Can't Take My Eyes Off You (2 / ?)
Title: Can't Take My Eyes Off You (2 / ?)
Author: Persiflage_1
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor/Martha Jones
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Season 3 up to 42 (AU from "42")
Summary: What happens when the Doctor decides to woo Martha Jones?
Disclaimer: The BBC owns "Doctor Who" and all that jazz…
Author Notes: domsbabygrl asked me a while ago for some Ten/Martha fluff that featured stolen looks, whispered sweet nothings, and the banter of Darcy and Elizabeth. I'm not sure I'll manage to achieve Austenesque banter, but I'm going to give it my best shot.
Thanks to padawanpooh for the Beta on this chapter.
Chapter 1
~~~~~~
Martha made her way to the TARDIS library feeling a bit warmer after her shower, but wishing her calves and back weren't aching quite so much. In the library she found the Doctor standing in front of a roaring fire; he had changed his shirt and t-shirt, and had taken off his tie and jacket, although he was still wearing his brown suit trousers.
"Hello, feeling better?" he asked cheerfully.
"A bit," she answered.
"Come and make yourself comfortable," he said, gesturing to the two enormous floor cushions in front of the fire.
She made a beeline for the cushion on the right and sat down cross-legged, watching whilst the Doctor opened a bag of marshmallows and poured them into a blue bowl.
The Doctor was forcing himself to concentrate on what he was doing, although he longed to just watch Martha instead. She'd changed into her black jeans, a blue t-shirt and a white shirt over the top, and he thought she looked lovely. He offered her a toasting fork for the marshmallows, then knelt and turned his attention to the machine by his side.
"What is that?" asked Martha, gesturing at it with her toasting fork.
"Hot chocolate maker," he answered. He saw her eyes widen in surprise and grinned.
"Really?"
"Yep." His grin widened. "I thought that if people could invent teasmades and coffee makers, why not a hot chocolate maker?"
She laughed in delight. "Good job, Mr Smith."
"Thank you Miss Jones." He gestured to the bowl of marshmallows. "Help yourself."
She picked one up and speared it on the toasting fork, then leant forward. The Doctor watched her for a moment, looking at the curve of her neck and her spiky hairdo, wishing he could play with it - he really liked that style. As if aware of his scrutiny, she turned her head and he immediately dropped his eyes and set about making two large cups of hot chocolate.
As they toasted the marshmallows, they sat and talked about picnics and Martha's two rather disappointing experiences of camping out with a gang of her cousins. When they had finished drinking their hot chocolate, they sprawled on the floor cushions and Martha talked about going ice-skating as a child, whilst the Doctor reminisced about visiting the hermit who lived up the mountain from his childhood home.
Martha watched the Doctor from the corner of her eye as he sprawled bonelessly on the floor cushion beside her, his hands waving in the air as he talked animatedly. She tried to imagine him as a child, and wondered if his hair had always been wild and if he'd talked so fast when he was a boy. She shifted on her cushion and was attacked by a sudden cramp in her left leg. "Ow!"
The Doctor sat up abruptly at Martha's cry of pain. "What is it?" he asked anxiously.
"Cramp," she answered through gritted teeth as she tried to massage her calf.
"Here, let me." He scooted closer and pulled off her shoes and began to massage her calf. Martha slumped back down onto the cushion and closed her eyes, wallowing in the sensation of the Doctor's long, clever fingers kneading her muscles.
For the Doctor’s part, he was glad of the chance to touch and comfort her. Since he'd nearly lost her to that living sun, he'd been fighting a strong urge to wrap her in his arms with a point blank refusal to set foot outside the TARDIS doors ever again.
The strength of his feelings for Martha just lately unnerved him and he wondered just how she'd broken through all of his usual defences. He'd tried not to love her: he always tried not to love his Companions because losing them was so painful but Martha was like a particularly bright star and he couldn't ignore the light she shed in previously dark corners of his psyche. He found himself telling her things he'd never told Jack or Rose: things he hadn't thought about in a century or more would come crowding back into his mind, and before he quite knew where he was, he'd be telling Martha.
And she listened. Rassilon, how she listened ! Eyes wide and grave, drinking in everything he said, and many of the things he didn't. She seemed to have a knack for reading between the lines and analysing his subtext, then hours or days later, she'd say just a few words and he'd realise that she'd been thinking about it ever since, despite the hectic running and saving lives that had gone on in the meantime. She'd startled him a few days after the Lazarus business with a comment on loss and mourning that made it plain that she'd not only taken in what he'd said to Lazarus in the Cathedral, but also what he'd previously told her about losing Gallifrey, then put the two together.
Martha cleared her throat and the Doctor suddenly became aware that he'd been so lost in his thoughts that he'd been massaging her calves without even registering what he was doing. "Sorry," he said, certain that he was blushing.
"You were light years away," she commented.
He nodded. "Yes, sorry." He put her leg down. "Do you want to go and look at the Lakes from the air before we leave?"
"Yes please."
He got up, then offered her a hand up from the floor and waited whilst she put her shoes back on. He led her back to the Control Room and she perched on the Captain's chair whilst he prepared to move the TARDIS.
"Hold tight," he said. "She's not fond of flying in normal space." Martha gripped the seat as the TARDIS lurched upwards at speed, then slowed to a halt. The Doctor gave the console a pat, then moved towards the doors. "Coming?"
She slipped off the seat and made her way down the ramp. The Doctor pulled open both doors, then stood aside so that she could get a good look.
"Wow!" she said softly, taking in the sight of the multi-coloured patchwork of lakes on either side of the valley over which they now hung. The variation in the colours on the opposite side of the valley to where they'd been skating was, as the Doctor had told her, smaller, but there were as many lakes on both sides.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.
"Lovely," Martha agreed, leaning into his side as she gazed her fill.
They stood there for some time, Martha enjoying the view: the Doctor enjoying the way she seemed to fit against him. He was starting to realise that he always wanted her at his side even though he knew it wasn't possible.
Eventually she stirred with a little shiver and he reluctantly allowed her to move away so he could shut the doors, then he moved back to the console. "I expect you could do with some rest," he observed as he began setting the controls to take them into the Vortex.
"I wouldn't mind," she admitted.
He nodded. "You get some sleep then we'll decide where to go next."
"What about you?"
"What about me?" he asked, looking over to see she was leaning against the Captain's chair.
"Don't you want to get some rest too?"
Oh I'll be alright," he answered.
She nodded. "OK then." She went to her room and changed into her pyjamas, then curled up on her bed.
Martha fell asleep quite quickly and slept deeply for some time until she began to dream of ringing her mum from inside the SS Pentallian's escape capsule, then the dream changed and the Doctor was pulling her from the capsule, saying "Burn with me, Martha.”
She awoke with a cry of terror and lay breathless and shaking on her bed for several minutes then went into her ensuite bathroom to wash her face. Back in her room she looked at her bed with distaste, then pulled on her clothes and headed for the Control Room.
She was surprised to discover it was empty and wondered if the Doctor was in the kitchen making some tea. She wrapped her arms around herself and headed towards the kitchen and was almost there when she spotted an open door in a place where she'd never seen a door before.
Curious, she looked inside and saw an unremarkable grassy hillside; she stepped further into the room and looked around, then up and gasped at the sight of a rainbow hanging above her head. She walked across the grass and sat on the hilltop, leaning back on her hands to look at the rainbow and lay back in the grass to stare at the sky where a second, then a third rainbow appeared. One was the traditional sort such as she had seen a dozen or more times on Earth; the second was a mixture of blues and purples whilst the third ran the colour spectrum from a lemon yellow through shades of orange and into a very deep red. The TARDIS hummed gently around her, a soothing note that made her feel safe and loved, and she felt her nightmare beginning to fade from her mind.
Unseen, the Doctor watched his Companion from the doorway. The TARDIS had alerted him to the fact Martha was having a nightmare, but she'd already woken and left her room before he could reach her from the Science Lab where he'd been working. He watched her now, feeling grateful for the fact he'd managed to rescue her from the escape capsule, and even more grateful that she'd saved him as well. He was pleased, too, that the TARDIS had taken such a shine to Martha and was looking out for her. He walked soft-footed across the grass and sat down next to her. "OK?"
She turned on her side and looked up at him. "I had a nightmare," she said quietly. "You wanted to kill me."
"Not me," he assured her immediately. "The Sun creature inside me. It wanted to kill us all."
"I was scared," she said quietly, as if it was a shameful secret.
"So was I," he admitted. "I told you as much, if you remember?" He lay down beside her and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers.
"I think that scared me more than the thought that you might kill me," she said.
He rubbed his thumb across her hand. "I'm sorry."
She shrugged. "It's over now."
He gave her a bright smile. "How do you fancy a trip to Raseri? They love alien visitors and I bet they've never seen a human before."
She smiled back, "Sounds good."
"Brilliant!" He hopped to his feet and helped her up from the grass, giving her a quick hug - then he headed towards the door.
"What is this room anyway?" she asked as they walked back out into the corridor.
"It’s the Rainbow Room," the Doctor answered, "sometimes the TARDIS likes to play and she makes rainbows." He patted the wall gently, then set off at a brisk pace, striding towards the Control Room, and pushing aside the memories and feelings stirred up by their conversation.
Author: Persiflage_1
Characters/Pairings: Tenth Doctor/Martha Jones
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Season 3 up to 42 (AU from "42")
Summary: What happens when the Doctor decides to woo Martha Jones?
Disclaimer: The BBC owns "Doctor Who" and all that jazz…
Author Notes: domsbabygrl asked me a while ago for some Ten/Martha fluff that featured stolen looks, whispered sweet nothings, and the banter of Darcy and Elizabeth. I'm not sure I'll manage to achieve Austenesque banter, but I'm going to give it my best shot.
Thanks to padawanpooh for the Beta on this chapter.
Chapter 1
~~~~~~
Martha made her way to the TARDIS library feeling a bit warmer after her shower, but wishing her calves and back weren't aching quite so much. In the library she found the Doctor standing in front of a roaring fire; he had changed his shirt and t-shirt, and had taken off his tie and jacket, although he was still wearing his brown suit trousers.
"Hello, feeling better?" he asked cheerfully.
"A bit," she answered.
"Come and make yourself comfortable," he said, gesturing to the two enormous floor cushions in front of the fire.
She made a beeline for the cushion on the right and sat down cross-legged, watching whilst the Doctor opened a bag of marshmallows and poured them into a blue bowl.
The Doctor was forcing himself to concentrate on what he was doing, although he longed to just watch Martha instead. She'd changed into her black jeans, a blue t-shirt and a white shirt over the top, and he thought she looked lovely. He offered her a toasting fork for the marshmallows, then knelt and turned his attention to the machine by his side.
"What is that?" asked Martha, gesturing at it with her toasting fork.
"Hot chocolate maker," he answered. He saw her eyes widen in surprise and grinned.
"Really?"
"Yep." His grin widened. "I thought that if people could invent teasmades and coffee makers, why not a hot chocolate maker?"
She laughed in delight. "Good job, Mr Smith."
"Thank you Miss Jones." He gestured to the bowl of marshmallows. "Help yourself."
She picked one up and speared it on the toasting fork, then leant forward. The Doctor watched her for a moment, looking at the curve of her neck and her spiky hairdo, wishing he could play with it - he really liked that style. As if aware of his scrutiny, she turned her head and he immediately dropped his eyes and set about making two large cups of hot chocolate.
As they toasted the marshmallows, they sat and talked about picnics and Martha's two rather disappointing experiences of camping out with a gang of her cousins. When they had finished drinking their hot chocolate, they sprawled on the floor cushions and Martha talked about going ice-skating as a child, whilst the Doctor reminisced about visiting the hermit who lived up the mountain from his childhood home.
Martha watched the Doctor from the corner of her eye as he sprawled bonelessly on the floor cushion beside her, his hands waving in the air as he talked animatedly. She tried to imagine him as a child, and wondered if his hair had always been wild and if he'd talked so fast when he was a boy. She shifted on her cushion and was attacked by a sudden cramp in her left leg. "Ow!"
The Doctor sat up abruptly at Martha's cry of pain. "What is it?" he asked anxiously.
"Cramp," she answered through gritted teeth as she tried to massage her calf.
"Here, let me." He scooted closer and pulled off her shoes and began to massage her calf. Martha slumped back down onto the cushion and closed her eyes, wallowing in the sensation of the Doctor's long, clever fingers kneading her muscles.
For the Doctor’s part, he was glad of the chance to touch and comfort her. Since he'd nearly lost her to that living sun, he'd been fighting a strong urge to wrap her in his arms with a point blank refusal to set foot outside the TARDIS doors ever again.
The strength of his feelings for Martha just lately unnerved him and he wondered just how she'd broken through all of his usual defences. He'd tried not to love her: he always tried not to love his Companions because losing them was so painful but Martha was like a particularly bright star and he couldn't ignore the light she shed in previously dark corners of his psyche. He found himself telling her things he'd never told Jack or Rose: things he hadn't thought about in a century or more would come crowding back into his mind, and before he quite knew where he was, he'd be telling Martha.
And she listened. Rassilon, how she listened ! Eyes wide and grave, drinking in everything he said, and many of the things he didn't. She seemed to have a knack for reading between the lines and analysing his subtext, then hours or days later, she'd say just a few words and he'd realise that she'd been thinking about it ever since, despite the hectic running and saving lives that had gone on in the meantime. She'd startled him a few days after the Lazarus business with a comment on loss and mourning that made it plain that she'd not only taken in what he'd said to Lazarus in the Cathedral, but also what he'd previously told her about losing Gallifrey, then put the two together.
Martha cleared her throat and the Doctor suddenly became aware that he'd been so lost in his thoughts that he'd been massaging her calves without even registering what he was doing. "Sorry," he said, certain that he was blushing.
"You were light years away," she commented.
He nodded. "Yes, sorry." He put her leg down. "Do you want to go and look at the Lakes from the air before we leave?"
"Yes please."
He got up, then offered her a hand up from the floor and waited whilst she put her shoes back on. He led her back to the Control Room and she perched on the Captain's chair whilst he prepared to move the TARDIS.
"Hold tight," he said. "She's not fond of flying in normal space." Martha gripped the seat as the TARDIS lurched upwards at speed, then slowed to a halt. The Doctor gave the console a pat, then moved towards the doors. "Coming?"
She slipped off the seat and made her way down the ramp. The Doctor pulled open both doors, then stood aside so that she could get a good look.
"Wow!" she said softly, taking in the sight of the multi-coloured patchwork of lakes on either side of the valley over which they now hung. The variation in the colours on the opposite side of the valley to where they'd been skating was, as the Doctor had told her, smaller, but there were as many lakes on both sides.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.
"Lovely," Martha agreed, leaning into his side as she gazed her fill.
They stood there for some time, Martha enjoying the view: the Doctor enjoying the way she seemed to fit against him. He was starting to realise that he always wanted her at his side even though he knew it wasn't possible.
Eventually she stirred with a little shiver and he reluctantly allowed her to move away so he could shut the doors, then he moved back to the console. "I expect you could do with some rest," he observed as he began setting the controls to take them into the Vortex.
"I wouldn't mind," she admitted.
He nodded. "You get some sleep then we'll decide where to go next."
"What about you?"
"What about me?" he asked, looking over to see she was leaning against the Captain's chair.
"Don't you want to get some rest too?"
Oh I'll be alright," he answered.
She nodded. "OK then." She went to her room and changed into her pyjamas, then curled up on her bed.
Martha fell asleep quite quickly and slept deeply for some time until she began to dream of ringing her mum from inside the SS Pentallian's escape capsule, then the dream changed and the Doctor was pulling her from the capsule, saying "Burn with me, Martha.”
She awoke with a cry of terror and lay breathless and shaking on her bed for several minutes then went into her ensuite bathroom to wash her face. Back in her room she looked at her bed with distaste, then pulled on her clothes and headed for the Control Room.
She was surprised to discover it was empty and wondered if the Doctor was in the kitchen making some tea. She wrapped her arms around herself and headed towards the kitchen and was almost there when she spotted an open door in a place where she'd never seen a door before.
Curious, she looked inside and saw an unremarkable grassy hillside; she stepped further into the room and looked around, then up and gasped at the sight of a rainbow hanging above her head. She walked across the grass and sat on the hilltop, leaning back on her hands to look at the rainbow and lay back in the grass to stare at the sky where a second, then a third rainbow appeared. One was the traditional sort such as she had seen a dozen or more times on Earth; the second was a mixture of blues and purples whilst the third ran the colour spectrum from a lemon yellow through shades of orange and into a very deep red. The TARDIS hummed gently around her, a soothing note that made her feel safe and loved, and she felt her nightmare beginning to fade from her mind.
Unseen, the Doctor watched his Companion from the doorway. The TARDIS had alerted him to the fact Martha was having a nightmare, but she'd already woken and left her room before he could reach her from the Science Lab where he'd been working. He watched her now, feeling grateful for the fact he'd managed to rescue her from the escape capsule, and even more grateful that she'd saved him as well. He was pleased, too, that the TARDIS had taken such a shine to Martha and was looking out for her. He walked soft-footed across the grass and sat down next to her. "OK?"
She turned on her side and looked up at him. "I had a nightmare," she said quietly. "You wanted to kill me."
"Not me," he assured her immediately. "The Sun creature inside me. It wanted to kill us all."
"I was scared," she said quietly, as if it was a shameful secret.
"So was I," he admitted. "I told you as much, if you remember?" He lay down beside her and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers.
"I think that scared me more than the thought that you might kill me," she said.
He rubbed his thumb across her hand. "I'm sorry."
She shrugged. "It's over now."
He gave her a bright smile. "How do you fancy a trip to Raseri? They love alien visitors and I bet they've never seen a human before."
She smiled back, "Sounds good."
"Brilliant!" He hopped to his feet and helped her up from the grass, giving her a quick hug - then he headed towards the door.
"What is this room anyway?" she asked as they walked back out into the corridor.
"It’s the Rainbow Room," the Doctor answered, "sometimes the TARDIS likes to play and she makes rainbows." He patted the wall gently, then set off at a brisk pace, striding towards the Control Room, and pushing aside the memories and feelings stirred up by their conversation.