Sam Meets The Doctor (1/5)
Title: Sam Meets The Doctor (1/5)
Fandoms: West Wing, Doctor Who
WC: 589
Characters: Sam, The Doctor (Ten)
Rating: PG
Summary: Sam was used to people not knowing the High Holy Days. He wasn’t quite used to strange men coming out of Police Call boxes not knowing the year, but he was lonely after the death of Toby, and this man reminded him of Toby, in some way that he couldn’t quite place his finger on.
Notes: Written for tww_minis round of 'isolation', and daysofawesome. It's a 5-part, 5-day look at Sam and the Doctor's journey towards forgiving themselves during the high holy days- for the events of the past year. Set 2017- post series 4 for the Doctor (so the Doctor and 'past year' are meant to be taken liberally), and post Toby's death for Sam.
It wasn’t that the man walking out of the Police Box was overly unusual; he was just walking out of a Police Box that Sam could swear had never been there before. He was dressed neatly, in a blue suit, but looked utterly dejected about something. Sam supposed, in his wandering writing mind, that the man must have just had a rather unhappy telephone conversation. So it wasn’t that the man was unusual. What made him unusual was what happened after his casual stroll up to Sam, sitting on the park bench, and his rather casual asking, “Excuse me, what day is it?”
“Tuesday,” Sam said. That wasn’t the unusual part.
“Ah,” said the man. “What month?”
“September, sir.” Sam replied. That was the start of the unusual part.
“And ah, what year would that be again?” the man scratched his head, and gave Sam an expectant look not unlike a puppy.
Sam frowned. “2017.”
“Ooo!” the man exclaimed, looking upbeat. “I overshot! Was aiming for 2004ish, or thereabouts.”
“Who are you?” Sam couldn’t help but ask.
“Right!” the man beamed, sticking out his hand. “Can’t go without a little propriety, right? I’m the Doctor, pleased to meet you, and you are?”
“Sam. Sam Seaborn,” Sam said, taking the Doctor’s hand. “Doctor what?”
“Oh, just the Doctor,” the Doctor said casually. “Central Park, right?”
“Yes ...”
The Doctor leaned in close to Sam and whispered, “Anything unusual going on?”
Sam thought about the question for a moment. “Well,” he said finally, “It’s the High Holy Days.”
“I’m not acquainted with those,” the Doctor said. “Important events, then?”
Sam was used to people not knowing the High Holy Days. He wasn’t quite used to strange men coming out of Police Call boxes not knowing the year, but he was lonely after the death of Toby, and this man reminded him of Toby, in some way that he couldn’t quite place his finger on.
“They’re the days between Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur. Days of Atonement.” Sam explained. The Doctor seemed uneasy about the explanation.
“Right,” the Doctor said, more murmuring to himself. “Of all the places in running away I try to end up, I wind up in the middle of atonement.” He took a seat next to Sam, “You sure there’s nothing else unusual going on?”
Sam didn’t miss a beat, “Well sir, there’s you.”
The Doctor beamed, “Oh, I like you Sam. Saaaam Seaborn. Tell me Sam, what do you do?”
“I’m not sure I do anything at the moment,” Sam said. “I mostly sit in the park and ... wait.”
The Doctor leaned back, gazing around the park. Sam was grateful for the moment of silence. Finally, in a small voice, the Doctor ventured, “What are we waiting for?”
“Absolution,” Sam said softly. “Forgiveness. Courage. Something other than emptiness.”
“I do like you,” the Doctor murmured. They sat in silence for a good while until the Doctor sat forward and leaned with his hands on his knees. “Tell me Sam. How is it that two very lost people- for you are so very lost and I am so very lost- tell me how the two of us managed to wind up sitting on the same park bench looking for exactly the same things?”
“I don’t know, Doctor,” Sam said softly. “But if you manage to find what you’re looking for, please share.”
“Aye, and the same for you,” the Doctor said, leaning back on the bench.
And there the two men sat, until the sun had set.
Fandoms: West Wing, Doctor Who
WC: 589
Characters: Sam, The Doctor (Ten)
Rating: PG
Summary: Sam was used to people not knowing the High Holy Days. He wasn’t quite used to strange men coming out of Police Call boxes not knowing the year, but he was lonely after the death of Toby, and this man reminded him of Toby, in some way that he couldn’t quite place his finger on.
Notes: Written for tww_minis round of 'isolation', and daysofawesome. It's a 5-part, 5-day look at Sam and the Doctor's journey towards forgiving themselves during the high holy days- for the events of the past year. Set 2017- post series 4 for the Doctor (so the Doctor and 'past year' are meant to be taken liberally), and post Toby's death for Sam.
It wasn’t that the man walking out of the Police Box was overly unusual; he was just walking out of a Police Box that Sam could swear had never been there before. He was dressed neatly, in a blue suit, but looked utterly dejected about something. Sam supposed, in his wandering writing mind, that the man must have just had a rather unhappy telephone conversation. So it wasn’t that the man was unusual. What made him unusual was what happened after his casual stroll up to Sam, sitting on the park bench, and his rather casual asking, “Excuse me, what day is it?”
“Tuesday,” Sam said. That wasn’t the unusual part.
“Ah,” said the man. “What month?”
“September, sir.” Sam replied. That was the start of the unusual part.
“And ah, what year would that be again?” the man scratched his head, and gave Sam an expectant look not unlike a puppy.
Sam frowned. “2017.”
“Ooo!” the man exclaimed, looking upbeat. “I overshot! Was aiming for 2004ish, or thereabouts.”
“Who are you?” Sam couldn’t help but ask.
“Right!” the man beamed, sticking out his hand. “Can’t go without a little propriety, right? I’m the Doctor, pleased to meet you, and you are?”
“Sam. Sam Seaborn,” Sam said, taking the Doctor’s hand. “Doctor what?”
“Oh, just the Doctor,” the Doctor said casually. “Central Park, right?”
“Yes ...”
The Doctor leaned in close to Sam and whispered, “Anything unusual going on?”
Sam thought about the question for a moment. “Well,” he said finally, “It’s the High Holy Days.”
“I’m not acquainted with those,” the Doctor said. “Important events, then?”
Sam was used to people not knowing the High Holy Days. He wasn’t quite used to strange men coming out of Police Call boxes not knowing the year, but he was lonely after the death of Toby, and this man reminded him of Toby, in some way that he couldn’t quite place his finger on.
“They’re the days between Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur. Days of Atonement.” Sam explained. The Doctor seemed uneasy about the explanation.
“Right,” the Doctor said, more murmuring to himself. “Of all the places in running away I try to end up, I wind up in the middle of atonement.” He took a seat next to Sam, “You sure there’s nothing else unusual going on?”
Sam didn’t miss a beat, “Well sir, there’s you.”
The Doctor beamed, “Oh, I like you Sam. Saaaam Seaborn. Tell me Sam, what do you do?”
“I’m not sure I do anything at the moment,” Sam said. “I mostly sit in the park and ... wait.”
The Doctor leaned back, gazing around the park. Sam was grateful for the moment of silence. Finally, in a small voice, the Doctor ventured, “What are we waiting for?”
“Absolution,” Sam said softly. “Forgiveness. Courage. Something other than emptiness.”
“I do like you,” the Doctor murmured. They sat in silence for a good while until the Doctor sat forward and leaned with his hands on his knees. “Tell me Sam. How is it that two very lost people- for you are so very lost and I am so very lost- tell me how the two of us managed to wind up sitting on the same park bench looking for exactly the same things?”
“I don’t know, Doctor,” Sam said softly. “But if you manage to find what you’re looking for, please share.”
“Aye, and the same for you,” the Doctor said, leaning back on the bench.
And there the two men sat, until the sun had set.