With Whom Fate Brings You
TITLE: With Whom Fate Brings You
AUTHOR: honor_reid
FANDOM: Doctor Who
PAIRING: Martha Jones/Jack Harkness
GENRE: Het
PROMPT: Windy days are the best
SUMMARY: On a windy autumn day Martha meets an old friend.
WARNING: Brief mention of character death
RATING: PG
NOTES: This story was written for the comm older_not_dead, crossposted on lifeonmartha. Also for stories_a_z prompt W. Beta'd by the awesome persiflage_1, any remaining mistakes are my own, because I kept fiddling with it! Title and quote by Marcus Aurelius
Prompt table can be found here.
WORD COUNT: 5,199
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, nor am I making any money from them. I merely borrow them from time to time.
Accept the things to which fate binds you,
and love the people with whom fate brings you together,
but do so with all your heart.
-Marcus Aurelius
Stepping outside of the clinic and tucking a stray lock of black hair behind her ear, Martha quickly finished buttoning up her navy coat against the biting autumn wind. Looking up she saw that it was another gray overcast day but thankfully it didn’t feel like rain. Holding the door open for her employees to walk through so she could lock up for the day, Martha, ever the mother hen, watched as they quickly made their way to their cars and drove away. When the last of employees, her personal assistant Anna Houser, had gone through Martha locked it.
Anna stopped and waited till Martha had finished closing up before asking, “Do you need a lift Dr. Jones?”
Martha was momentarily tempted due to the weather to accept the offer, even though she usually walked home or took the Tube if she was particularly exhausted. She had been feeling out of sorts for the past week or so, so a long walk sounded just about perfect right now.
“No thank you Anna,” she declined with a polite smile, seeing Anna glance with a raised eyebrows past the porch upon which they stood to where the trees were swaying deeply as the wind pushed them almost violently about. Martha’s smile became more genuine as she continued, “I need a walk to clear my head, but thank you for the offer, and if it gets too bad I will call for a cab.”
“If you’re sure,” Anna said in an uncertain voice, shaking her head slightly she ran to her car before hopping in to get out of the wind. Looking back she saw Dr. Jones start to walk home against the wind before she opened her arms as though embracing it, then turned and started to walk with it instead, in the opposite direction from where Anna knew she lived. Shaking her head she started the car and drove away. Thinking to herself how after working for Dr. Jones for five years she would be used to the doctor’s quirks, but they still managed to catch her off guard at times.
********
Walking against the wind on the way home was a bit of a struggle but she was making progress. Martha was sure Anna thought she was a bit barmy wanting to walk on such a blustery day, but Martha had always loved windy days they were the best in her opinion. Smiling fondly over the memory of when she was younger, Martha remembered when she would hold her arms out wide and allow the wind to push her wherever it wanted. She used to believe the universe or Mother Nature or…. who knows what, was pushing her towards something or someone, towards some grand adventure, or even towards her destiny. She knew such things were silly now, must have come from watching too much Mary Poppins, and reading to many Grimm’s fairytales as a tot. Oh sure she had seen some strange and wondrous things when she traveled with the Doctor, and she had even seen some very mysterious events here on Earth, but each and every event that had seemed fairly mystical at the time had a perfectly logical explanation. She no longer believed in fairytales, fate, providence, or destiny.
But the image of letting go and letting the wind choose her path this day wouldn’t leave her head. Shaking her head Martha stubbornly trudged on, she was forty-five years old for goodness sakes! She had run a system of clinics practically single-handedly for over ten years since her husband died. She was too old for such frivolity. Martha stopped in her tracks at her thoughts, and wondered when she’d got so…so….boring. Where was the Martha Jones who had got into the Tardis after knowing the Doctor for less than twenty-four hours? Maybe, just maybe, she needed to be a little bit silly every now and then. Smiling wide and taking a quick peek around to see if anyone was watching (no one was in sight), Martha stopped, threw her arms out wide and turned towards the wind and allowed it to once again push her where it would. Going in the opposite direction and away from her flat, Martha found herself heading in a westerly direction.
As she briskly walked down the street Martha thought about how she had arrived at this point in her life. She had never seen herself being a director of a series of clinics in London and the surrounding countryside, but “fate” (for lack of a better word) had had different plans for her it would seem. It had all started about ten years ago. When Mickey had died she had been devastated, Martha had always known they could get hurt or die doing the dangerous work they did, but she had always assumed, for some reason, if it happened she would go first. For over a year she had been lost in a haze of heartache and despair, then an old friend from UNIT by the name of Kate Stewart had approached her about using her skills as a doctor to help those British citizens who were hurt by the aliens that seemed to be attacking the Earth more and more frequently.
Martha had a first refused, too grief-stricken, too depressed to even begin to conjure up enough energy to care. That is until Kate had taken her on a tour of the makeshift hospital ward that was being used for those who were injured. As Martha met the men, women, and even some children whose lives had been forever changed, she started in a sense to wake up and to look past her own pain, and she knew she needed to help. UNIT had the emergency aspect covered; they could take care of the patients immediate needs after an invasion, it was when the people went home and tried to get on with their daily lives that Martha and her clinics came in to play. Some of the victims would need specialized medicine for the rest of their lives, physical therapy, and/or counseling, and Martha would make sure they had access. Plus it helped that the doctors they saw could understand what they were going through, Martha had made sure those she hired had in some aspect been affected by the invasions. It had given her a purpose when she had felt rudderless and, worse than that, she hadn’t even cared that she was drifting through life. Her life was her work, and that was okay with her, she wasn’t hiding (no matter what her family said), she just had different priorities now. She was doing a good work and that was that. So she would go to work, then go home, and play with her nieces and nephews at her mother’s house when they all got together for Sunday dinner.
It was the silence that made her thoughts abruptly stop; looking up Martha took in her surroundings. The wind had stopped; the air was completely and eerily still. Looking around Martha saw she was in a small park that held a few trees, some swings, and a park bench. The tiny park was currently deserted, probably due to the bad weather. Turning in a circle Martha was unsure what to do next, the park was quite far from her home and she had walked further then she had planned. Spotting the solitary park bench Martha walked over and sat down. Shoving her hands in her pockets to keep warm Martha chuckled to herself over her foolishness, so much for her wind theory, there wasn’t anything in this park that spoke of destiny.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Dr. Jones,” came a familiar voice behind her, causing Martha to jump a little before grinning widely in recognition, as he continued, “What is a Nightingale doing out and about in weather such as this?”
“One could ask the same of a Captain,” Martha replied saucily, turning slightly to watch Captain Jack Harkness walk around the bench and sit beside her.
Jack sat down and placed his arm along the back of the bench, his fingertips almost brushing her shoulder, Martha could almost swear she could feel them. Jack had always had that effect on her; she had always been hyperaware of him whenever he was in the room. There had always been an attraction between the two of them, but they never acted on it, not really, nothing beyond a kiss or two and some harmless flirting. Maybe it was because it was never the right time or maybe because they valued their friendship to much. Or maybe it was because they both knew it couldn’t be causal, not between the two of them.
Martha looked over at Jack as he stared off into the distance; he was as handsome as ever, and still wearing his trademark greatcoat. Jack’s brown hair looked tousled, perhaps by the wind or possibly by him running his hands through it a number of times. His slouched posture on the bench next to her looked very casual at first but then Martha noticed the tenseness of his shoulders and how tightly he gripped the top of the bench. Turning towards her friend, Martha placed her arm along the back of the bench as well and lightly tapped Jack’s hand until he turned towards her, and when he finally made eye contact, his blue eye told how deeply worn out he really was. In typical Jack fashion he tried to hide it all beneath a wink and his characteristic charming smile.
She had kept in contact with Jack over the years, sometimes in person and sometimes over the phone. She genuinely missed his friendship whenever he had disappeared for long periods of time. Although he would always call when he returned and check in and make sure she was doing ok. During these calls he never really wanted to talk about himself, although she usually would be able to get him to eventually but once he did, once he was truly honest with her about how he was really doing, he would disappear again. Only calling back when time had passed and he was able to resurrect and hide behind the mask he wore. It had been over two years since she had last heard from Jack; Martha had made discreet inquiries amongst their mutual acquaintances but to no avail.
It was just like Jack to show up out of nowhere.
“So how have you been?” Jack cheerfully asked as he placed his hand over hers and gripped it loosely.
Martha returned the gesture noticing his hand was freezing, like he had been outside most of the day. “I have been fine, work is going well we are opening a new clinic on the south side in a couple of weeks so I have been busy with that. How about yourself? What have you been up to?”
“I heard about all the good work you guys are doing here. How many clinics does that make now?” Jack questioned in the same happy-go-lucky voice.
Martha couldn’t help noticing his avoidance of her own question, “Six and we are looking into more in other cities across the country. How are you doing?” Martha replied emphasizing her question with a squeeze of his hand.
“Oh you know me, I’m fine. I have been traveling for awhile, just got back about a week ago,” Jack replied breezily.
Martha wondered if he had just come back to England or to the plant Earth. Knowing Jack like she did it could mean that he had traveled here on Earth, or pretty much all of time and space. And although his tone was light, the emotion passing through his eyes was anything but lighthearted. He seemed weighed down. Martha couldn’t imagine the burden it would be to outlive everyone you know, no one could really understand what Jack went through. Well maybe the Doctor came the closest to understanding, but let’s face it, the Time Lord wasn’t the poster child for being well adjusted. But her friendship with Jack was based on love, loyalty, and maybe most importantly honesty, so she wasn’t going to let him try to con her like this.
“Jack…” Martha said in a voice that held concern, but at the same time raised one of her eyebrows in disbelief to what she was hearing.
Jack looked away, the smile falling from his face before saying gruffly, “I could never fool you, could I?”
Martha just shook her head and waited for Jack to tell, she knew eventually he would open up.
Jack continued to look out at the empty playground before he swallowed convulsively and said, “I guess I am just so tired…” He stopped when his voice broke. Looking at her but not making eye contact, he cleared his throat and said, “I’m sorry.”
Martha wasn’t sure if he was apologizing for being tired or for the emotion behind the statement, but either way he needed to know it was alright. Bringing her free hand up to his face, cupping his cheek Martha ran her thumb across his cheekbone and with her own voice a little watery said, “Its okay to be tired… and you can rest with me if you want….for as long as you want.”
When Jack finally made eye contact with her he seemed to be assessing her, he must have seen the truth of what she had said in her eyes because he pulled her forward into a bone crushing hug and buried his face in her neck. Martha held onto Jack just as hard, trying to convey the love she felt for this man. After awhile Jack loosened his hold but didn’t let go completely.
If Jack had seemed tired before he now seemed outright exhausted, so Martha helped him up and guided him to her home. Along the way Martha keep quiet and just waited. It wasn’t long before Jack started to talk, it was in a halting voice at first but soon his voice gained strength and the words just seemed to tumble out of him. He talked about everything, the Torchwood group Gwen, Ianto, Tosh, and Owen, the Doctor, Steven, Miracle Day, and his decision to leave Torchwood.
He also talked about where he had been for the last two years, how, through a series of accidents he had ended up stuck on the distant world of Helatia. He then told her about his time amongst the people of this world, he had lived with them for over a year getting to know them, learning their vast history and making a home for himself, before a deadly pathogen struck. He and their scientists had worked tirelessly to find a cure only to fail and how he ended up the only being left alive on the whole planet. How he was stuck there for a year before his was finally able to fix his time vortex manipulator. That was what had brought him back to Earth. He came to London because he needed to see familiar places, to see a culture that was alive and well, not still and empty, filled with nothing but death. That was how he’d ended up just walking around the city for the past week.
When they reached Martha’s flat, she fixed him a quick supper. He continued talking as he ate his soup; it was like once he started he couldn’t stop. Martha didn’t interrupt, but simply let him continue for as long as he wanted. It was going on two in the morning when he started to slur his words and seemed to run down like a wind-up toy. Martha steered him into the spare bedroom, and helped him take off his coat and shoes. As Jack lay down he said, “Please don’t go.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be here,” Martha said as she took off her own shoes and walked around the bed lying down next to him. Reaching her hand out Martha saw Jack almost desperately grab it and lace his fingers with hers. He kept watching her as though he was afraid she was going to disappear, but after awhile he lost the battle to stay awake.
Jack would end up sleeping for three days.
In the morning Martha called into the clinic and arranged with a very shocked Anna to work from home for a few days, and then managed to rearrange her schedule to take that vacation that her P.A. was always insisting she take. Martha would check on Jack often during those three days but for the most part left him alone, the man obviously needed to sleep. She would lie next to him at night and keep an ear out for any nightmares during the day while she was working around the apartment. The nightmares were often the first day or so, they would start off as whimpers before Jack would start to shout, sometimes in English and sometimes in a language she knew was not from Earth. Martha soon learned that Jack would settle back down just by her sitting with him and running her hand through his hair and telling him softly that it was okay and he was no longer alone.
On the morning of the fourth day Jack emerged from the spare room with a sleepy expression on face and wished her a good morning. Martha looked up from her laptop and responded in kind before asking, “Do you want breakfast first or a shower?”
Jack smiled awkwardly, “I am starving but feeling pretty grungy, so a shower sounds just like heaven right now.”
While Jack was in the shower Martha fixed a quick breakfast, and then finished up the report she had been writing, on the aftereffects of partial Cyberman integration. Once she was done, she sent the report to UNIT so they could read it and establish protocols for the next time that particular menace visited Earth.
When she heard the shower stop, Martha plated the omelet and placed it on the table. Looking up Martha saw that Jack was just finishing up drying his hair although still wearing the same clothes from before.
Jack looked sheepish as he ran his hand through his damp hair, and said, “Sorry, I didn’t have a change of clothes.”
Martha was taken aback by her reaction to the rumbled Captain Jack Harkness, Yep still as handsome as ever, thought Martha and tried to ignore the fact she was blushing, “No problem, I think I have something for you to wear and we can wash your clothes or later we can pick up more where you are staying.” Martha paused before saying, “That is if you want to continue to stay here?”
If Jack looked sheepish before now he looked more then a bit embarrassed as he said, “I had a change of clothes when I landed last week, but I lost my bag the other day. And truth be told I wasn’t staying anywhere, I was…I was just drifting.”
Martha didn’t show her surprise that Jack had been without lodgings for that long, she just nodded and said, “Well we could go shopping this morning if you want?”
Jack looked relieved and said, “Shopping sounds great, and if you wouldn’t mind I would love to stay.”
“As I told you in the park Jack, you can stay for as long as you want,” Standing up Martha walked past Jack saying, “Let me just go get those clothes for you.”
Martha’s breath caught as Jack stopped her as she went past, and when she felt him kiss the top of her head and whisper his thanks, she smiled up at him and said, “No problem.”
They spent the rest of the morning going to the different shops to get Jack a few days worth of clothes. That afternoon they spent some time wandering around London. When Jack had at first proposed walking around the city, Martha had been surprised, considering he had spent the last week doing just that.
Jack in his characteristically roguish manner offered his arm as he simply replied, “Well you weren’t with me, my Lady, plus I want to show you my London.”
Martha got into the spirit of the adventure by taking his arm with a big smile and replying, “Well then, lead on good Sir.”
It was a remarkable afternoon, Jack took her to some of his favorite places, and Martha was able to see London as Jack did, through his memories.
This was how the next few days would play out, with the two of them catching up with each other as they journeyed through the different areas of London. Each day they would end up back at her place, fix supper together before spending the evening lounging around watching TV, or just talking.
Martha was enjoying her time with Jack a lot. Maybe too much. They had always indulged in harmless flirting, but there was an unspoken understanding that it was not to be taken seriously. Now with having spent a week in Jack’s company, having him live in her home, Martha’s feelings for Jack hadn’t so much changed as became clearer. She wasn’t falling in love with him so much as realizing she had been in love with him for awhile. So she loved Jack, what was she supposed to do with that information? Martha was trying not to worry about what would happen at the end of her vacation in a few days time. Would Jack just up and leave? Would it be another two years until she heard from him again?
**********
The Monday morning she had to return to work dawned bright and early. Martha emerged from her bedroom to the smell of a home cooked breakfast. Going into the kitchen Martha saw that Jack had been busy. More breakfast then she would normally eat in a week was placed on the table.
In an incredulous voice Martha asked, “What’s all this then?”
With an impish grin Jack said, “I wanted to give you a proper send off this morning.”
That’s when Martha noticed the blue duffle bag on the floor next to the kitchen counter; it was the one they had bought just yesterday for Jack to put his clothes in when he traveled. Martha felt like the floor had been yanked out from under her. When Jack pulled her chair out for her, Martha sat down heavily, feeling disconnected from the scene that was before her.
“Thanks,” Martha said gruffly, trying to hide how upset she was by giving Jack a big smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Jack didn’t seem to notice, as he was in a very jovial mood as he served her a large portion from each dish.
Martha made an attempt to eat, but she felt sick to her stomach, and only managed to eat a small amount. All Martha could think was that Jack was leaving. It was true they had never talked about the future this past week, never discussed Jack resuming his traveling, but Martha had assumed she would have him for a little bit longer. Looking up from her plate she saw Jack looking at her quizzically. Martha didn’t want to guilt Jack into staying longer, or make him feel bad; he had enough burdens to carry without her adding to them. So Martha pushed aside her feelings of sadness and disappointment and just tried to enjoy her time with Jack.
When she went to leave for work Jack walked her to the door, kissed her forehead and gave her a hug. Martha hung onto Jack probably a little bit too long and a little bit too tightly, before quickly saying goodbye and walking away.
Once Martha got to the clinic she shut off her swirling thoughts and focused on her patients. They deserved to have her undivided attention. Thankfully it was a busy day since there had been an influx of new cases to assign, thanks to a recent mini-invasion of a sentient plant. The UNIT scientists were likening them to the Krynoids, they figured they were distant cousins only instead of eating humans they tried to assimilate them. The pods had landed in various gardens in London, and proceeded to try to take over the humans they came into contact with. Those whom UNIT had been able to save would need a series of treatments to restore them to full humanity. So Martha overviewed the cases, assigned them to various clinics depending on where they lived, and set up treatments and counseling.
By time that was finished the work day was over, Martha thought about working late. Wanting to delay the inevitable the moment she would go home, and find out if she had been right about Jack leaving today. But she was never one to run away from her problems, so she left at her normal time and walked home. Holding her breath when she opened her front door, Martha set down her handbag and called out, “Jack!”
Only to be met with silence.
Turning in a circle Martha saw no sign of him, his jacket and his duffle bag were gone. It felt like a vice was squeezing her heart, Martha’s breath hitched before she half ran, half walked out the front door and down the street. Quickly walking away from the empty flat Martha blindly picked a direction, not caring where she was going.
Why had she been so stupid to hope for more then she knew Jack could give? Why would he want more then friendship with her, she was mortal. Eventually she would die just like everyone else, once again leaving him alone. Refusing to let the tears fall that were blurring her vision Martha trudged on, not caring that the wind was picking up and was making walking against it very difficult. It wasn’t until she saw the park where she had first met Jack that she stopped. Standing in the middle of the park Martha tried to get her scattered thoughts together, she had been fine before Jack had reappeared into her life, and she would be fine again. Pull yourself together Martha Jones, she thought to herself harshly as she ruthlessly wiped away her tears using her coat sleeves. Before pressing her fists against her eyes, to stop the memories of how happy she had been with Jack this past week from running through her mind.
“I’m fine…I’m fine…I’m fine,” Martha kept whispering to herself.
“Martha,” called a familiar voice to her left.
Glancing in that direction she saw Jack, jogging towards her with a tote bag dangling from one hand. Martha recognized the logo of a local grocery store. Turning away Martha tried to pull herself together. Pasting on a smile, Martha turned to face Jack just as he caught up with her.
“I was walking back home when I thought I saw you run into the park.” Holding up the tote Jack continued with a big smile, “I went to the store to pick up some ingredients for dinner.”
Martha realized she had misread the situation, and hoped that Jack wouldn’t notice the tear tracks on her face.
Jack stopped suddenly in the middle of explaining the grand feast he had planned for tonight’s dinner and said, “Hey what’s wrong?”
Martha opened her mouth to speak, but a sob came out, and she placed a hand over her mouth and turned away. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the tote hit the ground and felt Jack’s arms go around her.
“Martha talk to me, whatever it is, let me help,” Jack said in a low voice as he held her securely in his arms before he turned her to face him.
“I’m fine Jack, it has just been a long day,” Martha said, not quite meeting his eyes.
“Martha…,” Jack said in voice that plainly said he didn’t believe her.
The way he said her name made her think of their meeting a week ago when he had tried to pull the same tactic on her, so she repeated what he had said, “I could never fool you could I?”
Jack remembered as well so he only shook his head and waited.
She knew she was going to have to be honest and hope it didn’t ruin everything. “When I got home today I thought you had left…,” Martha started only to stop as her voice broke. Martha finally made eye contact so she saw when he truly understood, she quickly looked away not wanting to know how he would react to knowing she loved him.
She felt the hands on her back tighten against her jacket, before he whispered, “Martha,” it was the tone he used that made her look up. She saw an awakening joy spread across his face before he pulled her towards him. Martha gasped as the kiss deepened, she knew in that moment that Jack loved her too, her arms came up to clasp his face and ran her fingers through his hair, pushing herself upwards to try to get closer to him. Breaking apart Martha couldn’t help the huge smile that spread across her face, as she took in the loving expression on Jack’s face as he smiled down at her.
“So what now?” Martha whispered unsure of where they should go from here.
“What now? Now we go home,” Jack stated quietly, before continuing, “So there is no misunderstanding, I will not leave you, I am here to stay.”
“Are you sure, Jack?” Martha said, knowing staying would only end in him seeing her grow old and one day he would have to watch her die.
Placing his hands on either side of her face, he brushed his lips against hers before saying, “I have been lost for many years now, but I have found my place here with you. I think we could build a life together you and I, different then the one I thought I had to live. I thought I had to run from place to place, and from person to person to avoid heartbreak, but that is no way to live. Just know this; I have never been more sure of anything in my life.”
Martha could see the truth of what he said in his eyes and briefly closed hers as she felt all consuming joy race through her. Opening her eyes she couldn’t help practically launching herself at him, holding him tightly and laughing when he spun her around. Setting her down, Jack grabbed the handles of the tote he had dropped on the ground, and led her out of the park.
As they walked, Jack said “I have been thinking a lot about fate lately. Wondering if some things were just meant to be? You know? Do you believe in destiny, Martha?”
Looking up at Jack in surprise knowing her answer a week ago would have been totally different, Martha grinned as she said, “I am starting to.” Jack kissed the top of her head and wrapped an arm around Martha’s shoulders and with the autumn wind gently pushing them on, they walked home.
AUTHOR: honor_reid
FANDOM: Doctor Who
PAIRING: Martha Jones/Jack Harkness
GENRE: Het
PROMPT: Windy days are the best
SUMMARY: On a windy autumn day Martha meets an old friend.
WARNING: Brief mention of character death
RATING: PG
NOTES: This story was written for the comm older_not_dead, crossposted on lifeonmartha. Also for stories_a_z prompt W. Beta'd by the awesome persiflage_1, any remaining mistakes are my own, because I kept fiddling with it! Title and quote by Marcus Aurelius
Prompt table can be found here.
WORD COUNT: 5,199
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, nor am I making any money from them. I merely borrow them from time to time.
Accept the things to which fate binds you,
and love the people with whom fate brings you together,
but do so with all your heart.
-Marcus Aurelius
Stepping outside of the clinic and tucking a stray lock of black hair behind her ear, Martha quickly finished buttoning up her navy coat against the biting autumn wind. Looking up she saw that it was another gray overcast day but thankfully it didn’t feel like rain. Holding the door open for her employees to walk through so she could lock up for the day, Martha, ever the mother hen, watched as they quickly made their way to their cars and drove away. When the last of employees, her personal assistant Anna Houser, had gone through Martha locked it.
Anna stopped and waited till Martha had finished closing up before asking, “Do you need a lift Dr. Jones?”
Martha was momentarily tempted due to the weather to accept the offer, even though she usually walked home or took the Tube if she was particularly exhausted. She had been feeling out of sorts for the past week or so, so a long walk sounded just about perfect right now.
“No thank you Anna,” she declined with a polite smile, seeing Anna glance with a raised eyebrows past the porch upon which they stood to where the trees were swaying deeply as the wind pushed them almost violently about. Martha’s smile became more genuine as she continued, “I need a walk to clear my head, but thank you for the offer, and if it gets too bad I will call for a cab.”
“If you’re sure,” Anna said in an uncertain voice, shaking her head slightly she ran to her car before hopping in to get out of the wind. Looking back she saw Dr. Jones start to walk home against the wind before she opened her arms as though embracing it, then turned and started to walk with it instead, in the opposite direction from where Anna knew she lived. Shaking her head she started the car and drove away. Thinking to herself how after working for Dr. Jones for five years she would be used to the doctor’s quirks, but they still managed to catch her off guard at times.
********
Walking against the wind on the way home was a bit of a struggle but she was making progress. Martha was sure Anna thought she was a bit barmy wanting to walk on such a blustery day, but Martha had always loved windy days they were the best in her opinion. Smiling fondly over the memory of when she was younger, Martha remembered when she would hold her arms out wide and allow the wind to push her wherever it wanted. She used to believe the universe or Mother Nature or…. who knows what, was pushing her towards something or someone, towards some grand adventure, or even towards her destiny. She knew such things were silly now, must have come from watching too much Mary Poppins, and reading to many Grimm’s fairytales as a tot. Oh sure she had seen some strange and wondrous things when she traveled with the Doctor, and she had even seen some very mysterious events here on Earth, but each and every event that had seemed fairly mystical at the time had a perfectly logical explanation. She no longer believed in fairytales, fate, providence, or destiny.
But the image of letting go and letting the wind choose her path this day wouldn’t leave her head. Shaking her head Martha stubbornly trudged on, she was forty-five years old for goodness sakes! She had run a system of clinics practically single-handedly for over ten years since her husband died. She was too old for such frivolity. Martha stopped in her tracks at her thoughts, and wondered when she’d got so…so….boring. Where was the Martha Jones who had got into the Tardis after knowing the Doctor for less than twenty-four hours? Maybe, just maybe, she needed to be a little bit silly every now and then. Smiling wide and taking a quick peek around to see if anyone was watching (no one was in sight), Martha stopped, threw her arms out wide and turned towards the wind and allowed it to once again push her where it would. Going in the opposite direction and away from her flat, Martha found herself heading in a westerly direction.
As she briskly walked down the street Martha thought about how she had arrived at this point in her life. She had never seen herself being a director of a series of clinics in London and the surrounding countryside, but “fate” (for lack of a better word) had had different plans for her it would seem. It had all started about ten years ago. When Mickey had died she had been devastated, Martha had always known they could get hurt or die doing the dangerous work they did, but she had always assumed, for some reason, if it happened she would go first. For over a year she had been lost in a haze of heartache and despair, then an old friend from UNIT by the name of Kate Stewart had approached her about using her skills as a doctor to help those British citizens who were hurt by the aliens that seemed to be attacking the Earth more and more frequently.
Martha had a first refused, too grief-stricken, too depressed to even begin to conjure up enough energy to care. That is until Kate had taken her on a tour of the makeshift hospital ward that was being used for those who were injured. As Martha met the men, women, and even some children whose lives had been forever changed, she started in a sense to wake up and to look past her own pain, and she knew she needed to help. UNIT had the emergency aspect covered; they could take care of the patients immediate needs after an invasion, it was when the people went home and tried to get on with their daily lives that Martha and her clinics came in to play. Some of the victims would need specialized medicine for the rest of their lives, physical therapy, and/or counseling, and Martha would make sure they had access. Plus it helped that the doctors they saw could understand what they were going through, Martha had made sure those she hired had in some aspect been affected by the invasions. It had given her a purpose when she had felt rudderless and, worse than that, she hadn’t even cared that she was drifting through life. Her life was her work, and that was okay with her, she wasn’t hiding (no matter what her family said), she just had different priorities now. She was doing a good work and that was that. So she would go to work, then go home, and play with her nieces and nephews at her mother’s house when they all got together for Sunday dinner.
It was the silence that made her thoughts abruptly stop; looking up Martha took in her surroundings. The wind had stopped; the air was completely and eerily still. Looking around Martha saw she was in a small park that held a few trees, some swings, and a park bench. The tiny park was currently deserted, probably due to the bad weather. Turning in a circle Martha was unsure what to do next, the park was quite far from her home and she had walked further then she had planned. Spotting the solitary park bench Martha walked over and sat down. Shoving her hands in her pockets to keep warm Martha chuckled to herself over her foolishness, so much for her wind theory, there wasn’t anything in this park that spoke of destiny.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Dr. Jones,” came a familiar voice behind her, causing Martha to jump a little before grinning widely in recognition, as he continued, “What is a Nightingale doing out and about in weather such as this?”
“One could ask the same of a Captain,” Martha replied saucily, turning slightly to watch Captain Jack Harkness walk around the bench and sit beside her.
Jack sat down and placed his arm along the back of the bench, his fingertips almost brushing her shoulder, Martha could almost swear she could feel them. Jack had always had that effect on her; she had always been hyperaware of him whenever he was in the room. There had always been an attraction between the two of them, but they never acted on it, not really, nothing beyond a kiss or two and some harmless flirting. Maybe it was because it was never the right time or maybe because they valued their friendship to much. Or maybe it was because they both knew it couldn’t be causal, not between the two of them.
Martha looked over at Jack as he stared off into the distance; he was as handsome as ever, and still wearing his trademark greatcoat. Jack’s brown hair looked tousled, perhaps by the wind or possibly by him running his hands through it a number of times. His slouched posture on the bench next to her looked very casual at first but then Martha noticed the tenseness of his shoulders and how tightly he gripped the top of the bench. Turning towards her friend, Martha placed her arm along the back of the bench as well and lightly tapped Jack’s hand until he turned towards her, and when he finally made eye contact, his blue eye told how deeply worn out he really was. In typical Jack fashion he tried to hide it all beneath a wink and his characteristic charming smile.
She had kept in contact with Jack over the years, sometimes in person and sometimes over the phone. She genuinely missed his friendship whenever he had disappeared for long periods of time. Although he would always call when he returned and check in and make sure she was doing ok. During these calls he never really wanted to talk about himself, although she usually would be able to get him to eventually but once he did, once he was truly honest with her about how he was really doing, he would disappear again. Only calling back when time had passed and he was able to resurrect and hide behind the mask he wore. It had been over two years since she had last heard from Jack; Martha had made discreet inquiries amongst their mutual acquaintances but to no avail.
It was just like Jack to show up out of nowhere.
“So how have you been?” Jack cheerfully asked as he placed his hand over hers and gripped it loosely.
Martha returned the gesture noticing his hand was freezing, like he had been outside most of the day. “I have been fine, work is going well we are opening a new clinic on the south side in a couple of weeks so I have been busy with that. How about yourself? What have you been up to?”
“I heard about all the good work you guys are doing here. How many clinics does that make now?” Jack questioned in the same happy-go-lucky voice.
Martha couldn’t help noticing his avoidance of her own question, “Six and we are looking into more in other cities across the country. How are you doing?” Martha replied emphasizing her question with a squeeze of his hand.
“Oh you know me, I’m fine. I have been traveling for awhile, just got back about a week ago,” Jack replied breezily.
Martha wondered if he had just come back to England or to the plant Earth. Knowing Jack like she did it could mean that he had traveled here on Earth, or pretty much all of time and space. And although his tone was light, the emotion passing through his eyes was anything but lighthearted. He seemed weighed down. Martha couldn’t imagine the burden it would be to outlive everyone you know, no one could really understand what Jack went through. Well maybe the Doctor came the closest to understanding, but let’s face it, the Time Lord wasn’t the poster child for being well adjusted. But her friendship with Jack was based on love, loyalty, and maybe most importantly honesty, so she wasn’t going to let him try to con her like this.
“Jack…” Martha said in a voice that held concern, but at the same time raised one of her eyebrows in disbelief to what she was hearing.
Jack looked away, the smile falling from his face before saying gruffly, “I could never fool you, could I?”
Martha just shook her head and waited for Jack to tell, she knew eventually he would open up.
Jack continued to look out at the empty playground before he swallowed convulsively and said, “I guess I am just so tired…” He stopped when his voice broke. Looking at her but not making eye contact, he cleared his throat and said, “I’m sorry.”
Martha wasn’t sure if he was apologizing for being tired or for the emotion behind the statement, but either way he needed to know it was alright. Bringing her free hand up to his face, cupping his cheek Martha ran her thumb across his cheekbone and with her own voice a little watery said, “Its okay to be tired… and you can rest with me if you want….for as long as you want.”
When Jack finally made eye contact with her he seemed to be assessing her, he must have seen the truth of what she had said in her eyes because he pulled her forward into a bone crushing hug and buried his face in her neck. Martha held onto Jack just as hard, trying to convey the love she felt for this man. After awhile Jack loosened his hold but didn’t let go completely.
If Jack had seemed tired before he now seemed outright exhausted, so Martha helped him up and guided him to her home. Along the way Martha keep quiet and just waited. It wasn’t long before Jack started to talk, it was in a halting voice at first but soon his voice gained strength and the words just seemed to tumble out of him. He talked about everything, the Torchwood group Gwen, Ianto, Tosh, and Owen, the Doctor, Steven, Miracle Day, and his decision to leave Torchwood.
He also talked about where he had been for the last two years, how, through a series of accidents he had ended up stuck on the distant world of Helatia. He then told her about his time amongst the people of this world, he had lived with them for over a year getting to know them, learning their vast history and making a home for himself, before a deadly pathogen struck. He and their scientists had worked tirelessly to find a cure only to fail and how he ended up the only being left alive on the whole planet. How he was stuck there for a year before his was finally able to fix his time vortex manipulator. That was what had brought him back to Earth. He came to London because he needed to see familiar places, to see a culture that was alive and well, not still and empty, filled with nothing but death. That was how he’d ended up just walking around the city for the past week.
When they reached Martha’s flat, she fixed him a quick supper. He continued talking as he ate his soup; it was like once he started he couldn’t stop. Martha didn’t interrupt, but simply let him continue for as long as he wanted. It was going on two in the morning when he started to slur his words and seemed to run down like a wind-up toy. Martha steered him into the spare bedroom, and helped him take off his coat and shoes. As Jack lay down he said, “Please don’t go.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be here,” Martha said as she took off her own shoes and walked around the bed lying down next to him. Reaching her hand out Martha saw Jack almost desperately grab it and lace his fingers with hers. He kept watching her as though he was afraid she was going to disappear, but after awhile he lost the battle to stay awake.
Jack would end up sleeping for three days.
In the morning Martha called into the clinic and arranged with a very shocked Anna to work from home for a few days, and then managed to rearrange her schedule to take that vacation that her P.A. was always insisting she take. Martha would check on Jack often during those three days but for the most part left him alone, the man obviously needed to sleep. She would lie next to him at night and keep an ear out for any nightmares during the day while she was working around the apartment. The nightmares were often the first day or so, they would start off as whimpers before Jack would start to shout, sometimes in English and sometimes in a language she knew was not from Earth. Martha soon learned that Jack would settle back down just by her sitting with him and running her hand through his hair and telling him softly that it was okay and he was no longer alone.
On the morning of the fourth day Jack emerged from the spare room with a sleepy expression on face and wished her a good morning. Martha looked up from her laptop and responded in kind before asking, “Do you want breakfast first or a shower?”
Jack smiled awkwardly, “I am starving but feeling pretty grungy, so a shower sounds just like heaven right now.”
While Jack was in the shower Martha fixed a quick breakfast, and then finished up the report she had been writing, on the aftereffects of partial Cyberman integration. Once she was done, she sent the report to UNIT so they could read it and establish protocols for the next time that particular menace visited Earth.
When she heard the shower stop, Martha plated the omelet and placed it on the table. Looking up Martha saw that Jack was just finishing up drying his hair although still wearing the same clothes from before.
Jack looked sheepish as he ran his hand through his damp hair, and said, “Sorry, I didn’t have a change of clothes.”
Martha was taken aback by her reaction to the rumbled Captain Jack Harkness, Yep still as handsome as ever, thought Martha and tried to ignore the fact she was blushing, “No problem, I think I have something for you to wear and we can wash your clothes or later we can pick up more where you are staying.” Martha paused before saying, “That is if you want to continue to stay here?”
If Jack looked sheepish before now he looked more then a bit embarrassed as he said, “I had a change of clothes when I landed last week, but I lost my bag the other day. And truth be told I wasn’t staying anywhere, I was…I was just drifting.”
Martha didn’t show her surprise that Jack had been without lodgings for that long, she just nodded and said, “Well we could go shopping this morning if you want?”
Jack looked relieved and said, “Shopping sounds great, and if you wouldn’t mind I would love to stay.”
“As I told you in the park Jack, you can stay for as long as you want,” Standing up Martha walked past Jack saying, “Let me just go get those clothes for you.”
Martha’s breath caught as Jack stopped her as she went past, and when she felt him kiss the top of her head and whisper his thanks, she smiled up at him and said, “No problem.”
They spent the rest of the morning going to the different shops to get Jack a few days worth of clothes. That afternoon they spent some time wandering around London. When Jack had at first proposed walking around the city, Martha had been surprised, considering he had spent the last week doing just that.
Jack in his characteristically roguish manner offered his arm as he simply replied, “Well you weren’t with me, my Lady, plus I want to show you my London.”
Martha got into the spirit of the adventure by taking his arm with a big smile and replying, “Well then, lead on good Sir.”
It was a remarkable afternoon, Jack took her to some of his favorite places, and Martha was able to see London as Jack did, through his memories.
This was how the next few days would play out, with the two of them catching up with each other as they journeyed through the different areas of London. Each day they would end up back at her place, fix supper together before spending the evening lounging around watching TV, or just talking.
Martha was enjoying her time with Jack a lot. Maybe too much. They had always indulged in harmless flirting, but there was an unspoken understanding that it was not to be taken seriously. Now with having spent a week in Jack’s company, having him live in her home, Martha’s feelings for Jack hadn’t so much changed as became clearer. She wasn’t falling in love with him so much as realizing she had been in love with him for awhile. So she loved Jack, what was she supposed to do with that information? Martha was trying not to worry about what would happen at the end of her vacation in a few days time. Would Jack just up and leave? Would it be another two years until she heard from him again?
**********
The Monday morning she had to return to work dawned bright and early. Martha emerged from her bedroom to the smell of a home cooked breakfast. Going into the kitchen Martha saw that Jack had been busy. More breakfast then she would normally eat in a week was placed on the table.
In an incredulous voice Martha asked, “What’s all this then?”
With an impish grin Jack said, “I wanted to give you a proper send off this morning.”
That’s when Martha noticed the blue duffle bag on the floor next to the kitchen counter; it was the one they had bought just yesterday for Jack to put his clothes in when he traveled. Martha felt like the floor had been yanked out from under her. When Jack pulled her chair out for her, Martha sat down heavily, feeling disconnected from the scene that was before her.
“Thanks,” Martha said gruffly, trying to hide how upset she was by giving Jack a big smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Jack didn’t seem to notice, as he was in a very jovial mood as he served her a large portion from each dish.
Martha made an attempt to eat, but she felt sick to her stomach, and only managed to eat a small amount. All Martha could think was that Jack was leaving. It was true they had never talked about the future this past week, never discussed Jack resuming his traveling, but Martha had assumed she would have him for a little bit longer. Looking up from her plate she saw Jack looking at her quizzically. Martha didn’t want to guilt Jack into staying longer, or make him feel bad; he had enough burdens to carry without her adding to them. So Martha pushed aside her feelings of sadness and disappointment and just tried to enjoy her time with Jack.
When she went to leave for work Jack walked her to the door, kissed her forehead and gave her a hug. Martha hung onto Jack probably a little bit too long and a little bit too tightly, before quickly saying goodbye and walking away.
Once Martha got to the clinic she shut off her swirling thoughts and focused on her patients. They deserved to have her undivided attention. Thankfully it was a busy day since there had been an influx of new cases to assign, thanks to a recent mini-invasion of a sentient plant. The UNIT scientists were likening them to the Krynoids, they figured they were distant cousins only instead of eating humans they tried to assimilate them. The pods had landed in various gardens in London, and proceeded to try to take over the humans they came into contact with. Those whom UNIT had been able to save would need a series of treatments to restore them to full humanity. So Martha overviewed the cases, assigned them to various clinics depending on where they lived, and set up treatments and counseling.
By time that was finished the work day was over, Martha thought about working late. Wanting to delay the inevitable the moment she would go home, and find out if she had been right about Jack leaving today. But she was never one to run away from her problems, so she left at her normal time and walked home. Holding her breath when she opened her front door, Martha set down her handbag and called out, “Jack!”
Only to be met with silence.
Turning in a circle Martha saw no sign of him, his jacket and his duffle bag were gone. It felt like a vice was squeezing her heart, Martha’s breath hitched before she half ran, half walked out the front door and down the street. Quickly walking away from the empty flat Martha blindly picked a direction, not caring where she was going.
Why had she been so stupid to hope for more then she knew Jack could give? Why would he want more then friendship with her, she was mortal. Eventually she would die just like everyone else, once again leaving him alone. Refusing to let the tears fall that were blurring her vision Martha trudged on, not caring that the wind was picking up and was making walking against it very difficult. It wasn’t until she saw the park where she had first met Jack that she stopped. Standing in the middle of the park Martha tried to get her scattered thoughts together, she had been fine before Jack had reappeared into her life, and she would be fine again. Pull yourself together Martha Jones, she thought to herself harshly as she ruthlessly wiped away her tears using her coat sleeves. Before pressing her fists against her eyes, to stop the memories of how happy she had been with Jack this past week from running through her mind.
“I’m fine…I’m fine…I’m fine,” Martha kept whispering to herself.
“Martha,” called a familiar voice to her left.
Glancing in that direction she saw Jack, jogging towards her with a tote bag dangling from one hand. Martha recognized the logo of a local grocery store. Turning away Martha tried to pull herself together. Pasting on a smile, Martha turned to face Jack just as he caught up with her.
“I was walking back home when I thought I saw you run into the park.” Holding up the tote Jack continued with a big smile, “I went to the store to pick up some ingredients for dinner.”
Martha realized she had misread the situation, and hoped that Jack wouldn’t notice the tear tracks on her face.
Jack stopped suddenly in the middle of explaining the grand feast he had planned for tonight’s dinner and said, “Hey what’s wrong?”
Martha opened her mouth to speak, but a sob came out, and she placed a hand over her mouth and turned away. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the tote hit the ground and felt Jack’s arms go around her.
“Martha talk to me, whatever it is, let me help,” Jack said in a low voice as he held her securely in his arms before he turned her to face him.
“I’m fine Jack, it has just been a long day,” Martha said, not quite meeting his eyes.
“Martha…,” Jack said in voice that plainly said he didn’t believe her.
The way he said her name made her think of their meeting a week ago when he had tried to pull the same tactic on her, so she repeated what he had said, “I could never fool you could I?”
Jack remembered as well so he only shook his head and waited.
She knew she was going to have to be honest and hope it didn’t ruin everything. “When I got home today I thought you had left…,” Martha started only to stop as her voice broke. Martha finally made eye contact so she saw when he truly understood, she quickly looked away not wanting to know how he would react to knowing she loved him.
She felt the hands on her back tighten against her jacket, before he whispered, “Martha,” it was the tone he used that made her look up. She saw an awakening joy spread across his face before he pulled her towards him. Martha gasped as the kiss deepened, she knew in that moment that Jack loved her too, her arms came up to clasp his face and ran her fingers through his hair, pushing herself upwards to try to get closer to him. Breaking apart Martha couldn’t help the huge smile that spread across her face, as she took in the loving expression on Jack’s face as he smiled down at her.
“So what now?” Martha whispered unsure of where they should go from here.
“What now? Now we go home,” Jack stated quietly, before continuing, “So there is no misunderstanding, I will not leave you, I am here to stay.”
“Are you sure, Jack?” Martha said, knowing staying would only end in him seeing her grow old and one day he would have to watch her die.
Placing his hands on either side of her face, he brushed his lips against hers before saying, “I have been lost for many years now, but I have found my place here with you. I think we could build a life together you and I, different then the one I thought I had to live. I thought I had to run from place to place, and from person to person to avoid heartbreak, but that is no way to live. Just know this; I have never been more sure of anything in my life.”
Martha could see the truth of what he said in his eyes and briefly closed hers as she felt all consuming joy race through her. Opening her eyes she couldn’t help practically launching herself at him, holding him tightly and laughing when he spun her around. Setting her down, Jack grabbed the handles of the tote he had dropped on the ground, and led her out of the park.
As they walked, Jack said “I have been thinking a lot about fate lately. Wondering if some things were just meant to be? You know? Do you believe in destiny, Martha?”
Looking up at Jack in surprise knowing her answer a week ago would have been totally different, Martha grinned as she said, “I am starting to.” Jack kissed the top of her head and wrapped an arm around Martha’s shoulders and with the autumn wind gently pushing them on, they walked home.