sleight of hand

[ladymercury_10]

Title: sleight of hand
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: Eleven, River
Word Count: 286
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own no Who, as usual.

Summary: He's always been her favorite charlatan.

A/N: Written for the ficathon over at Spoilers!

A magician never reveals his secrets, and she supposes that’s fair.  Still, the archeologist in her wants his knowledge passed down, wants blueprints for the TARDIS and that manual he flung into the heart of a star. He’s losing his Gallifreyan, and it worries her that her spelling is now better than his. 

When he cracks his head on the underside of the console and they nearly careen over the event horizon of a black hole, she doesn’t bat an eye. 

“Amy,” she roars, “We’re going to fly this thing.”

(Later she’ll hold over him the fact that she found the stabilizers while he had his scalp stitched up.)

*

Like all conmen, he is a perfect gentleman, which has been the problem all along.  She has an intimate understanding of classical conditioning.  Her ribcage grows tight and her mouth waters at the sound of his ship materializing.  Like any good subject, she responds even when she knows she will not be rewarded.

* 

Intentional misdirection is the name of the game, and River is ever compliant.  She loses track of the number of lies she’s told him until they start becoming true.  He’s always been her favorite charlatan.

*

The hallmark of a good magician is hands that can think for themselves.  The first time she meets him, he’s come too early and she doesn’t know him yet.  She shoots, he falls.  She panics.  Tries to stanch the blood. 

He laughs once, a low huff over the punctured lung.  His hand trembles but it finds one of hers and grasps it tight.  “River,” he whispers (and how can he know her name?).  “I should have known it’d end like this.”

She watches him be reborn. 

 

Comments

[tardis-coral.livejournal.com]

ooooh. i love it!
i am almost certain she will kill him one day, so it might as well be like this!
nice, succinct, powerful use of words.
<3

[someplacetobe.livejournal.com]

I liked how everything belonged together, flowing into each other. And it's great to see a lack of wordiness - everything fits together with a succinct use of words that works.

[bendingwind.livejournal.com]

Oooo, lovely. I'm especially fond of the part where River and Amy fly the TARDIS after he cracks his head. River would be so smug. :3

[silvia-elisa.livejournal.com]

Oooooh, good ending to a fantastic piece! It makes absolute sense that it would end like that, River is easy to draw the gun out. I liked the italics a lot! ^^

[oursoliloquies.livejournal.com]

Stunning fic, such lovely turns of phrase.

[promethia_tenk]

This does feel like magic. Not the sparkly, glow-y, feel-good magic, but the kind where you're all tensed up, waiting, and get tricked anyway. Very effective.

She loses track of the number of lies she’s told him until they start becoming true.
My favorite line. Because that is a danger of their relationship, isn't it?

[shadowtights.livejournal.com]

Absolutley beautiful! River/Doctor are my ship of the month and this has proved to me exactly why. That's a definite possiblity to how River kills the Doctor (cause we all know that's what it means!) FABULOUS!

[jennifergale.livejournal.com]

Perfect ending.

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you like it :)

[irony-rocks.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! One or more of your fan pieces has been nominated in the River/Doctor Fan Awards 2011! These awards are hosted at livejournal, at dr-river-awards(dot)livejournal(dot)com!

You should have already received an email from our awards team. If not, try checking your spam folders. If all else fails, to find out details (including information about the awards, which piece(s) you’ve been nominated for, and to confirm your desire to participate in the awards) you need to contact us IMMEDIATELY at riverdoctorawards(at)gmail(dot)com. Please include your user name and all fandom pseudonyms in the correspondence, in the subject line of the email. Failure to respond will result in the forfeiture of nominations.

Contact us, and we’ll get back to you with the important and relevant information. Remember: this is extremely time sensitive.

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[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow, thank you so much! I just checked my inbox and found the email, so I'll respond right away. :)

[cinderbella333.livejournal.com]

Excellent piece! I love the theme and the number of words is perfect, each one counts! And that ending. Why is fandom trying to break my heart today? Like I said, really great story. Really well done.

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

[lonewytch.livejournal.com]

(yes, i am working my way thru some of your fic tonight!) Lovely again, you know how to do so much with so few words. I love the idea of how she reacts with the physical anticipation when she hears the sound of the Tardis.

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Happy to hear you're finding things you like. :)

[lonewytch.livejournal.com]

Do you mind if i add you as a friend?(see from your profile you're a knitter. Knitter here too *waves*!) :)

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sure! I'll add you back. And yay, knitting! :)

[lonewytch.livejournal.com]

Cool. Yay! (currently supposed to be knitting christmas presents, but fanfic more tempting ;)!)

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Heh, I know the feeling. I haven't even started on my Christmas knitting. o_O

[redjaywrites.livejournal.com]

This is very smooth in that you almost set River up as the Doctor's - and by extension Gallifrey's - heir... I like it.

[ladymercury-10.livejournal.com]

Did I? I think I was so focused on the magic bits that I didn't think about that, really, but that would be kind of cool if it's in there!

Thanks again for all your lovely comments! :)