DNA's grudge against the Doctor
Spoilers: Slight POTW
Characters: Rose/Ten
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Don't own them, never had them, willing to barter for them
"It's all real you know." The Doctor said walking into the room and pointing at the book in Rose's hands. He had come to the library looking for her to ask where she wanted to go next and was surprised to see Rose had a copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Universe in her hands.
He wasn't surprised to see her reading, he was surprised to see her reading what humans considered science fiction. He would have figured with their adventures she wouldn't need to turn to the work of Douglas Adams for a good read.
"What's all real?" Rose asked the Doctor. Did he mean her book? She had read this book ages ago and had found it to be brilliant. When she had been looking for something to read earlier that afternoon and had been surprised and pleased to see this book on the TARDIS library shelves. Settling down in the nearest comfy chair Rose had planned on afternoon of mock torture and reading. She hadn't expected the Doctor to come looking for her and she certainly hadn't expected him to tell her the fiction she was reading was real.
"Almost all of the stories in there are real. I traveled with Douglas Adams in my sixth regeneration for a while." The Doctor said sitting down next to her. At Rose's encouraging nod he continued. "He mentions lying pissed in a field and wondering how to get off the planet. I found him in that field heard his wish and decided to take him with me for a bit." The Doctor told her. Rose playfully smacked at his arm with the book. "Get out, you did not!" The Doctor nodded pleased at her amusement. "It's a fair cop I have." Rose just stared at him but this time he can see she believes him. "I'm even in there, sort of." The Doctor told her. After Douglas had asked to come back to Earth the Doctor had asked him not to use the Time Lord's proper name or identity in the book. Too many alien races wanted him dead and he didn't want Douglas' books to act as a homing beacon allowing one of those races to find him.
He was in there? Rose could see from his face the Doctor wasn't lying but she couldn't think of any character that really reminded her of the Doctor. In some ways, he reminded her of Zaphod but the Doctor wasn't quite as large of a con artist as Zaphod was portrayed in the book. Then as she thinks about it the answer comes to Rose. She was honestly surprised this wasn't her first choice. "Let's see," Rose began ticking points off on her fingertips. "You have one head, two arms, you definitely have the mad mental patient grin, and you don't have a proper name."
At each point the Doctor is nodding. His Rose is so clever. He had known as soon as he told her he was in the book that Rose would figure out which character he had been the basis for in Adams' novels. He's rewarded when Rose blurts out. "You're Ford Prefect!" The Doctor nodded again. Yes, he had been the inspiration for Ford Prefect. The Doctor doesn't understand why after making this statement Rose has started laughing.
Rose wants to stop laughing, but she cannot. The Doctor was the inspiration for Ford Prefect. That was just too much. She can see he is confused by her laughter and needs to explain things to him but isn't under control enough to do so. After a few long moments of laughing so hard she's sure she is going to hurt herself Rose calms down enough to ask him. "Did he want to leave you?'
The Doctor wasn't sure where this question is coming from and thinks about it for a moment. The parting hadn't been extremely amicable but he didn't think there had been any major hard feelings. Apparently he may have been wrong if Rose was asking her question. "Not at first, but I thought he understood. Why is this important, Rose?" He's quite unprepared for her answer.
Rose is giggling again picturing Mickey's first car. It had been a lime green Ford Prefect and it had been a colossal piece of rubbish. Rose had questioned Mickey, asking him if it had only been his car and he had somewhat huffily assured her there was nothing wrong with car. All Ford Prefects were nothing more than pieces of rubbish. She has to tell him. "Ford Prefects are some of the biggest pieces of rubbish to ever hit the road, Doctor. If he named your character after that car he must not have thought that much of you." Rose finally explained.
As her words registered, the Doctor couldn't help but chuckle. He hadn't realized that Douglas had been that unhappy with their parting. "It's all-right. He was kind of a git." The Doctor said seriously. He's not sure why but this only makes Rose laugh harder.