Fic: Just Another Word
I don't really know where on LiveJournal this ought to go. I hope it's here. It had to be written.
Title: Just Another Word
Rating: G
Characters: Eleven, Amy, Rory, Martha, Sarah Jane (in spirit)
Summary: The Doctor goes to visit his much beloved companion in her final resting place.
"Ah! And here we are, we've landed," announced the Doctor.
"Where have you taken us this time?" Amy ran over to the TARDIS doors and pulled them open. "...England."
"Yes, England. Twenty-eleven." The Doctor pushed past her. "London. Ealing."
"A graveyard," said Amy, stepping out of the blue box, Rory following her. "Lovely church."
"Beautiful indeed," said the Doctor. "Now, how about you two run along? I've got some business to attend to."
"Business?"
"Business. Most important business. No aliens involved. Well, I hope there aren't aliens involved."
"Why can't we come with you?" asked Amy.
"Because I'm tired of you two and I want to be alone for a few minutes while I do my business, is that illegal these days?" snapped the Doctor.
"Come on, Amy, let's check out the church at least," said Rory, trying to pacify them both.
Amy allowed herself to be led away to a safe distance. "Tired of us two? What the hell does he mean by that?"
"He probably just wanted you to stop asking him questions," said Rory.
"We're following him," said Amy, sparks flashing in her eyes.
"Of course we are."
The Doctor followed the directions on his slip of paper. But after the first few turns, he didn't have to. The recent grave, showered with what seemed to be an entire florist's stock, was obvious. He sank to his knees in front of the headstone.
"My Sarah Jane..."
Love was never a word he had used in his life. Never an emotion he would admit to. It was for other species, other Time Lords, everyone else. If he loved anyone, he loved his TARDIS. And yet...
"I never told you, did I, old girl." Not even when we met again and I should have. You had to have known, though. Wasn't K-9 enough?
"What does the stone say?" Amy was whispering very quietly in Rory's ear, so as not to be heard by anyone but him.
Rory leaned back and cupped his hand over Amy's ear. "Smith. Can't see any more. He's blocking it."
"I'm sorry I failed you." You shouldn't be here, my Sarah Jane. You should still be exploring the stars with me. Why didn't I come back for you?
A noise made him look up. There stood a young woman in smart military-style dress, a flower bouquet in her hand, her black hair pulled neatly back into a bun. "Regeneration treated you well."
He scrambled to his feet. "Martha Jones."
"Hello, Doctor." She frowned at the grave. "Everyone else seems to have gotten here first today, where do I put this?"
"Today?"
"These are all from today. Seems a lot of us have a problem with Ms. Smith leaving us that we can only express in floral excessiveness."
"But Martha...I never introduced you to Sarah."
Martha snorted. "Really, Doctor, do you think one of Earth's most brilliant minds and most capable alien fighters wouldn't work with U.N.I.T. every once in awhile? I don't call you for every Slitheen appearance because we had her."
"This is one of the things that always irritated me about you when we traveled together, Dr. Martha Jones. Your tendency to be right."
Martha laughed. She managed to wedge her bouquet in next to the stone. "Quit talking and hug me already."
He did so, lifting her off her feet. "Martha, Martha, Martha, wonderful, brilliant, Martha!"
Amy frowned. "Okay, so that's Martha, but Sarah?"
"Martha?"
"She's a doctor. Like you're a nurse. He talks about her."
"No he doesn't."
"Well, maybe not to you. But it helps me understand you."
The Doctor put his former companion down. "Tell me something, Martha. What took her away from us?"
"Cancer. It was quick. One might almost say painless."
He frowned. "I could have fixed that."
"She didn't tell anyone. Except her son. He knew."
The Doctor clenched his fists. "Luke knows how to contact me. Why didn't he? I could have taken her to--"
Martha laid a hand on his arm. "Doctor. Stop."
He looked at her. "What? Stop what? It didn't have to be this way!"
"You have to go on. We can't. We know that. She knew it most of all. Doctor, she lived a good life after her travels with you. She spent some of it waiting for the man she loved to come back for her, but then she got on with some good work, yeah?"
He swallowed. Love.
"You have to let her go. She would want you to. Her memory can live forever in you, but you have to let her go." Martha shook his arm slightly. "Doctor, look at me."
His eyes met hers.
"Learn from this, Doctor. Her memory lives forever in you. And if it happens again, don't waste your bloody time." Martha's eyes started welling up. "She knew, but you could have said, you stupid git."
"Said what?"
Martha growled. "I give up on you!" She pushed him away.
"You humans are so emotional sometimes." He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. "Quite a weakness, really."
Martha shook her head, trying not to smile. "You're completely impossible. I've got to head back. Next time you're on a pleasure cruise to modern Earth, give me a ring, yeah? You know I always like to check up on you."
He nodded and smiled. "Always with the checkups, Dr. Jones. I'm quite healthy, you know."
"Preventative medicine, Doctor. Til next time." She smiled, then turned and walked away in the direction she had come.
"Til next time, Martha." He watched her go. Then, with a sigh, he sat down again, next to the headstone. He leaned against it and closed his eyes.
"Sarah Jane Smith," whispered Rory. "1948-2011."
"So she traveled with him, just like we do, and Martha did," said Amy.
"Look, let's go," said Rory. "Let's just let him be. She was special to him."
"What do you mean, special?"
"I'll explain later. Come on."
The Doctor smiled slightly as he saw Rory dragging Amy back to the TARDIS from the hiding place they thought was oh-so-cleverly concealed. "Now maybe we'll get some privacy, hmm? Just you and me." He laid his head on top of her stone. Was that a slight humming he felt? No, it had to be all in his head.
Just you and me, my Sarah Jane...
Title: Just Another Word
Rating: G
Characters: Eleven, Amy, Rory, Martha, Sarah Jane (in spirit)
Summary: The Doctor goes to visit his much beloved companion in her final resting place.
"Ah! And here we are, we've landed," announced the Doctor.
"Where have you taken us this time?" Amy ran over to the TARDIS doors and pulled them open. "...England."
"Yes, England. Twenty-eleven." The Doctor pushed past her. "London. Ealing."
"A graveyard," said Amy, stepping out of the blue box, Rory following her. "Lovely church."
"Beautiful indeed," said the Doctor. "Now, how about you two run along? I've got some business to attend to."
"Business?"
"Business. Most important business. No aliens involved. Well, I hope there aren't aliens involved."
"Why can't we come with you?" asked Amy.
"Because I'm tired of you two and I want to be alone for a few minutes while I do my business, is that illegal these days?" snapped the Doctor.
"Come on, Amy, let's check out the church at least," said Rory, trying to pacify them both.
Amy allowed herself to be led away to a safe distance. "Tired of us two? What the hell does he mean by that?"
"He probably just wanted you to stop asking him questions," said Rory.
"We're following him," said Amy, sparks flashing in her eyes.
"Of course we are."
The Doctor followed the directions on his slip of paper. But after the first few turns, he didn't have to. The recent grave, showered with what seemed to be an entire florist's stock, was obvious. He sank to his knees in front of the headstone.
"My Sarah Jane..."
Love was never a word he had used in his life. Never an emotion he would admit to. It was for other species, other Time Lords, everyone else. If he loved anyone, he loved his TARDIS. And yet...
"I never told you, did I, old girl." Not even when we met again and I should have. You had to have known, though. Wasn't K-9 enough?
"What does the stone say?" Amy was whispering very quietly in Rory's ear, so as not to be heard by anyone but him.
Rory leaned back and cupped his hand over Amy's ear. "Smith. Can't see any more. He's blocking it."
"I'm sorry I failed you." You shouldn't be here, my Sarah Jane. You should still be exploring the stars with me. Why didn't I come back for you?
A noise made him look up. There stood a young woman in smart military-style dress, a flower bouquet in her hand, her black hair pulled neatly back into a bun. "Regeneration treated you well."
He scrambled to his feet. "Martha Jones."
"Hello, Doctor." She frowned at the grave. "Everyone else seems to have gotten here first today, where do I put this?"
"Today?"
"These are all from today. Seems a lot of us have a problem with Ms. Smith leaving us that we can only express in floral excessiveness."
"But Martha...I never introduced you to Sarah."
Martha snorted. "Really, Doctor, do you think one of Earth's most brilliant minds and most capable alien fighters wouldn't work with U.N.I.T. every once in awhile? I don't call you for every Slitheen appearance because we had her."
"This is one of the things that always irritated me about you when we traveled together, Dr. Martha Jones. Your tendency to be right."
Martha laughed. She managed to wedge her bouquet in next to the stone. "Quit talking and hug me already."
He did so, lifting her off her feet. "Martha, Martha, Martha, wonderful, brilliant, Martha!"
Amy frowned. "Okay, so that's Martha, but Sarah?"
"Martha?"
"She's a doctor. Like you're a nurse. He talks about her."
"No he doesn't."
"Well, maybe not to you. But it helps me understand you."
The Doctor put his former companion down. "Tell me something, Martha. What took her away from us?"
"Cancer. It was quick. One might almost say painless."
He frowned. "I could have fixed that."
"She didn't tell anyone. Except her son. He knew."
The Doctor clenched his fists. "Luke knows how to contact me. Why didn't he? I could have taken her to--"
Martha laid a hand on his arm. "Doctor. Stop."
He looked at her. "What? Stop what? It didn't have to be this way!"
"You have to go on. We can't. We know that. She knew it most of all. Doctor, she lived a good life after her travels with you. She spent some of it waiting for the man she loved to come back for her, but then she got on with some good work, yeah?"
He swallowed. Love.
"You have to let her go. She would want you to. Her memory can live forever in you, but you have to let her go." Martha shook his arm slightly. "Doctor, look at me."
His eyes met hers.
"Learn from this, Doctor. Her memory lives forever in you. And if it happens again, don't waste your bloody time." Martha's eyes started welling up. "She knew, but you could have said, you stupid git."
"Said what?"
Martha growled. "I give up on you!" She pushed him away.
"You humans are so emotional sometimes." He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. "Quite a weakness, really."
Martha shook her head, trying not to smile. "You're completely impossible. I've got to head back. Next time you're on a pleasure cruise to modern Earth, give me a ring, yeah? You know I always like to check up on you."
He nodded and smiled. "Always with the checkups, Dr. Jones. I'm quite healthy, you know."
"Preventative medicine, Doctor. Til next time." She smiled, then turned and walked away in the direction she had come.
"Til next time, Martha." He watched her go. Then, with a sigh, he sat down again, next to the headstone. He leaned against it and closed his eyes.
"Sarah Jane Smith," whispered Rory. "1948-2011."
"So she traveled with him, just like we do, and Martha did," said Amy.
"Look, let's go," said Rory. "Let's just let him be. She was special to him."
"What do you mean, special?"
"I'll explain later. Come on."
The Doctor smiled slightly as he saw Rory dragging Amy back to the TARDIS from the hiding place they thought was oh-so-cleverly concealed. "Now maybe we'll get some privacy, hmm? Just you and me." He laid his head on top of her stone. Was that a slight humming he felt? No, it had to be all in his head.
Just you and me, my Sarah Jane...