The Fire In Which We Burn

[preserved_ginger]

Title: The Fire In Which We Burn
Rating: PG
Setting: The gap between The Runaway Bride and Smith & Jones
Character(s): Ten
Pairing(s): Ten/Rose
Spoilers: None whatever, assuming you know (and who doesn’t?) what happens in Doomsday.
A/N: For the purposes of this, an unstated (but large) amount of time has passed since the beach scene from Doomsday. I have borrowed a concept or two from The Shakespeare Code, and the title and the quote at the beginning of the fic are both from Calmly We Walk Through This April’s Day by Delmore Schwartz.
Summary: Time passes.

Time is the fire in which we burn.

Time passed, even for a Time Lord.

Days melted into weeks, then months, then years; on and on, until time beyond the reckoning of it separated him from her. The image of her standing on that desolate Norwegian beach refused to leave him, however, as did the echo of the last words she had said to him.

She knew, didn’t she? She had to.

But he had left it too late to tell her. Words held so much power, and he had not said it.

The irony of a Time Lord having run out of time had not escaped him.

Comments

[bananasandroses.livejournal.com]

Love the last line. ;)

Thank you :D

(I think this might end up being the beginning of a drabble series, which could be interesting. Might even end up AU at some point ;D)

[bananasandroses.livejournal.com]

I’ve the author’s notes sorted already for when it goes AU:

Yes, it’s Ten/Rose. Yes, it’s AU. No, I don’t care.

Any good?

[last-archangel.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous and sad. Poor 10.

[bananasandroses.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous and sad.

Thank you :D

Poor 10.

Oh, I agree *pets him*

(Is that a brown-suited Doctor I see there snogging the living daylights out of Rose Tyler? ;D)

[last-archangel.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes it is. Courtesy of likethesun.

[bananasandroses.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

(Cheers for the info)

[rose-cat.livejournal.com]

brown-suited Doctor...snogging the living daylights out of Rose Tyler

Yessss!

[ex-miss-pru.livejournal.com]

...That was cheerful.
Nice drabble.

[bananasandroses.livejournal.com]

...That was cheerful.

’s Doomsday, cheerful and that episode just don’t mix ;D

(Having said that, if I continue this drabble series it might just go AU and then it will be happy and shiny and cheerful as you like :D)

Nice drabble.

Thank you!

[beauty-within16.livejournal.com]

That was sad, but beautiful.

[bananasandroses.livejournal.com]

That was sad, but beautiful.

Thank you.

[maniacalshen.livejournal.com]

Aw. You just know him being cut off tortured them both.

[bananasandroses.livejournal.com]

You just know him being cut off tortured them both.

Yep. :(

(You can see it in how he is during The Runaway Bride; it sets the scene for Season Three in many ways.)

[bananasandroses.livejournal.com]

poignant and gorgeous

Thank you.

[helygen.livejournal.com]

Heartbreaking, and gorgeous

[bananasandroses.livejournal.com]

Heartbreaking, and gorgeous

I know :(

One of these days somebody is going to have to write something where he manages to choke the words (or an approximation of them) out on that beach (that is, if it hasn’t been written already).

[helygen.livejournal.com]

I'm fairly sure it's been written, although possibly not well enough for me to remember it :(


You don't fancy having a go yourself, then? ;)

[rose-cat.livejournal.com]

You've said so much, so well, in so few words...

Words held so much power

...indeed.

Wonderful last line!