The Nutcracker: A Song and Dance with A Little Melody on the Side
TITLE: The Nutcracker: A Song and Dance with a Little Melody on the Side
SERIES: Doctor Who
RATING: K
SPOILERS: Through Series 6
DESCRIPTION: River/Eleven though largely secondary. The name pretty much says it all otherwise. And I'm fairly certain this is what actually happened.
Act One, Scene Two
The magic box was bigger on the inside than on the outside. As that wasn't really that surprising in a magic box, this wasn't actually as important as the fact that it was also warm. And light. And that it smelled really really good. She couldn't quite place the smell, of course - it wasn't like she ever really recognized anything anyway - but it was exactly like she'd always imagined the inside of the homes she'd pass on the street would smell. Like family and food and safety and everything else good in the world.
She smiled.
And that's when she noticed the hum.
As she listened, it seemed to grow slowly louder until it tickled inside her ears.
She giggled.
The hum intensified still further.
She might have stood there all day, playing with the magic box, if she hadn't heard voices outside the door and a jiggle at the lock. The solution was in her head before she could start to worry. Darting under the stairs, she crouched down in the corner of the corridor beneath them. Thus concealed, she was able to watch and listen without risk of being seen.
The three adults had climbed the short flight of stairs and were standing in front of the circular control panel. River was pushing and pulling levers madly while the Doctor was peering intently at a strangely flat television screen hanging from the ceiling.
“So... what's the plan now?” River asked, looking up from the controls as a loud grinding noise filled the room.
The Doctor hit a few small buttons on the panel in front of him before glancing back up at the screen. “Uhm... Let me see if I can track their signature...” He clapped his hands together in delight. “Got it! Nineteen - No. Wait. Eighteen-fifteen. Just outside Berlin.”
River pulled a few more levers. The grinding sound faded. After a minute, she turned away from the controls. “Berlin?” she asked, smiling across the console at the Doctor. “Nice city, Berlin.”
He returned her smile. Only there was something in the way they were looking at each other that made the little girl uncomfortable. Like she shouldn't be watching.
Peter, who was standing next to the Doctor, cleared his throat awkwardly. Obviously, he felt the same way. “So, what do we do now that we've found them?” he asked once he'd gotten the others' attention.
River turned to the Doctor expectantly. “Yes. Now what?”
“Now,” he explained, “We track them back to their lair...”
“Their lair?” River arched an eyebrow at him.
He grinned at her. “Yes. They'll have a lair. Isn't that cool?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, dear. Tremendously. Then what?” she prompted.
He scowled at her for a moment, but his grin never wavered. “Then... We ask them to take us to their leader.”
River just looked at him. “Seriously?” she asked after a minute.
“I'm sure they'll be reasonable.”
“Reasonable... Giant hive-minded insect-like reasonable rats?”
His grin intensified. “Yes. Their leader should be reasonable. Of course the warrior drones weren't. That's why they're called warrior drones.”
“And if she's not?”
He dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. “She will be.”
“And if she's not...?” River repeated.
“Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he decided with a determined nod before turning and heading back toward the door.
River stayed behind for a minute, unholstering and checking something on the side of her gun before returning it to its place on her thigh. Then, exchanging a look with Peter, they both headed down the stairs and followed the Doctor out of the box.
The little girl waited at her place in the corridor for a few minutes after they had left, making sure they were gone. Then, quietly, she crept out of her hiding place. She paused at the door, though. What if they were still right outside. What if -
What she'd thought was an odd picture on the wall next to her suddenly sprang to life, interrupting her thoughts. It was an enormous television screen; on it, the Doctor, River, and Peter stood in a snow-covered forest. Without knowing how she knew, the child was certain she was seeing outside the box. As she watched, River glanced down at the small rectangle in her hand before pointing off into the woods. The Doctor took the lead, and the trio set off in the direction River had indicated.
The area around the box now empty, it was safe for her to venture outside. She reached for the handle and pulled to open the door; it wouldn't budge. She pulled harder. Still nothing.
Then she glanced down at her feet. One foot was covered in a threadbare leather shoe, the other was bare, with not even a sock covering it. Definitely not appropriate for wandering around in the woods in the snow.
“I can't stay here forever,” she protested to no one in particular.
The box hummed around her.
“Well, I can't!” she repeated.
No one answered.
Not that she'd actually expected an answer, even from a magic box.
She looked around. Maybe there was another way outside. Or a key. Or maybe a second exit. Or a...
Coat rack.
It was standing there next to the stairs, a red woolen coat hanging from it. She crossed to the rack and pulled the coat off the hook. It was just her size. As were the knit mittens in its pockets and the red snow boots sitting next to the rack on the floor.
She laughed as she sat down on the bottom step to pull on the boots. She was pretty sure nothing had been there when she'd first entered the box... Maybe magic boxes could answer, after all.
“Thank you,” she said aloud.
This time, she'd half-expected a response.
There wasn't one, of course.
The little girl went back to the door. She pulled upon the handle again and the door opened easily. Still laughing, she skipped outside and into the freshly falling snow, just as warm and cozy in her new coat and mittens and boots as she'd always dreamed she'd be.
Continued in Act One, Scene Three
SERIES: Doctor Who
RATING: K
SPOILERS: Through Series 6
DESCRIPTION: River/Eleven though largely secondary. The name pretty much says it all otherwise. And I'm fairly certain this is what actually happened.
Act One, Scene Two
The magic box was bigger on the inside than on the outside. As that wasn't really that surprising in a magic box, this wasn't actually as important as the fact that it was also warm. And light. And that it smelled really really good. She couldn't quite place the smell, of course - it wasn't like she ever really recognized anything anyway - but it was exactly like she'd always imagined the inside of the homes she'd pass on the street would smell. Like family and food and safety and everything else good in the world.
She smiled.
And that's when she noticed the hum.
As she listened, it seemed to grow slowly louder until it tickled inside her ears.
She giggled.
The hum intensified still further.
She might have stood there all day, playing with the magic box, if she hadn't heard voices outside the door and a jiggle at the lock. The solution was in her head before she could start to worry. Darting under the stairs, she crouched down in the corner of the corridor beneath them. Thus concealed, she was able to watch and listen without risk of being seen.
The three adults had climbed the short flight of stairs and were standing in front of the circular control panel. River was pushing and pulling levers madly while the Doctor was peering intently at a strangely flat television screen hanging from the ceiling.
“So... what's the plan now?” River asked, looking up from the controls as a loud grinding noise filled the room.
The Doctor hit a few small buttons on the panel in front of him before glancing back up at the screen. “Uhm... Let me see if I can track their signature...” He clapped his hands together in delight. “Got it! Nineteen - No. Wait. Eighteen-fifteen. Just outside Berlin.”
River pulled a few more levers. The grinding sound faded. After a minute, she turned away from the controls. “Berlin?” she asked, smiling across the console at the Doctor. “Nice city, Berlin.”
He returned her smile. Only there was something in the way they were looking at each other that made the little girl uncomfortable. Like she shouldn't be watching.
Peter, who was standing next to the Doctor, cleared his throat awkwardly. Obviously, he felt the same way. “So, what do we do now that we've found them?” he asked once he'd gotten the others' attention.
River turned to the Doctor expectantly. “Yes. Now what?”
“Now,” he explained, “We track them back to their lair...”
“Their lair?” River arched an eyebrow at him.
He grinned at her. “Yes. They'll have a lair. Isn't that cool?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, dear. Tremendously. Then what?” she prompted.
He scowled at her for a moment, but his grin never wavered. “Then... We ask them to take us to their leader.”
River just looked at him. “Seriously?” she asked after a minute.
“I'm sure they'll be reasonable.”
“Reasonable... Giant hive-minded insect-like reasonable rats?”
His grin intensified. “Yes. Their leader should be reasonable. Of course the warrior drones weren't. That's why they're called warrior drones.”
“And if she's not?”
He dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand. “She will be.”
“And if she's not...?” River repeated.
“Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he decided with a determined nod before turning and heading back toward the door.
River stayed behind for a minute, unholstering and checking something on the side of her gun before returning it to its place on her thigh. Then, exchanging a look with Peter, they both headed down the stairs and followed the Doctor out of the box.
The little girl waited at her place in the corridor for a few minutes after they had left, making sure they were gone. Then, quietly, she crept out of her hiding place. She paused at the door, though. What if they were still right outside. What if -
What she'd thought was an odd picture on the wall next to her suddenly sprang to life, interrupting her thoughts. It was an enormous television screen; on it, the Doctor, River, and Peter stood in a snow-covered forest. Without knowing how she knew, the child was certain she was seeing outside the box. As she watched, River glanced down at the small rectangle in her hand before pointing off into the woods. The Doctor took the lead, and the trio set off in the direction River had indicated.
The area around the box now empty, it was safe for her to venture outside. She reached for the handle and pulled to open the door; it wouldn't budge. She pulled harder. Still nothing.
Then she glanced down at her feet. One foot was covered in a threadbare leather shoe, the other was bare, with not even a sock covering it. Definitely not appropriate for wandering around in the woods in the snow.
“I can't stay here forever,” she protested to no one in particular.
The box hummed around her.
“Well, I can't!” she repeated.
No one answered.
Not that she'd actually expected an answer, even from a magic box.
She looked around. Maybe there was another way outside. Or a key. Or maybe a second exit. Or a...
Coat rack.
It was standing there next to the stairs, a red woolen coat hanging from it. She crossed to the rack and pulled the coat off the hook. It was just her size. As were the knit mittens in its pockets and the red snow boots sitting next to the rack on the floor.
She laughed as she sat down on the bottom step to pull on the boots. She was pretty sure nothing had been there when she'd first entered the box... Maybe magic boxes could answer, after all.
“Thank you,” she said aloud.
This time, she'd half-expected a response.
There wasn't one, of course.
The little girl went back to the door. She pulled upon the handle again and the door opened easily. Still laughing, she skipped outside and into the freshly falling snow, just as warm and cozy in her new coat and mittens and boots as she'd always dreamed she'd be.
Continued in Act One, Scene Three