Post by cat on Oct 7, 2005 15:41:32 GMT
Not brilliant. Oh, and i nicked the idea from IQ.
“Where are we?” asked Rose.
The Doctor looked around then grinned. “Princeton.” He checked his watch. “Yep. Princeton in 1941.” He laughed. “I don’t believe it.”
“Doctor?”
“Albert Einstein is a teacher here Rose.”
“Right.”
He looked at her. “Don’t tell me you don’t know who he is?”
“Course I do. I just don’t see what all the fuss is about.”
“What all the fuss is about? Rose, he was the first scientist to unify mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field! He’s a genius Rose. And a damn nice bloke too.”
“You’ve met him before?”
“Once. In a small café in Switzerland, in 1903.”
“Well introduce me then.”
The Doctor held his arm out for Rose to take. “Your wish is my command,” he told her, leading her away from the TARDIS.
The Doctor, Rose and Albert, or Al as the Doctor insisted on calling him were sitting in his office, drinking coffee.
“I tried to find you ven my paper vas published,” he said in his accented English. “To thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You planted a seed, my friend. If it hadn’t been for your remark about zat carriage I vould never have thought of relativity.”
“What did you say?” Rose asked the Doctor.
“Nothin’. I don’t remember.”
Einstein smiled. “I do. Vee were talking about Newton’s theories when all of a sudden za mail coach tore down za street. I exclaimed on how fast it was moving but the Doctor said ‘Maybe it’s us moving and za horses are running on place.’ Well, I didn’t think much of it at the time, but it came back that night and haunted me until I gave proper thought to the remark and came up viz ze idea of relativity.”
“That was you?” Rose asked the Doctor.
“Me? No, just an off hand remark, that’s all.”
Rose grinned at him, it wasn’t like him to be so immodest.
The men continued talking, mostly to each other since Rose understood very little about the Brownian Movement. She hadn’t joined the brownies when she was a kid.
Four cups of coffee later she excused herself to go to the little girls room.
As soon as she’s left, Einstein leaned forward and turned to the Doctor. “You like dat girl, no?”
The Doctor looked at him like he was mad. “What? No. Don’t be daft.”
“It is you who is a fool to let her get away. Love is a very rare and precious thing, Doctor. You vould do well to cling to it when it finds you.”
“You don’t understand, it’s complicated.”
“Only if you make it so, Doctor.” He paused and took a sip of coffee. “I am an old man now. I have been hated, I have felt death and loss and I can tell you, only love can make those times worth living.”
The Doctor glared at him.
“Oh, I know, you don’t vant to hear. You have suffered a great deal, you are not a good person for one so young and lovely as she. Many excuses that you can offer. But tell me this Doctor, does your survivors guilt make things better, or only serve to ease your conscience?” He looked beyond the Doctor, into the past. “Many of my people died, Doctor. I vas only spared because of who I am. I had options zey did not. I do not like myself for leaving them, but if I had stayed I vould just be anozer dead Jew. Tell me Doctor, who would that have served?”
The Doctor didn’t reply
Einstein sat back again and sipped his coffee. “You vill see I am right.”
“You alright? You’re a bit quiet.”
“Fine.”
“He was a nice man.”
“Yeah.”
“Nice talking with you,” Rose muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing. What’s eating you anyway? You’ve hardly said a word since we got back.”
“Rose, I’m thinkin’.”
“So I can see. Couldn’t we think somewhere a bit more interesting?”
The Doctor smiled at her. “How about over dinner? I know this lovely little place, in Rome, 1890’s. You’d love it, the food is divine and there’s an open space to dance in in between courses. Sound good?”
“Sure.”
“Right then, you go and get changed, I’ll drive.” He began setting the TARDIS controls but then stopped when Rose called his name.
“What?” he asked her.
“Is this a… you know…” He looked blank. “A date?”
“Would you like it to be?”
Rose hesitated then broke out in a smile when she saw the worried expression he had. “Yeah, I think I would like it to be.”
***
“Where are we?” asked Rose.
The Doctor looked around then grinned. “Princeton.” He checked his watch. “Yep. Princeton in 1941.” He laughed. “I don’t believe it.”
“Doctor?”
“Albert Einstein is a teacher here Rose.”
“Right.”
He looked at her. “Don’t tell me you don’t know who he is?”
“Course I do. I just don’t see what all the fuss is about.”
“What all the fuss is about? Rose, he was the first scientist to unify mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field! He’s a genius Rose. And a damn nice bloke too.”
“You’ve met him before?”
“Once. In a small café in Switzerland, in 1903.”
“Well introduce me then.”
The Doctor held his arm out for Rose to take. “Your wish is my command,” he told her, leading her away from the TARDIS.
***
The Doctor, Rose and Albert, or Al as the Doctor insisted on calling him were sitting in his office, drinking coffee.
“I tried to find you ven my paper vas published,” he said in his accented English. “To thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You planted a seed, my friend. If it hadn’t been for your remark about zat carriage I vould never have thought of relativity.”
“What did you say?” Rose asked the Doctor.
“Nothin’. I don’t remember.”
Einstein smiled. “I do. Vee were talking about Newton’s theories when all of a sudden za mail coach tore down za street. I exclaimed on how fast it was moving but the Doctor said ‘Maybe it’s us moving and za horses are running on place.’ Well, I didn’t think much of it at the time, but it came back that night and haunted me until I gave proper thought to the remark and came up viz ze idea of relativity.”
“That was you?” Rose asked the Doctor.
“Me? No, just an off hand remark, that’s all.”
Rose grinned at him, it wasn’t like him to be so immodest.
The men continued talking, mostly to each other since Rose understood very little about the Brownian Movement. She hadn’t joined the brownies when she was a kid.
Four cups of coffee later she excused herself to go to the little girls room.
As soon as she’s left, Einstein leaned forward and turned to the Doctor. “You like dat girl, no?”
The Doctor looked at him like he was mad. “What? No. Don’t be daft.”
“It is you who is a fool to let her get away. Love is a very rare and precious thing, Doctor. You vould do well to cling to it when it finds you.”
“You don’t understand, it’s complicated.”
“Only if you make it so, Doctor.” He paused and took a sip of coffee. “I am an old man now. I have been hated, I have felt death and loss and I can tell you, only love can make those times worth living.”
The Doctor glared at him.
“Oh, I know, you don’t vant to hear. You have suffered a great deal, you are not a good person for one so young and lovely as she. Many excuses that you can offer. But tell me this Doctor, does your survivors guilt make things better, or only serve to ease your conscience?” He looked beyond the Doctor, into the past. “Many of my people died, Doctor. I vas only spared because of who I am. I had options zey did not. I do not like myself for leaving them, but if I had stayed I vould just be anozer dead Jew. Tell me Doctor, who would that have served?”
The Doctor didn’t reply
Einstein sat back again and sipped his coffee. “You vill see I am right.”
***
“You alright? You’re a bit quiet.”
“Fine.”
“He was a nice man.”
“Yeah.”
“Nice talking with you,” Rose muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing. What’s eating you anyway? You’ve hardly said a word since we got back.”
“Rose, I’m thinkin’.”
“So I can see. Couldn’t we think somewhere a bit more interesting?”
The Doctor smiled at her. “How about over dinner? I know this lovely little place, in Rome, 1890’s. You’d love it, the food is divine and there’s an open space to dance in in between courses. Sound good?”
“Sure.”
“Right then, you go and get changed, I’ll drive.” He began setting the TARDIS controls but then stopped when Rose called his name.
“What?” he asked her.
“Is this a… you know…” He looked blank. “A date?”
“Would you like it to be?”
Rose hesitated then broke out in a smile when she saw the worried expression he had. “Yeah, I think I would like it to be.”