Midwinter #1: Stuck (Doctor Who)
Title: Stuck
Author: openmicnights
Prompt: Midwinter Prompt #1
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters & Pairings: Ten, Rose Tyler, the TARDIS
Rating & Warnings: G, no spoilers.
Word Count: 348 words
Summary: The Doctor plans to take Rose to the beach, but they end up in the middle of nowhere on a bleak winter's day.
“Stuck?” Rose asked, forehead wrinkled and hands on her hips. She looked a lot like her mother doing that, the Doctor thought, it was scary. He should let her know, so maybe she’d stop doing that.
“Yes,” he said instead, poking the TARDIS’ console in helpless frustration.
“What d’you mean, stuck?” she insisted.
The TARDIS gave a weak hum in reply and the Doctor looked at the monitor. “Oh, no,” he said. “Oh come on, you didn’t.”
“What, Doctor? What is it?” Rose asked.
“She’s out of power,” he said, turning away from the monitor and back towards Rose. “In the middle of nowhere.”
“Oh,” Rose said, her mouth forming the exact shape of an ‘o’. “And it means--”
“--we’re stuck here until she recharges, yeah,” the Doctor said, nodding.
“Well,” she said, shrugging. “At least we landed where we wanted to?”
“Technically, yeah,” the Doctor said and Rose frowned a little.
“Technically?” she asked and he hunched his shoulders.
“It’s the middle of winter. The weather outside is deadly cold and we cannot leave until she’s powered up again,” he said, watching as the corners of her mouth slowly twisted downwards.
She dropped her gaze, seeming visibly disappointed, and the Doctor felt the frustration growing inside him. He’d promised her the beach, sunbathing and swimming in a purple sea, but instead he’d given her bleak weather and being stuck in the TARDIS for hours, maybe even a whole day.
He kicked the TARDIS in frustration, though softly and not quite meanly.
“Well,” Rose shrugged, looking up with a small smile, and said, “it could be worse. We’re here, aren’t we?” She nudged the Doctor softly and he looked back at her. “I think I’ll just make us some tea, and we still have that funny cake from Saturday, don’t we?” she asked.
“Yes,” the Doctor answered with a nod, smiling back kind of inevitably when her smile widened.
“Come on, then,” she said and offered him her hand. He took it and nodded, following her across the console room and into the corridor, heading for the kitchen.
Author: openmicnights
Prompt: Midwinter Prompt #1
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters & Pairings: Ten, Rose Tyler, the TARDIS
Rating & Warnings: G, no spoilers.
Word Count: 348 words
Summary: The Doctor plans to take Rose to the beach, but they end up in the middle of nowhere on a bleak winter's day.
“Stuck?” Rose asked, forehead wrinkled and hands on her hips. She looked a lot like her mother doing that, the Doctor thought, it was scary. He should let her know, so maybe she’d stop doing that.
“Yes,” he said instead, poking the TARDIS’ console in helpless frustration.
“What d’you mean, stuck?” she insisted.
The TARDIS gave a weak hum in reply and the Doctor looked at the monitor. “Oh, no,” he said. “Oh come on, you didn’t.”
“What, Doctor? What is it?” Rose asked.
“She’s out of power,” he said, turning away from the monitor and back towards Rose. “In the middle of nowhere.”
“Oh,” Rose said, her mouth forming the exact shape of an ‘o’. “And it means--”
“--we’re stuck here until she recharges, yeah,” the Doctor said, nodding.
“Well,” she said, shrugging. “At least we landed where we wanted to?”
“Technically, yeah,” the Doctor said and Rose frowned a little.
“Technically?” she asked and he hunched his shoulders.
“It’s the middle of winter. The weather outside is deadly cold and we cannot leave until she’s powered up again,” he said, watching as the corners of her mouth slowly twisted downwards.
She dropped her gaze, seeming visibly disappointed, and the Doctor felt the frustration growing inside him. He’d promised her the beach, sunbathing and swimming in a purple sea, but instead he’d given her bleak weather and being stuck in the TARDIS for hours, maybe even a whole day.
He kicked the TARDIS in frustration, though softly and not quite meanly.
“Well,” Rose shrugged, looking up with a small smile, and said, “it could be worse. We’re here, aren’t we?” She nudged the Doctor softly and he looked back at her. “I think I’ll just make us some tea, and we still have that funny cake from Saturday, don’t we?” she asked.
“Yes,” the Doctor answered with a nod, smiling back kind of inevitably when her smile widened.
“Come on, then,” she said and offered him her hand. He took it and nodded, following her across the console room and into the corridor, heading for the kitchen.