DW Fic: Small Things
Getting another little ficlet out of my head. I hadn't planned to write an 11th Doctor fic so early because we haven't met him yet, but he fit into an idea I'd had some time ago, so I finally wrote it out, using the Confidential interview with Matt Smith (though still winding up with a lot of David Tennant's voice I fear). Anyway, similar idea to my last one. Hope you like!
Small Things
Setting: Sometime in season 5
Rating: G
Characters: 11th Doctor, younger River Song, Donna, Sylvia
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: The Doctor saves a life yet again.
“This is just simply too weird,” River Song raved for the third time.
“Lunch in a café too much for the archaeologist to handle?” the Doctor smirked.
“I know, I keep saying it, but to eat with people who are long dead in a city on a planet across the universe? That still gets to me. It’s like dining in Rome!”
“We could do that next if you want,” the Doctor offered, grinning.
“One dead civilization at a time, okay?” she said, looking around.
“I wouldn’t call London a dead civilization,” he warned, “particularly not while walking around in it, surrounded by some very proud Londoners. So, other than eat a real scone in a real café, what was on your wish list for 1970’s England?”
“I don’t know.” She rubbed her neck, thinking, and her eyes widened. “I lost an earring. I have to find it before someone else does.”
“Something dangerous about it?”
“It has a jewel in it that’s not from Earth. I’m an archaeologist. You never know what’ll get preserved or recorded. Smallest thing could change the future. Just wait here. It’ll only take me a second to check the table.”
He sighed ruefully as she went back in. He was a time traveler. If anyone understood the risk of leaving something from the future of another world behind, he did. Granted, her forethought that such a thing could be a problem made him all the prouder of her as a companion.
England, 1973. He looked around, entertaining himself by checking how accurate Life on Mars had been. The lead actor on that still made him uncomfortable. Still, at least in this era, maybe less people would comment on his hair.
As he peered down the street, he frowned. It was one of those moments were it seemed the world slowed down as he noticed disparate elements coming together to form trouble. Half a block away, a small girl’s ball was rolling quickly toward the street with her chasing close behind. Coming down that street was a car, the driver of which was distracted by a woman in a very tight jumper walking on the other sidewalk.
The Doctor was already on the move, thinking as he ran. He slipped the sonic screwdriver into his hand, aiming it at the car as he rushed to the girl. The car sputtered and found itself braking in the middle of the street. The Doctor grabbed the girl’s arm, halting her as the ball bounced across the now-stopped car, hit the curb on the other side of the street and rolled back neatly into the Doctor’s hand.
Time returned to normal speed and the Doctor breathed out, handing the ball back to the little girl.
“Here you are. No more running toward streets now, okay? Could get hit by a car.”
The little girl stared at him silently with big green eyes, but nodded.
“Donna!”
The Doctor looked up at the yell from down the street. “Donna?”
A familiar, angry, blonde woman was rushing toward them. The Doctor looked back at the girl. The ginger girl who was staring at him in fascination.
“Donna, get away from that man!” Sylvia ordered, glaring at him. “What have I told you about strangers! And you,” she turned on the Doctor as Donna backed toward her. “What do you think you’re doing with my daughter?”
The Doctor struggled to recover his voice. “She was running toward the street. I was just stopping her.”
“Right. Well, you’re done now, so we’re leaving. Come on, Donna.” She took the little girl’s hand and walked off. “You ran toward the street? You never pay attention, that’s the problem. You can’t just keep running off without thinking. There’s not always going to be someone looking after you, you know…”
As they left, Donna looked over her shoulder again, still staring back at him.
River appeared beside him. “Found it,” she said. “It was just under the table. Now, where do you-”
She noticed his gaze and followed it. “What is it?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. Just…That girl down there will one day be the most important woman in the world.”
“Really?” River stared in awe. “Is she going to be royalty? A politician?”
“No. A temp.” He smiled at River. “Small things change the future. Remind me to tell you about her. But for now,” he said, straightening up again, “I believe there’s a theatre not far from here, and unless I’m mistaken, The Way We Were just came out. What do you think? Too apropos?”
“No, I think that sounds perfect.”
He took her arm and led her off, with one last glance back at where Donna and her mother had disappeared into the crowd, moving onward toward their eventual next meeting.