Ficlet: Not the One

[unfeathered]

I have no idea where this one came from – apart from the prompt, obviously! – or why it wanted to be written in the second person. I've never had that happen before!

Title: Not the One
Fandom: Doctor Who/Angel
Author: unfeathered
Characters: Tenth Doctor, Lorne
Rating: G
Word Count: 613
Spoilers: Set after Not Fade Away and after Season Three of Doctor Who - very slightly AU in that it looks like the Doctor wouldn't actually have time to go and visit Lorne between the end of Last of the Time Lords and Voyage of the Damned.
Disclaimer: Not mine
Summary: The Doctor's back visiting Lorne for advice again…
Beta: Very much not beta'd, even by me. :-)
Author’s Note: morgynleri_fic requested Save Me From the Monsters, after the year that wasn't for the Timestamp Meme. Follow-up to Save Me From the Monsters.



The final chords of You're Still The One fade away and you slide off the stool and put down the microphone with relief. "Come on over!" calls Lorne from a table at the back, and you wince at the pun and wind your way across the club with a tiny shiver of déjà vu.

"Well, hey there, long and sweeping!" Lorne chuckles, as you sit down. "Didn't expect to see you again so soon!"

"'S been longer for me than it has for you," you reply, eyeing the cocktail Lorne ordered for you. It's green. You wonder what's in it.

"Oh, I'm getting that," Lorne nods. "Not just the time-travelling; there's something about time rewinding too…" You tense up despite yourself, and Lorne continues smoothly, "So what can I do for you this time?"

"Aren't you supposed to be telling me that?"

Lorne laughs, but it sounds forced. There's a hollow look in his eyes that you suspect is reflected in your own. Or reflected from your own, because it's your head Lorne's just been looking into. Lorne sighs and leans back a little. "All right, cupcake. Let's start with the song – oh, and I like the voice you've got with this body, by the way! Anyway, yeah, that song – oh, nothing wrong with a bit of Shania, sweetie, just… You don't even know which one of them you're singing about, do you? The one who's been there your whole life, not always with you but always coming back to you, as you always come back to him – only he's gone. Or the one who really will always be there – always – and looking just as handsome as ever, may I add! – but who you feel you don't deserve."

Lorne's red eyes seem to be burning into your very soul. You sit very still, barely breathing, afraid to ask, afraid of the answer. But you have to know. "So what do I do?" you whisper, and it's the voice of a little boy hiding under the bedclothes.

Lorne raises an eyebrow. "That's up to you, pumpkin. That always has been and always will be up to you."

"But I – " It slips out before you realise you're going to let it. "Is he really gone? Truly and forever? 'Cos I… sometimes I think I can feel him…"

You never imagined a green-skinned, red-horned demon could look this scary. "Do you really want him back? Really?"

Your mouth has gone dry. You try to swallow, and find you can't.

"Have a drink," Lorne offers, nodding at the green cocktail. Reluctantly, you pick up the glass and take a sip, because there's no way you're ever going to be able to speak again if you don't. It tastes nice, sort of minty. You drink some more, because actually you don't want to answer that question and if you're still drinking, you don't have to.

Lorne look at you, and his face is sad. "It doesn't matter what you want anyway," he says, with a wry little smile. "He's not really gone. He's never really gone. He'll be back."

You feel like you've been frozen and hit with a sledgehammer, and shattered into a trillion tiny pieces. "W-what?" you stammer, from lips that have gone suddenly stiff.

"Don't worry, though," Lorne says, and his voice seems to be coming from a long way away. "You won't remember this. Go back to Jack, Doctor. Go back to your faithful Jack and let the man who calls himself the Master be forgotten. He's still out there somewhere. But he's not the one. Of course, it's still up to you. But he's really not the one you should be with."

Comments

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Or the one who really will always be there – – but who you feel you don't deserve."

ooh, perfect! I like this as an explanation to why Ten's suck a schmuck to Jack!

*sigh* I love this

[unfeathered]

Thank you! I love this fast writing thing. Things come out of nowhere and you just go with them and... yeah. :-)

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

The Timestamp meme was superfun that way. I really enjoyed doing it myself and reading what everyone else came up with

[chatona.livejournal.com]

I like this Lorne guy *nods* And also? Poor Doctor. 's sad :(

[unfeathered]

I like this Lorne guy

I'm starting to like him myself - never did, really! *g*

Of course, he's playing with fire here, meddling wtih things, but...

Glad you liked it! :-)

[chatona.livejournal.com]

never did, really

Really? Me, I rarely write about anyone that I don't actually like a lot.. Huh.

[unfeathered]

I was requested to write him. Both times. By the same person.

I'm starting to forgive her! *g*

[morgynleri]

I'm starting to forgive her! *g*

Well, 's all good, then. *beams*

[unfeathered]

Well, you've made me almost like a character who annoyed the hell out of me on tv, so... thank you! :-)

[chatona.livejournal.com]

Oh, I see :D It's a good thing you're starting to like him, then ♥

[morgynleri]

Oooo! I like this, very much!

Heh. Like the bit about the Master not being gone, and about how the Doctor doesn't feel he deserves Jack. And Lorne being scary! Hee! He can be, when he wants to be.

Guh. And now I have the urge to go dig up an old fic which I was writing with Lorne and an original character, and actually bloody finish it... Which is a good thing, really... except the random wondering what the Doctor would think of Lorne's lady, and... *blinks, and smacks the plot-bunny on the nose with a rolled-up paper* No, you're not allowed to do that. No, really... damn it. And I can't even say it's your fault, 'cause I asked for these couple of stories. *goes to find the story, and make plans to keep the plot bunny happy*

[unfeathered]

Phew! Glad you like it!

Well, we all know the Master'll be back one day, don't we? *g*

And Lorne really can be scary - all the more so because he's usually just the opposite.

Good luck with the writing! :-)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

The one who's been there your whole life, not always with you but always coming back to you, as you always come back to him – only he's gone. Or the one who really will always be there – always – and looking just as handsome as ever, may I add! – but who you feel you don't deserve.

Ooh, that sums it up really well. And I like the idea that he feels he doesn't deserve Jack.

You feel like you've been frozen and hit with a sledgehammer, and shattered into a trillion tiny pieces.

Yeah. That really works as a metaphor. Simile. Whatever. :)

I'm starting to like Lorne a lot!

[unfeathered]

And I like the idea that he feels he doesn't deserve Jack.

After the year on the Valiant? I think the Doctor's finally feeling some respect for Jack. A lot of respect, for what he's been through, both whilst waiting for the Doctor and on the Valiant. There's definitely a subtly different dynamic between them in that last scene in Cardiff. So yeah. Doesn't feel he deserves him.

And I'm glad the simile worked (iirc, it's a simile if you say 'it feels like') - I'm notoriously hopeless at coming up with things to compare things to, so it's very nice to know this one worked!

Thank you :-)

10+Lorne : Not The One

[ravenpan.livejournal.com]

Heartbreaking but still very delightful read. I'm glad to have found it.

Re: 10+Lorne : Not The One

[unfeathered]

Thank you. I'm glad you found it too! (How did you find it, if you don't mind my asking?)