(Untitled)

[not_the_chav]

Life, Martha Jones knew from experience, was far from fair. Whether it was to do with some sort of karmic balance or simply a sadistic creator, she was uncertain, but the fact remained that at some point, life being unfair had become a daily expectation. To suggest it was beginning to wear would have been a vast understatement

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[sortofaman]

The Doctor had swung the full bag of plums over his shoulder, and though he didn't think there'd be anything wrong with them, they did need a wash. Humming softly, he headed into the kitchen...

...to spot Martha Jones, working industriously, not fast, but determined. For some reason, he felt this didn't bode well. The song stopped in his throat. "'lo, Martha," he said, brow furrowed deep.

[not_the_chav]

It was too easy to simply be able to slip away, Martha realized. There had to be some stumbling block, whether physical or emotional, but maybe none of it really mattered. It was just one more thing. It was all just one more thing.

Looking up to the Doctor, she acknowledged him but didn't speak, and then resumed adding the last few items to her pack.

[sortofaman]

The Doctor managed to curtail himself before he said something like running away from home? because this was clearly serious. "Is there going to be some kind of weather disaster I haven't heard about yet?" he asked, confused.

[not_the_chav]

"Not that I'm aware of," Martha answered, calm to the point of being stoic, despite the fact that she didn't much appreciate his attempt at levity. While he might not have known why, he knew precisely what she was doing, as he'd known her to do it before.

[sortofaman]

She wasn't yelling at him about him being an arse. This was clearly worse than he'd imagined. "Where are you going to, then?" he asked, voice calm but soft, brow still furrowed.

[not_the_chav]

"Not certain yet," said Martha with brusque enthusiasm, as if he was a man that was so easily deterred. Why he should care, however, she didn't know; her absence meant the Master would have no one to give him access to the TARDIS. At least, not immediately.

[sortofaman]

"So you're just going to go off," the Doctor said, "in the new jungle what with all the tigers and the elephants and pythons." He looked decidedly unimpressed with this idea. "Any particular reason, because that's a lot of risk for a getaway."

[not_the_chav]

"Yes," Martha confirmed, watching him with a steady gaze. "That is exactly what I'm going to do, because I can't imagine it to be any more dangerous than dinosaurs, and because it's new." That should have been reason enough, even if it wasn't actually why she was going.

[sortofaman]

It usually would have been. But for the fact that the Doctor was decent at deduction. "And you just decided to do this now," he said, "the ninth, when it's been new for over a week." Not that she was impulsive, but she usually made up her mind quickly.

[not_the_chav]

"I've been busy," was Martha's curt answer, a more civil alternative to the 'Why do you care?' that had been itching to be spit out instead. She swung the pack over her shoulders and adjusted the straps, hoping that he could see he wasn't going to talk her out of going.

[sortofaman]

The Doctor leaned back against the wall, appraising her for several long moments. He wasn't going to talk her out of it. He just wanted to know why. "Busy," he echoed.

[not_the_chav]

Damn him. He was worse than any mother, Martha was certain. All it took was one vaguely disappointed word, one look, and she felt guilty for wanting to keep her own business to herself.

"Yes, busy," she repeated. "Shagging your greatest nemesis, because that's what I do now," she flippantly added, trying to sound spiteful and failing. She didn't have it in her to be honestly angry, not today.

[sortofaman]

"We both know that's not accurate," the Doctor said, still leaning against the wall. He chewed slightly on his lower lip. "What happened."

[not_the_chav]

How could you love and hate a person so intensely all at once? It hit Martha square in the chest, hard enough that for a moment it felt as if she couldn't breathe as she struggled with the simultaneous need to smack him and throw herself into his arms.

"It doesn't matter now," she answered, because while part of her wanted to share this with somebody, she didn't know how to let herself be that vulnerable to him.

[sortofaman]

"It matters enough to go on safari walkabout with enough food for a week," the Doctor said simply. He looked at her still, watched her face. "What if you didn't come back? Who would know?"

[not_the_chav]

The answer to that question was so horrifically ironic that Martha had to laugh, the sound mirthless and unsteady, as if it was seconds away from lapsing into a sob.

"Well, I know of at least one person who will notice," she replied, and swallowed hard. "If only because I'm taking my key with me. I wouldn't put my money on anybody else."