Dedication: For MintaClaire, I know she's been waiting a long time for Rasputin to make an appearance! Hope you like it sweetie! :)
Warning: This Chapter does contain swearing!
Anyways, the Chap title comes from Jessie J's Domino!
also, as promised, Professor John Book and his wife Grace (two of my oringal creations) are introduced here!
Chapter Three: My Heart Beats Out Of Time
The following is a transcript from a short documentary entitled "The petty bourgeoisie." Speaking here is Professor Conrad Daniel Garth, a leading historian of revolutions on Earth and faithful member of the Church. The documentary was first broadcast on the 9th of September 5160, 6 weeks after his tragic death on Calypso1 while writing his next novel. This transcript is unedited and therefore contains a language warning.
(Camera focuses slowlyon a man in a large brown armchair.)
Prof. Conrad: For fucks sake can't you get that camera steady?
(Camera man mumbles apology)
Prof. Conrad: Yes you'd better be sorry, can I start now? I have a lecture in an hour, (voice drops) more little fuckers to deal with.
Director: And action!
Prof. Conrad: Right, hello there, I'm pro-
(Interrupted by director)
Director: Woh! Woh! What are you doing?
Prof. Conrad: Well they have to know who's talking to them. Could be any bastard in an expensive suit couldn't it?
Director: ..!
Prof. Conrad: Ok, ok, now where the fuck was I? Oh yeah, (Voice suddenly becomes more professional) Vladimir Lenin despised the upper class, and you couldn't really blame the poor bastard. (Loud cough in background) They threw elaborate parties while the poor were starving outside, oblivious to the peoples suffering, they really only cared about themselves and advancing their own kind. In fact, the bourgeoisie were part of the reason why the Dumas were a total failure. Nicholas II, bless the spineless idiot, finally woke up and gave the people a place to air out their grievances only to have the upper class come in with a wrecking ball and completely destroy it! (Laughs harshly) Of course it didn't help that the Tsar was hosting some of those parties.
Director: And cut!...I think we're done here.
Soviet Weapons House, Jan 8th 1905
The Doctor leaned against the wall, his sleek black top hat sliding down to half hide his face as he fiddled with the diamond topped cane in his hand and started to hum a tune.
He and River had argued for just over two hours, (the fight involving several pot plants being thrown angrily at his head.) Before she had been forced to admit defeat, not because the Doctor had managed to convince her of anything no, rather because she knew he would pester the living daylights out of her before she gave in.
River had managed, the Doctor now realized, to subtly get her revenge by making him wait for an exceedingly painful amount of time while she got ready.
He was finished in less then 5 minutes, dressed in a smart black tuxedo (courtesy of the TARDIS wardrobe) and looking every inch the upper class gentlemen, not that River cared, The Doctor thought, somewhat disappointed at her reaction, or rather, her lack of one.
The woman had looked him up and down, scoffed and excused herself from the room to go and change.
For the last hour and a half she'd locked herself in her bedroom, (which, he found out quickly, adjoined the room she had first led him into.)
"So" the Doctor said, looking down at his cane as he spun it from hand to hand.
"You're some sort of double agent then?"
"Uh-aha" River called back from her bedroom, "Mika the Soviet by day and Lady Dominika the aristocrat by night. "
Her voice was warm and rich, just as she usually would have sounded. The Doctor smiled at the sound.
"Where are we up to now?" She asked back.
"We travelled through the red galaxy just over three weeks ago, " The Doctor replied, the smile widening as he remembered the look of pure wonder on her face as he threw upon the TARDIS doors to show her what was considered one of the wonders of the universe.
"Where are you?" he dared to ask, knowing the reply he'd get.
Sure enough River gave her usual smug cry of "Spoilers!" and he could just hear the smirk in her voice.
"Well, how long has it been since you saw me?" the Doctor asked back, a slight whine in his voice.
He heard nothing for a full minute before she replied in a reluctant voice "3 months"
"What?" The Doctor yelped, standing up straight and adjusting his hat so that it was safely back in its right place.
River ran around her room franticly like a headless chicken, wringing her hands in despair. That man, that impossible, annoying smug bastard, he just had to go and show her up didn't he?
She had planned this night perfectly before he showed up, her dress lay spread on the white covers of her king sized mattress. Her shoes lay at the foot of the bed. All ready for her to try on.
But no, she couldn't now, not after he had gone and found that suit! That suit, with the cane and the ridiculously charming top hat that rested over his brilliant chestnut hair, under that handsome face with the twinkling eyes that seemed so ancient and so young at the sa- stop it River! She commanded herself angrily, you're not supposed to be praising him, his ego is big enough already.
She turned wistfully to glance at the simple white dress lying expectantly on the bed.
She was River Song for god's sake! She could make anything work and she certainly didn't need anyone else's approval!
But the Doctor, well, he was her one weakness now wasn't he? And she was constantly aware of that the more time she spent in his company.
Sighing she had to admit defeat and turned to the wardrobe behind her, throwing it open and (cursing the Doctor under breath) hastily began to sift through its contents.
And all she wanted for tonight was to meet the girl from her favorite storybook. Instead she had ended up with Amy's raggedy Doctor.
The Doctor almost jumped when he heard the door creak open, after all that time waiting, he actually didn't expect River to emerge from that room.
He spun around clumsily, holding onto his cane for supported and looked up. The Doctor's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe his eyes.
River Song stood in the doorway, dressed in a sweeping floor length gown of cream silk and black lace, with matching long black gloves. Her blonde curls were swept up in an elegant bun, though, true to its nature, a few strands had escaped to hover above her shoulder.
The Doctor stood stock still, unable to do anything else except take in her appearance, his eyes darting to all sorts of places that made River glare.
"Well?" She hissed.
The Doctor gulped, trying to take a step forward he lost his footing and had to rely on his cane once more for support.
"Y-y-y-you look…."
"I look?" River asked in mildly amused now as she crossed her arms and leaned on the doorway.
The Doctor racked his brain for appropriate words to use and (unfortunately for River) found the one which, in his opinion, was the highest compliment he could give,
"Cool" He said with a broad smile.
River's eyes narrowed but she said nothing and turned away from him, hurriedly straightening her dress as she did so,
"Well" she said loudly as if he were standing across the room, "we'd better leave now before the snow gets too bad"
"River" the Doctor began, reaching for her arm; she brushed him off easily and turned around again, heading for the stairs.
"Wouldn't want to keep the Tsar waiting would we?"
"River, wait!" The Doctor called after her, scanning the room franticly for any of the remaining pot plants he could found.
His eyes landed on the perfect one, in total contrast to the weapons cabinet it was situated on.
"What?" River asked back, pausing at the floor of the stairs with her back turned to him.
"You're missing something!" The Doctor cried back, reaching for the flowerpot.
"Like what, a bowtie?" River responded sarcastically.
"Bowties are cool!" The Doctor cried back indignantly, as he finished what he was doing and hurriedly ran over to the stairs, jumping over the couch as he did so (because going around it was far to time consuming in his opinion)
He came to a halt behind River and without a word, reached up and placed the last chamomile flower in the room delicately behind her ear.
"There," he cried triumphantly, clapping his hands, "perfect!"
"Now Dr Song," The Doctor whispered in her ear, his voice low, "I believe I am your escort tonight!"
"Oh you can be my escort any night!" River winked back before she could stop herself.
For a second they stood there, simply staring at eachother, The Doctor's hand still behind her ear before she coughed and he hastily removed it, both of them coming to there senses.
Smiling casually as if nothing had happened, The Doctor held his arm out to River.
Tsar's Winter Palace, Same Date
"Your names please?" An Old Russian man asked politely, dressed in an impeccable black suit. When they did not answer at once he repeated the question, in French, English and German before The Doctor cut across him,
"Sir John Smith," He said indicating to himself importantly, "and lady Domi-"He began to say; indicating to River but the man waved him off and bowed extravagantly to his wife, saying as he did so,
"Lady Dominika, a pleasure as always" and much to the Doctor's distaste, River held her hand out to the other man who gently took it in his own and placed a kiss of the back of her hand.
The old man gestured for them to enter the ball room and The Doctor did so as quickly as possible, practically dragging River with him.
"What's wrong?" River asked, batting her eyelashes in mock innocence.
In reply the Doctor huffed and lifted his head up, swinging his cane erratically so that he almost knocked the heads off a couple of the statues which lined the hallway.
Rolling her eyes River, reached up to straighten his bowtie, her hand rested on his chest for a second before she withdrew it and said in a comforting tone, "he's not half the man your are sweetie."
Before she turned away and muttered, "He's more"
"I heard that!" The Doctor whined and River chuckled nastily, gesturing to the room in front of them,
"For god's sake Doctor, we're about to meet the Russian Aristocracy!"
"River" the Doctor called out distractedly, tapping her on the shoulder.
"What?" She snapped, turning back to him.
The Doctor lowered his voice, "that statue over there," He began in an urgent tone,
"Yes" River whispered back suspiciously,
"Well, it's not a statue"
Frowning, River looked behind them to see what the Doctor was talking about, her eyes passed over it for a second before she realized, a man stood between two of the statues, as lifeless as the marble surrounding him.
He had a tall willowy body and wore loose black garments, which matched his wild beard and strangely hypnotic eyes that River couldn't tear her gaze away from.
The man was calmly observing the pair of them and she had the nasty feeling that he had been doing so for quite some time.
She cleared her throat loudly and addressed the man in a neutral voice, "Good evening"
The man said nothing in reply but swept his hands out before him dramatically and began to approach them, seemingly gliding across the floor. He came to a halt before the Doctor, his crooked nose inches away from the Timelord's.
The Doctor raised his eyebrows and exchanged a glance with River before he held out his hand and began to speak in a loud, carrying voice, "Hello There, I'm Sir John Smith…."
Before he could go on, the man interrupted in a low voice that sent shivers up River's spine,
"You are an imposter, a traveler from so far away, you come from a land that has long since burned to the ground, and from the ashes you rose and took flight like a phoenix, flying on and on" The man gestured up to the sky, leaving River and The Doctor standing where they are, a look of pure shock etched on both their features.
There was a moment silence before The Doctor spoke in a warm friendly voice that not at all matched the coldness of his eyes, "well, that's a nice party trick isn't it?" he laughed, turning to River and indicating that she laugh as well.
She didn't of course.
"This is no trick, Doc-toh , I know that you do not come from this country, nor this Earth, but from the depths of space and time." The man went on, his voice rising spectacularly.
"Who are you?' River asked, frowning at the man.
He did not reply but rather stepped back and with one swift movement reached his hands forward and threw what looked like a handful of white powder onto the ground, a puff of green smoke rose from the floor, covering the whole room in seconds.
Both The Doctor and River coughed and spluttered, The Doctor raising his arm to swat t he smoke away but it was no use.
After a few seconds the smoke began to clear of its own accord and River immediately looked up to the spot where the man had been.
Unsurprisingly, he had disappeared.
"What was that all about?" She asked in confusion.
The Doctor shrugged, staring at the empty space between the two statues. "I don't know, but I don't think he was exactly human."
"You mean because he has a flair for the dramatic to the point where he looks like an idiot?" River asked meaningfully, a sharp edge in her voice.
But the Doctor was already lost in the thought of another possible adventure.
He turned to River and asked, "Shall we go investigate Mrs. Robinson?"
River smiled back affectionately
"I hate you!"
"No you don't"
And with that they strode into the ballroom. The space was magnificent, elaborate gold leaf Corinthian pillars glittered proudly in the light thrown off by a 5 tier chandelier.
Underneath the Chandelier, the Russian high society danced in flawless gowns and spotless suits.
"Well, it should be easy to find our mystery man here" River whispered in the Doctor's ear, gesturing to the crowd in front of them. "I have some friends, you might like to meet" she added as an afterthought.
She pointed to a couple standing next to one of the pillars on the left of the room, deep in conversation with one and other.
And with that River began to walk towards them, The Doctor lagging behind, turning this way and hat to take in everything, "Russians!" He muttered excitedly, "I love the Russians!"
River rolled her eyes and said nothing, focusing instead on the couple before her, she could now here there conversation over the music.
"All I'm saying is Lenin could have handled himself better, he went a bit crazy at the end you know, a bit like you when you don't have your morning cup if coffee!" The woman was grumbling, the glass of wine in her hand swaying dangerously as she swung her hands around wildly to elaborate her point.
"Yes, because having a bullet lodged in his shoulder is not a perfect explanation for his craziness as you so eloquently put it my dear. Remind me where you got your degree again?" The man hissed back sarcastically.
"Oh! So now we're evaluating my credentials are we?" The woman shot back, this time managing to slop wine over her black evening gloves.
River coughed loudly, staring between the both of them. The couple jumped and looked around wildly, catching sight of the blonde woman in front of them and the man behind her,
"Why Ms Song" The man said in a fond sort of tone that made the Doctor frown.
"Mrs. Song actually" The Time Lord informed the other man gruffly,
Just as River said, "Dr. Song"
Both turned to glare at the other,
"River?" The Doctor hissed
"Doctor" River replied mockingly, making the other woman beam down at them,
"Oh bless them John, they're just like we were,"
"We are?" River and The Doctor said as one, glancing at eachother warily.
"Oh yes, exactly like us" The man added, holding out his hand to the Doctor,
"Professor Jonathan Book and this here is my wife, Doctor Grace Hope." Without waiting for The Doctor to reply the man's wife added,
"You must be The Doctor; River's told us so much about you"
"She has?" The Doctor asked in mild surprise.
"Oh yes," Grace went on and her husband nodded, "not a day goes by when we don't here the tales about the oncoming storm!" she chuckled.
Next to him, The Doctor could see River franticly attempting to change the conversation, "yes, well, we all love a good fairytale don't we? Now, the child…." She began in a flustered kind of way.
Professor Book caught on at once, "Yes, the child, well, on that note, I think I can safely say we have made some progress" He paused to glance around the room suspiciously before dropping his voice as he went on, "we have been granted an audience with the Royal Family, just for an hour, but it's progress nonetheless"
"Yes, the child" The Doctor added as if he completely understood what was going on, "sorry, what child?" he asked a few seconds later after he realized that no one was going to elaborate.
Grace began to explain, only to be cut off by River, "well, it was lovely to see you both again, must be off, we're in a bit of a hurry, you understand I'm sure"
And with that she shoved The Doctor roughly back into a group of Russian Ladies who batted him angrily with their painted fans, grumbling loudly about the rudeness of their men counterparts.
"River-ow-what are you-ow-doing?" The Doctor cried as the women continued to beat every inch of him.
"'" River hissed angrily through gritted teeth.
"It could alter time!" she cried out as the Doctor finally managed to free himself from both her and the Russian aristocrats.
He paused to straighten out his suit before replying coldly, "Time is not the boss of me! Besides, Time can be re-written!"
"Not all of it" River muttered back sadly. "Not this time"
dun dun dun!
leaving it off there, more to follow though, I hope.
Did you like it? hate it? Indifferent?
Please Review and Let me know!