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timepiececlockSummary: Something quiet, for the still life. These are the moments he bought with love, and these are the conversations they might have, past the points of the compass and the scope of the sea.
Spoilers: Some months after the events of 4x13
Pairings: Yes.
Setting: Alternate Universe, England.
Notes: This is weird. It started off as one thing, led to another. It's my mildly confused attempt to capture a moment of what life could be like for Rose and Alt!Doctor. These are the moments he bought with love. Not the moment of adventure and thrill, but the moments in between, where time crawls.
It's a mellow ficlet, with lots of dialogue, and I'm not sure where it came from or why I avoided using names in the text. Please overlook any accidents of pacing, imbalances of the humors, or a weak grasp of British colloquial syntax.
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FANFICTION.NET link: here
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Between The Tick and The Tock and The Bell, We Live
"So what's it like, being human?"
"You tell me, Jackie," said the man, and he raised his eyes from the book.
"Right. Because you're only bits and pieces, aren't you? I forgot. Not all the way anything."
There were a number of replies the man considered giving to this, most of them crude enough to start a fight: a good and nasty row. However, the woman he loved was in the kitchen; she was just close enough to hear when something expensive and gaudy gets thrown against cherry-wood-paneled wall.
"Jackie." The man nodded in a way that was almost respectful, and his book covers met in a snap. He left his chair and headed for the kitchen, where he knew he'd find a blond woman pouring over a map too large for the counter space she'd spread it on. He leaned against the nearest pantry cabinet and waited.
Eventually, she looked up at him, and she smiled fondly when she did.
"You're quiet when you want to be, stealthy as mole when you're not talking. I remember that." The man smiled in return.
"You're more studious than I remember. And," he gestured, "you collect maps, now."
The women let her smile slide a little wider, and she pushed on a long crease with a dust-darkened fingertip. "I did some traveling last year, and when I got out into the big wide world, I realized that maps make it a lot easier to get around. If you're actually doing the walking and not popping back and forth. I like to keep track."
The man tapped his slim hardcover against his chin. "Have you tried charts yet?"
"No boat."
The man placed is book on the counter top and clapped his hands once. "That's what government organizations are for. Or so they tell the new guy."
"You want to steal a boat from Torchwood?"
"They wouldn't have any good ones," he said, and a thread of playfulness slipped through. "Maybe from the coastal guard folk--what are they called here?"
The blond woman shrugged. "Shore Watch Something. It isn't a very good name for an agency."
"Let's commandeer one tomorrow. For the greater good of Britain. And trust me, it is."
"Sounds fun." The woman tilted her head, and blond waves dipped between her neck and shoulder. "What's wrong?"
The man sighed. "Jackie." The woman frowned.
"You said you'd try to be nicer--"
"I am being nice. I was nice. I love your mother, she's a powerhouse of a lady. But we don't mix and I've...overstayed. It's not pleasant when I can hear the things she says and the things she doesn't."
"Can't you block it out? You used to."
"Jackie is loud on the inside, and I'm around her more often. Every day."
The woman chuckled at his sour expression. She rose from the chair, walked toward the man, and cupped his face. "There's been a record number of whales beaching themselves off the coast of Southern Portugal. Would you be terribly disappointed if we officially asked for the boat instead of stealing it?"
The man gave a pretend pout, bringing his hands to cover hers. "I'll be put out. I was looking forward to heisting it during the witching hour. We could wear all black."
The woman giggled, and leaned her forehead against his. "We could still wear all black, if you want to be in the spirit of it."
"Portugal, you said. Too hot during the day."
"Well, I do need charts. We could steal those."
"Too easy."
"Tell you what," the woman said, her arms wrapped around his neck now and her form pleasantly leaning on his front. "You fly to Portugal with me, use that brain the size of a planet to translate so we get to the right beach, and I'll let you steal any article of my clothing, when we get there."
"Any?"
"Any. If I don't figure out what you've stolen or where it's hidden, then on the second day you get to filch something else. But if I catch you..."
"Oi, you'll spoil me for the ending."
"Have I tweaked your interest?"
"Escaping your mum, a free pass at your knickers, and a whale of a mystery?" He chuckled, turned in place, and hoisted her onto the slick corian counter. Their foreheads still rested together, and this time his smile went all the way to his eyes.
"Exotic sea food, too," said the woman, whose name was Rose, who had a passion for jeopardy, and who liked to mark on maps every place on this new Earth that she planned to take him.
"Not the whales, I hope?"
"Well, we'd have to save them first."
"That sounds... fantastic," said the man, whose name was sometimes John Smith, who was all the way in love with Rose Tyler, and who didn't draw on maps anymore because he planned to take her to the places that never quite made it to ink or stylus or GPS device. All the places on her world that whispered, and sang, and lived, past the points of the compass and the scope of the sea.
********************************************
Spoilers: Some months after the events of 4x13
Pairings: Yes.
Setting: Alternate Universe, England.
Notes: This is weird. It started off as one thing, led to another. It's my mildly confused attempt to capture a moment of what life could be like for Rose and Alt!Doctor. These are the moments he bought with love. Not the moment of adventure and thrill, but the moments in between, where time crawls.
It's a mellow ficlet, with lots of dialogue, and I'm not sure where it came from or why I avoided using names in the text. Please overlook any accidents of pacing, imbalances of the humors, or a weak grasp of British colloquial syntax.
FANFICTION.NET link: here
****************************
"So what's it like, being human?"
"You tell me, Jackie," said the man, and he raised his eyes from the book.
"Right. Because you're only bits and pieces, aren't you? I forgot. Not all the way anything."
There were a number of replies the man considered giving to this, most of them crude enough to start a fight: a good and nasty row. However, the woman he loved was in the kitchen; she was just close enough to hear when something expensive and gaudy gets thrown against cherry-wood-paneled wall.
"Jackie." The man nodded in a way that was almost respectful, and his book covers met in a snap. He left his chair and headed for the kitchen, where he knew he'd find a blond woman pouring over a map too large for the counter space she'd spread it on. He leaned against the nearest pantry cabinet and waited.
Eventually, she looked up at him, and she smiled fondly when she did.
"You're quiet when you want to be, stealthy as mole when you're not talking. I remember that." The man smiled in return.
"You're more studious than I remember. And," he gestured, "you collect maps, now."
The women let her smile slide a little wider, and she pushed on a long crease with a dust-darkened fingertip. "I did some traveling last year, and when I got out into the big wide world, I realized that maps make it a lot easier to get around. If you're actually doing the walking and not popping back and forth. I like to keep track."
The man tapped his slim hardcover against his chin. "Have you tried charts yet?"
"No boat."
The man placed is book on the counter top and clapped his hands once. "That's what government organizations are for. Or so they tell the new guy."
"You want to steal a boat from Torchwood?"
"They wouldn't have any good ones," he said, and a thread of playfulness slipped through. "Maybe from the coastal guard folk--what are they called here?"
The blond woman shrugged. "Shore Watch Something. It isn't a very good name for an agency."
"Let's commandeer one tomorrow. For the greater good of Britain. And trust me, it is."
"Sounds fun." The woman tilted her head, and blond waves dipped between her neck and shoulder. "What's wrong?"
The man sighed. "Jackie." The woman frowned.
"You said you'd try to be nicer--"
"I am being nice. I was nice. I love your mother, she's a powerhouse of a lady. But we don't mix and I've...overstayed. It's not pleasant when I can hear the things she says and the things she doesn't."
"Can't you block it out? You used to."
"Jackie is loud on the inside, and I'm around her more often. Every day."
The woman chuckled at his sour expression. She rose from the chair, walked toward the man, and cupped his face. "There's been a record number of whales beaching themselves off the coast of Southern Portugal. Would you be terribly disappointed if we officially asked for the boat instead of stealing it?"
The man gave a pretend pout, bringing his hands to cover hers. "I'll be put out. I was looking forward to heisting it during the witching hour. We could wear all black."
The woman giggled, and leaned her forehead against his. "We could still wear all black, if you want to be in the spirit of it."
"Portugal, you said. Too hot during the day."
"Well, I do need charts. We could steal those."
"Too easy."
"Tell you what," the woman said, her arms wrapped around his neck now and her form pleasantly leaning on his front. "You fly to Portugal with me, use that brain the size of a planet to translate so we get to the right beach, and I'll let you steal any article of my clothing, when we get there."
"Any?"
"Any. If I don't figure out what you've stolen or where it's hidden, then on the second day you get to filch something else. But if I catch you..."
"Oi, you'll spoil me for the ending."
"Have I tweaked your interest?"
"Escaping your mum, a free pass at your knickers, and a whale of a mystery?" He chuckled, turned in place, and hoisted her onto the slick corian counter. Their foreheads still rested together, and this time his smile went all the way to his eyes.
"Exotic sea food, too," said the woman, whose name was Rose, who had a passion for jeopardy, and who liked to mark on maps every place on this new Earth that she planned to take him.
"Not the whales, I hope?"
"Well, we'd have to save them first."
"That sounds... fantastic," said the man, whose name was sometimes John Smith, who was all the way in love with Rose Tyler, and who didn't draw on maps anymore because he planned to take her to the places that never quite made it to ink or stylus or GPS device. All the places on her world that whispered, and sang, and lived, past the points of the compass and the scope of the sea.
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no subject
Date: 2008-07-07 04:42 am (UTC)They seem to have an obsession with stealing things. It's worse now that they can't run away. I hope they don't get in too much trouble!
"Jacki is loud on the inside <---- Name typo. ^.^
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Date: 2008-07-07 04:43 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-07-07 05:04 am (UTC)Of course the characterization is so perfect and... you do this thing where I can sense in their words and the way they work together how their relationship is this living thing between them, growing and changing and full of joy.
You've made me happy with the ending, thankyouthankyou. I wanted to be happy for them.
(PS. I love how you worked in your earlier spec, where you were arguing quite well that, damnit, he's still be a Time Lord in many ways)
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Date: 2008-07-07 05:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2008-07-07 05:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-07 05:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-07 05:09 am (UTC)All the places on her world that whispered, and sang, and lived, past the points of the compass and the scope of the sea.
It has a lovely sound to it -- I can imagine David Tennant speaking it, even though it's not meant as dialogue -- and the rhythm of it puts me in mind of my very favorite line from the movie Shakespeare in Love ["a lady whose soul is greater than the ocean, and her spirit stronger than the sea's embrace"]. :)
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Date: 2008-07-07 05:46 am (UTC)Plus, I wanted to reaffirm that he's still part Time Lord, and even if he has only one heart and won't live forever, he can still feel the world turning, feel the advance of time, and he still knows about science and secrets and magic. He's still The Doctor.
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Date: 2008-07-07 06:22 am (UTC)Post 4x13 fic is my therapy right now. Thanks for the good therapy session :)
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Date: 2008-07-07 06:53 am (UTC)It was a crazy episode, and my initial reaction to the beach triangle was "This is whacked!" Which is neither a good nor a bad thing.
So I'm playing around with ideas, trying to sort out in my head what I think the finale means for Rose and the Doctor. That's my therapy. :D
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Date: 2008-07-07 09:37 am (UTC)I'm so glad that all of this wonderful post-4.13 fic is being written. I love it!
OH AND. I'm SO GLAD you left in bits about him still being able to read minds, etc. This is the first fic in which I've seen that, and I love it. Because he's not fully human, they even said that in the episode - he's part human, which means part Time Lord! And, err, I'm rambling. Again: THIS IS WONDERFUL.
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Date: 2008-07-07 06:21 pm (UTC)It perfectly captures the way that I personally believe their relationship would be. And I think the interaction with Jackie is realistic and lovely, too, because yeah, they would get sick of each other. But for Rose's sake, the Doctor would deal with it. And yes, yesyesyes, he and Rose would live out their own mini-adventures, because despite being "stuck" on Earth without a TARDIS, they'd still make the absolute best of it.
Yes. And honestly, I don't think they'd be stuck on Earth forever. The Doctor will never have another TARDIS, but he's a super genius half-alien, so he can probably build another space ship at least. Maybe not another time-traveling ship, but something to travel to the stars with. Of course, he'd probably have to do it secretly because he wouldn't want to give Earth that kind of technology ahead of time. But I can see it happening.
I'm SO GLAD you left in bits about him still being able to read minds, etc. This is the first fic in which I've seen that, and I love it. Because he's not fully human, they even said that in the episode - he's part human, which means part Time Lord!
I know! I won't hide it: I put that in there deliberately:
JACKIE: You're a human now!
DOCTOR: No I'm not!
JACKIE: Halfbreed!
DOCTOR: I went down on your daughter this morning!
JACKIE: Kill! Kill! Kill!
I was surprised when I started reading some of this JE fic and they all seem to "humanize" the Doctor. I was like, WTF? I am so confused about why my fellow Dr/R fans seem intent on sucking out the magic of the situation. He's still a newly regenerated Time Lord, he just doesn't stay young anymore and he won't regenerate. All his other qualities didn't just disappear, and he's not a human.
If I keep reading fics where he loses all of his Doctorness and just becomes That Guy You Meet In The Grocery Who Looks Like The Doctor, I might have to rant about it. The episode itself said it: he's still the Doctor! He just will age.
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Date: 2008-07-07 09:46 am (UTC)Thanks :)
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Date: 2008-07-07 06:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-07 12:17 pm (UTC)I don't suppose you'd be writing more...?
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Date: 2008-07-07 06:07 pm (UTC)I might write more! I dunno. I'm frequently intimidated by the lexicon of Britspeak... I am afraid of making them sound too Americanized. And I've only written a couple of DW fics, much less than for my other fandoms. But there's a lot of opportunities here and I might end up trying again. Mostly with this fic I wanted to point out that he's not a human, he's half human, half Time Lord. He didn't suddenly become John Smith, the guy you meet at the pharmacy.
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Date: 2008-07-08 03:47 am (UTC)Great job!
(Oh, but one quick typo I found -- "or wear it it's hidden". I think you mean, "or where it's hidden".)
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Date: 2008-07-08 05:28 am (UTC)Thanks for catching the typo! fixed.
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Date: 2008-07-14 01:31 pm (UTC)