Drabbles: Part One
It occurs to me that these might take me a while.
Rose. Jackie. General S4 spoilers. Word Count: 245. For hjea.
Rose throws up in the tiny bathroom in her bedroom, knees drawn up to the toilet bowl. She rests her forehead on the toilet seat, her body shaking with spasms. Sweat trickles down her back and she tells herself to breathe-in through her nose, out through pursed lips. The shaking subsides and she leans back, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth.
The floorboards creak, and she looks up to find her mum standing in the doorway, her eyes narrowed and pinched with worry.
“You’re doing it again,” Jackie says, voice sounding like a cracking whip in the quiet bedroom.
Rose frowns and pushes herself to her feet. She reaches for a towel and delicately wipes her mouth. “I have to, Mum. It’s getting easier, though. And that’s… that’s bad. Soon there won’t be anything stopping me.”
“That’s bad?” Jackie repeats. “Rose, you’re going to kill yourself, sweetheart, you keep this up.”
“I’m traveling between parallel worlds,” Rose says, voice rising. “It’s not like I’m hopping on a plane for a quick trip across the pond. I shouldn’t be able to walk across universes, but I am. And it’s getting easier. What d’you think that means?”
Jackie opens her mouth and then closes it, faltering. They stare at each other.
The silence stretches on until Jackie sags. “I’ll make you a good cup of tea,” she says. “You better replace those fluids.”
“Yeah,” Rose says, throat suddenly feeling parched. “Tea sounds good.”
*****************
Donna. Ten. River (Tam). Doctor Who/Firefly. Word Count: 425. For almalthia.
“You’re time travelers.”
The girl’s voice carried over the wind like a chime. The Doctor froze, and slowly turned around, seeking out the owner of the voice. Donna shifted a bit closer to him, suddenly uneasy.
The girl was tiny. She had long stringy hair and wore a torn blue dress and huge black combat boots. Despite her size, something told Donna that the girl could be a threat. The Doctor seemed to be thinking the same thing and he stepped slightly in front of her, eyes fixed on the stranger.
“Yes, we are,” he said, after a moment. “How did you know?”
The girl shrugged, and the wind blew messy hair in her face, making her seem even more eerie. “I could hear you.” She tapped the side of her head. “Up here. You’re shouting… trapped inside your own mind.”
Donna glanced at the Doctor. She saw a flash of fear in his eyes before he covered it up.
She felt a stab of irritation. “Listen,” she said loudly, stepping closer to the girl. “I’ve had it about up to here with cryptic messages. ‘She is returning.’ ‘There’s something on your back.’ What the hell is that supposed to mean? So you just leave him alone, you hear me? Or I’ll-”
“Donna,” said the Doctor impatiently, “it’s fine. She’s a psychic. Like me. That’s why she could hear me.”
“She’s a WHAT?” Donna demanded.
The Doctor ignored her. He was staring at the girl with renewed interest, a look in his eyes that said he’d just found a new and shiny toy to play with. Donna rolled her eyes and wondered, not for the first time, if Rose and Martha had spent this much time wanting to smack him.
The Doctor and the girl held eye contact, staring at each other, just staring. Donna rubbed at her neck, feeling more and more out of place.
Finally, the Doctor gave a slow smile. “What’s your name?”
“River,” the girl answered.
The Doctor nodded. “Well, then, River. Thank you.” He cleared his throat and then reached out and to take Donna’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Donna glanced over her shoulder as the Doctor pulled her way. The girl was still standing there, watching them. She shivered and turned back to the Doctor. “What was that?” she said.
He waited a moment before answering. “My people were telepathic, Donna.”
“Right, I knew that. What’s that got to do with that girl, River?”
He shrugged and dropped her hand, reaching for the TARDIS key. “I get lonely sometimes.”
*************
Ten/Rose. Walkie-talkies. (Warning: crack!fluff). Word Count: 359. For lily_268.
Rose’s bag snapped and cackled and then the Doctor’s voice said, “Rose? Rose, are you there?”
She just managed to bite down on a shriek. She kept forgetting she had that thing. It would be just like the Doctor to buy them both walkie-talkies. It wasn’t like he lived in a bloody phone box or anything.
She sighed and dug her walkie-talkie out. “Yeah, I’m here,” she said. “Just stopped to use the loos.”
“Oh, excellent!” he said. “Has the blistering gone down?”
Rose squeaked and pulled the walkie-talkie away from her ear, staring at it in horror. The woman using the sink next to her sent Rose a dirty look and then shuffled back a few steps.
Rose found herself trying to explain. “It was on this… this planet,” she said. “We ended up running through a wild plant. I guess it was sort of like Poison Ivy from back on earth. Turns out I was allergic-”
Without a word, the woman turned and left, the door swinging shut behind her.
“-or not,” Rose finished.
The Doctor was speaking again. “Rose? Rose, is everything all right? Do you want me to come in? Rose?”
“I’m fine,” Rose said, picking up the walkie-talkie. “You don’t have to-”
Before she could finish, the door burst open, revealing a rather rumpled looking version of the Doctor. The walkie-talkie was in one hand and he waved the sonic screwdriver in front of him with the other. His eyes darted around the bathroom before landing on Rose.
He grinned. “There you are.”
Rose figured she had several very good reasons to be annoyed with him, but found herself matching his grin. And his hair was doing that worried sticking-up thing that she liked.
“I think the blistering’s almost gone,” Rose said.
The Doctor beamed. “That’s great!”
She closed the distance between them and they hugged.
One of the bathroom stalls banged open, and an irritated voice said, “This is the ladies room.”
“Oh, is it?” the Doctor said mildly. “I hadn’t noticed. How about you, Rose?”
“Nope,” Rose said.
They looked at each other, shrugged, and went back to hugging.
Rose. Jackie. General S4 spoilers. Word Count: 245. For hjea.
Rose throws up in the tiny bathroom in her bedroom, knees drawn up to the toilet bowl. She rests her forehead on the toilet seat, her body shaking with spasms. Sweat trickles down her back and she tells herself to breathe-in through her nose, out through pursed lips. The shaking subsides and she leans back, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth.
The floorboards creak, and she looks up to find her mum standing in the doorway, her eyes narrowed and pinched with worry.
“You’re doing it again,” Jackie says, voice sounding like a cracking whip in the quiet bedroom.
Rose frowns and pushes herself to her feet. She reaches for a towel and delicately wipes her mouth. “I have to, Mum. It’s getting easier, though. And that’s… that’s bad. Soon there won’t be anything stopping me.”
“That’s bad?” Jackie repeats. “Rose, you’re going to kill yourself, sweetheart, you keep this up.”
“I’m traveling between parallel worlds,” Rose says, voice rising. “It’s not like I’m hopping on a plane for a quick trip across the pond. I shouldn’t be able to walk across universes, but I am. And it’s getting easier. What d’you think that means?”
Jackie opens her mouth and then closes it, faltering. They stare at each other.
The silence stretches on until Jackie sags. “I’ll make you a good cup of tea,” she says. “You better replace those fluids.”
“Yeah,” Rose says, throat suddenly feeling parched. “Tea sounds good.”
*****************
Donna. Ten. River (Tam). Doctor Who/Firefly. Word Count: 425. For almalthia.
“You’re time travelers.”
The girl’s voice carried over the wind like a chime. The Doctor froze, and slowly turned around, seeking out the owner of the voice. Donna shifted a bit closer to him, suddenly uneasy.
The girl was tiny. She had long stringy hair and wore a torn blue dress and huge black combat boots. Despite her size, something told Donna that the girl could be a threat. The Doctor seemed to be thinking the same thing and he stepped slightly in front of her, eyes fixed on the stranger.
“Yes, we are,” he said, after a moment. “How did you know?”
The girl shrugged, and the wind blew messy hair in her face, making her seem even more eerie. “I could hear you.” She tapped the side of her head. “Up here. You’re shouting… trapped inside your own mind.”
Donna glanced at the Doctor. She saw a flash of fear in his eyes before he covered it up.
She felt a stab of irritation. “Listen,” she said loudly, stepping closer to the girl. “I’ve had it about up to here with cryptic messages. ‘She is returning.’ ‘There’s something on your back.’ What the hell is that supposed to mean? So you just leave him alone, you hear me? Or I’ll-”
“Donna,” said the Doctor impatiently, “it’s fine. She’s a psychic. Like me. That’s why she could hear me.”
“She’s a WHAT?” Donna demanded.
The Doctor ignored her. He was staring at the girl with renewed interest, a look in his eyes that said he’d just found a new and shiny toy to play with. Donna rolled her eyes and wondered, not for the first time, if Rose and Martha had spent this much time wanting to smack him.
The Doctor and the girl held eye contact, staring at each other, just staring. Donna rubbed at her neck, feeling more and more out of place.
Finally, the Doctor gave a slow smile. “What’s your name?”
“River,” the girl answered.
The Doctor nodded. “Well, then, River. Thank you.” He cleared his throat and then reached out and to take Donna’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Donna glanced over her shoulder as the Doctor pulled her way. The girl was still standing there, watching them. She shivered and turned back to the Doctor. “What was that?” she said.
He waited a moment before answering. “My people were telepathic, Donna.”
“Right, I knew that. What’s that got to do with that girl, River?”
He shrugged and dropped her hand, reaching for the TARDIS key. “I get lonely sometimes.”
*************
Ten/Rose. Walkie-talkies. (Warning: crack!fluff). Word Count: 359. For lily_268.
Rose’s bag snapped and cackled and then the Doctor’s voice said, “Rose? Rose, are you there?”
She just managed to bite down on a shriek. She kept forgetting she had that thing. It would be just like the Doctor to buy them both walkie-talkies. It wasn’t like he lived in a bloody phone box or anything.
She sighed and dug her walkie-talkie out. “Yeah, I’m here,” she said. “Just stopped to use the loos.”
“Oh, excellent!” he said. “Has the blistering gone down?”
Rose squeaked and pulled the walkie-talkie away from her ear, staring at it in horror. The woman using the sink next to her sent Rose a dirty look and then shuffled back a few steps.
Rose found herself trying to explain. “It was on this… this planet,” she said. “We ended up running through a wild plant. I guess it was sort of like Poison Ivy from back on earth. Turns out I was allergic-”
Without a word, the woman turned and left, the door swinging shut behind her.
“-or not,” Rose finished.
The Doctor was speaking again. “Rose? Rose, is everything all right? Do you want me to come in? Rose?”
“I’m fine,” Rose said, picking up the walkie-talkie. “You don’t have to-”
Before she could finish, the door burst open, revealing a rather rumpled looking version of the Doctor. The walkie-talkie was in one hand and he waved the sonic screwdriver in front of him with the other. His eyes darted around the bathroom before landing on Rose.
He grinned. “There you are.”
Rose figured she had several very good reasons to be annoyed with him, but found herself matching his grin. And his hair was doing that worried sticking-up thing that she liked.
“I think the blistering’s almost gone,” Rose said.
The Doctor beamed. “That’s great!”
She closed the distance between them and they hugged.
One of the bathroom stalls banged open, and an irritated voice said, “This is the ladies room.”
“Oh, is it?” the Doctor said mildly. “I hadn’t noticed. How about you, Rose?”
“Nope,” Rose said.
They looked at each other, shrugged, and went back to hugging.