Crossroads - A Blue Gravel Path (7/13)

[azriona]

Title: A Blue Gravel Path
Characters: The Doctor, Rose Tyler, among others
Warnings: PG. Oh, and it’s baby!fic.
Spoilers: For the sake of this story, S4 never happens.
Beta: runriggers

Part of the Crossroads series
A now AU and non-S4 compliant story. Ah well.
Part One: Reflections
Part Two: One Day
Part Three: Choices and ChancesPart Four: A Blue Gravel

Comments

[bananasandroses]

I feel desperately sorry for Elizabeth, she doesn’t deserve that.

And Carissa ... interesting woman, I need to re-acquaint myself with her story (I think you posted a link back to it in the last chapter ... I vaguely remember something about the mother of the Doctor’s son, but I might well be wrong there). Why are you inflicting Carissa and Jackie on each other?

[azriona]

I feel desperately sorry for Elizabeth, she doesn’t deserve that.

I agree, she's really getting the raw end of the deal with this. She had a very horrible and difficult decision to make - no one should have to make it.

Which leads me to...

Why are you inflicting Carissa and Jackie on each other?

More of a connection between Elizabeth and Jackie, when you think about it. Both of them gave up their daughters. And Carissa gave up Theta - not exactly the same, but similar enough.

I don't think Mickey knows quite why he'd taking Carissa to see Jackie. But he knows they're connected somehow. And since Jackie's the one who told Mickey about the woman with two hearts in the first place...taking her to see Jackie is almost logical.

(And yes, you're remembering correctly - Carissa was the Doctor's first "wife", and they had a son together, and that son in turn had Susan.)

[shinyopals]

Ooh, am glad Martha is still there with them. I can't called her "Dr Jones", even mentally.

“He called me an idiot.”
“I doubt that.”Heh. Poor old Mickey

[azriona]

Ooo, long comment, goody. *rubs hands gleefully*

Ooh, am glad Martha is still there with them. I can't called her "Dr Jones", even mentally.

I had trouble with that while writing, actually. But it's from Mickey's POV, and he wouldn't have called her Martha, no way.

I like the fleshing out of his relationship with Carissa and the story she tells about their first TARDIS trip.

Me too. The Doctor's relationship with Carissa, and his son, and Susan, are all very much influential on how he treats his relationship with Rose. I think that's what makes it interesting for me to write.

I keep expecting Elizabeth to demand the Doctor gets dragged off and executed

I think the Doctor half expects that himself.

Echoes of Turn Left here (although the amount of time you've been writing this, I suspect you had it in mind before TL aired!)

Well before. I think I finished writing this before the season was half over, actually. When I saw Turn Left, I squealed in GLEE

[shinyopals]

When I saw Turn Left, I squealed in GLEE.

(The Doctor's Daughter had me screaming, though - Janie was originally supposed to be "Jenny". That pissed me off for DAYS.)

Canon is just plain difficult at times, isn't it? XD

And I think I prefer a blue box to a nasty great bug!

[azriona]

Canon is just plain difficult at times, isn't it?

Seriously. I have no idea how people who do Heroes or Lost or any of those shows that have 26 episodes to a season manage to make it through the year without heart attacks. HP was so much easier, what with two years between books!

[reetinkerbell]

I feel sorry for both Elizabeth and Carissa (something I didn't expect) since Elizabeth must give up the child she's come to love like her own without probably fully understanding why, only that Janie will die if she doesn't. And Carissa, for obviously loving the Doctor in a way he doens't love her any more, if he ever did.

Also, ha! No wonder the Doctor didn't tell Rose about the (first) time he saw a crossroad - he probably didn't want to admit to her about the kiss. :P

[azriona]

Thank you!

No wonder the Doctor didn't tell Rose about the (first) time he saw a crossroad - he probably didn't want to admit to her about the kiss.

I think the kiss definitely factored into it, why the Doctor didn't tell Rose about the first crossroads he saw. In comparison to all the other stuff he's done, it's sort of minor - she would have accepted it. To him, kissing Carissa was much worse a crime.

[reetinkerbell]

I totally get that. From what I understand of this story, while he doesn't/never loved Carissa the way he loves Rose, she's the only one who's ever come close to meaning to him as much as Rose. And she was the mother of his first child - regardless of how it came about and how they weren't technically married, I'm thinking he's going to be worried about giving Rose any doubt about his feelings for her and any lingering feelings she might think he has for Carissa.

Unless you mean 'worse a crime' in the sense that it was forbidden for Time Lords...

[azriona]

A little bit of both, really. As Carissa says - and I think the Doctor said it earlier - they weren't supposed to fall in love. Their "marriage" was entirely one of convenience, really more of a technical thing because they both contributed to a single child. Their relationship was never actually physical, it was all mental and for them, a bit emotional.

You're right that Carissa meant a great deal to the Doctor. She was his first, and best, friend for a very long time. While I'm not up on all the various incarnations of the Doctor, I get the sense that there are few companions in the early years to whom he was very close. Not Ian or Barbara, certainly. Susan yes, but very much as a granddaughter. I think for many years, until he met Sarah Jane or Jo or Ace, Carissa was the only person he considered "friend", and would have trusted implicitly.

Since for the Doctor, friend and love are entwined so completely, he wouldn't realize that to Rose, they aren't so closely linked. Cultural differences, and all.

[ladychi]

For so much of my life, Dave Matthews Band is applicable. So I've turned on "So Much To Say" and I'm going to comment away to my little heart's content. I'm sorry I'm spamming your journal, but there's too much love to be contained in my usual three-paragraph review.

I like the sub-plot that you've set up here with Carissa and Theta. I think some of the most beautiful language in this fic (in a fic that I think is just ripe with beautiful language, by the way...) is found in the description of the TARDIS-kiss scene.

That moment, sitting in my TARDIS, Theta at my side - that was such a moment. I kissed him, or he kissed me. A brush of his lips against mine, it might have lasted thirty seconds or a thousand years. In my dreams, it was longer, but I don’t know. When we pulled away from each other, the look in his eyes - oh, how they glowed. How his very thoughts shimmered! And I knew if I leaned in again for another kiss, it would be the end of it.*le sigh* And you do break my heart with beauty. It's enough to have part of my heart

[azriona]

I'm sorry I'm spamming your journal,

Oh, I don't mind a bit. *grin*

I think some of the most beautiful language in this fic (in a fic that I think is just ripe with beautiful language, by the way...) is found in the description of the TARDIS-kiss scene.

Carissa just sort of came out poetic like that - no idea why. She's had a few centuries to think about things, is my only explanation. It can't have been easy for her to observe life and not be able to take part in it - particularly a life she might have had herself, and didn't.

It's enough to have part of my heart shipping Carissa/Theta

And if anyone would understand that fic - following the adventures of Theta and Carissa, it would be a fascinating tale, I'm sure! *grin*

And thank you for the "ripe with beautiful language" - I shall smile all morning for that.)

[earlgreytea68]

I'm getting killed at work and am dead exhausted. I'll be back later with something with words and thoughts and stuff!

[azriona]

*pats* Take your time.