Title: Her Letter
Author: Bunny
Rating: K
Characters: 10th Doctor, Rose, Shireen, Martha
Summary: The Doctor finally is able to meet Shireen. PostDoomsday. Hints of Doctor/Rose
Spoilers: After Doomsday, so pretty much everything is fair game.
Disclaimer: I don't own it. BBC owns all rights I'm so broke it's going to take me now until January 16th to make enough money to buy Doctor Who Series 2 on DVD. So please don't sue.
Authors Note: I'd just like to state, this is like the first thing I've written in like three years and this is my first stab at Doctor Who (and hopefully not the last). I will greatly appreciate any criticism or compliments given.
Somehow a small, alien gnome being became a stowaway on board the TARDIS, causing problems in wiring and forcing a crash landing on London Earth, early twenty first century.
Martha didn't see the harm in a gnome, until the Doctor had explained they weren't the fun-loving creatures of Earth mythology. True, some were extremely nice, but others could be extremely dangerous or extremely powerful. Often these extremely dangerous ones would be murderers or thieves and the extremely powerful ones could take over human bodies. She promptly suggested they search him down that moment.
After brief instruction on how to disable the gnome, the pair had split up to search for it before he caused any havoc in this time. The Doctor followed the knee high graffiti into a grave yard. He hated graveyards. Certain he had caught sight of the little bugger, he began to run towards it.
Completely concentrating on the short head running through the tombstones, the Doctor didn't take note to the young woman until he collided with her, knocking them both to the ground.
"Do you mind?" she questioned rudely, moving the strands of brown hair out of her equally brown eyes. "It's not exactly like the dead are going anywhere." The woman picked herself up, brushing the bits of dirt from her knees and jacket.
The Doctor got up gazing around for his target, "Yes, sorry about that." She sent him a glare, as she picked up her bag and the roses she carried. Directing his attention to her, he continued, "Look, you should probably come back here some other time. There's a bit of a problem in the area right now and it would be a lot safer if you just came back at another time."
She started to walk farther into the graveyard. "There's always a problem in the area."
He attempted to step in front of her, "But you said it yourself, 'it's not exactly like the dead are going anywhere.' So why not just come back tomorrow."
"And I told you, I'm not going," she insisted, her Cockney accent becoming stronger the more agitated she became. The woman stopped, causing the Doctor to do the same. Meeting his gaze evenly, she sighed. "Look, the grave I want to go to is just over this hill," she nodded towards the area. The Doctor looked to where she gestured. "Know that I'm not going to leave here without seeing that grave. I've come here the first Tuesday of ever month since she died, and I'm not about to stop now just because a guy in some geek chic get up told me there's a problem in the area."
Peeking back over the hill, the Doctor relented, "Fine, but at least let me walk with you."
Slitting her eyes at him, the woman observed, "So are you the type of macho man that thinks other men fear him?"
"Oh, I know I'm the type of man that even monsters fear," he replied grinning. With an odd jerk to her head she looked at him differently.
Nodding slowly, she consented, "All right, you can come along."
After a few feet of silence, the Doctor questioned, "So who is it you're seeing?"
She gave a side glance to him, "A friend of mine."
"I take it that's what the roses are for."
Curving her lips into a sort of smile, she picked at the somewhat crumpled plant, trying to smooth out the creases. "She'd laugh at me for doing this, but I can't help it. She was such a huge influence on my life, and me on hers. We grew up together, sharing everything about each others lives; secrets, dreams, crushes."
Coming to the top of the hill, the Doctor commented, "Sounds a bit like a domestic talk to me."
She gave a wry laugh. "I always knew she wouldn't stay around long. And I proved to be right. One day she just left, worried her mother to death, but I knew she'd be alright. She would come back every now and then, each time different, more grown up. Towards the end, I don't think she could call here home anymore. Something, or someone had changed her for the better."
The couple walked together, side by side a few moments more, both thinking about those they had lost most recently. She sighed, continuing, "You know what's weird, when she died, I didn't cry much. I teared up a little bit at her memorial service, but that was about it. I used to think it made me a bad person, but I don't believe that anymore. I guess I've just tried to learn to celebrate her life instead."
"I understand that," muttered the Doctor, deliberately trying to avoid looking at her. "How did it happen, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I've been doing this – the roses on the grave – for the past three years. That's when she was officially named dead. We never actually found her body, but so many people were missing and I knew she was back, I had seen her earlier that day-"
"Wait, what day?" asked the Doctor, pausing to look at her, feeling a slight discomfort because he was certain of the day she spoke of.
She stopped, looking at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The day that the ghosts turned into those damn tin men, no heart included, and those frightening pepper shakers thingys flew in the skies." She gazed down. "We're here."
The name on the tombstone cause the Doctor's hearts to freeze and a wave of cold shock come over his body.
Rose Marion Tyler.
The Doctor sunk to his knees, allowing his fingers to graze over the carved letters. Every bit of sorrow that he had tried so hard to hide, to push to the side, nearly came crashing down at that moment. "You made a memorial for her," he barely choked out.
The woman rocked on her heels, "You knew her."
"Better than even I thought possible," he answered, still rubbing the tombstone. Suddenly, the Doctor popped up to his feet, all sound of remorse gone from his voice. "I take it you're Shireen then."
Her entire body jolted with shock, "Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Rose talked about you a lot. Learned a lot of life lessons from you, she did. If she was telling an amusing story, nine times out of ten it was about you. Considered you her best mate."
"At least in our childhood. I think someone else took that title in the end," Shireen grinned, setting the roses to lie on top of the hard ground. "How did you meet Rose?"
Scratching the back of his head, the Doctor fumbled, not able to stop looking at the stone etching of her name. "Oh she and I go way back. She helped me through a time in my life that was difficult, and I hope in return I was able to help her somehow." The Doctor shoved his hands into the pockets of his trench coat, looking up into the sky. "I just wish we could have had so much more time. I never did go to Barcelona with her. . ." As he trailed off, his vision returned once again to the gravestone.
Shireen couldn't help but stare at him. "You're the Doctor, aren't you?"
It was his turn to have a jolt run through his body. "What makes you say that?"
"Whenever Rose would come home, she'd talk of a man named the Doctor, said you were the greatest man she had ever known. It has to be you. She described you perfectly." Shireen walked around the Doctor, looking him up and down. "Rose always talked about her travels with you. Although, I get the feeling she left out quite a bit, like there were bits and pieces missing."
A comfortable silence washed over them, as the two stood in the slight breeze, contemplating their own thoughts and memories of a certain blond woman.
The sound of a phone going off caused Shireen to dip into her purse to find the mobile. "Well, looks like my brake's over," she said, putting the mobile back into the bag. She eyed him somewhat anxiously. "I was wondering if we could get together sometime though. . . you know, just to swap stories about Rose. . ."
The Doctor didn't reply, or take a glance at her.
Shireen shrugged. "Didn't think so. Rose told me you weren't that type of guy." Another bit of silence. She looked into her purse again, pulling out a mildly crumpled envelope – most likely from age – and held it to her chest.
Making sure she had the Doctor's complete attention, she continued, "I don't know if she was your soul mate Doctor, but you had better believe that you were hers."
Removing the paper from the spot over her heart, Shireen placed the letter into his capable hands. "I am truly glad I met you, Doctor. And I know that Rose was too."
Without another word, Shireen turned away and left the graveyard, never to see the Doctor again.
He didn't see Shireen's retreat though, his focus was completely on this letter that had been handed him. On the top, scrawled in Rose's elegant script was the word 'Doctor'. He slid down to sit. How much time passed before he finally opened the white paper was unknown, even to him.
Doctor,
I'll be completely honest in stating I have no idea what to say. I have written and rewritten this so many times it is becoming a little ridiculous on my part. I will tell you, if you have this letter, it means I'm dead, never to return. I wrote it after we visited the planet with the black hole and the Beast. I know you told me not to worry, but his words had such a deep effect on me, I had to try and prepare for the worst. I decided to give this letter to Shireen knowing that somehow you'd meet her after I am gone. Don't know how I know, call it a woman intuition.
I want to thank you for taking me with you, for both our sakes. We were both in desperate need for someone and I will never be more grateful than for the day we met. I am proud of the challenges we faced and had the time of my life being with you during them. A silly little piece of paper doesn't seem to make up for it all.
This letter is not only one of thanks, but it has a confession as well. Although, I hope in the end I told you, but I need you to know now as well. I love you. I'm not sure for how long, but I think it may have always been there, from the very first moment you grabbed my hand in that basement.
And even as I write this, I know you'll never tell me it, even if I do end up confessing. It's just not who you are, and that is perfect with me. That just makes me love you even more. I know, I know, hopeless stupid ape. I can't help it.
I have one request and that's that you don't travel all on your own. I know the TARDIS is good company, but you do need someone else to be with the both of you. Please give the TARDIS my love as well.
Always your plus one,
Love,
Rose
Sighing, the Doctor stood. Somehow the letter still smelled like her. He drew his attention up at the sky again, getting lost in the clouds wishing she were with him now.
A sudden movement to his left made his head turn sharply. He saw Martha approaching with a small cube held in her hand. "Caught him!" she announced out of breath. "Gave me a chase around half this bloody city-" She cut herself off when she noted the Doctors melancholy look. "Doctor, are you alright?"
The Doctor's eyes were back on the letter, reading it through once more. He stroked it gently once, whispering, "Farewell, Rose." Reverently folding it back, he settled it into his coat pocket and turned away from the grave.
Flashing a magnificent smile Martha's way, he congratulated her. "Well done! We'll return him to the Tuki system and be on our way."
"Look, I'm sorry, it's my fault he got into the TARDIS in the first place-"
The Doctor cut her off. "Never look back in remorse, Martha. Never regret, that's always the type of thinking to have!"
Well, that was definitely a lot longer than I meant it to be. ; Oh well, hope you enjoyed it. And please review with whatever response you feel!
And don't forget to watch Tooth & Claw this coming Friday on the SciFi channel (for us Americans).