I Live To Let You Shine
Who_Daily Link: < a href="http://persiflage-1.livejournal.com/168258.html">I Live To Let You Shine by < lj user=persiflage_1> (Characters: Martha/Romana II, OCs | Rating: PG-13 | Spoilers: None )
Title: I Live To Let You Shine
Author: Persiflage_1
Characters/Pairings: Martha/Romana II, Other Characters
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: None
Summary: Romana gets locked up trying to save lives and it's down to Martha to rescue her.
Disclaimer: I don't even own my brain any more, never mind Doctor Who!
Author Notes: Some time ago the DW Random Pairing Generator gave me the following prompt: Romana II / Martha Jones / a locked door and I was initially going to write this fic for biichan for the dw_femslash ficathon. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get it finished in time, so I wrote something else for her instead, but now this fic is done, I hope biichan will enjoy it.
This fic is a sequel to Companionship and the title is a line from Boats and Birds by Gregory and the Hawk (which holo_daxy included in her Martha/Romana II fanmix Love Vanquishes Time).
Beta: jinxed_wood
~~~~~~
Martha stared at the door to the ship's brig, wondering how to get it open without the key or Romana's sonic screwdriver: she slightly regretted the fact Romana hadn't yet found time to build her a sonic of her own, as she'd recently promised to do.
"Come on, Martha, think," she urged herself quietly. She had to get Romana out of the brig, and soon, or the ship would be destroyed.
Three hours earlier
"Where are we?" asked Martha as she stepped out of the TARDIS, and found herself in a rather luxurious room with subdued lighting, soft carpeting and a rather comfortable looking sofa.
"The SS Endeavour XVII, according to the TARDIS," Romana answered, locking the door to her ship and pocketing the key. Then she pulled it back out and looked at it, before holding it out to Martha. "Here, I've been meaning to give you a key for a while."
Martha stared at the key, her mind involuntarily flashing back to the moment the Doctor had given her the key to his TARDIS after they'd survived the events aboard the SS Pentallian.
When she didn't immediately take it, Romana closed the gap between them and lifting the key chain up, she dropped it around the young doctor's neck. Then she cupped Martha's cheek in her right hand and smiled, before leaning forward to brush her lips against Martha's, causing the younger woman to start and shiver slightly.
"Thank you," she said softly, brushing her thumb over the key.
"Come on then," Romana said calmly, as if nothing had happened; she crossed the room and opened the door.
Martha shook herself mentally, then followed the Time Lord and found herself in a well-appointed corridor with a thick carpet underfoot, large abstract paintings on the walls, and soft lighting overhead.
"Is it a sailing ship or a starship?" she asked as she followed Romana down the corridor.
"A luxury star liner plying three different routes between fifteen planets," the Time Lord answered.
"What is it?" asked Martha; she had been travelling with Romana for long enough now that she'd grown quite adept at reading the Time Lord's tone of voice and body language, so she could easily tell when Romana was distracted.
"The engines," she answered, "can't you hear them?"
Martha stopped walking, closed her eyes, and listened; her head tilted to one side. She opened her eyes and shook her head. "I've no idea what they're meant to sound like," she answered. "I'm better at people than machines."
"One of the engines is misaligned and, judging from the way the others are straining, I would say the ship is in considerable danger."
"So we find the Captain or someone, and tell them?" asked Martha promptly.
"Exactly," answered Romana, opening a door at the end of the corridor and leading them out into a large passenger lounge filled with lots of tables and comfortable looking sofas and chairs, that was currently empty of passengers.
"Where is everyone?" wondered Martha.
Romana gestured at a digital display above the bar at the far side of the lounge. "According to ship time, it's the early hours of the morning, so everyone who's not essential crew will be in bed."
"Oh! Presumably that includes the captain?"
"Quite possibly. But whoever is in charge of the night watch will wake him or her."
"I hope they're not the sort to get grumpy at being woken in the middle of the night, then," Martha said.
"Whether they are or not, it will be in their best interests for someone to wake them."
They crossed the lounge and found themselves in yet another corridor, which contained three lifts.
"Up or down?" asked Martha as Romana pressed the button to summon a lift.
"Down," the Time Lord answered. "The engine rooms will be below the passenger areas."
They went down to the engine rooms and Romana immediately hurried towards one of the engines in particular, pulling out her sonic as she approached. Now that they were so close Martha could tell it wasn't working like the others: it sounded laboured, like a patient with a respiratory condition struggling to draw air into their lungs.
"Do you know what's wrong with it?" she asked the Time Lord.
"I do. It is as I said, the couplings are misaligned, but it will be a straight forward, if lengthy, job to adjust them."
"And just what do you know about it?" asked a voice behind them.
Both women were startled, but neither one gave any sign of surprise as they turned to face the speaker, an armed man in a dark blue uniform who stood a few feet away from them.
"I am the Lady Romanadvoratrelundar, a Time Lord."
The man sneered. "Never heard of them. You didn't answer my question."
Romana sighed, and Martha knew her patience would not last if the officer maintained his attitude.
"I am a capable engineer," the Time Lord said, "and I can tell you that this engine's couplings are not correctly aligned and, if they are not adjusted, the engine will explode, particularly at the speeds you are maintaining."
"How do I know you haven't sabotaged the engine?" asked the officer.
"For Rassilon's sake!" exclaimed Romana, irritated by the man's narrow-mindedness.
Martha spoke up. "Why would we want to sabotage the engines?" she asked.
"You could be industrial saboteurs, sent in by our rivals. Everyone knows the Starshine Unbeatable Cruises Corp is trouncing its competition."
Martha suppressed a snort of amusement at the acronym offered by the company name; from the corner of her eye she saw Romana glance her way, but she didn't make eye contact, knowing it was better to keep quiet and avoid antagonising the officer any further.
"Why don't you just take us to the Captain and we can get this sorted out?" suggested Martha.
"The Captain is currently unavailable," answered the officer. "He is - entertaining some VIP guests at present."
Martha wondered if Romana had noticed the officer's slight hesitation, and she also wondered just who was entertaining whom.
"This is a matter of some urgency," snapped Romana, "so I suggest you interrupt him."
The officer glared at them, then jerked his gun towards the door. "Move."
Martha swapped a look with Romana as they headed towards the door with the officer close behind them. They were almost at the door when the usually graceful Time Lord stumbled and the officer found himself bumping into her. Martha immediately grabbed his gun from his slackened grasp, and Romana caught his arm in one hand and brought her other hand up to pinch his neck, rendering him unconscious. They caught him between them and carefully lowered him to the ground, then Martha pulled a length of rope from the pocket of her black jacket and tied his hands together, before attaching it to a pipe near the door.
Romana gave her a sudden, conspiratorial grin and hurried across to the engine to fix it, while Martha remained with the officer. She and Romana had come up with a way of getting themselves out of tricky situations when they couldn't simply talk themselves out of it, or when brute force, which neither of them really possessed, was needed. The idea had come up after an incident in an alien market.
Two weeks ago
"So what are we looking for at the market?" asked Martha as they stepped out of the TARDIS into the alley where Romana had landed.
"I need some spare parts for the ship," the Time Lord answered. "It is always best to be prepared for repairs, and it is better to have the parts on hand in an emergency."
"Good point."
They headed down the alley and into the market square, greasy cobbles underfoot and the air filled with the chatter of dozens of buyers and sellers. Martha let Romana take the lead since she knew what she needed, and as they wandered from stall to stall, the young doctor watched the people around her: the Ladron looked mostly humanoid, although they were a pale green colour and had six fingers and toes, and a small crest, like a coxcomb, on their heads.
Romana was negotiating the price for an item she wanted when Martha spotted two Ladron who were behaving oddly; it took her a few minutes to realise they were working together to pick pockets, and the pair were making their way towards her and the Time Lord.
"Watch out for those two in the black outfits," she said softly in Romana's ear as the older woman finished her transaction.
"Why?"
"They're pickpockets."
Martha saw Romana glance quickly down the street, before she moved on to the next stall. "They won't get far trying to pick my pockets," she commented.
"I think they've fleeced four people in this section of the market," Martha told her.
Romana frowned. "I think we should stop them, don't you?"
"Definitely."
They began looking through the books on the stall, both of them keeping a surreptitious eye on the two Ladron, who were moving closer. As one of them moved alongside Romana, Martha stepped around the Time Lord to the Ladron's far side, putting herself between him and his partner, but her foot slipped on the greasy cobbles and she knocked the Ladron against Romana who immediately reached up and grabbed his neck in what, to Martha, looked like a Vulcan neck-pinch. As the Ladron slumped to the cobbles, Martha rounded on his staring partner, grabbing him firmly and swung him towards Romana who repeated the neck trick, leaving both pick-pockets on the ground at their feet.
The stall holder promptly pulled a whistle from the neck of her shirt and blew a shrill blast that was echoed further across the market square.
"I hope we're not about to be arrested for assaulting the locals," Martha said, eyeing the stall holder tensely.
"I have summoned the constables," the stall holder told her, "and I wish to thank you both for your prompt action. This market has been plagued by pick-pockets for some time, but no one was ever able to catch them."
"It was nothing," Martha answered, acutely aware of the fact that it was sheer luck that she'd slipped and knocked over the first Ladron.
"I would have you each choose a book from me by way of thanks," said the stall holder.
"Oh, no, that's okay," Martha said quickly, squirming with embarrassment.
"Thank you," Romana answered, speaking over her companion's protests. She took a few moments to look at the books, ignoring the half dozen constables who were approaching at a brisk pace. She selected two books and the stall holder immediately slipped them into a small canvas bag which the Time Lord tucked into the pocket of her red blazer, before turning her attention to the constables.
Three hours later, the pickpockets had been tried, convicted and locked up, and Martha and Romana were having lunch with Bibia, the bookstall owner, and two of her friends. While the food was superb and the company was good, Martha was still embarrassed by the fuss the others were continuing to make about the capture of the thieves.
Romana sensed her embarrassment and counselled Martha to accept their praise and thanks with good grace because the goodwill of others is always a valuable commodity.
"I just feel such a fraud," Martha said quietly, under cover of the chatter of the stall holders.
The Time Lord reached down and clasped Martha's hands, which she had clenched together in her lap, in one of her own. "Well you're not a fraud," she assured Martha, squeezing her fingers. "Now try to relax and we'll leave as soon as we decently can." She let go of Martha's hands, then turned to speak to the waitress who'd just brought their desserts.
The young doctor stared at her fingers, still feeling the ghost of Romana's cool hand on her hands; she felt dazed, although she wasn't sure why. She ate her dessert absent-mindedly, scarcely aware of what she was putting into her mouth, but acutely aware of the slightest touch of Romana's arm or shoulder or knee against her own as they crowded around the small table in the busy tavern.
They eventually made their way back to the TARDIS and Martha felt relieved to be back in familiar surroundings; she headed straight to her suite of rooms, leaving the Time Lord to get them away from Ladros and on the way to their next destination.
Ten minutes later Romana found her companion in her study, staring blankly at her laptop screen.
"I brought your book," she said, startling the younger woman out of her abstracted state.
"My book?" questioned Martha.
"Bibia said we could each choose a book," Romana reminded her, "and I picked this one for you." She held out a slim book bound in a dark blue cover which Martha accepted. It was a collection of poetry from Earth and there was a French willow embossed in gold on the cover, below the title.
"Thank you."
"Are you all right? You were very distracted during lunch."
"I'm fine," Martha answered quickly.
Romana wasn't sure she believed her companion, but she didn't push it; in her experience Martha wasn't one to brood on things, so she knew the younger woman would speak up when she was ready if anything was bothering her.
"I've set a course for Liso - I thought we could go and enjoy the Spring Festival there."
Martha smiled. "Okay."
* * * * * *
Aboard the SS Endeavour XVII three hours ago
As Romana continued to work on the engine's couplings Martha heard a chirping noise, then a voice demanding that Lieutenant Garst report his position. She glowered at the radio, then hurried over to the Time Lord, who immediately looked up.
"What is it?"
"Someone's asking for a report from our friend on the floor," she answered.
Romana swore briefly in Gallifreyan. "I'm going to be at least another ten minutes," she said.
"I'll keep an eye on the corridor," Martha said. "I'll let you know as soon as anyone approaches."
"Thank you." The Time Lord went back to work as the younger woman hurried over to the door and looked out into the corridor.
Two minutes later, she heard the lift coming down and she darted back into the engine room to warn Romana.
"You know the rule," the Time Lord answered. When Martha hesitated, she gave the young doctor a stern look. "We agreed," she said.
"Don't let them catch both of us, if we can avoid it," Martha said. "Just - be careful, yeah?"
"Always," Romana assured her, giving Martha's fingers a squeeze. "Now hide."
She slipped into the shadows, between two of the engines, knowing her darker skin and clothing would make her harder to spot unless someone was deliberately searching for her.
She listened and watched as two guards came into the engine room and found Romana, who tried to reason with them, but they refused to listen. They took the attitude that since she’d already knocked out one of their colleagues, she could hardly expect them to believe that she wasn't a saboteur.
Martha slipped out of the engine room behind the guards: one had shouldered the erstwhile Garst, while the other had handcuffed Romana and was now leading her by a short pole that was attached to the handcuffs.
She waited while the others piled into a lift and headed upwards: she didn't dare risk taking another lift straight away when there were so few people about - they'd almost certainly catch her and that wouldn't help Romana. Watching the deck indicator, she saw the lift stop at the fourth deck, and after five tense minutes, she followed.
The lift door whispered open and she felt suddenly glad it wasn't one of those irritating 'talking' lifts that she'd so often encountered back home on Earth. Just as Martha was wondering where Romana might have been taken, she heard raised voices down a corridor to her left, so she walked softly in that direction, grateful for the thick carpet underfoot. As she got closer, Martha could hear that a furious argument was taking place, although she couldn't make out the words.
Then she heard a voice shouting, "I don't care! Just take her to the brig and I'll deal with her in the morning. Now get out!"
She immediately looked around for somewhere to hide and spotted a door that she'd passed a few moments before. She crossed her fingers as she opened the door, hoping there was no one on the other side, and blew out a breath of relief when she found an empty dining room.
She left the door slightly ajar and waited for the guards and Romana to pass: she knew she had to get Romana out of the brig before morning so that she could finish fixing the engine. Tempted though she was to let them blow themselves up, she knew that Romana wouldn't agree to just go straight back to her TARDIS once Martha set her free.
The guards came along the corridor leading the Time Lord between them and Martha waited tensely for them to pass before slipping out into the corridor to follow them. She wondered whether Romana knew Martha was there: she had very good hearing, just like the Doctor.
She followed the guards who took the stairs down to the next deck, rather than a lift, and found herself in a short corridor; she watched as one of the guards unlocked the solid metal door and thrust Romana unceremoniously inside, and then turned away, taking the key to the brig with him.
Once they’d started to clatter back up the stairs, Martha crossed to the door and put her ear against it, then rapped on it, a brisk double knock that they used between themselves. After a few moments she heard Romana knock back and felt satisfied that her friend knew she was there. She pulled back and stared at the door, wondering how to get it open. The guard had used a key that had looked like a USB memory stick. She crouched down on the floor and started taking things from the pockets of her jacket, wondering if she was carrying anything that she could use on the door instead of the proper key. If not, she would have to go in search of the guard and 'acquire' the key from him instead.
She looked at the collection of bits and bobs she had emptied out and realised that she had picked up yet another habit from the Doctor and Romana: that of carrying a ridiculous selection of items around with her, even without trans-dimensional pockets. She began to pocket the items again as she tried to determine what would be of use, and gave a small cry of triumph when she spotted an electronic key that she had inadvertently brought away from their hotel room in Liso's capital city. It looked very similar to the key the guard had been carrying and she couldn't resist trying it.
She dropped the last of her things into her pocket and approached the door, pushing to the back of her mind her memories of the three days that she and Romana had spent at the Spring Festival on Liso; now was not the time to remember their first love-making.
Martha slipped the hotel key into the lock of the door and waited, more than half convinced that alarms would go off to alert the guards; instead the door gave a satisfying electronic clunk and then swung open to reveal Romana sitting on a wooden bench against the far wall. The Time Lord looked relieved and hurried over to her companion.
"Well done," she said, squeezing Martha's arm. "Let's get back down to the engine room and I can finish my work, and then we'll get out of here."
"I can't believe that actually worked," Martha commented as she pocketed the hotel key again.
"What worked?" asked Romana as they hurried into a lift and headed back downstairs again.
"I had my hotel key from Liso in my pocket - I don't know if you remember that I forgot to give it back? Anyway I used that on the door of the brig - I can't quite believe it actually opened the door."
Romana smirked slightly. "And I'm sure we both know why you forgot you had that key, don't we?"
Martha felt her face heat up at the Time Lord's words. "Well I never used it," she said, defensively. "You always locked or unlocked the door to our suite."
"Dr Jones, are you embarrassed?" asked Romana in a teasing tone.
"No."
The Time Lord nudged her shoulder gently. "I think you are." She brushed Martha's hair back from the side of her neck and kissed a spot just below her ear.
"That's playing dirty," Martha said.
Romana arched an eyebrow at her companion. "I thought you liked playing dirty?"
Before Martha could answer that question, the lift arrived and the Romana immediately hurried out, her mind now focused entirely on the task she had to complete. The younger woman followed slowly, suppressing her feelings of desire; she couldn't help feeling that Romana had turned into something of a tease since she and Martha had become lovers, and it had been a surprise to the young doctor. She had also been surprised by how passionate the Time Lord was in their love-making; Martha had somehow expected her to be as quiet and undemonstrative as she was in other things, but Romana had proved her wrong.
Martha stayed by the door of the engine room, keeping watch, and hoped that no one would discover Romana's disappearance from the brig before she’d finished her task. She had been deeply unimpressed with the crew of this ship and the sooner they left, the happier she would be.
"I'm finished," Romana called softly, about ten minutes later.
Martha looked around to see her straightening her jacket and dusting off the knees of her trousers before she approached the younger woman.
"Come on, let's get going." She slid her hand into Martha's and squeezed her fingers.
"Gladly," the younger woman replied, returning the squeeze.
They hurried into the lift and headed back to the upper deck where they had left the TARDIS. To their relief they didn't encounter any of the crew, and Martha was soon unlocking the ship's door with her brand new key, and then Romana hurried to the console to dematerialise.
"Phew!" Martha blew out her breath in an exaggerated fashion, relieved that they'd got away safely. "Let's not do that again," she suggested, slumping into a chair.
"What, save 300 lives?" asked Romana, looking up from her work.
"No, let's not have to deal with stubborn, ignorant people who don't appreciate your attempts to save their lives."
The Time Lord gave her a steady look and Martha pulled a face. "I know, I know. We can't guarantee that everyone we help will appreciate our efforts."
"No we can't." She finished setting the coordinates, and then walked across to where Martha sat. "Come on, time for me to show you some appreciation for getting me out of that brig so quickly."
The younger woman allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, smirking a little at the prospect, and they headed to Martha's rooms where the Time Lord undressed her at a leisurely pace, punctuating the removal of each item of clothing with kisses and caresses that left the young doctor quivering with desire.
She sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Romana got undressed; she still couldn't quite get over the fact that the Time Lord wanted her for a lover: after the way the Doctor had behaved, she'd been scared about getting involved with Romana, even as she had realised just how attracted she was to the older woman.
The three days at the Spring Festival on Liso had involved a gradual seduction on Romana's part, until, on the third day, Martha had succumbed to the Time Lord's desire for her young companion. In the two weeks since, Martha had come to realise that it wasn't a one-off encounter, and while Romana was a real tease when she chose, she always followed through rather than leaving her hanging.
"You're thinking too much again," Romana said, breaking Martha out of her reverie as she gently pushed the younger woman's shoulder to get her to lie down, then joined her on the bed. "Stop analysing, Dr Jones, and concentrate on feeling."
"I - ah." Martha couldn't help gasping at the first touch of the Time Lord's cool body. Before she could find her voice again, Romana was kissing her deeply and she quickly abandoned all attempts at coherent speech as the Time Lord used her tongue and lips to good effect, and when Martha did find her voice it was to cry out Romana's name with pleasure.
After Martha had returned the pleasure she'd been given, she curled her body around Romana's, and they slept deeply, all thoughts of grumpy ship captains and disbelieving star-liner crews long since forgotten.
Title: I Live To Let You Shine
Author: Persiflage_1
Characters/Pairings: Martha/Romana II, Other Characters
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: None
Summary: Romana gets locked up trying to save lives and it's down to Martha to rescue her.
Disclaimer: I don't even own my brain any more, never mind Doctor Who!
Author Notes: Some time ago the DW Random Pairing Generator gave me the following prompt: Romana II / Martha Jones / a locked door and I was initially going to write this fic for biichan for the dw_femslash ficathon. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get it finished in time, so I wrote something else for her instead, but now this fic is done, I hope biichan will enjoy it.
This fic is a sequel to Companionship and the title is a line from Boats and Birds by Gregory and the Hawk (which holo_daxy included in her Martha/Romana II fanmix Love Vanquishes Time).
Beta: jinxed_wood
~~~~~~
Martha stared at the door to the ship's brig, wondering how to get it open without the key or Romana's sonic screwdriver: she slightly regretted the fact Romana hadn't yet found time to build her a sonic of her own, as she'd recently promised to do.
"Come on, Martha, think," she urged herself quietly. She had to get Romana out of the brig, and soon, or the ship would be destroyed.
Three hours earlier
"Where are we?" asked Martha as she stepped out of the TARDIS, and found herself in a rather luxurious room with subdued lighting, soft carpeting and a rather comfortable looking sofa.
"The SS Endeavour XVII, according to the TARDIS," Romana answered, locking the door to her ship and pocketing the key. Then she pulled it back out and looked at it, before holding it out to Martha. "Here, I've been meaning to give you a key for a while."
Martha stared at the key, her mind involuntarily flashing back to the moment the Doctor had given her the key to his TARDIS after they'd survived the events aboard the SS Pentallian.
When she didn't immediately take it, Romana closed the gap between them and lifting the key chain up, she dropped it around the young doctor's neck. Then she cupped Martha's cheek in her right hand and smiled, before leaning forward to brush her lips against Martha's, causing the younger woman to start and shiver slightly.
"Thank you," she said softly, brushing her thumb over the key.
"Come on then," Romana said calmly, as if nothing had happened; she crossed the room and opened the door.
Martha shook herself mentally, then followed the Time Lord and found herself in a well-appointed corridor with a thick carpet underfoot, large abstract paintings on the walls, and soft lighting overhead.
"Is it a sailing ship or a starship?" she asked as she followed Romana down the corridor.
"A luxury star liner plying three different routes between fifteen planets," the Time Lord answered.
"What is it?" asked Martha; she had been travelling with Romana for long enough now that she'd grown quite adept at reading the Time Lord's tone of voice and body language, so she could easily tell when Romana was distracted.
"The engines," she answered, "can't you hear them?"
Martha stopped walking, closed her eyes, and listened; her head tilted to one side. She opened her eyes and shook her head. "I've no idea what they're meant to sound like," she answered. "I'm better at people than machines."
"One of the engines is misaligned and, judging from the way the others are straining, I would say the ship is in considerable danger."
"So we find the Captain or someone, and tell them?" asked Martha promptly.
"Exactly," answered Romana, opening a door at the end of the corridor and leading them out into a large passenger lounge filled with lots of tables and comfortable looking sofas and chairs, that was currently empty of passengers.
"Where is everyone?" wondered Martha.
Romana gestured at a digital display above the bar at the far side of the lounge. "According to ship time, it's the early hours of the morning, so everyone who's not essential crew will be in bed."
"Oh! Presumably that includes the captain?"
"Quite possibly. But whoever is in charge of the night watch will wake him or her."
"I hope they're not the sort to get grumpy at being woken in the middle of the night, then," Martha said.
"Whether they are or not, it will be in their best interests for someone to wake them."
They crossed the lounge and found themselves in yet another corridor, which contained three lifts.
"Up or down?" asked Martha as Romana pressed the button to summon a lift.
"Down," the Time Lord answered. "The engine rooms will be below the passenger areas."
They went down to the engine rooms and Romana immediately hurried towards one of the engines in particular, pulling out her sonic as she approached. Now that they were so close Martha could tell it wasn't working like the others: it sounded laboured, like a patient with a respiratory condition struggling to draw air into their lungs.
"Do you know what's wrong with it?" she asked the Time Lord.
"I do. It is as I said, the couplings are misaligned, but it will be a straight forward, if lengthy, job to adjust them."
"And just what do you know about it?" asked a voice behind them.
Both women were startled, but neither one gave any sign of surprise as they turned to face the speaker, an armed man in a dark blue uniform who stood a few feet away from them.
"I am the Lady Romanadvoratrelundar, a Time Lord."
The man sneered. "Never heard of them. You didn't answer my question."
Romana sighed, and Martha knew her patience would not last if the officer maintained his attitude.
"I am a capable engineer," the Time Lord said, "and I can tell you that this engine's couplings are not correctly aligned and, if they are not adjusted, the engine will explode, particularly at the speeds you are maintaining."
"How do I know you haven't sabotaged the engine?" asked the officer.
"For Rassilon's sake!" exclaimed Romana, irritated by the man's narrow-mindedness.
Martha spoke up. "Why would we want to sabotage the engines?" she asked.
"You could be industrial saboteurs, sent in by our rivals. Everyone knows the Starshine Unbeatable Cruises Corp is trouncing its competition."
Martha suppressed a snort of amusement at the acronym offered by the company name; from the corner of her eye she saw Romana glance her way, but she didn't make eye contact, knowing it was better to keep quiet and avoid antagonising the officer any further.
"Why don't you just take us to the Captain and we can get this sorted out?" suggested Martha.
"The Captain is currently unavailable," answered the officer. "He is - entertaining some VIP guests at present."
Martha wondered if Romana had noticed the officer's slight hesitation, and she also wondered just who was entertaining whom.
"This is a matter of some urgency," snapped Romana, "so I suggest you interrupt him."
The officer glared at them, then jerked his gun towards the door. "Move."
Martha swapped a look with Romana as they headed towards the door with the officer close behind them. They were almost at the door when the usually graceful Time Lord stumbled and the officer found himself bumping into her. Martha immediately grabbed his gun from his slackened grasp, and Romana caught his arm in one hand and brought her other hand up to pinch his neck, rendering him unconscious. They caught him between them and carefully lowered him to the ground, then Martha pulled a length of rope from the pocket of her black jacket and tied his hands together, before attaching it to a pipe near the door.
Romana gave her a sudden, conspiratorial grin and hurried across to the engine to fix it, while Martha remained with the officer. She and Romana had come up with a way of getting themselves out of tricky situations when they couldn't simply talk themselves out of it, or when brute force, which neither of them really possessed, was needed. The idea had come up after an incident in an alien market.
Two weeks ago
"So what are we looking for at the market?" asked Martha as they stepped out of the TARDIS into the alley where Romana had landed.
"I need some spare parts for the ship," the Time Lord answered. "It is always best to be prepared for repairs, and it is better to have the parts on hand in an emergency."
"Good point."
They headed down the alley and into the market square, greasy cobbles underfoot and the air filled with the chatter of dozens of buyers and sellers. Martha let Romana take the lead since she knew what she needed, and as they wandered from stall to stall, the young doctor watched the people around her: the Ladron looked mostly humanoid, although they were a pale green colour and had six fingers and toes, and a small crest, like a coxcomb, on their heads.
Romana was negotiating the price for an item she wanted when Martha spotted two Ladron who were behaving oddly; it took her a few minutes to realise they were working together to pick pockets, and the pair were making their way towards her and the Time Lord.
"Watch out for those two in the black outfits," she said softly in Romana's ear as the older woman finished her transaction.
"Why?"
"They're pickpockets."
Martha saw Romana glance quickly down the street, before she moved on to the next stall. "They won't get far trying to pick my pockets," she commented.
"I think they've fleeced four people in this section of the market," Martha told her.
Romana frowned. "I think we should stop them, don't you?"
"Definitely."
They began looking through the books on the stall, both of them keeping a surreptitious eye on the two Ladron, who were moving closer. As one of them moved alongside Romana, Martha stepped around the Time Lord to the Ladron's far side, putting herself between him and his partner, but her foot slipped on the greasy cobbles and she knocked the Ladron against Romana who immediately reached up and grabbed his neck in what, to Martha, looked like a Vulcan neck-pinch. As the Ladron slumped to the cobbles, Martha rounded on his staring partner, grabbing him firmly and swung him towards Romana who repeated the neck trick, leaving both pick-pockets on the ground at their feet.
The stall holder promptly pulled a whistle from the neck of her shirt and blew a shrill blast that was echoed further across the market square.
"I hope we're not about to be arrested for assaulting the locals," Martha said, eyeing the stall holder tensely.
"I have summoned the constables," the stall holder told her, "and I wish to thank you both for your prompt action. This market has been plagued by pick-pockets for some time, but no one was ever able to catch them."
"It was nothing," Martha answered, acutely aware of the fact that it was sheer luck that she'd slipped and knocked over the first Ladron.
"I would have you each choose a book from me by way of thanks," said the stall holder.
"Oh, no, that's okay," Martha said quickly, squirming with embarrassment.
"Thank you," Romana answered, speaking over her companion's protests. She took a few moments to look at the books, ignoring the half dozen constables who were approaching at a brisk pace. She selected two books and the stall holder immediately slipped them into a small canvas bag which the Time Lord tucked into the pocket of her red blazer, before turning her attention to the constables.
Three hours later, the pickpockets had been tried, convicted and locked up, and Martha and Romana were having lunch with Bibia, the bookstall owner, and two of her friends. While the food was superb and the company was good, Martha was still embarrassed by the fuss the others were continuing to make about the capture of the thieves.
Romana sensed her embarrassment and counselled Martha to accept their praise and thanks with good grace because the goodwill of others is always a valuable commodity.
"I just feel such a fraud," Martha said quietly, under cover of the chatter of the stall holders.
The Time Lord reached down and clasped Martha's hands, which she had clenched together in her lap, in one of her own. "Well you're not a fraud," she assured Martha, squeezing her fingers. "Now try to relax and we'll leave as soon as we decently can." She let go of Martha's hands, then turned to speak to the waitress who'd just brought their desserts.
The young doctor stared at her fingers, still feeling the ghost of Romana's cool hand on her hands; she felt dazed, although she wasn't sure why. She ate her dessert absent-mindedly, scarcely aware of what she was putting into her mouth, but acutely aware of the slightest touch of Romana's arm or shoulder or knee against her own as they crowded around the small table in the busy tavern.
They eventually made their way back to the TARDIS and Martha felt relieved to be back in familiar surroundings; she headed straight to her suite of rooms, leaving the Time Lord to get them away from Ladros and on the way to their next destination.
Ten minutes later Romana found her companion in her study, staring blankly at her laptop screen.
"I brought your book," she said, startling the younger woman out of her abstracted state.
"My book?" questioned Martha.
"Bibia said we could each choose a book," Romana reminded her, "and I picked this one for you." She held out a slim book bound in a dark blue cover which Martha accepted. It was a collection of poetry from Earth and there was a French willow embossed in gold on the cover, below the title.
"Thank you."
"Are you all right? You were very distracted during lunch."
"I'm fine," Martha answered quickly.
Romana wasn't sure she believed her companion, but she didn't push it; in her experience Martha wasn't one to brood on things, so she knew the younger woman would speak up when she was ready if anything was bothering her.
"I've set a course for Liso - I thought we could go and enjoy the Spring Festival there."
Martha smiled. "Okay."
* * * * * *
Aboard the SS Endeavour XVII three hours ago
As Romana continued to work on the engine's couplings Martha heard a chirping noise, then a voice demanding that Lieutenant Garst report his position. She glowered at the radio, then hurried over to the Time Lord, who immediately looked up.
"What is it?"
"Someone's asking for a report from our friend on the floor," she answered.
Romana swore briefly in Gallifreyan. "I'm going to be at least another ten minutes," she said.
"I'll keep an eye on the corridor," Martha said. "I'll let you know as soon as anyone approaches."
"Thank you." The Time Lord went back to work as the younger woman hurried over to the door and looked out into the corridor.
Two minutes later, she heard the lift coming down and she darted back into the engine room to warn Romana.
"You know the rule," the Time Lord answered. When Martha hesitated, she gave the young doctor a stern look. "We agreed," she said.
"Don't let them catch both of us, if we can avoid it," Martha said. "Just - be careful, yeah?"
"Always," Romana assured her, giving Martha's fingers a squeeze. "Now hide."
She slipped into the shadows, between two of the engines, knowing her darker skin and clothing would make her harder to spot unless someone was deliberately searching for her.
She listened and watched as two guards came into the engine room and found Romana, who tried to reason with them, but they refused to listen. They took the attitude that since she’d already knocked out one of their colleagues, she could hardly expect them to believe that she wasn't a saboteur.
Martha slipped out of the engine room behind the guards: one had shouldered the erstwhile Garst, while the other had handcuffed Romana and was now leading her by a short pole that was attached to the handcuffs.
She waited while the others piled into a lift and headed upwards: she didn't dare risk taking another lift straight away when there were so few people about - they'd almost certainly catch her and that wouldn't help Romana. Watching the deck indicator, she saw the lift stop at the fourth deck, and after five tense minutes, she followed.
The lift door whispered open and she felt suddenly glad it wasn't one of those irritating 'talking' lifts that she'd so often encountered back home on Earth. Just as Martha was wondering where Romana might have been taken, she heard raised voices down a corridor to her left, so she walked softly in that direction, grateful for the thick carpet underfoot. As she got closer, Martha could hear that a furious argument was taking place, although she couldn't make out the words.
Then she heard a voice shouting, "I don't care! Just take her to the brig and I'll deal with her in the morning. Now get out!"
She immediately looked around for somewhere to hide and spotted a door that she'd passed a few moments before. She crossed her fingers as she opened the door, hoping there was no one on the other side, and blew out a breath of relief when she found an empty dining room.
She left the door slightly ajar and waited for the guards and Romana to pass: she knew she had to get Romana out of the brig before morning so that she could finish fixing the engine. Tempted though she was to let them blow themselves up, she knew that Romana wouldn't agree to just go straight back to her TARDIS once Martha set her free.
The guards came along the corridor leading the Time Lord between them and Martha waited tensely for them to pass before slipping out into the corridor to follow them. She wondered whether Romana knew Martha was there: she had very good hearing, just like the Doctor.
She followed the guards who took the stairs down to the next deck, rather than a lift, and found herself in a short corridor; she watched as one of the guards unlocked the solid metal door and thrust Romana unceremoniously inside, and then turned away, taking the key to the brig with him.
Once they’d started to clatter back up the stairs, Martha crossed to the door and put her ear against it, then rapped on it, a brisk double knock that they used between themselves. After a few moments she heard Romana knock back and felt satisfied that her friend knew she was there. She pulled back and stared at the door, wondering how to get it open. The guard had used a key that had looked like a USB memory stick. She crouched down on the floor and started taking things from the pockets of her jacket, wondering if she was carrying anything that she could use on the door instead of the proper key. If not, she would have to go in search of the guard and 'acquire' the key from him instead.
She looked at the collection of bits and bobs she had emptied out and realised that she had picked up yet another habit from the Doctor and Romana: that of carrying a ridiculous selection of items around with her, even without trans-dimensional pockets. She began to pocket the items again as she tried to determine what would be of use, and gave a small cry of triumph when she spotted an electronic key that she had inadvertently brought away from their hotel room in Liso's capital city. It looked very similar to the key the guard had been carrying and she couldn't resist trying it.
She dropped the last of her things into her pocket and approached the door, pushing to the back of her mind her memories of the three days that she and Romana had spent at the Spring Festival on Liso; now was not the time to remember their first love-making.
Martha slipped the hotel key into the lock of the door and waited, more than half convinced that alarms would go off to alert the guards; instead the door gave a satisfying electronic clunk and then swung open to reveal Romana sitting on a wooden bench against the far wall. The Time Lord looked relieved and hurried over to her companion.
"Well done," she said, squeezing Martha's arm. "Let's get back down to the engine room and I can finish my work, and then we'll get out of here."
"I can't believe that actually worked," Martha commented as she pocketed the hotel key again.
"What worked?" asked Romana as they hurried into a lift and headed back downstairs again.
"I had my hotel key from Liso in my pocket - I don't know if you remember that I forgot to give it back? Anyway I used that on the door of the brig - I can't quite believe it actually opened the door."
Romana smirked slightly. "And I'm sure we both know why you forgot you had that key, don't we?"
Martha felt her face heat up at the Time Lord's words. "Well I never used it," she said, defensively. "You always locked or unlocked the door to our suite."
"Dr Jones, are you embarrassed?" asked Romana in a teasing tone.
"No."
The Time Lord nudged her shoulder gently. "I think you are." She brushed Martha's hair back from the side of her neck and kissed a spot just below her ear.
"That's playing dirty," Martha said.
Romana arched an eyebrow at her companion. "I thought you liked playing dirty?"
Before Martha could answer that question, the lift arrived and the Romana immediately hurried out, her mind now focused entirely on the task she had to complete. The younger woman followed slowly, suppressing her feelings of desire; she couldn't help feeling that Romana had turned into something of a tease since she and Martha had become lovers, and it had been a surprise to the young doctor. She had also been surprised by how passionate the Time Lord was in their love-making; Martha had somehow expected her to be as quiet and undemonstrative as she was in other things, but Romana had proved her wrong.
Martha stayed by the door of the engine room, keeping watch, and hoped that no one would discover Romana's disappearance from the brig before she’d finished her task. She had been deeply unimpressed with the crew of this ship and the sooner they left, the happier she would be.
"I'm finished," Romana called softly, about ten minutes later.
Martha looked around to see her straightening her jacket and dusting off the knees of her trousers before she approached the younger woman.
"Come on, let's get going." She slid her hand into Martha's and squeezed her fingers.
"Gladly," the younger woman replied, returning the squeeze.
They hurried into the lift and headed back to the upper deck where they had left the TARDIS. To their relief they didn't encounter any of the crew, and Martha was soon unlocking the ship's door with her brand new key, and then Romana hurried to the console to dematerialise.
"Phew!" Martha blew out her breath in an exaggerated fashion, relieved that they'd got away safely. "Let's not do that again," she suggested, slumping into a chair.
"What, save 300 lives?" asked Romana, looking up from her work.
"No, let's not have to deal with stubborn, ignorant people who don't appreciate your attempts to save their lives."
The Time Lord gave her a steady look and Martha pulled a face. "I know, I know. We can't guarantee that everyone we help will appreciate our efforts."
"No we can't." She finished setting the coordinates, and then walked across to where Martha sat. "Come on, time for me to show you some appreciation for getting me out of that brig so quickly."
The younger woman allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, smirking a little at the prospect, and they headed to Martha's rooms where the Time Lord undressed her at a leisurely pace, punctuating the removal of each item of clothing with kisses and caresses that left the young doctor quivering with desire.
She sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Romana got undressed; she still couldn't quite get over the fact that the Time Lord wanted her for a lover: after the way the Doctor had behaved, she'd been scared about getting involved with Romana, even as she had realised just how attracted she was to the older woman.
The three days at the Spring Festival on Liso had involved a gradual seduction on Romana's part, until, on the third day, Martha had succumbed to the Time Lord's desire for her young companion. In the two weeks since, Martha had come to realise that it wasn't a one-off encounter, and while Romana was a real tease when she chose, she always followed through rather than leaving her hanging.
"You're thinking too much again," Romana said, breaking Martha out of her reverie as she gently pushed the younger woman's shoulder to get her to lie down, then joined her on the bed. "Stop analysing, Dr Jones, and concentrate on feeling."
"I - ah." Martha couldn't help gasping at the first touch of the Time Lord's cool body. Before she could find her voice again, Romana was kissing her deeply and she quickly abandoned all attempts at coherent speech as the Time Lord used her tongue and lips to good effect, and when Martha did find her voice it was to cry out Romana's name with pleasure.
After Martha had returned the pleasure she'd been given, she curled her body around Romana's, and they slept deeply, all thoughts of grumpy ship captains and disbelieving star-liner crews long since forgotten.