New chapter! Apologies for not updating sooner, and thanks to all those who reviewed!
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"'Tis torture, not mercy: heaven is here, Where Juliet lives…"
Rose smiled to herself. She was back on the staircase, head resting against the wall, open script on her knees, dimly listening to the voices onstage. She felt tired – but it had only been an hour or so, surely? Must be the emotional side of the acting, she supposed. Ha! What an excuse.
She flicked her eyes down to the script, open at her next scene. Jesus, how much did she have to learn? It was another scene of just her and the Doctor – her and 'Romeo' – and it was a sweet one, sure. Classic Shakespeare: poetic language, sweet words.
Rose bit her tongue, grinning. She would like this scene! She looked up as voices wormed their way into her conscious thought, and then there were footsteps coming offstage. Friar Laurence passed, as did the Nurse. And…
"Hiding on the stairs again?"
"I told you, I'm not hiding. I'm waiting."
"Huddled on a dark staircase away from strangers who are actors? That's hiding in my book."
"Your book's written in Gallifreyian. It's not like I can read it."
The Doctor grinned at her. "So, our scene next? Your fiancée's out on stage."
"What are you on about?"
"Paris. You're going to marry him, right?"
Rose rolled her eyes, grinning. "And if you've forgotten, I married you. Or do you not remember?"
He came and sat down on the step next to her, tilting his head slightly and looking at her out the corner of his eyes. "You alright?"
"Yeah…it's just weird. I mean, it's always weird. But…acting aliens?"
"Yeah. There's something going on here, though. Something's just not right…or maybe I'm just not used to actors."
Rose turned sharply to him. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing…it's just so much help, so organised. It's like they were waiting for us…" he met her eyes and grinned. "Or maybe I'm just paranoid."
Standing, the Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her upright. "Now, we've got about six lines. Come on."
"What? Where?" Rose was confused. They were meant to be on soon, so where were they going…? And why?
The Doctor laughed at her confused expression. "Have you read your script, or are you just flying blind? Here…" he opened his own script to the appropriate page and showed her their scene. "It says 'Enter Romeo and Juliet, above, at the window'. Now where might above be, hmmm?"
"Oh, right." She turned and went up the stairs as the scene below them finished. The Doctor came up behind her, slipping his hand in hers and pulling her forward to the front of the balcony gently, whispering as he did so. "You start, Julie…"
Rose already had he script open at the right page, and quickly scanned the page for her lines. Bingo.
"Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day: it was the nightingale, and not the lark, that pierced the hollow of thine ear: nightly she sings on yond pomegranate-tree: believe me, love, it was the nightingale."
He was watching her as she read. It unnerved her slightly, but it was only the Doctor, why should she feel nervous? Her breath caught sharply as he placed a hand on her shoulder, (his other was holding the open script) and spoke his own reply. Her heart was pounding…she was acting stupidly. It was a play!
His touch was so gentle. She relaxed slightly under it, calming herself down and trying to read her lines accurately and smoothly. She was going to do it right.
"Let me be taken, let me be put to death," The Doctor said, "I am content, if thou will have it so…"
As he looked at her while speaking, Rose saw that the glint of sincerity was back. The feeling that he meant it, it was all real…get a hold of yourself, Rose! He didn't feel like that…did he? No…
She wasn't going to survive his being such a good actor. Damn him.
She giggled as she watched the Doctor proclaiming to the theatre at large ("Come, death, and welcome! Juliet wills it so!"), grinning as he did so, before her turned back to her and took her hands. "How is't, my soul? Let's talk, it is not day."
Still smiling, Rose forced her words out, telling him that is was day, it was the lark, he had to go, even though she didn't want him to. He smiled softly back, telling her that the more light appeared, the darker their woes became. He leaned in towards her, taking her by surprise…this wasn't in the script…Rose didn't know what to do. She knew what she wanted to do, sure…
But he had timed it well, as the Nurse entered and he withdrew with an ashamed glance out at the audience. Rose heard Cassius chortle below. So it had been planned. Her heart could slow down now.
Romeo had to leave. And now! "Then, window, let day in and let life out."
"Farewell, farewell," Said the Doctor…Romeo…in return. "One kiss, and I'll descend."
Rose didn't need to be told twice. She kissed him softly, wishing that it wasn't under the pretext of a play. If only.
After they parted, he went to the edge of the balcony and swung himself over the edge, down a rope Rose hadn't noticed. She got the distinct impression from his smirk up at her from the stage he had known it was there. Show off.
She had to lean over the balcony to speak to him, ignoring the dull pain as it dug into her ribs. "Art thou gone so? My lord, my love, my friend!" Those words had all honesty behind them from Rose's point of view. My love…my friend…
They exchanged words and then he was off, vanishing offstage, and Rose had to turn back to answer to her 'mother'. Rose hadn't read ahead of herself, and didn't know what was to come. So, by the time she stumbled off stage, she was glad it was over.
The scene had progressed from words of love to that of bitterness. Juliet and Lady Capulet had discussed Romeo – Juliet's word having a double meaning – before Lady Capulet had brought up marriage and Juliet refused. Capulet himself had entered soon after, and Juliet had fought with her father over the prospect of marriage.
It became close to a screaming match; the actor playing Lord Capulet was so immersed in his role and his anger that Roe, much to her surprise, felt on the verge of tears.
As she came off, alone, she almost ran into the Nurse.
"Are you alright, child? You must excuse Abraham. He loves being Capulet – and is very good. He loves to delve deeply into his character…maybe a little too much."
Rose was leaning against the wall, hardly listening. Xander passed on his way to the stage, giving her a quick smile, which she feebly returned. The Doctor was behind him. He pulled Rose into a loose embrace, and she relaxed against him.
"Well, you certainly got ripped apart out there."
"I didn't read ahead. I should've…I didn't…"
"That's theatre for you. It looked good from the audience, if that's a consolation."
"Ha."
"Now, you better get onstage, Jules."
He gently pushed Rose in the direction of the stage, and she took the hint.
"Happily met!" Said Xander as she walked on. "My lady and my wife."
"That may be sir, when I may be a wife." Rose replied smoothly. Xander winked at her in reassurance.
The rest of the scene was straightforward. There was a longish monologue (Rose discovered that the line "Be not so long to speak, I long to die!" was one of the most fun to perform), but she got through it, thinking in a pleased manner soon she would be drugged and could ''exit stage right' for a while.
Her next scene was short, and she paced herself through it. On leaving with the Nurse, as they both started the next scene, the Nurse whispered to her, "Now, the next scene has your biggest monologue in the play. Oh, don't look so shocked, child. It will be fine. Just do what feels right, and don't forget to heighten emotion. It's a lovely piece."
It was time to saunter onstage yet again. Rose was starting to feel more at home with it, having done it so much. The monologue the Nurse had warned her about was very long in length, and an absence of props didn't help. She tried to keep from being static – that would be boring – and tried to keep her emotions heightened.
As she pretended to drink, finally, at the end, she fell to the ground. Cassius called to her from the audience: "You'll have a bed, my Juliet, don't worry."
"Good," Rose replied as she climbed to her feet. "Don't fancy falling on the ground again, thanks."
The next scene she wasn't needed, but Xander appeared and called to her from a side room. "You want a bed? You need to lie on one on the next scene."
Together they manoeuvred a bed out of the room. It wasn't anything flash, but it remained Rose of her bed – her old bed, back at the Powell Estate. She placed a hand on the headboard, smiling. Home.
Xander and her got the bed onstage, pushing it behind the actors and near the back of the stage. Xander whispered quickly this was the most likely place it would be put, and then invited her to 'die' on it, before quietly scampering offstage.
Rose flopped down, relaxing as her muscles hit the softness. Ha – no acting required, although it was hard not to giggle as the other various actors found her 'dead'. Lucky she had her head turned away from the audience.
Trying not to move too much, she brought her script up to eye level, following the scene as it progressed. It was really quite boring lying here…
She left with the musicians at the end of the scene, walking off as the Doctor walked on. His scene was wonderful to watch; as she hid herself in the shadows at the side of the stage.
It was another scene where the emotions went from one extreme to the next. The Doctor had to be pensive, then happy, and then loose it all within a few seconds on receiving the news of Juliet's 'death'.
Rose felt drawn to the scene, unable to look away. It was so…he was so…emotional. Powerful. Beautiful…real. She found herself believing his every word.
By the time he came off, Rose had bitten her lip so hard watching that the inside was bleeding. Oops.
"One more scene, Rose! Then, we're done."
"Really?"
"Yeah – then another week or two of rehearsal, we perform, we go!"
"You were…you were great out there, you know." Damn. Why did it sound so cheesy?
The Doctor beamed at this. "Yeah, you're not too bad yourself."
"Thanks."
The Doctor looked past her to the stage. "They're almost finished, I think. Time to die, yeah?" He winked at her. "Should be fun, love."
"Yeah, just a bit." Rose replied sarcastically, trying to imagine away that one little word. Just a turn of phrase.
She turned to the stage, ready to walk on.
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Another one down! My thanks to those who are still reviewing. I'm surprised you haven't given up on me! I'll update soon, promise.