Sherlock, Torchwood, Doctor Who - Acts of Remembrance, 12
Title - Acts of Remembrance
Author - laurab1
Characters - John Watson, Jack Harkness, Nine, Rose Tyler, Ten, Martha Jones, Amy Pond/Williams, Rory Pond/Williams, Eleven
Rating - PG-13 aka 12, kinda h/c, mostly gen
Length - 800 words in total
Spoilers - S1 of Sherlock, Torchwood CoE, New Who to end of S5
Summary - Five short fics about remembrance and memory, and they’re all rather angsty (politics, war, mental health issues).
Disclaimer - Alas, none of these people are mine. This version of Sherlock Holmes belongs to Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, the BBC et al. Sherlock Holmes as created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is in the public domain. The Doctor and his companions also belong to the Beeb.
Feedback is loved and appreciated :) Enjoy!
Acts of Remembrance
by Laura
In Arduis Fidelis
Captain John Watson, Royal Army Medical Corps, spends Remembrance Sunday, 2008 at Camp Bastion, Helmand Province. It’s strange, laying wreaths in the relative heat of the Afghan sun, rather than the cold of Britain in November.
He spends Remembrance Sunday, 2009 at Selly Oak. The morphine running through his system stops him feeling pain in his shoulder. John’s mostly concerned for himself, for his own recovery, but he’s still concerned for his mates, out there, so he observes the two minutes’ silence the best he can.
Others can’t.
Damn the Taliban to hell! he thinks, angrily, holding in his tears until the time is up.
The war was unwinnable, and had been for more than one hundred years.
On Remembrance Sunday, 2010, Dr John Watson, formerly of the RAMC, wearing his best suit, his medals, and a poppy, lays a wreath on the Cenotaph on behalf of his regiment.
Faithful in adversity, indeed, because it was hard, being a doctor in a war zone. He might have long since lost faith in his commanding officers, and given himself over to another war, but John’s still a soldier, and he still knows the Royal British Legion will never let him down.
***
Per Ardua ad Astra
Captain Jack Harkness has spent many remembrance days in many places, and many times, but the only one he now pays any attention to is that observed by Great Britain, and her Empire, then Commonwealth.
He must have told Captain John Hart that at some point, because on Remembrance Sunday, 2011, he’s on a space station he doesn’t really know the name of, when his ex-partner sends him a photo of a field of poppies on his Vortex Manipulator.
Jack sheds a few tears, and when his VM tells him it’s 11am, GMT, he has his own two minutes’ silence.
***
There Was a War, and We Lost
Oh, thank God, now she can collapse.
“Jack!” Rose cries, catching sight of him, and launching herself at his chest. His big arms go around her, hold her close, no questions asked, as usual.
“What’s wrong, honey?” he gently asks, after a couple of minutes’ silence, easing her away, taking her head in his hands, drying her tears with his thumbs.
“He’s in there,” she indicates the door with a finger, “and he’s cryin’. I wanted to help, I tried, but he just told me I didn’t need to know, and yelled at me to get out.”
“You decided it was best to agree with him, this time, huh, Rose?”
“Yeah, Jack,” she says, thickly.
“At least you tried. Can’t win ‘em all, sweetheart.” Jack leans down, presses a kiss to her forehead, soft and sweet. “Bad dreams, I reckon. Maybe even nightmares. His hearts are kinda broken, aren’t they?”
Rose nods in reply.
“Now, I’ve got an idea of what he saw, ending up the last of his kind. But he’ll remember in perfect detail, won’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“And he’s a stubborn idiot, so he’ll keep suffering away on his own.”
“Even when the nightmares are really bad. ‘Cause that’s what that was. Two against one, then? A problem shared is a problem halved?”
“You got it, honey. We both tell him we do need to know, that we won’t be horrified by what he tells us, and we might just get through that thick alien skull of his.”
***
It’s Gonna Take Patience and Time
He hasn’t done this in such a very long time, and he knows it’s going to be hell on Martha, but they’re being chased, and he’s positive that hiding really is the only way to keep all three of them from harm. He’ll almost forget who he is, but the watch will remember, and keep him safe.
The watch, Martha and the TARDIS.
When it’s all over, Joan tells him he should never have come, and that she hates him, the Doctor. He hugs Martha outside the TARDIS, thanking her for looking after him. He lets Tim have the watch, knowing that he will know when it’s needed.
Then they go and find Tim’s last Remembrance Sunday service. They pin poppies on their coats, stand out of the way, and watch Tim hold the alien timepiece like it’s the most precious thing in all the world.
Which, really, it is.
***
When No Hope Was Left In Sight
“Vincent, Doctor,” Amy says, out of the blue, one day. “Would he remember us, if we went and said ‘thanks for the picture, you helped save the universe’?”
“Vincent?” Rory asks. “You met Vincent Van Gogh?”
“It was when you were dead,” Amy replies. “He loved my hair, and put my name on one of the versions of the Sunflowers.”
“Okay,” Rory says, awkwardly.
He wants to lie; wants tell her yes, genius, so of course he would. But he can’t. So he looks at the TARDIS’ control panel, instead of his other brilliant girl, and says, “No, Amy, he wouldn’t. He had a fragile mind, the strain of painting that would not have helped.”
“What about Churchill?” she then asks.
“Of course Winston will remember us!” he exclaims, looking from her to Rory. “VE Day, then?”
“VE Day,” Amy agrees, with a smile that almost reaches her eyes.
fin
A/N - In Arduis Fidelis is the motto of the RAMC, and translates from Latin as Faithful in Adversity; Per Ardua ad Astra is the motto of the RAF, and translates from Latin as Through Struggles to the Stars.
Author - laurab1
Characters - John Watson, Jack Harkness, Nine, Rose Tyler, Ten, Martha Jones, Amy Pond/Williams, Rory Pond/Williams, Eleven
Rating - PG-13 aka 12, kinda h/c, mostly gen
Length - 800 words in total
Spoilers - S1 of Sherlock, Torchwood CoE, New Who to end of S5
Summary - Five short fics about remembrance and memory, and they’re all rather angsty (politics, war, mental health issues).
Disclaimer - Alas, none of these people are mine. This version of Sherlock Holmes belongs to Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, the BBC et al. Sherlock Holmes as created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is in the public domain. The Doctor and his companions also belong to the Beeb.
Feedback is loved and appreciated :) Enjoy!
Acts of Remembrance
by Laura
In Arduis Fidelis
Captain John Watson, Royal Army Medical Corps, spends Remembrance Sunday, 2008 at Camp Bastion, Helmand Province. It’s strange, laying wreaths in the relative heat of the Afghan sun, rather than the cold of Britain in November.
He spends Remembrance Sunday, 2009 at Selly Oak. The morphine running through his system stops him feeling pain in his shoulder. John’s mostly concerned for himself, for his own recovery, but he’s still concerned for his mates, out there, so he observes the two minutes’ silence the best he can.
Others can’t.
Damn the Taliban to hell! he thinks, angrily, holding in his tears until the time is up.
The war was unwinnable, and had been for more than one hundred years.
On Remembrance Sunday, 2010, Dr John Watson, formerly of the RAMC, wearing his best suit, his medals, and a poppy, lays a wreath on the Cenotaph on behalf of his regiment.
Faithful in adversity, indeed, because it was hard, being a doctor in a war zone. He might have long since lost faith in his commanding officers, and given himself over to another war, but John’s still a soldier, and he still knows the Royal British Legion will never let him down.
***
Per Ardua ad Astra
Captain Jack Harkness has spent many remembrance days in many places, and many times, but the only one he now pays any attention to is that observed by Great Britain, and her Empire, then Commonwealth.
He must have told Captain John Hart that at some point, because on Remembrance Sunday, 2011, he’s on a space station he doesn’t really know the name of, when his ex-partner sends him a photo of a field of poppies on his Vortex Manipulator.
Jack sheds a few tears, and when his VM tells him it’s 11am, GMT, he has his own two minutes’ silence.
***
There Was a War, and We Lost
Oh, thank God, now she can collapse.
“Jack!” Rose cries, catching sight of him, and launching herself at his chest. His big arms go around her, hold her close, no questions asked, as usual.
“What’s wrong, honey?” he gently asks, after a couple of minutes’ silence, easing her away, taking her head in his hands, drying her tears with his thumbs.
“He’s in there,” she indicates the door with a finger, “and he’s cryin’. I wanted to help, I tried, but he just told me I didn’t need to know, and yelled at me to get out.”
“You decided it was best to agree with him, this time, huh, Rose?”
“Yeah, Jack,” she says, thickly.
“At least you tried. Can’t win ‘em all, sweetheart.” Jack leans down, presses a kiss to her forehead, soft and sweet. “Bad dreams, I reckon. Maybe even nightmares. His hearts are kinda broken, aren’t they?”
Rose nods in reply.
“Now, I’ve got an idea of what he saw, ending up the last of his kind. But he’ll remember in perfect detail, won’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“And he’s a stubborn idiot, so he’ll keep suffering away on his own.”
“Even when the nightmares are really bad. ‘Cause that’s what that was. Two against one, then? A problem shared is a problem halved?”
“You got it, honey. We both tell him we do need to know, that we won’t be horrified by what he tells us, and we might just get through that thick alien skull of his.”
***
It’s Gonna Take Patience and Time
He hasn’t done this in such a very long time, and he knows it’s going to be hell on Martha, but they’re being chased, and he’s positive that hiding really is the only way to keep all three of them from harm. He’ll almost forget who he is, but the watch will remember, and keep him safe.
The watch, Martha and the TARDIS.
When it’s all over, Joan tells him he should never have come, and that she hates him, the Doctor. He hugs Martha outside the TARDIS, thanking her for looking after him. He lets Tim have the watch, knowing that he will know when it’s needed.
Then they go and find Tim’s last Remembrance Sunday service. They pin poppies on their coats, stand out of the way, and watch Tim hold the alien timepiece like it’s the most precious thing in all the world.
Which, really, it is.
***
When No Hope Was Left In Sight
“Vincent, Doctor,” Amy says, out of the blue, one day. “Would he remember us, if we went and said ‘thanks for the picture, you helped save the universe’?”
“Vincent?” Rory asks. “You met Vincent Van Gogh?”
“It was when you were dead,” Amy replies. “He loved my hair, and put my name on one of the versions of the Sunflowers.”
“Okay,” Rory says, awkwardly.
He wants to lie; wants tell her yes, genius, so of course he would. But he can’t. So he looks at the TARDIS’ control panel, instead of his other brilliant girl, and says, “No, Amy, he wouldn’t. He had a fragile mind, the strain of painting that would not have helped.”
“What about Churchill?” she then asks.
“Of course Winston will remember us!” he exclaims, looking from her to Rory. “VE Day, then?”
“VE Day,” Amy agrees, with a smile that almost reaches her eyes.
fin
A/N - In Arduis Fidelis is the motto of the RAMC, and translates from Latin as Faithful in Adversity; Per Ardua ad Astra is the motto of the RAF, and translates from Latin as Through Struggles to the Stars.