Some Go Mad
10.0
Rose's legs dangled down over the side of the bench she was sat on, her toes just barely touching the floor. Her eyes followed the Doctor as he moved from one side of the large control console in the middle of the room to another. He seemed so at ease, though that wasn't surprising as he'd looked just as at ease standing in her bedroom.
The last time she'd been where she was now, inside the Doctor's TARDIS, she had been so stunned and shocked and downright terrified that she hadn't been able to take a good look at it. Now that she had all the time in the world, she took her time taking it all in. It really was beautiful, even if its exterior was a bit outdated.
All around her was glass. The stairs leading up to the platform on which her bench was sat were glass, as was the platform itself. A column that went up from the control console was made from glass and it spread out to the ceiling, which was, you guessed it, glass. Underneath the platform were all sorts of wires, in the ceiling were wires. Beams of glass criss-crossed everywhere some of the beams had wires, others had different liquids within them. Near where Rose was sitting was another set of stairs which led to a hallway. She hadn't yet asked the Doctor where that hallway went.
From where she was, Rose could make out different photographs littering the console. They were stuck here and there, between the controls. Some were faded and in black-and-white, while others were in color and seemed much newer. Rose stood up and walked over to one that was nearest to her. She stared at it. It was a photograph of an old man and a young woman with dark hair. Forgetting her manners, she plucked the photo from its spot and walked over to the Doctor.
"Doctor, who are these people?" she asked, voice soft.
The Doctor hit a button, then spun around to face her. He clapped his hands together and grinned. Rose couldn't help but grin back. He took the picture from her hands and stared at it. "This," he said, pointing to old man, "is me. And this," he pointed to the girl, "is my granddaughter, Susan."
"How can that be you? When is this photo from?"
"1963," Doctor replied easily. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Rose."
"Obviously," Rose whispered. "All I know is that you're a Time Lord."
The Doctor wrapped his fingers around Rose's wrist and led her over to the bench where she'd just been sitting. The two of them sat down. "This is me from a long time ago. I was really young back then," he explained. "When a Time Lord gets hurt, really hurt, he goes through what's called regeneration. I'm sure you know what that is, in general terms?"
Rose nodded. "Like a starfish. When one of its arms gets cut off, they grow a new one."
"Exactly!" Doctor exclaimed. "Only when a Time Lord does it, they change completely. New face, new body, new personality. New everything."
"That's...amazing," Rose said. "It has to be hard, though."
"What do you mean?"
Rose stood up. She walked around the console looking at all of the pictures. He was different in all them, besides a few where he was the same but the person standing beside him was different. Which was another thing, there were no two pictures of the Doctor with the same person. "All of these people," she said. "They're just people, right?"
The Doctor nodded, the light in his eyes growing dim.
"In the end, you have to let go of them. They have to let go of you. You get to have them for awhile, but then what? You lose them." She looked at the Doctor, who had gotten up to stand beside her. In front of them on the console was a photograph was a candid shot of the Doctor, who was, at that time, a skinny brown haired man in a suit, and a pretty blonde girl.
"That's Rose Tyler," he said, a certain sadness in his voice that Rose didn't quite understand at that moment.
The Doctor took her around the console, pointing out the people in the pictures. He said their names, but nothing more. Each time he spoke a name Rose could hear the ache in his voice grow.
"Being a Time Lord must be lonely," Rose said softly.
The Doctor looked down at the small brunette girl next to him and watched her eyes look over the photographs again. He watched as her fingers touched each one of them, her mouth forming the names she'd heard him give them. Committing them to memory. The Doctor realized then that Rose Jackson really was brilliant.
The last time she'd been where she was now, inside the Doctor's TARDIS, she had been so stunned and shocked and downright terrified that she hadn't been able to take a good look at it. Now that she had all the time in the world, she took her time taking it all in. It really was beautiful, even if its exterior was a bit outdated.
All around her was glass. The stairs leading up to the platform on which her bench was sat were glass, as was the platform itself. A column that went up from the control console was made from glass and it spread out to the ceiling, which was, you guessed it, glass. Underneath the platform were all sorts of wires, in the ceiling were wires. Beams of glass criss-crossed everywhere some of the beams had wires, others had different liquids within them. Near where Rose was sitting was another set of stairs which led to a hallway. She hadn't yet asked the Doctor where that hallway went.
From where she was, Rose could make out different photographs littering the console. They were stuck here and there, between the controls. Some were faded and in black-and-white, while others were in color and seemed much newer. Rose stood up and walked over to one that was nearest to her. She stared at it. It was a photograph of an old man and a young woman with dark hair. Forgetting her manners, she plucked the photo from its spot and walked over to the Doctor.
"Doctor, who are these people?" she asked, voice soft.
The Doctor hit a button, then spun around to face her. He clapped his hands together and grinned. Rose couldn't help but grin back. He took the picture from her hands and stared at it. "This," he said, pointing to old man, "is me. And this," he pointed to the girl, "is my granddaughter, Susan."
"How can that be you? When is this photo from?"
"1963," Doctor replied easily. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Rose."
"Obviously," Rose whispered. "All I know is that you're a Time Lord."
The Doctor wrapped his fingers around Rose's wrist and led her over to the bench where she'd just been sitting. The two of them sat down. "This is me from a long time ago. I was really young back then," he explained. "When a Time Lord gets hurt, really hurt, he goes through what's called regeneration. I'm sure you know what that is, in general terms?"
Rose nodded. "Like a starfish. When one of its arms gets cut off, they grow a new one."
"Exactly!" Doctor exclaimed. "Only when a Time Lord does it, they change completely. New face, new body, new personality. New everything."
"That's...amazing," Rose said. "It has to be hard, though."
"What do you mean?"
Rose stood up. She walked around the console looking at all of the pictures. He was different in all them, besides a few where he was the same but the person standing beside him was different. Which was another thing, there were no two pictures of the Doctor with the same person. "All of these people," she said. "They're just people, right?"
The Doctor nodded, the light in his eyes growing dim.
"In the end, you have to let go of them. They have to let go of you. You get to have them for awhile, but then what? You lose them." She looked at the Doctor, who had gotten up to stand beside her. In front of them on the console was a photograph was a candid shot of the Doctor, who was, at that time, a skinny brown haired man in a suit, and a pretty blonde girl.
"That's Rose Tyler," he said, a certain sadness in his voice that Rose didn't quite understand at that moment.
The Doctor took her around the console, pointing out the people in the pictures. He said their names, but nothing more. Each time he spoke a name Rose could hear the ache in his voice grow.
"Being a Time Lord must be lonely," Rose said softly.
The Doctor looked down at the small brunette girl next to him and watched her eyes look over the photographs again. He watched as her fingers touched each one of them, her mouth forming the names she'd heard him give them. Committing them to memory. The Doctor realized then that Rose Jackson really was brilliant.
♠ ♠ ♠
Howdy, readers! Wait. Howdy? Really? Anyways... As Danet previously stated, we are both super duper excited to be writing this story again! I am so sorry that we took so long to update it in the first place. We hope to be updating regularly from now on. If we don't update in over a week, feel free to hunt us down. We're used to being held at gunpoint to write stuff; we do it to each other all the time!This is really short, I know. But I will be writing another chapter in a couple of days that will be Doctor and Rose's first adventure. I felt that adding that to this one would be too much, don't you agree?
Thanks for sticking with us!
-Aleka.