Chapter 6 – Goodbye Abe
The TARDIS materialised outside the white steps of White House with its familiar materialisation noise. Outside the sky was incredibly dark except from the light from the evening's full moon.
"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Rose asked The Doctor politely
"I can't Rose" The Tenth Doctor answered adamantly "I'm a time lord, a time lord's natural instinct is to save someone from danger; I'll land up undoing the other Doctor's work, go alone Rose"
Rose walked to the door of the TARDIS and opened it gently.
"Meet you outside the 'Ford's Theatre' Rose" The Tenth Doctor said as she stepped out into the evening and onto the grass outside of the White House. As she walked up the white stone steps Abraham Lincoln opened the glass front door of the White House and welcomed her with a warm hug.
"Hello" Rose said with a smile that plastered over the sadness
"Are you okay Rose, you seem upset, is there something wrong?" Lincoln asked concerned
"It's… it's just that… with meeting someone as important as you" Rose lied "I'm just nervous"
"If that's what you say" Lincoln replied still not convinced "my wife invited Clara Harris and Major Henry Rathbone, she's fairly friendly with them, we're going to see "Our American Cousin", have you ever seen that?"
"I can't say I've been to see many plays" Rose replied "although I did go to see a pantomime one Christmas"
"Oh Lun's a rather English thing, is it not?" Lincoln replied
Rose was confused until she realised it was the TARDIS translation circuit translating uncommon words so people from that era could understand her. Rose agreed with him.
Suddenly two women and two men walked out of the White House. One man had short black hair and a short beard; the other man had a guard's uniform on. The two women were typically overdressed like women of this era and one of the women wore a bonnet over her head, the other one wore a black off-the-shoulder gown
"Let me introduce you Rose" Lincoln turned to the four people "this is Rose Tyler, daughter of one of our ambassadors in England" Lincoln carefully lied "Rose, this is my wife Mary Todd Lincoln" he pointed to the woman wearing the gown
"Hello Rose" Lincoln's wife greeted her
Lincoln continued "this delightful woman is Clara Harris and her fiancée Major Henry Rathbone"
They both greeted her with enthusiasm.
"Okay, ready to go?" Lincoln asked with energy
Rose joined the four excited figures as they walked towards the coach.
Lincoln turned to the guard and said "Goodbye, Crook" as he stepped inside the coach; the rider was the same rider that had been involved in the madness earlier. The group were talkative as the coach rode towards the close theatre.
"What an evening" Lincoln remarked with a smile as they neared the theatre "I have never felt happier before in my life"
Strangely his wife gave him an unpleasant look as if his words brought up a distant unhappy memory. She looked away, shook her head and seemed to forget about it instantly. A few seconds later the coach pulled outside the theatre and the group got out. There was a guard waiting for him outside the theatre.
"I don't know if I'll need you tonight" Lincoln said to the guard as he got out of the coach, his wife and three guests behind him "so you can go and have a drink" he laughed as they walked inside the theatre
"Oh no, I must perform my duty" the guard answered with authority
"If you say so" Lincoln answered him "that one likes a drink" Lincoln told Rose humourously as they walked up the stairs to the State Box.
Rose could see the obvious large hole bored into the wall of the box outside, she was going to mention it to him as they walked in but bit her lip just in time as she remembered even the smallest change could alter history. She took a seat to the the right of Lincoln.
The play was a farcical comedy about an American visiting his aristocratic English relatives. The play flew by as Rose thought of how Abraham Lincoln was getting closer and closer to death by the minute as the crowd burst into cheerful laughter by the minute. As the second act came to a close Rose knew it was time to leave as it was during the third act he was assassinated.
"I really must go, Abe" Rose said to Lincoln standing up from her seat "it's not that I don't like the play, the play's hilarious, it's just that… it's time to go"
"But you're going to miss the most hilarious line of the entire play, and the thrilling finale" Lincoln replied standing up after her "you've got to stay for the "you sockdologizing old man-trap" line"
"Sorry" Rose apologised walking to the door
"Will we meet again, Rose?" Lincoln asked
"I'm sure we will" Rose replied shedding a tear "Goodbye"
"Goodbye" Lincoln replied cheerfully
She pushed open the door of the theatre box as the group bid her farewell, it closed with a thud. She walked to the stairs and down them slowly with woe. She walked out of the theatre. Beside the theatre there was the familiar old police box. Opening the door, she swiftly strolled in and she heard the noise of the TARDIS's liveliness. The Doctor greeted her with his head hung low.
"Okay Rose?" The Doctor asked her
"Yeah, I'm fine…" Rose answered him "it's just… I feel so helpless that there's nothing I can do to save his life"
"It does, doesn't it" The Doctor answered "but you must remember something, tomorrow he will be remembered, in a year's time he will be remembered, in thousands of year's time will be remembered, in millions of year's time he will be remembered, it may just be one single death on the face of this small meaningless planet but he will never be forgotten by its people"
"You're correct" Rose agreed feeling slightly happier
"Well, I think with that we should go onwards, as usual" The Doctor said trying to cheer her up "where would you like to go?"
"Well the other Doctor said something about going to the planet Barcelona" Rose replied hopefully
"Oh come on, we can't keep following him" The Doctor replied
"But you said you would take me there" Rose said
"I did, didn't I" The Doctor replied remembering "okay then, Barcelona"
THE END