FIC: Touched (2/?)
Title: Touched (2/?)
Author: dk323
Rating: PG-13 (may go up in future chapters)
Characters/Pairings: Ten/Martha (apologies in advance), Martha/Jack, Rose (some Ten/Rose)
Spoilers: AU! Post Human Nature/Family of Blood
Disclaimer: Don’t own Doctor Who, just playing with its characters.
Summary: The Doctor waited almost a year before he saw Martha again. Chapter 2: The Doctor feels like the fourth wheel...
Author’s notes: This is an alternative ending to my one-shot ‘This Time Around’. Unlike that story, the Doctor waits longer to visit Martha after she leaves. This chapter is significantly longer than the first one. :-) Flashback is in purple.
Then:
“Not impossible, just a bit unlikely.” Rose said lightly, but cleared her throat to begin the story of how she came back without the universes collapsing.
Now:
“Well, it was by accident. Completely took me by surprise. I was in Cardiff - not lookin’ for trouble right - and I noticed this - I don’t know how else to say it - but literally a vortex on the side of the wall of an abandoned building. It was about medium-sized and was spitting out energy. And I just-“
The Doctor looked at her in disbelief, “You didn’t, did you? How many times have I told you not to do things like that?”
She looked at him, annoyed, “I’m not a child. And for the record, I do what I like. I’m not going to stay put just because you tell me to. Now shut up for a minute, I’m not finished.”
“All right. Sorry. Go ahead.” He waved his hand, allowing her to continue.
“Anyway, I went a bit closer to it, to investigate. I phoned Mickey - to inform him about it and have Torchwood look into it. But soon after I finished the call, the vortex started spitting out a ton more energy. I tried to move away from it, but I wasn’t quick enough and it just…sucked me into it. And I landed on top of someone.”
“Who?”
“Me.” Martha cut into the conversation.
Both the Doctor and Rose looked up to see her entering the kitchen.
“We better not have run out of chocolate. I’m positively famished!” Martha said, looking back at Rose as she opened and closed cupboards in search of something to eat.
Rose shook her head, “There’s some on the top shelf of the cupboard to the right of you.”
Martha gave her a peeved look, “You can’t be serious. I can’t reach that shelf. Why is the world against me?” She finished, her hands on her hips, staring at the two of them.
The Doctor cleared his throat, “I can help with that.”
“No, no need. I’ll get Jack to do it. He was about to leave. I want to get as much out of him as I can before he does.”
Rose giggled, “He’s going to tease you about it, you do realize?”
“He sometimes calls her ‘Tiny Martha’.” Rose informed the Doctor.
“Oi! I’m having cravings, for Rassilon’s sake. I don’t care about all that.”
The Doctor stared at Martha, “Did you just say Rassilon?”
“It just came to mind.”
“Bit odd, but maybe you just picked it up on some alien planet.” Rose commented, though she and Martha both knew what the real reason was.
“Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I’m sorry for interrupting you two. I’ll just leave…”
The Doctor grabbed her arm when she brushed past the kitchen table, “Stay. You can help with the story. It’s up to your part after all.”
She didn’t say anything to him, and instead looked to Rose, “I’m going after Jack. I *know* he put the chocolate out of reach. I’ll ‘Tiny Martha’ him.”
“Just don’t kill him too much, all right? He has limits, too.”
Martha grinned mischievously at her before she left the kitchen, humming to herself.
The Doctor was almost sure that it was a Gallifreyan lullaby. But the more pressing matter was why Martha seemed so cold toward him. Like she was back to how she was when she first opened the door - smiling tightly at him.
He looked to Rose, “Why is Martha avoiding me?”
Rose sighed, a sad look on her face, “You don’t know yet.”
“What do you mean? What is it? Tell me!” He demanded.
“No, I told you. It’s best left alone. And it’s not my place anyway.” She replied quite calmly.
They were interrupted by a commotion by the stairs.
“Give it to me right now!” Martha’s voice cried.
“No, not until you say it!”
The Doctor looked at Rose, and she nodded as they both stood up to see what was going on just outside of the kitchen.
Martha was riding piggy-back on Jack, her arms around his neck and her legs were wrapped around his torso.
Jack held a purple teddy bear in his hand, waving it back and forth as Martha tried to get a hold of it.
“I don’t think you’ll get it if you’re on him like that, Martha.” Rose said.
“What’s the point if it’s an easy catch?” Martha shot back at her, grinning.
The Doctor had no idea what to say. He definitely felt like the third wheel - or the fourth.
“That’s the Doctor, right?” Rose asked.
Jack laughed at that, “Martha Jones sleeping with her fluffy little Doctor at night.”
Martha hid her face in the crook of Jack’s neck, “I hate you all.” She said, her voice muffled.
“I don’t mind-“ The Doctor started.
Jack laughed even harder - about ready to meet the floor he was laughing so hard. Martha quickly detached herself from his back before she fell to the floor with him.
“The Doctor doesn’t mind, you hear that, Martha?” Jack told her slyly
“You - and you - and ugh!” She fumed and grabbed the bear from Jack’s now loose hold.
She threw the stuffed animal at Rose’s head, but she quickly dodged out of the way. It hit the Doctor square in the face.
“No sensitivity, honestly! How do I put up with you two? And it’s Doc, Rose. As in from Back to the Future.”
Rose made a small ‘o’ sound, “Sorry. I’ll remember that the next time.”
The Doctor was not at all disappointed that his former companion didn’t name a teddy bear after him. It was only a teddy bear…
He looked at the bear in his hands, not sure what to do with it.
“I’m sorry it got you in the face, Doctor. Didn’t mean to,” Martha apologized, as she went over to him to grab the teddy bear from his grasp.
She turned away from him and looked to Jack.
Rose bit her lip nervously noticing the Doctor’s frustrated expression. There was only so much silent treatment a person could take…
“I really have to get going. Have my team back at the Hub, you know. Remember to call, okay?” He said looking pointedly at Martha.
“We’ll be fine, Jack. You have your responsibilities and we can look after ourselves, right, Rose?”
“Oh yeah,” Rose said, grinning as she hugged Jack goodbye.
The Doctor tried to get Martha’s attention while Jack gave Rose a rather intense kiss.
“Martha, please. Stop this.” He said softly to her, touching her arm.
She still didn’t look at him, but he noticed her tense posture.
Jack felt uncertain about leaving after seeing the two of them acting the way they were. But he really had to go. Rose could handle it, he hoped.
“See you soon, Jack.” Martha said, hugging him.
Rose went over to the Doctor and leaned her head on his shoulder, “I’m sorry.” She told him quietly.
He just looked at her forlornly, and kissed the top of her head, “Yeah, me too.”
“Don’t think I forgot about you, Doctor.” Jack announced, right after he pulled away from his kiss with Martha.
Rose moved aside as Jack laid a big one on the Doctor, leaving him stumbling back in shock.
“Now I have to go…have fun you three.” He said, saluting each of them in turn.
Once Jack had left, the three of them stood there in an uncomfortable silence.
After a few minutes, Martha started wavering slightly, taking hold of the railing to keep balance, “Oh no, not now.”
Rose immediately went to her side, the Doctor looking concerned yet puzzled, “What’s wrong?”
“You want me to call Jack?” Rose asked her.
Martha shook her head, “No, no. I’ll just - crap - why did this have to happen now?!”
Rose looked between the Doctor and Martha - knowing what had to be done.
“Doctor, come here.” Rose motioned to him.
Martha looked at him, determined to get on with this.
She grabbed his tie and pulled him forward, kissing the Doctor forcefully on the lips.
The Doctor felt a flow of vortex energy leaving him and into Martha. Her hold on him was so strong that he couldn’t pull away if he tried.
After a long minute, she pulled away and fell backward, Rose catching her before she hit her head.
“’m fine. Sleep…” Martha mumbled, closing her eyes.
“Help me get Martha to bed, will you?” His former companion asked.
The Doctor nodded, still a bit dazed.
In the end, the Doctor just carried Martha in his arms with Rose following close behind.
He laid her gently on her bed and sat down in the chair beside the bed.
Rose sat on the edge of Martha’s bed, across from the Doctor, and was first to speak, “Whatever you’re thinking, Doctor, I don’t want to hear it. Something’s going to happen, and you can’t stop it. I still haven’t finished my story, so you’re going to listen yeah?”
He just looked at her, dumbfounded, “Martha’s pregnant. She’s carrying-“
Rose quickly covered his mouth with her hand, “No, keep it to yourself. I know about it already, so you don’t need to spit it back out at me.”
The Doctor took Rose’s hand away from his mouth, saying, “We have to talk about this, Rose. This is serious. Martha is human - she could die.”
Rose waved her hand, “We figured out that likelihood, thanks. Jack and his team at Torchwood are lookin’ into it. Now, can we move on?”
He gave her a curt nod, though still reluctant to let it go, “All right, go ahead.”
“Good. Now as Martha said before, I landed on top of her and…”
“Sorry.” Rose said apologetically as she detached herself from the other woman.
“That’s all right…who are you then? Alien? I saw you come out that portal or whatever that thing is.”
But when she pointed to it, the hole sealed itself up and looked like it was never there in the first place.
Rose looked at her oddly, “How do you know about aliens?”
“You answer my question first. If you were human, you wouldn’t be so calm about falling out of a portal…”
“My name is Rose Tyler. And you probably wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.”
The other woman just stared at her, but then shook her head, bemused.
She held out her hand, “Martha Jones, former companion to the Doctor and I’ve heard stories about you, Rose Tyler.”
Rose shook the offered hand, and looked at Martha in a new light, “You know the Doctor? How - how is he?” She asked tentatively.
Martha shrugged, “I’m not sure how he is at the moment as I left him, but it would be an understatement to say he really missed you.”
“Why’d you leave him?”
“It sounds so childish now, but I loved him, but I never felt like he saw me. I saved his life time and again, and I got nothing. I just needed to get back to my life. Become a proper doctor and do something meaningful with my life rather than putting effort into something that yielded no reward, you know?”
“It’s my fault, isn’t it? He made you think you were second best?”
“He tried to convince me otherwise before I left, but I didn’t believe him. It’s fine, whatever. I’m happy being back home.” Martha answered, somewhat unconvincingly. She had to admit that she did miss the traveling just a little bit…
“Where’s home?”
“London. I’m in Cardiff on a brief holiday.”
Rose looked thoughtfully at her, knowing that now she had little chance of making her way back to the parallel universe…to her own home. But maybe…companions had to stick together, right?
“When did you last see the Doctor then?” Rose asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but she tugged on her sleeve nervously.
“Almost a week ago -- when I left him. Are you planning on trying to contact him? He’d be over the moon,”
“Um, I’m not sure. I mean, I didn’t leave him voluntarily. We were sort of ripped apart from each other. I couldn’t get over it for weeks. But now…”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want my life to revolve around the Doctor. I’ve had time to think and I learned that life continues on even if you think your world is over. Losing who you thought was your one true love - it doesn’t give you an excuse to give up hope on having a fantastic life. I’m sure you understand that. Doctor-in-training, you said?”
Martha nodded, “One of the few things I’m sure of in my life. What about you?”
“Ah, ever heard of Torchwood?”
“Heard mentions of it here and there. The Doctor never said a word about it…”
“Rose??” The two heard a masculine voice exclaim in surprise.
“C’mon, I want you to meet someone.” Rose said to her, grabbing her hand.
Before they made their way over to the man in the long coat, Rose whispered into Martha’s ear
“The Doctor, Martha. He only chooses the very best to travel with him. Remember that, okay? No matter what, he wanted you there with him.”
Rose grinned at her and they both ran toward Captain Jack Harkness - Martha soon learned - who embraced Rose in a big hug.
“And who is this beautiful woman?” Jack eyed Martha appreciatively once he put Rose down.
“Martha Jones. Traveled with the Doctor for a time,” She explained, smiling at the attention. She definitely couldn’t wait to find out more about Jack…
“Nice to meet you, Martha Jones,” He said, taking her hand and kissing it.
Then he pulled her forward and…
“You know, I really don’t need to hear about Jack’s flirting. I’ve seen enough for a lifetime.”
Rose giggled, “You’re just jealous.”
A few hours later…
Martha woke up to find Rose sitting in the chair beside her bed, reading a book.
“Where’d he go?” She asked softly, sitting up in bed.
Rose sighed and put her book aside, “The Doctor left. We sort of had a fight.”
Martha looked at her curiously, “What about?”
“He wanted me to come traveling with him again. He thought I’d be willing. And he knows about the baby.”
Martha put her face in her hands and then looked at Rose saying harshly, “What did you say? Tell me!”
“Martha...”
She glared at her, “I’m an invalid, aren’t I? Not worth anyone’s time?”
“Martha, stop it. This isn’t you.” Rose said calmly, knowing she was in one of those moods.
She sighed, “How did he take it?”
“Well he doesn’t want you to die, for starters. And he doesn’t think you’re an invalid. Don’t ever think that,”
Martha shrugged, “I know what the Doctor’s thinking. He needs a companion and I’m no use to him anymore. Even though it’s his fault that I’m in this situation.”
“It hasn’t happened to him yet, remember. And you know what I told him? I said no, all right? I have responsibilities here on Earth after all. I’m not going to swan off - I’m not the same person I was before.”
“Honestly, Rose, what’s really keeping you here? You could move to Cardiff - you help out Jack at Torchwood often enough.” She pointed out.
She said firmly, “You think the Doctor would want you to be alone in this? Who else do you have to make sure you’re looked after? Your family hasn’t been on the best of terms with you, have they? You only got this house because of the inheritance.”
“Yeah, well. I give up. Thanks for saying no. I’d do the same for you. Is it wrong of me to like the idea of turning him down? Playing hard to get does sound attractive.” She said, looking thoughtful.
“That’s the spirit.” Rose said, grinning.
After a beat, “Scoot over, will you?” Rose asked as she moved to lie down beside her.
“I can’t believe I’m in this situation - single mother to an alien baby,” Martha commented, leaning her head on Rose’s shoulder.
“Despite everything, I miss him so much, Rose.” She whispered, wiping at tears she refused to let fall.
“I’m with you, all the way.” Rose answered quietly, trying not to think of where the Doctor was right now.
Because the Doctor knew, Rose was sure, that time had to run its course. No matter how much you wanted to stop the inevitable.
Author: dk323
Rating: PG-13 (may go up in future chapters)
Characters/Pairings: Ten/Martha (apologies in advance), Martha/Jack, Rose (some Ten/Rose)
Spoilers: AU! Post Human Nature/Family of Blood
Disclaimer: Don’t own Doctor Who, just playing with its characters.
Summary: The Doctor waited almost a year before he saw Martha again. Chapter 2: The Doctor feels like the fourth wheel...
Author’s notes: This is an alternative ending to my one-shot ‘This Time Around’. Unlike that story, the Doctor waits longer to visit Martha after she leaves. This chapter is significantly longer than the first one. :-) Flashback is in purple.
Then:
“Not impossible, just a bit unlikely.” Rose said lightly, but cleared her throat to begin the story of how she came back without the universes collapsing.
Now:
“Well, it was by accident. Completely took me by surprise. I was in Cardiff - not lookin’ for trouble right - and I noticed this - I don’t know how else to say it - but literally a vortex on the side of the wall of an abandoned building. It was about medium-sized and was spitting out energy. And I just-“
The Doctor looked at her in disbelief, “You didn’t, did you? How many times have I told you not to do things like that?”
She looked at him, annoyed, “I’m not a child. And for the record, I do what I like. I’m not going to stay put just because you tell me to. Now shut up for a minute, I’m not finished.”
“All right. Sorry. Go ahead.” He waved his hand, allowing her to continue.
“Anyway, I went a bit closer to it, to investigate. I phoned Mickey - to inform him about it and have Torchwood look into it. But soon after I finished the call, the vortex started spitting out a ton more energy. I tried to move away from it, but I wasn’t quick enough and it just…sucked me into it. And I landed on top of someone.”
“Who?”
“Me.” Martha cut into the conversation.
Both the Doctor and Rose looked up to see her entering the kitchen.
“We better not have run out of chocolate. I’m positively famished!” Martha said, looking back at Rose as she opened and closed cupboards in search of something to eat.
Rose shook her head, “There’s some on the top shelf of the cupboard to the right of you.”
Martha gave her a peeved look, “You can’t be serious. I can’t reach that shelf. Why is the world against me?” She finished, her hands on her hips, staring at the two of them.
The Doctor cleared his throat, “I can help with that.”
“No, no need. I’ll get Jack to do it. He was about to leave. I want to get as much out of him as I can before he does.”
Rose giggled, “He’s going to tease you about it, you do realize?”
“He sometimes calls her ‘Tiny Martha’.” Rose informed the Doctor.
“Oi! I’m having cravings, for Rassilon’s sake. I don’t care about all that.”
The Doctor stared at Martha, “Did you just say Rassilon?”
“It just came to mind.”
“Bit odd, but maybe you just picked it up on some alien planet.” Rose commented, though she and Martha both knew what the real reason was.
“Yeah, maybe. Anyway, I’m sorry for interrupting you two. I’ll just leave…”
The Doctor grabbed her arm when she brushed past the kitchen table, “Stay. You can help with the story. It’s up to your part after all.”
She didn’t say anything to him, and instead looked to Rose, “I’m going after Jack. I *know* he put the chocolate out of reach. I’ll ‘Tiny Martha’ him.”
“Just don’t kill him too much, all right? He has limits, too.”
Martha grinned mischievously at her before she left the kitchen, humming to herself.
The Doctor was almost sure that it was a Gallifreyan lullaby. But the more pressing matter was why Martha seemed so cold toward him. Like she was back to how she was when she first opened the door - smiling tightly at him.
He looked to Rose, “Why is Martha avoiding me?”
Rose sighed, a sad look on her face, “You don’t know yet.”
“What do you mean? What is it? Tell me!” He demanded.
“No, I told you. It’s best left alone. And it’s not my place anyway.” She replied quite calmly.
They were interrupted by a commotion by the stairs.
“Give it to me right now!” Martha’s voice cried.
“No, not until you say it!”
The Doctor looked at Rose, and she nodded as they both stood up to see what was going on just outside of the kitchen.
Martha was riding piggy-back on Jack, her arms around his neck and her legs were wrapped around his torso.
Jack held a purple teddy bear in his hand, waving it back and forth as Martha tried to get a hold of it.
“I don’t think you’ll get it if you’re on him like that, Martha.” Rose said.
“What’s the point if it’s an easy catch?” Martha shot back at her, grinning.
The Doctor had no idea what to say. He definitely felt like the third wheel - or the fourth.
“That’s the Doctor, right?” Rose asked.
Jack laughed at that, “Martha Jones sleeping with her fluffy little Doctor at night.”
Martha hid her face in the crook of Jack’s neck, “I hate you all.” She said, her voice muffled.
“I don’t mind-“ The Doctor started.
Jack laughed even harder - about ready to meet the floor he was laughing so hard. Martha quickly detached herself from his back before she fell to the floor with him.
“The Doctor doesn’t mind, you hear that, Martha?” Jack told her slyly
“You - and you - and ugh!” She fumed and grabbed the bear from Jack’s now loose hold.
She threw the stuffed animal at Rose’s head, but she quickly dodged out of the way. It hit the Doctor square in the face.
“No sensitivity, honestly! How do I put up with you two? And it’s Doc, Rose. As in from Back to the Future.”
Rose made a small ‘o’ sound, “Sorry. I’ll remember that the next time.”
The Doctor was not at all disappointed that his former companion didn’t name a teddy bear after him. It was only a teddy bear…
He looked at the bear in his hands, not sure what to do with it.
“I’m sorry it got you in the face, Doctor. Didn’t mean to,” Martha apologized, as she went over to him to grab the teddy bear from his grasp.
She turned away from him and looked to Jack.
Rose bit her lip nervously noticing the Doctor’s frustrated expression. There was only so much silent treatment a person could take…
“I really have to get going. Have my team back at the Hub, you know. Remember to call, okay?” He said looking pointedly at Martha.
“We’ll be fine, Jack. You have your responsibilities and we can look after ourselves, right, Rose?”
“Oh yeah,” Rose said, grinning as she hugged Jack goodbye.
The Doctor tried to get Martha’s attention while Jack gave Rose a rather intense kiss.
“Martha, please. Stop this.” He said softly to her, touching her arm.
She still didn’t look at him, but he noticed her tense posture.
Jack felt uncertain about leaving after seeing the two of them acting the way they were. But he really had to go. Rose could handle it, he hoped.
“See you soon, Jack.” Martha said, hugging him.
Rose went over to the Doctor and leaned her head on his shoulder, “I’m sorry.” She told him quietly.
He just looked at her forlornly, and kissed the top of her head, “Yeah, me too.”
“Don’t think I forgot about you, Doctor.” Jack announced, right after he pulled away from his kiss with Martha.
Rose moved aside as Jack laid a big one on the Doctor, leaving him stumbling back in shock.
“Now I have to go…have fun you three.” He said, saluting each of them in turn.
Once Jack had left, the three of them stood there in an uncomfortable silence.
After a few minutes, Martha started wavering slightly, taking hold of the railing to keep balance, “Oh no, not now.”
Rose immediately went to her side, the Doctor looking concerned yet puzzled, “What’s wrong?”
“You want me to call Jack?” Rose asked her.
Martha shook her head, “No, no. I’ll just - crap - why did this have to happen now?!”
Rose looked between the Doctor and Martha - knowing what had to be done.
“Doctor, come here.” Rose motioned to him.
Martha looked at him, determined to get on with this.
She grabbed his tie and pulled him forward, kissing the Doctor forcefully on the lips.
The Doctor felt a flow of vortex energy leaving him and into Martha. Her hold on him was so strong that he couldn’t pull away if he tried.
After a long minute, she pulled away and fell backward, Rose catching her before she hit her head.
“’m fine. Sleep…” Martha mumbled, closing her eyes.
“Help me get Martha to bed, will you?” His former companion asked.
The Doctor nodded, still a bit dazed.
In the end, the Doctor just carried Martha in his arms with Rose following close behind.
He laid her gently on her bed and sat down in the chair beside the bed.
Rose sat on the edge of Martha’s bed, across from the Doctor, and was first to speak, “Whatever you’re thinking, Doctor, I don’t want to hear it. Something’s going to happen, and you can’t stop it. I still haven’t finished my story, so you’re going to listen yeah?”
He just looked at her, dumbfounded, “Martha’s pregnant. She’s carrying-“
Rose quickly covered his mouth with her hand, “No, keep it to yourself. I know about it already, so you don’t need to spit it back out at me.”
The Doctor took Rose’s hand away from his mouth, saying, “We have to talk about this, Rose. This is serious. Martha is human - she could die.”
Rose waved her hand, “We figured out that likelihood, thanks. Jack and his team at Torchwood are lookin’ into it. Now, can we move on?”
He gave her a curt nod, though still reluctant to let it go, “All right, go ahead.”
“Good. Now as Martha said before, I landed on top of her and…”
“Sorry.” Rose said apologetically as she detached herself from the other woman.
“That’s all right…who are you then? Alien? I saw you come out that portal or whatever that thing is.”
But when she pointed to it, the hole sealed itself up and looked like it was never there in the first place.
Rose looked at her oddly, “How do you know about aliens?”
“You answer my question first. If you were human, you wouldn’t be so calm about falling out of a portal…”
“My name is Rose Tyler. And you probably wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.”
The other woman just stared at her, but then shook her head, bemused.
She held out her hand, “Martha Jones, former companion to the Doctor and I’ve heard stories about you, Rose Tyler.”
Rose shook the offered hand, and looked at Martha in a new light, “You know the Doctor? How - how is he?” She asked tentatively.
Martha shrugged, “I’m not sure how he is at the moment as I left him, but it would be an understatement to say he really missed you.”
“Why’d you leave him?”
“It sounds so childish now, but I loved him, but I never felt like he saw me. I saved his life time and again, and I got nothing. I just needed to get back to my life. Become a proper doctor and do something meaningful with my life rather than putting effort into something that yielded no reward, you know?”
“It’s my fault, isn’t it? He made you think you were second best?”
“He tried to convince me otherwise before I left, but I didn’t believe him. It’s fine, whatever. I’m happy being back home.” Martha answered, somewhat unconvincingly. She had to admit that she did miss the traveling just a little bit…
“Where’s home?”
“London. I’m in Cardiff on a brief holiday.”
Rose looked thoughtfully at her, knowing that now she had little chance of making her way back to the parallel universe…to her own home. But maybe…companions had to stick together, right?
“When did you last see the Doctor then?” Rose asked, trying to sound nonchalant, but she tugged on her sleeve nervously.
“Almost a week ago -- when I left him. Are you planning on trying to contact him? He’d be over the moon,”
“Um, I’m not sure. I mean, I didn’t leave him voluntarily. We were sort of ripped apart from each other. I couldn’t get over it for weeks. But now…”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want my life to revolve around the Doctor. I’ve had time to think and I learned that life continues on even if you think your world is over. Losing who you thought was your one true love - it doesn’t give you an excuse to give up hope on having a fantastic life. I’m sure you understand that. Doctor-in-training, you said?”
Martha nodded, “One of the few things I’m sure of in my life. What about you?”
“Ah, ever heard of Torchwood?”
“Heard mentions of it here and there. The Doctor never said a word about it…”
“Rose??” The two heard a masculine voice exclaim in surprise.
“C’mon, I want you to meet someone.” Rose said to her, grabbing her hand.
Before they made their way over to the man in the long coat, Rose whispered into Martha’s ear
“The Doctor, Martha. He only chooses the very best to travel with him. Remember that, okay? No matter what, he wanted you there with him.”
Rose grinned at her and they both ran toward Captain Jack Harkness - Martha soon learned - who embraced Rose in a big hug.
“And who is this beautiful woman?” Jack eyed Martha appreciatively once he put Rose down.
“Martha Jones. Traveled with the Doctor for a time,” She explained, smiling at the attention. She definitely couldn’t wait to find out more about Jack…
“Nice to meet you, Martha Jones,” He said, taking her hand and kissing it.
Then he pulled her forward and…
“You know, I really don’t need to hear about Jack’s flirting. I’ve seen enough for a lifetime.”
Rose giggled, “You’re just jealous.”
A few hours later…
Martha woke up to find Rose sitting in the chair beside her bed, reading a book.
“Where’d he go?” She asked softly, sitting up in bed.
Rose sighed and put her book aside, “The Doctor left. We sort of had a fight.”
Martha looked at her curiously, “What about?”
“He wanted me to come traveling with him again. He thought I’d be willing. And he knows about the baby.”
Martha put her face in her hands and then looked at Rose saying harshly, “What did you say? Tell me!”
“Martha...”
She glared at her, “I’m an invalid, aren’t I? Not worth anyone’s time?”
“Martha, stop it. This isn’t you.” Rose said calmly, knowing she was in one of those moods.
She sighed, “How did he take it?”
“Well he doesn’t want you to die, for starters. And he doesn’t think you’re an invalid. Don’t ever think that,”
Martha shrugged, “I know what the Doctor’s thinking. He needs a companion and I’m no use to him anymore. Even though it’s his fault that I’m in this situation.”
“It hasn’t happened to him yet, remember. And you know what I told him? I said no, all right? I have responsibilities here on Earth after all. I’m not going to swan off - I’m not the same person I was before.”
“Honestly, Rose, what’s really keeping you here? You could move to Cardiff - you help out Jack at Torchwood often enough.” She pointed out.
She said firmly, “You think the Doctor would want you to be alone in this? Who else do you have to make sure you’re looked after? Your family hasn’t been on the best of terms with you, have they? You only got this house because of the inheritance.”
“Yeah, well. I give up. Thanks for saying no. I’d do the same for you. Is it wrong of me to like the idea of turning him down? Playing hard to get does sound attractive.” She said, looking thoughtful.
“That’s the spirit.” Rose said, grinning.
After a beat, “Scoot over, will you?” Rose asked as she moved to lie down beside her.
“I can’t believe I’m in this situation - single mother to an alien baby,” Martha commented, leaning her head on Rose’s shoulder.
“Despite everything, I miss him so much, Rose.” She whispered, wiping at tears she refused to let fall.
“I’m with you, all the way.” Rose answered quietly, trying not to think of where the Doctor was right now.
Because the Doctor knew, Rose was sure, that time had to run its course. No matter how much you wanted to stop the inevitable.