“... I’m tellin’ you Rose, all those tourist kiosks are a waste of time! Everything falls apart within a week.” The Doctor hoisted himself cheerfully onto the dais as Rose meandered in after him, distracted by the flashlight-like device in her hands.
“So? It'll be entertaining for half a week. Don't be such a grouch.”
He gave her a derisive snort, hiding a grin of amusement as he set the TARDIS engine to idle. Rose was perching on the edge of the platform when he turned back to her and leaned against the dashboard.
“Alright then, what's it supposed to do?”
“The guy called it a Joyscope. Sorta on the nose. It is supposed to let you relive happy memories.”
“Ah, I know tech like this. Some of the higher quality ones put you into a sort of hypnotic state so you can actually experience those events of memory again. Of course, they tend to be skewed, since our memories are imperfect. This one isn't nearly as sophisticated though…” He crouched down to take the device and examine it. “No, it will just show you an image. Maybe a video. Accesses your retinal memories at times of high dopamine release.”
When he looked back at her, Rose was pursing her lips with exaggerated annoyance.
“You can't handle having any fun, can you?”
“Pardon me, I have heaps of fun! Oodles!” The Doctor went to hand back the toy, but Rose didn't take it.
“Prove it! Turn it on. Show me a happy memory.”
“I think I'll pass, thanks,” he said, plopping it back in Rose's palm. “My memory is crystal clear without needing a toy to help me out.”
“Fine. But I'm excited to see what it shows me.”
“I'll leave you to it then.” The Doctor went to stand, but Rose caught him by the elbow.
“Come on, just watch it with me!”
“Uh… I would have thought that might be a rather private experience.” Rose laughed aloud.
“There's nothing to be scared of, you muppet,” she teased, and tugged him down the stairs. She slid down to sit on the floor, and despite his protests the Doctor joined her there without resistance. “Anyway, the retailer explicitly said it'll only show PG memories.”
The Doctor blanched at this comment, but Rose had already moved on, switching on the Joyscope and holding it in front of her face. It emitted a bright yellowish light, apparently scanning her eyes and facial features. Once the light switched off, it whirred and beeped for half a minute, clearly thinking hard. The Doctor glanced at Rose and saw an expression of innocent anticipation on her face. He softened a little, enjoying every opportunity he got to see her excited, even if he did think the souvenir was a crock.
The whirring stopped, and they both watched in suspense until at last the lights flickered back on, forming a tiny holographic television screen that hung in the air. The image took a few seconds to become clear, but the Doctor could tell it was the shape of a person. A moment later he felt his hearts stutter, as the picture sharpened and he saw his own face staring out. It began to move, speaking silently, a look of distress on his face. Then his head turned, looking straight into the ‘camera’, and broke into a huge smile. There was still no sound, but when the lips moved again, the Doctor could clearly read them forming the words, ‘I'm so glad I met you.’
He glanced at Rose again, and saw a sappy, wide eyed smile on her face. She sighed, and shifted to lean her head on the Doctor's shoulder.
“... That's the day we met ol’ Charlie boy, isn't it?” He asked lightly, and Rose nodded. “Yeah, I suppose that was fun…” The video restarted, and he chose not to point out that Charles Dickens himself made no appearance in the memory. “... This is a moment you remember fondly?”
“Sure, problem with that?”
“... Correct me if I'm wrong, but… weren't we about to be killed by a gang of alien ghost zombies?”
The Doctor watched Rose's smile widen without a trace of embarrassment.
