Author's Note: This is my first Doctor Who fic. I have yet to see the final episodes of Series 2. So, yes, I'm a bit behind. I hope you enjoy this little bit off randomness. If so inspired, please drop me a note to let me know how I've done. Cheers!
The Devil's Due (ficlet)
"Did we really kill Satan, Doctor?" Rose asked as her companion locked in their next destination.
"From a certain point of view," he replied absently.
"I'm not sure what you mean," she replied, knitting her brows together in consternation. "Either we killed him or we didn't."
The Doctor looked up from his ministrations. "You heard what I said to it, right? Which devil are you and all that?"
"Yeah. So?" she challenged. "He claimed to be all of them."
"Arrogant, don't ya think?" the Doctor replied, returning to the Tardis controls.
"He knew things," Rose pressed, not willing to let the Doctor brush her concerns aside. "True things. He said I would die in battle."
The Doctor stopped moving even as he was bent over the time dial. He turned his head and looked at her, his expression somewhere between frustration and fear. He straightened and took her shoulders in his hands.
"The beast was a powerful telepath, Rose," the Doctor explained. "He was preying on your fears. He wanted you to fail; to give up. It would say whatever it took. Its power allowed it to look into our thoughts."
"Then he was the devil!" she declared. "He possessed Toby!"
"Interesting, that," The Doctor replied, stoically. "But not unheard of."
Heat rose in her neck and cheeks as the Doctor's non answers grated on her. "Doctor!
He froze.
Again.
"May I have a straight answer? Pretty please?"
He looked at her askance. "I'm surprised at you, Rose. I never imagined that you would take this subject so seriously. After all you've seen, you still believe 'Satan' is real? One Satan, of the Judeo-Christian religion?"
"Yeah. Maybe," she said tentatively. "Yeah. What about it?"
"Even if there were only one Lucifer, which there is, I imagine it wouldn't have been so easy to kill him."
"Easy?" Rose exclaimed in disbelief. "Easy? You call that easy? I could have died."
"But you didn't," he added cheerfully. "I knew you wouldn't. I had faith in you."
It only soothed her a bit. "If he is the real Devil, he could still be alive you know; laughing all the way into the black hole. "
"Now, you're just teasing me," The Doctor said, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. "Though, I suppose if he was S-A-T-A-N, and we, indeed, shuffled him off, then there would be no evil left in the world. Brilliant!"
Rose frowned and proceeded to stick her tongue out at him. "Who's teasing who, Doctor?"
"Allons-Y!" he pronounced. "We're here!"
"Doctor, if we killed The Devil, then God has no enemy!"
The Time Lord rolled his eyes and pulled her along to the door.
"He's got me to keep him busy, for now."