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 Two, Scene Two
She crouched in a side passage next to Mr. Hoffman, concealed in the shadows. Sneaking past the Rodentarian guards when they'd returned River to the Doctor and Peter had been easy, as had been finding a decent spot to hide. And now they waited, watching the brightly lit cavern in which a large group of the giant rats were gathered.
They hadn't long to wait before the Doctor was dragged into the cave by two of the rat guards and pushed to the ground before the largest of the rodents, who she assumed was their leader. As soon as they'd released him, the Doctor pulled himself to his feet and dusted himself off. Grinning broadly at the Hive Queen (or King, she hadn't managed to sort out what gender the leader was - if the Rodentarians even had genders), he said, “Hullo.” Then he glanced around the room, taking in all the other creatures, before turning back to the queen. “Thank you for finally agreeing to meet with me.”
“It is I who sent for you,” the queen rasped.
The Doctor dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand. “Oh... Lets not quibble over details. You. Me.... Does it really matter?” His smile intensifed. “The point is, I'm here. And we can talk.”
“I do not desire to speak with the likes of you. I exist to -”
The Doctor cut her off smoothly. “Wreak havoc throughout the Universe?” He paused, but when the queen failed to answer after a moment, he continued, “We had noticed, you know. Not very nice, by the way. Not nice at all. And, quite honestly, it can't be allowed to continue.”
“And who will stop me?”
“Well...” he shoved his hands in his pocket and rocked back on his heels. “Me. Actually.”
The queen made a funny sort of squeaking noise. The little girl was pretty sure she was attempting to laugh. “How?” the queen asked once she'd stopped laughing.
The Doctor slipped one hand out of his pocket to scratch the side of his face. “I was sort of hoping you might see reason?
The queen just stared at him silently again for a minute before the squeaking resumed, even louder and higher in pitch than before.
The Doctor sighed. “I was afraid you might feel that way.” He slipped his other hand out of his pocket, pulling out a small white paper bag. The child recognized it; she'd given it to him just a few minutes earlier. “Oh well, then, perhaps...” He held the bag out to the queen. “Have a - ? No. Wait. That's not right.” A grin slashed across his face. “I know. How about...” He threw the bag up in the air, towards the queen. It erupted in a rain of small purple candies which flew about her face. “Dance of the sugar plums!” he concluded triumphantly.
Which was the child's clue. Making use of the queen and her guard's momentary distraction, she darted out of her hiding place toward the Doctor. In one fluid movement, he spun around, grabbed the sword she held out to him and thrust the point toward the queen's throat.
Every Rodentarian in the room stopped instantly in frozen tableau.
“So,” the Doctor continued, every trace of amusement gone, “Perhaps now you'll want to talk?”
The queen's small, black beady eyes glared at him down the length of the sword. “Talk? With the likes of you?”
“Well, it's either that, or...” he wiggled the sword suggestively.
The queen squeaked again. “You won't. You haven't the stomach for it. Weak, silly creatures. That's all you are.”
The guards were advancing on them. The child expected the Doctor to carry out his threat... to thrust the sword through the queen's throat and put an end to her. But, unbelievably, instead he started to slowly lower it, a look of defeat washing over his face...
The guards crouched, ready to pounce.
The little girl moved first. She had to. She grabbed the sword from the Doctor's hands and, using every ounce of her strength, swung it at the queen. Neatly separating head from body in one fluid movement.
The giant head fell to the ground with a sickening thud. All the other Rodentarian collapsed around them as well, cut off from life itself by the death of their queen.
The Doctor turned on her, a look of absolute horror on his face. “What have you done!?!” She could feel his shock and despair and fury washing over her in waves. And she felt the horror of it herself.
“I --” she began, but couldn't continue. Tears sprang to her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She tried to turn away, unable to bear the way he looked at her.
Then his expression was shifting again, the horror she felt no longer directed at her. Instead, he was horrified at...
Himself?
And then - unbelievably - he was reaching forward, pulling her into his arms and clasping her tightly to his chest. And, as he buried his face in her hair, the tears wetting her neck weren't hers.
Continued in Act Two, 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 Two, Scene Two
She crouched in a side passage next to Mr. Hoffman, concealed in the shadows. Sneaking past the Rodentarian guards when they'd returned River to the Doctor and Peter had been easy, as had been finding a decent spot to hide. And now they waited, watching the brightly lit cavern in which a large group of the giant rats were gathered.
They hadn't long to wait before the Doctor was dragged into the cave by two of the rat guards and pushed to the ground before the largest of the rodents, who she assumed was their leader. As soon as they'd released him, the Doctor pulled himself to his feet and dusted himself off. Grinning broadly at the Hive Queen (or King, she hadn't managed to sort out what gender the leader was - if the Rodentarians even had genders), he said, “Hullo.” Then he glanced around the room, taking in all the other creatures, before turning back to the queen. “Thank you for finally agreeing to meet with me.”
“It is I who sent for you,” the queen rasped.
The Doctor dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand. “Oh... Lets not quibble over details. You. Me.... Does it really matter?” His smile intensifed. “The point is, I'm here. And we can talk.”
“I do not desire to speak with the likes of you. I exist to -”
The Doctor cut her off smoothly. “Wreak havoc throughout the Universe?” He paused, but when the queen failed to answer after a moment, he continued, “We had noticed, you know. Not very nice, by the way. Not nice at all. And, quite honestly, it can't be allowed to continue.”
“And who will stop me?”
“Well...” he shoved his hands in his pocket and rocked back on his heels. “Me. Actually.”
The queen made a funny sort of squeaking noise. The little girl was pretty sure she was attempting to laugh. “How?” the queen asked once she'd stopped laughing.
The Doctor slipped one hand out of his pocket to scratch the side of his face. “I was sort of hoping you might see reason?
The queen just stared at him silently again for a minute before the squeaking resumed, even louder and higher in pitch than before.
The Doctor sighed. “I was afraid you might feel that way.” He slipped his other hand out of his pocket, pulling out a small white paper bag. The child recognized it; she'd given it to him just a few minutes earlier. “Oh well, then, perhaps...” He held the bag out to the queen. “Have a - ? No. Wait. That's not right.” A grin slashed across his face. “I know. How about...” He threw the bag up in the air, towards the queen. It erupted in a rain of small purple candies which flew about her face. “Dance of the sugar plums!” he concluded triumphantly.
Which was the child's clue. Making use of the queen and her guard's momentary distraction, she darted out of her hiding place toward the Doctor. In one fluid movement, he spun around, grabbed the sword she held out to him and thrust the point toward the queen's throat.
Every Rodentarian in the room stopped instantly in frozen tableau.
“So,” the Doctor continued, every trace of amusement gone, “Perhaps now you'll want to talk?”
The queen's small, black beady eyes glared at him down the length of the sword. “Talk? With the likes of you?”
“Well, it's either that, or...” he wiggled the sword suggestively.
The queen squeaked again. “You won't. You haven't the stomach for it. Weak, silly creatures. That's all you are.”
The guards were advancing on them. The child expected the Doctor to carry out his threat... to thrust the sword through the queen's throat and put an end to her. But, unbelievably, instead he started to slowly lower it, a look of defeat washing over his face...
The guards crouched, ready to pounce.
The little girl moved first. She had to. She grabbed the sword from the Doctor's hands and, using every ounce of her strength, swung it at the queen. Neatly separating head from body in one fluid movement.
The giant head fell to the ground with a sickening thud. All the other Rodentarian collapsed around them as well, cut off from life itself by the death of their queen.
The Doctor turned on her, a look of absolute horror on his face. “What have you done!?!” She could feel his shock and despair and fury washing over her in waves. And she felt the horror of it herself.
“I --” she began, but couldn't continue. Tears sprang to her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She tried to turn away, unable to bear the way he looked at her.
Then his expression was shifting again, the horror she felt no longer directed at her. Instead, he was horrified at...
Himself?
And then - unbelievably - he was reaching forward, pulling her into his arms and clasping her tightly to his chest. And, as he buried his face in her hair, the tears wetting her neck weren't hers.
Continued in Act Two, Scene Three