Comfort
Who_Daily Link: < a href="http://persiflage-1.livejournal.com/154175.html">Comfort by < lj user=persiflage_1> (Characters: Ten/Martha | Rating: G | Spoilers: The Doctor's Daughter )
Title: Comfort
Author: Persiflage_1
Characters/Pairings: Ten/Martha
Rating: G
Spoilers: The Doctor's Daughter
Summary: Martha and the Doctor comfort each other after the events on Messaline.
Disclaimer: I don't even own my brain any more, never mind Doctor Who!
Author Notes: This is the promised sequel to my fic Conversation - yes I did promise to write it after the episode aired, but the bunnies didn't want to play ball at the time!
~~~~~~
Donna was sleeping, the Doctor was off who-knew-where in the depths of the TARDIS mourning for Jenny, and Martha was lying in bed, unable to sleep, her head filled with images of Jenny's and Peck's deaths. The latter was the worst for her, because she was responsible for his death, having encouraged him to go with her out onto the surface of the planet, and she would never forgive herself for being so selfish.
Sighing in frustration, she pushed back the bed clothes and sat up, then put on her slippers, thinking that maybe a mug of hot chocolate would help her to get to sleep.
Martha made her way to the kitchen, walking softly, although she was fairly sure there was no one around to disturb. She found some hot chocolate in the cupboard and made herself a mug, then headed back towards her room; she stopped when she reached the library, remembering the sleep specialists said you should avoid your bedroom if you couldn't sleep. Maybe she would see if she could find a book in the library to read until she felt sleepy, one of her 'comfort books' as she called them: the books she re-read when she felt unhappy (after the year she'd spent walking the world, she'd re-read the early Harry Potter books and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory until she practically knew them by heart).
Martha didn't bother turning on the overhead lights in the library, there was enough light from the two or three lamps on the reading desks for her to find her way to the right set of shelves for late 20th century Earth fiction. She pulled the third Harry Potter book off the shelf and carried it over to one of the large comfortable sofas that were scattered throughout the library, and settled herself to read.
She was halfway through the book, her hot chocolate long finished, when she heard soft footsteps and looked up to see the Doctor approaching.
"Martha, are you okay?" he asked softly, sitting down beside her.
"Yeah." She looked down at her book; the quick look she'd given him had been enough to tell her that he had been crying, and she wondered why he'd felt the need to cry by himself when he had two companions who would willingly listen and offer comfort.
He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. "I don't believe you," he said gently. "Why aren't you asleep like Donna?"
"I couldn't get to sleep," she answered, "too much adrenaline in my system still, I think."
He shook his head. "No, I don't think that's the reason. Why don't you tell me what happened to you when you crossed the surface of the planet?"
She opened her mouth to fob him off, and he put a long finger over her lips. "Tell me what really happened," he said, his voice soft yet insistent. "You had a look in your eye when we met up with you again that I've seen there before when someone's died."
So she told him about the Hath named Peck whose shoulder had been dislocated in the tunnel collapse, and how she'd had to face down the other Hath so she could put it right for him, and then how she'd blackmailed him into going out onto the surface with her. By the time she'd finished explaining about him getting her out of the bog and drowning in it himself, she was weeping softly and the Doctor had wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.
"Oh Martha, I am sorry." He kissed her temple, feeling tears pricking the corners of his own eyes. She was still weeping, although he could tell she was trying not to cry, and he somehow knew she was trying to be strong.
"Come here." He lifted her effortlessly to sit on his lap, cradling her in his arms and rocking her gently. He began to hum a lullaby, hoping to soothe her enough that she could sleep.
After a while Martha's sobs ceased and she lay so quietly in his arms he was sure she must have fallen asleep, but then she spoke.
"I'm sorry about Jenny."
She felt his arms stiffen and she wondered if he was going to bolt, but after a moment his muscles relaxed again.
"Thank you."
"What happened to you, after the tunnel collapsed?" She wondered if he would tell her, or if he was going to fob her off as she had been prepared to fob him off earlier.
"She was brilliant, Jenny," he told her, his voice soft but full of admiration. "She started to overcome the programming the machine gave her when she was created." He paused and Martha craned her neck to look up into his face: his eyes were full of pride and wonder.
"Go on," she said, wanting to hear more.
So he told her about being locked up on Cobb's orders, their escape, Jenny's resourcefulness, and the way she'd chosen not to kill Cobb, Donna's cleverness in figuring out the significance of the numbers they kept seeing, and the race to reach the source ahead of Cobb and his soldiers.
"And then he went and shot her, my little girl." Martha could hear that the Doctor was on the verge of tears himself now, and she sat up, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead against his.
"I am so sorry you lost Jenny," she said.
"Oh Martha!" He broke down then, and it was her turn to hold him and try to soothe him as he had soothed her.
After a while his sobs quietened and she pulled back to kiss his forehead. "Come on, you must be as worn out as I am, let's go and get some sleep." She slipped off his lap, then pulled him to his feet and led him back to her room.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked. He knew that nothing would happen except that they would snuggle up and sleep together, but he felt he had to ask now she was engaged.
"Silly," she said softly, pushing him to sit down on the bed and kneeling to take off his shoes. "If I wasn't sure, you wouldn't be here. I don't think you should be on your own, and I'd rather not be."
She helped him take off his jacket and he pulled off his tie and shirt, then he settled in the bed beside her. After a moment she turned on her side and he spooned up behind her, sliding his arms around her middle, just as he so often did when they had occasionally shared a bed in the past, and they slept, each finding comfort in the other's presence.
Title: Comfort
Author: Persiflage_1
Characters/Pairings: Ten/Martha
Rating: G
Spoilers: The Doctor's Daughter
Summary: Martha and the Doctor comfort each other after the events on Messaline.
Disclaimer: I don't even own my brain any more, never mind Doctor Who!
Author Notes: This is the promised sequel to my fic Conversation - yes I did promise to write it after the episode aired, but the bunnies didn't want to play ball at the time!
~~~~~~
Donna was sleeping, the Doctor was off who-knew-where in the depths of the TARDIS mourning for Jenny, and Martha was lying in bed, unable to sleep, her head filled with images of Jenny's and Peck's deaths. The latter was the worst for her, because she was responsible for his death, having encouraged him to go with her out onto the surface of the planet, and she would never forgive herself for being so selfish.
Sighing in frustration, she pushed back the bed clothes and sat up, then put on her slippers, thinking that maybe a mug of hot chocolate would help her to get to sleep.
Martha made her way to the kitchen, walking softly, although she was fairly sure there was no one around to disturb. She found some hot chocolate in the cupboard and made herself a mug, then headed back towards her room; she stopped when she reached the library, remembering the sleep specialists said you should avoid your bedroom if you couldn't sleep. Maybe she would see if she could find a book in the library to read until she felt sleepy, one of her 'comfort books' as she called them: the books she re-read when she felt unhappy (after the year she'd spent walking the world, she'd re-read the early Harry Potter books and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory until she practically knew them by heart).
Martha didn't bother turning on the overhead lights in the library, there was enough light from the two or three lamps on the reading desks for her to find her way to the right set of shelves for late 20th century Earth fiction. She pulled the third Harry Potter book off the shelf and carried it over to one of the large comfortable sofas that were scattered throughout the library, and settled herself to read.
She was halfway through the book, her hot chocolate long finished, when she heard soft footsteps and looked up to see the Doctor approaching.
"Martha, are you okay?" he asked softly, sitting down beside her.
"Yeah." She looked down at her book; the quick look she'd given him had been enough to tell her that he had been crying, and she wondered why he'd felt the need to cry by himself when he had two companions who would willingly listen and offer comfort.
He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. "I don't believe you," he said gently. "Why aren't you asleep like Donna?"
"I couldn't get to sleep," she answered, "too much adrenaline in my system still, I think."
He shook his head. "No, I don't think that's the reason. Why don't you tell me what happened to you when you crossed the surface of the planet?"
She opened her mouth to fob him off, and he put a long finger over her lips. "Tell me what really happened," he said, his voice soft yet insistent. "You had a look in your eye when we met up with you again that I've seen there before when someone's died."
So she told him about the Hath named Peck whose shoulder had been dislocated in the tunnel collapse, and how she'd had to face down the other Hath so she could put it right for him, and then how she'd blackmailed him into going out onto the surface with her. By the time she'd finished explaining about him getting her out of the bog and drowning in it himself, she was weeping softly and the Doctor had wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.
"Oh Martha, I am sorry." He kissed her temple, feeling tears pricking the corners of his own eyes. She was still weeping, although he could tell she was trying not to cry, and he somehow knew she was trying to be strong.
"Come here." He lifted her effortlessly to sit on his lap, cradling her in his arms and rocking her gently. He began to hum a lullaby, hoping to soothe her enough that she could sleep.
After a while Martha's sobs ceased and she lay so quietly in his arms he was sure she must have fallen asleep, but then she spoke.
"I'm sorry about Jenny."
She felt his arms stiffen and she wondered if he was going to bolt, but after a moment his muscles relaxed again.
"Thank you."
"What happened to you, after the tunnel collapsed?" She wondered if he would tell her, or if he was going to fob her off as she had been prepared to fob him off earlier.
"She was brilliant, Jenny," he told her, his voice soft but full of admiration. "She started to overcome the programming the machine gave her when she was created." He paused and Martha craned her neck to look up into his face: his eyes were full of pride and wonder.
"Go on," she said, wanting to hear more.
So he told her about being locked up on Cobb's orders, their escape, Jenny's resourcefulness, and the way she'd chosen not to kill Cobb, Donna's cleverness in figuring out the significance of the numbers they kept seeing, and the race to reach the source ahead of Cobb and his soldiers.
"And then he went and shot her, my little girl." Martha could hear that the Doctor was on the verge of tears himself now, and she sat up, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead against his.
"I am so sorry you lost Jenny," she said.
"Oh Martha!" He broke down then, and it was her turn to hold him and try to soothe him as he had soothed her.
After a while his sobs quietened and she pulled back to kiss his forehead. "Come on, you must be as worn out as I am, let's go and get some sleep." She slipped off his lap, then pulled him to his feet and led him back to her room.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked. He knew that nothing would happen except that they would snuggle up and sleep together, but he felt he had to ask now she was engaged.
"Silly," she said softly, pushing him to sit down on the bed and kneeling to take off his shoes. "If I wasn't sure, you wouldn't be here. I don't think you should be on your own, and I'd rather not be."
She helped him take off his jacket and he pulled off his tie and shirt, then he settled in the bed beside her. After a moment she turned on her side and he spooned up behind her, sliding his arms around her middle, just as he so often did when they had occasionally shared a bed in the past, and they slept, each finding comfort in the other's presence.