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who_guestfest2015-04-12 02:47 pm
but_can_i_be_trusted) wrote in who_guestfest2015-04-12 02:47 pm
Entry tags:
Fic: 'Once in a Lifetime'
Author: ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
irishvampire13
Title: 'Once in a Lifetime'
Rating: G
Word Count: 914
Prompt/Chosen character: Osgood, getting her trip through time and space.
Notes/Warnings: To stave off potential confusion, takes place for Osgood sometime after 'The Day of the Doctor'; for the Doctor, it takes place soon after 'Death in Heaven'.
Summary: "Up with you, Osgood! Places to go, people to see! Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; I'm not offering again, so move!" He spun around, darting into the TARDIS.
She thought that she was dreaming. That her boss's phone was ringing. The ringtone that Kate had set aside for him. That strangely beautiful whooshing-wheezing-groaning noise.
"Kate Stewart's phone; can I help you," Osgood muttered, sleep-numb hand reaching out fumblingly. It was the sound of her specs clattering off of her bedside table that made her realize that she wasn't dreaming. Stunned, she sat up, shoving a tangle of dark hair out of her face.
The TARDIS was materializing in her flat. At the foot of her bed.
With a snap, the doors opened. A man leaned out, staring at her. Silver hair over a craggy face. Not the mop of dark brown hair, the teenage-looking grin. She was thrown at first, before remembering.
Ah. Yes. Time Lord. He must have regenerated.
"Osgood, is it," he asked--was that a Scottish accent coming out of his mouth? "Up you get!"
"What's going on," Osgood wondered. "Where's your friend? Miss Oswald?"
The Doctor stared at her, an odd, haunted look coming into his eyes. "Clara. She...she's had a bad day," he responded.
He leaned down and picked up her spectacles, gazing down at them. Turning them over pensively in his hands. There was something in this new face of his. Something so unspeakably sad. His mouth opened, worked as though there was something he wanted to say, something that he couldn't bring himself to put into words.
Osgood reached out for the eyeglasses. "Doctor? What's the matter," she asked.
With a visible jolt, he snapped out of his mood, handing them to her. He grinned unconvincingly. "Nothing. You don't want to hear an old man's ravings," he told her. "Now, up, up, up! Stop lazing about, there, in your nightdress, gaping at me like a fish!" He clapped his hands a few times. "Up with you, Osgood! Places to go, people to see! Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; I'm not offering again, so move!" He spun around, darting into the TARDIS.
Still dazed, she stumbled out of bed, fumbling with the door of her closet. "Where are we going?"
Still wearing that odd, wolflike grin, he peeped his head out. "You tell me," he directed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"This is beautiful," Osgood breathed, taking in her surroundings.
"Ah, that's right. You've never seen the interior, have you?" The Doctor smiled across the controls. It was a truer smile this time. Happier. The smile of a man who's in his element, and feels more complete. "You like the old girl, then?"
She could barely tear her eyes away from the graceful curves of metal, the soothing lights, to return his grin. "She's breathtaking."
The Doctor was almost glowing with pride. "Thank you. Now, where do you want to go? The Orion Nebula? Egypt during the reign of Ramses the Great? We can go anywhere, anywhen. Not New New York, though," he insisted, seeming to hold in a shudder. "The cat-nuns gave me the heebie-jeebies."
Cat-nuns. Okay. Osgood made a note of that, to be filed under Better Off Not Knowing.
"So," he continued. "Where to?"
Osgood laughed a bit, feeling suddenly nervous and embarrassed. "I can't decide," she admitted at last.
He laughed, too. "Clara had the same problem. What if I just randomly set the coordinates, and we'll see what turns up?"
"That's fine with me."
He nodded, setting to work. She watched, fascinated, as he worked controls that, to her, were utterly incomprehensible. Turned her focus to the man himself--equally incomprehensible.
New face, new personality. But the energy and the odd grace seemed to still be there. The same sadness, though this Doctor somehow seemed more keen to keep others at arm's-length. He was more aloof this time. A bit harsher. More like sandpaper, where his previous self had been almost fleece-soft.
Absently, Osgood wandered around the console room, taking in the leather chair, the bookshelves--filled with first editions, very likely. A large blackboard stood waiting to be used. Seemingly disconnected words were scrawled across it in hasty-looking, careless handwriting.
Missy?? Trying to get my attention?? Succeeded!
Always survives...how?!
Lied about Gallifrey--but did you???
Osgood stared at the words, wondering what they meant. She felt a chill suddenly, shuddering. She frowned slightly, a superstitious phrase entering her mind unbidden.
Someone walking on my grave...
His voice broke into her thoughts, startling her. "Aha! I think we've reached Sirius." He beamed at her as she joined him in peering at one of the monitors. "Let's see if the Dogon tribe was right about the system. As far as the astronomers of your own time know, Sirius is only a binary star. But the Dogon claimed to have been visited long ago by beings who came from a planet orbiting a third, much smaller star. I've always wondered whether or not they were telling the truth."
"That sounds like fun--but can I ask you a question," Osgood put in abruptly.
"I think you just did." He waved a hand dismissively at his own joke. "Ask away--no; don't. I think I know where this is going." His eyes sharpened a bit. "You're wondering why, aren't you?"
"Well, yes, actually." She nodded, adjusting her specs.
He stared at her for a long time, in a silence that was broken only by the TARDIS engines. That same odd, sorrowful look came over him. It seemed almost as though he knew something, and he was struggling desperately with the desire to tell her, and the need to spare her.
"Because you deserved better," he whispered at last.
irishvampire13Title: 'Once in a Lifetime'
Rating: G
Word Count: 914
Prompt/Chosen character: Osgood, getting her trip through time and space.
Notes/Warnings: To stave off potential confusion, takes place for Osgood sometime after 'The Day of the Doctor'; for the Doctor, it takes place soon after 'Death in Heaven'.
Summary: "Up with you, Osgood! Places to go, people to see! Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; I'm not offering again, so move!" He spun around, darting into the TARDIS.
She thought that she was dreaming. That her boss's phone was ringing. The ringtone that Kate had set aside for him. That strangely beautiful whooshing-wheezing-groaning noise.
"Kate Stewart's phone; can I help you," Osgood muttered, sleep-numb hand reaching out fumblingly. It was the sound of her specs clattering off of her bedside table that made her realize that she wasn't dreaming. Stunned, she sat up, shoving a tangle of dark hair out of her face.
The TARDIS was materializing in her flat. At the foot of her bed.
With a snap, the doors opened. A man leaned out, staring at her. Silver hair over a craggy face. Not the mop of dark brown hair, the teenage-looking grin. She was thrown at first, before remembering.
Ah. Yes. Time Lord. He must have regenerated.
"Osgood, is it," he asked--was that a Scottish accent coming out of his mouth? "Up you get!"
"What's going on," Osgood wondered. "Where's your friend? Miss Oswald?"
The Doctor stared at her, an odd, haunted look coming into his eyes. "Clara. She...she's had a bad day," he responded.
He leaned down and picked up her spectacles, gazing down at them. Turning them over pensively in his hands. There was something in this new face of his. Something so unspeakably sad. His mouth opened, worked as though there was something he wanted to say, something that he couldn't bring himself to put into words.
Osgood reached out for the eyeglasses. "Doctor? What's the matter," she asked.
With a visible jolt, he snapped out of his mood, handing them to her. He grinned unconvincingly. "Nothing. You don't want to hear an old man's ravings," he told her. "Now, up, up, up! Stop lazing about, there, in your nightdress, gaping at me like a fish!" He clapped his hands a few times. "Up with you, Osgood! Places to go, people to see! Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; I'm not offering again, so move!" He spun around, darting into the TARDIS.
Still dazed, she stumbled out of bed, fumbling with the door of her closet. "Where are we going?"
Still wearing that odd, wolflike grin, he peeped his head out. "You tell me," he directed.
"This is beautiful," Osgood breathed, taking in her surroundings.
"Ah, that's right. You've never seen the interior, have you?" The Doctor smiled across the controls. It was a truer smile this time. Happier. The smile of a man who's in his element, and feels more complete. "You like the old girl, then?"
She could barely tear her eyes away from the graceful curves of metal, the soothing lights, to return his grin. "She's breathtaking."
The Doctor was almost glowing with pride. "Thank you. Now, where do you want to go? The Orion Nebula? Egypt during the reign of Ramses the Great? We can go anywhere, anywhen. Not New New York, though," he insisted, seeming to hold in a shudder. "The cat-nuns gave me the heebie-jeebies."
Cat-nuns. Okay. Osgood made a note of that, to be filed under Better Off Not Knowing.
"So," he continued. "Where to?"
Osgood laughed a bit, feeling suddenly nervous and embarrassed. "I can't decide," she admitted at last.
He laughed, too. "Clara had the same problem. What if I just randomly set the coordinates, and we'll see what turns up?"
"That's fine with me."
He nodded, setting to work. She watched, fascinated, as he worked controls that, to her, were utterly incomprehensible. Turned her focus to the man himself--equally incomprehensible.
New face, new personality. But the energy and the odd grace seemed to still be there. The same sadness, though this Doctor somehow seemed more keen to keep others at arm's-length. He was more aloof this time. A bit harsher. More like sandpaper, where his previous self had been almost fleece-soft.
Absently, Osgood wandered around the console room, taking in the leather chair, the bookshelves--filled with first editions, very likely. A large blackboard stood waiting to be used. Seemingly disconnected words were scrawled across it in hasty-looking, careless handwriting.
Missy?? Trying to get my attention?? Succeeded!
Always survives...how?!
Lied about Gallifrey--but did you???
Osgood stared at the words, wondering what they meant. She felt a chill suddenly, shuddering. She frowned slightly, a superstitious phrase entering her mind unbidden.
Someone walking on my grave...
His voice broke into her thoughts, startling her. "Aha! I think we've reached Sirius." He beamed at her as she joined him in peering at one of the monitors. "Let's see if the Dogon tribe was right about the system. As far as the astronomers of your own time know, Sirius is only a binary star. But the Dogon claimed to have been visited long ago by beings who came from a planet orbiting a third, much smaller star. I've always wondered whether or not they were telling the truth."
"That sounds like fun--but can I ask you a question," Osgood put in abruptly.
"I think you just did." He waved a hand dismissively at his own joke. "Ask away--no; don't. I think I know where this is going." His eyes sharpened a bit. "You're wondering why, aren't you?"
"Well, yes, actually." She nodded, adjusting her specs.
He stared at her for a long time, in a silence that was broken only by the TARDIS engines. That same odd, sorrowful look came over him. It seemed almost as though he knew something, and he was struggling desperately with the desire to tell her, and the need to spare her.
"Because you deserved better," he whispered at last.