Birthday Ficlet for wild_sybil
Title: The Human Foible of Chewing Gum
Author: ladychi
Rating: All Ages
Summary: The prompt was, "the Doctor discovers a piece of Rose's gum on the bottom of the jumpseat". wild_sybil thought it would be funny -- and well... I didn't get funny. I got this. Sorry hun!
The Human Foible of Chewing Gum
Sitting on the jumpseat, the Doctor watched as Martha Jones explored the TARDIS console, turning knobs and pressing buttons he didn't immediately warn her off. His ship was parked and wouldn't take off of, despite her idle curiosity. The Family was taken care of -- their screams echoed in his head and yet he couldn't bring himself to care. The overwhelming numbness that had been the trademark of his time immediately after Bad Wolf Bay settled over him.
In Joan, he had seen much of Rose -- and not just that she was blonde. She was gentle, and caring -- but unlike Rose, hadn't been attracted to the Doctor. She was attracted to the human man the Doctor could have been. What he could have been to Rose, what he could have promised her, if he had thought of it.
And like Joan, she was gone. His hearts squeezed painfully and he struggled for breath. Gripping the sides of the jumpseat, he clung until he relaxed and pulled his hand away.Or tried to pull his hand away. A stringy, sticky substance tried to cling to his skin, and the Doctor made a face.
"Martha Jones, have you been chewing gum on the jumpseat?"
"Don't like gum," she said absently. "Makes you look like a cow."
The Doctor's mind flashed, and like a computer accessing a file, drew up an old memory from a time when he'd worn leather and had larger ears.
**
"Rose, will you stop that chomping, please?" the Doctor asked, irritated. "You're distracting me from -- this."
"What is it?" Rose asked cheekily, sidling up to him and layiing her hand on his shoulder. He drew in a breath, and it was full of her.
"This thing. It's a -- well, I don't know exactly. But it goes ding when there's stuff."
"Sounds important," Rose said, and noisily popped a bubble in his ears.
"Well, obviously," the Doctor said with a sniff. "You're smacking your gums in my ears."
"Sorry!" Rose walked off in a huff, and there was a faint smacking sound. "It's gone now. Okay?"
"Rose!" The Doctor whined. "Where did you -- oh, maroon alert! Hang on tight!"
**
He'd sailed through time and space and promptly forgot the gum and his moment of irritation -- oh, God, if he could just see her again, he swore he'd never get irritated with her silly human foibles ever again -- but here it was. A tangible memory of her, and the way she'd been. And the way he'd been.
Blinking, he stared up at the ceiling. He was sure he'd sat on this jumpseat before but he'd never encountered Rose's gum. The TARDIS hummed reassuringly, and his hearts slowed to a steady rhythm.
"Why?" asked Martha, breaking him out of his reverie.
"Oh, it's... Well, it's not nothing." The Doctor smiled something. "It's silly. Onwards, Martha Jones! We have times and people to see and very little time to spend lollygagging in here."
He flung a switch and pressed a button importantly, and although Martha laughed as they took off with a jerk -- it was Rose's voice that echoed in his head.
Author: ladychi
Rating: All Ages
Summary: The prompt was, "the Doctor discovers a piece of Rose's gum on the bottom of the jumpseat". wild_sybil thought it would be funny -- and well... I didn't get funny. I got this. Sorry hun!
The Human Foible of Chewing Gum
Sitting on the jumpseat, the Doctor watched as Martha Jones explored the TARDIS console, turning knobs and pressing buttons he didn't immediately warn her off. His ship was parked and wouldn't take off of, despite her idle curiosity. The Family was taken care of -- their screams echoed in his head and yet he couldn't bring himself to care. The overwhelming numbness that had been the trademark of his time immediately after Bad Wolf Bay settled over him.
In Joan, he had seen much of Rose -- and not just that she was blonde. She was gentle, and caring -- but unlike Rose, hadn't been attracted to the Doctor. She was attracted to the human man the Doctor could have been. What he could have been to Rose, what he could have promised her, if he had thought of it.
And like Joan, she was gone. His hearts squeezed painfully and he struggled for breath. Gripping the sides of the jumpseat, he clung until he relaxed and pulled his hand away.Or tried to pull his hand away. A stringy, sticky substance tried to cling to his skin, and the Doctor made a face.
"Martha Jones, have you been chewing gum on the jumpseat?"
"Don't like gum," she said absently. "Makes you look like a cow."
The Doctor's mind flashed, and like a computer accessing a file, drew up an old memory from a time when he'd worn leather and had larger ears.
**
"Rose, will you stop that chomping, please?" the Doctor asked, irritated. "You're distracting me from -- this."
"What is it?" Rose asked cheekily, sidling up to him and layiing her hand on his shoulder. He drew in a breath, and it was full of her.
"This thing. It's a -- well, I don't know exactly. But it goes ding when there's stuff."
"Sounds important," Rose said, and noisily popped a bubble in his ears.
"Well, obviously," the Doctor said with a sniff. "You're smacking your gums in my ears."
"Sorry!" Rose walked off in a huff, and there was a faint smacking sound. "It's gone now. Okay?"
"Rose!" The Doctor whined. "Where did you -- oh, maroon alert! Hang on tight!"
**
He'd sailed through time and space and promptly forgot the gum and his moment of irritation -- oh, God, if he could just see her again, he swore he'd never get irritated with her silly human foibles ever again -- but here it was. A tangible memory of her, and the way she'd been. And the way he'd been.
Blinking, he stared up at the ceiling. He was sure he'd sat on this jumpseat before but he'd never encountered Rose's gum. The TARDIS hummed reassuringly, and his hearts slowed to a steady rhythm.
"Why?" asked Martha, breaking him out of his reverie.
"Oh, it's... Well, it's not nothing." The Doctor smiled something. "It's silly. Onwards, Martha Jones! We have times and people to see and very little time to spend lollygagging in here."
He flung a switch and pressed a button importantly, and although Martha laughed as they took off with a jerk -- it was Rose's voice that echoed in his head.