A/N: Cheesy title, I know. But I am seriously running out of names for titles. And Thanks Isis for the review, not really too sure on what makes a character a Mary Sue, but I do my best. Please R/R
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Chapter eight: Shake it like a Polaroid Picture...
"Say cheese…"
Tash was caught off guard as the poler in the boat, took a picture of her and the Doctor in the boat. He handed the Polaroid picture to the Doctor. "A photo…" He handed the photo to the Doctor. "Good memories…"
The Doctor chuckled at Tash's reaction and he looked at the photo a few moments later, "I think it was good, not so sure about my friend, here. She looks positively terrified. Take another. And smile Tash, it's not going to kill you. Well….unless you're not photogenic."
Tash coughed a bit, "Doctor, is this wise?"
"Oh you're camera shy. I should have expected that out of you, after all that time you spent hiding away in the woods, afraid of humans. But you're with me Tash, so smile."
He threw an arm around her and suddenly squeezed her. Tash's eyes suddenly went wide yet again. She wasn't smiling though and so the Doctor took his hand and tickled her under the arm. Tash suddenly laughed and the poler snapped the picture and handed it to the Doctor. Tash gave the Doctor a very dagger like glare, "You lied to me Doctor."
"Huh?"
"You said that hugging wasn't appropriate and then you hug me."
"I said it wasn't appropriate for you. I never said it wasn't for me." The Doctor bit his lip, noticing that Tash looked like she was about to kill him. He decided that that probably wasn't the best thing for him to say.
"So there are two sets of rules, one for me and one for you?"
She swore a mild stream of Mala'shraian curse words at the Doctor and he flinched. Finally she said, "If I wanted that, I would have submitted to the elders of my people long ago."
Since they were at the shore of the canal, Tash jumped and walked off the boat thoroughly peeved off.
Meanwhile the poler looked at the Doctor, "Senor, you have a fiery senorita…"
The Doctor sighed, "At least she didn't slap me."
"Ah but senor, she did swear at you, and that was as good as being slapped. I have never heard such words before in my life. I did not understand them, but the anger was there. What language was that? That did not sound like Spanish to me."
The Doctor chuckled lightly, "No, it wasn't Spanish. And I doubt you will hear anything like that again."
The Doctor sighed and got off the boat and went looking for Tash. Knowing her, she had probably gone back to the TARDIS.
Sure enough when he reached the TARDIS he found Tash sitting by the TARDIS her head folded up in her arms and tears streaming down her face.
He sighed, "I am sorry, Tash. I really, honestly am. I lied because…." He bit his lip, "I miss Rose. She got jealous the last time….."
Tash glared up at the Doctor, "Then why won't you tell me what happened to her? I am your friend, Doctor. I considered Rose a friend as well. Then you lie to me, friends do not lie to each other."
He sat down beside Tash, in the dirt and he said, "Tash….I am sorry. I truly mean it. You want to hear about Rose." He sighed lightly and gathered his thoughts, "It all began when I took Rose home, and the ghosts invaded the world…"
At the end of the story, tears were streaming down the Doctor's face and he sighed, "I can never get her back, Tash. She's stuck there on an Earth that isn't her Earth. And there is nothing I can do."
Tash was quiet, not really sure what to say. She then said with a slight impish smile on her face, "Doctor, I don't understand…"
He frowned, "What don't you understand, Tash?" He thought she was going to ask something about Rose but to his astonishment she didn't.
"Doctor, why do humans take pictures?"
The Doctor took out the Polaroid photos of him and Tash and he smiled "Well Tash, humans take pictures because they can't relive the happiest moments in their lives. So they choose to freeze time in candid little moments, so they can savor that moment again and again. You see these photos, Tash? What do you think about when you see them?"
Tash looked at them, "You trying to put that silly sombrero on my head earlier."
The Doctor nodded, "See, you thought about something related to our trip here. That's what humans do with pictures."
Tash sighed, "I suppose so, but Mala'shraian memory cubes are so much more efficient."
The Doctor chuckled, "I suppose they are, but humans don't have the luxury of recording telepathically enhanced images to a telepathically enhanced creature and then have the pleasure of relieving the fondest memories in their lives. So it has to be freeze framed photos."
Tash considered the Doctor's words for a moment and then her eyes brightened with what she considered an idea, "If you miss Rose, don't you have any photos of her? Good memories? Wasn't that what that guy at the boat said?"
The Doctor smiled and then taking the flowery scarf off her head he ruffled her hair, "I haven't looked at any photos of Rose and me, since….."He paused, "I suppose I should…."
Tash nodded and the Doctor said, "Come on Tash, let's go dig out the photo albums."