Moments 3/14
The Doctor had set the Tardis to materialize somewhere closer to Rose’s present. Instead she hurled him across the floor hitting his head against the rough coral and wound up somewhere completely different than where he wanted to be.
Sitting up and feeling a bit woozy in the process, he massaged the back of his head that hit against the cavernous surroundings. The Doctor took a few minutes to stabilize his breathing after having the wind knocked out of him.
“And what was that for?” he grunted at the grating underneath him.
Silence answered him.
“Fine. Be that way.” The Doctor got up and steadied himself a bit before walking toward his ship’s doors.
Once on the outside, the bright light hit his eyes blinding him. Light had never hit him just that way before. It was so strong that he felt, for a moment, that he was on some planet he hadn’t been on before - and that was something.
But before he could get too excited, he heard that voice.
No, not the one that made his nerve endings jump and fire inexplicably. The one that made his hearts thump quickly and loudly in his ears - the one he still tried to ignore even when admitting it to himself.
No. Not that voice. The other one. The more annoying, grating-on-his-nerves one. The idiotic one that could only belong to one Mickey Smith.
Or was it Rickey?
“Don’t you think about it Rose - not one second. You can do better. So much better.”
The Doctor could see Mickey with his arm around a crying Rose, saying those encouraging and truthful words in her ear. He sensed the meaning behind those very words, the ones saying that she could do so much better than him. Rickey looked like a valiant knight in this scene - why the blubbering idiot against the Nestene Consciousness he’d seen him as earlier?
A new wave of feelings he’d only felt hints at earlier began to overtake him as he watched the young man caress an even younger Rose’s arm. The Doctor watched as Rose’s tears fell and as Mickey swiped at each one before they could cascade down her cheeks. He rejected images and strands of memories (his or ones he would have? He didn’t want to contemplate it) and stumbled back against his machine.
The thump his boots made against the outside base of the Tardis must have been quite loud as he felt a pair of eyes on him. Instinctively, he looked up and locked eyes with the honey-colored eyes that had mesmerized him earlier.
Feeling sudden nervousness, he turned and grasped the door and stumbled through it. The Doctor had staggered awkwardly enough that it caused him to fall back towards the ramp. The doors closed behind him and the Tardis began to dematerialize on her own. The Doctor made no effort to stand or even move. He forced his breathing to steady once more. This time, for reasons quite different than before.
***
Four
Sitting up and feeling a bit woozy in the process, he massaged the back of his head that hit against the cavernous surroundings. The Doctor took a few minutes to stabilize his breathing after having the wind knocked out of him.
“And what was that for?” he grunted at the grating underneath him.
Silence answered him.
“Fine. Be that way.” The Doctor got up and steadied himself a bit before walking toward his ship’s doors.
Once on the outside, the bright light hit his eyes blinding him. Light had never hit him just that way before. It was so strong that he felt, for a moment, that he was on some planet he hadn’t been on before - and that was something.
But before he could get too excited, he heard that voice.
No, not the one that made his nerve endings jump and fire inexplicably. The one that made his hearts thump quickly and loudly in his ears - the one he still tried to ignore even when admitting it to himself.
No. Not that voice. The other one. The more annoying, grating-on-his-nerves one. The idiotic one that could only belong to one Mickey Smith.
Or was it Rickey?
“Don’t you think about it Rose - not one second. You can do better. So much better.”
The Doctor could see Mickey with his arm around a crying Rose, saying those encouraging and truthful words in her ear. He sensed the meaning behind those very words, the ones saying that she could do so much better than him. Rickey looked like a valiant knight in this scene - why the blubbering idiot against the Nestene Consciousness he’d seen him as earlier?
A new wave of feelings he’d only felt hints at earlier began to overtake him as he watched the young man caress an even younger Rose’s arm. The Doctor watched as Rose’s tears fell and as Mickey swiped at each one before they could cascade down her cheeks. He rejected images and strands of memories (his or ones he would have? He didn’t want to contemplate it) and stumbled back against his machine.
The thump his boots made against the outside base of the Tardis must have been quite loud as he felt a pair of eyes on him. Instinctively, he looked up and locked eyes with the honey-colored eyes that had mesmerized him earlier.
Feeling sudden nervousness, he turned and grasped the door and stumbled through it. The Doctor had staggered awkwardly enough that it caused him to fall back towards the ramp. The doors closed behind him and the Tardis began to dematerialize on her own. The Doctor made no effort to stand or even move. He forced his breathing to steady once more. This time, for reasons quite different than before.
***
Four