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locker_monsterTitle: The Other Side of the World (8/31)
Rating: PG
Characters: Rose, Martha
Timeline: Season three
Summary: Season three AU; After a fateful visit to Royal Hope Hospital, Rose finds herself lost in time and space with medical student Martha Jones. As they struggle to find a way home, they meet old friends, and old enemies, along the way...
Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. Any borrowed dialogue belongs to Russell T Davies and the BBC.
A/N: A sequel to "The Other Side". It's not necessary reading; it just sets up the premise that it was the Doctor who was trapped in Pete's World, not Rose. And a shout-out to my awesome betas:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
joking and quean_of_swords. This story wouldn't have been posted without you guys.
Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven.
Martha leaned back against the TARDIS, pondering a realization she had just made. She and Rose had been travelling for a few months now. Though they jumped from place to place, and from time to time, the watch on her wrist had kept the accurate passage of time back on Earth. She should have thrown away her watch after the first few weeks – who needed a timepiece when time wasn’t constant, not even inside a time machine – but she hadn’t been able to give up that small part of home. They could be on an alien planet with a green sky surrounded by dog-like creatures the size of horses and all Martha had to do was look at her watch and she knew what her family was doing. 8:34 a.m. Her mum was on her way to work. 10:05 a.m. Tish was on a coffee break. 2:46 p.m. Leo was at the shops buying groceries. 5:58 p.m. Her dad was planning a night out with Annalise. It was a small comfort, but it kept her connected with her family even if they were thousands of light years away.
Glancing at her watch now, she saw it was the middle of the night in London, but here on Challakatop it was a hive of activity. Hive seemed like an apt word. Everyone here had fly-like wings and were buzzing all over the small valley where the TARDIS was parked. Off in the distance Martha could make out the city that was their destination. The towers of crystal sparkled in the bright sunlight.
Even more of Challakatop’s denizens had taken up shop in the valley, both figuratively and literally. Vendors of all sorts had rolled into the valley over the past hour, hoping to sell their wares to the gathered masses. It had a festive atmosphere and it left Martha wondering what these people were celebrating. In the very back of her mind, she remembered it had been her brother’s birthday the day she met Rose. She and the rest of the Joneses had been ready to celebrate even if her parents had been acting like their usual childish selves.
Moving through the crowd towards her, Martha easily spotted Rose’s head of blonde hair, and she was suddenly glad for a distraction.
“Any luck?”
Rose dodged around a couple lounging in the grass and shook her head. “Everything’s closed until after the Darkening.”
Martha picked up on the word and raised an eyebrow. “Sounds ominous.”
A chuckle escaped Rose’s lips. “It’s an eclipse. That’s what they’re all gathering for. This moon orbits a gas giant. Every couple of decades, the sun, the gas giant, and the moon line up perfectly and the moon falls completely in the gas giant’s shadow. The entire planet goes dark for a few months.”
Looking out at the packed valley, Martha saw everything in a new light. She had never seen an eclipse herself so the prospect of an entire moon being enveloped in darkness was amazing.
“It starts in few minutes.” Rose bounced energetically on the balls of her feet. “Do you wanna stay?”
“Yeah?” They were low on supplies and needed to stop anyway. Martha looked out at the valley again. “Looks like all the good seats are taken.”
“I’ve got an idea.” Rose looked up at the TARDIS. “Come on, we’ve got the best seats in the house.” She laced her fingers together and motioned for Martha to place her foot in the cradle of her hands.
On three, Rose gave Martha a boost, helping to push her high enough that she was able to grab onto the edge of the time machine. With some effort, and some awkward shifting around, Martha hauled herself onto the TARDIS roof. Once she was settled, she reached down and helped Rose to climb up. There was just enough space to accommodate the both of them, though the light atop the Police Box was jammed uncomfortably against Martha’s leg. She really didn’t mind though. With the height the TARDIS provided, they sat far above anyone else in the valley.
“No one’s wearing eye protection,” Martha noticed. While it was possible there was something in Challakatopian physiology that lessened the damage to the eye, she didn’t want to go blind herself.
“Watching the sun disappear really isn’t the point. One of the shopkeepers I spoke to said everyone’s usually lucky enough to see this a few times in their life span.”
“So why is everyone waiting then?”
“They say it’s good luck to be outside when the eclipse happens. In the total darkness, you can find your true love.”
Some of the excitement in Rose’s voice faded away and Martha couldn’t help but glance over at her. The young woman had her knees pulled up to her chin and her arms wrapped around her legs, like she was trying to protect herself against invisible enemies.
She had resisted bringing up the topic, but now Martha’s curiosity had gotten the best of her. She hadn’t thought much about it, not since Enlandia, but their encounter with the vengeful aliens had stirred up some questions. Maybe it was her medical training, but she needed to see the full picture. “Rose. Tell me about the Doctor.”
The name sent a visible shiver through Rose. “He’s gone, Martha. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“There is when people think I’m him and accuse me of meddling with their way of life. Just who was he? That’s all I’m asking.”
The sound of gossamer wings buzzed overhead. Martha wasn’t accusing Rose of any wrongdoing. But she had seen her fair share of bereft patients and family members and she understood the healing benefit of simply talking through grief. Unintentional or not, Rose Tyler had shown her that the world was bigger than she realized and she felt obligated to return the favour somehow.
They sat quietly while overhead the sun was slowly edged out of the sky. Total darkness was fast approaching.
“The Doctor was everything. That’s who he was.” Rose rested her chin on her knees and sighed. “He was brave, funny, rude, commanding, demanding, caring, a talker, a fighter, a runner, a soldier. And he was alone. That’s how I met him. He was on his own, chasing after wayward aliens.”
At the memory, Rose smiled, but it was a sad smile, the very definition of bittersweet. “He was an alien, a time traveller without a home. In the basement of a London shop he grabbed my hand and told me to run. And we never stopped.”
The mental picture Martha had painted of the Doctor differed greatly from what Rose had just described. She had thought of him as an eccentric man, a nutty professor type who muddled through time and space. She had never pictured him as a lonely, wandering alien. With a ship like the TARDIS, she thought travel was something the Doctor did for fun rather than out of necessity.
“He’s lost, Martha. And I miss him.”
Martha reached over, placing her hand on Rose’s shoulder. The whole world suddenly darkened and the buzzing in the valley stopped. Challakatop had fallen into the shadow of its parent planet. She risked a brief glance up and saw the sun had disappeared completely from the sky. This wasn’t like back home where the Moon left a neat circle of light around it; this was complete darkness.
The artificial lights of the city were a glowing point off in the distance. Here in the valley, Martha couldn’t see a thing.
Once in a lifetime. That wasn’t the case here. Something so extraordinary came around more than once. If it was possible here, then maybe it was possible anywhere.
“Lost things can be found again, Rose.”
Though she couldn’t see her, Martha felt Rose’s hand squeeze around hers.
Rating: PG
Characters: Rose, Martha
Timeline: Season three
Summary: Season three AU; After a fateful visit to Royal Hope Hospital, Rose finds herself lost in time and space with medical student Martha Jones. As they struggle to find a way home, they meet old friends, and old enemies, along the way...
Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine. Any borrowed dialogue belongs to Russell T Davies and the BBC.
A/N: A sequel to "The Other Side". It's not necessary reading; it just sets up the premise that it was the Doctor who was trapped in Pete's World, not Rose. And a shout-out to my awesome betas:
joking and quean_of_swords. This story wouldn't have been posted without you guys.Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six. Chapter Seven.
Martha leaned back against the TARDIS, pondering a realization she had just made. She and Rose had been travelling for a few months now. Though they jumped from place to place, and from time to time, the watch on her wrist had kept the accurate passage of time back on Earth. She should have thrown away her watch after the first few weeks – who needed a timepiece when time wasn’t constant, not even inside a time machine – but she hadn’t been able to give up that small part of home. They could be on an alien planet with a green sky surrounded by dog-like creatures the size of horses and all Martha had to do was look at her watch and she knew what her family was doing. 8:34 a.m. Her mum was on her way to work. 10:05 a.m. Tish was on a coffee break. 2:46 p.m. Leo was at the shops buying groceries. 5:58 p.m. Her dad was planning a night out with Annalise. It was a small comfort, but it kept her connected with her family even if they were thousands of light years away.
Glancing at her watch now, she saw it was the middle of the night in London, but here on Challakatop it was a hive of activity. Hive seemed like an apt word. Everyone here had fly-like wings and were buzzing all over the small valley where the TARDIS was parked. Off in the distance Martha could make out the city that was their destination. The towers of crystal sparkled in the bright sunlight.
Even more of Challakatop’s denizens had taken up shop in the valley, both figuratively and literally. Vendors of all sorts had rolled into the valley over the past hour, hoping to sell their wares to the gathered masses. It had a festive atmosphere and it left Martha wondering what these people were celebrating. In the very back of her mind, she remembered it had been her brother’s birthday the day she met Rose. She and the rest of the Joneses had been ready to celebrate even if her parents had been acting like their usual childish selves.
Moving through the crowd towards her, Martha easily spotted Rose’s head of blonde hair, and she was suddenly glad for a distraction.
“Any luck?”
Rose dodged around a couple lounging in the grass and shook her head. “Everything’s closed until after the Darkening.”
Martha picked up on the word and raised an eyebrow. “Sounds ominous.”
A chuckle escaped Rose’s lips. “It’s an eclipse. That’s what they’re all gathering for. This moon orbits a gas giant. Every couple of decades, the sun, the gas giant, and the moon line up perfectly and the moon falls completely in the gas giant’s shadow. The entire planet goes dark for a few months.”
Looking out at the packed valley, Martha saw everything in a new light. She had never seen an eclipse herself so the prospect of an entire moon being enveloped in darkness was amazing.
“It starts in few minutes.” Rose bounced energetically on the balls of her feet. “Do you wanna stay?”
“Yeah?” They were low on supplies and needed to stop anyway. Martha looked out at the valley again. “Looks like all the good seats are taken.”
“I’ve got an idea.” Rose looked up at the TARDIS. “Come on, we’ve got the best seats in the house.” She laced her fingers together and motioned for Martha to place her foot in the cradle of her hands.
On three, Rose gave Martha a boost, helping to push her high enough that she was able to grab onto the edge of the time machine. With some effort, and some awkward shifting around, Martha hauled herself onto the TARDIS roof. Once she was settled, she reached down and helped Rose to climb up. There was just enough space to accommodate the both of them, though the light atop the Police Box was jammed uncomfortably against Martha’s leg. She really didn’t mind though. With the height the TARDIS provided, they sat far above anyone else in the valley.
“No one’s wearing eye protection,” Martha noticed. While it was possible there was something in Challakatopian physiology that lessened the damage to the eye, she didn’t want to go blind herself.
“Watching the sun disappear really isn’t the point. One of the shopkeepers I spoke to said everyone’s usually lucky enough to see this a few times in their life span.”
“So why is everyone waiting then?”
“They say it’s good luck to be outside when the eclipse happens. In the total darkness, you can find your true love.”
Some of the excitement in Rose’s voice faded away and Martha couldn’t help but glance over at her. The young woman had her knees pulled up to her chin and her arms wrapped around her legs, like she was trying to protect herself against invisible enemies.
She had resisted bringing up the topic, but now Martha’s curiosity had gotten the best of her. She hadn’t thought much about it, not since Enlandia, but their encounter with the vengeful aliens had stirred up some questions. Maybe it was her medical training, but she needed to see the full picture. “Rose. Tell me about the Doctor.”
The name sent a visible shiver through Rose. “He’s gone, Martha. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“There is when people think I’m him and accuse me of meddling with their way of life. Just who was he? That’s all I’m asking.”
The sound of gossamer wings buzzed overhead. Martha wasn’t accusing Rose of any wrongdoing. But she had seen her fair share of bereft patients and family members and she understood the healing benefit of simply talking through grief. Unintentional or not, Rose Tyler had shown her that the world was bigger than she realized and she felt obligated to return the favour somehow.
They sat quietly while overhead the sun was slowly edged out of the sky. Total darkness was fast approaching.
“The Doctor was everything. That’s who he was.” Rose rested her chin on her knees and sighed. “He was brave, funny, rude, commanding, demanding, caring, a talker, a fighter, a runner, a soldier. And he was alone. That’s how I met him. He was on his own, chasing after wayward aliens.”
At the memory, Rose smiled, but it was a sad smile, the very definition of bittersweet. “He was an alien, a time traveller without a home. In the basement of a London shop he grabbed my hand and told me to run. And we never stopped.”
The mental picture Martha had painted of the Doctor differed greatly from what Rose had just described. She had thought of him as an eccentric man, a nutty professor type who muddled through time and space. She had never pictured him as a lonely, wandering alien. With a ship like the TARDIS, she thought travel was something the Doctor did for fun rather than out of necessity.
“He’s lost, Martha. And I miss him.”
Martha reached over, placing her hand on Rose’s shoulder. The whole world suddenly darkened and the buzzing in the valley stopped. Challakatop had fallen into the shadow of its parent planet. She risked a brief glance up and saw the sun had disappeared completely from the sky. This wasn’t like back home where the Moon left a neat circle of light around it; this was complete darkness.
The artificial lights of the city were a glowing point off in the distance. Here in the valley, Martha couldn’t see a thing.
Once in a lifetime. That wasn’t the case here. Something so extraordinary came around more than once. If it was possible here, then maybe it was possible anywhere.
“Lost things can be found again, Rose.”
Though she couldn’t see her, Martha felt Rose’s hand squeeze around hers.
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![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-11-11 07:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-11 09:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-21 05:35 am (UTC)It also had me wondering about how the Doctor is getting on in Pete's World, TARDISless and surrounded by memories of Rose. :(
no subject
Date: 2011-02-21 04:11 pm (UTC)I have given some thought to how the Doctor is coping in Pete's World. A story for another time maybe...