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 Three
She held tightly to the Doctor's hand as they walked back down the passageway away from the queen's cavern, Mr. Hoffman at their side. As they neared the chamber where River and Peter remained prisoners, the Doctor stopped. Kneeling in front of her, he placed both his hands on her shoulders. “I need you to wait here, little one.”
“Why?” She didn't want to be left alone.
He smiled at her. “Don't worry. I won't be long.”
Mr. Hoffman took her hand. “I'll stay with you.”
She looked up at him gratefully. The Doctor did, too. “Thank you,” he said, scrambling back to his feet. Then, after another smile and a quick tweak to her nose, he turned and entered the cave and crossed to where River and Peter were chained to the wall. After grabbing a small stick-like object from the ground nearby, he aimed it at the cuffs binding River. The instrument buzzed for a few seconds and the cuffs fell off. He repeated the process on Peter.
“Thank you, sweetie,” River said, standing up and rubbing her wrists.
The Doctor smiled and, with a flourish, flipped the tool into his pocket. “My pleasure.” He turned to Peter, “And how are you?”
Peter nodded. “Not bad. Considering I've been chained up in a cave by giant rats for several hours, not bad at all.”
The Doctor grinned at him. “Good. Good.”
River glanced around at the dead Rodentarian guards. “I take it you spoke with the queen?”
“Something like that,” he agreed, not meeting her gaze.
Her eyes narrowed. “You okay?”
He looked back up at her for a minute and then, grinning suddenly, decided, “Yeah. I am.”
She returned his smile. “Good.” Reaching down, she retrieved several of her own items from where they sat on the ground. She slipped the little rectangular box back into her pocket and strapped the gun and leather band back into their places on her thigh and wrist before turning back to the Doctor. “So, we good to get out of here?”
He nodded. “Yes.” Pointing to the object at her wrist, he continued, “Could you head back to the theater and clean up there? It won't do to leave all those Rodentarian just lying about the place. Someone might notice. Even in New York.”
She laughed. “Of course.”
He smiled. “Good. Then I'll see to Peter. Until later?”
“Mhmm...” she agreed, and stepped into his embrace. Her arms slipped around his shoulders; his hands tangled in her hair. Their lips met and the kiss which followed seemed to go on forever. When it finally ended, River stepped back, reached for the object strapped to her wrist and, with a flash like lightening, disappeared.
“How do they breathe when they do that?” she asked Mr. Hoffman.
The Doctor, hearing the question as he and Peter joined them, laughed and ruffled her hair. “I used to wonder about that myself. You'll find out, same as I did... one day.” Then, turning to the rest of them, he continued, “Now. Lets get the rest of you back home."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
They'd left Mr. Hoffman back in Berlin and, in the Doctor's magic box, brought Peter back home as well. Before he stepped out of the door, though, Peter turned and smiled down at the little girl. “Wait here, child. I'll be right back. There's something I'd like to give you.”
When he returned a few minutes later, he was hiding something behind his back. “What's that?” she asked.
Laughing, he brought out the large painted nutcracker he'd been concealing. “You looked like you could use a friend,” Peter suggested as he handed it to her. “And I thought you might like a little something to remember me - and all of this - by.”
“Oh... Thank you!” She reached out to take the nutcracker from him and clutched it to her chest. “It's beautiful!”
He returned her smile. “It's my pleasure, child.” Then, turning to the Doctor, he added, “And to you, sir. Thank you for coming to my timely rescue.”
The Doctor returned his smile, but tried to dismiss the thanks with a wave of his hands. “Oh. Well. That. It is sort of what I do.”
“What? Fight giant rats?”
The Doctor's grin grew broader. He nodded. “Yes. Exactly. Only, you know, like I told Mr. Hoffman, if you ever feel the need to tell anyone about this...?”
“Yes?”
“Do me a favor, and leave me out of it?”
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
She sat on the small chair near the controls, working her nutcracker's mechanism while the Doctor spun madly about, pushing buttons and pulling levers in a seemingly random fashion. Refusing to look at her.
Finally, needing to know but dreading the answer, she broke the silence herself. “I have to go back, too, don't I?”
The Doctor looked up at her. The look on his face was all the answer she needed.
Fighting back her tears - she was not going to cry - she asked, “Why?”
At that, he stopped working the controls and came over to kneel before her, taking both of her hands in his. “Oh... Sweetie. I can't tell you. I wish I could, but...” He shrugged. “I just can't.”
“Can I at least keep my nutcracker?” She was pretty sure she knew the answer to that, though, too.
He dropped his gaze.
She'd been correct. Unable to control the tears now, she asked, her voice breaking over the words, “Will I... at least... see you again?”
At that, he looked up again, smiling at her through the tears glistening in his eyes. “Oh, yes, little one. You'll see me again. I promise. I'll always come back for you.”
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
She woke up slowly, draped in the shadows beneath the bed. Around her, she could see the dark forms of the costumes hanging on their racks, the rats' masks on their table, and the piles of props which filled every corner. Her dream was a faded memory even before she'd come fully awake.
She pulled the thin wool blanket more securely over her shoulders and, smiling, drifted slowly back toward sleep. It had, after all, been a very good dream.
Maybe, in sleep, she could find it again.
Continued in Coda
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 Three
She held tightly to the Doctor's hand as they walked back down the passageway away from the queen's cavern, Mr. Hoffman at their side. As they neared the chamber where River and Peter remained prisoners, the Doctor stopped. Kneeling in front of her, he placed both his hands on her shoulders. “I need you to wait here, little one.”
“Why?” She didn't want to be left alone.
He smiled at her. “Don't worry. I won't be long.”
Mr. Hoffman took her hand. “I'll stay with you.”
She looked up at him gratefully. The Doctor did, too. “Thank you,” he said, scrambling back to his feet. Then, after another smile and a quick tweak to her nose, he turned and entered the cave and crossed to where River and Peter were chained to the wall. After grabbing a small stick-like object from the ground nearby, he aimed it at the cuffs binding River. The instrument buzzed for a few seconds and the cuffs fell off. He repeated the process on Peter.
“Thank you, sweetie,” River said, standing up and rubbing her wrists.
The Doctor smiled and, with a flourish, flipped the tool into his pocket. “My pleasure.” He turned to Peter, “And how are you?”
Peter nodded. “Not bad. Considering I've been chained up in a cave by giant rats for several hours, not bad at all.”
The Doctor grinned at him. “Good. Good.”
River glanced around at the dead Rodentarian guards. “I take it you spoke with the queen?”
“Something like that,” he agreed, not meeting her gaze.
Her eyes narrowed. “You okay?”
He looked back up at her for a minute and then, grinning suddenly, decided, “Yeah. I am.”
She returned his smile. “Good.” Reaching down, she retrieved several of her own items from where they sat on the ground. She slipped the little rectangular box back into her pocket and strapped the gun and leather band back into their places on her thigh and wrist before turning back to the Doctor. “So, we good to get out of here?”
He nodded. “Yes.” Pointing to the object at her wrist, he continued, “Could you head back to the theater and clean up there? It won't do to leave all those Rodentarian just lying about the place. Someone might notice. Even in New York.”
She laughed. “Of course.”
He smiled. “Good. Then I'll see to Peter. Until later?”
“Mhmm...” she agreed, and stepped into his embrace. Her arms slipped around his shoulders; his hands tangled in her hair. Their lips met and the kiss which followed seemed to go on forever. When it finally ended, River stepped back, reached for the object strapped to her wrist and, with a flash like lightening, disappeared.
“How do they breathe when they do that?” she asked Mr. Hoffman.
The Doctor, hearing the question as he and Peter joined them, laughed and ruffled her hair. “I used to wonder about that myself. You'll find out, same as I did... one day.” Then, turning to the rest of them, he continued, “Now. Lets get the rest of you back home."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
They'd left Mr. Hoffman back in Berlin and, in the Doctor's magic box, brought Peter back home as well. Before he stepped out of the door, though, Peter turned and smiled down at the little girl. “Wait here, child. I'll be right back. There's something I'd like to give you.”
When he returned a few minutes later, he was hiding something behind his back. “What's that?” she asked.
Laughing, he brought out the large painted nutcracker he'd been concealing. “You looked like you could use a friend,” Peter suggested as he handed it to her. “And I thought you might like a little something to remember me - and all of this - by.”
“Oh... Thank you!” She reached out to take the nutcracker from him and clutched it to her chest. “It's beautiful!”
He returned her smile. “It's my pleasure, child.” Then, turning to the Doctor, he added, “And to you, sir. Thank you for coming to my timely rescue.”
The Doctor returned his smile, but tried to dismiss the thanks with a wave of his hands. “Oh. Well. That. It is sort of what I do.”
“What? Fight giant rats?”
The Doctor's grin grew broader. He nodded. “Yes. Exactly. Only, you know, like I told Mr. Hoffman, if you ever feel the need to tell anyone about this...?”
“Yes?”
“Do me a favor, and leave me out of it?”
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
She sat on the small chair near the controls, working her nutcracker's mechanism while the Doctor spun madly about, pushing buttons and pulling levers in a seemingly random fashion. Refusing to look at her.
Finally, needing to know but dreading the answer, she broke the silence herself. “I have to go back, too, don't I?”
The Doctor looked up at her. The look on his face was all the answer she needed.
Fighting back her tears - she was not going to cry - she asked, “Why?”
At that, he stopped working the controls and came over to kneel before her, taking both of her hands in his. “Oh... Sweetie. I can't tell you. I wish I could, but...” He shrugged. “I just can't.”
“Can I at least keep my nutcracker?” She was pretty sure she knew the answer to that, though, too.
He dropped his gaze.
She'd been correct. Unable to control the tears now, she asked, her voice breaking over the words, “Will I... at least... see you again?”
At that, he looked up again, smiling at her through the tears glistening in his eyes. “Oh, yes, little one. You'll see me again. I promise. I'll always come back for you.”
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
She woke up slowly, draped in the shadows beneath the bed. Around her, she could see the dark forms of the costumes hanging on their racks, the rats' masks on their table, and the piles of props which filled every corner. Her dream was a faded memory even before she'd come fully awake.
She pulled the thin wool blanket more securely over her shoulders and, smiling, drifted slowly back toward sleep. It had, after all, been a very good dream.
Maybe, in sleep, she could find it again.
Continued in Coda