The Belted Doctor, Chapter 2
Title: The Belted Doctor, Chapter 2
Author: tkel_paris , aka KendraC
Rating: High T, borderline M for (very) naughty humor, and some hints... Consider yourself warned.
Summary: A crack!fic inspired by a line from “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” and run for its life with. The Doctor is left with a very uncomfortable “protection” against unwanted advances. But will he find the one who is foretold to release him from his... prison?
Original Posting Author's note: When I started writing this story, my outline didn't include this chapter. But Muse insisted that someone else needed to make an appearance. So this bit was born...
Important LJ Author's Note: These first few chapters are important background to the Doctor/Donna part. Please bear with me through this and the next chapter. Donna is appearing soon... Also, I give a big salute with this chapter to the memory of the actress who brought Sarah Jane Smith to life. She is greatly missed...
Prologue / Chapter 1
CHAPTER TWO: THE PAST AND ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS
Once a companion was parted from him, particularly if he had a hand in their leaving, The Doctor never saw them again. Romana was the only exception. Hardly surprising, as she was a Time-Lady.
Until now. A face he'd never expected to see again came back, and he felt sucker-punched.
The only companion other than Romana who he might have loved completely. One who raised an army to free him and even took on a Sontaran by herself - and won. Who also saw him through a regeneration. She might be older now, but Sarah Jane Smith still had that spark about her which he'd always admired.
A spark that Mickey seemed to notice with some admiration (so sometimes Earth lads find older women attractive, he noted curiously), and that had nearly driven Rose insane. Oh, they seemed to be fine with comparing notes on him - that was how Mickey explained it, right? - in the end, but the whole thing about “the Mrs. and the Ex” bothered him. Mickey surely remembered that he'd said how Rose could never be more than a friend!
Seeing K-9 again, and then remaking him, was another unexpected treat. There was something about robots - as humans called them - that could be so extraordinary and yet comforting to a Time-Lord. Few had the ability to truly think, but they could be impressive and vitally important to their owners.
Now it was time to leave, yet again. But the Doctor had to say goodbye properly, the way he didn't the last time. Sarah Jane deserved more honesty and compassion than she had received. Explaining the new K-9 was easy, and he was surprised at how readily she had forgiven him. “You had little choice, Doctor,” she said. “It was too dangerous to take me when you had no idea what the Time-Lords wanted.”
Oh, dear... She didn't know. The Doctor knew that she couldn't know, but her words pulled that profound loneliness to the front of his awareness - pushing aside even the company of his current companions. And it clearly shone in his expression; Sarah Jane's eyes widened and a worried expression crossed her face. “What happened, Doctor?”
Part of him hesitated over saying anything. After all, his worries from just after Romana had acted still carried a lot of weight. However, this was a burden that he wished could be shared - at least so there was someone he could vent to every so often. If she were still young, Sarah Jane would HAVE to have been in the running, but that was beyond possibility now. But her past with him, combined with the wisdom she had clearly gained since their last meeting, surely made her a suitable confidant, right?
Decision made, he waved a bit off to a side. “Can you spare a little time to talk? I'll explain... a bit about what's happened since.”
And once they sat down - with K-9 a little distance off - he did. The fate that the Time-Lords inflicted upon him, how that was overturned, a bit about Romana, and then the Time War. The fate of Gallifrey had him choking on his own words (when did he become so sentimental?!), but Sarah Jane surprised him by just reaching for one of his hands and holding it. That contact allowed him to push through, and briefly explain Romana's prophecy.
But not the belt. Given his past feelings, it seemed like a bad idea to mention THAT detail...
Sarah Jane went quiet, thinking about the story she heard - and wondering what all was left out. There was more to Romana's prophecy than he'd admitted to, she was positive about that. But it seemed like a very delicate situation - mentally and emotionally - for the Doctor, which made it difficult for her to think of anything to say. But something needed to be said.
And he guessed that she suspected he was withholding some details. Sarah Jane was always a brilliant woman, and time had not dulled her intellect - or instincts.
Several long minutes of silence passed between them, broken only when they heard Rose calling for him. Mickey's voice floated along, trying to calm her down.
The Doctor sighed heavily. His face fell into his hands - as Sarah Jane released them once they heard the voices - as he wondered what could possibly go wrong next.
It still didn't occur to him that “what could go wrong” was the last thing anyone should ever ask. Especially a Time-Lord with a tendency to find trouble...
A whisper drifted to his ear. “She's not the One.”
He looked at Sarah Jane, and realized she had spoken. Her words hit a chord in him, jarring his sense of stability within his traveling, running life. And she saw enough - despite all of their time apart - to know that he knew it was the truth. She had known him well enough to sense those distinctions in his expressions.
A sad, gentle smile crossed her face. Trying to say in a kind way something that was anything but. She added, just as quietly, “And she never will be, even if she matures into a grown-up.”
If. It reminded him of how much certain things weren't fixed in the universe. People didn't always move past childhood or adolescence. Adolescents, he had noted over the years, tended to be the most self-absorbed people in the universe, and had no comprehension of their own mortality - unless pushed right up against it. And Rose Tyler, while still young enough to change, wasn't making him feel confident that she would.
After all, she had faced almost certain death multiple times. Yet it didn't seem to phase her, as she appeared convinced that he would save her. Her behavior while possessed by the anomaly called the Bad Wolf was terrifying enough...
And that was very worrisome, indeed... Never mind that her understanding of time-lines was practically non-existent (that little adventure in meeting her father had nearly convinced the Doctor to dump Rose back with her mother).
“No,” he finally answered. It pained him to say it, but it was vital. “She isn't. And never could be...”
Now, how the hell would he explain this to Rose? That her time was limited with him? More to the point, that she was becoming impossible to be around?
“What if you show her what the others were like? Maybe that will push things to where they need to be for you to find this woman. Whoever she is, it sounds like she'll encourage you to be your best. Does Rose do that for you?”
Yep. It took an old friend - an almost lover - to put things into perspective. Yes, Rose had lifted a lot of the darkness from his spirit, but couldn't any friend have done that? Her method seemed to involve youthful enthusiasm and energy - mixed with reminders of the Time-Lords' worst traits that just happened to be part of her personality.
But things were clearer now. He had to push Rose Tyler out of his life somehow.
The problem was how to do it without hurting others too much. Mickey and Jackie would bear the brunt of Rose's anger, and neither deserved it. Jackie... Well, she was your typical human who didn't know what to think of him, but she was devoted to her daughter - who, he was beginning to realize, didn't think much of her before going off with a strange alien. As for Mickey... He was growing past Rose, even if he didn't see it yet. He had to introduce him to others. Maybe seeing someone getting over her might help things...
He had no idea that it would prove next to impossible to deliberately push Rose away. Or that it would be something out of his control that pulled her out of his life.
Chapter 3: Parting with Problematic Particulars