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Language:
English
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Published:
2024-06-07
Words:
853
Chapters:
1/1
Kudos:
27
Bookmarks:
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363

Ruby Ruby Ruby

Summary:

"I just wish we would have seen him one last time." – "I know, and you will."

The Doctor gives Ruby one last glimpse at Ricky September.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Once inside the TARDIS, Ruby unlike the Doctor does not immediately run across the bridge into the open space. She presses her back against the closed door and breathes in deep over the sound of the TARDIS vanishing from this horrendous place, letting it out in a growl throwing her arms in the air.

"Argh, these people. How can they be so against you saving them when they let you save them by leading them to the tunnels in the first place? God, I can't – they are all going to die out there, aren't they!?"

The Doctor keeps his eyes focused on the console screens instead of turning to Ruby as he says: "Yep, all dead."

Ruby hangs her head. "These damn cowards. The only one out there with any sense was Ricky. Still around trying to save peo-"

"Nope," the Doctor quickly interrupts her, "also dead."

Ruby looks up at his direction, frowning. "Huh? But she said -,"

"Lindy lied, Rubes, and sacrificed him to get away herself, just right there in the room before the canal. I saw it all, written over her face in the look of her eyes. He was so close to surviving, and he - he might have even come with us."

"You think?," Ruby asks, and the Doctor answers, while using his screwdriver on one of the screens: "I feel."

"And I wished," she sighs, "this gonna sound like an awful motivation, but I mean THE Ricky September, I really had wanted to see him one last time."

The Doctor uses the blue-glowing sonic screwdriver to scroll down what he sees on the screen. He mutters to himself, focused on finding something: "Aaaand you will." He stops the scrolling on something and makes: "Oh!"

"Oh, Ruby, ..." he says still quietly, then repeats it louder and growing more excited: "Ruby, Ruby, Ruby!" He makes a little jump.

"What?," she calls out; not that she didn't often shared his sense of excitement but the thing where he didn't get to the point was sometimes irritating.

He waves at her with the sonic screwdriver. "Just, just come here," then holds the device over his head pointing at the screen, "aaand ... listen," and simultaneously to that last word presses the button.

"Ruby," her name again resounds through the TARDIS, together with music, "Ruby, Ruby, Ruby."

Ruby rolls her eyes, and says, moving forward: "Doctor, of course I know that song! What do you think how many guys thought learning it on guitar would work on me?," while stepping across the bridge to the console where the Doctor has begun to move to the music.

Although he has rhythm and swing in his hips, at this moment he just imitates what's on screen. "But this one, this one dances!," he shouts and laughs excited.

Now, Ruby has reached him, too, and peeks at the screen – and there he is. "Oh, Ricky!," her face grows with wide eyes and an open mouth in delight, "Ricky!"

As if directly responding to her, he sings again her name. He wears an appropriately red coloured shirt in this video, his hair styled into long waves, and with each calling of her name, he points directly to the camera.

From the side, the Doctor grabs her hand and makes her twirl to the tune. When she turns to him, beaming, he asks: "Now, how does that feel, having THE Ricky September sing and dance to you?"

"Oh, oh brilliant," she laughs at him, "absolutely brilliant!"

The Doctor winks at her with a sly smirk, holding the screwdriver up. "Just you wait for my next trick then." Again he presses a button targeting the screen but then, while holding the button, moves the screwdriver over a floor tile besides them, its edges beginning to glow blue. The inner area gets filled with vertical light beams that form a shape. "Video-holographic projection," the Doctor explains it, while the appearance in the light becomes recognizable as Ricky dancing, right there between the two.

Despite the hologram not being tangible, when he again points out to her, Ruby reaches her hand out into the light, pretending to hold him. The moment between Ruby and Ricky lasts a while, but then eventually the music stops and he begins to flicker. Ruby glances to the side, frowning at the Doctor: "What happens now?"

"The video is ending, Babes. Nothing more to project, but we can pick another."

Ruby ponders only a moment and decides against it. "No no, let him go." She turns back to the hologram wistfully: "Goodbye, Ricky. And thanks for such a fine time."

With his dance having ended, Ricky too takes his farewell, not to Ruby directly, but his virtual video audience. As usual, he sends a hand kiss to the camera and says: "And that's it today. Thank you all for tuning in this week and don't forget to do it again next week."

Ruby sighs, while he disappears; but then shakes the lingering away and spins around to the Doctor who already leans again over the console observing a map. "Apropos, Doctor, where will we be next time?"

Notes:

Because Fifteen’s episodes shall end on a music number.