 100% certain it’s about you and mum” she answered although she couldn’t deny she felt important in the middle of the frame that more and more people crowded into.

“You should be in the picture, Bill” the Doctor called out when Sarah Jane was ushering a couple of teenagers and a metal dog to sit down in front of them. “If anyone’s family, it’s you! Just give the camera to Nardole.”

“Yeah, thank you, Ma’am” Nardole frowned. “Always a pleasure to know how much you appreciate me.”

He still took the camera from Bill and she and Heather hurried to the space the Doctor and Jenny cleared between them. It was a little tight now as Missy refused to budge but Jenny just threw one arm around River and the other around Bill and smiled for the photo Nardole shot of them.

It took a while until everybody who wanted to be in the photo had found their place and someone had tracked down a waitress to take the picture. In the meantime, a lot of quirky photos were shot by and of various combinations of the Doctor’s friends. Later they would be glued to the walls of the TARDIS hallways and Jenny would come back to them often to trail the faces of her mums’ loved ones and remember the night.

There would be a picture of Mickey and Martha kissing with Amy photobombing behind them, a picture of Wilf and Rory having exchanged their suit jackets and beaming like idiots and a picture of Jenny, Bill, Heather, Nardole, Yaz and Ryan in a group hug that Graham took as a very blurry selfie. There would be a picture of when Jack had decided to hoist Jenny onto his shoulders and another one of when Clara, Ryan and Yaz had followed suit, respectively carrying the Doctor, Graham and Bill on their backs with varying degrees of success.

Then there would be a picture of Jenny with her namesake which had made them giggle way too much, and another picture that the other Jenny had taken of her with Vastra and Strax, because ‘no-one would see the difference’. Which was an even sillier joke but made Jenny understand how much she liked the Paternoster gang after all. Especially because Vastra and Jenny had promised her fencing lessons between the shots.

There would be a picture of her mums kissing both of Missy’s cheeks simultaneously while Missy wore a decidedly unimpressed expression, a picture of Kate, Osgood, Martha and the Doctor trying to evoke an air of semi-professionalism as ‘UNIT-representatives’ that was completely ruined by the mess of people goofing around behind them and finally the Pond family picture River had asked for. They had to take three versions: one featuring Missy, one Jack and one on which both had begrudgingly left them alone.

But Jenny’s favourite photo would always be the one they took in the end, before everybody dispersed and went on to enjoy the party. The big group photo, with her mums in the focus and everyone surrounding them. The photo they took while she was standing right beside them, between her grandparents, Rory’s arm around her shoulder and Amy’s hand in hers and the happiest smiles possible on all their faces.

Then it was finally time to leave. Almost all the guests had gone and Clara and Ashildr were collecting the last of them in their diner-shaped TARDIS. All that was left now were Jenny, her parents and her grandparents.

“We’re taking…the kid…with us” Amy said. She was slurring and Jenny presumed she had found another bottle of vodka.

“No, why?” the Doctor complained, clutching at Jenny’s arm. She seemed a little drunk as well, although Jenny couldn’t fathom how. There had been next to no alcohol in the pink drinks. “I’ve let you have her the whole evening already.”

“Jenny will come visit us soon” Rory tried to reassure Amy. His ductus was considerably clearer than hers, but he was swaying a little as well. “She has promised, remember?”

Jenny’s hearts swell a little when she understood Amy must have recounted their discussion on the balcony to him. They’d been talking about her!

“We’re still -taking her” Amy decided, “Or do I needo…- do I need to remind you …what happened in our wedding night?”

“I did” River supplemented smirking. Rory went very pale while Jenny shrieked, hiding her face in River’s shoulder.

Her mum chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Go with your grandparents, Love” she advised, pulling her into a hug and kissing her cheek, when Jenny looked up at her, “Have a splendid night at their place and we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thanks, mum” she grinned, returning the kiss to the cheek. Then she turned around to the Doctor.

“We’ll come pick you up first thing in the morning” her mum said, holding her tightly, “I promise.”

“I know” Jenny murmured, amazed by how sure she was of that now, “Have a good night, mum.”

“Oh, she will” River said. The Doctror spluttered and Jenny tensed.

“Mu-um!” she complained, giving her a stern glance. Still, she couldn’t help smiling, when she added: “I hate you!”

River threw her head back laughing.

“No, you don’t” she said.

“We’ll be there tomorrow” the Doctor repeated when she let Jenny go.

“For once…-I am hoping, sh-she will be a month late” Amy murmured, pressing Jenny to her side and thus swaying her lightly.

“How about breakfast at the Ponds together? As a compromise?” the Doctor offered, and Jenny nodded quickly.

“That sounds perfect” she said, and her mum beamed at her.

“Breakfast it is, then” she decided, “Don’t you lot worry, I can bring the custard creams.”

“Yeah, give us till noon, though, Doctor” Rory mumbled, “I’ll need a lot of sleep now.”

“We’re not goingdo - going to sleep” Amy complained, “We’ll have an afda-afterparty. Movies,… facemasks, goss-gosspip.”

She pulled a face at her own slurring which made Jenny chuckle.

“Yeah, you don’t really b-believe that either” Rory commented, gently taking her arm and steering her towards Clara’s TARDIS. He stopped himself to yawn loudly and reach for Jenny’s hand. “Let’s get all of us to bed.”

They waved goodbye and then Jenny took Rory’s hand and followed her grandparents to the diner. Before they passed the TARDIS, she turned around one last time, seeing her mums standing in the ever-setting sun on Darillium. They were facing each other, River’s hand cupping the Doctor’s cheek, the Doctor’s hands on her shoulders and talking in quiet voices. They seemed perfectly comfortable with each other, exhausted, but happy, like they had finally arrived home after a very long journey.

‘We all have’ Jenny thought, when they started slowly kissing and she turned around to her grandparents again, ‘We’ve all come home now.’

Hey :) Thank you so much for reading this series! This is the end, at least of the wedding and of the story, but I’m sure Jenny is about to have many adventures with her mums. Thank you so much to everyone who has left comments, you are all incredibly kind! <3

And thank you so much @elsaistherelifeonmars for letting me play with your story! <3

This fic is inspired by ‘The Wedding of River Song’. Go, check it out, if you haven’t already :)

#dw #doctor who #fanfiction #a family wedding #thirteen/river #the doctor/river song #thirteenth doctor #river song #jenny #the doctor's daughter #amy/rory #amy pond #rory williams #alcohol #daggers

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blueboxesandtrafficcones · 3 years

Text

First Chance at a Family

Day 2 of 2020′s 31 Days of Ficmas. Thanks to @doctorroseprompts for the list!

Prompt: ginger/gingerbread

Rating: T

Pairing: 9xRose AU; mini-sequel to Second Chance at Forever

Summary: Rose & John’s journey to parenthood, told in 4 parts. Warnings for: morning sickness, pregnancy, etc

2020 31 Days of Ficmas masterlist | Second Chance at Forever

AO3

---

“Ugh.” Wiping at her mouth Rose leaned back, closing the toilet lid and reaching for the flush. Tilting over onto her side, she rested her heated face against the soothingly cold bathroom floor, feeling like death warmed over. “This is the third morning in a row, and I’m starting to think it’s not the New Year’s hangover,” she mumbled into the tiles. “I’m not ready to go there.”

Her one comfort was that John was surely already at work, blissfully unaware of the physical and mental turbulence occurring in her stomach. No need to worry him before she had to.

“If I still don’t feel well tomorrow, I’ll go see a doctor,” she bartered with her stomach, hand hovering over it for a moment before clenching her fist and lowering it to the ground. That, she felt, would be a tacit acknowledgement of the increasingly-likely scenario, and she wasn’t ready to face that yet. “And if not, definitely the day after.”

She lay there for a few more minutes, eventually determining it was safe to resume her day. Moving gingerly, she washed her face and brushed her teeth, pulling her dressing gown tightly around her as she shuffled towards the kitchen-

And froze, shocked to see her husband sitting at the table sipping from a mug and writing on a piece of paper.

“Morning,” he said flatly, not looking up. “That’s for you.” His head tilted in the direction of a steaming mug across from him, and she sank into the seat without taking her eyes off him.

Lifting the mug to her lips, she found ginger tea, her stomach clenching at the implication.

“I thought you had office hours this morning,” she broke the silence once she’d drunk half of it. “Why…”

“My wife is sick, I wanted to be here if she needed me. However, I didn’t want to intrude if she wasn’t ready to tell me what’s going on?”

And just like that, she knew- that her fears were correct, and worse, John had clearly figured it out first. Shit. In the back of her mind she knew this was a good thing, she should be happy about it, but we’ve only been married a year, it’s too soon!

She let out a sigh. “Technically, I don’t know what’s going on. I just have… growing suspicions.” Peeking up at him, she met his eye, his expression softening.

“I see.” Setting down his pen John removed his glasses, rubbing at his face for a moment before rising, coming around the corner of the table to kneel beside her. “I realized yesterday, and… it’s more than a suspicion.”

“That’s what I get for marrying a doctor,” she joked weakly, rubbing her thumb along his jawline. “I wasn’t… keeping it from you, I just… hadn’t faced it yet myself.”

Leaning up, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Okay. I’ve already called us both off, so why don’t we lie down for a cuddle, and not talk about it?”

“Okay,” she agreed, heart filling with love for such a wonderful, understanding partner. “I’m gonna finish this tea, first, though.”

“Absolutely.” John stood, resting his hand on her back and offering her a small smile. “The ginger will help with the nausea. So will a nap.”

Deciding to bring the mug to the bedroom with her, she let him guide her into bed, curling up in his arms with her head on his chest and his hands on her belly.

Seven nausea-filled days later found them sitting in an exam room, Rose aggressively chewing on a piece of ginger candy as she sat on the table looking around. John was seated on the guest chair, seemingly enthralled with a pamphlet, though his bouncing leg gave evidence to his own anxiety.

“Oi.”

He looked up, blinking. “Yeah?”

“Why ginger?”

“What d’you mean?”

She gestured with the bag of candy in her hand. “Why does this supposedly help?” With every minute they had to wait she was growing more nervous, and nothing distracted her the way her husband could when he fell into ‘professor mode’.

John immediately abandoned the pamphlet on the countertop, leaning forward to brace his elbows on his knees. “Well, first, it’s a traditional remedy dating back thousands of years, mostly in India and Southeast Asia, where it grows naturally. It’s fairly interesting actually – it helps with a number of ailments, and isn’t limited to the digestive tract. Current thought is that it’s an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, and can cure sickness from motion and chemotherapy, not just-” he paused to wave at her, but was prevented from continuing by a rap on the door followed by it opening.

“Good morning,” the doctor said brusquely, stepping in. “Noble?”

“Yes,” they chorused, Rose adding, “I’m Rose, this is John.”

The doctor nodded, consulting the iPad in his hand. “Great, I’m Doctor MacMartin. So, I have your test results.” He sat on the stool, setting down the tablet and looking at her for the first time. “You’re pregnant.”

Despite having spent the last week coming to terms with the idea, the confirmation knocked the breath from Rose’s lungs. Pregnant. A baby. She looked to John, who was silent, eyes wide and surprised but pleased, with a silly smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. In response her own twitched, and suddenly they were beaming at each other, tears pricking at her eyes.

A baby. A family.

And just like at the end of The Grinch, her heart expanded.

“I have literally never hated you more than I do at this moment.”

John, the bastard, had the gall to smirk, not pausing as he tucked her in. “It’s just for two weeks,” he said cheerfully. “Then our bundle of joy will be here, and you won’t want to get out of bed. You should rest while you can.”

She huffed in response, folding her arms across her enormous belly. At thirty-seven weeks she’d been placed on bed rest as a precaution, and two hours into it, she was already going mad. John was fussing over her like a mother hen, and she already knew it would be worse when word spread and Donna and Jackie showed up to ‘help’. She was tired, and sore, and she hadn’t seen her feet in months, constant heartburn, and the most galling bit- “Why do you lie?”

“About what?” Kicking his shoes off he settled himself next to her hip, one hand naturally settling to the bump and stroking, doing little to calm the rolling child within.

“‘Morning sickness’. More like ‘all day sickness’. And why do you say it’s only during the first trimester? Why am I still nauseous? I mean, I know I haven’t actually been sick, but honestly, I don’t mind that so much- at least after I feel better, if only for a few minutes. But there’s no relief!”

He clucked his tongue sympathetically, hand moving to caress her knee. “I know it sucks, and you’ve had it rough. But you’re doing brilliantly, really, and I’m so proud of you. You’re already such a great mum.” Leaning forward, he nabbed a ginger candy from the nightstand and handed it to her. “Not much longer.”

“And to think, people say this is the easy part,” she muttered petulantly, unwrapping the candy and popping it in her mouth. “I just wanna meet them.” They’d decided, after weeks of squabbling, not to find out what they were having- the deciding factor had been when Pete had let slip Jackie’s plans for a gender reveal party, and Rose had put her foot down out of principle.

John was silent for a long minute, waiting out her sighing and grumbling until she settled. “I know. Me too. But for now, can I tempt you with a movie instead?”

“Don’t you have to go to work?” Even as she said the words she reached for her mobile, pulling up Netflix to broadcast it to the telly he’d set up.

“Nah,” he said easily, moving to sit next to her, close enough they were touching from hip to thigh. “And, I had one in mind.” Nabbing her mobile, he held it out of her reach, typing one-handed.

Moments later the telly flicked on, Netflix opening on the movie credits, and she gasped. “Top Hat! My favorite.”

“I know,” John said smugly, dropping the mobile on the bed in favor of taking her hand. “I know you and your Mum have Cliff Richards movies, and I want us to have something similar with little Florence.”

“Not happening,” she didn’t glance at him. “Ginger and Fred- yes. Florence? No. We’re not having a grandmother.” The baby kicked then, and she smiled down fondly at her stomach. “Isn’t that right, little one? Daddy’s just being silly, you’ll see, Earl.”

Her husband scoffed. “Is that a pun? We are not name our child Earl Noble, Rose Tyler- talk about setting him up for failure!”

“Shush. The movie’s starting.”

Grinning, they turned back to the show- neglecting the dancing on screen to focus instead on the movement of her belly, the child within dancing to the music far more interesting.

Two more weeks!

Fighting back a yawn, John made his way down the corridor to the waiting room, stopping just out of sight to take in the room. Everyone they loved most was gathered there, scattered around in small groups. At first glance the only person missing was his godson August, the baby likely with Martha’s parents; even Tony was there, though the six-year-old was asleep against his father.

It warmed his heart to see them all together, waiting, already loving the little life they didn’t know had arrived, and was currently be weighed and cleaned up. Slipping his mobile from his pocket he took a picture of the group, wanting to capture this moment, show his child how loved they were from their first breath.

Taking the few steps needed to enter the room, he bit back a smile when no one looked up or registered his presence. “You all waiting on someone?”

In seconds he had everyone’s full attention, eager eyes waiting with bated breath, and he knew he was failing to contain his joy as they gathered close, instantly dropping their newspapers and books and mobiles to focus on him.

“Well?!” It was Tony who broke the silence, eyes still full of sleep, and John crouched down in front of him.

“C’mere, mate.”

The boy stepped closer, watching impatiently, little brow furrowing. “Is my Rosie okay?”

“She is.” John took a deep breath, nearly overwhelmed with the moment, and the weight of the words he was about to say. “So’s your niece.”

The room was silent enough to hear a pin drop for one heart stopping moment; and then Jackie screamed “It’s a girl!” and everything devolved into chaos, as he was pulled in every direction for hugs, kisses, and congratulations.

“Wait!” Donna commanded, loud enough to be heard over the chatter, drawing everyone’s attention. “More information. Is Rose okay? What’s the baby’s name? When can we see them?”

“Right.” Still hugging Martha, somewhat leaning on her for support, he organized his thoughts. “Rose is fine- a champ, of course, though she’s exhausted. Baby’s good, big and healthy. And you can see them in an hour or so.”

Martha poked him viciously in the side. “And her name?”

His smile grew, thinking of his little girl – for so long she’d felt like an abstract concept, despite watching Rose’s belly grow and actively planning for her arrival. But now she was here, and beautiful, and his heart was fully. “Genevieve Amelia. Jenny.”

This brought on more gushing, and far too many questions for his tired brain to track, much less comprehend or answer, until once again, his sister’s voice broke through.

“Who’s she look like?”

“Rose.” He grinned; every baby he’d ever seen had just looked like a squirming blob, especially at only minutes old, but not his little girl- no, his daughter already looked so much like her mother it was uncanny. “But she’s got your hair.”

“Yes!” Donna crowed, clutching onto Lee’s arms. “Another ginger! We need more of them in this family, I always said that. Does this mean I get first dibs on meeting her?”

This sparked a new, lively debate between Donna, Sylvia, and Jackie, John just shaking his head with a grin. Catching his grandfather’s eye he tilted his head slightly, before grabbing his brother-in-law’s hand and slipping away with a wink to Pete.

Everyone would have a chance to meet the baby, but they’d decided the oldest and youngest would have first dibs.

Overwhelmed by the urge to see Rose and Jenny, he quickened his step.

His family needed him.

#bbatcfic #doctorroseprompts #31 Days of Ficmas #31 Days of Ficmas 2020 #ficandchips #Doctor Who #9xRose #9th Doctor #Rose Tyler #AU #First Chance at a Family #Second Chance at Forever #pregnancy #morning sickness

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saiilorstars · 4 years

Text

The Beginning of Everything

Fandom: Doctor Who

Pairing: Female OC x 10th Doctor

(OC Renata’s Face claim: Marjorie de Sousa) (Gabby’s face claim: Victoria Moroles)

// Story Masterlist //

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DISCLAIMER: This chapter’s plotline is from Doctor Who’s comic stories. Most of the dialogue is directly written from the comic. The plot is NOT mine.

Ch. 16: Between the Lies There is Truth

Chapter Summary: The Doctor takes Renata to a quaint town so they can have a talk about Renata’s past. Meanwhile, Donna and Gabby make their own trip to see an old friend.

Unlike Renata who preferred to go out and eat when she spilled a centuries-old secret, the Doctor chose to talk with Donna in the console room. He doubted Renata would be coming back anytime soon. Gabby was probably off in her own room too. It was just going to be him and Donna for the rest of the 'night'.

And starting to talk wasn't that hard, least not the part of how he and Martha ended up in 1913; the Family who was chasing him; the Chameleon arch; hiding amongst humans for 3 months. But then he got to the part where he'd met Renata. That's where it got harder.

Donna could tell it was too. He'd shifted away from her, his sentences became more like fragments with a few stutters here and there. "When did talking about Renata make you this nervous?" she ultimately asked just before he got to the part where he, as John Smith, was going in search of Renata in the nearby town with Matron Joan.

"I don't know!" he defensively said. "This wasn't me!"

"It kinda was," Donna made a face that pretty much told him he was being dramatic. "You sought her out, went looking for her in the town...all cos you wanted to see her."

"That's not true!"

"Yeah? Then what happened afterwards? Did you find her?"

"You know what, I think this story is done!"

"Oh no, spaceman!" Donna latched onto his arm before he would take off on her. "You started the story, now you finish it!" And by the hook she had on his arm, there was no getting out of it.

With a sigh, the Doctor answered in a very quiet tone, "Yes, I did. And she wasn't happy about it! Nearly shut the door in my face!"

Donna let go of his arm but only to laugh.

"It wasn't funny! She practically threw me out so I had to go looking for her in the town where there were no doors!" The Doctor then went on to explain how he'd been responsible for knocking poor Renata out in the town.

Donna may have laughed again and told him that definitely sounded like him. The dynamic between the two Time Lords may in fact be like that. The Doctor was very discouraged to continue, but Donna promised him she'd take him serious and listen from now on. So, he went on.

He told her about the journal John Smith had created, full with his actual memories. He told her about the dance he'd invited Renata to (and how she'd been practically forced to go along with it thanks to Matron Joan), the Family chasing after them, and finally the decision John had to make to save them all. Of course the ending was what got Donna.

She was completely serious then. "Doctor, you mean to tell me you fell in love with Renata?" her eyes were wide and blinking fast.

The Doctor, for his part, was fervently shaking his head. "I-I didn't - John Smith did! He fell in love with her, not me!"

Donna's eyes narrowed on the stammering Time Lord. "Then why are you so defensive about it?"

"I-I'm not!"

Donna raised one eyebrow at him.

"...am I?" the Doctor took a moment to think about things. He looked away from Donna but even when he tried to think about 1913, his mind refused. Each time he thought about it, he remembered everything he did. From the moment he met Renata to the last moment they shared.

But thankfully he had Donna to point out things for him. And she did.

"Doctor, you sought her out-"

"-he did, not me-"

"-you sketched her-"

"-lots of people do that-"

"-you asked her out on a date-"

"-well, I-"

"-and then you kissed her right before you saved the world," Donna finished with a very big smile, though there was a trace of amusement on it. "The 'go big or go home' thing took a whole other level with you. Kind of romantic, in your own alien way."

"Donna," the way the Doctor said her name was more like a plead than anything else. "I didn't...I did more harm than good, okay? And John Smith just going out there and falling in love with her was the worst mistake he ever did."

Donna folded her arms with purpose. "Doctor," she moved up to him with a hard look in her eyes, "Look me in the eyes and tell me that again. Tell me that you mean it."

The Doctor wanted to look away but he just couldn't. And it was frustrating! "I don't know! "You know what? It doesn't even matter! This isn't why I told you the story - it was to show you how I already screwed up, okay? That's what I always do - I screw up."

Donna's face softened once she realized the real point of the story. "You're guilty. You don't ask Renata questions that you want to because you're guilty about what happened in 1913. Whether it's about the deaths or her heart - hearts - you feel guilty."

The Doctor's shoulders slumped as his head hung. "With what face - what audacity - would I go and pry about her past? I can't, Donna. I just can't."

Donna rested a comforting hand on his arm. He wasn't alone in these crazy thoughts and she wanted him to know that. "I get that, I really do, but I also think you are entitled to some answers if she is living in your TARDIS."

"I stole her," he said with a sour smile. "I literally kidnapped her."

"But she still stayed, out of her own accord. She lives here because she wants to, Doctor."

The Doctor had wanted to believe that for a long time too, but there was always an inkling of doubt gnawing in the corner of his mind. Renata was so different from him, the polar opposite actually. Maybe one day she'd grow tired of the way their trips went or even himself and she'd...leave.

"Why don't you let the night pass and then tomorrow you and Renata can go out somewhere, just the two of you," Donna suggested after a few minutes of silence. "Gabby and I can take it easy here while you're out." Just as the Doctor shook his head, Donna added, "You know you want some answers, don't play stupid. Do what I'm suggesting and you'll get some answers."

"What if I push her too much?" there was a clear fear in the Doctor's eyes that made Donna sympathize with him. "And then she wants to leave?"

"She won't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because Renata is fair. If you deserve answers, then she'll give them to you." Donna seemed very sure of what she was saying. It almost let the Doctor to believe it too.

Truth was, he was still scared.

~0~

Renata hadn't slept that well. She'd tossed and turned in her bed, hoping that the world would take pity on her and let her sleep just for a few hours. This was one of the days she actually needed sleep and of course it happened on the day she'd royally screwed up. Just when she'd finally clambered onto some sleepy trance...someone knocked on her door.

That's all the sleep I'm getting, she concluded with a tired yawn. She got up from bed and sleepily walked to the door.

Of course the Doctor stood on the other side. Of course.

"Yeah?" she yawned and brought a hand up to her mouth in an attempt to cover it up.

The Doctor could tell she was incredibly tired. He'd waited as patiently as possible for a few hours of sleep to pass by before gathering courage to come up Renata's door. It didn't look like the waiting had been for anything since it was obvious she hadn't slept at all.

"Uh, I...morning?" As he said that, his expression showed even he was confused. Why would he say that? That's not what he wanted to say at all.

Renata pulled a hand over her hair. "Morning."

"We, um - well, I'd like to...have a word with you," the Doctor finally got it in one go, but now he had to anxiously waiting for Renata's reaction.

She looked nervous but not surprised. "Umm...let me just...let me get changed, okay? I'll meet you in the console room in a bit."

"Sounds good," he nodded. She quickly looked away from him and closed the door. Yeah, she definitely was avoiding him.

Inside her bedroom, Renata was beginning to panic all over again.

She went all over the room looking for something to wear, but the truth was she was making time to think of a good reason to tell the Doctor why she knew the name he had never spoken to her. After about fifteen minutes, Renata finally found the will to get dressed and leave her room. She came out in a button-up, three-quarter sleeve green blouse tucked under a long cream-colored skirt. She pressed down her long hair then took a deep breath before she started for the console room.

Of course the Doctor was nervously waiting for her there. Soon as he saw her coming in, he straightened his body but he might have shifted a few times as she came up to him.

"Where's Donna and Gabriella?" she asked first since, on her way to the room, she hadn't heard a noise. It was almost as if it was just them two again.

"They, uh...Donna asked to be dropped off at home for now," the Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. The request had come at a perfect moment since he wanted to talk with Renata and could do without the questions Gabby kept throwing his way. The girl was curious about Renata's behavior and she wanted answers.

"And Gabriella?" Renata feared for the young girl's attitude towards travelling now. After how she treated Gabby, Renata thought sje might want to leave now before things got worse.

"She's off with Donna. She's never been to England, actually," the Doctor offered Renata a small smile.

"I need to apologize to her," Renata sighed. "I am a terrible teacher."

"She was fine, honestly. You don't need to worry about her."

Renata nodded, but she didn't look very convinced. "So...where are we going, then?"

"Umm, I thought somewhere nice and calm might be good. I know you prefer that."

Renata's eyebrows raised together. "What did you have in mind?"

The Doctor just smiled. He preferred to show her.

~0~

He does listen, Renata concluded when the Doctor led her out of the TARDIS into a quaint town in France. It was far from the nearby city - which so happened to be Paris - but close for Renata to see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. As soon as she'd stepped out of the TARDIS, Renata was greeted with a peacefulness that she hadn't had in quite a while.

Not to mention the air smelled sweet. Somewhere, there was a bakery she was sure.

"1923 Sceux," the Doctor walked beside her along the short sidewalk. "Nice town, perfect for visitors just wanting to...talk." The smile on his face was soft and well-intentioned but it was still nerve-wracking for Renata. "And best of all, it is always nice and quiet here."

Renata raised her eyebrows in content. "I'm impressed. You do listen to me sometimes."

"I always listen. Sometimes you just happen to say things I disagree with."

"You mean like checking the environment before you leave the TARDIS?"

"Ah yes, that would be a big one. There's a sense of excitement when you go into the unknown."

"Not really," Renata shook her head, though there was a light smile on her face when she looked away. "Sometimes you can get into real trouble, which I'm sure you've already done before."

"Maybe so."

The Doctor led her towards a small shop on the edge of the street. Renata instantly knew this was the place responsible for the sweet smell in the air. Renata chose to sit in one of the tables outside the shop. She actually really loved the scenery and wanted to soak it up as much as she could.

"Do you like crepes?" the Doctor asked after taking a seat across the table. "They have really good crepes here."

"I've never had one," Renata made a face at the dessert.

The Doctor's mouth fell open in shock. "What!? You've never had a crepe before? How!?"

"Because it's a dessert and far too sweet for my liking," she raised one hand to wave. "I remember Joan liking them but they always had too many things in it."

"Oh, you have no idea what you're missing out on, Renata. You should have one."

"I'm curious, do either one of us have money to pay for what we want to eat here?"

There was a smug look on the Doctor's face when he reached into one of the inside pockets of his coat. He showed her (or rather waved) a couple bills in his hands. "I knew you would ask," he then said because he never carried money otherwise.

"Ah, so you really do know me," Renata looked away in embarrassment.

"Well, bits and pieces of what you tell me. But...I know there's more. You're 756, how could there not be, right?" Renata's face expressed a guilt the Doctor picked up on fast. "Oh I didn't mean you're obligated or anything, I just...I mean…"

"It's alright, Doctor," Renata cut into his panic moment. She knew he meant well - he always did. "You have questions and...I owe you some answers." It's just she didn't exactly want to give them. "Go ahead, ask away." Truth was...she was scared. She'd kept this lie going longer than she thought she'd be capable of and now telling him scared her even more. He would be angry with her, so angry. It would be a natural reaction but it was a reaction that, lately, had been keeping her up at night when she desperately wanted to sleep.

"I'm not going to pry into your past lives but...there are some things that just don't make sense," the Doctor admitted. "Specifically things around you and me. Like...how do you know so much about me?"

"Everyone knew who you were back on Gallifrey," Renata started with the technicalities of honesty. "You...did a lot of things that earned you a reputation."

"Yeah, but...certain...things about myself are things that only someone who actually knew me would know."

"Like?"

"Let's start with the fact you seemed to know, straightaway, that my inventions don't usually work. How would you know that?"

"I…" Renata knew she didn't have the right answer to that she didn't want to give away her real identity.

The Doctor waited a decent amount of time before he started coming up with his own ideas...that he shared out loud. "I mean, there's also the facts that you didn't want me around back in 1913 and it wasn't due to what I did to Gallifrey," - and just as Renata opened her mouth to retort, the Doctor added - "You told me that. You didn't even care what I did. That means you had something else against me." And the fact he still didn't know what it was, irked him. She had no reason to despise him like that if it wasn't for what he did in the war. He tried, often times, to convince himself that it really was the reason why she hated him in the beginning. But in the end, he knew that was a lie. There was something else about him that made her despise him and he wanted to know why. "And then there's the name…" his eyes seemed to bore into Renata's, making the Time Lady lose air suddenly. "A name that you shouldn't know. A name that only I, in this present world now, would ever know. Zuriah. How do you know that name?"

Renata swallowed hard. This was it. The pivotal moment that would change everything between them if she dared to answer with the truth. It was her chance to come clean; a chance to finally rid herself of the guilt she carried.

But it was also the moment she had feared for so long. Her stomach churned at the thought of his reaction, his fury. He would surely think she'd been playing him, making fun of him. All the things he told her so far about himself, some of them included things of Zuriah…

Tell him Renata.

Tell him right now!

Renata opened her mouth, bit it was incredibly dry.

Tell him and get it over with!

Do it!

Do i-

"I'm…" Renata swallowed hard, feeling something sharp at the end of her mouth. "I...knew her."

~0~

"How did you get us in here so easily?" Gabby quietly asked Donna despite being alone in an office...of UNIT. Without much struggle, Donna had gotten them into the UNIT headquarters. The place was high-tech and secure, which only led Gabby to be even more confused how they pretty much just walked in like nothing.

"Oh, we recently had a run-in with UNIT," Donna leaned against the desk behind her. "You know the ATMOS car incident?"

Gabby's eyes widened as she remembered the catastrophic event. "Yeah. Those were done by the aliens, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Donna folded her arms. "Big time. Well, the reason the Doctor and Renata even knew about it was because an old friend called them."

"An old friend? You mean, someone they know works in UNIT?" Gabby asked just a second before the office door opened.

Dr. Martha Jones walked in with a smile indicating her surprise to see Donna back. "I thought they were kidding when they said Donna Noble was requesting to see me…"

Donna smiled back at the woman. "I never kid."

"It's nice to see you again," Martha chuckled and hugged the woman. "What's it been for you? I hope not years. I'd be terribly offended."

"Nah, just 2 months."

"Good." Martha pulled away and turned her head in Gabby's direction. The young girl had been studying Martha since she'd walked in. "And this is…?"

"New companion - Renata's companion, actually," Donna gestured to Gabby who started to silently wave.

"Renata's companion?" Martha caught the words fast. Her eyes were wide, clearly stunned, but a smile slowly started making its way across Martha's face. She almost laughed even. "Really?"

"Yeah," Donna nodded then looked at Gabby. "Well, c'mon, talk! You can definitely talk!"

Gabby was well aware she was being weird again, but something about meeting a previous companion of the Doctor's and Renata's made her incredibly nervous. Donna told her they were visiting an old friend but...this woman seemed way put together. She was a doctor at UNIT. It was a bit intimidating. It meant that Renata and the Doctor made friends with important people.

"I'm Martha Jones," Martha took initiative and held out a hand to shake Gabby's.

"G-Gabby Gonzalez," the girl shook hands with Martha, but it was done in a trembling manner. "S-sorry. I-I'm sort of new and…"

"It's all still a wonder, huh?" Martha laughed, totally understanding it. She figured she must have worn Gabby's stunned face for at least the first two adventures she had with the Doctor. "Totally natural. But I'm really glad to know that Renata took on a companion. I never thought she would! You must be one hell of a girl to make her do that."

Gabby blushed. "I-I didn't think so, but..."

"You are," Martha told her again. She then moved around her desk to take a seat. "And I never thought you'd come visit me. Are Renata and the Doctor alright?" she asked in a tone that made Gabby wonder if something bad happened even before she arrived to the TARDIS. She looked at Donna and saw that the ginger had also gone a bit grim.

"They're moving on from Jenny," Donna assured Martha, "But now they're sort of having problems between them."

"Oh Donna, you have no idea how long that's been going on," Martha sighed. She presumed that Donna still didn't know about their past, so Martha would keep out the fact that Renata and the Doctor had been having problems before any of them were even born. "I assume neither of them know that you're here?"

"Yeah," nodded Donna. "I told the Doctor I was just visiting home while he and Renata went off somewhere else. Gabby hadn't seen England so the Doctor never asked."

"They're off together, then?" Martha raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile trying to spread across her face.

"Not in that sense," Donna gradually took a seat across and prompted Gabby to do the same. "Although now I'm starting to sense that type of vibe from them. I mean, I had before too but I didn't know whether to believe it or not."

"Alright, so to what do I owe this visit?"

"Honestly, we want to know more about Renata but...that Time Lady doesn't really talk, does she?"

Now Martha scrunched her face. "Yeah, not really. Took me a whole year to crack her shell but even then it was a struggle. Still is."

"We're not being nosy, we just want to know why Renata is the way she is," Donna said then glanced at Gabby. The girl would never say it so straight-forwards but she was thinking the same thing as Donna.

"It doesn't make sense," Gabby ultimately added. "There were some...things that happened to us on my first trip and...when I tried talking to Renata about them, specifically the things concerning her, she snapped. It was like I trespassed into a different world...one where I didn't belong."

Martha figured Gabby must have prodded (accidentally) into Renata's love life and elicited the wrath of the terrified, love-stricken Renata. God knew that was a side of Renata no one should have to deal with. "I'm sure Renata feels terrible about that," Martha said first. "And if she hasn't apologized then I'm sure she will in a matter of time."

"It's okay," Gabby sighed. "I don't want to anger Renata by saying the wrong words. She's my teacher but...I'd like to see her as a friend too."

"And we're in luck," Donna mused with a smirk on her face as she gestured to Martha, "Because Dr. Jones here is Renata's only friend up to date; she's the only one Renata actually confides in. Don't know how you got her to do that."

Martha playfully rolled her eyes. "It's not a big deal."

"Yeah, because you already have what we want."

"Listen, Renata is a...complicated woman. She's sort of like the Doctor: she has so many secrets because she's so old."

"She's 756," Donna remembered from her breakfast with Renata.

"She's 756!?" Gabby repeated in shock. "But she doesn't look like she'd be!" Anyone would say that Renata looked like a woman in her early thirties. Everything about her screamed elegance and classiness.

"The Doctor's 902," Martha said just to see Gabby's stunned reaction again. It was rather fun being on the other side of the conversation, especially since Gabby was much younger than her and Donna. "They're the type of aliens that don't show signs of age...except in the eyes. If you look closely into their eyes, you can see just how ancient they are."

"I...I never thought to do that," Gabby scrunched her face. "What kind of aliens are they? I've asked Renata but all she says is that she's a Time Lady. What's that even mean?"

"They're from a planet called Gallifrey, but they don't really like to talk about it," Martha explained, figuring she could help Renata by making Gabby avoid that topic altogether. "Their planet is gone. That subject is truly raw for them so...don't bring that up unless they do."

"Got it," Gabby dutifully said as if she were taking notes. And maybe she was...in her mind.

"They never really talk," Donna sighed. "I mean, I just got the Doctor to tell me about 1913 with Renata. You were there, huh, Martha? When that happened?" Martha solemnly nodded. "The Doctor's still very guilty about that, you know. It's why he allows Renata to keep her entire life bottled away from him."

"Well, Donna, she's not obligated to tell the Doctor anything about herself," Martha felt the need to point out.

"No," agreed Donna. "But there are some things that she should say. And I think she should probably start with why she hated the Doctor from the gecko. It was 1913 and Renata slammed the door in his face when he hadn't done anything to her." And the more Donna watched Martha uncomfortably shift in her chair, the more she suspected Martha knew a lot more about that incident than the poor Doctor did.

~ 0 ~

The Doctor was stunned; beyond stunned actually. Renata had just admitted to knowing the one person he had loved the most in his lives. "You...you knew Zuriah?"

Renata absolutely hated herself right now, despised herself. How could she have told him that type of lie!? When had her mind come up with that incredibly stupid answer!? She had the chance to come clean and she blew it.

Like always, she blew it.

"Y-yes…" she brought a hand to her warm forehead.

"What - and you never said!? Even when I told you her name!?" there was that hint of anger Renata feared. She could only imagine his reaction if she'd told him the straight truth.

"I-I panicked," she said. That wasn't a total lie. "You...you know how Zuriah was...what you and her...what you...were…"

"She told you," the Doctor stated, getting his confirmation from her lowered gaze. "She told you about us? How...I am very confused here. Zuriah never told anyone about us. She was embarrassed of us-"

"-no," Renata cut in sharply. She may be a liar and a terrible person but she would not allow him to ever think that about her. "She wasn't embarrassed of you. She was just aware that the relationship was a dangerous one. But she was never embarrassed of you."

The Doctor still didn't seem very convinced. "I just...I don't understand...how did you two…"

"We worked for foundations," Renata said, thinking it was the easiest (and logical) reason to give. If she was going to go with the lie then she might as well make it work. "She led her own foundation. Our paths ultimately crossed."

"And how did you two get so close enough that she would tell you about us?"

"We just clicked. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't think it would be important."

"It is," the Doctor nearly snapped. "Do you realize I have never met anyone else who knew about Zuriah? After things ended between us, it was like she disappeared. She made herself disappear."

"She regenerated," Renata bit her lip. If anything, this lie would at least allow her to divulge information that wouldn't give her up but would give some clarifications on things like these. "She regenerated a bit before she graduated. You can imagine that, after the way you two ended, she wouldn't want you to see her anymore."

"So her regeneration came as a blessing then," the Doctor shook his head with a sour smile on his face. "Right. Because I was always a nuisance."

"Don't say that," she scolded, but it just irritated him even more.

"I was! I loved Zuriah so much that I was willing to leave everything behind just for her. I asked her to run away with me, to get out of Gallifrey where it wouldn't matter if we were together...and you know what she said, right?" the sourness that covered the Doctor's face was so uncharacteristic of him, it pained Renata.

The blonde Time Lady gave a small nod of her head. Her face was guilt-ridden, but the Doctor didn't notice due to his own feelings. "She said no…" she whispered her answer.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded. "Because, I guess, in the end...we were too different. She was a proper, high-class woman and I was just too...me."

"You were high class too," Renata pointed out.

"But I didn't act like one."

"Doctor-"

"-and I guess no matter how hard I tried making Zuriah live her best life, she just wasn't all the way convinced. And you know that. She had to have told you…"

Renata chewed on her lower lip until she felt the oozy blood on her tongue. "Doctor, just stop! If there is anything you need to be sure of is that Zuriah loved you so much! She was a scared, naive girl that should have said 'yes' but...her circumstances..." Renata couldn't say more, she just couldn't. If she started going into full details on why she had to say no to his proposition all those centuries ago, she would definitely break down. "Doctor, you have to believe me when I tell you that Zuriah loved you so much. You were always the love of her life."

~ 0 ~

"You know why Renata hated the Doctor so much, don't you?" Donna asked Martha. The UNIT employee nodded her head.

"I am so confused," Gabby admitted quietly. "I-I just got on board and suddenly there's so many secrets and backstories I-I don't know what to think or say."

"Gabby," Martha gave the young girl a kind smile, "I'm not going to lie, having Renata as your teacher is going to be a bit...complicated. She's a reclusive woman but it's not because she doesn't like you. She's just been a cautious woman all her lives that...it's become a part of her personality."

"Lives?" Gabby picked up on first. "And what do you mean she's been cautious?"

"Yeah, I'd like that explanation too actually," Donna pointed.

"It's those secrets," Martha told them both. "Renata's had them all her lives. She's learned to be cautious at a young age and she's just gotten used to it now."

"What kind of secrets could she have?" Gabby asked.

"She's 756," Martha reminded. "Her secrets may not be as dangerous as the Doctor's - because he's traveled so much - but Renata's secrets are very powerful too. They could hurt some...people...very badly."

"What - so she just carries them around like a burden?" Gabby frowned. "But that's...that's insane! She can't tell anyone!?"

Martha shook her head. "I'm afraid she chooses not to."

"But you know?"

Martha then nodded. "But I'm not the person that would alleviate those burdens."

"It's the Doctor," Donna deduced quickly. "I knew there was something going on between those two."

"Donna," Martha tilted her head, but the ginger shook her head.

"No! This just confirms one thing you know?"

Martha dreaded what Donna might come up with.

"Renata has feelings for the Doctor, doesn't she?"

Gabby's eyes were wide as could be. Was Donna really right!? She looked to Martha to see any indication of the answer…

~ 0 ~

"I never understood why Zuriah said no to me." There was a type of distance on the Doctor's face as he spoke. He was remembering the pure anger on Zuriah's face when she turned down his offer to run away. There were lots of tears in her eyes and her screams could have echoed in the building. "I mean, on some level I knew that I was, inherently, asking her to leave her family for me but...I thought she would say yes, because she loved me and...we wanted to be together above all."

Renata blinked fast to get rid of tears in her eyes. She remembered it too. The images had stayed so clear despite the centuries that passed by. She would never forget that night - it'd been the worst moment of her lives. "Family is important, Doctor. It was to her. But you know what? She loved you the most, she did it for you."

"For me?" the Doctor scoffed so harsh that Renata flinched in her seat. "She said 'no' to me...for me?"

There was one secret that she just couldn't bring herself to say, the very one that was the core reason she declined his proposition, but that one was just too painful. "I know it's terrible but trust me. Besides, there were more things in the play. If she had said yes, she would've broken an innocent man's hearts."

"But she broke mine instead," the Doctor said quietly. "She chose everything above me. But I can't fault her, can I? Because that would make me selfish. But sometimes...sometimes I think…" he sighed, "How would things have turned out if she had come with me? I would have...showed her the world. Anything she wanted, I would have given it to her. I would've told her each and every day how much I loved her. And who knows, maybe she would still be alive right now."

Renata's face softened. She couldn't help it now; her tears rolled down her cheeks. It was too late now to say the truth. She'd dug her own hole and now she would die in it. Still, her feelings pushed her to do one more thing.

She got up from her chair and moved to the Doctor's. She didn't pull up another seat but instead wrapped her arms around him for a tight hug. It was a surprise for the Doctor but he accepted it nonetheless. She always had such nice, soft, warm hugs. He'd be mad to turn one down.

~ 0 ~

"I cannot confirm nor deny that," Martha cleared her throat and pushed her desk chair forwards.

"Oh please," scoffed Donna. "You're Renata's best friend. She had to have told you that."

"Donna, it's not my secret to tell-"

"-yeah, but I know it now," Donna said with a straight-forwards face. "It makes sense. And I suppose it would make sense that doesn't want to outright tell the Doctor things about her life if it included her marriage and whatnot."

"Okay, hold on," Gabby spoke up and for the first time since they'd arrived at UNIT, she spoke not out of nervousness. "We're no one to pry into that possible love story. We only came here to figure out why Renata acted so reclusive and we got that, Donna. She just has a lot of secrets and, even though I wish we could help her...we can't force her. Least now we know to be a bit more understanding."

Martha slowly smiled at the girl. "You're going to do wonders for my Ren." Gabby took the compliment with a beam. "Would you ladies like to grab a cup of coffee before you head back?"

Gabby exchanged a glance with Donna then both nodded.

"Lead the way, Dr. Jones!"

~ 0 ~

When the Doctor and Renata finally returned for Donna and Gabby, the two women were back in Donna's home as if they'd never went in search of Martha.

"Oh, it smells kind of nice," Donna sniffed the air in the console room. "Like chocolatey…"

Renata raised a white box in her hands. "French crepe. I thought maybe you and Gabriella might like one. I tried one myself and I had to admit it was rather nice."

"Told you," the Doctor flashed her a smug smile from across the console. She rolled her eyes and looked at Donna again.

"So you two are fine, then?" the ginger asked the two aliens while slowly taking the box from Renata.

"Yeah," the Doctor was the one to answer. He gave Renata a smile that she returned. "Did us some good to be alone and talk."

Renata only wished she could have done more...but she was a full-blown coward. And one day, she was sure, it would come back to bite her. Still, it did seem to do some good talking. Least the Doctor didn't look at her with suspicion anymore. Of course now he felt free to mention Zuriah more often so that would be fun later on.

"Enjoy the crepe," the Doctor told Donna and Gabby. "They're the finest, if I say so myself."

"You probably do," Donna playfully rolled her eyes. "C'mon Gabby, let's have us a sweet snack!" She headed for the hallways, but just as Gabby was about to follow, Renata called her aside.

Needless to say Gabby was more than nervous as Renata brought her into the first door the hallway would give. "Look, I'm so sorry!" the girl blurted as soon as Renata closed the door behind her. "I shouldn't have asked so many questions about yourself! I'm really sorry! But please don't bring me back to Earth!"

"Oh Gabriella, I would never," Renata sighed. She was so responsible for screwing Gabby up so badly. "I'm the one who needs to apologize. I should have never yelled at you like that, much less threatened you like that. You should know that...that I have a very hard time getting along with people. I-I'm not that good at socializing. I don't get human social queues very well due to a lack of travelling."

"Oh," Gabby blinked. She'd learned from Martha that Renata did indeed have difficulty making friends, but she wasn't expecting Renata to confess that herself. The way Martha put it, Gabby shouldn't be expecting anything from Renata in terms of conversations.

"And you should know one more thing," Renata drew in a deep breath before confessing, "Everything I said back in the gallery - all the information I told you about the art work - wasn't coming from me. I sort of...read the Doctor's mind to know the information."

"Come again?" Gabby tilted her head. "You can read minds?"

"Not 'read minds' per say, but...we can sort of telepathically communicate and see into each other's minds. The Doctor, of course, knows all about that gallery since he was the one who visited it all the time, not me. He was the one who knew about the artwork and he...he let me see into his mind in order to make you believe that I knew the artwork." Renata sighed and awkwardly folded her arms over her chest. She was even shifting on her feet which truly surprised Gabby, because up until now she hadn't seen Renata be nervous. "The truth is, Gabriella, I can't be a teacher to you because I don't know anything. I haven't traveled much - in fact I only started a couple months ago. The Doctor should be your teacher. You should be his companion. I'm not apt for that job. I'm sorry." She couldn't face Gabby out of sheer embarrassment. Admitting you were useless wasn't something easy to do, but Renata felt she should at least do one good thing today and if it wasn't towards the Doctor then Gabby should be next.

"That's not true," Gabby's response drew Renata's gaze again. The girl didn't look very disappointed, or upset, by Renata's words. "You're wonderful. And, yeah you might not know everything but...no one does."

"The Doctor does," Renata smiled. "He'd be a great teacher."

"Okay," shrugged Gabby. "Then he could be our teacher, but I want to be your companion."

"Why?" there was an honest confusion in Renata's tone, and expression, that motivated Gabby to explain it thoroughly so that Renata wouldn't have a doubt in her mind.

"Because you're classy, you're proper and, you're an alien that still acts like...well, a human. I mean, you remind me of my Mom. You give stability and in a place like this-" Gabby gestured to the TARDIS, "-where everyday is danger and unpredictability, I really need someone to bring home back to me. And I don't mean home as my actual home on Earth but... you teaching me that my home can be anywhere. Because home isn't just where you live, it's where you feel nice and warm and...happy. And you give that to the Doctor and Donna. Plus, you see things differently than the Doctor. You're more...elegant, and you act in a way that makes me want to follow. I don't want to be you, but I'd like to be a better version of myself and I'd like my teacher to be you."

Gabby actually brought tears to Renata's eyes. "Oh Gabby," Renata pulled her into a tight hug, the action startling since Martha had warned Gabby that Renata also wasn't the touchy-type. "Thank you so much."

"Uh, no, thank you," Gabby patted Renata's back. These aliens were so strange. When they pulled apart, Gabby only had one more thing to say. "So, about what the alien said about your song…what did it mean it would end sooner?"

"I'm not sure-"

"-I think you do. Are we ever going to tell the Doctor about it?"

"No," Renata said without even a moment of thought. "I don't want him to know."

"But it sounds really important and...well, isn't that sort of a prediction about your...death? 'Your song will end sooner'. That's got to mean that you'll die earlier?"

"Gabby, it doesn't matter," Renata tried to be casual about it. "Because guess what? Even if I do die, my people are the type that when you die you just change faces and it's a done deal. I would just get a new body and move on. So we need to move on too." She offered a big smile as she headed for the door. "Now go and have that crepe with Donna. It's truly delicious. Couldn't get rid of the Doctor's smug face after I told him that. Go on."

Gabby nodded and walked out, but she wasn't able to let go of that topic like Renata wanted her to. Without even realizing, Renata had given Gabby one powerful reason not to let go. Renata had called her 'Gabby' instead of her full name. Renata vowed that she would never use nicknames in place of a person's name. She had to be nervous. She had to be scared. And why shouldn't Renata be scared?

Death was coming for her and earlier than previously thought.

#10th doctor #doctor who #ocapp #ocappreciation #dw imagines #10th doctor imagines #doctor who imagines #10th doctor imagine #doctor who fic #doctor who fanfics #10th doctor fanfics #10th doctor fics #tenth doctor fics #tenth doctor imagines #donna noble #gabby gonzalez #oc: Renata Cartwright #fic: the beginning of everything #noblecrescentedit

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raywritesthings · 5 years

Text

Oi! Don’t Blink!

My Writing Fandom: Doctor Who Characters: Tenth Doctor, Martha Jones, Wilfred Mott, Donna Noble Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Donna Noble Summary: Donna Noble's investigations into trouble lead her to an old house in Wester Drumlins. Meanwhile, the Doctor is flagged down by a different person to tell him about his future. Notes: Hey everybody. I feel bad I haven't posted much as of late, and then I remember I had this plot bunny sitting in my google docs. I have some other scenes from the episode sketched out, but I thought just the general concept could stand on its own and I wanted to give you all something to read. Not sure when I'll get around to writing the rest of it which is why this is listed as complete for now, but if you see additional chapters at a later date, don't be surprised. Anyway, I think this idea was inspired by an article somebody wrote some months (years?) back about how Sally Sparrow from Blink was asked to be a companion after Martha, and the writer of the article was...let's say dismissive at best of Donna and Catherine Tate's ability. So me, being the rather petty person I am at times, decided to write a story where there is no Sally Sparrow. That being said, I mean no offense to Sally or her actress (Carey Mulligan, I think?) or fans of them. I think "Blink" is a good standalone episode in its own right. This is just me having a bit of fun. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did! *Can be read on my AO3*

It was an otherwise unremarkable day. The Doctor and Martha had ended up a few years into her personal future, which he ordinarily tried to avoid. But lizards were notoriously difficult to schedule, particularly when it came to their hatchlings.

They’d been on the chase all afternoon, on foot for most of it. As time had quickly begun to run out, however, he’d flagged down a taxi.

“Pull over here,” he instructed the driver. They’d have to run the rest of the way, but it was better that no one else get too close.

Martha started to reach for her wallet as the taxi stopped.

“I’ve got it,” he said quickly, reaching into his pockets. “Can’t have you circulating cash out of its proper time.”

“You carry money?” Martha looked rather impressed with him.

“Well, someone told me I ought to,” he replied evasively.

Martha’s smile dimmed. “Right.” She got out of the taxi without waiting for him, so he hurriedly finished paying and clambered out onto the pavement.

He hadn’t gone two paces when someone called out to him. “Hey, Doctor!”

The Doctor spun about on the balls of his feet. There was an old man sitting at a newsstand in a checkered shirt and jumper, and he was grinning broadly at him.

“I thought it was. Saw you getting out of that taxi, and I thought, ‘Well, there he is!’ Didn’t expect you by today.”

“Oh, well I’m passing through, really. Sort of on my way elsewhere,” he found himself explaining to the stranger.

“Doctor, we haven't got time for this.” Martha had come back up the road to get him. “The migration's started.”

“Right, in a bit of a rush. Sorry.”

He made to rejoin Martha, and the man chuckled good-naturedly. “Well, wouldn’t want to hold you up. But, ah, aren’t you missing someone? Eh?”

“Er…” The Doctor did a quick headcount. Him and Martha, just like he’d thought. “No, no I don’t think so. Sorry, have we actually met before?”

The smile finally dropped off the old man’s face. “Haven’t we?”

“Doctor, please. Twenty minutes to red hatching,” Martha reminded.

“Look, sorry, I've got a bit of a complex life,” he tried to explain as quickly as he could. “Things don't always happen to me in quite the right order. Gets a bit confusing at times, especially at weddings. I'm rubbish at weddings, especially my own.”

“Well, don’t be too hard on yourself. I thought you were alright,” said the man.

The Doctor froze. “What?”

But the stranger’s eyes had widened with some kind of realization. “Oh, this is the day, isn’t it?”

“Hold on, what day?” The Doctor was still having trouble trying to figure out why this man had an opinion on his hypothetical wedding performance.

“Yeah, she said you wouldn’t know. Listen, you’ve got to take this.” He leaned down and pulled out a sealed bag stuffed with what looked to be a number of things. “Everything’s in there you’ll need.”

“Need for what?” He took the bag anyway.

“Doctor!” Martha called.

“You’re gonna get stuck in time. Or you did, cos of the statues or something. But don’t you worry, she’ll take care of you.”

“Who’s ‘she’?”

“My granddaughter. I think you’re supposed to have met her already. She tried explaining the whole thing to me, but I don’t think I have it all clear.”

“Who is she?” He repeated.

“Doctor, come on!” Martha urged once more. The Doctor knew she was right to hurry him along, but he couldn’t help the frustration at sensing there was something rather important going on here, at least for him.

The red hatching came first, though. He checked his watch. They really couldn’t delay any longer.

“Right, well, lovely meeting you. Got to dash.” He stuffed the bag and its unknown contents deep in his coat pocket, resolving to just forget it for now. Then he turned to finally follow Martha to the hatching.

The stranger called after them, “Hey, good luck, you two!”

Martha looked back over her shoulder at him as they ran. “What was that about?”

The Doctor shook his head. “No idea.”

—-

Two weeks later, the Doctor found himself stranded in an alley with Martha in 1969, and he thought he was beginning to get something of an idea.

“I mean, what are we gonna do?” His companion was quickly reaching distress, not that he could blame her being stuck some forty-odd years in her relative past.

Hold on, stuck.

“Those angels—”

“The statues,” the Doctor corrected.

“You just said they were called Weeping Angels,” said Martha.

“Yes, but the statues. He said we’d be stuck in time because of the statues. That’s now!”

“Who said?”

“The man at the newsstand. Uh, four things and a lizard?” He added, hoping to jog her memory.

Martha frowned. “I thought you didn’t have a clue what he was on about.”

“I didn’t, not then, but I do now. He was trying to tell me about my future in my past, only it wasn’t going to make any sense till the present, see?”

“No,” said Martha, rather bluntly.

“Look, the important thing is, we’re not really stuck. We can get out of this.”

She looked the closest to happy since they’d gotten zapped back to this time. “Back to the TARDIS?”

“Hopefully, because we can’t let the Angels have her.” He began to rummage in the pockets of his overcoat. It was somewhere in there, shoved away and forgotten about till now. “The man at the newsstand gave me some kind of supplies or instructions, said they were from his granddaughter.”

“And who’s that?”

“I’m not sure.” The Doctor found what he was looking for and pulled out the thick packet. “He said I might have already met her, but I suppose there’s no way of knowing.”

“Well, you could open that bag and see,” was Martha’s suggestion.

“Right!” He did so, plopping down onto the ground with his back to the wall in order to tip the contents out onto his lap.

There were a number of things. Some photos, a sort of list, a few handwritten notes.

“Is that money?” Martha grabbed at a smaller plastic bag and took out a large quantity of bills. “Oh, and they’re all from before 1969!” A relieved laugh escaped her. “We’re not gonna starve! Whoever this is, she’s good.”

“Well, he said she’d take care of me — er, us, I mean.” The Doctor supposed it could’ve easily been a general ‘you’, but there’d been something about the way the man had said it, with a sort of special twinkle in his eye. Just who were these people?

An envelope caught his eye, which he snagged only to frown in puzzlement.

“Did she write us something?” Asked Martha.

“She wrote you something at least.” The Doctor showed her the front of the envelope.

“‘Spaceman and Martha’?” She read aloud, a slight laugh on the end. “Well, that’s got to be you, doesn’t it?”

The Doctor wasn’t sure how to answer, so he tore open the envelope and took out their letter. Martha slid down the wall into a crouch to look over his shoulder.

Dear Spaceman and Martha, it officially began.

It’s weird writing you about something that’s long in the past for all of us, but that’s time travel for you. If Gramps did this right, you should’ve gotten this before the Angels sent you back to 1969. If he hasn’t, then I suppose that blows the whole ontological paradox thing.

“What’s an ontological paradox?” Martha asked him.

“It’s what we’re in right now. Everything that’s happening to us only is happening because it already happened for her and vice versa.”

There’s some things you’ve got to do on your end. The first bit’s just waiting for Billy. I’m not sure how long it’ll be in your time till the Angels get him, but you’ll need to find him. It’s all down to him on getting us to be able to communicate.

And you’ve got to promise me you’re going to get him set up nice there since you can’t bring him back with you. Make sure he’s comfy. He’s a good man, and he didn’t deserve any of this.

It was the strangest sense of deja vu he’d ever felt. He knew that speech pattern, could almost put a voice to it, but he just didn’t understand. How had he already met the person who was going to help them out of this? And how was it that he still didn’t even have her name, yet this letter read like a message from an old friend?

I packed my notes for the conversation you’re going to record. Billy puts it on the DVDs on that list, and then it’s just more waiting round for me to get to it — oh! and you’ve got to write me the message at the house. Wester Drumlins. Don’t forget or I’m gonna get clobbered by a vase or something, and then where will we be?

I should really have you two look this over before I give it to Gramps. That’d be just like me to leave out something important.

“Are we sure this is going to work?” Martha was eyeing the letter somewhat doubtfully now.

“We have to be,” was the only reply he could give her.

Assuming this goes alright, you’ll be seeing me soon. I hope you’re excited. I know I was. And if I’m going to get a bit personal here — sorry, Martha — but I just want you to know, Doctor:

Not that I mean to create some sort of ontological obligation, but the last few years have been the best second chance at getting it right I’ve ever had. I don’t say it enough. And I’m not going to say I couldn’t imagine my life without you, because I did try that, and it was awful which is sort of the point. So thank you, really. Because you’ve saved me, too.

I’ll see you both soon.

Love,

Donna

“Donna,” the Doctor echoed dumbly. “Donna?” He stood, letting the letter fall into Martha’s lap.

He only knew one Donna, and if the man was right and he’d already met this Donna — but it couldn’t be her! She’d gone off to see the world on her own, being magnificent without him.

“Who’s Donna?” Asked Martha. She was looking from him to the letter and back again. “Do you actually know her?”

“I know a Donna,” he grudgingly admitted. The Doctor plucked up one of the photographs. It was of the house at Wester Drumlins, a wall in the sitting room which someone had written on. Well, him and Martha, apparently. And there was the name DONNA NOBLE.

But she couldn’t have gotten mixed up in this. Donna didn’t want anything to do with him. He’d scared her away, not saved her. It couldn’t really be her.

“Er, Mister? There’s a postscript,” said Martha, interrupting his thoughts, and she held the letter back out to him with a nervous look.

The Doctor took it.

P.S. Martha said I’ve got to remind you to behave. I better not hear you’ve been sitting on your skinny arse while she’s been working for three months. You treat her right. Seriously, Martha, you’re too good to him.

Okay. Definitely her.

#ten x donna #doctor x donna #tenth doctor #donna noble #doctor who #martha jones #wilfred mott #the doctor #my writing

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pan1c1ng · 5 years

Text

Wrong Time

Pairing: Nine x Reader (sort of), Mentions of Rose and Thirteen

Plot: After Rose Tyler declined the offer of traveling in space with the Doctor, he went and moved on with his life. Traveling through time and space, saving people and well, being the Doctor. Until he lands back on Earth and runs into someone from his very distant future; someone he hasn’t met.....yet. What if this person helped change his mind about traveling alone without his bad wolf girl?

Word Count: 1,754 (yikes)

Authors Note: This is based on a theory that I very much fell in love with. I can't find the original post in which said theory is discussed, but if you know then please let me know so I can tag it! I thought it was a really good idea for a fic. This is my first Doctor Who fic, so please let me know if I should continue on with writing them! Also, Nine just needs more love. Thanks for reading!

Gif Credit: @spaceandtimegifs

The Doctor you had been traveling with was very different than the one that you had just run into. She had mentioned before that she had been a man before and that her species could change every cell in their body when they died. So all that you understood. But it was still weird calling this man ‘The Doctor’. The only similarity you noticed was the northern accent and the eyes as old as the universe. This man had large ears and a very oversized leather coat. But, you had to admit, he was very handsome. You ended up in the wrong year with your Doctor and then somehow ended up alone as the TARDIS dematerialized with the Time Lady still inside. But he didn't know any of that, you thought it would be better if he didn’t know who you were, yet.

So there you were the two of you. Running down a street in London, hand in hand in immediate danger. For you, this was just another day in your life. Running with the Doctor, trying to save every person that you can. But for this Doctor, he was very suspicious of how well you were taking all of this. Any other stranger would be asking him all these questions about who he was and why they were running towards danger instead of calling the police and ‘Doctor Who??’. But not you. You were so calm, and that concerned him. Reaching the unfamiliar yet familiar looking TARDIS, you already expected what others wouldn't on the first meeting with this spaceman. Though the interior was a bit of a shock at first. “Yes, I can already tell what you’re gonna say. It’s bigger on the-” “-inside. Yea I get that bit.” You cut the Doctor off mid-sentence as you looked around in awe at the old interior. “I like it. I don't know, seems a bit more you.” You spun around the console room as you examined the new terrain. Looking back at the man, he leaned his hands against the main console and looked at you with a cocked eyebrow. Pulling the lever to make his ship sail. “Yea, I think so too. Fantastic isn’t it?” This cheeky smile appeared on his face. Almost like a switch of moods. In a way, it scared you how easy it was for him to do that. The Doctor you knew seemed to always be in this cheery mood. You looked at him with so much wonder. He was so brand new to you. Definitely not the same person. Gender aside and all that. His whole demeanor was different.

Hours had passed and victory was all yours. The creature had been sent back to its home planet under the command that it should never return to the Earth. You and the Doctor sat in a small cafe at six o’clock in the morning, the sun rising over the city. The golden hour. You both had warm cups of coffee sitting in front of you with a small loaf of banana nut bread for the two of you share. The Doctor shared stories with you about his past adventures. Some of which you had heard loads of times. Others were like brand new symphonies to your ears. But the ones you had heard, there were added details. The story was the same but it sounded a bit more honest with this voice. This different demeanor of your best friend. Silence fell between the two of you before the Doctor spoke up. “Travel with me.” The Doctor said. You looked up from your cup of coffee with little expression. His eyes looked so tired and so sad, but also had a small glimmer of hope and yearning. You smiled, thinking of the first time your Doctor had said those words to you. How nervous and scared you were, yet excited and curious. You felt those things now, but you somehow also felt a feeling of sadness. “I haven’t told you who I am, Doctor. You know my name of course, but who I am is far more important.” His mood seemed to change.

“I can’t travel with you. Well, not this you. I’m someone from your future, Doctor. Very distant future. Basic story; something bad is going to happen to the planet, you come along, you meet me, we save the day, we start traveling together.” He sits back in his chair, arms crossed and eyebrow cocked. “So, how are you here. If you’re supposed to be with....me? Have I abandoned you?” The Doctor’s voice turned to a higher pitch with his last question. “No..Yes...I really don’t know. The TARDIS landed here, I stepped out first and then it dematerialized. You were still inside, but I know you, Doctor. You’ll be back soon. I’m not stuck here. You always come back.” He looked sad in a way. “If I don’t, then will you travel with me. You’re brilliant. I can’t wait all that time. I don’t want to.” He said. Your breath hitched. He didn’t seem confident in your Doctor’s reappearance, and that made you fearful. But you contemplated it. How else would you get home? “If that were the case then yes. In that situation, if you didn't return, then I would travel with you.” He smiled slightly, but it wasn’t a happy smile of relief or gratitude. His smile showed sadness and regret.

A couple of minutes had passed by. This new version of your best friend was growing on you, and a small part of you didn’t want to leave him. He seemed lonely as if he was waiting on the edge of his seat for someone to come along. Your Doctor didn’t tell you a lot about her past, but you did ask once in a while if there was anyone else. Anyone other than you, which of course there was, but the look on her face when she talked about them was not the reactions you were expecting. It was mostly an overall look of sadness and regret. But she came around to you one day. You knew about Donna, the one who forgot. You knew about Martha, the one who left. And Rose. How she talked about Rose was something that stuck with you. You didn’t know why. But it did prompt you to ask your next question. “Where’s Rose?” The Doctor stopped sipping his drink and looked up at you. He looked confused. “How do you know about Rose?” “You talk about her sometimes. You talked about her when you were....you.” He paused again, putting his cup down and crossing his arms against his chest.

“She said no. She was one of the few that did. I can’t go and change someone's mind like that now can I?” He talked about the situation like it was no big deal. But you knew another side of that relationship. You knew the Doctor loved that wonderful blonde woman. “Yes, you can. You have changed my mind so many times. So who’s to say that you can’t change hers?” His eyes narrowed. He wasn’t buying the plead to go back to her. “Doctor, the way you talk about her is nothing to push aside-” “Rose Tyler was just a girl that I met-” “Not to you!” Interrupting each other was something you both did well. “That girl made you happy, Doctor. Being with her made you feel something. You never said it in so many words, but I’m quite good at reading people. It’s one of my many talents.” You sat back in the booth, picking up your coffee mug and taking a sip. “I haven’t felt anything in a very long time, Y/N. How is a shop girl going to change that?” He shakes his head and looks out the window of the diner. The streets were starting to fill with people and cabs now. His focus was drawn back to you as you grabbed one of his hands. “Why don’t you go and find out. You’ve got a time machine. Use it.”

An hour or so passed. You had gotten a call from your Doctor saying that she was on her way to you. Now you were at a meeting place with your new and old friend. “So, no chance of staying with me?” He looked down at you with a small smirk plastered across his face. You rubbed his shoulder gently, a reassuring gesture. “There are so many people out there who come before me. Good people that you haven’t met yet and some that you already have. The day when we cross paths again will come. And I promise we’ll go on so many adventures together. But until then, you know what to do.” In a way, you were sad to leave him. You had grown quite fond of this man. The faint sound of the TARDIS could be heard down the street. You turned towards the direction of the machine. He gripped your free hand, the way a child does with his mother when he doesn’t want her to leave. You turned back around and gave him a hug. “Thank you for being my Doctor.” You closed your eyes as the words made your throat tighten with emotion. You let go of each other. Making your way back to the TARDIS, his voice called out for you. “Y/N!” You stopped and turned to face him. “That man you’re with. Whoever he is. Just tell me, is he happy? Finally? Am I ever going to be happy?” He didn’t sound so sure of himself. But you smiled. “Oh Doctor, my Doctor. Believe me, she is absolutely...Fantastic.” His expression changed from unsure to surprised to happy in a matter of seconds. You turned back towards the ship, pulling the spare key out of your pocket. Reaching the door, you glanced back one more time to see him, but he was gone. You smiled to yourself once more before disappearing into the time machine.

The Doctor made his way back to his TARDIS. Once inside, he pulled levers, pressed buttons and set a date and time for a destination. 2005. Seconds after Rose Tyler declined his offer. The TARDIS landed within a minute or two of travel. The nineteen-year-old girl turned back around to the sound of the ship that she had just become so familiar with. The Doctor poked his head outside the door. “Oh, did I mention it also travels in time.”

#ninth doctor #nine x reader #ninth doctor x reader #dw fanfic #doctor who fanfic #doctor who fanfiction #christopher eccleston #thirteenth doctor #rose tyler #(this totally got away from me)#(but it's cute dammit)#my writing #doctor who #tenth doctor #eleventh doctor #twelfth doctor

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bearinabandana · 2 years

Text

I posted 4.278 times in 2021

394 posts created (9%)

3884 posts reblogged (91%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 9.9 posts.

I added 530 tags in 2021

#0 - 17 posts

#doctor who - 186 posts

#dw - 86 posts

#the doctor - 65 posts

#thirteenth doctor - 63 posts

#the master - 29 posts

#dhawan!master - 27 posts

#the thirteenth doctor - 21 posts

#yasmin khan - 20 posts

#my boys - 16 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#doctor: this is uhh- missy. she- he is my- uhh friend (??) sort of- he- we- tried to uhh- kill each other- for some time. a lot of time....

My Top Posts in 2021

The doctor who fan urge to transcend from this universe to that ship to fucking punch Tecteun's jaw until it's broken

117 notes • Posted 2021-11-28 19:28:30 GMT

11 and 12, looking at 10: wow i think we treated Martha a little rubbish, she deserved better. Let's be careful when talking about old companions to current ones, and try to be careful and kind so that sort of thing doesn't happen again.

13, from the distance: WHAT?? NEVER TALK AGAIN ABOUT ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST FIVE BILLION YEARS TO ANYONE I KNOW EVEN IF THEY ARE MY FAM????!?? OK NOTED!!!!

163 notes • Posted 2021-03-16 01:14:46 GMT

I was already sad thinking about Donna and how she doesn't remember the doctor, but- you know when she first met Martha after just hearing about her and they instantly became best friends, and when they all defeated the daleks and they both hugged with pure happiness-

yeah, there's nothing new about that, but I just realized she forgot Martha too, possibly the best and more relatable human friend she ever had. She had the doctor too, but he is not the same thing, he is so different from the 'unimportant' human girl she always thought she was... It doesn't matter anyway, it's all gone, for her none of them was there anyway.

178 notes • Posted 2021-03-17 00:20:17 GMT

Just saying but Dhawan Master would 100% authorize Clara, Bill and Nardole to call him Missy and he wouldn't even bother to tell them about the 'Master' thing

186 notes • Posted 2021-04-01 17:51:31 GMT

Being a non-English speaker and trying to understand what 'scronch' means (because the Doctor Who fandom is always saying this when talking about Jodie Whittaker) and coming across that was definitely one of the highest moments of my life:

Like thanks now I see but please explain again what do you mean

213 notes • Posted 2021-04-30 21:34:04 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #Now I NEED to know which post is this long tag from

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laceyjanewriting · 3 years

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The Engineer’s Story

I was born in the 51st century, in New-New York. When I was born my mother sent me away to live with my grandparents. This is not so unusual. She thought I would be safe with them and have a happy life. What is unusual is my mother. You see her parents didn’t just live somewhere else. They lived some when else. At some point they had gotten trapped in New York in the early 20th century. My mother used a vortex manipulator to send me to my grandparents 31 centuries in the past, like a baby in a basket, with just a note to explain. She didn’t even tell my father about me. He found out later. That was another thing about me. My father wasn’t human, which makes me only half human, which makes me a bit of a anomaly. From my alien father I inherited an unusual intelligence and an intuition about time and space that no human had and I couldn’t even explain to a human. There are no words in any human language to explain it. Growing up I was a bit strange. Gifted, I went to MIT to study theoretical physics. I wanted to figure out everything about time travel. But I didn’t fit in in college. My theories were too complex for the contemporary scientist. They thought anything that they couldn’t understand was made up. They laughed at me because I couldn’t explain. Words were not my gift. One professor actually told me that the only reason women go to college is to find smart husbands. I left and went back home to my parents, which they very much appreciated. My mum was a writer and my pop was a doctor. I worked in a repair shop. The owner was not too open to hiring me, but I proved myself by fixing anything he put in front of me. He had me dress like a boy when I was in the shop alone. Seems people didn’t trust a woman to fix their machines. Anyways I like working in the shop. Solving people’s problems. Plenty of time to work on my own problems. The vortex manipulator that brought me back in time had burned out making its way through the time distortions that trapped my parents there. I spent the better part of my life just living, meeting people and working to understand and fix the vortex manipulator (VM). I once met some people who had met my alien father. They said the Doctor had saved them and she gave me singing lessons. Finally I got the VM working but I could only go to the last place it had been, give or take a few minutes. I said good bye to my grandparents who were old now like grandparents are supposed to be. I pressed the button and suddenly I was in the middle of a hospital room in the 51st century where I found a woman sobbing. Of course as I appeared she stopped crying and asked me who I was and where I had gotten the VM. I think she was concerned something had gone wrong with her plan and I had taken the VM. “I’m Wendy Williams, and I’m your daughter.” It took a while for her to comprehend who I was and believe me. But when she understood, she hugged me and held me. “I’m getting a taste of what happened at Demon’s Run to my parents, I guess,” she laughed. She took me home with her. Introduced me to her crew and told me she was an archeologist, like Indiana Jones, she said, but I hadn’t heard of him. It was a bit weird that I had grown up in a time before my mother. I was a bit behind the times for once in my life. I enrolled in the university and finally found a challenging, satisfying world to live in. I loved living in the 51st century. Then the Doctor came. My actual father, I finally met him. He was wonderful and fun and brilliant. He taught me about Time Lords. About his people that were all gone now. I learned everything I ever wanted to know about time travel. He taught me his language which was much better for talking about such things. It came naturally to me, like adding words to thoughts I could not express before. I thought I was living the most perfect life. In retrospect I know my mother worried when I was with him. She told me to be careful. She explained how she had met him and how he was wonderful, but also how he has been slowly forgetting her and how he has hurt her. “He is the most amazing man in the universe and I would die for him, but I want you to have your own life. I live for the days when I’m with him,” she told me. “I want you to live for yourself.” I didn’t understand but I remembered her warning. And then she went to the Library. She died for him, like she said she would. Her crew had been my best friends and they were gone too. It was less than a year after I had come back to the future. Before my first birthday. She was gone and she left me there, all alone. On my birthday, not long after the Library the Doctor showed up again. I was heartbroken and I blamed him. “You are supposed to save her! If you can’t do that, then what is the point of you!” I yelled at him and told him I never wanted to see him again. I told him this using his own language and I used a word for ‘never’ that had more finality than the word in English. Hurt, he had no reply, but he complied and left my birthday present without saying anymore. At first I hid away the gift he left me. I didn’t want anything from him. I wanted my mother and friends back. I wanted revenge. I made plans to go to the Library and destroy the creatures called Vashdanarada that had killed my friends. I made plans to sneak past the quarantine. I invented a way to kill these creatures that hid in the dark. But before I could do it I finally looked in the birthday gift the Doctor had left. It was the most amazing thing. It was a TARDIS matrix. It is hard to explain, but the heart of the TARDIS is living and this was like it’s offspring. The Doctor’s TARDIS has many amazing properties and powers, but none of it is possible without the TARDIS matrix. He had given me the key to building my own TARDIS. When I touched it I could feel all of time and space. I could see the future and the past. I could see what could be and what must not be. The Doctor once told me that a Time Lord (or Lady) chooses their name. Their name is a promise they make for all of time and in all of space. No matter where or when they go they would still be that person. I had a choice now. I could go on with my plan and become the Exterminator or I could forgive and become the Engineer. Seeing the two choices made it seem obvious which one was right. Like seeing yourself in the mirror when you are angry. You think, oh is that me, I look awful. I wanted to be the person who builds things to help people not the person who builds thing to destroy. From that point on I was the Engineer. I left my old name behind. I got a job working on a ship in the Space Caribbean. I fixed my ship and made improvements and sat on beaches relaxing, like I was retired. I also worked on my own TARDIS. I was rather old compared to humans but I don’t age like humans. I looked to be in my thirties even though I had lived for closer to 80 years. I stayed there until something unexpected happened. The Doctor showed up, but he didn’t know me. A previous regeneration. It was the Doctor before he knew me or my mother. Somehow he managed to show up just in time for pirates to attack and destroy my ship. He helped me save the crew and I saved him. To save him I had to use my incomplete TARDIS. To avoid awkward explanations I knocked him out in order to save him. While he was out, I did have to do some explaining to Rose, his companion at the time. She reminded me of River. I told her I had a friend that died to save the Doctor once. Rose had been willing to die with the Doctor that day. She wouldn’t leave him even though she had no way to save him. She told me the Doctor was worth it. I dropped them back at their TARDIS and said goodbye. Then I met him again, with a new companion, Martha. I was afraid to ask what happened to Rose. They showed up at a construction site at which I was the supervising engineer. Again the Doctor showed up just in time for mayhem to break out. He saved the day again. This new companion was in love with him too, but he was not returning the feelings. I asked her before they left, why she stayed with him when he was not interested in her the same way. She told me he needs someone, and he is wonderful. “He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun. He's ancient and forever. He burns at the center of time and can see the turn of the universe. and... he's wonderful.” She quoted to me. He save lives and he never asks to be thanked. The next time he found me while I was working undercover. We uncovered and stopped evil plans from powerful people and I met Donna Noble. She was funny and sassy and she was not in love with him. Maybe it was the red hair. Us ‘gingers’ need to stick together. I was glad that the Doctor had her. I realized that I cared about the Doctor. This younger version had grown on me. The next time I met the Doctor was at home. In New-New York in the 51st century. I was on my way home from class, when I saw an advertisement for an old Shakespeare play, Hamlet. The advertisement had a picture of Hamlet and it was none other than the Doctor. It was the last showing that night so I went and saw the play about a tormented son. It was good and he did a good job. I waited at the end and gave him roses. We went out after and then he told me how he had lost Donna and Rose and Martha. He told me he had gone a bit mad and changed a fixed point and messed everything up. How he was told he his song was coming to an end. He asked me what he should do… I told him we should run. So I travelled with the Doctor. He took me to see Queen Elizabeth the First. We ran into the other versions of him and I met Clara for the first time. We travelled a bit more but soon after that he dropped me off at home and said he needed to find out what the Ood wanted. I never saw that face again. I spent time building my TARDIS and I didn’t see the Doctor for a long time. I went to the Library, not to exterminate anything. Instead I made a shielding to protect me from them. I got River’s diary and I went to the data core. I linked the data core to my TARDIS so I could talk to River. I linked her consciousness with my TARDIS. Now she could use it to travel anywhere in time in space. Not her body but her consciousness could. She was like a ghost. She told me how the Doctor had saved her there forever. Never coming back to say goodbye. “He doesn’t like goodbyes,” she explained When next I saw the Doctor he had a new face but it was an old face to me. It had been so long since I had seen that face. It was that face that I had been so mad at. But he still didn’t know who I really was so it was before that time for him. I was willing to forgive him, though. It was also the face that had taught me all about time travel and time lords. Then he had to go and yell at me. He saw that I had the sonic screwdriver from the Library. The one that he had left with River’s journal and suddenly he had to know who I was. I had at one point mentioned that I had a friend at the University and he now surmised that River was that friend. This was the Doctor before he met me but not before he knew who River was and how she had died. This was the Doctor that had left River’s consciousness in the Library without saying goodbye. Now I was mad again. I told him he was correct, River was my friend, and if he wanted to know more he would have to go back in time and ask her about it. He had no reply for that and I left him there, speechless. Finally the Doctor showed up at my apartment with Clara. It was my birthday again, this time I was happy to see him. I smiled and I invited them in for tea and I made an old family snack my old mum made when I was little. We were family again.

#DoctorWho FanFiction

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hellostarlight20 · 6 years

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Christmas Present 1/3

For @lizziea2 who asked for: Could I ask for some Christmas fluff for the TARDIS family of the Doctor, Rose and Jenny after the events of “I will….”? And @kelkat9 who wanted: Christmas Prompt: I Will Verse; Ten/Rose; The Night They Saved Christmas

Takes place in The Adventures of Bad Wolf and the TARDIS…and their Doctor a month after the events of I Will... Yes, you should read those, but it’s not 100% necessary. What you need to know: Bad Wolf Rose. Yup, that sums it up!

As always all my thanks goes to Mrs. Bertucci for her amazing beta and to my girls from FB where we had a great British Christmas song discussion!

“Clearly Bing is the best.” Rose sniffed and glared at the Doctor. She didn’t really mean it—the glare, obviously; Bing was the best—and knew he knew that, but he looked suitably offended nonetheless.

“Frank,” he insisted. “Or Nat.”

“Judy,” Rose shot back.

“Ohh, good one! But alas, no. Not the best.”

“Who are these people?” Jenny, wide-eyed and bouncing with excitement, barely glanced at either of them as she walked next to Rose. “Are they here at the market?”

“No.” Rose laughed but tugged Jenny closer, looping her arm through her daughter’s. It still felt odd, calling her that, but the three of them agreed that they were a family, if not quite the conventional kind. But who cared about convention? “They’re singers. Classic Christmas singers.”

“Do they have Christmas singers here?” Jenny looked around the Bonn Christmas Market stalls the afternoon before Christmas Eve. Each vendor and their little pointed-roof stall caught her attention and so far they’d bought a dozen little knickknacks and three mugs of mulled wine.

“Not some of this rubbish you here on the radio now,” the Doctor added and swung his hand, joined with Rose’s, between them. “Unfortunately, all the good ones are dead in this time.” He frowned and shook it off. “We can always go back and hear them, perks of a time machine.”

“Ohh, can we?” Jenny bounced in front of them, so excited and buoyant.

“Course!” The Doctor grinned back, and Rose caught a hint of longing from him. “We can go wherever you want,” he promised.

It warmed Rose’s heart to see Jenny like this, to see her at all. She wondered what might’ve happened if she hadn’t jumped right at that time, at the same moment General Cobb fired at the Doctor.

Rose shuddered and blocked that thought off, refusing to let it unfurl more than it already had. She had jumped right at that moment and Jenny was right there with them, curious and eager and alive. Currently, Martha and Donna were home with their families after having extracted promises that the three of them would visit for the holidays.

And Jack…Rose still hadn’t fully forgiven the Doctor for abandoning Jack or keeping all that happened to him from her, but they were slowly working through it.

“Shakin’ Stevens?” The Doctor tilted his head from side to side and shrugged. “Top fifteen, maybe.”

“If we’re doing classic British, I’d go with Wizzard’s I Wish it could be Christmas Everyday.”

“Always a classic,” The Doctor agreed. “As is Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody.”

“Ohh, that’s a fun one.” She bounced up and down like the band did in the song. “Look to the future now, it’s only just begun!” she sang. Turning her grin to him she laughed and bumped his shoulder. “You’re certainly up on your classic British Christmas music!” She rested her head on his arm and simply reveled in being so near him again.

“I saw Slade and Wizzard in concert,” the Doctor admitted. “In my, oh, third body.” He frowned and sighed. “When the Time Lords disabled my TARDIS and trapped me on Earth.”

The flash of anger and resentment didn’t surprise her. The Doctor altered between remorse over his actions during the Time War and fury over the Time Lords’ short-sighted pompousness.

“I love you,” Rose sighed and closed her eyes. “Whatever the body.”

Rose heard Jenny ahead of them, talking to one of the vendors about a handmade blanket. She didn’t want to exclude Jenny, especially since it’d been mere weeks since her, ah, birth, but it’d been the same amount of time since Rose’s return. She balanced between daughter and lover, and knew the Doctor did as well, but Jenny seemed to understand and loved exploring the TARDIS on her own.

The Doctor kissed the top of her head and held her hand that much tighter. “I love you, too, my hearts.”

Rose looked up at him and stopped. Standing on tiptoes, she kissed him, sighing into the softness of the kiss and letting his love warm her.

“You two finished?” Rose opened her eyes to see Jenny rolling hers, but the other woman grinned wider. “Who are we going to see first?”

“Elvis.” Rose nodded decisively. “Definitely Elvis.”

The Doctor opened his mouth, but no argument emerged. She felt his frustration—he hadn’t been the one to suggest the King and mildly resented her beating him to it. Finally, he huffed and nodded.

“Definitely in the top…two,” the Doctor agreed.

Jenny stopped at the stall over, one that served roasted chestnuts, alas not over an open fire. Rose quickly paid for them while her daughter took the bag and sniffed the contents. Jenny selected a chestnut and licked it.

“Definitely your daughter!” Rose grinned over her shoulder at the Doctor’s spluttering as the merchant handed her the change.

The tall man wished them, “Gesegnete Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr!”

“A blessed Christmas and a happy new year to you, too!” Rose returned, once more grateful for the TARDIS translation circuit.

The Doctor walked to her side, still talking to Jenny about chestnuts, roasting, open fires, the song, the history, and the act of actually roasting chestnuts over an open fire. But his desperation to touch her, as anxious for her touch as Rose was for his, had him reaching for her before they’d gone more than half a step. Their month together, really, physically together, wasn’t long enough as far as she was concerned, but they did promise Jenny.

“She’s so happy,” the Doctor sighed, physically and mentally. “I had no idea—”

“No idea, what?” Rose looked up at him, contentment and concern warring for dominance. “Doctor?”

“I’d forgotten what it felt like,” he whispered, “Traveling with family.”

Rose leaned up and pressed her lips to his. “I’m so glad I’m here for this.”

“I am, too.” The Doctor wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

She knew he didn’t want to let her go, Rose didn’t want to step from his embrace, either. So she rested her head over one of his hearts and closed her eyes. The cold December wind buffeted them, but she didn’t care.

The myriad market scents swirled around them, and Rose hummed, perfectly content where she stood. She felt the Doctor’s happiness, his cautious hope about Jenny, and burrowed deeper into his embrace, letting his coat wrap around them both.

“I love you,” he whispered against her temple.

Rose shivered at his touch, the gentle brush of his mind against hers, the inherent promise in both his words and touch, and met his gaze. “I love you, too. Always. Forever.”

He grinned just as Jenny ran over to them, excitedly talking about the stall one over and the ornaments they sold.

“One has snow in it!” She said, eyes alight with happiness. “Real snow!”

“It’s not real,” Rose began gently. She hated spoiling Jenny’s enthusiasm. “It’s—I don’t know what’s inside.” She wrinkled her nose. “Probably something horrible I don’t want to think about, but it’s not real snow.”

Rose wrapped her arms around herself and debated pulling on her gloves. No, she didn’t want to add a barrier between her hand and the Doctor’s no matter the frigid temperature. Still, her hands were frozen, and she shoved them in her deep pockets.

“No, he said it was real,” Jenny insisted. Her own smile didn’t diminish, and she shoved her hands into her coat pockets, too.

Rose stared at the move. Jenny didn’t do it because she was cold; now that Rose looked the move was so obvious! Jenny wore a coat because it’d look odd if she didn’t in December in Bonn, but she didn’t need to. Just as she didn’t need to keep her hands warm, if the Doctor’s were anything to go by. Jenny shoved her hands in her pocket, because that’s what the Doctor did. And now, that’s what Rose did.

Her heart warmed and burst with affection for this woman.

“Let’s go see these snow globes,” Rose said and tugged the Doctor along. She once more locked her arm with Jenny’s and delighted in the feeling of family.

#ten x rose #ficandchips #jenny #fluff #adventure #christmas

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foxcantswim · 7 years

Text

Twelve x Clara Whouffaldi - Two Worlds Apart Chapter 1

AU - TIME LORDS VS HUMANS

A New War Has Arrived. The Time Lords Vs The Humans. One rebel Time Lord, known as the Doctor, is the only one who doesn't want the war. He meets a group of humans who also don't agree with the war... but the Doctor doesn't know that. He fears that if he tells the humans that he is a Time Lord they will kick him out. He ends up meeting a human, but she looks oddly familiar. Who is she?

“HUMANS AND TIME-LORDS ARE FORBIDDEN FROM CO-OPERATING WITH ONE ANOTHER. IF YOU SUSPECT THAT THERE MAY BE ANY FORBIDDEN ACTIVITY - PLEASE CALL THE NUMBER BELOW. YOU WILL BE CONSIDERED AN ASSOCIATE IF YOU DO NOT ALERT THE NEAREST STATION. TIME LORDS ALERT OTHER TIME LORDS. HUMANS ALERT OTHER HUMANS. THIS IS WAR. NO PEACE WILL COME FROM IT.” - (These signs were everywhere... Clara had noticed that the number of them grew larger by the day. The Doctor had noticed that the number of them grew larger by the day.)

A War. A War that could be considered the same level of devastation as the Time War. Except the only species that are in this war... Are the Humans and the Time Lords. The two factions have never agreed with one another- the General of Gallifrey had declared war upon Earth and it has been going on for almost two hundred years. Yes, the Time Lords were indeed a lot more powerful than the Humans... But a resource was spreading across the Earth... A resource that can end a Time Lord's life within seconds. No more regenerations. And that resource is: Azbantium. It's used to keep Time Lords locked away in a prison as he takes billions of years to destroy.

A traitorous Time Lord had 'accidentally' left a small piece of Azbantium in a UNIT base. This Azbantium was found by a woman called Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. UNIT managed to duplicate the Azbantium and ship it off to all the other countries. The traitorous Time Lord was known as the mad man with a box- the Doctor, his true name forgotten along with his past. The Doctor refused to fight against the Humans considering the amount of time he spent on Earth- he had walked among them and even though he thought that he was bigger than them... he never wanted to rid them from the universe.

Despite the war, Humans continued to repopulate the Earth to try and fight back against the Time Lords. And one day... a Human was born. One of the only Humans who didn't want to fight. She saw the Time Lords as equals and all she wanted was peace. Her parents- Ellie and Dave. They go by the last name Oswald. Their daughter, Clara, would peer out the window and look at the constant explosions... she wished that it would be different.

For the first 15 years of her life she remained in the house and only got to go outside for one hour per day. Once she hit 16... a well-known Time Lady had made a hole in Clara's life. The Time Lady was known as Missy... had put an end to Ellie Oswald's life. She was about to end Dave's and Clara's too but... she vanished without a trace.

Clara ended up leaving home. Always on the run. Never staying in the same place for more than 6 hours. The only place that she could really stay in was the underground base- this base only allowed people in if they didn't want to fight the Time Lords... Which is not a lot of people. A few members of UNIT didn't believe in fighting with the Time Lords, but unfortunately it is their job to fight back. She had joined the 'underground base' at the age of 21- she was surprised when she reached her 27th birthday... She believed she would have died many years earlier.

Amy Pond and Rory Williams were the first two people Clara had met in the base. She was then introduced to Donna Noble, Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness- Who would not. Stop. Flirting. There was also another man called Mickey Smith who was currently in a relationship with Martha Jones. Sometimes Clara found it difficult to keep track of everyone's lives. Martha and Jack were the 'leaders' of this little group- they would tell everyone what to do and where to go. Supply runs etc.

"Clara!" Jack called as she entered the base, "You okay? No bruises or cuts?"

She shook her head as she dropped the bag of food onto a nearby table, "No no, I'm fine. The Time Lords sent down a modified Dalek though and it's causing havoc on the streets above. It almost killed me." she was breathing heavily. The Time Lords had managed to engineer themselves an army of Daleks.

"Perhaps you should sit down." Martha suggested. Clara nodded before sat back on the rusty old sofa.

Clara then asked, "Where's everyone else?"

"Amy, Mickey and Rose went out on a supply run. Everybody else is asleep." Jack replied. He then when into another part of the base and seconds later he returned to Clara's side with a small glass of water.

She shook her and yawned, "No no no... We need to preserve water."

"You've been saying that for three days, Clara." Martha spoke, "Drink." Clara took the small glass out of Jack's hand before taking a sip.

"Thanks, Jack."

"We gotta move!" Mickey exclaimed as he entered the base.

"Wh-What?" Jack questioned, "What's going on?"

Rose then added, "The Time Lords. They believe that we are a group set out to destroy the them."

"We tried to communicate-" Amy began.

"You tried to communicate?!" Clara questioned as she stood up.

Mickey nodded, "Yeah. They held us at gun point and we tried to explain that we wanted to be equals with them but... they didn't listen.""

"We met someone along the way. He had brown floppy hair and the most atrocious chin I have ever seen." Amy stated.

Martha then asked, "Did you bring him with you? Is he like us?"

Rose let out a sigh, "We saw him get shot by the Time Lords. We ran away. For all we know his body could still be lying there!"

"I think they're tracking us so we gotta go!" Mickey reminded.

"Okay okay." Jack said, "I'll wake the others up then we'll get going. Just bring enough food for the walk to the other base." Jack disappeared into the sleeping quarters whilst Mickey and Rose went into the kitchen to grab some of the food- Just enough to make it through the two day walk.

A few minutes later Jack emerged with everybody else, "Ready?" Martha asked. They nodded in response. We all quickly made our way up the stairs and opened the hatch to exit the base. Mickey always remained at the front of the group so it was his job to alert us if anybody or anything was coming our way. Everybody also had a weapon in hand just in case.

"Okay, we're good." Mickey assured as we all started to walk to dark streets. Pretty much all of the houses were destroyed, broken cars were scattered across the roads. The planet known as 'Gallifrey' was also visible in the sky, it was about as far away as the sun... So not too close. You could hear the occasional scream now and then- Probably due to yet another Time Lord attack.

As the group walked, they passed families who were either hiding in corners or hiding in alleyways. Clara wished that she could help them... But it was every man for themselves in this world. And hopefully one day, that would change. Clara and Rory were the ones in charge of keeping track of the food. Making sure that they had enough and making sure that everyone got their share.

"We have to split up if we want to make it out alive." Donna whispered. They were so close to the base now. About a thirty minute walk. But Daleks were patrolling the corn field for any sign of life and they couldn't exactly all go bombarding through them. Everybody nodded before going through the tall corn. They used to go in pairs but that proved to be difficult, now they go alone.

Clara hated doing this- Walking through a corn field filled with Daleks. Who knows when they would appear? "I detect life-forms!" a Dalek echoed.

"Find them! Exterminate them!" another Dalek ordered.

"AFFIRMATIVE!" Many Daleks spoke. There were definitely more than ten Daleks. Clara practically held her breath as she walked and she felt like her heart would escape her chest at any moment.

Surprisingly, she managed to get to the other side. Nobody else was there though... The rule was: if you got separated- you keep on going. You go to the base without them and you wait until they come back. If they aren't back within five hours- then they are presumed dead. Clara looked at her watch: 22:36. She started to run towards the city, once she arrived her running slowed down. It wouldn't be smart to alert the Daleks now.

In the distance, Clara could see two Daleks approaching. She quickly turned into an alleyway but she soon tripped on something causing her to fall to the ground. She groaned before looking to see what she had tripped on. Her eyes widened when she noticed that it was person... A man... Another human just like her.

The man let out a sigh of pain, "Ohh... Did you just kick me?"

"Shhh!" she shushed him, "Daleks are out there. And why are you lying on the floor?"

He managed to sit up and put his back up against the wall, "I erm- I think I passed out. I don't really know what happened." he ran a hand through his grey/silver hair.

She really wanted to help him. She had never helped anyone before. The groups rule kept running through her head: Every man for themselves. They only let people into the group if absolutely necessary. She didn't realise that she had been staring into his eyes so she awkwardly coughed, "Well erm- It was nice meeting you, sir. But I've gotta get going." she tried to stand.

"Wait wait." he said as he grabbed her arm, "You seem like you have a home. A place to live. Maybe I could stay with you until I find my Tar- I mean- home."

"I er-" she paused, biting her lip. What would the group even think? She started running through the pros and cons. Afterall it wasn't like he was going to stay with them permanently, "Okay. Yes. We have three homes technically. We travel between them whenever things get too hairy." The pair stood up, "Just follow me and stay hidden."

He rolled his eyes, "I'm not new to this thing. I don't think I want to encounter a Dalek." As they started to discreetly walk towards the base he asked, "I didn't catch your name."

"Clara. Clara Oswald." she told him, "And yours."

"Well, I'm the-" he paused, "J-John Smith." he really didn't want her to find out that he was a Time Lord. Who knows what would happen. All he wanted was peace between the Humans and Time Lords.

"Okay, John Smith. Get ready to meet the rest of my group, I guess." she gave him a small smile as they inched closer and closer towards the base.

Chapter 2

"And this is it." Clara announced as they made it to the hatch. She moved the leaves off of the top of it before unlocking it with a key. The two quickly entered and 'John' shut the door behind him, "Now we just have to wait for everyone else to get here. We were separated by some Daleks." she only just realised what John was actually wearing. A brown jacket and a bowtie... She raised her eyebrow at his attire, he soon understood.

"Right... do you have any new clothes?" he wondered.

She nodded, "Through there." she pointed towards a door, "Pick whatever you want." he nodded as he made his way into the room. A few moments later he emerged. His clothes were quite the opposite to his previous get up. He wore a hoodie and a coat over it... strange.

"It'll do." he stated, "And do me a favour. Next time when I'm lying down- don't kick me." he started to feel his personality kick in. He had only just recently regenerated afterall.

"It's not like I did it on purpose." she said as she started to sort the food out on the table.

I sat down on a tattered sofa, "Maybe you should look where you're going." Before she could answer, the base entrance opened.

Clara let out a sigh of relief, "Rory! Martha! Are you okay?"

Rory nodded, "Yeah. A few close calls but we're good." They both then eyed John.

"And who might this be?" Martha questioned.

"I'm John Smith. Also know as the man that Clara decided to kick." he then mumbled, "Useless pudding brain."

Clara groaned, "Like I said. It wasn't on purpose so stop being to grumpy about it." she looked at Martha, "He's staying here until he finds his home."

John tried to come up with a lie, "I er- I got separated from my friends and sister. I'm just trying to find them and then you will never see me again."

Everyone managed to make it back with some cuts and bruises. They all agreed that John could stay for a few days too. Clara felt glad that she had 'helped' somebody by taking them into the safety. Another part of her felt annoyed at John's sudden behaviour though.

"You need anything doing, Jack?" Clara asked.

He shook his head, "No. You've done plenty for this group, Clara. And besides... It's way too late for you to go outside."

She just groaned in annoyance, "I can go out at night, Jack! The Daleks and the Time Lords don't scare me."

"Sure they don't..." John mumbled to himself.

Clara and Jack looked over at him, Clara then questioned, "What was that?"

"Er-" John paused, "I said: she should go. The Daleks and Time Lords aren't too bad..." he stood up from his chair, "You can easily dodge the Daleks and all you have to do is stay out of the way of the Time Lords."

"I guess. You can go with her!" Jack suggested.

"Yeah. W-Wait, what?"

"Are you serious?" Clara questioned, "I can handle myself."

"Clara." Jack paused, "Take him with you. Get to know him a bit more."

She rolled her eyes, "If I'm not back in two hours- then John has probably killed me."

"I don't want to waste my strength on a useless pudding brain, Clara." he stated.

"Okay. If I'm back in an hour- I've killed John." she said before heading to the hatch, "We'll try to get some more food and water."

Jack nodded, "Be safe."

John followed Clara out of the base and she lead them to the nearby town.

Clara was getting rather angry by the fact that all the building doors were locked. She hadn't come into the part of the town before and she just assumed that everything would open- she wanted it to be an easy job to just walk in and take something and then walk straight back out.

'John'absolutely hated saying that his name was: John... But he had to hide is real identity away from these humans. He subtly took his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket whilst Clara was too busy with the door on the house across the street. He unlocked the door, "Clara!" he whisper-yelled so that he didn't alert anybody nearby. She quickly made her way over to him as he deposited the sonic back into his pocket, "The lock was faulty." he said. She smiled as she opened the door.

"Good. Maybe we'll find something useful in here." she said as the pair entered the dark house, "You want to take the upstairs or should I?"

"Wouldn't it be a lot safer if we stuck together?" the Doctor/John may have come across as an angry old man who despised the human race- but he still didn't want to see Clara perish so soon.

She shook her head, "I'd rather do things faster. So I guess I'll take the upstairs. Just go in the kitchen and look around for some canned food and bottled water. I'll go upstairs and see if there's anything interesting up there."

He muttered, "If you're sure." he made his way into the kitchen and Clara made her way up the stairs. She soon decided to take out a torch from her backpack. The floorboards creaked beneath her feet and the cold wind made her shiver. Clara couldn't hear anything. Pure silence. She couldn't remember the last time she had been isolated in such a quiet place. As she turned the corner into one of the bedrooms her eyes widened. She froze.

She didn't care if anything or anyone else heard her, "John?!" she called. A few seconds later, John appeared by her side.

"Clara." he whispered, "Don't blink."

"Wh-What is that?" she wondered. Her hand that was aiming the torch at the creature was shaking. The light then started to flicker.

"It's a Weeping Angel. If you blink it will move closer towards you and send you through time."

"And how do you know so much about them?!"

He paused, "I-I overheard the Time Lords talking about them a few days ago."

"Well..." she paused, "I don't really want to stay here much longer." she quickly grabbed John's hand and pulled him back towards the stairs.

"Stop holding my hand! People don't do that to me!"

She groaned, "Oh, shut up!" she pulled him down the stairs. Just as she was about to drag him out of the house, she noticed a bag next to the door, "What's that?"

"You said you wanted food and water. So I put them in that bag."

"You were fast!" she exclaimed before making him carry the bag.

He then mumbled, "Yeah, don't say that in bed." She gave him a disgusted look before he was the one who had to pull her out of the house.

Chapter 3

One Week Later

"He is so- He's just so- He's annoying!" Clara was pacing around the small room whilst listing the things that she hated about John.

Amy let out a sigh as she leaned back in her chair, "Clara, you need to calm down."

"Calm down?! He's driving me insane! I'm going to need medication if I ever want to calm down again!" John had gone out with Rose and Rory to on a supply run. Jack and Donna were in the planning room trying to find a new place to set up base. And Mickey and Martha were currently making food for when the rest of the group got back.

"You've been talking about John a lot lately." Amy smiled, "Why is that?"

"Why?!" Clara questioned, "He's infuriating!"

"Are you sure you don't like him." her friend said suggestively.

Clara just gave her a shocked look, "Are you being serious right now? Why on Earth would I like him with the stupid way he talks with that stupid mouth on that stupid face of his?!" Amy just folded her arms and gave her a questioning look whilst raising her eyebrow. She just looked at Clara... waiting.

"Tell the truth, Oswald. I won't judge."

"N-No! He-"

Amy cut her off, "Clara... Yes or no question: Do you find him attractive?" Clara opened her mouth to protest but it quickly slammed shut, "And that answers my question."

"Wh-What?! I didn't say anything!"

"You didn't have to." Amy smirked.

Clara then flopped onto her stomach on the sofa, "You're making me confused..." she mumbled as she dug her face into a pillow.

The Doctor had strayed away from Rose and Rory.

He rarely sleeps but he managed to get an hour or two of kip last night. He couldn't stop thinking about his dream. He's had this same dream for years now. About a woman, jumping into his time stream just to save him. He vaguely remembered travelling with this woman but he couldn't pinpoint her face. He remembered the name: Clara... The woman he met a few days ago was also called Clara... But that was just a coincidence. Right? She also reminded him of a certain woman he met in a diner many years ago... But it couldn't be the same exact person. He shook his head and rid any thought of this mysterious 'Clara'.

"It seems that Clara hates you." Rose stated as she slowed down to allow him to catch up. They stopped walking as Rory went into a house to look for supplies.

The Doctor shrugged, "Can't impress everyone." Clara... she seemed so different to everyone else. But he couldn't see why. He was the Doctor! He should know everything! He would catch himself many times each day just staring at her. He was interested in what she was doing and he had no idea why!

Rose then clicked her fingers in front of his face, "Earth to John."

"Wh-What?" he asked.

"When I say hate... It's more like denial."

He looked at her in confusion, "Denial?"

She nodded, "I can see it. Everyone in the group can see it. Except for you and Clara."

"See what exactly? Honestly, why doesn't anybody explain things properly these days?"

"That Clara likes you." she stated.

He raised his eyebrow, "You're giving me mixed messages here. Previously you said that she hated me"

Rose just sighed, "Put it like this. She hates the fact that she likes you."

"Erm... okay? So she likes me. That's good I guess. I... accept her presence." he 'accepted her presence' a lot more than Rose actually thought.

"You are so blind, John." Rose then added. No he wasn't. He understood completely. He's walked amongst Humans for years and he has grown accustomed to what the term 'likes' means... He wasn't a total idiot.

Once John, Rory and Rose came back- Everyone was ready to eat, "Run into any trouble?" Martha asked.

Rory shook his head as he started to eat the noodles, "Just one Dalek." Clara and John were picking at their food. Clara was too busy thinking about what she actually felt towards John: hate, like? What was it? John was too busy thinking about who the mysterious woman in his dreams was... it couldn't be the woman who was sitting opposite him. Right?

"You not hungry?" Amy asked Clara.

Clara quickly shut out her thoughts, "No. I just feel a bit sick." she lied.

Amy then whispered to her, "Lovesick?" Clara then groaned before standing up.

"I'm gonna go to bed. Hopefully, I'll feel better by morning." she said. Everyone nodded before she made her way to the spare room. This room was the only room that had one bed. The other room was huge and it had over ten beds. The 'spare room' was used for people if they wanted to be alone... and Clara wanted to be alone right now. Just so she could gather her thoughts. As she lay on the bed she looked up at the stone ceiling... and then at the stone walls... and then at the stone floor. This was no way to live. Underground with no sunlight. Candles were the only things that lit up the rooms in this 'home'.

There was then a knock at the door... God knows how Jack managed to install doors into this place, "Clara?" John walked in.

Clara then sat up, "Er- Y-Yeah?"

"I bought you some water if you want. It tends to help when you're feeling ill."

She gave him a smile, "Thanks." he handed her the bottle of water. To be honest... her stomach was feeling a bit off. She felt sick. It wasn't butterflies. She. Felt. Sick. She kept on telling herself that it was just an illness that would go away.

God knows how it happened, but John had been in the room with Clara for well over an hour now. They were just talking. An occasional story here and there. John didn't like sitting down and talking... He HAD to be doing something practical. Like fixing a machine or fighting a monster. Not listening to a Human. But Clara... he felt like he's heard her voice for years. Countless years. But why couldn't he remember her face?

John hadn't noticed the silence until now. They were currently sitting on the edge of the bed together. Why hadn't the sickness left Clara's stomach yet? She was starting to get concerned about it. What illness could she have been possessed with?! Having an illness in times like these was not a good situation.

She decided that she didn't care that she's only known John for a week. She wanted to try something. Just a test. She wanted to show that she didn't like John... She was going to kiss him and prove that she didn't need anything more. She leaned forward and surprisingly, he didn't move away... And that was when Amy decided to burst into the room. John then stuttered, "Er- N-Night, Clara." Once John left the room he shut the door behind him.

"No no no!" Amy exclaimed, "I didn't mean to burst in on such a moment! Get out there girl!" she pulled Clara up from the bed.

"Wh-What?!" Clara started, "What are you talking about?"

Amy rolled her eyes, "You really are hopeless sometimes."

To be continued...

#doctorwho #whouffaldi #whouffle #twelveclara #fanfiction #fanfic #au #scifi #sci-fi & fantasy #alternate universe

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chocolatequeennk · 7 years

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Time is Still A-Flying, recap

This is part two of my recap posts as we get ready for Forever and Never Apart on Tuesday. You can read the To Make Much of Time recap here.

Time is Still A-Flying

Ten x Rose, series 3 with Rose. Rated Teen.

AO3 | FF.net | Teaspoon | Tumblr

Summary: With a bond and a promise of forever, the Doctor and Rose have managed to escape the trap set for them in Torchwood. But Time is not yet done with them. The Master is still in London and Election Day draws ever closer. He’s tried to separate them once; will they survive a second attempt? Part 3 of Being to Timelessness; sequel to To Make Much of Time (AO3 | FF.net | Teaspoon)

From chapter 4:

“I’ve been wondering something, Doctor,” Rose said. “How come the huon particles in me didn’t… buzz or whatever like Donna’s did?”

The Doctor poured more wine for both them, then settled back against the hearth again. “Well, yours are actually part of your biology,” he explained. “The part of the TARDIS she left behind in you.”

“Right…”

“Think about it this way. You’ve got iron running through your entire body, in your blood. But when someone holds a magnet up to you, do you notice?”

“I do now.”

The Doctor laughed and tickled Rose. “Before you changed, cheeky minx.”

“So, it’s like the difference between the iron in my blood and wearing jewellery with iron in it? Donna was just… wearing huon particles like an accessory.”

“Exactly!”

Rose having huon particles in her body like this is something that will come up again later. Stay tuned...

From chapter 6:

“Rose, when I met you, I was broken and alone. From the moment I took your hand in that basement—oh, such a long time ago—you helped fill up the loneliness and teach me how to live again.

“Falling in love with you was as inevitable as it was unexpected. I was…” His voice faltered, and he cleared his throat before continuing. “I was terrified by how much I needed you in my life. One fragile human, holding the hearts of the last Time Lord. What would happen when I lost you?

“I tried to run, and I tried to send you away. Today, I promise I won’t do either ever again. As our hands are now bound together by cloth, so also will our lives by joined by Time. Your future is my future, from now until forever.”

Rose blinked back a few more tears, then swallowed and smiled up at him. Until she’d listened to him, she’d still been unsure of what to say, but now the words came easily.

“Doctor, when I met you, I was lost. My life was nothing more than work, chips, and evenings at the pub. I knew I wanted more, but everyone around me said it was impossible. Then you took my hand and pulled me into your mad life, and I’ve never looked back—not even when you tried to send me away.”

She raised an eyebrow, and the Doctor smiled sheepishly.

“From our very first date, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life travelling with you. Then I fell in love with you, and I wanted to spend forever with you… travelling was an added bonus.

“I promised you forever before we knew how close to the truth that was.” She paused for a moment, then said, “Doctor, I’m never gonna willingly leave you—you’re stuck with me.”

“Stuck with you, Rose Tyler?” the Doctor said, his voice rough. “That’s not so bad.”

[...]

He placed his hands on her temples, and Rose mirrored him. This is the last time we’ll need to be touching to go into each other’s minds, he told her. Last chance to change your mind—there’s no going back after this.

Don’t want to go back. I just want to go forward, with you, forever.

The Doctor’s hands trembled on her temples. I love you, he told her fervently, then took a deep breath to get control over his emotions. Completing a marriage bond requires a third telepathic presence. Normally this would be the officiant, but the TARDIS will facilitate for us.

The presence of the TARDIS strengthened until Rose felt like the time ship was holding both her mind and the Doctor’s safely in her hands.

That’s it exactly, Rose.

Rose felt the Doctor weaving his mind around hers, and she followed his example, as best as she could. He and the TARDIS helped when she wasn’t sure what to do, guiding her until she knew, intuitively, that there was only one step remaining.

The Doctor hovered over the telepathic centre of her mind, and with the TARDIS’ help, Rose found the matching place in his. She looked to him, waiting for a cue as to what to do next, and to her surprise, a third set of vows followed.

I take you as my bond mate, sharing my life, my mind, and all I am with you. I promise never to lie to you, and to be true to our bond through regeneration after regeneration, until we are finally parted by death.

The words came easily to Rose. I take you as my bond mate, sharing my life, my mind, and all I am with you. I promise never to lie to you, and to be true to our bond through regeneration after regeneration, until we are finally parted by death.

She could feel his deep joy and a pleasure that went far beyond happiness, and then he said, Now, Rose.

With the TARDIS’ help, she pressed into the telepathic centre of his mind, feeling him do the same thing in hers. The awareness of him that their bond had given her flared and deepened. She knew more than how he was feeling or what he was thinking; she knew him.

Yes. Oh, Rose. You are my forever.

This is one of the biggest differences between TISAF and most S3 rewrites. Typically, the Doctor and Rose spend series three working through the remaining issues keeping them apart, and the story ends with them fully committed to each other in a romantic relationship. But since I wrote that into an S2 rewrite (and also, my headcanon is that most of that happened in S2 even in canon), in my S3 rewrite, they’re together right from the beginning. It makes a big difference several times in how things play out, not the least of which is the way it completely eliminates Martha’s crush on the Doctor. Having an actual wedding wasn’t necessary for those changes, but I really wanted to go whole hog and have them married throughout this whole story.

From chapter 9:

The Master paused the streaming radio on his laptop.

[...]

So, the Doctor and Rose had met Martha Jones. It was time to put his next piece into play.

He picked up his phone and dialled a familiar number. “Lady Thaw?” he said when the woman picked up. “Harold Saxon here. I wondered if Miss Jones had given you a final guest list for tomorrow’s gala event.”

When Lady Thaw told him that no, she didn’t expect the list until the morning, his politician’s smile spread across his face. “Then I wonder if it would be possible to have you add two more names to the list when you see it—as a personal favour to me. An old school friend of mine will be in town tomorrow with his wife, and I know they’d be fascinated with Professor Lazarus’ work.”

Lady Thaw was always willing to oblige Mr. Saxon in anything he wished, of course. “Excellent. Their names are the Doctor and Rose Tyler. No, not Doctor Tyler. His wife is Rose Tyler, but he is just the Doctor.” The Master’s smile turned sharklike. “It’s an old nickname that’s stuck, I’m afraid. You should hear what he calls me.”

The whole notion of the Master in the background of S3, pulling all the strings, was really fun to play with. Having him put the Doctor and Rose’s names on the invitation list for Lazarus’ gala just gave the story a little twist.

From chapter 14:

[The Doctor] ground his teeth, and pain exploded behind his right eye, through the temple area, and down into the jaw. “Because I deserve to be punished! I destroyed two races, Rose, on top of the dozens of civilisations the War had already damaged irreparably. Nothing can undo that.”

Rose was quiet for a several minutes. The Doctor could tell she was deep in thought, but his own mind was too frazzled for him to be able to pick up on her train of thought

When she finally spoke, she said the last thing he’d expected her to say. “You’re right.”

“What?” Rose wasn’t supposed to agree with his self-condemnation. She was the one who always tried to get him to see the good in himself.

“You’re right,” she repeated. “Nothing can undo it. Your planet is gone, and your people with it.”

The Doctor flinched away from her, curling himself into the corner of the couch. Hearing the harsh truth from her lips prodded at the ache lodged in his chest that he’d been trying to ignore since he’d ended the War. “Rose, please…” he whispered.

But she was relentless. “I can’t imagine what it must have felt like, to look at the destruction both sides were causing and know it was a choice between the end of the War, or the end of the universe.”

The memory of that moment was still crystal clear in the Doctor’s mind, however. He’d felt the timelines converging for months—years even—until there had been only two possible endings to the War.

He’d tried so hard to find another way. His eighth incarnation had fought on the front lines, becoming a warrior instead of the Doctor he’d claimed to be. But when the Daleks broke through the sky trenches and Arcadia fell, he’d known there was no other way. Breaking into the archives was easy. Using the Moment… was not.

His eyes grew hot, and the Doctor felt a tear streak down his face. He wiped it away impatiently, but another followed, and another, until sobs shook his body.

Rose reached for him then, and despite his hurt confusion, he let her guide him until they were both lying down on the couch. She offered the comfort then that she’d withheld earlier, and he sank into the solace their bond provided, leaning on her strength.

His tears slowed gradually, and as they did, he realised Rose was whispering words of comfort and apology as she rubbed his back. He pulled back enough to look at her face, noticing the damp spot his tears had left on her shirt as he did so.

Rose was biting her lip and there were tears in her own eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said, answering his unspoken question. “But I just thought… had you ever let yourself grieve, Doctor?”

A sharp retort sprung to his lips—of course he’d grieved. But his scratchy eyes and sore throat gave him pause. Had he ever allowed himself the release of tears?

She nodded. “That’s what I thought. An’ it’s not good to just hold all that in for so long. It was time to let it go, Doctor.”

This scene is so important. One of the reasons I ship the Doctor and Rose so hard is because I truly believe they are better together than they are apart. A big part of that for the Doctor is the way Rose helps him deal with his grief and guilt over the end of the Time War. She fell in love with him when he was still scarred and grieving, but that doesn’t mean she wants him to stay that way.

From chapter 18:

Rose looked over his shoulder at the empty platform where Dalek Caan had been controlling the hybrids. “He’s falling through Time, Doctor. And he won’t escape unscathed.”

“Emergency temporal shift,” the Doctor told her. “It’s a rubbish way to travel, really—who knows where he’ll end up, or what it’ll do to him?”

Rose nodded absently. “It won’t be just his body this time though, Doctor,” she said. “It’s gonna tear his mind apart.”

The Doctor repressed a shiver. He could feel the timelines flowing around them, and he knew Dalek Caan had reminded Rose of something she’d seen when she was Bad Wolf. With an effort, he held back his questions—he didn’t really want to know how the last Dalek would play into their lives.

This gets back to the notion, established in that scene at the very end of TMMOT, that Rose’s time sense is occasionally more acute than the Doctor’s. There are key moments in their life together that she will feel more strongly when they happen. It’s a plot device I’ve tried not to overuse, but it’s something that makes a lot of sense to me since she literally saw all of time when she was Bad Wolf. And this is the first time it’s really used in the story.

From chapter 21:

The Doctor didn’t say a word as he sent the TARDIS into the Vortex. Rose tamped down her own building anger as best as she could; at least one of them should remain calm.

[...]

“And what’s your excuse for that stunt in the cathedral?” he asked, his voice biting.

“You said you needed to get Lazarus into the bell tower.”

“But I didn’t say I wanted you to act as bait!”

Rose took a deep breath and blew it out her nose. “Did you have another plan to get him up there?” she asked calmly.

The Doctor paced in front of their bed in his black trousers and unbuttoned dress shirt. “No,” he admitted finally, running his hand through his hair.

[...]

“You promised you wouldn’t send me away again. Didn’t you mean it?”

His anger faded, and he ran his hands wearily over his face. “Yeah,” he said, his voice hoarse.

Rose walked towards him slowly until they were standing face to face, about three feet apart. “What’s this really about, Doctor?”

His hands dropped to his sides, and he sagged in defeat. “I just want to keep you safe.”

“We stick together as much as possible to keep each other safe, don’t we?” Rose watched his face, and when she thought he was softening, she reached for his hand. “And we don’t just stand aside watching when people are in trouble; we help.”

“I know,” he groaned, “but if you were hurt…”

“Says the man I’ve found unconscious three times this week,” Rose retorted. “Are you going to stop running into dangerous situations?”

He sighed. “No.”

“Then you can’t expect me to.”

“Expect, no,” he agreed. “Wish for…”

Rose chuckled wryly. “I know the feeling.”

The Doctor nodded, and she thought she’d finally made her point. He took her hand, and she went willingly into his arms, breathing in the comforting honey scent of his skin.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered in her ear.

Rose pressed a kiss to his collarbone. “You’re forgiven.” She rested her cheek against his chest, considering her next words. “Can I tell you a secret?” she asked.

“Of course,” he said.

“I always feel safest when I’m with you.” His surprise rippled across their bond, and Rose tightened her arms around his waist. “Always,” she repeated firmly.

“But… why? How?” he asked. “I don’t try to find trouble, but somehow it seems like almost every trip ends in danger. How could you possibly feel safe with me?”

Rose took a half step back so she could look him in the eye. “Because you’re brilliant. When we’re in those situations, I know that if we’re going to get out of it, it’ll probably be because you figured out the magic secret that’ll solve everything.”

“Only if you haven’t figured it out first,” the Doctor interjected. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Rose—you’re brilliant too.”

“About time you noticed,” Rose said cheekily. “I’ve been saving your life since day one, and don’t you forget it.”

A small smile finally crept across his face. “How could I? A pink and yellow girl swings into my life on a chain, taking out the bad guys and sweeping me off my feet in one move. That’s not something I’ll ever forget.”

Rose undid the Doctor’s cufflinks and slid the shirt off his shoulders. “I also feel safe when I’m with you because… because you love me,” she said quietly. “I know you’ll always protect me if you can.” She tossed the shirt onto the bed, then pulled his vest over his head and threw that into the laundry. “Don’t you feel safe with me for the same reason?”

“Of course I do,” he said, his sincerity and conviction easing the little doubt she’d had.

Rose hung the Doctor’s shirt up in the wardrobe, then walked back to him and turned her back to him. He silently unzipped her dress, and that was soon hanging up as well.

“Then are you going to yell at me the next time I follow you into something dangerous?” Rose asked.

“No,” he promised.

It was part of his wedding vows, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. He’ll always hate watching Rose run into danger, and this will probably cause tension in their relationship occasionally for their entire lives. But this time, Rose really needed to lay it all out for him--why it wasn’t right for him to act like that, how hypocritical it is, and how wrong he is overall.

From chapter 28:

John led Rose around the floor, loving the effortless way she moved. She smiled up at him, the beautiful, teasing smile that meant she had something up her sleeve.

“Do you remember how you asked me to dance, the very first time?” she asked in answer to his raised eyebrow.

He groaned, and a flush crept up the back of his neck. “That was not one of my better moments.”

“I don’t know,” she drawled. “When the gorgeous man who’s just saved your entire neighbourhood walks up to you, holds out his hand, asks you to dance, and then adds, ‘I’ve got the moves, but I wouldn’t want to boast,’ it makes an impression.”

Even two years later, John couldn’t fathom what had made him say something so audacious. “I suppose you did agree to dance with me, even after that ridiculous comment.”

Rose’s fingers played with the hair curling at the nape of his neck. “Well, to be honest, I’d been watching you for a while, hoping you might say something.”

John nearly stopped in the middle of the dance floor. “You what?” he said, his voice embarrassingly close to a squeak.

The natural pink in her cheeks deepened a little. “Yeah… I don’t know if you remember, but I was there that day—the day of the accident at the factory. I watched you and Captain Jack get everyone out before the fumes were too dangerous, and then take the chemicals into that abandoned hospital. We could hear the explosion where we waited, down by the river, and until the two of you showed up, we didn’t know if you were safe. You were… incredible, John.”

John gaped down at his Rose. “Well, as long as we’re sharing secrets,” he said, “I saw you that day too. Helping that boy who was looking for his mummy? You were so kind and gentle with him. So I found out your name and then wrangled an introduction that evening so I could dance with you.”

Rose ducked closer to him and hid her blushing face against his chest. John’s arms tightened around her, heedless of the raised eyebrows their embrace was garnering. He bent his head so his lips were nearly touching her ear and whispered, “I fell in love with you the moment you took my hand.”

The hand he held flexed, and he felt her sigh. “So did I.”

Perhaps this isn’t crucial to the overall plot, but the Human Nature arc is my favourite part of this whole story and I had to share something from it. I love this snippet from the dance, before the Family interrupts their romantic happiness. It was so much fun coming up with an AU version of their “how we met” story that the TARDIS could have given them.

From chapter 30:

Timothy looked at the Doctor and Rose, and something in his gaze made the hairs stand up on the back of the Doctor’s neck. “The Doctor and Rose Tyler,” he said in a distant voice. “Together, you burn at the centre of time and can see the turn of the universe. Even when the Wolf is silenced, your story will not be over.” His gaze sharpened. “You are… forever.”

The couple shared a startled glance. Neither of them had ever told anyone else about that word. “Timothy, you are brilliant,” the Doctor said sincerely. Rose gave him a hug, then joined Martha inside. “You’ll like this bit,” the Doctor told Tim, wishing he could see the look on the lad’s face when the ship dematerialised.

Rose watched the Doctor as he took the TARDIS into the vortex. The faint lines around his eyes and mouth and the tension in his body matched the anxiety he was projecting over the bond, and once he threw the dematerialisation lever, she took his hand and encouraged him to sit with her in the jump seat.

“What do you think Tim meant, about me being silenced?” she asked.

He sighed and ran a hand through his damp hair. “I honestly don’t have a clue, Rose,” he told her. “Last night, before I faced the Family, he asked if I could hear you, howling for your mate. I told him the truth—I can always hear you.”

Rose pulled her sonic out of her pocket and after adjusting the settings, pointed it at the Doctor to dry him off. “Do you think something’s going to happen, and you won’t be able to?”

“Not possible,” the Doctor said flatly. “If even changing species couldn’t get rid of our bond, nothing can.”

Oh, Doctor. You should know better than to declare something so definitively.

From chapter 32:

[The Doctor] followed her into their room and turned down the covers while she fumbled through undressing as though she’d been up for two full, busy days. “How long have you felt like this, Rose?” he asked when she slowly pulled a nightgown over her head.

“Hmmm? Felt like what?” she asked as she crawled under the covers.

Real concern knit his brow then, but Rose was asleep before he could clarify the question. He fingered his sonic screwdriver and eventually did the most basic scan possible. It cleared the worst of his fears, and reassured that she wasn’t suffering from some fatal disease, he was able to strip out of his own clothes and stretch out beside her.

Normally, even in her sleep Rose would sense him joining her in bed and curl up against him, but tonight, she didn’t move. Wanting her to rest, the Doctor contented himself with taking her hand.

He sighed as he stared at up the boring ceiling. Stuck on Earth yet again, and judging by the information he had, it looked like they’d be here for a few months. Even though the transcript and photos didn’t confirm that the TARDIS found them, the Doctor had no doubt that the plan worked. Or would work. He rubbed at his forehead; tenses in time travel could be a real headache.

And all that would only be a minor inconvenience if it wasn’t becoming apparent that Rose was ill. The Doctor’s big Time Lord brain could occasionally be a curse, rather than a blessing, and tonight was one of those times, as he lay awake and pondered all the alien diseases she might have.

[...]

Rose groaned and rolled over when the sunlight hit her face, pulling the duvet over her head. She’d been asleep for… eight hours, she figured, but she felt like she hadn’t slept a wink.

“Rose?” the Doctor said. “How are you feeling, love?”

“Like I’ve been run over by a lorry,” Rose grumbled. “Lemme sleep.”

To her displeasure, he pulled the duvet out of her fingers and down over her face. “I wish I could, Rose, but I’m getting worried about how tired you are. I’d like to do some scans with the sonic, if that’s all right with you.”

[...]

The Doctor glanced at the sonic screwdriver, and his eyes widened. “Oh. Well. Oh. I guess that does make some sense.”

“What? What makes sense?” She peered over the Doctor’s shoulder, but couldn’t make heads nor tails of the results. “It’s decade lag, isn’t it?”

“In a manner of speaking,” the Doctor said, typically vague. “It’s the TARDIS.”

“What do you mean, it’s the TARDIS? She isn’t here.”

“And that’s the problem,” the Doctor agreed. “You and her… I have a feeling you’re more connected than she’s ever let on.”

Rose rubbed at her forehead. “Please, Doctor, just explain it to me. I’m too tired to follow your cryptic rambling today.” She felt badly when his shoulders slumped, but he was making her nervous and she just wanted to go back to sleep.

“Well. Remember when we met Donna? Or rather, why we met Donna?”

Almost a year had passed, but Rose quickly figured out what he meant. “You mean, the… hu— huon particles?”

“That’s right. Yours came from the heart of the TARDIS, and as long as you’re somewhat close to her, she helps hold them in stasis. When you aren’t together…”

Rose’s mouth went dry. “Doctor! You told Donna huon particles were deadly!”

“Oh no, love.”

The Doctor sent a wave of reassurance over the bond. After Rose relaxed, she realised the Doctor would have been much more upset if her life were at stake.

“Okay, so what is it then?”

“Huon particles take a tremendous amount of energy to maintain. When we’re at home, or at least close to her, the TARDIS lends you some of her energy. Without her…”

“I’m having to do all the work myself,” Rose finished. She sank back into her pillows. “So does that mean I’ll be tied to the TARDIS for the rest of my life? Not that I ever plan to leave, but what would happen if we were separated somehow?”

The Doctor nodded soberly. “I think we’re about to find out exactly what would happen.”

There are lots of reasons I decided to do this. The first is that it’s always a good idea to add a cost when you give a character extra-human power or knowledge. It keeps you from just using the power willy-nilly.

More specific to the story, I wanted a Rose-centric story for 1969. And I wanted a Rose-centric story where her personality would lead her to make a mistake. You know Rose Tyler. Do you think she’s going to listen to medical advice and take it easy for three whole months? No. She pushes herself past her endurance and ends up very sick with the flu... in 1969, before anti-viral meds. And with no access to the TARDIS.

From chapter 41:

[The Doctor] took a deep breath through his nose and tried to get himself under control. “Master, just calm down. Just look at what you’re doing. Just stop. If you could see yourself—”

“Oh, do excuse me,” the Master said to the television cameramen who were still filming. “Little bit of personal business. Back in a minute.” He looked at the guards holding the Doctor down. “Let him go.”

They shoved the Doctor down onto the floor. He pushed himself up and looked at the Master. “It’s that sound. The sound in your head. What if I could help?”

“Oh, how to shut him up?” The Master rolled his eyes and mimed talking with his hand. “I know!” He grinned widely and gestured to someone in the back of the room.

The Doctor heard a brief scuffle, and that combined with the sudden anger from Rose told him exactly what had happened. He tried to reach for her when she was pushed to the front of the room, but the guards grabbed his hands and held them behind his back.

“Did you really think I would let Rose Tyler go free?” The Master shook his head and tsked. “It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other, if you could misjudge me so badly. I’ve got your bond mate, Doctor. Your little human-Time Lord hybrid.” He twirled his laser screwdriver between his fingers. “If I remember correctly, you aren’t positive she’ll be able to regenerate. And—again, if memory serves—you aren’t too keen to find out.” His smile disappeared and he pointed the screwdriver at Rose. “Have you changed your mind?”

The Doctor seethed with rage, but he couldn’t do anything but shake his head. He wouldn’t risk Rose’s life.

The Master laughed. “Look at what Earth’s defender has been reduced to. Cowering on the floor, paralysed out of fear for his bond mate’s life.”

The look Rose gave the Doctor now was the same trusting, confident look he’d seen on her face when they’d stood in 10 Downing Street, faced with the choice to save the world at the possible cost of her life. It was a look which said she trusted him to do the right thing, to make the best choice.

He drew in a deep breath. When he’d developed his backup plan, he’d really hoped Rose would leave with Martha. Sentencing himself to a year in the gracious hospitality of the Master was one thing—leaving Rose in his hands for 366 days was entirely another.

So, Rose was on the Valiant during the Year That Never Was. Hmmm...

From chapter 43:

“Can we skip the ‘previously on the Master and Rose’ bit and move on to today’s episode?” Rose asked impatiently.

Amusement lit the Master’s eyes. “As I was saying, I’ve been unable to break your bond. Your telepathic bond.”

He pulled a thin silver choker out of the box and attached it around Rose’s neck.

“Jewellery, Harry?” Rose asked. “I think my husband might get upset if I accept gifts like this from another man.”

“Your bond mate,” the Master said, irritation flashing in his eyes when she refused yet again to use the term in front of him, “won’t know any better. Not really.”

Rose straightened up and looked at the monitor. “What are you going to do to him?” she asked.

Concern flared over the bond. Rose tried to calm the Doctor with a promise that nothing was happening that was any worse than what she’d experienced so far, but that wasn’t a very reassuring thought.

“I don’t plan to do anything… to him.”

Rose wanted to hide her fear from the Doctor, but she knew he felt it. His own worry screamed at her over the bond, and she saw his hands clench into fists.

“As I was saying, I’ve discovered your bond is impossible to break. I can’t force him out of your mind, nor you out of his. But the bond makes you both stronger, and I really can’t have that.”

Despite the insolent tone she used to irritate the Master, Rose was becoming more scared by the minute. She looked at the television and tried to memorise every inch of the Doctor’s features.

I love you, she told him, hoping with every fibre of her being that this wouldn’t be her last chance to say it.

“What do you plan to do about it?” Rose asked.

The Master’s eyes glittered. “Oh, I was so hoping you would ask. Do you see this?” he asked, holding up a small remote. “This is the remote to the device I just placed on your neck—oh, and by the way, there’s an explosive wired into the latch, so don’t even think about taking it off, unless you want to lose your head.” He tilted his head. “I really don’t know if it’s possible to regenerate after being blown to bits.”

I love you, too, Rose.

Some of the tightness around her chest eased with the Doctor’s words, and she rolled her eyes at the Master. “And what does the blessed device do?” she asked. “You’re worse than all the villains on telly,” she told him matter-of-factly. “Nattering on about your plans, blah blah blah.”

“It’s a personal telepathic dampening field. And if I press this button—”

The Master pressed the red button, and Rose’s eyes slammed shut as pain seared through her mind. The bond was gone. Screams filled the room, but she ignored them as she frantically looked for the Doctor. She found the space where he should be in her mind, but instead of pulsing with the Doctor’s presence, it was dark—like a burned out lightbulb.

Her eyes flew to the CCTV to make sure the Doctor was still alive, and that was when she realised the diabolical genius of the Master’s plan. The Doctor was shouting and pounding on the walls, trying to get away from his prison. The sound was muted, but she could see him saying her name over and over.

He thought the Master had killed her.

I really love this whole story arc. The Master would do something truly heinous. Breaking the bond--making both of them feel the pain of a broken bond, and making the Doctor think she was dead--was the worst thing I could think of. The Doctor and Rose both come out of this year with PTSD related to this.

From chapter 46:

Francine pressed her lips together, but she couldn’t restrain a strangled sob. Rose reached for her slowly, pushing her hands down and knocking the gun to the floor.

Martha shoved past the Doctor to reach her mum, and Rose let her take over comforting Francine.

The Doctor released a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding, and his knees went weak for a moment. He suspected he would be even more protective of Rose than usual for a while, until he got past the constant fear of losing her again. Rose smiled up at him, and he nodded slightly.

“You still haven’t answered the question,” the Master pointed out, interrupting their silent conversation. “What happens to me?”

The Doctor left the bridge. “I’m sure UNIT has a nice cell someplace where they can keep you, until your regenerations run out.” He crossed his arms and stared at the Master. “Their headquarters are located in the Tower of London, after all.”

“You’re just going to… lock me up?” the Master stammered, his nose wrinkled in disgust.

“What did you expect, Master?” the Doctor snapped. “An open hand and a welcome onto my ship, when you killed my wife?” He took a deep breath. “I won’t let you die when you’re the only other Gallifreyan in existence, but that doesn’t mean I have to let you be part of our life.”

The Master smirked. “That’s the only thing keeping you from doing it, isn’t it, Doctor?” He tipped his head back insolently. “You would kill me yourself for what I did to your precious Rose, if it wasn’t for the fact of my genetic code.”

“Oi, all you did was give me a fancy bit of jewellery,” Rose retorted. “Quit trying to rile the Doctor up.”

The Master’s gaze flickered over to Rose, and the Doctor bit back a laugh at the consternation in his eyes. He still didn’t speak, though, and the Master’s taunt lingered in the air between them, despite Rose’s attempt to dispel the tension.

Would he kill the Master, if it wouldn’t leave him once again the last of the Time Lords from Gallifrey? All the bitterness he’d kept locked down for the last year swirled through him, and there was a large part of him that wanted to kill the Master anyway.

Rose took his hand, and he jumped a little—it had been a long time since she’d been able to sneak up on him like that. But her hand in his gave him strength, just like it always did. He shook his head. “That’s not the way I do things.”

The gunshot took them all by surprise. The Doctor looked towards the sound and saw Lucy Saxon, pale, frightened, and angry, holding the gun Francine had discarded. His head swivelled in the opposite direction, just in time to watch the Master slump onto the deck.

“Put it down,” Jack ordered Lucy.

The Doctor walked over to the Master and knelt at his side. The Master’s face contorted in pain, his mouth working as he gasped for breath. “Always the women.”

“I didn’t see her,” the Doctor said truthfully.

“Are you happy now, Doctor?” The Master grunted. “You can watch me die, and you didn’t have to pull the trigger yourself.”

The Doctor frowned down at him, a little disturbed by how accurate that was. “You’re not dying,” he said curtly. “Don’t be stupid. It’s only a bullet. Just regenerate.”

Victory shone in the Master’s eyes. “No.”

Rose knelt down beside him. “Don’t you remember what I told you, Master?” The Master looked at her, but his eyes refused to focus. “It doesn’t need to be like this. You could come with us, and maybe eventually the Doctor could find a way to get the drums to stop.”

The Doctor bit back a protest. He did not want the Master anywhere near his TARDIS or his Rose.

But the Master didn’t seem inclined to take her up on the offer, anyway. “I didn’t want to spend the rest of my lives tied to you before; what makes you think I’ve changed my mind?”

“It’s only the two of you left, though,” Rose argued. “He’s got me, but the two of you have known each other for so long.”

The Master’s lips twisted into a pained, vindictive smile. “How about that? I win.” He grunted, and swallowed hard. “Will it stop, Doctor? The drumming. Will it stop?” He drew one last rasping breath, then his eyes closed.

The Doctor stared down at the limp body in his arms. There was a time when the Master had been one of his closest friends, when his death would have sent him into shattering grief. Even a year ago, he would have been devastated to find another Time Lord, only to lose him again. But with Rose beside him and yet not in his head, the only thing the Doctor could think was that the person responsible for all the pain and anguish of the last five months was dead.

This is part one of the change in the Master’s arc. The idea that the Doctor would be broken up over losing him when he and Rose were still suffering the effects of what he’d done--because their bond isn’t back yet--just felt really... unlikely to me. I know they were great friends before, but if your best friend from high school kidnapped your spouse and made you think they were dead for three months, I think that would probably destroy what was left of your affection for them.

From chapter 47:

[Rose] tugged the Doctor down onto the couch beside her and handed him the sonic. “Take it off, Doctor,” she begged. “Please… I need…”

“Yes,” he whispered. “So do I.” He adjusted the setting and pointed the device at Rose. “Let’s see what kind of lock we’re dealing with first,” he said, scanning the collar. His face brightened when he saw the results. “Oh, that’s simple,” he said, his nimble fingers turning the controls.

The Doctor held the screwdriver up, then looked seriously at Rose. “Are you ready, love? This will probably be a little overwhelming—like getting your sight back after being blind for five months.”

Rose nodded her head quickly and took the Doctor’s free hand. “Don’t care. I’ll deal with it if it is.”

He nodded, then thumbed the control on the sonic. The lock popped open, and the Doctor dropped his tool to pull the collar off of her.

Rose’s head swam under the onslaught of thoughts and emotions sweeping over her. The TARDIS was humming joyfully, happy to have her Wolf and her Thief back where they belonged.

And the Doctor…

Their bond snapped back to life the moment the collar was removed, and she could feel every bit of love, and relief, and elation he felt at being reunited with her. His pain and anger over their forced separation were almost as potent, but Rose carefully directed his focus to the positive.

A strangled sob from the Doctor was the only warning she had before he hauled her into his arms and then stretched out on the couch with her lying beside him. A moment later, she felt a hesitant knocking in her mind, and Rose had to fight her own anger when she realised he was asking permission to enter. It was a purely symbolic gesture, but she hated the idea that he would doubt she wanted him.

Concentrating on the bond, she deepened their connection, letting her mind rest against his as closely as he held her physically. After five months without him, it felt slightly unnatural, like slipping into shoes that hadn’t been worn in a long time. But the relief from the emptiness they’d both felt so keenly more than made up for any temporary discomfort. Rose held him close, both physically and telepathically, and projected as much love and welcome as she could over the bond. The worst of the ache faded gradually, and they both sighed in relief at the realisation that they were truly together again.

When the swirl of emotions settled somewhat, Rose’s head was resting on the Doctor’s shoulder and his fingers were tangled in her hair. She tilted her head back and pressed a kiss to his Adam’s apple, followed by one to his jawline.

The Doctor hummed his approval, then shifted and tilted his head so her next kiss could reach his lips. Rose smiled at the silent request and ran a hand through his hair as she kissed him gently.

Together again at last.

From chapter 47:

She rarely paid much attention to her connection to the ship, usually taking it for granted, but today, she closed her eyes and focused on the gold thread that linked them. The image of a wolf howling came to mind, and Rose hummed her agreement.

“We are the Bad Wolf,” she whispered, then opened her eyes when the Doctor sucked in a breath. “What?”

He rubbed at his forehead. “I’ll never be fully comfortable with that,” he admitted. “Not that you have a closer connection with our ship than I do—that I honestly love. But the memory of what you did to bond with her, of what it did to you…”

Rose propped herself up on her elbow. “Is there anything of me in the TARDIS?” she wondered. “Like, she left the huon particles in me—is there anything of Rose in her? Or does this all go one way?”

“One way, and one time only,” the Doctor said firmly. “I see the ideas lurking in your mind, Rose Tyler, but please remember, merging with the TARDIS killed you once.”

Timelines shimmered around Rose. The Doctor was wrong. It wasn’t merging with the TARDIS that had killed her; it was taking in the Vortex. If one could be done without the other…

So, would it spoil too much to tell you this relates directly to what Rose does to save them on the Crucible in Forever and Never Apart?

From chapter 47/48:

When the flames had engulfed the Master’s body, the Doctor turned silently and they started to leave.

They’d only taken two steps away from the pyre when Rose stopped. The timelines were flowing around this moment so heavily they almost hummed. She remembered what the Doctor had said about key moments of her life resonating more because of her time as Bad Wolf, and she pulled her hand away from his and followed her instincts around to the other side of the pyre.

“What are you doing, Rose?”

“Doesn’t it seem odd to you, Doctor, that barely five minutes after you told him you knew better than to think he would ever purposely end his life, the Master did exactly that?”

“It was about finally beating me. He wanted to leave me alone,” the Doctor said, his earlier bitterness back.

Rose shook her head as she scanned the ground for… something. “Blowing up the rockets and making the Earth burn would have beaten you, too. He only chose to die when it was obvious he’d lost. It makes me wonder if he had a back-up plan in place.” She spotted something glinting on the ground and picked it up. “I wonder what this is.”

The Doctor came around to join her, and his eyes widened when he saw the ornate silver ring she held. “That’s a resurrection ring,” he said.

“Like in Harry Potter?”

“Sort of.” The Doctor took it and held it up to the firelight. “I thought those were only a myth. They should only be a myth.”

Rose looked at the circular Gallifreyan on the bezel of the ring. “And what does this definitely-not-a-myth do?”

“You leave an imprint on the ring of your identity, and it can be used to… well, not technically bring you back to life… more like create a clone of you, but one that shares all your memories and experiences.”

“It’s a horcrux,” Rose said flatly.

“Well… in a manner of speaking… yes.”

[...]

While Rose took a shower after breakfast, the Doctor moved the TARDIS so they were parked with a supernova just outside the doors. He’d promised her they’d dispose of the Master’s ring, and honestly, after the year they’d just been through, he was just as anxious to make sure his old enemy couldn’t come back.

Once they were in orbit around the dying star, he pushed the doors open and leaned against the doorjamb. He stared out at the stars and watched time swirl and eddy around them. Galaxies born, planets dying, stars going supernova—it was all driven by Time, the force that held the universe together and let it fall apart. The Time War had damaged the Web of Time extensively, but frayed as it was, this much remained.

The Master’s paradox had left ripples in the timelines that would take months or even years to smooth out. The ripples threw his time senses off, but something tugged at him, something about this supernova.

Unable to stand not knowing, he pushed off from the door and walked back to the console. “Why did you pick this supernova, old girl?” he muttered as he checked the coordinates. His eyebrows went up when he made the connection, but Rose appeared before he could say anything to the TARDIS.

She took his hand. “Ready?”

The Doctor pointed to the open doors. “Mount Doom awaits,” he told her. Rose laughed, and a smile tugged at the Doctor’s lips as he followed her to the door.

He pulled the ring out of his pocket and handed it to her. “I think you should have the honour. You were the one who found it, after all.”

Rose hefted the silver ring in her hand, then pitched it out into the mass of gaseous clouds. “Good riddance to bad rubbish,” she muttered as they watched it spin through the vacuum of space.

The Doctor stared, transfixed, as several timelines suddenly disappeared. He could only see shadowy glimpses of them—of a mad Master turning everyone into his clone, of something coming back that should remain lost, of his own painful regeneration—but what he saw was enough to make him grateful that Rose had found the ring.

Yes, I just undid End of Time. The Master will not come back, and without the Master, Rassilon and the Time Lords don’t have the connection of the drums to follow to bring Gallifrey back.

The specials are getting a pretty major overhaul, actually. They’re really the story of a man going mad with grief, and that’s not who the Doctor is in this series. They don’t fit any longer. And isn’t that a wonderful thing?

#tisaf #series: being to timelessness #timelessness recaps #ten x rose

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chasingthecosmos · 4 years

Text

Three Hearts to Own

Fandom: Doctor Who Rating: G Pairing: The Doctor/Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler Chapters: 11/12 Read on AO3 here.

A (sort of) season re-write centering around the Doctor’s touch telepathy and the many ways that it makes his life difficult while he attempts to move on from the loss of Rose Tyler. This work is based around Seasons 3 & 4 and the Tenth Doctor. It’s the final entry in the “A Hand to Hold” series, but it can also be read as a stand-alone. The first four or five chapters will just be short excerpts from the Doctor’s time away from Rose, but there will be a Journey’s End fix-it and a happily ever after at the end. Tags will be updated as I go. Chapters will vary in length.

Chapter Eleven: Journey’s End (Part Three)

They all ended up escaping with their lives only because of Rose's brilliance and Donna's nimble fingers. In fact, the Doctor found that he really didn't need to do much work at all when he had his two fantastic girls at his side working with him, and with the added help of Jack, Sarah Jane, Mickey, and Jackie (yes, even her), Davros and the daleks really never even really stood a chance to begin with.

They ended up leaving the whole horde of daleks spinning helplessly and completely disabled after Rose, Donna, and the Doctor sent the twenty-six planets in the Medusa Cascade home and then prepared to handle the remaining twenty-seventh themselves. Even though the Doctor may have preferred a more fiery end to the remaining ship full of hateful robots, he had Rose in his head reminding him of just how far he had come since the Time War, and he found that he simply couldn't muster up the same level of hate and anger that he had had all those years ago when they had first come across a broken down dalek buried underneath the sands of the Nevada desert.

Instead, the Doctor merely extended one last half-hearted attempt to save Davros, but when his offer of mercy was vehemently and predictably denied, he gladly shut his TARDIS doors on the whole bloody crucible and set it resolutely behind them.

Rose didn't have any additional words of comfort or reassurance for him, in the end - though the Doctor didn't really think that there were enough words in the universe that could heal the complexities of the Time War and all of the damage and destruction that it continued to leave behind, even now. But his brilliant, beautiful girl still managed to overshadow any lingering despair and anger with her feelings of love and peace, which she projected into his mind until there wasn't room for anything else.

With Rose filling his thoughts and the rest of his companions filling his TARDIS, the Doctor's hearts were more full than they had been in a very, very long time - though, of course, the knowledge that goodbyes were inevitably around the corner did dampen the mood somewhat.

Sarah Jane went first - she was eager to get back to her son (a story that she still didn't bother to tell him completely, though the Doctor suspected that he would find out the details sooner or later). She was followed close behind by Jack and Martha - then, to all of their surprise, Mickey.

"There's nothing in that world for me, now," the young man proclaimed decidedly as he left Pete's World behind him and set his sights on the new world that lay before him, "certainly not Rose."

The Doctor shared a weighted look with the young man who he had spent an inordinate amount of time being jealous over in the past. It all seemed like such a long time ago, now - even though he knew that, in reality, it had only been a few years. Mickey had grown up and changed so much from that frightened kid cowering in a back alley just because a couple of plastic dummies were attempting to threaten his life. The Doctor still couldn't admit it out loud - not even now - but there was no denying the fact that he was proud of him.

When he finally ran off after Jack and Martha, the Doctor knew that he wouldn't have to worry about Rickey the Idiot anymore - he already had all of the resources that he would need in order to make a successful life for himself all over again. However, the rest of the Tyler family was another story.

"Time for one last trip," the Doctor announced as he swaggered back into his TARDIS with an air of easy confidence that he didn't really feel at all. Rose and Jackie didn't meet his eyes as he moved back to the TARDIS monitor, but he caught Donna's look of pained sympathy that did nothing at all to improve his mood as he declared resolutely, "Dårlig Ulv Stranden."

--------------------

"Oh, fat lot of good this is. Back of beyond - bloody

Norway

?" Jackie moaned as soon as the TARDIS touched down again and they all stepped out onto that cold, cloudy beach once more.

"Couldn't you have gotten her a little bit closer to home?" Rose agreed, sighing heavily as she scowled out at the horizon. The Doctor could sense that she was just as wary at seeing this place again as he was. There were simply too many bad memories of half-formed sentences and rushed goodbyes.

"Do you ... have someone who you could call?" the Doctor asked awkwardly, not quite sure how to phrase his question without sounding completely ridiculous as he subtly attempted to learn as much as he could about the life that Rose had made for herself here without him.

"Mum could always phone Dad," she replied with an off-handed shrug. "How long can we stay? I'd like to make sure that she's alright before we head back."

When the Doctor's only reply was a beat of unsure silence as he silently gauged her expression and thoughts, Rose rolled her eyes dramatically and added, "I mean, of course I'm coming back with you. What, did you think you were just going to drop me off on this sad old beach again and leave me behind forever?"

"I thought ..." the Doctor tried weakly, not really sure how to explain the many different doubts, fears, and anxieties that he was feeling in that moment.

"Oh, no. You're not getting rid of me that easily," Rose cut him off simply. "I just ... need to explain to her everything that's happened." She paused for a moment as she tore her gaze away from him and glanced at her mother over her shoulder, her expression falling as she silently prepared herself for the last, momentous goodbye that still lay ahead of them.

Do you want me to come with you ...? the Doctor asked hesitantly, his hands shoved into his pockets as he shifted his weight awkwardly in the sand. He had always been bad at the goodbyes, and he had always been bad with his companions' mothers. He suspected that those two negatives wouldn't exactly cancel each other out - especially when it came to Jackie Tyler.

But Rose's smile was confident and infection as she met his gaze and slowly nodded in assent and gratitude. "Might want to wait a minute, though," she suggested blithely as she moved to follow after her mother. "Probably don't want to be within slapping-distance if her first reaction isn't exactly ideal."

--------------------

However, Rose needn't have worried - her goodbye to her mother was heartfelt and satisfying, leaving absolutely no loose ends like the Doctor was notoriously known for doing. He and Rose were able to explain quite clearly that Rose's lifespan now far exceeded her mother's, and that she really would be safer and happier in a place where she wouldn't constantly be having to explain to people why she wasn't aging. Jackie even took the "Bad-Wolf-leading-them-all-to-this-point-and-changing-Rose's-body-specifically-for-him" part better than he had expected.

"Always knew it would come to this, one way or another," she sighed ruefully through her tears. "From the first moment you stepped into that bloody box with him, I knew I'd never get you back completely."

"It's better this way, Mum," Rose insisted gently, blinking through her own watery eyes. "You don't need me anymore. You've got Dad and Tony and everything you could ever want here. You'll all have a long, happy, normal life without me."

"I'll always need you, Rose," Jackie muttered, bringing her daughter into a crushing hug before they parted ways for the last time. "But you need him - and we all know how he's completely rubbish without you. So you go, and you live the life you've always wanted. Just know that I love you - no matter how far you go or how long you travel, just know that, Rose. Know that I love you."

The Doctor's hearts broke in sympathy for his bondmate when they finally turned their backs on Pete's World for the last time, but he took comfort in the fact that Rose was able to say goodbye to her mother in the end, and he was pleased to find that she didn't have a single ounce of lingering regret left in her as he fired up the TARDIS engines and set their course back for their home universe.

However, as per usual, Donna couldn't let the quite, reflective moment last, and the three of them were left standing in silence for only thirteen seconds before she piped up sarcastically, "Well, there's at least one person who's still fully human on board, and she is honestly very, very tired. do you think I can trust you two not to go running off into any explosions for a few hours while I take a quick kip?"

"Of course," the Doctor replied gently at the same time that Rose grinned and teased, "No promises."

Donna heaved a weary sigh as she glared at the two of them, but she didn't offer any more warnings or advice before shuffling off deeper into the TARDIS in the direction of her room.

"Speaking of explosions ..." the Doctor muttered as casually as he could while flashing an assessing gaze in Rose's direction out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, yes, I know ..." Rose sighed dramatically as she rolled her eyes at him with a long-suffering expression. It seemed that she knew without him having to tell her that he was still intensely curious about her new state of being and was eager to dissect the issue down to its molecular roots as soon as possible.

"I'll meet you in the infirmary," Rose muttered as she ran the tips of her fingers over the Doctor's arm on her way past him before following Donna's path deeper into the TARDIS. He didn't miss the sudden exhausted slump of her shoulders as she went, but before the Doctor could even attempt to ask her what was wrong, she tugged teasingly against his thoughts and quickly assured him that she was fine.

Don't keep me waiting, she reminded him as soon as they were out of ear-shot from one another. It's been two years and we have a lot of catching up to do ...

#doctor who #dw #fanfiction #fanfic #dw fanfic #dw fanfiction #doctor who fanfic #doctor who fanfiction #the doctor #tenth doctor #rose tyler #ten/rose #tenxrose #the doctor/rose #the doctorxrose

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blueboxesandtrafficcones · 6 years

Text

Contagion

Based on this nonny prompt - TenToo and Rose get quarantined.

Teen rating (no smut).

@doctorroseprompts for TenToo’s Day and for the forced into quarantine prompt; @timepetalscollective for general TenTooxRose fic

AO3

“I’m sorry.”

Rose opened her eyes at the Doctor’s quiet admission, turning to face him for the first time in three hours. “That’s nice.”

He had the good sense to look contrite. “I really am. I thought I saw a Bucluetunian disintegrator sitting next to a Bunsen burner, which could cause a catastrophic reaction if it heats up too much. I didn’t mean to knock over the viral specimen.”

“Doctor, it was swine flu. I don’t know about at home, but it’s seriously dangerous and you exposed us both to it.”

“It was an accident,” he reminded her. “One which I think you’re blowing out of proportion.”

“We’re in quarantine!” She hadn’t meant to yell, but her frustration, anger, and hurt overwhelmed her; she burst into tears.

“Rose!” The Doctor looked lost, scooting forward so they were almost touching. He reached out, letting his hand hover just over one knee and patting the air.

It just made her cry harder, curling up around her knees as she let the months’ worth of emotions go. After a few minutes she sensed the Doctor come around to sit at her side, tentatively wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She immediately moved, scrambling into his lap to bury her head in his shoulder.

Taking the change as permission he wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her to him as he pressed kisses to her hair, letting her cry it out.

Eventually she calmed but made no move to leave his lap, instead shifting her arms from around his neck to his waist. “I got your shirt all wet,” she mumbled in apology, and he shrugged.

“It’s just a shirt, Rose. You’re far more important.”

She spoke to his collar, not quite able to meet his eyes. “We haven’t… talked since you got here.”

“No, we haven’t,” he agreed quietly. “You didn’t seem ready.”

Rose let out a shuddering breath. “I’m not, I don’t think. And then it’s the dead of the night and you’re snoring away next to me and all I want is to talk to you, to hear your voice. But then…”

“I understand,” the Doctor promised.

“You do?”

“Of course. I know it must be difficult, adjusting to how much more handsome I am now.” He grinned down at her, and she began to really laugh for the first time since Canary Wharf.

“Is that so,” she teased, and he nodded.

“And I understand. Must be something about this universe – you’re so much more beautiful than I remember, and I didn’t think that could be possible.”

Rose stopped laughing at that, staring up at him. “You’d never have said that before,” she murmured, and he inhaled sharply.

“Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have thought it.”

“Doctor.”

He gave her a considering look, working his jaw for long moments. “Someone that you love.”

“What?” The apparent non-sequitur threw Rose, and she squinted up at him.

“I figured, if I’m finishing unfinished sentences, that’s another that deserves the light of day.”

It took her a second, but her hissed breath told him when she understood. “The chippy.”

“I know how you must have seen that conversation, and then everything- after. But the truth was, I was afraid letting you all the way in, telling you and therefore the universe what you meant to me, would just curse us. I didn’t think I could handle losing you.”

“But you did.” Rose sat up straight, leaning back to see him better. “You traveled with Martha, and Donna. You found Jack again.”

The Doctor gave a bitter laugh. “Just cause I survived doesn’t mean I handled it well. Or at all. I’d be shocked if neither of them said anything to you about how I was since I lost you.”

“Martha did seem to know who I was,” she bit her lip.

“She did?”

Rose gave him an odd look. “Yeah, when we were talking to Davros, and Martha threated to blow up Earth – I said ‘oh, she’s good’, and she said ‘who’s that’. I said I was Rose Tyler, and she went ‘oh my God he found you’.”

His jaw dropped as his spine stiffened. “What do you mean, threated to blow up Earth?”

She stared at him, now genuinely concerned. “Are you all right? Did something happen to your memory? She had some Oster-whatever Key that would activate bulkheads or something, I dunno.”

Something crossed his face, a dark look that didn’t help. “This was after I was shot.”

“Yes.”

“Before Donna and I showed up in the TARDIS.”

“Yes.”

He shook his head slowly. “That wasn’t me. That was the Time Lord Doctor.”

“Is there that much of a difference between you?”

“No,” he rushed out, before stopping to think. “Not really, not on the inside – aside from the obvious physiological inside bits, like the missing heart. And respiratory bypass. And most of the rest of my superior biology.”

Rose cocked an eyebrow at that.

“Anyway, memory wise, which is what I assume you’re really asking, everything’s exactly the same up until I started regenerating. Anything after that’s separate.” He paused before adding, “Running for my life towards you – that was me. Well, both of us, but still – me.”

“I ran across a parallel world,” she said abruptly. “The one artificially generated around Donna. In it, she never met you and you died beneath the Thames.”

“Christmas. Same day I was able to reach you, on Bad Wolf Bay. The transmission cut off before I could get the words out. Turned around and there she was, standing in the console room hollering like you wouldn’t believe.”

“You died, and didn’t regenerate.” There was no accusation in Rose’s eyes, only questions, and he sighed heavily.

“I didn’t want to go on without you. My greatest fear had been realized – and it was worse than I thought possible. I must have given up – I would have, if Donna hadn’t been there to stop me.”

“Doctor…”

“I love you so much,” he whispered. “I haven’t loved anyone or anything like this in – well, a very long time. Except the TARDIS.”

“I love you too,” she promised softly.

“Yeah, but you didn’t give up.”

“Sure I did,” Rose dismissed. “Every day. All the time. I’d go lock myself in the handicap bathroom and give up and cry. Or I’d lie in bed and want to die. But then I always remembered something very important.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re an idiot.”

He was visibly taken aback. “Excuse me?”

“You’re an idiot,” she repeated factually. “You just go ‘woe is me’ and move on, probably thinking you deserved it, or were being punished for being happy or something. If I wanted to get home, I’d have to do it myself. I learned that the hard way – twice.”

“I wouldn’t say it like that,” he sniffed.

“Doctor.”

“I just don’t understand why you think I’m worth such a sacrifice. “

“And that’s why you’re an idiot,” she smiled, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek. “One I love, but still one.”

“What do you want from me?” The Doctor asked suddenly. “I’m here, you’re here – are you going to try to go back? Will you – do you want to spend your life with me? I don’t – I don’t know where I belong in this universe other than at your side, but if that’s not what you want-”

“I want you,” she told him firmly, shifting around so she straddled his lap. “That’s it. I’m open to anything – that’s something we can talk about and decide together – but the only definite is you. Us. Anything else – babies, and jobs, and marriage, that’s all take it or leave it. I don’t want it with anyone else. If that’s something I have, it’s only with you.”

“Really? I’m the only requirement?” The Doctor’s skeptical look made her bite her lip.

“Yes. Though, uh, there are some things I feel are more important to our overall happiness than others.”

“Like what?” She had to smile at the poor, clueless alien who didn’t seem to be picking up on the obvious.

“Like… fun ways we can spend our forever.”

“Like?” he repeated.

“Figure it out, Time Lord.” Rose rolled her hips down against his, and after a moment his eyes went wide.

“You mean-”

“Yep.” She popped the letter as he did, continuing to move against him as he physically responded.

“Yeah, I can get on board with that,” the Doctor nodded, staring thoughtfully into the distance.

“At least try to wait until you’re home, will you?”

Jackie’s voice echoing through the quarantine chamber had the same effect as dumping a bucket of ice water on their heads; Rose scrambled off his lap to sit beside him as the Doctor drew his knees up to hide any evidence of his reaction.

“Sorry!” they called together, before glancing at each other.

Sitting in the observation booth watching as the couple laughed, Jackie turned to her husband. “See?”

“Yeah, that’s great that they finally talked, Jacks,” Pete said patiently, “but did we have to fake a shutdown and quarantine to make it happen?”

“Oh, you’ll learn,” she told her husband knowingly, content to know that Rose would quite literally get the best of both worlds.

Well, universes.

#bbatcfic #timepetalscollective #doctorroseprompts #ficandchips #tentoosday #contagion #prompted fic #tentooxrose #TenToo #rose tyler #doctor who

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