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lizbeeTitle: Unfixed Point
Author: LizBee
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Characters: River Song, Romana, Eleven
Pairing(s): Doctor/River, Doctor/Romana
Warning(s): Spoilers up to "The Wedding of River Song". And I'm not saying that it takes an unexpected turn into crack, but it takes an unexpected turn into crack.
Summary: River has a visitor in Stormcage, and she's not very happy.
It was the silence that woke River.
Stormcage was never really quiet. Even if it stopped raining -- a once-in-a-decade event -- there was always some noise. The hum of the generators, a low conversation among the guards. Enough to remind her that she wasn't alone.
River hated silence.
But now -- she tried to keep her breathing even as she strained her senses -- it wasn't just quiet. It was still.
Like the whole universe had stopped.
"I know you're awake, River."
It was a woman's voice, low and melodious, and familiar. River's eyes flew open and she sat up sharply.
"Your Majesty? What in God's name are you doing here?" Her cell was illuminated by a dim and hazy light, enough to illuminate the slender form of Elizabeth the Tenth. Among other things. "And why are you pointing a gun at my head?"
Liz Ten reached out, grabbing River's hand and yanking her forward, pressing River's to her chest.
"Hey," said River, "I'm a married woman, more or less--"
Then she felt the double heartbeat.
"Oh," she said.
The Time Lord let her go.
"You killed the Doctor," she said.
River took a deep breath and tried to control her racing heart. With an attempt at her usual flippancy she said, "I didn't think dead people cared about revenge."
"Don't joke about it," snapped the Time Lord, her voice cracking. She raised the gun again. It was, River saw, charged and set to kill. "I came back and they're gone, all of them! All that's left are stories and rumours. And you." Her finger tightened on the trigger. She wasn't, River thought, quite sane. "You killed him."
"I did," said River quietly.
"You don't deny it?"
"It wouldn't change a thing." River kept her voice soft and gentle, maintaining eye contact. That was what you were meant to do in a hostage situation, wasn't it? Create empathy?
The Time Lord's hand trembled.
River kicked upwards, striking her wrist and sending the gun flying. Another kick knocked her to the ground, and River was jumping over her, throwing herself at the door, opening the ring that concealed her sonic jammer--
It didn't work. The door was frozen in place. In the corridor, River could see guards frozen mid-step, a drop of coffee hovering in mid-air between Bozeman's mouth and chin. The only movement was a metal dog that trundled up to her cell, raising its head so she could clearly see the weapon hidden in its nose.
"Do not move," it ordered. "I am programmed to respond to aggression."
River stared.
"Prisoner secured, mistress," it added.
"Thank you, K-9." The Time Lord stood up, flexing her wrist and retrieving her weapon. "Sit down, Doctor Song."
River obeyed.
"If you were his friend," she said, "you wouldn't be waving that gun around."
"You were his friend, too, the stories say."
"Oh," River summoned a smirk, "I'm not just his friend. I'm his wife."
Something like a smile touched the Time Lady's eyes.
"So was I."
Of all the Time Lords the Doctor had ever told her about, that narrowed it down to … well, two. But the Master wouldn't have hesitated.
"Your name is Romana," said River. "And you're not going to kill me."
"I'm not," said Romana. "Because you used the present tense."
*
This time, River was awake to feel the world slow and stop.
Footsteps echoed through the Stormcage library.
"You must show me how to do that," said River. "I can think of so many ways it would come in handy." She put down her book. "And only about half of them involve sex. Could all Time Lords do this?"
"No. And it took me four hundred and twenty-three years to learn." Romana sat down. "I can see why he likes you. His very favourite species, but almost a Time Lord at the same time. And you've tried to kill him more than once."
"I did wonder about that," River admitted.
"Why haven't you told him that I'm alive?"
"Spoilers. We're all out of sync these days." She reached for her diary. "It's my birthday soon. I'll tell him--"
"Don't. bother" Romana's voice was flat. She leafed absently through one book, then another, and finally said, "Have you ever searched and searched for something, and then found yourself hoping it would just -- slip away?"
"Is it because of Gallifrey?"
"A Dalek fleet controls thirty inhabited planets in the Cashin Sector. And my people are gone forever." Romana shrugged. "I might have done the same thing in his place. But I don't know. And I don't know what to do."
*
Next time Romana came, it was in visiting hours, and she wasn't alone.
"What in heaven's name is on your head?" River demanded.
"It's a pork pie hat," said the Doctor. "It's cool."
"It's target practice. Romana, is that--"
"The Flesh Doctor, yes."
He tipped his hat at her.
"I'm exactly the same as the other Doctor," he said, "except with different recent experiences, a better hat, and I can do this." He stretched his arm to the door and, for good measure, tied it in a knot. "No TARDIS field to stabilise it, you see?"
For almost the first time in her life, River was speechless.
"Yeah," said Romana, "that was pretty much what I said. So," she leaned forward, dropping her voice, "are you up for a trip?"
"What kind of trip?"
"Last time I saw you, I said I didn't know what to do. Well, I've decided to take a leaf out of an old friend's book. I'm funding an archaeological expedition."
"That sounds--"
"On Gallifrey."
River stopped. "Are you mad?" she said. "Gallifrey is--"
"In a time lock, I know." Romana sounded perfectly cheerful. "As it happens, breaking in and out of sealed universes is sort of one of my specialties."
"But the Time War--"
"If the Daleks can persist, so can my people."
"You're going to regret this," said the Doctor, un-knotting his arms. "I know we get nostalgic somtimes, but most Time Lords are rubbish. Petty dictators in stupid hats. The universe gets on perfectly fine without them. Also, Rassilon was trying to kill me last time I saw him."
"Which is why we need River and her shooting skills."
"I do like shooting at hats," River agreed.
"And you're the universe's foremost expert on Gallifreyans," Romana said. "Who wasn't born there, I mean. You can pilot a TARDIS. You can even speak our language. We can't do this without you." There was a sparkle in Romana's eye. "Come one. One great adventure. Without him."
"I am right here, you know," said the Flesh Doctor.
River smiled. "I'll start packing."
*
"River," said the Doctor, "wife, beloved of my hearts, nucleus of my cells--"
"That one's rubbish."
"That's what Rory said, but I thought I'd try it out."
"You're getting tips on sweet talk from my dad?"
"Well," the Doctor foundered, "he's … obviously good at it?"
"Hmph."
"River, why are you wearing the robes of a chancellor of Gallifrey?"
She smiled and put her finger to his lips.
"Spoilers," she said.
end
Author: LizBee
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Characters: River Song, Romana, Eleven
Pairing(s): Doctor/River, Doctor/Romana
Warning(s): Spoilers up to "The Wedding of River Song". And I'm not saying that it takes an unexpected turn into crack, but it takes an unexpected turn into crack.
Summary: River has a visitor in Stormcage, and she's not very happy.
Unfixed Point
by Lizbee
by Lizbee
It was the silence that woke River.
Stormcage was never really quiet. Even if it stopped raining -- a once-in-a-decade event -- there was always some noise. The hum of the generators, a low conversation among the guards. Enough to remind her that she wasn't alone.
River hated silence.
But now -- she tried to keep her breathing even as she strained her senses -- it wasn't just quiet. It was still.
Like the whole universe had stopped.
"I know you're awake, River."
It was a woman's voice, low and melodious, and familiar. River's eyes flew open and she sat up sharply.
"Your Majesty? What in God's name are you doing here?" Her cell was illuminated by a dim and hazy light, enough to illuminate the slender form of Elizabeth the Tenth. Among other things. "And why are you pointing a gun at my head?"
Liz Ten reached out, grabbing River's hand and yanking her forward, pressing River's to her chest.
"Hey," said River, "I'm a married woman, more or less--"
Then she felt the double heartbeat.
"Oh," she said.
The Time Lord let her go.
"You killed the Doctor," she said.
River took a deep breath and tried to control her racing heart. With an attempt at her usual flippancy she said, "I didn't think dead people cared about revenge."
"Don't joke about it," snapped the Time Lord, her voice cracking. She raised the gun again. It was, River saw, charged and set to kill. "I came back and they're gone, all of them! All that's left are stories and rumours. And you." Her finger tightened on the trigger. She wasn't, River thought, quite sane. "You killed him."
"I did," said River quietly.
"You don't deny it?"
"It wouldn't change a thing." River kept her voice soft and gentle, maintaining eye contact. That was what you were meant to do in a hostage situation, wasn't it? Create empathy?
The Time Lord's hand trembled.
River kicked upwards, striking her wrist and sending the gun flying. Another kick knocked her to the ground, and River was jumping over her, throwing herself at the door, opening the ring that concealed her sonic jammer--
It didn't work. The door was frozen in place. In the corridor, River could see guards frozen mid-step, a drop of coffee hovering in mid-air between Bozeman's mouth and chin. The only movement was a metal dog that trundled up to her cell, raising its head so she could clearly see the weapon hidden in its nose.
"Do not move," it ordered. "I am programmed to respond to aggression."
River stared.
"Prisoner secured, mistress," it added.
"Thank you, K-9." The Time Lord stood up, flexing her wrist and retrieving her weapon. "Sit down, Doctor Song."
River obeyed.
"If you were his friend," she said, "you wouldn't be waving that gun around."
"You were his friend, too, the stories say."
"Oh," River summoned a smirk, "I'm not just his friend. I'm his wife."
Something like a smile touched the Time Lady's eyes.
"So was I."
Of all the Time Lords the Doctor had ever told her about, that narrowed it down to … well, two. But the Master wouldn't have hesitated.
"Your name is Romana," said River. "And you're not going to kill me."
"I'm not," said Romana. "Because you used the present tense."
*
This time, River was awake to feel the world slow and stop.
Footsteps echoed through the Stormcage library.
"You must show me how to do that," said River. "I can think of so many ways it would come in handy." She put down her book. "And only about half of them involve sex. Could all Time Lords do this?"
"No. And it took me four hundred and twenty-three years to learn." Romana sat down. "I can see why he likes you. His very favourite species, but almost a Time Lord at the same time. And you've tried to kill him more than once."
"I did wonder about that," River admitted.
"Why haven't you told him that I'm alive?"
"Spoilers. We're all out of sync these days." She reached for her diary. "It's my birthday soon. I'll tell him--"
"Don't. bother" Romana's voice was flat. She leafed absently through one book, then another, and finally said, "Have you ever searched and searched for something, and then found yourself hoping it would just -- slip away?"
"Is it because of Gallifrey?"
"A Dalek fleet controls thirty inhabited planets in the Cashin Sector. And my people are gone forever." Romana shrugged. "I might have done the same thing in his place. But I don't know. And I don't know what to do."
*
Next time Romana came, it was in visiting hours, and she wasn't alone.
"What in heaven's name is on your head?" River demanded.
"It's a pork pie hat," said the Doctor. "It's cool."
"It's target practice. Romana, is that--"
"The Flesh Doctor, yes."
He tipped his hat at her.
"I'm exactly the same as the other Doctor," he said, "except with different recent experiences, a better hat, and I can do this." He stretched his arm to the door and, for good measure, tied it in a knot. "No TARDIS field to stabilise it, you see?"
For almost the first time in her life, River was speechless.
"Yeah," said Romana, "that was pretty much what I said. So," she leaned forward, dropping her voice, "are you up for a trip?"
"What kind of trip?"
"Last time I saw you, I said I didn't know what to do. Well, I've decided to take a leaf out of an old friend's book. I'm funding an archaeological expedition."
"That sounds--"
"On Gallifrey."
River stopped. "Are you mad?" she said. "Gallifrey is--"
"In a time lock, I know." Romana sounded perfectly cheerful. "As it happens, breaking in and out of sealed universes is sort of one of my specialties."
"But the Time War--"
"If the Daleks can persist, so can my people."
"You're going to regret this," said the Doctor, un-knotting his arms. "I know we get nostalgic somtimes, but most Time Lords are rubbish. Petty dictators in stupid hats. The universe gets on perfectly fine without them. Also, Rassilon was trying to kill me last time I saw him."
"Which is why we need River and her shooting skills."
"I do like shooting at hats," River agreed.
"And you're the universe's foremost expert on Gallifreyans," Romana said. "Who wasn't born there, I mean. You can pilot a TARDIS. You can even speak our language. We can't do this without you." There was a sparkle in Romana's eye. "Come one. One great adventure. Without him."
"I am right here, you know," said the Flesh Doctor.
River smiled. "I'll start packing."
*
"River," said the Doctor, "wife, beloved of my hearts, nucleus of my cells--"
"That one's rubbish."
"That's what Rory said, but I thought I'd try it out."
"You're getting tips on sweet talk from my dad?"
"Well," the Doctor foundered, "he's … obviously good at it?"
"Hmph."
"River, why are you wearing the robes of a chancellor of Gallifrey?"
She smiled and put her finger to his lips.
"Spoilers," she said.
end
no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 09:22 am (UTC)"Well," the Doctor foundered, "he's … obviously good at it?"
HEE!
no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 09:25 am (UTC)But then Flesh Doctor turned up, and I realised that all River's life had been building up to the moment she got to shoot lots of silly Time Lord hats, and ... yeah.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 09:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 10:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 10:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 04:02 pm (UTC)And Romana III so has stolen Liz Ten's appearance, of course she has, it's her thing to look like royalty.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 08:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 08:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 09:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 09:11 pm (UTC)But copying royalty makes slightly more sense.
(has sudden pang of missing Romana)
no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 09:08 pm (UTC)Yes, this is cracky. And fun, and silly and I can understand why it took over your brain with wanting to write it.
I still want to know exactly what happened on Gallifrey.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-03 09:39 pm (UTC)