stay calm. it will be okay. you have my word. Episode Ten: I Feel Pretty and Witty and Gay
This is episode ten! To start reading from the beginning, check out Pilot : The Season Two Ending We Deserved
Story Summary
Turn off “The Reality War” at 40:15 and start here instead. This is the story of what happened after—the story where the Doctor, Bel, and their extraordinary daughter Poppy get to live the life they deserve.
It’s about finding family across time and space. It’s the Doctor and Bel co-parenting like the besties they are, Poppy growing up splitting her time between 21st-century London and the far-future of the Preservation Alliance, and a Sanctuary Moon fanclub that spans across the universe. It’s Rogue getting the ending he deserves, Jenny finding her fathers, Murderbot reluctantly acquiring more humans, and a universe where love, in all its forms, is the most powerful weapon we have.
This is a fusion-fix-it full of gratuitous wish fulfillment, because sometimes the best way to heal is to rewrite the story. 💕💕
Episode Summary:
Jenny is leaning in to her angsty teenage phase, but Rogue is doing her best to coax her out of her funk with a trip to 1957 New York City. What he doesn’t quite expect is the appearance of River Song, younger than he has ever seen her.
Notes:
I am aware that in the OG musical the words are “pretty and witty and bright” but “pretty and witty and gay” is more accurate to this fic lol.
Once again, thanks so much to everyone who has left comments and kudos, and special thanks to Fire_Phoenix2305 and tinysugacube for tolerating me blowing up the group chat on a daily basis as I come up with ideas for this fic, and to Marvin for his seal of approval!
Episode Ten: I Feel Pretty and Witty and Gay
“Alright Jen. I’m gonna need something from you here. You can’t just stay in your room forever.” Rogue called through the door to Jenny’s room. The grumble she let out in response was indecipherable through the door but sounded like something along the lines of “just watch me.”. Teenagers.
“Can I come in?” He asked.
“If you have to,” came the slightly more audible grumble. Well, it was permission, and so he opened the door to survey the area. It was a mess, which was unusual for Jenny, who typically kept her living space pristine.
“Alright, come on, up you get. I have a trip planned for us.”
Jenny looked up from where her face had been squished into the pillow. “A trip?” she said skeptically.
“Come on, it should be fun. I’ve got the day all planned, up you get.”
“Where are we going?”
“New York, 1957. I’ve got us tickets to see the opening night of West Side Story.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Bribing me with tickets to my favorite musical is a low blow, dad.”
“But it’s working, isn’t it?” He ducked the pillow she threw at him.
“Get out, I need to find something that I can wear in that decade without being scandalous.”
“Casual clothes will be fine for now. I’m taking you to breakfast first. A donut only costs $0.23 in 1957. We can go shopping for something more formal later.”
“Wow, really leaning into the bribery, huh?” She finally smiled.
“I like retail therapy just as much as the next person. You’ve got twenty minutes.”
He was closing the door behind him when he heard her shout back “it’s a Time Machine, Dad!”
Laughing quietly he made adjustments to the Yossarian to plot them a course.
—
New York in 1957 was… nice enough, Jenny supposed. After donuts they wandered for a while. The weather was cool, but not unbearable. Typical for late September in New York. They had lunch at an automat, which she had never seen before, and then spent the afternoon doing the promised shopping. Her new dress was green, with a fitted bodice and a wide circular skirt. Rogue, meanwhile, had acquired a new suit complete with a double-breasted blazer and fedora. He had also splurged to get them adjoining rooms in a suite at the Hotel Astor for the night. Jenny, tired but happy at having seen the show, retired early, deciding to take advantage of the clawfoot bathtub in her ensuite. She did not expect to—nor want to—see her father for the rest of the night, given that she had seen him head to a particular section of the bar known for (discreetly) catering to gay men. She did not need to know what he got up to.
Rogue was, in fact, getting up to things that he had no interest in sharing with Jenny. He had been… frustrated to say the least, given the wall that they had come up against when it came to finding the Doctor. The universe was wide and vast and finding one person within it—one person who spent a lot of time traveling through time—was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The first step was finding a magnet.
It was so late it was early when the gentleman Rogue had invited back to his hotel room left, and Rogue felt the irrational urge to smoke a cigarette. He didn’t—he’d given up the habit ages ago—but the environment was making him crave it nevertheless. He felt itchy, and while the sex had helped, it was not with the person he wanted, and truly did not help that much at all. He was leaning against the window, looking out over Times Square when something caught his eye. Or rather someone—someone who was quite familiar, and it was likely not a coincidence to see her here.
Rogue was almost certain that she wouldn’t still be in the square by the time he was dressed and downstairs—even if she was who he thought she was—and in a way he was right. She wasn’t in the square, she was waiting for him in the lobby.
“It’s good to see you, River,” he smiled when he approached her.
“It’s Melody, actually,” she reached out to shake his hand. “I’m assuming we’ve met before, if you know that name.”
“Ah, right,” his smile became slightly more fixed. This was a younger River, then. He had known that he would meet her for the first time at some point, but still was not fully prepared for that to happen.
“I’m assuming you’re the Rogue that I told myself to meet, then?”
“Probably? Though the hotel staff here know me as Jon. Would you, uh, like to come up to my room where we can speak more privately?” He asked, looking around the lobby. There were not very many people around, but the conversation he knew they were due to have was probably not something that they should be having in a semi-public environment.
“Oh but you are a Rogue,” she purred, stepping closer and tracing her fingers lightly on his chest. “So forward with me, for someone I’ve never met before.”
He swallowed, and felt his face get hot. “It’s actually more of a DND thing, if I’m being honest.”
“Oh, definitely not from this century then,” she laughed. “Well go on, Rogue, lead the way.”
—
“Melody!” Amy grinned as she opened the door to her Upper West Side apartment to see her daughter on the other side. “You’re just in time,” she pulled her into a tight hug. At 67 years old, Amy’s hugs were just as fierce as they had ever been.
“Just in time for what?” She asked, giving her mother a tight squeeze as well before letting go.
“For dinner,” Rory smiled as he walked into the entry way, pulling her into a hug of his own as Amy closed the door.
“Hi dad,” she smiled, returning the hug. “What did you make this time? It smells good in here.”
“Chicken tikka masala. Here, let me help you with your coat,” Amy insisted, taking River’s jacket and hanging it on the coat rack next to the door. “Shoes off please. Go wash your hands and then you can head over to the dining area, Tony’s already set the table.”
“For four?” River asked as she slipped off her shoes. “Hey Tony,” she ruffled her brother’s hair. He made a face, ducking out of the way. She stepped into the kitchen to wash her hands before calling back out to him. “How’s Columbia?”
“It’s going alright. I’m getting ready to take the LSAT in December.”
“You’re gonna do great,” River smiled as she sat down at the table.
“Really?” He brightened. “Do you know what my score will be?”
“Spoilers,” she winked.
He rolled his eyes at her, slumping back in his chair. “You always say that.”
“Anthony Williams, stop slouching, you’ll ruin your back,” Amy told him, helping herself to a portion. “This looks delicious, love.”
River took a bite of her own, enjoying the delicious flavor. “This is great, dad.”
They were all quiet for a moment as they ate before River spoke. “So, how did you know to set the extra place for me?”
“Ah, well,” Rory and Amy exchanged a look. “You came by earlier today, and said you would be swinging by. You also left a letter for yourself.”
River sighed. “Of course I did. Where is it?”
“Oh, we can deal with that later,” Amy said dismissively. “Now, tell me how you are doing. Are you still seeing that nice catwoman from New New York?”
—
“So your future self gave you a letter telling you to meet me here?” Rogue sighed. “Well, that certainly sounds like you. Brandy?” He asked, holding up a decanter as River made herself comfortable on the settee in his and Jenny’s suite.
“Neat, if you please.” River smiled as he poured her the drink. “And yes, I did. Not very much detail I’m afraid just “Visit the Hotel Astor at 3am on September 17, 1957. You’ll meet the Rogue who is your future brother-husband.”
Rogue choked on the sip he had just taken. “Your future what now?” he coughed.
“I don’t know, it’s just what the note said,” River shrugged. “Take it up with my future self.”
Rogue grunted. “You always say that.”
“I take it you have yet to marry one of my spouses?” she asked with a sly smile. “Though I think I can guess which one.”
“The Doctor and I are not married.” Rogue flushed.
“Yet,” River purred. “And I’m glad to know I was right. So, lay it on me, what sort of shenanigans am I being dragged into now?”
“Arguably, you’ve dragged us into more shenanigans than the other way around,” Rogue said pointedly, taking a fresh sip of his brandy.
“That’s fair, maybe. Depends on how we met. Tell me everything.”
“You saved my life,” Rogue told her, tone serious. “I was on the verge of sliding into a hell dimension, and you gave me information that saved my life, Jenny’s life, and all of reality.”
“Well,” River leaned forward, suddenly full of keen interest. “Now I really need you to spill the tea.”
—
“Dad, are you decent?” Jenny asked, knocking on the door to Rogue’s room. “I was going to see what the hotel has for breakfast.” She wasn’t sure whether he was awake yet—who knows what he had been up to the previous night. There was no response, but then again if he had been up late, it was possible he would be dead to the world. Before she could make the decision about whether to risk opening the door, someone else opened it. Someone who was not her father.
“Oh! Hi Jenny!” River said brightly.
“Hi River,” Jenny said awkwardly. She could not help but notice that the only clothing River was wearing was one of Rogue’s shirts, and that there was a small bruise on her neck. “I didn’t realize you were here.”
“Well yes, I am. Your father and I were just getting to know each other. This is our first meeting, you see.” River looked behind her carefully to see Rogue still passed out on the bed before continuing in a low voice. “Though I’ve met you before. Don’t tell your dad though, he’ll get jealous, didn’t realize how much I already knew.”
“I, what?” Jenny asked, bewildered.
“Don’t worry sweetie, it hasn’t happened for you yet. It’s just our secret now.” River winked. “Now, did you say something about breakfast? I think room service is probably the best bet for now. I don’t have very many clothes with me.”
“Okay, I think they have a menu somewhere.” Jenny said awkwardly.
“Perfect,” River said brilliantly. “I’ll wake your dad up. Oh, and by the way, before I forget, there was something you asked me to remind you, to help you find the Doctor.”
“Oh?” Jenny asked, perking up. River was a being of chaos, but her stepmother(?) often did give good advice.
“If you want to find the Doctor, find Ruby Sunday first.”
End Notes:
To clear up any confusion, the “Tony” in this chapter is Anthony Williams, the son that Amy and Rory adopted in 1946. If you haven’t heard of him before, check out P.S. which is an animated minisode available on the Doctor Who website which shows what happened to Rory’s dad after the events of Angels Take Manhattan. Another minisode, made specifically for the Doctor Who: Lockdown! event and titled Rory’s Story, is available on YouTube and shares more details about Amy and Rory’s life in the 20th century and how they adopted Anthony.
A lot of the details I have here about what Jenny and Rogue’s day in 1957 would be like were gleaned from the New York Public Library’s blog post A Time Travel Guide to 1950s New York. If you have the time, I highly recommend reading it as the author shares a lot of interesting details about what life was like in New York City during that era, and it includes photographs as well as art and scans of old ads and newspapers. Even if you’re not typically a history person I’d consider it to be a fun read.