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locker_monsterTitle: Mistaken Deity (1/1)
Rating: G
Word Count: 995
Characters: Donna, Ten
Timeline: Set post-"The Fires of Pompeii"
Summary: Donna discovers a relic from their adventure in Pompeii.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to the BBC.
A/N: Entry for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
who_contest's "Anachronism" challenge.
The museum was notably absent of any crowds. As Donna stepped out of the TARDIS, the sound of her footsteps echoed loudly across the vast room. The scene was eerie to say the least. In her mind, big public places like this were always meant to be filled with people. Without a crowd, the space felt unwelcoming and just a tad foreboding.
The Doctor pulled the TARDIS' doors shut, but the normally small bang seemed ten times louder this time. Donna resisted the urge to yelp. "We're in the wrong place," she insisted.
"No we're not. See. Luna Museum of Antiquity." He pointed to a nearby display case which sported the museum's name and logo on the side.
"Fine, but where are the crowds?"
"Who needs crowds? You just end up pushing people out of your way. We can go wherever we want this way." The Doctor strolled off, hands in his trouser pockets, seemingly oblivious to the emptiness of their surroundings.
Donna held back a sigh and fell into step next to him. "You got the timing wrong."
The Doctor scratched the back of his head. "We may have landed a few hours later than I planned. Maybe even several," he added under his breath. Donna shook her head; it was like travelling with a child sometimes.
"So what did you want to show me?" She had been in the middle of breakfast when the Doctor had bounded into the kitchen, babbling excitedly about something. She had done her best to get him to explain what was going on, but the Time Lord had thought showing her would be more fun. So here they were, on the Moon, in some unknown century, in a museum that was closed for the night.
"It's in the next wing. Come on!" The Doctor flashed a smile before grabbing her hand.
They ran through the darkened hall, passing display cases showcasing relics from other eras. Donna really hoped that they didn't run into any security guards. It was too early in her day to be handcuffed.
There wasn't anything different about the next wing, but it was hard to judge in the low light. The Doctor stopped in front of one display case in particular and from what Donna could see, it contained a large rectangular rock or slab. She turned to the Doctor, ready to ask for a torch, but he was already one step ahead of her. He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and waved it over the display case, activating the light in the base. The added glow hurt her eyes, but only for a moment, and after a few blinks, Donna was able to see the artefact in more detail.
It turned out to be a marble relief with two figures on the front. Time had weathered their features, but she could still see that the figures were of a man and a woman standing on either side of a box placed atop some stairs.
"Well?" asked the Doctor. His eager smile had blossomed into a wide grin. "What do you think?"
Donna was no art critic and she couldn't see what had got the Doctor all excited. "It's nice," she ventured.
The Doctor's grin quickly fell away. "'Nice'? Donna, it's more than nice."
"Oi, don't get snappy with me, Spaceman. This trip was your idea. Just because I'm not impressed by a-" She sought out the title card describing the artefact, which was stuck to the side of the display case. "First century Roman household gods relief you... don't..." Donna trailed off.
She leaned in closer to the case, staring harder at the supposed gods on the relief. Their faces were hard to make out, but she was very sure that the woman wore a long Roman style dress and the man wore a tight fitting suit that wasn't Roman at all. The woman's dress looked very familiar. How could it not when Donna was wearing the same garment only weeks before.
"That's us," she muttered. The word impossible came to mind, but she didn't speak the sentiment aloud. It was a term that she was quickly eradicating from her vocabulary since she had met the Doctor.
"Yup," replied the Doctor, drawing out the word so the last syllable popped from his mouth.
Donna tore her gaze away from the display case to regard the Doctor. "That's us, as gods. Gods people worshipped. People worshipped us! Where did this come from?"
"Caecilius. He had it made after his family settled in Rome."
Caecilius. Donna had asked the Doctor to save someone in Pompeii, and he had, but she never thought it would lead to this. "This is weird," she admitted. "Don't you find this weird? We're on a piece of art in a museum. This was made over a thousand years before I was even born."
"Welcome to the life of a time traveller." The Doctor playfully bumped her shoulder and offered her another grin.
She didn't smile back. "I'm serious. They thought we were gods. We don't deserve this." It felt like they had taken advantage of Caecilius and his family and tricked them into believing a lie.
"Well, the mistaken deity thing we could probably do without, but that's not the only thing the relief represents. One moment of kindness from you changed their lives. Your compassion, their gratitude, it's forever frozen in time. I'd say that's a worthy legacy, don't you think?"
Donna hadn't set out to change the world when she joined the Doctor in the TARDIS, but it was nice to know that she had made a difference somewhere, small though it was. It made all the madness of time travel worthwhile. No wonder the Doctor had been so eager to show the relief to her. She finally found that smile. "Yeah, it is. But there's still one thing I don't get."
"What?" the Doctor asked cautiously.
"Why is the TARDIS smaller than us? We look like giants."
Rating: G
Word Count: 995
Characters: Donna, Ten
Timeline: Set post-"The Fires of Pompeii"
Summary: Donna discovers a relic from their adventure in Pompeii.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to the BBC.
A/N: Entry for
who_contest's "Anachronism" challenge.The museum was notably absent of any crowds. As Donna stepped out of the TARDIS, the sound of her footsteps echoed loudly across the vast room. The scene was eerie to say the least. In her mind, big public places like this were always meant to be filled with people. Without a crowd, the space felt unwelcoming and just a tad foreboding.
The Doctor pulled the TARDIS' doors shut, but the normally small bang seemed ten times louder this time. Donna resisted the urge to yelp. "We're in the wrong place," she insisted.
"No we're not. See. Luna Museum of Antiquity." He pointed to a nearby display case which sported the museum's name and logo on the side.
"Fine, but where are the crowds?"
"Who needs crowds? You just end up pushing people out of your way. We can go wherever we want this way." The Doctor strolled off, hands in his trouser pockets, seemingly oblivious to the emptiness of their surroundings.
Donna held back a sigh and fell into step next to him. "You got the timing wrong."
The Doctor scratched the back of his head. "We may have landed a few hours later than I planned. Maybe even several," he added under his breath. Donna shook her head; it was like travelling with a child sometimes.
"So what did you want to show me?" She had been in the middle of breakfast when the Doctor had bounded into the kitchen, babbling excitedly about something. She had done her best to get him to explain what was going on, but the Time Lord had thought showing her would be more fun. So here they were, on the Moon, in some unknown century, in a museum that was closed for the night.
"It's in the next wing. Come on!" The Doctor flashed a smile before grabbing her hand.
They ran through the darkened hall, passing display cases showcasing relics from other eras. Donna really hoped that they didn't run into any security guards. It was too early in her day to be handcuffed.
There wasn't anything different about the next wing, but it was hard to judge in the low light. The Doctor stopped in front of one display case in particular and from what Donna could see, it contained a large rectangular rock or slab. She turned to the Doctor, ready to ask for a torch, but he was already one step ahead of her. He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and waved it over the display case, activating the light in the base. The added glow hurt her eyes, but only for a moment, and after a few blinks, Donna was able to see the artefact in more detail.
It turned out to be a marble relief with two figures on the front. Time had weathered their features, but she could still see that the figures were of a man and a woman standing on either side of a box placed atop some stairs.
"Well?" asked the Doctor. His eager smile had blossomed into a wide grin. "What do you think?"
Donna was no art critic and she couldn't see what had got the Doctor all excited. "It's nice," she ventured.
The Doctor's grin quickly fell away. "'Nice'? Donna, it's more than nice."
"Oi, don't get snappy with me, Spaceman. This trip was your idea. Just because I'm not impressed by a-" She sought out the title card describing the artefact, which was stuck to the side of the display case. "First century Roman household gods relief you... don't..." Donna trailed off.
She leaned in closer to the case, staring harder at the supposed gods on the relief. Their faces were hard to make out, but she was very sure that the woman wore a long Roman style dress and the man wore a tight fitting suit that wasn't Roman at all. The woman's dress looked very familiar. How could it not when Donna was wearing the same garment only weeks before.
"That's us," she muttered. The word impossible came to mind, but she didn't speak the sentiment aloud. It was a term that she was quickly eradicating from her vocabulary since she had met the Doctor.
"Yup," replied the Doctor, drawing out the word so the last syllable popped from his mouth.
Donna tore her gaze away from the display case to regard the Doctor. "That's us, as gods. Gods people worshipped. People worshipped us! Where did this come from?"
"Caecilius. He had it made after his family settled in Rome."
Caecilius. Donna had asked the Doctor to save someone in Pompeii, and he had, but she never thought it would lead to this. "This is weird," she admitted. "Don't you find this weird? We're on a piece of art in a museum. This was made over a thousand years before I was even born."
"Welcome to the life of a time traveller." The Doctor playfully bumped her shoulder and offered her another grin.
She didn't smile back. "I'm serious. They thought we were gods. We don't deserve this." It felt like they had taken advantage of Caecilius and his family and tricked them into believing a lie.
"Well, the mistaken deity thing we could probably do without, but that's not the only thing the relief represents. One moment of kindness from you changed their lives. Your compassion, their gratitude, it's forever frozen in time. I'd say that's a worthy legacy, don't you think?"
Donna hadn't set out to change the world when she joined the Doctor in the TARDIS, but it was nice to know that she had made a difference somewhere, small though it was. It made all the madness of time travel worthwhile. No wonder the Doctor had been so eager to show the relief to her. She finally found that smile. "Yeah, it is. But there's still one thing I don't get."
"What?" the Doctor asked cautiously.
"Why is the TARDIS smaller than us? We look like giants."
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no subject
Date: 2016-03-07 07:06 pm (UTC)*HUGS*
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Date: 2016-03-08 04:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-09 06:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-09 06:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-20 02:16 am (UTC)OMG, that legit made me tear up. Especially knowing what happens to Donna. That was so moving, and well written, and just a perfect missing scene. Also, one of my favorite episodes, and my favorite companion. So, seriously, thank you for this.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-20 05:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-06 07:22 pm (UTC)As the Doctor said when he returned Donna at the end, while she could remember nothing, the entire universe will remember her. This moment, her compassion and their gratitude, frozen in time.... you said it beautifully.
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Date: 2016-04-07 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-04-07 05:22 pm (UTC)A much more mature companion than the others that seem to travel with him, and a true breath of fresh air!
As for the marble relief, I've seen a few stories about it. One of them had post-metacrisis Donna visiting a museum display about Pompeii and she gets flashes of memory, sparking off a crisis. Others have them visiting Rome again where there is a whole worship cult around that... scary, actually!