( the fine print: ) Neither the Doctor nor Rose belong to me.
( pairing: ) None. This is gen, gen, gen. Originally posted 7 Aug '06.
Ten-Sixths
Miss Lola D
"I cannot believe I'm doing this." Rose poked her head around the edge of a Mickey and Friends plywood cutout. "This is really the last straw."
"Something the matter?" The Doctor adjusted his tall green hat. "Perfect!" he said to a person-sized mirror propped against a parade float.
"My costume, for one," she said. "It's too tight."
"Too tight?" He leaned back, getting a better look at her dress. "With that skirt?" He buttoned his blue brocade waistcoat. "Impossible."
She glared at him, the effect lessened slightly by her poofy black bow, ridiculous makeup, and long blond wig. "I hope you're having fun." The last one was particularly annoying, especially as Rose had her own, perfectly appropriate hair, but without it, she wouldn't be recognizable, either as 'herself' or as her character.
"Could've done without landing on a pair of park performers, but yeah, I am," he said.
"We could be saving planets!" she ranted. "Instead, we're standing in for – who were they?"
"Sara and Tom," he supplied. "We're making sure they get paid for playing Alice and the Mad Hatter on August 9, 2006, because otherwise they won't have enough money for next month's rent and will be tossed out onto the street."
"And will have a screaming row."
"Which will result in their breaking up and never having any children, let alone the future President of the United States." He tapped her on the nose with one white-gloved hand. "Truly disastrous for peace efforts in the Middle East, not to mention the space program. Just think. Humanity will never settle on Mars if we duck this job."
Merry bells chimed outside.
"That's our cue," said Rose. "Noon. Beginning of an eight-hour shift in ninety-degree weather."
"It could always be worse," said the Doctor. "We might've picked a rainy day instead."