Story [Doctor Who] Old Love, New Face

Title: Old Love, New Face
Fandom: Doctor Who
Author: Briannakin
Characters: River Song and 12th Doctor

Notes: I had planned on writing a River Song diary for 2014, however a lack of planning has caused me to reluctantly rethink the idea (I REALLY would still like to do it, but I know I don’t have the time to do it justice). Some were disappointed, so I decided to write this little bit I had planned on writing. Spoilers for Time of the Doctor. This is my first NSWFF.


Excerpt from Dr. River Song’s Diary
Editor’s note: This entry was written a few weeks after Dr. Song lost her parents to ‘Weeping Angels’ (after she became a Professor of Archaeology ).


I went the mountains of Hungui to see the sunset. The sun sets slowly and just after it dips down the jagged horizon, the triple moons light up the sky with intense blue light. The colour reminds me of the TARDIS. It’s aways a beautiful sight. It was summer, 3345. I didn’t pay much attention to the when, just the location.

I heard the sound of the TARDIS landing and I smiled to myself. There is nothing like asking your husband for a night out using an ancient Creztecic bowl. He obviously got the message. He always does.

“Hello, Sweetie,” I said without turning around. I already set-up a picnic for us, in hopes that I would get the timing right and get my husband. I need him now. I have discovered I can never see my parents again. I can send stuff to them. But the paradox that my parents created was too much, I can not be in the same time as them, because I was not taken by the angel. I have to let them go, or risk destroying the fabric of time. Just another sacrifice I must must make.

“Hello, River Song,” said a voice that I did not recognize.

I immediately whipped around and stood up to come face-to-face with a new face. This face was old, yet fiery and determined; a mixture of anger and wild abandon. A Doctor through and through, but not my Doctor. I was confused. I had seen - spied on - all 11 of the Doctor’s faces, and I knew of the War Doctor and Sneakers’ Meta Crisis regeneration. I knew all his faces, and I knew there would be nothing after my Doctor died. There was only 12 regenerations, for any Time Lord. My doctor was technically number 13.

“The High Council granted me a new cycle,” he said as if he knew my unspoken question. He had an accent, unlike any other Doctor. “I should have died at Trenzalor, but they intervened.”

I also knew Gallifrey did not fall, but that my Doctor tucked it away, safely in a pocket universe.

“You didn’t let them out, did you?” was my first question.

“Good Dalek’s eyestalks, no.”

I let out a breath. I should have been there, at his side, for Trenzalor. For his death. Because it should have been his final death, but I wasn’t. I guess I will always have to take that with me, like everything else.

“So, where are we?” he asked, stiffly. He took out his diary and glanced, pointedly, at mine, sitting on top of the picnic basket. “I just did the whole Trenzalor business, fall of the eleventh thing. I’m assuming you haven’t seen this face before.”

“No,” I said. “Last time were together was our time together after Manhattan. Goodness, you are old now.” I reached out to straighten his tie. There was a tie, but not a bow-tie.

He gave me a sour face. “Thanks, Sweetie,” he said.

“Are you mocking me?”

“You called me old. Of course I’m mocking you.”

I let out a sharp breath, “You’re even more impossible than your other face.” I turned around and sat down on the picnic blanket. “You don’t have to stay here. I got the message.” My doctor was dead. I would see him again, but I still have to come to grips with the fact he died without me. The was done with me, even if I wasn’t done with him.

He sat down next to me. “Regenerations are difficult.”

“I’m fully aware of that fact.”

“I’m not talking about going from cornrows to… this,” he said, fluffing my hair. Like it needs more volume.

“I am fully aware of what regenerations do to the body and the mind.” And the hearts, I added, silently. “You die, in all sense of the word. You become a new person with a new look, personality, and new potential for love. Your other faces had wives, loves and best friends before me. You don’t have to protect me from that.”

“I did. But I’ve never forgotten any of them. I’ve had to say goodbye to every one of my loves, including you. They all hurt. They all still hurt.” He paused. “Now I know what you went through that day. The day you looked at me, with all your love, and I hadn’t the faintest idea who you were. The last chose to forget. I will not do that, to you, to Rose Tyler, to Sarah Jane Smith or anyone else.”

“So, where does that leave us? You may still love me, but you are not the man I fell in love with.”

“You will see him again. As for us, I guess we will have to see if our paths cross again.”

I smiled as I got up with my things. “Two time-traveling psychopaths? Of course we’ll cross paths again. Perhaps then I’ll be prepared for you.”

“Perhaps then I can make you fall in love with me again,” he said, crossing his feet and leaning back.

I laughed and shook my head. “Perhaps so.”

 

BRI! Your voice for River Song is marvelous. The banter and the nostalgia are excellently written. You can feel the way she and the Doc should mesh, but he's not strictly hers, so they can't/don't. A Dr. Who ficlet series would be great, rather like Emerald's Fleeting Moments LOL for L/M, superb for standalones and vigs that tie together.

Woohoo jinkies! Once you start writing NSWFF, you'll find you cannot stop!

 

Ow, ow, ow. I think you just ripped my heart to shreds in this one. I feel so heartbroken for River, having to encounter a new Doctor and know she's lost her's forever. We haven't even seen more than mere seconds of Capaldi's Doctor yet, and in this short story you make me want to root for his Doctor to find a way make River fall in love with him.

Good job, very very good job.

 

Thank you for such kind words Mira_Jade, Nyota's Heart and Juliet316

You're welcome. My friend and I had an epic argument about whether or not the Doctor would go looking for Gallifrey to 'let them out'. IMO, he burned Gallifrey (the first time) for a reason: the planet was full of crazy Time Lords who got into a war with the Daleks and if they got out, you'd know it would happen again!

Sorry about your heart (no, I'm not, because I'm actually Moffat ). I didn't realize when writing this, but in canon, River actually only sees 11 once more (at the Singing Towers of Darillium) and this kinda makes me sad.

I'm kinda considering continuing this story, not as a Dear Diary Challenge (because I don't have enough ideas or time to do the whole year), but using "excerpts" from her diary to tell the story of River and 12 (and I would have to end with the Singing Towers and finally the Library, because I like making people cry). I was wary about paring River and 12, but then I realized there is only a 5 year difference between the actors (I thought Kingston was a lot younger than 50), so it isn't as weird as I first thought. Plus series 8 doesn't come out till AUGUST (or even later), so I need something Who related to do till then.

 

Unless we can lure Matt back for some mini - episodes with him and Alex, you're right and that is sad. (re: her seeing Eleven only once more after Manhattan)

We all need something Who related until then so DOOOOO ITTTTT....