Doctor Who - Heartache
Title: Heartache
For: whoverse30
Disclaimer: Doctor Who and its characters don’t belong to me, if they did I’d be filming this not posting it.
Rating: Teen - if only because Liz says 'bloody' at one stage. Which now you've read anyway so... *shrugs*
Pairing: Liz Shaw / Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Prompt: #02 - Tears of Joy
Word Count: 1,802
Summary: Some of the worst moments in life happen while waiting. What seems like a lifetime spent weighing up the options and thinking the worst.
Author’s Notes: I don't know what I was doing when I got to the final lines so sorry if it loses the feeling in the end - I was listening to David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and Ricky Gervais on BBC Radio 2. (They're having like three conversations at once, which is great cos I can keep up (thanks to a crazy family) and now they're playing Dolly Parton and it's amusing the hell out of that the three of them fangirl Dolly. But you didn't need to know that so I'm gonna put this in little text because it has no relevance to the fic)
--
She’d told herself - and him numerous times - that she wasn’t going to become one of those women. The very idea of it was preposterous. She was a highly intelligent and renowned Scientist, she’d helped save the Earth, therefore nothing like the other women she was forced to lunch with once a month. No, she was definitely not the kind of woman who waited around for her husband to arrive home. In fact most of the time when he came home she was in her office working on research and unheard of until he knocked on the door to tell her dinner was waiting.
Elizabeth Shaw was most definitely not one of those women who waited, on edge, for her husband to walk through the door.
Except that was exactly what she was doing. After two weeks away doing only God knows what, her husband was two hours late. He was never late. In all the years she’d known him the only time he was late was when there were problems at work, at those times he would always call to let her know. She bit her lip and glanced at the newspaper sitting exactly where she’d left it that morning. As soon as she’d read an article about the bombing of a United Nations building in Russia she’d abruptly forgotten her breakfast and spent the day on the phone trying to get further information. After verbally abusing a stuttering Private, threatening the wellbeing of a bumbling Captain and being redirected twice by an incompetent Brigadier, she still didn’t know anything more than she had before picking up the phone.
Her heart raced as she stood to retrieve her pipe from its case on the mantel. She knew Alistair didn’t like her smoking in the house but if anything it would calm her down. Turning from the fireplace with the small wooden box in hand her eyes were immediately drawn to the vehicle rolling up the driveway. The box slipped from her fingers as she recognised the insignia on the door. It was the all too familiar insignia that had been stamped on so many of her reports in the seventies. She breathed in sharply as she heard rather than saw two doors open and heavy boots hit gravel.
Ignoring the small bag of tobacco that had burst open on the cream carpet Liz moved into the hallway, her breath catching in her throat as she watched two silhouettes move towards the front door. She could almost feel her heart rate increasing with each step they took. Every breath was more painful than the last. In one moment all she could think about was what she would do if her worst fears were realised, then all of a sudden her mind had gone blank. There was a strong knock against the front door and her heart constricted within her chest. Instinct kicked in when nothing else would and she walked cautiously towards the door, reaching her hand out for the handle.
“Doctor Shaw,” A young man in a familiar UNIT uniform nodded his greeting as she opened the door.
“Can I help you?” Her voice was broken yet firm as she studied the man standing before her, oblivious to the second soldier making his way up the steps.
“Special delivery ma’am,” The Officer said with a smile, stepping off to the side.
Time slowed to a grinding halt as an older man in uniform leaned heavily on a cane to push himself up the steps leading to the front door. She exhaled a shaky breath, her hand flying to her mouth, as she recognised the face of the man she had woken up next to for over a decade. Though even as he smiled at her she couldn’t make herself move or speak. Part of her expected to wake up on the floor next to the spilled tobacco.
“If I’d known this was how to leave you speechless, dear, I would have done it a lot sooner,” The Brigadier chuckled as he took the final step towards her.
“You insufferable man...” She managed to choke out as she closed the distance between them and flung her arms around his neck. Tears began to dampen her cheeks before she could stop them and she buried her face against his neck. To have his arms securely around her, hands rubbing her back gently and breathing in his familiar scent, she could feel the tension easing out of her muscles. All she wanted to do was collapse against him, though it was likely not the best idea. She vaguely heard him dismiss the Corporal who had brought him home. If she’d had any strength left in her she likely would have thanked the young man profusely, but as it was she didn’t want to move from her husband’s safe embrace.
Although surprised by the welcome he received he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Two weeks away from her had been hell enough without his world ending before he had the chance to see her again. But of course she was his first priority. “Are you alright?” He inquired quietly, lips brushing against her forehead.
“I read about the bombing this morning,” She told him honestly as she pulled back, tears staining her face. “It was all over the news and I’ve been on the phone all day trying to get some answers...” All of a sudden she drew back from him and slapped his shoulder hard. Her worried expression turned into a scowl and she slapped him once more for good measure. “You didn’t have the decency to find a bloody phone and let me know that you were alive?” She cried out, on the verge of slapping him again until his strong hand caught her wrist.
“I believe I like the hard-working Scientist better than the devoted wife,” He said, watching her expression closely as he held onto her arm. “At least the Scientist I married doesn’t hit me.” When she refused to even crack a smile at his cheeky remark he realised just how worried she’d been. He’d never seen her so upset before, most of the time her mind was on something else entirely and she didn’t have time to worry about things she knew would be okay. Logic always outweighed irrational behaviour. Carefully he tilted her chin so that she looked directly at him and he wiped away her tears. “Liz, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m perfectly fine.” He told her in a soothing tone.
“You’re walking with a cane,” She pointed out, raising her eyebrow as if challenging him.
“A bomb blast does tend to rough an old man up,” He reasoned. Before she could respond he leaned forward to gently kiss her lips, his thumb stroking her cheek. “I assure you, my dear, I’m not going anywhere. However I wouldn’t mind going inside.”
It hadn’t even occurred to her that they were standing outside, and she was frightfully glad at that moment that their closest neighbour was five minutes drive down the road. “You go in and relax, I’ll get your bag,” She said quickly, kissing his cheek as she moved past him to the suitcase at the bottom of the steps.
Knowing much better than to argue with his wife, particularly when she was on the verge of shifting into Doctor mode, Alistair stepped over the threshold and took a deep breath. It was always good to be home, even if it did mean Liz was going to fuss over him until she was sure he was okay. Leaning heavily on his cane, he moved into the living room and paused.
Liz walked in a few moments later and set down his suitcase at the bottom of the stairs before joining him in the archway leading to the living room. “Ah,” She realised what he was looking at cringed slightly. “I’ll clean that up. Just try not to think about it.”
“Try not to think of the disgusting moist tobacco on the clean white carpet?” He raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. With an amused chuckle he put his arm around her shoulders. “You didn’t answer me before. Are you alright, Liz?”
“I should be asking you...”
“Just a few bumps and bruises, dear, nothing too serious,” Alistair cut her off, kissing the top of her head as she rested it against his shoulder and closed her eyes. “Now answer my question.” He prompted gently.
“All day I’ve heard nothing and then I saw the car pull up,” She pulled back from him, her eyes searching his for a long moment. For someone who prided herself on not becoming emotional at the drop of a hat, she was having a lot of trouble keeping herself in check. She crossed her arms firmly as if trying to build some sort of barrier, but it was no good. As the shock began to wear off she was finding herself more and more upset. “I was certain that Officer walking up to my door was going to inform me you were laying dead in a morgue in Russia, with missing limbs and only identifiable by your teeth!”
“Liz...” He pushed himself forward to pull her back into an embrace but she took a step back and held up her finger up between them.
Refusing to let him near her for the moment, she tried desperately to stop the tears from falling again. “I cannot do all the things expected of me without you Alistair,” She continued, looking away from him. It was hard enough to express her thoughts and feelings without seeing his worried expression. “I love you too much to let you go yet.”
“Elizabeth,” He said calmly, moving forward and taking her hand in his. “I am not going anywhere without you.”
“You can’t say that,” She said quietly as he pulled her towards him. A small pout had formed on her lips - though she would vehemently deny it later as she always had when it came to pouting. “You and I both know well enough that the Universe has a mind of its own, you can’t promise me you won’t leave me here one day.”
“Well we both know I can’t leave you to your own devices,” He pointed out with a small chuckle. “Can’t have you living off buttered toast and cheese sandwiches for the rest of your life, can we? That is when you do remember to tear yourself away from research and eat.”
“I make a really good cheese sandwich,” She muttered as she put her arms around him once more and let him hold her.
“Yes you do, love...” Alistair laughed, holding her close and thanking whatever was watching over him that he had made it home.
For: whoverse30
Disclaimer: Doctor Who and its characters don’t belong to me, if they did I’d be filming this not posting it.
Rating: Teen - if only because Liz says 'bloody' at one stage. Which now you've read anyway so... *shrugs*
Pairing: Liz Shaw / Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
Prompt: #02 - Tears of Joy
Word Count: 1,802
Summary: Some of the worst moments in life happen while waiting. What seems like a lifetime spent weighing up the options and thinking the worst.
Author’s Notes: I don't know what I was doing when I got to the final lines so sorry if it loses the feeling in the end - I was listening to David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and Ricky Gervais on BBC Radio 2. (They're having like three conversations at once, which is great cos I can keep up (thanks to a crazy family) and now they're playing Dolly Parton and it's amusing the hell out of that the three of them fangirl Dolly. But you didn't need to know that so I'm gonna put this in little text because it has no relevance to the fic)
--
She’d told herself - and him numerous times - that she wasn’t going to become one of those women. The very idea of it was preposterous. She was a highly intelligent and renowned Scientist, she’d helped save the Earth, therefore nothing like the other women she was forced to lunch with once a month. No, she was definitely not the kind of woman who waited around for her husband to arrive home. In fact most of the time when he came home she was in her office working on research and unheard of until he knocked on the door to tell her dinner was waiting.
Elizabeth Shaw was most definitely not one of those women who waited, on edge, for her husband to walk through the door.
Except that was exactly what she was doing. After two weeks away doing only God knows what, her husband was two hours late. He was never late. In all the years she’d known him the only time he was late was when there were problems at work, at those times he would always call to let her know. She bit her lip and glanced at the newspaper sitting exactly where she’d left it that morning. As soon as she’d read an article about the bombing of a United Nations building in Russia she’d abruptly forgotten her breakfast and spent the day on the phone trying to get further information. After verbally abusing a stuttering Private, threatening the wellbeing of a bumbling Captain and being redirected twice by an incompetent Brigadier, she still didn’t know anything more than she had before picking up the phone.
Her heart raced as she stood to retrieve her pipe from its case on the mantel. She knew Alistair didn’t like her smoking in the house but if anything it would calm her down. Turning from the fireplace with the small wooden box in hand her eyes were immediately drawn to the vehicle rolling up the driveway. The box slipped from her fingers as she recognised the insignia on the door. It was the all too familiar insignia that had been stamped on so many of her reports in the seventies. She breathed in sharply as she heard rather than saw two doors open and heavy boots hit gravel.
Ignoring the small bag of tobacco that had burst open on the cream carpet Liz moved into the hallway, her breath catching in her throat as she watched two silhouettes move towards the front door. She could almost feel her heart rate increasing with each step they took. Every breath was more painful than the last. In one moment all she could think about was what she would do if her worst fears were realised, then all of a sudden her mind had gone blank. There was a strong knock against the front door and her heart constricted within her chest. Instinct kicked in when nothing else would and she walked cautiously towards the door, reaching her hand out for the handle.
“Doctor Shaw,” A young man in a familiar UNIT uniform nodded his greeting as she opened the door.
“Can I help you?” Her voice was broken yet firm as she studied the man standing before her, oblivious to the second soldier making his way up the steps.
“Special delivery ma’am,” The Officer said with a smile, stepping off to the side.
Time slowed to a grinding halt as an older man in uniform leaned heavily on a cane to push himself up the steps leading to the front door. She exhaled a shaky breath, her hand flying to her mouth, as she recognised the face of the man she had woken up next to for over a decade. Though even as he smiled at her she couldn’t make herself move or speak. Part of her expected to wake up on the floor next to the spilled tobacco.
“If I’d known this was how to leave you speechless, dear, I would have done it a lot sooner,” The Brigadier chuckled as he took the final step towards her.
“You insufferable man...” She managed to choke out as she closed the distance between them and flung her arms around his neck. Tears began to dampen her cheeks before she could stop them and she buried her face against his neck. To have his arms securely around her, hands rubbing her back gently and breathing in his familiar scent, she could feel the tension easing out of her muscles. All she wanted to do was collapse against him, though it was likely not the best idea. She vaguely heard him dismiss the Corporal who had brought him home. If she’d had any strength left in her she likely would have thanked the young man profusely, but as it was she didn’t want to move from her husband’s safe embrace.
Although surprised by the welcome he received he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Two weeks away from her had been hell enough without his world ending before he had the chance to see her again. But of course she was his first priority. “Are you alright?” He inquired quietly, lips brushing against her forehead.
“I read about the bombing this morning,” She told him honestly as she pulled back, tears staining her face. “It was all over the news and I’ve been on the phone all day trying to get some answers...” All of a sudden she drew back from him and slapped his shoulder hard. Her worried expression turned into a scowl and she slapped him once more for good measure. “You didn’t have the decency to find a bloody phone and let me know that you were alive?” She cried out, on the verge of slapping him again until his strong hand caught her wrist.
“I believe I like the hard-working Scientist better than the devoted wife,” He said, watching her expression closely as he held onto her arm. “At least the Scientist I married doesn’t hit me.” When she refused to even crack a smile at his cheeky remark he realised just how worried she’d been. He’d never seen her so upset before, most of the time her mind was on something else entirely and she didn’t have time to worry about things she knew would be okay. Logic always outweighed irrational behaviour. Carefully he tilted her chin so that she looked directly at him and he wiped away her tears. “Liz, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m perfectly fine.” He told her in a soothing tone.
“You’re walking with a cane,” She pointed out, raising her eyebrow as if challenging him.
“A bomb blast does tend to rough an old man up,” He reasoned. Before she could respond he leaned forward to gently kiss her lips, his thumb stroking her cheek. “I assure you, my dear, I’m not going anywhere. However I wouldn’t mind going inside.”
It hadn’t even occurred to her that they were standing outside, and she was frightfully glad at that moment that their closest neighbour was five minutes drive down the road. “You go in and relax, I’ll get your bag,” She said quickly, kissing his cheek as she moved past him to the suitcase at the bottom of the steps.
Knowing much better than to argue with his wife, particularly when she was on the verge of shifting into Doctor mode, Alistair stepped over the threshold and took a deep breath. It was always good to be home, even if it did mean Liz was going to fuss over him until she was sure he was okay. Leaning heavily on his cane, he moved into the living room and paused.
Liz walked in a few moments later and set down his suitcase at the bottom of the stairs before joining him in the archway leading to the living room. “Ah,” She realised what he was looking at cringed slightly. “I’ll clean that up. Just try not to think about it.”
“Try not to think of the disgusting moist tobacco on the clean white carpet?” He raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. With an amused chuckle he put his arm around her shoulders. “You didn’t answer me before. Are you alright, Liz?”
“I should be asking you...”
“Just a few bumps and bruises, dear, nothing too serious,” Alistair cut her off, kissing the top of her head as she rested it against his shoulder and closed her eyes. “Now answer my question.” He prompted gently.
“All day I’ve heard nothing and then I saw the car pull up,” She pulled back from him, her eyes searching his for a long moment. For someone who prided herself on not becoming emotional at the drop of a hat, she was having a lot of trouble keeping herself in check. She crossed her arms firmly as if trying to build some sort of barrier, but it was no good. As the shock began to wear off she was finding herself more and more upset. “I was certain that Officer walking up to my door was going to inform me you were laying dead in a morgue in Russia, with missing limbs and only identifiable by your teeth!”
“Liz...” He pushed himself forward to pull her back into an embrace but she took a step back and held up her finger up between them.
Refusing to let him near her for the moment, she tried desperately to stop the tears from falling again. “I cannot do all the things expected of me without you Alistair,” She continued, looking away from him. It was hard enough to express her thoughts and feelings without seeing his worried expression. “I love you too much to let you go yet.”
“Elizabeth,” He said calmly, moving forward and taking her hand in his. “I am not going anywhere without you.”
“You can’t say that,” She said quietly as he pulled her towards him. A small pout had formed on her lips - though she would vehemently deny it later as she always had when it came to pouting. “You and I both know well enough that the Universe has a mind of its own, you can’t promise me you won’t leave me here one day.”
“Well we both know I can’t leave you to your own devices,” He pointed out with a small chuckle. “Can’t have you living off buttered toast and cheese sandwiches for the rest of your life, can we? That is when you do remember to tear yourself away from research and eat.”
“I make a really good cheese sandwich,” She muttered as she put her arms around him once more and let him hold her.
“Yes you do, love...” Alistair laughed, holding her close and thanking whatever was watching over him that he had made it home.