Doctor Who | Monsters Under the Bed
Jan. 7th, 2009 09:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eponymous_rose(I think I will probably go through and post these over the next few days, because of posterity and such, and also because ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fandom_stocking let me play in a few new sandboxes, hurrah!)
Title: Monsters Under the Bed
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
eponymous_rose
Word Count: 569
Rating: G
Characters: Barbara, John Chesterton
Author's Note: Written fortigerkat24's fandom_stocking! Pure, unapologetic, post-The Chase fluff.
John Chesterton stared up at his mother as she rummaged in her purse, chewing on his lip as his mind worked its way around every possible angle of the problem. Finally, satisfied with his analysis, he straightened and presented his carefully deliberated argument.
"Do I hafta?"
"You do," his mother said, without turning around; she progressed to dumping the contents of her bag across the table. "It's an important part of growing up, John."
John scowled, then watched, fascinated, as she dug through the glittering objects. "Don't wanna," he said.
"Where are those keys?" she muttered, and sighed, scooping everything back into her purse. "John, your father and I talked to you about this already."
Pondering, John stuck his thumb in his mouth. "Will there be monsters?"
This time, she did look at him, and he was surprised at the way her eyes went wide. "What? Of course not, dear. What made you think-"
"Daddy was telling me about the monsters you saw when you an' him went away." John squared his shoulders to show he hadn't been frightened, and adopted a nonchalant tone. "Darrrleks. Monsters."
His mother got a little twitch at the corner of her mouth, and rolled her eyes. "I'll have to have a talk with Ian about that," she said. "But no, there won't be any Daleks there, dear."
"Oh," said John, and hesitated. "But I wanna meet a Darrrlek."
"No, you don't," said his mother, with a strange intensity, and seemed to catch herself. "Why on earth would you want to meet a monster?"
John swallowed. "Daddy said you were brave. With the Darrrleks, I mean. He said you were brave and wonderful, an' I want to be brave and wonderful, too."
There was a terrible moment where he wasn't sure whether his mother was about to laugh or cry; instead of doing either, she just pulled him into a hug. He tolerated it for a few seconds, then squirmed away. She bent down so their eyes were at the same level, and spoke in a strange, soft voice.
"John," she said. "What Daddy and I did was... unusual, to say the least. Most people never wind up meeting Daleks, or going to new places, or any of it. For them, it's just stories. But do you know what?" John shook his head, and she grinned, tapping him on the nose. "They can be brave and wonderful just the same."
John felt his breath catching - he felt a bit like he did whenever his mother or father started a new story, one he hadn't heard before, one that meant he was finally Old Enough to hear it. "They can?"
"Of course they can. That's the fun of it! Just by going out in the world and doing things you might not want to do, you're being very, very brave."
He wasn't sure he felt sad, but there were tears in his eyes. He swiped them away with his sleeve. "Like going to the first day of school?"
"Like going to the first day of school." She smiled, and ruffled his hair as she straightened. "If I can find my car keys, that is."
Sheepishly, he pulled them from his trouser pocket, and she laughed.
He didn't say anything else until they were in the car, driving, and he found himself listening to the roar of the engine, almost hearing a sound his parents had tried to describe in bedtime stories amid fits of giggles. "Mum?"
"Yes?"
Turning, he could see the pavement running by under them, like they were sprinting, like they were flying, and he grinned. "Nothing."
fandom_stocking let me play in a few new sandboxes, hurrah!)Title: Monsters Under the Bed
Author:
eponymous_roseWord Count: 569
Rating: G
Characters: Barbara, John Chesterton
Author's Note: Written for
tigerkat24's fandom_stocking! Pure, unapologetic, post-The Chase fluff.John Chesterton stared up at his mother as she rummaged in her purse, chewing on his lip as his mind worked its way around every possible angle of the problem. Finally, satisfied with his analysis, he straightened and presented his carefully deliberated argument.
"Do I hafta?"
"You do," his mother said, without turning around; she progressed to dumping the contents of her bag across the table. "It's an important part of growing up, John."
John scowled, then watched, fascinated, as she dug through the glittering objects. "Don't wanna," he said.
"Where are those keys?" she muttered, and sighed, scooping everything back into her purse. "John, your father and I talked to you about this already."
Pondering, John stuck his thumb in his mouth. "Will there be monsters?"
This time, she did look at him, and he was surprised at the way her eyes went wide. "What? Of course not, dear. What made you think-"
"Daddy was telling me about the monsters you saw when you an' him went away." John squared his shoulders to show he hadn't been frightened, and adopted a nonchalant tone. "Darrrleks. Monsters."
His mother got a little twitch at the corner of her mouth, and rolled her eyes. "I'll have to have a talk with Ian about that," she said. "But no, there won't be any Daleks there, dear."
"Oh," said John, and hesitated. "But I wanna meet a Darrrlek."
"No, you don't," said his mother, with a strange intensity, and seemed to catch herself. "Why on earth would you want to meet a monster?"
John swallowed. "Daddy said you were brave. With the Darrrleks, I mean. He said you were brave and wonderful, an' I want to be brave and wonderful, too."
There was a terrible moment where he wasn't sure whether his mother was about to laugh or cry; instead of doing either, she just pulled him into a hug. He tolerated it for a few seconds, then squirmed away. She bent down so their eyes were at the same level, and spoke in a strange, soft voice.
"John," she said. "What Daddy and I did was... unusual, to say the least. Most people never wind up meeting Daleks, or going to new places, or any of it. For them, it's just stories. But do you know what?" John shook his head, and she grinned, tapping him on the nose. "They can be brave and wonderful just the same."
John felt his breath catching - he felt a bit like he did whenever his mother or father started a new story, one he hadn't heard before, one that meant he was finally Old Enough to hear it. "They can?"
"Of course they can. That's the fun of it! Just by going out in the world and doing things you might not want to do, you're being very, very brave."
He wasn't sure he felt sad, but there were tears in his eyes. He swiped them away with his sleeve. "Like going to the first day of school?"
"Like going to the first day of school." She smiled, and ruffled his hair as she straightened. "If I can find my car keys, that is."
Sheepishly, he pulled them from his trouser pocket, and she laughed.
He didn't say anything else until they were in the car, driving, and he found himself listening to the roar of the engine, almost hearing a sound his parents had tried to describe in bedtime stories amid fits of giggles. "Mum?"
"Yes?"
Turning, he could see the pavement running by under them, like they were sprinting, like they were flying, and he grinned. "Nothing."
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drive-by review
Date: 2009-01-08 04:18 am (UTC)*flails some more about how awesome this story is, which is very*
*melts at fluff*
*disappears*
Re: drive-by review
Date: 2009-01-10 03:16 am (UTC)Re: drive-by review
Date: 2009-01-10 03:21 am (UTC)...I may bitch a little bit about The Romans, though. Only a little bit.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-08 08:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-10 03:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-09 02:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-10 03:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-09 07:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-10 03:17 am (UTC)