Smith & Poisson
Title: Smith & Poisson
Author: Froxyn
Rating: PG
Author's Note: This was written for Challenge 3 at doctor_rose_las for the prompt "An AU meeting between the Doctor and Rose." While I was happy with the fic itself, looking now at the prompt, it's not exactly right. I went more by the comments on the New Challenge post than the prompt itself and as a result, wrote an AU version of events as opposed to a "meeting". Luckily, it didn't get me voted off.
Mickey was busy looking around the spacious room, still overly excited that he had gotten a spaceship on his first go, when something caught his eye.
"Hey, what’s that?"
Rose looked over in Mickey’s direction and laughed. "It’s a fireplace. We have those on Earth, you know."
Mickey rolled his eyes, but it was the Doctor who spoke next.
"True, but...why does a spaceship need a fireplace?" The Doctor made his way across the room and ran his fingertips over the mantelpiece. "Especially an 18th century French fireplace? Beautiful workmanship, very French and all, but...on a spaceship?"
Mickey knelt down, eyes widening as he looked into the fireplace. "What if it’s attached to a bedroom?"
"What?" Rose asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.
"There’s a - " He started, gesturing towards the fireplace, but gave a squeaky cry of surprise when a young girl suddenly appeared on the other side.
"Who are you?" The girl asked, tilting her head to the side.
The Doctor quickly knelt next to Mickey and peered through, smiling at the young girl. "I’m the Doctor. What are you doing in there?"
"It’s my room. What are you doing there?" She countered before turning her eyes back to Mickey. "What’s your name?"
Mickey smiled warmly. "Mickey Smith."
The girl stared at him. "That doesn’t sound very French."
Mickey chuckled. "Why would it?"
"Because she’s French." The Doctor stated softly, scratching the back of his head.
Mickey turned to look at the Doctor, confusion showing in his dark eyes. "But, she’s speaking English."
"Nope. She’s speaking French...the TARDIS is translating for you." The Doctor replied before turning his attention back to the girl. "What’s your name?"
The girl regarded him carefully for a few moments before finally giving him an answer. "Reinette."
* * *
Rose nudged the Doctor’s shoulder as they led the horse, affectionately named ‘Arthur’ by the Doctor, through a fairly large corridor. "What’s wrong, then?"
"Nothing. What would be wrong? We’re on a spaceship that has hundreds of doorways that all lead to France and Reinette Poisson...Madame de Pompadour. We’re currently in the company of a horse...a beautiful horse, but still...a horse. And while we’re trying our best to figure out what is going on...Mickey is taking her to a ball."
Rose grinned and reached over to rub Arthur’s neck. "That’s what bothers you the most, yeah? Him spending time with Madame de Pompadour?"
"What? No..." The Doctor replied quickly.
Rose shook her head. "Look at you...jealous about Mickey!"
"I’m not..." The Doctor sighed heavily and met Rose’s eyes. "I’m not jealous that he’s with her. Why would I be? I’m here with you."
"Yeah?"
He smiled and reached over to take her hand. "Yeah."
She squeezed his hand and glanced at Arthur. "We’re still not keeping the horse."
"Rose! We can’t just leave him here..."
"Last I looked, the TARDIS didn’t have stables."
Arthur whinnied and butted his nose against the back of the Doctor’s shoulder. Rose laughed at the look of surprise on the Doctor's face and then leaned up to place a tender kiss on his cheek.
His eyes sparkled as he grinned. "Rose Tyler..."
Rose huffed a soft laugh and gave him a wink. "Come on, let's go find out what these walking clocks are up to."
The Doctor chuckled as he gave a light tug on Arthur's reins and took a step forward. "Walking clocks..."
Arthur snorted as he fell into step beside the Doctor.
* * *
"We really shouldn't just leave him alone." Rose stated, casting a worried glance towards the hall that led to the room Mickey had chosen for himself.
The Doctor shed his jacket and loosened his tie before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "He knows where to find us, Rose. He needs to work through this in his own way and he's not ready to talk."
Rose nodded slowly and gave a heavy sigh as she sat down next to him. "I know...I just haven't seen him sad like this before."
"I have." He replied, continuing when Rose silently questioned him. "Each time you left him to come with me."
"But, I didn't die." Rose whispered.
"Not physically." The Doctor agreed, turning his body towards hers. "But, he loved you...probably still does...and you loved him. It's hard watching the woman you love walk away. It's even harder watching the woman you love fall in love with someone else."
Rose opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a gentle neigh just outside the door. She gave a groan of near-exasperation and gestured to the door.
"Doctor..."
"Turn left after you pass the library, down the ramp, right, then left again. Follow that to the orchard, take the path to the right, and then...stables."
Rose stared at him. "The orchard? There's an orchard?"
The Doctor grinned. "Arthur loves apples."
She shook her head in amusement and then exhaled a deep breath.
"Do you really think he'll be okay?"
"Arthur's fine...he's just happy to not be stuck on his own." He cleared his throat as Rose rolled her eyes. "But, you meant Mickey, of course. And he'll be fine too, I promise. She loved him, you know. Reinette Poisson loved Mickey Smith and that's something no one can take away from him. And when he's ready to talk, we'll be there to listen."
Rose slipped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. As his arms encircled her, she gave a soft sigh.
"I love you, Doctor."
The Doctor smiled and pressed a warm kiss into her hair.
"Quite right, too." He whispered as he lovingly rubbed her back.
Rose smiled and closed her eyes.
~ End
Author: Froxyn
Rating: PG
Author's Note: This was written for Challenge 3 at doctor_rose_las for the prompt "An AU meeting between the Doctor and Rose." While I was happy with the fic itself, looking now at the prompt, it's not exactly right. I went more by the comments on the New Challenge post than the prompt itself and as a result, wrote an AU version of events as opposed to a "meeting". Luckily, it didn't get me voted off.
Mickey was busy looking around the spacious room, still overly excited that he had gotten a spaceship on his first go, when something caught his eye.
"Hey, what’s that?"
Rose looked over in Mickey’s direction and laughed. "It’s a fireplace. We have those on Earth, you know."
Mickey rolled his eyes, but it was the Doctor who spoke next.
"True, but...why does a spaceship need a fireplace?" The Doctor made his way across the room and ran his fingertips over the mantelpiece. "Especially an 18th century French fireplace? Beautiful workmanship, very French and all, but...on a spaceship?"
Mickey knelt down, eyes widening as he looked into the fireplace. "What if it’s attached to a bedroom?"
"What?" Rose asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.
"There’s a - " He started, gesturing towards the fireplace, but gave a squeaky cry of surprise when a young girl suddenly appeared on the other side.
"Who are you?" The girl asked, tilting her head to the side.
The Doctor quickly knelt next to Mickey and peered through, smiling at the young girl. "I’m the Doctor. What are you doing in there?"
"It’s my room. What are you doing there?" She countered before turning her eyes back to Mickey. "What’s your name?"
Mickey smiled warmly. "Mickey Smith."
The girl stared at him. "That doesn’t sound very French."
Mickey chuckled. "Why would it?"
"Because she’s French." The Doctor stated softly, scratching the back of his head.
Mickey turned to look at the Doctor, confusion showing in his dark eyes. "But, she’s speaking English."
"Nope. She’s speaking French...the TARDIS is translating for you." The Doctor replied before turning his attention back to the girl. "What’s your name?"
The girl regarded him carefully for a few moments before finally giving him an answer. "Reinette."
* * *
Rose nudged the Doctor’s shoulder as they led the horse, affectionately named ‘Arthur’ by the Doctor, through a fairly large corridor. "What’s wrong, then?"
"Nothing. What would be wrong? We’re on a spaceship that has hundreds of doorways that all lead to France and Reinette Poisson...Madame de Pompadour. We’re currently in the company of a horse...a beautiful horse, but still...a horse. And while we’re trying our best to figure out what is going on...Mickey is taking her to a ball."
Rose grinned and reached over to rub Arthur’s neck. "That’s what bothers you the most, yeah? Him spending time with Madame de Pompadour?"
"What? No..." The Doctor replied quickly.
Rose shook her head. "Look at you...jealous about Mickey!"
"I’m not..." The Doctor sighed heavily and met Rose’s eyes. "I’m not jealous that he’s with her. Why would I be? I’m here with you."
"Yeah?"
He smiled and reached over to take her hand. "Yeah."
She squeezed his hand and glanced at Arthur. "We’re still not keeping the horse."
"Rose! We can’t just leave him here..."
"Last I looked, the TARDIS didn’t have stables."
Arthur whinnied and butted his nose against the back of the Doctor’s shoulder. Rose laughed at the look of surprise on the Doctor's face and then leaned up to place a tender kiss on his cheek.
His eyes sparkled as he grinned. "Rose Tyler..."
Rose huffed a soft laugh and gave him a wink. "Come on, let's go find out what these walking clocks are up to."
The Doctor chuckled as he gave a light tug on Arthur's reins and took a step forward. "Walking clocks..."
Arthur snorted as he fell into step beside the Doctor.
* * *
"We really shouldn't just leave him alone." Rose stated, casting a worried glance towards the hall that led to the room Mickey had chosen for himself.
The Doctor shed his jacket and loosened his tie before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "He knows where to find us, Rose. He needs to work through this in his own way and he's not ready to talk."
Rose nodded slowly and gave a heavy sigh as she sat down next to him. "I know...I just haven't seen him sad like this before."
"I have." He replied, continuing when Rose silently questioned him. "Each time you left him to come with me."
"But, I didn't die." Rose whispered.
"Not physically." The Doctor agreed, turning his body towards hers. "But, he loved you...probably still does...and you loved him. It's hard watching the woman you love walk away. It's even harder watching the woman you love fall in love with someone else."
Rose opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a gentle neigh just outside the door. She gave a groan of near-exasperation and gestured to the door.
"Doctor..."
"Turn left after you pass the library, down the ramp, right, then left again. Follow that to the orchard, take the path to the right, and then...stables."
Rose stared at him. "The orchard? There's an orchard?"
The Doctor grinned. "Arthur loves apples."
She shook her head in amusement and then exhaled a deep breath.
"Do you really think he'll be okay?"
"Arthur's fine...he's just happy to not be stuck on his own." He cleared his throat as Rose rolled her eyes. "But, you meant Mickey, of course. And he'll be fine too, I promise. She loved him, you know. Reinette Poisson loved Mickey Smith and that's something no one can take away from him. And when he's ready to talk, we'll be there to listen."
Rose slipped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. As his arms encircled her, she gave a soft sigh.
"I love you, Doctor."
The Doctor smiled and pressed a warm kiss into her hair.
"Quite right, too." He whispered as he lovingly rubbed her back.
Rose smiled and closed her eyes.
~ End