The Long Weekend (1/2)
Title: The Long Weekend (1/2)
Author: Persiflage_1
Characters/Pairings: Martha/Sarah Jane/Jack/Tenth Doctor, Maria Jackson
Rating: NC-17 (m/m and f/f slash)
Warning: There's a reference to a rape witnessed by some of the characters
Spoilers: The Infinite Quest, The Last of the Time Lords, Sarah Jane Adventures
Summary: The Easter weekend in Bannerman Road doesn't go according to plan.
Disclaimer: The BBC owns "Doctor Who" and the Doctor owns me…
Author Notes: padawanpooh begged me for a sequel to The Four of Us, which is itself a sequel to Encounters. Apparently I'm now writing a series (He Really Loves Them All) !
I thought this fic was just going to be a slightly more plot-based pr0n fic - but the Bunny!Muses took it somewhere else and there's adventure, angst and pr0n.
Beta: the lovely padawanpooh
~~~~~~
Martha sat in Sarah Jane's kitchen with a cup of coffee, listening to the conversation in the hall as Sarah Jane's neighbour Maria tried to get out of the camping trip her father had organised for her, Luke and Clyde.
"But what if there's an emergency?" Maria asked, "like the Slitheen come back or another meteorite or something."
To Martha's ears, the teenager sounded desperate to persuade Sarah Jane to let her stay.
"Maria, I've been dealing with aliens and stuff for more years than you've been alive. I managed quite well by myself before you moved in over the road, I think I can manage again for a long weekend." Sarah Jane sounded weary, Martha noted. "Besides, Martha's here. You know she dealt with Judoon, Carrionites and Daleks and a lot more besides when she was travelling with the Doctor."
"Yeah, but - " Martha detected a note of whining in Maria's tone now and knew that Sarah Jane's patience would run out soon.
"Maria, how do you think your dad will feel if you refuse to go after he's arranged this weekend for you and the boys?" Silence, then Sarah Jane spoke gently. "You know he worries about you not having a normal life because you keep helping me. He'll think you'd rather spend your time with me instead of him, and you're all he's got."
Martha winced a little at the element of emotional blackmail, but she knew Sarah Jane was right to use it: it had already become clear to Martha that Maria spent almost all of her spare time with Sarah Jane when she wasn't at school.
"OK." Maria sounded defeated and Martha hoped she wouldn't spend the entire camping trip making the others miserable.
"Go and have fun. I'll see you on Tuesday evening when you get back."
Martha heard the front door close and walked through into the hall to find Sarah Jane leaning back against the front door, her eyes closed. She slid her arms around Sarah Jane and kissed her cheek.
"Hey."
Sarah Jane opened her eyes and smiled tiredly at the younger woman. "Hey yourself."
"Come and sit down," Martha said, sliding her hand into Sarah Jane's and tugging gently on her arm.
Sarah Jane allowed herself to be led into the sitting room and flopped down onto the sofa.
"Tea?" Martha asked.
"Would you mind?"
"Of course not. Stay there and I'll be back."
True to her word Martha was back a few minutes later with a mug of sweet tea to find Sarah Jane sitting on the sofa with her feet tucked up and her eyes closed.
"Here." Martha set the mug down on the coffee table by her elbow then sat down beside her.
"Sorry about Maria," Sarah Jane said.
"It's OK. I think she's a bit jealous, that's all."
Sarah Jane looked puzzled. "Jealous? Of whom?"
"Me. I think Maria's got a bit of a crush on you."
"On me? Nonsense. Why would she have a crush on me?"
"Oh I don't know." Martha said with a shrug. "A glamorous older woman with an exciting lifestyle battling aliens isn't all that sexy now I come to think about it."
Sarah Jane stared at her friend in disbelief. "You're teasing me!"
"I'm teasing you about you not being sexy," Martha agreed.
"Martha!"
"What? Come on Sarah Jane, we've been having sex for nearly two months - you don't think it's because I pity you, do you?"
"Well no, but - "
"But nothing. You're sexy and glamorous. I'm not surprised Maria's crushing on you. I would be too, if I was her age."
Sarah Jane looked stunned. "What should I do?"
"Nothing. Just treat her the same way you always do. Most teenagers don't do anything about a crush - too shy usually. I know I was, although Maria does seem more outgoing than I was at that age." She sighed. "God I feel old sometimes."
"You feel old! How do you think I feel. I'm old enough to be her grandmother." She slumped back against the sofa with her eyes closed.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Sarah Jane drinking her tea. She noticed that Martha was looking thoughtful, eyes on her boots.
"Penny for them," Sarah Jane said.
Martha looked up. "They're not worth a penny," she answered.
"You look and sound as tired as I feel," Sarah Jane observed. "Why don't we go and have a nap?"
"OK."
Sarah Jane put down her mug and got up, then held out her hand and pulled Martha up from the sofa into a hug. "Come on."
They went upstairs hand in hand and once in Sarah Jane's bedroom, they undressed and climbed into bed together. Sarah Jane lay on her side beside Martha, stroking a hand up and down her arm: the younger woman still seemed pensive.
There always seemed to be a lot going on in Martha's head that she didn't talk about and Sarah Jane suspected her reticence was partly due to her family environment and always being the one her family turned to; but she thought that Martha's year walking the world and having only herself to rely on meant it was even harder for her to talk about herself. Jack had also dropped a couple of hints in conversations they'd had that had led Sarah Jane to suspect that the Doctor hadn't really encouraged Martha to talk about herself much: he'd never been one for emotional conversations, and Sarah Jane suspected the Time War had made him even less inclined to talk.
Eventually Martha fell asleep and Sarah Jane watched her for a while, thinking how amazing it was that Martha had entered her life and how everything had changed: in that respect she was quite like the Doctor.
When Martha awoke later she found Sarah Jane's arms around her middle as they lay spooned together and smiled.
"Hello." Sarah Jane's voice in Martha's ear was quietly contented.
"Hello." Martha turned her head and Sarah Jane met her in a long, languorous kiss that roused the coiled heat in Martha's belly and loins. Sarah Jane's right hand skated up from Martha's belly to her breasts and stroked across her hardening nipples, causing the younger woman to arch into the touch.
"Someone's feeling frisky," Martha observed with a grin when they broke apart to catch their breath.
"Mmm, must be Spring," Sarah Jane answered before nuzzling Martha's neck. Her left hand drifted up to Martha's breasts whilst her right hand slid down to her waist and Martha shifted her legs, opening herself up in anticipation of Sarah Jane's touch.
Sarah Jane's fingers circled but didn't enter her. "Tease," Martha whispered breathlessly, trying to move so that Sarah Jane's fingers would go where she wanted to be touched.
"You like being teased," Sarah Jane said confidently. "It makes everything sweeter." Nevertheless she slipped a finger inside Martha's heat, finding her wet and ready.
"Ah!" Martha arched into Sarah Jane's touch, wanting so much more. She moaned again when Sarah Jane adding a second finger, curling it inside Martha to touch her sweet spot.
"Don't stop, please!" Martha begged breathless again.
Sarah Jane nuzzled into her neck, licking and sucking her skin as she picked up the pace of her strokes.
Martha's muscles tightened around Sarah Jane's fingers, squeezing hard as she came with a moan. Sarah Jane pulled her hand free and sucked her fingers clean, before rolling Martha onto her back and sliding down the bed to bury her face between Martha's thighs.
"Oh fuck!" Martha gasped as Sarah Jane began to suck and lick her. Martha pushed at Sarah Jane's shoulders and she lifted her head.
"I want to taste you too," Martha said hoarsely.
Sarah Jane smiled, then moved back up the bed and lay down facing Martha's feet. She gave a small moan of her own when Martha parted her thighs and began to stroke her tongue across her folds. Sarah Jane squirmed and Martha hummed against the older woman's flesh, knowing the effect it would have on Sarah Jane.
"Ah!" Sarah Jane pulled back to gasp desperately as Martha wound the coils of arousal tighter and tighter. "Martha!"
The younger woman continued her ministrations wanting to bring her off and was rewarded a few moments later when Sarah Jane's body shook in release, flooding Martha's mouth.
Afterwards they cuddled up together and Sarah Jane was just thinking about getting some dinner when the doorbell rang.
"Stay there," Martha said. "I'll get rid of whoever it is." She rolled out of bed and grabbed a bathrobe, pulling it on and belting it as she hurried barefoot down the stairs. She opened the door, ready to repel boarders, and found Jack on the doorstep. He was already smiling as the door opened, but when he took in Martha's slender form and dishevelled look, his smile widened into an appreciative grin.
"Well hello," he drawled.
"Jack! What are you - never mind, you'd better come inside." Martha stepped aside to allow him into the house.
"Who is it?" called Sarah Jane as she appeared at the top of the stairs, also wrapped in a bathrobe. "Jack!"
"Hello." He grinned at them both, causing them to blush as they realised he had guessed what they'd been doing.
"Do you want to make some tea whilst we get dressed?"
"Don't get dressed on my account," he answered.
"Stop it Jack!" Martha said, swatting his arm before she hurried upstairs.
His teasing laughter rang out before he disappeared into the kitchen to make the tea. Five minutes later, Martha and Sarah Jane walked in, both fully dressed and looking quite respectable.
"Sorry to interrupt the two of you," he said handing them each a mug of tea.
"It's OK. What are you doing in London anyway?" asked Sarah Jane.
"Had to come up on Torchwood business. And since I was in the area, I thought I'd look the two of you up. I didn't anticipate finding you both here, although I'm not surprised." He grinned at them over his mug and Martha rolled her eyes at him. "I'm guessing you've ditched the teens?"
"Alan's taken them camping for the long weekend."
Jack nodded and was about to say something else when they all heard a chiming sound. "What's that?" he asked.
"Mr Smith," Sarah Jane answered, looking surprised. She hurried out, followed by Jack and Martha.
They piled into the attic and Jack stared in astonishment as the chimney breast broke open in a cloud of smoke, whilst a fanfare played.
Martha elbowed him in the ribs and he realised his mouth was hanging open in a very undignified manner. Snapping it shut, he put an arm around Martha.
"What is it Mr Smith?"
"I have detected an incoming transmission from the individual known as the Doctor," answered the computer.
The three Companions looked at each other in surprise, then turned back to the computer. "Please play the transmission Mr Smith."
There was a momentary pause then the Doctor's voice crackled from the speakers: "Hello Sarah Jane. I'm sorry to bother you, but I've got myself into a bit of a tight situation. Can you get hold of Jack for me and get him to give his wrist computer to Mr Smith. There’s a little program attached to this transmission which will reprogram the Vortex Manipulator so that he can come and help me. Oh and whatever you do, don't tell Martha. I don't want her getting involved. This is no place for her."
Jack and Sarah Jane immediately turned to look at Martha. "I'm going with you," she told Jack, who nodded, expecting nothing less.
"He won't be happy about it," Jack said.
Martha snorted. "Of course not, but once I'm there, he won't be able to do much about it." She turned to Sarah Jane. "What about you?"
Sarah Jane shrugged. "I'm not staying here to wonder what's happening to you two."
"Good." Martha turned to Jack expectantly and he unfastened the strap of his wrist computer and handed it to Sarah Jane.
"Here's the wrist computer," Sarah Jane told Mr Smith, who slid a shelf out of the front part of his casing. Sarah Jane put the device down and they watched as lights danced across it for a few minutes.
"The device has been reprogrammed," intoned Mr Smith. "I have input the coordinates that I received from the Doctor."
"Thank you Mr Smith." She watched as the computer shut itself away again. "Are we heading off straight away?" she asked.
"I want to get a couple of things from my car," Martha said, heading to the door.
They heard her running lightly down the stairs.
"We could go without her," Sarah Jane suggested when she was sure Martha was out of earshot.
Jack arched an eyebrow at her. "She'd kill us when we got back. And whilst I can come back, I'm fairly sure you can't."
Sarah Jane nodded and smiled. "I had to suggest it though."
They waited in silence, both wondering what situation the Doctor had got himself into, until Martha came hurrying back up to the attic. She was carrying Sarah Jane's leather jacket and wearing the black coat that she'd worn during her year walking the world. Jack saw that she was tucking a field medical kit into one of the pockets of the coat.
"Ready?" she asked, handing Sarah Jane her coat.
They both nodded and Martha took one of Sarah Jane's hands in her own. "This will make you feel nauseous," she warned.
"Good job we haven't eaten yet," Sarah Jane observed.
Martha nodded, then put her hand, still holding Sarah Jane's, over Jack's and nodded to him. He pressed the buttons and the attic was filled with a swirl of light as they dematerialised.
They materialised in a bleak, forbidding landscape: the ground, what they could see of it in the grey half light, was rock-strewn and scarred by large burnt patches. There were ruined and fire damaged buildings in the middle distance that looked as if they had only recently collapsed. The sky was shrouded in a weird purple mist although Martha wasn't sure if the sky was purple and the mist translucent. There was a smell of burning in the air and a deathly silence hung over them.
"Where are we?" she asked Jack quietly.
"Odemark," he answered, a look of distaste on his face. "Third planet in the Ildstorm system. A long way from Earth," he added.
"Can you tell where the Doctor is?" asked Sarah Jane.
Jack nodded and consulted his wrist computer. "I've got a trace on him." He pointed to a building at the outer edge of the group in the distance. "See that tall thin one? He's in there somewhere."
"Come on then," Martha said briskly. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get him out and get back home." She set off cautiously across the uneven ground.
Jack looked at Sarah Jane who shrugged before following Martha.
I just hope the Doctor doesn't kill me for bringing them, Jack thought as he set off after them.
It took them 45 minutes to cross to the building Jack had indicated, stepping carefully for fear of twisting their ankles on the rocks. They took a moment to catch their breath once they reached the tower, all three leaning back against the wall.
"What do you know about this planet Jack?" asked Martha.
"I don't have a lot of concrete information. It's mostly hearsay, but the Time Agency always believed that it was used to incarcerate criminals from this quadrant of the galaxy. Ildstorm has a bad reputation, and Odemark is the reason for that reputation."
"So the Doctor could be locked up in here?" Sarah Jane asked, looking anxious.
Jack nodded. "Yeah. The fact that he said he was in a tight situation makes it likely he's been jailed for a crime: whether he's actually committed one or not, who knows."
Martha sighed, remembering the trip she and the Doctor had made to Volag-Noc, the ice prison planet: he'd been scanned there and the Governor had told her the Doctor had 3005 outstanding convictions, although that had included 250 counts of evading library fines.
"Whether he has or not, we need to get him out. But first, we need to get in." She looked at her companions expectantly: Jack had his wrist computer and Sarah Jane had a Sonic Lipstick, so hopefully one or other of those items would allow them to get inside. She tried not to mind the fact that she didn't have any gadgets of her own.
Sarah Jane pulled her device from her jeans pocket and twisted it to switch it on: Jack was already scanning the area once more. "There's a door on the other side of the tower," he said softly. "I'm picking up energy readings inside, but I can't tell if they're lifesigns."
Martha nodded. "You first," she said. "Then Sarah Jane, then me." Sarah Jane opened her mouth to protest, but Martha put a finger over her mouth and spoke quietly in her ear. "I'm covering your back. I've got more recent experience at moving stealthily than you have. OK?"
Sarah Jane nodded, then turned to follow Jack and Martha stepped after her, turning at every other step to look behind them. They crept quietly and cautiously around to the door, then waited whilst Jack scanned it.
"Sarah Jane, you should be able to unlock it with your Sonic," he said quietly by her ear.
She nodded, then aimed the Lipstick at the lock which opened with a small snick. Martha tugged on her arm to get her to step back, then looked expectantly at Jack, who eased the door ajar.
As he stepped through Jack wondered about the fact that he'd ceded leadership of their group to Martha. Not that he minded her being in charge, but now he thought about it, it was a strange thing for him to do.
He glanced around the room they'd entered. It was cold, dimly lit and appeared to be a storage area, judging by the shelves full of boxes and the stacks of crates here and there. Looking back over his shoulder he saw that Martha had wedged the door so that it remained slightly ajar, just in case they needed to get back out in a hurry.
The trio crept across the room, moving as carefully as possible through the free-standing shelving units and stacks of crates. Eventually they found another door and Jack cautiously tried the handle: it was locked, so Sarah Jane sonicked it open. Jack went through first again, followed by Sarah Jane and Martha, and they found themselves in a grey corridor that was no better lit than the store room.
"It's too quiet," Martha said softly and the others looked back at her in surprise. She fished in the pocket of her jeans and pulled out her TARDIS key.
"Have you got yours?" she asked Jack. He nodded. "Put it on and stay here with Sarah Jane - if you hold her, it should shield her too. I'm going to reconnoitre."
"Here." Sarah Jane held out her Sonic Lipstick. "Just in case," she said.
Martha looked at the device, then shook her head. "Better not. If I get caught, you'll lose it." She set off down the corridor, leaving her companions looking at each other wonderingly.
"She's turning into the Doctor," Sarah Jane said.
Jack nodded as he pulled his TARDIS key from his pocket. "I wondered if you'd noticed that." He slipped it on, then pulled Sarah Jane close and looped the string over her head and around her neck. She shivered a little. "Are you OK?" he asked.
"Yeah - just cold and nervous," she answered wrapping her arms around herself.
Jack opened his coat and wrapped it around her, pulling her closer against his body and resting his chin on the top of her head. Sarah Jane moved her arms and wrapped them around him: she tried to distract herself from her nerves by thinking of Luke and Clyde, Maria and Alan: she wondered if they had settled in at their campsite, and if Maria was still upset that Sarah Jane had persuaded her to go.
Jack was just considering whether they should go after Martha went she came into view at the other end of the corridor. He saw with alarm that she was leaning one shoulder against the wall as she beckoned them to her and he quickly pulled off his TARDIS key, leaving it around Sarah Jane's neck as he hurried to Martha, with Sarah Jane close behind.
"Are you OK?" he asked, taking hold of Martha's other shoulder.
She nodded, her teeth clenched.
"What is it?" asked Sarah Jane anxiously.
"There's an archway around the corner, leads into the main part of the tower. There's some sort of technology built into it, triggers bad memories as you go through."
"Shit!" Jack couldn't help swearing softly when he thought of all Martha had been through recently and how ghastly it must have been to have those memories come flooding back. He pulled her into a gentle hug and Sarah Jane stepped closer to wrap her arms around Martha too: they both understood now why the Doctor had said this was no place for Martha.
"You want to wait here?" Jack asked after a few minutes.
Martha shook her head. "Now I know that thing's there, it won't be so bad," she answered. "It wasn't when I came back through just now."
Jack nodded in understanding although he wasn’t happy. "Let's get going then," he said. "The sooner we move, the sooner we can find the Doc and get out of here."
They found the archway around the corner as Martha had described: it was made of rock but fitted with what appeared to be sensors and scanners. Jack and Sarah Jane both opened their gadgets and scanned it, then looked at the results.
"You can't deactivate it, can you?" asked Martha.
"No," Jack said regretfully. "I'm not sure even the Doc could with his Sonic Screwdriver."
She nodded. "I'll go first since I've already done this twice. Be warned, it'll probably make you feel sick and dizzy."
She bit her bottom lip, then straightened her back and shoulders before marching through. It took four steps to clear the archway: Jack and Sarah Jane saw Martha falter before she took the final step, then she staggered clear and into the wall.
Jack turned to Sarah Jane. "Let's see if going through together confuses it, shall we?"
She nodded and took the hand he offered her before they stepped forward together. Instantly memories assaulted them: Jack remembered the many hundreds of times he'd been killed and the colleagues he'd lost during his long lifetime, whilst Sarah Jane recalled the misery of being abandoned by the Doctor, all those years ago; believing she'd lost Luke, the misery of being ripped from reality and trapped in an alternate dimension outside time, and the pain of Mr Smith's betrayal.
"Don't stop!" Martha called urgently seeing them pause. "Keep moving!" She stood just outside the reach of the archway, holding her hands out to both of them.
Sarah Jane took another step, tugging on Jack's hand and reached her free hand to Martha who grabbed it and hauled her through bodily. Jack and Sarah Jane both staggered past the furthest edge of the arch and into the wall, both retching uncontrollably. Jack lifted his face, crying silently, and Martha wrapped her arms around him, kissing his cheeks, then reached out an arm to Sarah Jane and pulled her closer, kissing her too.
"OK?" she asked, an arm around each of them. She didn't tell them that she'd lied about it getting easier each time you went through: she simply couldn't have waited in the corridor for them to come back with the Doctor.
"Yeah," Jack said hoarsely, straightening up. He looked at Sarah Jane. "You OK?" he asked worriedly, noticing how pale and sick she looked.
"I think so," she said. She allowed Jack to help her up and didn't complain when he slipped an arm around her to support her.
He looked over Sarah Jane's head and saw Martha giving her a worried look. He nodded and they set off again until they spotted another doorway ahead of them.
"Uh-oh." Martha's voice was quietly grim as she spotted a second archway between them and the door.
Sarah Jane looked from the archway to the faces of her companions. "Leave me here," she said.
Jack saw Martha hesitate, torn between staying with Sarah Jane and going on. "I'll stay," he said.
Martha looked at him in surprise, watching as he eased Sarah Jane down to sit on the floor, before unstrapping his wrist computer.
"Here." He strapped it around Martha's wrist. "I'll program our coordinates into it and you should be able to just teleport back down here with the Doc once you've found him." He pressed several buttons on the device, then showed Martha which ones to use to activate the teleport.
"Be careful sweetheart," he said, kissing her firmly on the mouth.
Martha turned to Sarah Jane. "I'm sorry," Sarah Jane said. "I shouldn't have come."
"I'm glad you did," Martha said quietly, then kissed her softly on the mouth, before pulling away and standing up.
"Good luck," they said.
Martha nodded, then set off down the corridor. She didn't dare to hesitate going through the new arch and she was glad that the door was unlocked when she staggered out the other side. She waited until she'd shut the door behind her before leaning against the wall, fighting her nausea and dizziness; tears streaming down her cheeks.
After a couple of minutes she scrubbed her sleeve across her face and set off to search every room on the ground floor. There were four rooms, each of them reached via a short tunnel guarded by an arch: all of them were empty. She hadn't found any computers or plans of the tower, just four empty rooms that were bare enough to be cells. She wondered what sort of technology it was that it could affect this way: the repeated assaults of bad memories were making her feel physically ill, not just traumatised.
She set off upstairs to the next floor, stumbling dizzily up the stairs as she fought against the memories that were battering her mind: the sights and sounds of the Master's casual destruction of her planet.
The four rooms on the first floor were all empty too and she wondered where the prisoners had gone, if this was even a prison at all. When she reached the foot of the staircase that led up to the second floor, she sank down onto a stair, hanging onto the railing in case she couldn't find enough strength to just stand up.
Martha fished in the pocket of her trusty coat, wondering if she'd made a mistake in wearing it: what if it was helping to intensify the memories that the arches were producing? She shook her head in disgust at herself for thinking such a foolish thing and pulled her hand out clutching what she had been looking for: the remains of a packet of mints, given to her by one of the sailors who'd brought her across the English Channel on the day of the Master's countdown. He'd seemed very young and impossibly romantic to her, but she hadn't forgotten his generosity to her when he'd had so little himself. She popped a mint in her mouth, shaking her head as if to dislodge her memories, then set off upstairs to the second floor.
* * * * * *
Downstairs Jack had settled himself on the floor of the corridor with Sarah Jane in his lap, her head tucked into the crook of his neck: she'd fallen sleep about ten minutes after Martha had gone and Jack was dozing himself when Sarah Jane cried out for Luke. He jerked awake instantly and tightened his hold on Sarah Jane, who began to struggle against his arms. Reluctantly he woke her and she straightened up, looking around frantically.
"Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane, it's OK. It was just a dream." He stroked her hair from her face, then kissed her cheek.
"Jack?" She looked and sounded bewildered.
"It's OK sweetheart. It's OK."
She slumped against his body again. "I was dreaming about the day they took Luke," she said.
"Try not to think about it," he answered softly. "Think about something good: like your first kiss, or the first time you met the Doctor, or the day you met Martha."
"I don't think I can remember those things now," she said after a moment.
"Do you want me to help you?" he asked.
She straightened up and looked at him in surprise. "How?"
"I'm a little bit telepathic," he told her.
"You've never said. All those times we've talked, you never mentioned that."
"I don't make a big thing about it," he answered. "It freaks out a lot of people."
"Oh." She looked at him thoughtfully. "Can you read people's minds?"
"Not as easily as the Doctor does, but I can help you recall things."
"OK."
"Close your eyes," he told her. She did and he put his fingers to the centre of her forehead, closed his own eyes and concentrated. "Think of Martha," he said softly.
Sarah Jane pictured Martha: her slender body, her determined expression, the fire in her eyes when something roused her wrath. Jack took Sarah Jane's picture and used it to bring her memories of Martha to the fore, racing back through them like a film that was being rewound until he reached the first one Sarah Jane had, of the day she had visited Martha after he'd finally persuaded her to go and see the younger woman. He watched the scene that unfolded, curious about how Martha had behaved on first meeting this former Companion of the Doctor.
* * * * * *
Martha leant against the wall after passing the twelfth arch, then opened the fourth and final door on the second floor. She peered inside and in the dim light saw a figure sprawled on the bed in the corner: that was enough to jerk her upright again, her survival instincts leaping to the fore. She stepped silently into the room and began to move cautiously towards the bed until she was close enough to see it was the Doctor.
"Doctor." Martha called his name softly but he didn't respond, then she was close enough to see he was gagged and either asleep or unconscious. He didn't seem to be tied up though, and the door had been unlocked, which was puzzling but fortunate for her. She bent over him, then put her head to his chest and found his double heartsbeat with a sense of relief: they seemed a little slower than usual, but then he wasn't bouncing around as usual. She put her hand to his forehead and found it warmer than she'd have expected: did that mean he had a fever she wondered uneasily?
She untied the gag after a struggle with the knot, then looked around the room and found his coat and shoes dumped on a rickety chair: she snatched them up and got his shoes onto his feet after a brief wrestling match with his unresponsive limbs. She wondered whether to check his coat pockets had everything in them, but then remembered that they were bigger on the inside, so she contented herself with sliding a hand into his jacket pocket and sighed with relief when her fingers closed around the familiar shape of his Sonic Screwdriver. She pulled the Doctor up into a sitting position and managed to get him into his coat, then wrapped one arm around him before placing his hand over hers as she activated the teleport on Jack's wrist computer.
Sarah Jane and Jack scrambled up from the floor when Martha and the Doctor appeared in the corridor beside them.
"He's ill," Martha told them. "Feverish and unconscious. We need to get him to the TARDIS as soon as possible."
"May I?" Jack asked, gesturing at his wrist computer.
She nodded and held out her arm so he could unfasten the strap. He slid it back onto his own wrist, then played with the controls for a few long moments.
"Got her," he said in a pleased tone. "She's down in the basement."
"Can we teleport straight there?" Martha asked anxiously.
Jack looked up at her searchingly. "Yes we can."
"Then let's go."
She placed her hand and the Doctor's over Sarah Jane's and Jack's, and Jack pressed the buttons, teleporting them down into the basement. Sarah Jane staggered as she landed, but remained on her feet. Martha didn't fare as well: the combination of the Doctor's dead weight in her arms and the effects of all the arches she'd crossed through meant that she fell over, the unconscious Time Lord falling on top of her. Jack had managed to keep his balance and he quickly hauled the Doctor up into a fireman's lift whilst Sarah Jane helped Martha up.
"Are you OK?" Sarah Jane asked anxiously.
"Been better," Martha answered tersely, leaning on Sarah Jane more than she'd have liked.
Jack unlocked the door of the TARDIS and they got themselves into the ship as fast as possible. "I suggest we all go to the Med Bay," he said as Sarah Jane shut the door behind Martha.
A few minutes later, the Doctor was stretched out on a bed and Martha, ignoring Jack's insistent requests that she get some rest herself, was busy hooking him up to various monitors. She noticed that he seemed even thinner than usual: his normally tight suit was hanging loose on his body, and she was worried that he was malnourished as well as feverish. She was hoping that the TARDIS would be able to tell her what was wrong with him.
Jack helped Sarah Jane to his old room so she could get some sleep: they hadn't wanted to go searching for Sarah Jane's old bedroom. Martha had quickly checked Sarah Jane over and informed them both that she just needed some sleep. Sarah Jane accepted a sedative from Martha and allowed Jack to accompany her out of the Med Bay.
"She'll be alright, Jack," Sarah Jane said as he helped her to get undressed and into his bed. "You know Martha, she's a lot tougher than she looks."
He nodded, tight-lipped. He didn't tell Sarah Jane that he was certain that Martha had lied to them about the effects of the arches decreasing with each use. He tucked her into bed with a hug, a kiss and a murmured "Sleep well", then hurried back to the Med Bay.
Martha was sitting at the Doctor's bedside, his right hand clasped in both of hers as she stared at the monitors.
"How is he?" Jack asked quietly as he crossed to her side.
"Sick." She gave him an anguished look. "He hasn't had anything to eat or drink for nearly two weeks, according to the TARDIS, that's why he's unconscious. If he'd been human, he'd be dead by now." She nodded to the IV she had hooked up. "It's going to take some time to get enough nutrients into him."
She looked up at Jack. "Can you get the TARDIS out of here?"
"I think so," he answered. "With her help."
"Then let's not hang about here in case someone turns up and discovers the Doctor is missing." She knew that the TARDIS was impregnable, so no one could get in even if they did turn up, but she was desperate to get away from this awful place.
"You need to get some rest," Jack said.
"I know," she answered. "But not yet. Please Jack, get us into the Vortex."
"OK." He kissed her forehead, then went out to the Control Room.
He hoped that his past connection to the telepathic ship, and the tender loving care he’d given her through his time as a Companion would enable him to communicate with the Tardis: hopefully she had forgiven him for being "wrong", just as her Time Lord had. He crossed to the console and ran his hands lightly up and down the Time Rotor.
"Hello old girl," he said softly. He leant forward, resting his forehead against the column. We need to get out of here, into the Time Vortex, he told the ship. He felt a change in the notes of her humming and smiled. That's my girl. He stepped back, then moved his hands to the dials and switches that the TARDIS showed him. He circled the console, changing various settings, then finally released the handbrake. The Time Rotor began to move and his smile broadened into an outright grin as the ship moved out of normal space and into the Vortex. He leant forward and planted a smacking kiss on the Time Rotor. "Thanks sweetheart."
In the Med Bay, Martha breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the ship move and when Jack hurried in, she gave him a tired smile.
"Well done."
"Thanks." He knelt down beside her. "Are you going to get some rest now?" he asked.
She nodded, then showed him which readings he needed to keep an eye on. "If any of these drop below the levels I've noted," she told him, pointing to a chart on a clipboard that rested on the end of the bed, "wake me up immediately." She looked up at him. "And I mean immediately," she said emphatically.
"OK." He helped her up from the chair. "Where are you going to sleep?" he asked as she released the Doctor's hand.
"Here," she said, nodding towards another of the beds.
"Wouldn't you rather - " Jack began.
"No," she interrupted. "I need to be here, on hand." She gave him a look he knew well: the one that she used when she would brook no arguments. "I do it all the time at the hospital remember," she said more softly.
Martha tucked her stethoscope into the pocket of the white coat she'd put on earlier, then peeled it off. Jack took it from her and watched as she sat down to take off her boots and socks before climbing onto the bed. He pulled a blanket over her, then bent his head to kiss her forehead.
"Wake me up if you need to sleep," she told him. He opened his mouth and she reached out to place a finger over his lips. "I've worked in A&E often enough, I can catnap," she said. "So wake me if you need to sleep. Doctor's orders."
He saluted her with two fingers. "Yes Doctor Jones."
"Thanks Jack," she murmured. The next moment she was asleep.
* * * * * *
By Martha's estimation, it took four days for the Doctor to wake up: but being in the Vortex, where no time passed, this was rather a rough estimate. She was sitting at his bedside, talking softly to him, when he woke and turned his deep brown eyes to her face.
"Martha?" he asked disbelievingly.
"Hello Doctor."
"What are you doing here?" He sounded fretful.
"Waiting for you to wake up," she answered.
"But I told Jack - "
"Not to tell me, I know." She gave him a half smile. "When Sarah Jane got your message, Jack and I were already with her."
"But the arches," he said worriedly.
"Nasty bit of technology," she agreed.
He looked at her searchingly. She seemed very calm and matter-of-fact, but there was something lurking in those dark eyes of hers. He resolved that they'd have to talk about this as soon as he was feeling less like a limp lettuce.
"Where's Jack?" he asked.
"He and Sarah Jane are sleeping," she told him.
"Sarah Jane is here too?" he asked startled.
Martha nodded. "Those arches gave her nightmares for a couple of days, but Jack said she's slept fine the last two nights. Well, what passes for night here."
"Sarah Jane and Jack are sleeping together?" he asked surprised. "I thought you - " He broke off abruptly seeing something in her face that he couldn't immediately pinpoint.
"We've never been exclusive, remember," she told him, managing a small smile. “Do you want something to eat? Or a cup of tea?"
His face brightened perceptibly. "I could murder a cup of tea."
"Give me a few minutes, then," she said as she finished her notes on his chart. She went out and he picked up the records from the end of the bed, being careful not to snag his IV, and read through her careful notes with the realisation that she'd saved his life yet again.
Martha came back sooner than he'd expected, carefully carrying a mug from which steam was rising invitingly. She set it down on the little side table by the head of the bed, then adjusted the bed so that the head rose up to an angle, supporting him in a sitting position.
"Here." She passed him the mug of tea, then fished in her pocket and pulled out half a packet of his favourite chocolate digestives. She put them down on the bed, then quickly and deftly removed the IV, applying a small dressing to the spot where it had been inserted into his skin.
The Doctor watched silently, drinking his tea, as Martha disconnected him from the various monitors. He loved watching her work: she was graceful, yet deft and economical in her movements. He ought to take her dancing some time, he decided.
"How did you end up on Odemark?"
He pulled a face. "Walked into a trap."
She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "You walked into a trap?" He nodded. "You need a Companion," she told him.
"Are you re-applying for the job?" he asked lightly.
She shrugged. "Maybe. Tell me about the trap."
So he told her about receiving a distress call, apparently from a stricken shuttle which had been caught in a solar flare. He'd traced the signal, but when the TARDIS had arrived, he'd found himself on Odemark. He'd been arrested for trespassing on the prison planet and sentenced without a trial. A few days later, there had been an attempted breakout and almost everyone had been killed or had escaped.
"Why not you?" Martha asked, puzzled.
"The arch. It triggers bad memories."
She frowned, then realised the implications. "Gallifrey," she whispered, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
He nodded. "I literally couldn't get out of the room. I tried several times before I grew too weak to walk. The memories were so bad that I was incapacitated."
"Oh god." She started to cry; she'd thought reliving her own memories had been bad enough, but for the Doctor to relive the destruction of Gallifrey over and over again: it was a wonder he hadn't gone mad.
She became aware that she was sobbing against the Doctor's shoulder, his arms wrapped around her. "Shh, shh. It's OK Martha, it's OK."
After several minutes, she pulled away and gave him a watery smile. "Sorry."
"You've nothing to apologise for," he said. He held both her hands in his. "Tell me about how you got me out."
So she told him, starting from Mr Smith relaying his message and ending with them arriving back at the TARDIS. "Jack got her into the Vortex," she said. "I don't know how."
"He's slightly telepathic - just enough that the TARDIS could guide him," the Doctor said.
"Oh." She digested that. "He's never said."
"A lot of the Time Agents have some telepathic abilities," he told her. They were silent for several minutes. "Those arches must have affected you pretty badly, though. Worse than Sarah Jane."
She pulled a face. "They were horrible. It was lucky I found you when I did, I don't think I could have managed to search another floor."
"They must have given you nightmares, too, worse than Sarah Jane's," he observed, watching her intently.
She nodded and he saw something flicker in her face, but it was gone too fast for him to decide what the emotion was. "I slept in here so I wouldn't disturb anyone."
"Is that why - "
"Why Jack and Sarah Jane are sleeping together?" she interrupted. "Sort of. When we first got on board the TARDIS, Sarah Jane needed some sleep and rather than hunt for her room, she slept in Jack's. Because we've been sleeping shifts, more or less, so that there was always someone watching you, she continued to use Jack's room. When she had nightmares, he comforted her." Martha turned her head away, aware that the Doctor was watching her closely and not wanting him to guess how much it had hurt her that Sarah Jane had preferred to turn to Jack.
"But what about you?"
She glanced back at his face. "Jack and Sarah Jane were lovers before she met me - maybe she realised she preferred men to women."
This time the Doctor could see the hurt in her eyes. "It's not like Sarah Jane to be fickle," he said.
Martha opened her mouth to answer just as Jack walked in. "Hey Doc, good to see you're awake. How are you feeling?"
He shrugged. "I've been worse. I'm ravenous though."
"I'll go and see if I can find you something more substantial than biscuits to eat," Martha said, retreating to the door.
Jack put a hand on her arm before she disappeared. "Sarah Jane was asking for you," he said. "That's why I came in."
She nodded. "OK."
Jack watched her go, then turned back to the Doctor and was surprised by the disappointed look on the Time Lord's face. "What?"
"I'm surprised at you, shutting Martha out."
Jack raised his eyebrows. "Me shutting Martha out? Try Martha shutting us out." He dropped into the chair she'd vacated and rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know what happened to her when she went looking for you, but she's not been herself since then. I've tried to get her to talk, and so has Sarah Jane, but she's fobbed us both off."
"Oh." The Doctor looked thoughtful. "It must have been the effect of those arches. She told me that when she was searching for me, she searched four rooms on three floors, each guarded by an arch so she had to pass through a dozen of the things twice, going in and out - " He met Jack's eyes, realisation dawning of just what she had endured for him and knew the other man understood how awful that must have been for Martha.
"They're designed to debilitate, too," the Time Lord continued, his loathing for such technology clear in his tone, "so the cumulative effect wears you down. The prison staff all wore special helmets that shielded them, but Martha was unprotected."
"Shit! I had no idea. She told us that going through the first arch a second time wasn't as bad as the first time and I believed her. Sarah Jane and I only went through the first arch once."
The Doctor nodded. "Martha's tough, but those arches are the worst example of telepathic technology I've ever come across: even with my mental shields, I suffered ill-effects." He rubbed his eyes. "We need to find a way of reconnecting with Martha so she doesn't feel so isolated by her experience."
Jack gave him a thoughtful look, which the Time Lord noticed. "What?"
"Well, we're both a little bit telepathic, can we use that to share her memories? What she went through during that year you rewound must make her feel pretty isolated anyway, without this as well."
"We could try it," the Doctor said. "I'll try anything." He swallowed hard. "I don't want to lose her Jack."
* * * * * *
Martha made her way through the corridors to Jack’s room, well; his and Sarah Jane's room, she thought darkly. She was relieved that the Doctor was finally awake, knowing that they'd be going home soon. She decided that she was going to spend as much of the remaining weekend as possible sleeping in her own bed.
When she opened the bedroom door, she was surprised to find Sarah Jane in bed. She hesitated in the doorway, still holding the handle. "Jack said you wanted me?" she asked uncertainly.
Sarah Jane sat up, the sheet sliding down to show she was naked. "I've been wanting you for days," she said softly and patted the bed beside her with a smile.
Martha stared at the older woman. "The Doctor's awake," she said abruptly. "I'm going to get him something to eat." She turned and fled.
* * * * * *
Sarah Jane walked into the Med Bay a few minutes after Martha had left, now dressed and looking unhappy.
"I thought you were going to - " Jack began, then stopped, unsure whether the Doctor would disapprove.
"Seduce Martha?" Sarah Jane finished. "She took one look at me and bolted, more or less."
The Doctor sat up straighter. "Have either of you hugged her since we left Odemark?"
Jack shook his head. "Just a kiss on the forehead."
"I haven't touched her since I helped her into the TARDIS after we rescued you," Sarah Jane said.
"You don't think she was raped, do you?" asked Jack worriedly.
The Time Lord shook his head. "I'm pretty sure she wasn't. But I wonder what bad memory those arches unlocked. I think we're going to have to find a way to get Martha to talk."
* * * * * *
Martha banged around the kitchen, taking her frustration out on the cupboards and drawers until the TARDIS' hum took on a pained note. She let go of the door she was holding and leant her forehead against the wall instead. "I'm sorry," she breathed. Turning, she allowed herself to slide down the wall and bent her knees in front of her so she could rest her arms on them. She decided that doctors really did make the worst patients, including, no especially, psychiatrists.
She sat there for several minutes, staring vacantly at nothing until she remembered she was supposed to be getting the Doctor something to eat. She got up and sorted out some pasta, fresh veg and tuna steaks, figuring she might as well make enough for everyone whilst she was at it. Everything was cooked and ready to serve, and she was just getting a bottle of fruit juice out of the fridge when the Doctor walked in, closely followed by Jack and Sarah Jane.
"You got up," she said stupidly.
He nodded. "You know me, can't stay still for long." He sniffed appreciatively. "Something smells good."
"Thanks." She looked at them warily: something about their body language told her that there was going to be a confrontation in the not-too-distant future and she felt anxious at the prospect.
"Tell you what, let's go mad and have some wine," the Doctor said, taking the bottle of fruit juice from Martha and delving into the fridge: he passed the bottle to Jack, who opened it.
Sarah Jane sat down and watched Jack pouring the alien Chardonnay.
"I'll help you serve, shall I?" asked the Doctor.
She nodded and pulled the tuna steaks from the grill, whilst the Doctor grabbed the pasta. Within a few minutes everything was ready to eat and Martha found herself being guided into a chair next to the Doctor.
Jack started telling anecdotes about life at Torchwood as everyone ate and Martha found herself beginning to relax, although she kept her eyes on her plate and wine glass, which the Doctor was keeping topped up.
"We'll wash up later," he said when everyone had eaten enough. "Let's go for a walk." He held out his hand to Martha and she took it, feeling properly relaxed for the first time since they'd left Odemark.
They headed to the meadow room that they'd visited on Sarah Jane's birthday and Martha suddenly felt nervous. The Doctor must have sensed she was tense because he stopped and pulled her into a hug.
"What is it Martha? You've been hiding something ever since Odemark."
"I'm fine," she said starting to pull away.
"No you're not," the Doctor said softly, holding her firmly. "Talk to us, Martha."
"I can't," she said desperately.
"Then show us."
She stilled and looked up into his face, startled. "What?"
"I'm telepathic, so's Jack - you can show us whatever memory has been bothering you and we'll help you deal with it." He held her gaze with his own and she saw concern and warmth in his eyes.
"It's horrible," she said quietly.
"I know," the Doctor said. "It had to be, for you to have been behaving the way you have."
"What about Sarah Jane?" Martha asked, glancing over at the older woman. "She's not telepathic. And - I don't think she should see it."
"She deserves to know why you've been avoiding her, don't you think?" asked the Doctor mildly.
Martha looked over at Sarah Jane again, then up at the Doctor again. "How are we going to do this?"
"Sit down," he said, with a gesture, and they sat down, Jack and the Doctor on either side of Martha and Sarah Jane opposite so that they formed a square. "Jack and I will see your memories and with the help of the TARDIS, we'll project it into the centre of the square so that Sarah Jane can see it."
She looked around at their faces. "I can't - It's not fair - "
"No, it's not fair," Sarah Jane agreed, reaching across to touch her arm. "It's not fair that you're miserable. But we want to help you."
"You've been avoiding the two of us all this time," Jack said, touching her other arm, "but we're not stupid, Martha, we know you're hurting and we don't want that. Please let us help you."
She sighed. She could tell that they weren't going to give up on her. "OK."
The Doctor put the fingers of his left hand to Martha's temple and took her right hand in his other hand. Jack moved his arm, then put the fingers of his right hand to the centre of Martha's forehead and held her left hand in his.
Sarah Jane put one hand on the Doctor's right shoulder and the other on Jack's left shoulder, then smiled at Martha. "Be strong," she said softly, smiling warmly.
"Close your eyes," the Doctor said. Martha obeyed. "Now relive the memory."
They saw a forest where Spring was slowly overtaking Winter: there were a few patches of snow here and there under the trees, but there was a lot of green too.
"Where are you?" asked the Doctor.
"Russia." Martha whispered, her grip on the Doctor's hand tight.
They watched as a teenage girl and a younger boy ran towards a hut. They were still several feet away when a group of four men in the black uniforms of the Master soldiers appeared around the corner of the hut. The pair skidded to a halt, the girl promptly pushing the boy behind her.
"Where is Martha Jones?" asked one of the soldiers.
"I don't know," answered the girl in a defiant tone.
"I don't believe you." The soldier nodded to the others who immediately moved towards the pair.
The boy pulled away from his sister's grasp and turned to run, but he only got a few paces away when one of the soldiers shot him. The girl screamed and launched herself at the soldier who'd shot her brother: he and one of the others grabbed her arms and held her between them, her arms outstretched.
"You're a fiery one," the first soldier said admiringly as he moved towards her. "I like a girl with spirit." He stopped, then shouldered his gun, before grabbing her chin with one hand and groping between her legs with the other. The girl struggled but she was weak with hunger, and they were strong and well fed.
"Hold her down," he said. He laid aside his gun, then when the men had got her down on the forest floor, one holding an arm and leg apiece, he unzipped his trousers, pulled out his cock and raped her, ignoring her screams. The four of them took it in turns to hold her down whilst one of the others violated her. She'd stopped screaming after the third man, and the fourth got up from between her legs with a look of disgust on his face.
"I think I've been fucking a dead woman," he said, then spat on the girl's face.
They gathered up their guns, then disappeared down the track into the forest.
The Doctor pulled Martha into his arms as she sobbed in anguish. "I'm sorry Martha, I'm so sorry." He kissed the top of her head, watching as Jack moved to comfort Sarah Jane.
When Martha's sobs eased, he lifted her face from his shoulder. "I can help you to forget it again," he said. "Do you want that?"
"No!" Martha’s voice broke in anguish. "I was witness - if I forget, what that poor girl went through counts for nothing." Her eyes burned as she held the Doctor's gaze defiantly. "I won’t let that happen."
"But Martha," said Jack softly, still holding Sarah Jane but reaching one hand out to stroke Martha’s cheek. "The Doctor rewound that year. It never happened." He tried not to feel hurt as she flinched from his touch.
"It only happened in your mind," said Sarah Jane, calmly but firmly from across the square, her eyes glistening. "That girl is alive and well, with no memory of that alternate year." She smiled tenderly. "Don’t you think you deserve the same?"
The Doctor ducked his head to meet Martha’s downcast eyes. "Let me help you to let it go, please?"
Martha froze for a moment, then nodded, the other three visibly relaxing as she made her choice.
The Doctor sighed and kissed her forehead. "Close your eyes again," he said "and think of a plain white room without windows or doors or any other features." He waited a few moments. "See it?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered hoarsely.
"Concentrate on that and try not to think about anything else," he told her.
She forced herself to focus and felt the Doctor's cool fingers at her temples. He called on the TARDIS to help him and began the painstaking task of blurring Martha's memory, dulling the sharp edges, then fading it out so that she would only remember seeing the forest.
Jack sat with his arm around Sarah Jane's shoulders, watching the Doctor and Martha, although there was nothing to actually see except him holding her head. "Are you OK?" he asked Sarah Jane.
"Think so," she said. "Do you think Martha will be OK?"
"If the Doc's got anything to do with it, she will be," he answered.
After a few more minutes, the Doctor eased Martha down onto her back and they saw she was asleep. He moved over to join Jack and Sarah Jane.
"You OK?" Jack asked worriedly, noticing he looked rather worn out and suddenly remembering he'd only been awake a few hours.
He nodded. "Yeah. Could do with a nap, though." He took Sarah Jane's hands in his own. "Are you OK?"
She nodded. "What did you do to Martha?"
"Made her forget what she'd seen. All she'll remember is the forest. I can make you forget too."
She shook her head. "Seeing Martha's memory of it isn't as bad as witnessing it. It's not much different to seeing it on TV."
"That's my Sarah Jane," he said quietly. "You've always been a brave one." He looked at Jack. "You OK?"
"Yeah."
"Sure?"
Jack nodded. "I think we could all do with some sleep," he said.
The Doctor yawned suddenly. "Good plan." They moved over to where Martha was curled up peacefully and arranged themselves so that the Doctor was on one side of her and Sarah Jane was on the other, with Jack spooning up behind the older woman.
~~~~~~
LJ insisted this was too long for one post, so part two is here !
Author: Persiflage_1
Characters/Pairings: Martha/Sarah Jane/Jack/Tenth Doctor, Maria Jackson
Rating: NC-17 (m/m and f/f slash)
Warning: There's a reference to a rape witnessed by some of the characters
Spoilers: The Infinite Quest, The Last of the Time Lords, Sarah Jane Adventures
Summary: The Easter weekend in Bannerman Road doesn't go according to plan.
Disclaimer: The BBC owns "Doctor Who" and the Doctor owns me…
Author Notes: padawanpooh begged me for a sequel to The Four of Us, which is itself a sequel to Encounters. Apparently I'm now writing a series (He Really Loves Them All) !
I thought this fic was just going to be a slightly more plot-based pr0n fic - but the Bunny!Muses took it somewhere else and there's adventure, angst and pr0n.
Beta: the lovely padawanpooh
~~~~~~
Martha sat in Sarah Jane's kitchen with a cup of coffee, listening to the conversation in the hall as Sarah Jane's neighbour Maria tried to get out of the camping trip her father had organised for her, Luke and Clyde.
"But what if there's an emergency?" Maria asked, "like the Slitheen come back or another meteorite or something."
To Martha's ears, the teenager sounded desperate to persuade Sarah Jane to let her stay.
"Maria, I've been dealing with aliens and stuff for more years than you've been alive. I managed quite well by myself before you moved in over the road, I think I can manage again for a long weekend." Sarah Jane sounded weary, Martha noted. "Besides, Martha's here. You know she dealt with Judoon, Carrionites and Daleks and a lot more besides when she was travelling with the Doctor."
"Yeah, but - " Martha detected a note of whining in Maria's tone now and knew that Sarah Jane's patience would run out soon.
"Maria, how do you think your dad will feel if you refuse to go after he's arranged this weekend for you and the boys?" Silence, then Sarah Jane spoke gently. "You know he worries about you not having a normal life because you keep helping me. He'll think you'd rather spend your time with me instead of him, and you're all he's got."
Martha winced a little at the element of emotional blackmail, but she knew Sarah Jane was right to use it: it had already become clear to Martha that Maria spent almost all of her spare time with Sarah Jane when she wasn't at school.
"OK." Maria sounded defeated and Martha hoped she wouldn't spend the entire camping trip making the others miserable.
"Go and have fun. I'll see you on Tuesday evening when you get back."
Martha heard the front door close and walked through into the hall to find Sarah Jane leaning back against the front door, her eyes closed. She slid her arms around Sarah Jane and kissed her cheek.
"Hey."
Sarah Jane opened her eyes and smiled tiredly at the younger woman. "Hey yourself."
"Come and sit down," Martha said, sliding her hand into Sarah Jane's and tugging gently on her arm.
Sarah Jane allowed herself to be led into the sitting room and flopped down onto the sofa.
"Tea?" Martha asked.
"Would you mind?"
"Of course not. Stay there and I'll be back."
True to her word Martha was back a few minutes later with a mug of sweet tea to find Sarah Jane sitting on the sofa with her feet tucked up and her eyes closed.
"Here." Martha set the mug down on the coffee table by her elbow then sat down beside her.
"Sorry about Maria," Sarah Jane said.
"It's OK. I think she's a bit jealous, that's all."
Sarah Jane looked puzzled. "Jealous? Of whom?"
"Me. I think Maria's got a bit of a crush on you."
"On me? Nonsense. Why would she have a crush on me?"
"Oh I don't know." Martha said with a shrug. "A glamorous older woman with an exciting lifestyle battling aliens isn't all that sexy now I come to think about it."
Sarah Jane stared at her friend in disbelief. "You're teasing me!"
"I'm teasing you about you not being sexy," Martha agreed.
"Martha!"
"What? Come on Sarah Jane, we've been having sex for nearly two months - you don't think it's because I pity you, do you?"
"Well no, but - "
"But nothing. You're sexy and glamorous. I'm not surprised Maria's crushing on you. I would be too, if I was her age."
Sarah Jane looked stunned. "What should I do?"
"Nothing. Just treat her the same way you always do. Most teenagers don't do anything about a crush - too shy usually. I know I was, although Maria does seem more outgoing than I was at that age." She sighed. "God I feel old sometimes."
"You feel old! How do you think I feel. I'm old enough to be her grandmother." She slumped back against the sofa with her eyes closed.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Sarah Jane drinking her tea. She noticed that Martha was looking thoughtful, eyes on her boots.
"Penny for them," Sarah Jane said.
Martha looked up. "They're not worth a penny," she answered.
"You look and sound as tired as I feel," Sarah Jane observed. "Why don't we go and have a nap?"
"OK."
Sarah Jane put down her mug and got up, then held out her hand and pulled Martha up from the sofa into a hug. "Come on."
They went upstairs hand in hand and once in Sarah Jane's bedroom, they undressed and climbed into bed together. Sarah Jane lay on her side beside Martha, stroking a hand up and down her arm: the younger woman still seemed pensive.
There always seemed to be a lot going on in Martha's head that she didn't talk about and Sarah Jane suspected her reticence was partly due to her family environment and always being the one her family turned to; but she thought that Martha's year walking the world and having only herself to rely on meant it was even harder for her to talk about herself. Jack had also dropped a couple of hints in conversations they'd had that had led Sarah Jane to suspect that the Doctor hadn't really encouraged Martha to talk about herself much: he'd never been one for emotional conversations, and Sarah Jane suspected the Time War had made him even less inclined to talk.
Eventually Martha fell asleep and Sarah Jane watched her for a while, thinking how amazing it was that Martha had entered her life and how everything had changed: in that respect she was quite like the Doctor.
When Martha awoke later she found Sarah Jane's arms around her middle as they lay spooned together and smiled.
"Hello." Sarah Jane's voice in Martha's ear was quietly contented.
"Hello." Martha turned her head and Sarah Jane met her in a long, languorous kiss that roused the coiled heat in Martha's belly and loins. Sarah Jane's right hand skated up from Martha's belly to her breasts and stroked across her hardening nipples, causing the younger woman to arch into the touch.
"Someone's feeling frisky," Martha observed with a grin when they broke apart to catch their breath.
"Mmm, must be Spring," Sarah Jane answered before nuzzling Martha's neck. Her left hand drifted up to Martha's breasts whilst her right hand slid down to her waist and Martha shifted her legs, opening herself up in anticipation of Sarah Jane's touch.
Sarah Jane's fingers circled but didn't enter her. "Tease," Martha whispered breathlessly, trying to move so that Sarah Jane's fingers would go where she wanted to be touched.
"You like being teased," Sarah Jane said confidently. "It makes everything sweeter." Nevertheless she slipped a finger inside Martha's heat, finding her wet and ready.
"Ah!" Martha arched into Sarah Jane's touch, wanting so much more. She moaned again when Sarah Jane adding a second finger, curling it inside Martha to touch her sweet spot.
"Don't stop, please!" Martha begged breathless again.
Sarah Jane nuzzled into her neck, licking and sucking her skin as she picked up the pace of her strokes.
Martha's muscles tightened around Sarah Jane's fingers, squeezing hard as she came with a moan. Sarah Jane pulled her hand free and sucked her fingers clean, before rolling Martha onto her back and sliding down the bed to bury her face between Martha's thighs.
"Oh fuck!" Martha gasped as Sarah Jane began to suck and lick her. Martha pushed at Sarah Jane's shoulders and she lifted her head.
"I want to taste you too," Martha said hoarsely.
Sarah Jane smiled, then moved back up the bed and lay down facing Martha's feet. She gave a small moan of her own when Martha parted her thighs and began to stroke her tongue across her folds. Sarah Jane squirmed and Martha hummed against the older woman's flesh, knowing the effect it would have on Sarah Jane.
"Ah!" Sarah Jane pulled back to gasp desperately as Martha wound the coils of arousal tighter and tighter. "Martha!"
The younger woman continued her ministrations wanting to bring her off and was rewarded a few moments later when Sarah Jane's body shook in release, flooding Martha's mouth.
Afterwards they cuddled up together and Sarah Jane was just thinking about getting some dinner when the doorbell rang.
"Stay there," Martha said. "I'll get rid of whoever it is." She rolled out of bed and grabbed a bathrobe, pulling it on and belting it as she hurried barefoot down the stairs. She opened the door, ready to repel boarders, and found Jack on the doorstep. He was already smiling as the door opened, but when he took in Martha's slender form and dishevelled look, his smile widened into an appreciative grin.
"Well hello," he drawled.
"Jack! What are you - never mind, you'd better come inside." Martha stepped aside to allow him into the house.
"Who is it?" called Sarah Jane as she appeared at the top of the stairs, also wrapped in a bathrobe. "Jack!"
"Hello." He grinned at them both, causing them to blush as they realised he had guessed what they'd been doing.
"Do you want to make some tea whilst we get dressed?"
"Don't get dressed on my account," he answered.
"Stop it Jack!" Martha said, swatting his arm before she hurried upstairs.
His teasing laughter rang out before he disappeared into the kitchen to make the tea. Five minutes later, Martha and Sarah Jane walked in, both fully dressed and looking quite respectable.
"Sorry to interrupt the two of you," he said handing them each a mug of tea.
"It's OK. What are you doing in London anyway?" asked Sarah Jane.
"Had to come up on Torchwood business. And since I was in the area, I thought I'd look the two of you up. I didn't anticipate finding you both here, although I'm not surprised." He grinned at them over his mug and Martha rolled her eyes at him. "I'm guessing you've ditched the teens?"
"Alan's taken them camping for the long weekend."
Jack nodded and was about to say something else when they all heard a chiming sound. "What's that?" he asked.
"Mr Smith," Sarah Jane answered, looking surprised. She hurried out, followed by Jack and Martha.
They piled into the attic and Jack stared in astonishment as the chimney breast broke open in a cloud of smoke, whilst a fanfare played.
Martha elbowed him in the ribs and he realised his mouth was hanging open in a very undignified manner. Snapping it shut, he put an arm around Martha.
"What is it Mr Smith?"
"I have detected an incoming transmission from the individual known as the Doctor," answered the computer.
The three Companions looked at each other in surprise, then turned back to the computer. "Please play the transmission Mr Smith."
There was a momentary pause then the Doctor's voice crackled from the speakers: "Hello Sarah Jane. I'm sorry to bother you, but I've got myself into a bit of a tight situation. Can you get hold of Jack for me and get him to give his wrist computer to Mr Smith. There’s a little program attached to this transmission which will reprogram the Vortex Manipulator so that he can come and help me. Oh and whatever you do, don't tell Martha. I don't want her getting involved. This is no place for her."
Jack and Sarah Jane immediately turned to look at Martha. "I'm going with you," she told Jack, who nodded, expecting nothing less.
"He won't be happy about it," Jack said.
Martha snorted. "Of course not, but once I'm there, he won't be able to do much about it." She turned to Sarah Jane. "What about you?"
Sarah Jane shrugged. "I'm not staying here to wonder what's happening to you two."
"Good." Martha turned to Jack expectantly and he unfastened the strap of his wrist computer and handed it to Sarah Jane.
"Here's the wrist computer," Sarah Jane told Mr Smith, who slid a shelf out of the front part of his casing. Sarah Jane put the device down and they watched as lights danced across it for a few minutes.
"The device has been reprogrammed," intoned Mr Smith. "I have input the coordinates that I received from the Doctor."
"Thank you Mr Smith." She watched as the computer shut itself away again. "Are we heading off straight away?" she asked.
"I want to get a couple of things from my car," Martha said, heading to the door.
They heard her running lightly down the stairs.
"We could go without her," Sarah Jane suggested when she was sure Martha was out of earshot.
Jack arched an eyebrow at her. "She'd kill us when we got back. And whilst I can come back, I'm fairly sure you can't."
Sarah Jane nodded and smiled. "I had to suggest it though."
They waited in silence, both wondering what situation the Doctor had got himself into, until Martha came hurrying back up to the attic. She was carrying Sarah Jane's leather jacket and wearing the black coat that she'd worn during her year walking the world. Jack saw that she was tucking a field medical kit into one of the pockets of the coat.
"Ready?" she asked, handing Sarah Jane her coat.
They both nodded and Martha took one of Sarah Jane's hands in her own. "This will make you feel nauseous," she warned.
"Good job we haven't eaten yet," Sarah Jane observed.
Martha nodded, then put her hand, still holding Sarah Jane's, over Jack's and nodded to him. He pressed the buttons and the attic was filled with a swirl of light as they dematerialised.
They materialised in a bleak, forbidding landscape: the ground, what they could see of it in the grey half light, was rock-strewn and scarred by large burnt patches. There were ruined and fire damaged buildings in the middle distance that looked as if they had only recently collapsed. The sky was shrouded in a weird purple mist although Martha wasn't sure if the sky was purple and the mist translucent. There was a smell of burning in the air and a deathly silence hung over them.
"Where are we?" she asked Jack quietly.
"Odemark," he answered, a look of distaste on his face. "Third planet in the Ildstorm system. A long way from Earth," he added.
"Can you tell where the Doctor is?" asked Sarah Jane.
Jack nodded and consulted his wrist computer. "I've got a trace on him." He pointed to a building at the outer edge of the group in the distance. "See that tall thin one? He's in there somewhere."
"Come on then," Martha said briskly. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get him out and get back home." She set off cautiously across the uneven ground.
Jack looked at Sarah Jane who shrugged before following Martha.
I just hope the Doctor doesn't kill me for bringing them, Jack thought as he set off after them.
It took them 45 minutes to cross to the building Jack had indicated, stepping carefully for fear of twisting their ankles on the rocks. They took a moment to catch their breath once they reached the tower, all three leaning back against the wall.
"What do you know about this planet Jack?" asked Martha.
"I don't have a lot of concrete information. It's mostly hearsay, but the Time Agency always believed that it was used to incarcerate criminals from this quadrant of the galaxy. Ildstorm has a bad reputation, and Odemark is the reason for that reputation."
"So the Doctor could be locked up in here?" Sarah Jane asked, looking anxious.
Jack nodded. "Yeah. The fact that he said he was in a tight situation makes it likely he's been jailed for a crime: whether he's actually committed one or not, who knows."
Martha sighed, remembering the trip she and the Doctor had made to Volag-Noc, the ice prison planet: he'd been scanned there and the Governor had told her the Doctor had 3005 outstanding convictions, although that had included 250 counts of evading library fines.
"Whether he has or not, we need to get him out. But first, we need to get in." She looked at her companions expectantly: Jack had his wrist computer and Sarah Jane had a Sonic Lipstick, so hopefully one or other of those items would allow them to get inside. She tried not to mind the fact that she didn't have any gadgets of her own.
Sarah Jane pulled her device from her jeans pocket and twisted it to switch it on: Jack was already scanning the area once more. "There's a door on the other side of the tower," he said softly. "I'm picking up energy readings inside, but I can't tell if they're lifesigns."
Martha nodded. "You first," she said. "Then Sarah Jane, then me." Sarah Jane opened her mouth to protest, but Martha put a finger over her mouth and spoke quietly in her ear. "I'm covering your back. I've got more recent experience at moving stealthily than you have. OK?"
Sarah Jane nodded, then turned to follow Jack and Martha stepped after her, turning at every other step to look behind them. They crept quietly and cautiously around to the door, then waited whilst Jack scanned it.
"Sarah Jane, you should be able to unlock it with your Sonic," he said quietly by her ear.
She nodded, then aimed the Lipstick at the lock which opened with a small snick. Martha tugged on her arm to get her to step back, then looked expectantly at Jack, who eased the door ajar.
As he stepped through Jack wondered about the fact that he'd ceded leadership of their group to Martha. Not that he minded her being in charge, but now he thought about it, it was a strange thing for him to do.
He glanced around the room they'd entered. It was cold, dimly lit and appeared to be a storage area, judging by the shelves full of boxes and the stacks of crates here and there. Looking back over his shoulder he saw that Martha had wedged the door so that it remained slightly ajar, just in case they needed to get back out in a hurry.
The trio crept across the room, moving as carefully as possible through the free-standing shelving units and stacks of crates. Eventually they found another door and Jack cautiously tried the handle: it was locked, so Sarah Jane sonicked it open. Jack went through first again, followed by Sarah Jane and Martha, and they found themselves in a grey corridor that was no better lit than the store room.
"It's too quiet," Martha said softly and the others looked back at her in surprise. She fished in the pocket of her jeans and pulled out her TARDIS key.
"Have you got yours?" she asked Jack. He nodded. "Put it on and stay here with Sarah Jane - if you hold her, it should shield her too. I'm going to reconnoitre."
"Here." Sarah Jane held out her Sonic Lipstick. "Just in case," she said.
Martha looked at the device, then shook her head. "Better not. If I get caught, you'll lose it." She set off down the corridor, leaving her companions looking at each other wonderingly.
"She's turning into the Doctor," Sarah Jane said.
Jack nodded as he pulled his TARDIS key from his pocket. "I wondered if you'd noticed that." He slipped it on, then pulled Sarah Jane close and looped the string over her head and around her neck. She shivered a little. "Are you OK?" he asked.
"Yeah - just cold and nervous," she answered wrapping her arms around herself.
Jack opened his coat and wrapped it around her, pulling her closer against his body and resting his chin on the top of her head. Sarah Jane moved her arms and wrapped them around him: she tried to distract herself from her nerves by thinking of Luke and Clyde, Maria and Alan: she wondered if they had settled in at their campsite, and if Maria was still upset that Sarah Jane had persuaded her to go.
Jack was just considering whether they should go after Martha went she came into view at the other end of the corridor. He saw with alarm that she was leaning one shoulder against the wall as she beckoned them to her and he quickly pulled off his TARDIS key, leaving it around Sarah Jane's neck as he hurried to Martha, with Sarah Jane close behind.
"Are you OK?" he asked, taking hold of Martha's other shoulder.
She nodded, her teeth clenched.
"What is it?" asked Sarah Jane anxiously.
"There's an archway around the corner, leads into the main part of the tower. There's some sort of technology built into it, triggers bad memories as you go through."
"Shit!" Jack couldn't help swearing softly when he thought of all Martha had been through recently and how ghastly it must have been to have those memories come flooding back. He pulled her into a gentle hug and Sarah Jane stepped closer to wrap her arms around Martha too: they both understood now why the Doctor had said this was no place for Martha.
"You want to wait here?" Jack asked after a few minutes.
Martha shook her head. "Now I know that thing's there, it won't be so bad," she answered. "It wasn't when I came back through just now."
Jack nodded in understanding although he wasn’t happy. "Let's get going then," he said. "The sooner we move, the sooner we can find the Doc and get out of here."
They found the archway around the corner as Martha had described: it was made of rock but fitted with what appeared to be sensors and scanners. Jack and Sarah Jane both opened their gadgets and scanned it, then looked at the results.
"You can't deactivate it, can you?" asked Martha.
"No," Jack said regretfully. "I'm not sure even the Doc could with his Sonic Screwdriver."
She nodded. "I'll go first since I've already done this twice. Be warned, it'll probably make you feel sick and dizzy."
She bit her bottom lip, then straightened her back and shoulders before marching through. It took four steps to clear the archway: Jack and Sarah Jane saw Martha falter before she took the final step, then she staggered clear and into the wall.
Jack turned to Sarah Jane. "Let's see if going through together confuses it, shall we?"
She nodded and took the hand he offered her before they stepped forward together. Instantly memories assaulted them: Jack remembered the many hundreds of times he'd been killed and the colleagues he'd lost during his long lifetime, whilst Sarah Jane recalled the misery of being abandoned by the Doctor, all those years ago; believing she'd lost Luke, the misery of being ripped from reality and trapped in an alternate dimension outside time, and the pain of Mr Smith's betrayal.
"Don't stop!" Martha called urgently seeing them pause. "Keep moving!" She stood just outside the reach of the archway, holding her hands out to both of them.
Sarah Jane took another step, tugging on Jack's hand and reached her free hand to Martha who grabbed it and hauled her through bodily. Jack and Sarah Jane both staggered past the furthest edge of the arch and into the wall, both retching uncontrollably. Jack lifted his face, crying silently, and Martha wrapped her arms around him, kissing his cheeks, then reached out an arm to Sarah Jane and pulled her closer, kissing her too.
"OK?" she asked, an arm around each of them. She didn't tell them that she'd lied about it getting easier each time you went through: she simply couldn't have waited in the corridor for them to come back with the Doctor.
"Yeah," Jack said hoarsely, straightening up. He looked at Sarah Jane. "You OK?" he asked worriedly, noticing how pale and sick she looked.
"I think so," she said. She allowed Jack to help her up and didn't complain when he slipped an arm around her to support her.
He looked over Sarah Jane's head and saw Martha giving her a worried look. He nodded and they set off again until they spotted another doorway ahead of them.
"Uh-oh." Martha's voice was quietly grim as she spotted a second archway between them and the door.
Sarah Jane looked from the archway to the faces of her companions. "Leave me here," she said.
Jack saw Martha hesitate, torn between staying with Sarah Jane and going on. "I'll stay," he said.
Martha looked at him in surprise, watching as he eased Sarah Jane down to sit on the floor, before unstrapping his wrist computer.
"Here." He strapped it around Martha's wrist. "I'll program our coordinates into it and you should be able to just teleport back down here with the Doc once you've found him." He pressed several buttons on the device, then showed Martha which ones to use to activate the teleport.
"Be careful sweetheart," he said, kissing her firmly on the mouth.
Martha turned to Sarah Jane. "I'm sorry," Sarah Jane said. "I shouldn't have come."
"I'm glad you did," Martha said quietly, then kissed her softly on the mouth, before pulling away and standing up.
"Good luck," they said.
Martha nodded, then set off down the corridor. She didn't dare to hesitate going through the new arch and she was glad that the door was unlocked when she staggered out the other side. She waited until she'd shut the door behind her before leaning against the wall, fighting her nausea and dizziness; tears streaming down her cheeks.
After a couple of minutes she scrubbed her sleeve across her face and set off to search every room on the ground floor. There were four rooms, each of them reached via a short tunnel guarded by an arch: all of them were empty. She hadn't found any computers or plans of the tower, just four empty rooms that were bare enough to be cells. She wondered what sort of technology it was that it could affect this way: the repeated assaults of bad memories were making her feel physically ill, not just traumatised.
She set off upstairs to the next floor, stumbling dizzily up the stairs as she fought against the memories that were battering her mind: the sights and sounds of the Master's casual destruction of her planet.
The four rooms on the first floor were all empty too and she wondered where the prisoners had gone, if this was even a prison at all. When she reached the foot of the staircase that led up to the second floor, she sank down onto a stair, hanging onto the railing in case she couldn't find enough strength to just stand up.
Martha fished in the pocket of her trusty coat, wondering if she'd made a mistake in wearing it: what if it was helping to intensify the memories that the arches were producing? She shook her head in disgust at herself for thinking such a foolish thing and pulled her hand out clutching what she had been looking for: the remains of a packet of mints, given to her by one of the sailors who'd brought her across the English Channel on the day of the Master's countdown. He'd seemed very young and impossibly romantic to her, but she hadn't forgotten his generosity to her when he'd had so little himself. She popped a mint in her mouth, shaking her head as if to dislodge her memories, then set off upstairs to the second floor.
* * * * * *
Downstairs Jack had settled himself on the floor of the corridor with Sarah Jane in his lap, her head tucked into the crook of his neck: she'd fallen sleep about ten minutes after Martha had gone and Jack was dozing himself when Sarah Jane cried out for Luke. He jerked awake instantly and tightened his hold on Sarah Jane, who began to struggle against his arms. Reluctantly he woke her and she straightened up, looking around frantically.
"Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane, it's OK. It was just a dream." He stroked her hair from her face, then kissed her cheek.
"Jack?" She looked and sounded bewildered.
"It's OK sweetheart. It's OK."
She slumped against his body again. "I was dreaming about the day they took Luke," she said.
"Try not to think about it," he answered softly. "Think about something good: like your first kiss, or the first time you met the Doctor, or the day you met Martha."
"I don't think I can remember those things now," she said after a moment.
"Do you want me to help you?" he asked.
She straightened up and looked at him in surprise. "How?"
"I'm a little bit telepathic," he told her.
"You've never said. All those times we've talked, you never mentioned that."
"I don't make a big thing about it," he answered. "It freaks out a lot of people."
"Oh." She looked at him thoughtfully. "Can you read people's minds?"
"Not as easily as the Doctor does, but I can help you recall things."
"OK."
"Close your eyes," he told her. She did and he put his fingers to the centre of her forehead, closed his own eyes and concentrated. "Think of Martha," he said softly.
Sarah Jane pictured Martha: her slender body, her determined expression, the fire in her eyes when something roused her wrath. Jack took Sarah Jane's picture and used it to bring her memories of Martha to the fore, racing back through them like a film that was being rewound until he reached the first one Sarah Jane had, of the day she had visited Martha after he'd finally persuaded her to go and see the younger woman. He watched the scene that unfolded, curious about how Martha had behaved on first meeting this former Companion of the Doctor.
* * * * * *
Martha leant against the wall after passing the twelfth arch, then opened the fourth and final door on the second floor. She peered inside and in the dim light saw a figure sprawled on the bed in the corner: that was enough to jerk her upright again, her survival instincts leaping to the fore. She stepped silently into the room and began to move cautiously towards the bed until she was close enough to see it was the Doctor.
"Doctor." Martha called his name softly but he didn't respond, then she was close enough to see he was gagged and either asleep or unconscious. He didn't seem to be tied up though, and the door had been unlocked, which was puzzling but fortunate for her. She bent over him, then put her head to his chest and found his double heartsbeat with a sense of relief: they seemed a little slower than usual, but then he wasn't bouncing around as usual. She put her hand to his forehead and found it warmer than she'd have expected: did that mean he had a fever she wondered uneasily?
She untied the gag after a struggle with the knot, then looked around the room and found his coat and shoes dumped on a rickety chair: she snatched them up and got his shoes onto his feet after a brief wrestling match with his unresponsive limbs. She wondered whether to check his coat pockets had everything in them, but then remembered that they were bigger on the inside, so she contented herself with sliding a hand into his jacket pocket and sighed with relief when her fingers closed around the familiar shape of his Sonic Screwdriver. She pulled the Doctor up into a sitting position and managed to get him into his coat, then wrapped one arm around him before placing his hand over hers as she activated the teleport on Jack's wrist computer.
Sarah Jane and Jack scrambled up from the floor when Martha and the Doctor appeared in the corridor beside them.
"He's ill," Martha told them. "Feverish and unconscious. We need to get him to the TARDIS as soon as possible."
"May I?" Jack asked, gesturing at his wrist computer.
She nodded and held out her arm so he could unfasten the strap. He slid it back onto his own wrist, then played with the controls for a few long moments.
"Got her," he said in a pleased tone. "She's down in the basement."
"Can we teleport straight there?" Martha asked anxiously.
Jack looked up at her searchingly. "Yes we can."
"Then let's go."
She placed her hand and the Doctor's over Sarah Jane's and Jack's, and Jack pressed the buttons, teleporting them down into the basement. Sarah Jane staggered as she landed, but remained on her feet. Martha didn't fare as well: the combination of the Doctor's dead weight in her arms and the effects of all the arches she'd crossed through meant that she fell over, the unconscious Time Lord falling on top of her. Jack had managed to keep his balance and he quickly hauled the Doctor up into a fireman's lift whilst Sarah Jane helped Martha up.
"Are you OK?" Sarah Jane asked anxiously.
"Been better," Martha answered tersely, leaning on Sarah Jane more than she'd have liked.
Jack unlocked the door of the TARDIS and they got themselves into the ship as fast as possible. "I suggest we all go to the Med Bay," he said as Sarah Jane shut the door behind Martha.
A few minutes later, the Doctor was stretched out on a bed and Martha, ignoring Jack's insistent requests that she get some rest herself, was busy hooking him up to various monitors. She noticed that he seemed even thinner than usual: his normally tight suit was hanging loose on his body, and she was worried that he was malnourished as well as feverish. She was hoping that the TARDIS would be able to tell her what was wrong with him.
Jack helped Sarah Jane to his old room so she could get some sleep: they hadn't wanted to go searching for Sarah Jane's old bedroom. Martha had quickly checked Sarah Jane over and informed them both that she just needed some sleep. Sarah Jane accepted a sedative from Martha and allowed Jack to accompany her out of the Med Bay.
"She'll be alright, Jack," Sarah Jane said as he helped her to get undressed and into his bed. "You know Martha, she's a lot tougher than she looks."
He nodded, tight-lipped. He didn't tell Sarah Jane that he was certain that Martha had lied to them about the effects of the arches decreasing with each use. He tucked her into bed with a hug, a kiss and a murmured "Sleep well", then hurried back to the Med Bay.
Martha was sitting at the Doctor's bedside, his right hand clasped in both of hers as she stared at the monitors.
"How is he?" Jack asked quietly as he crossed to her side.
"Sick." She gave him an anguished look. "He hasn't had anything to eat or drink for nearly two weeks, according to the TARDIS, that's why he's unconscious. If he'd been human, he'd be dead by now." She nodded to the IV she had hooked up. "It's going to take some time to get enough nutrients into him."
She looked up at Jack. "Can you get the TARDIS out of here?"
"I think so," he answered. "With her help."
"Then let's not hang about here in case someone turns up and discovers the Doctor is missing." She knew that the TARDIS was impregnable, so no one could get in even if they did turn up, but she was desperate to get away from this awful place.
"You need to get some rest," Jack said.
"I know," she answered. "But not yet. Please Jack, get us into the Vortex."
"OK." He kissed her forehead, then went out to the Control Room.
He hoped that his past connection to the telepathic ship, and the tender loving care he’d given her through his time as a Companion would enable him to communicate with the Tardis: hopefully she had forgiven him for being "wrong", just as her Time Lord had. He crossed to the console and ran his hands lightly up and down the Time Rotor.
"Hello old girl," he said softly. He leant forward, resting his forehead against the column. We need to get out of here, into the Time Vortex, he told the ship. He felt a change in the notes of her humming and smiled. That's my girl. He stepped back, then moved his hands to the dials and switches that the TARDIS showed him. He circled the console, changing various settings, then finally released the handbrake. The Time Rotor began to move and his smile broadened into an outright grin as the ship moved out of normal space and into the Vortex. He leant forward and planted a smacking kiss on the Time Rotor. "Thanks sweetheart."
In the Med Bay, Martha breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the ship move and when Jack hurried in, she gave him a tired smile.
"Well done."
"Thanks." He knelt down beside her. "Are you going to get some rest now?" he asked.
She nodded, then showed him which readings he needed to keep an eye on. "If any of these drop below the levels I've noted," she told him, pointing to a chart on a clipboard that rested on the end of the bed, "wake me up immediately." She looked up at him. "And I mean immediately," she said emphatically.
"OK." He helped her up from the chair. "Where are you going to sleep?" he asked as she released the Doctor's hand.
"Here," she said, nodding towards another of the beds.
"Wouldn't you rather - " Jack began.
"No," she interrupted. "I need to be here, on hand." She gave him a look he knew well: the one that she used when she would brook no arguments. "I do it all the time at the hospital remember," she said more softly.
Martha tucked her stethoscope into the pocket of the white coat she'd put on earlier, then peeled it off. Jack took it from her and watched as she sat down to take off her boots and socks before climbing onto the bed. He pulled a blanket over her, then bent his head to kiss her forehead.
"Wake me up if you need to sleep," she told him. He opened his mouth and she reached out to place a finger over his lips. "I've worked in A&E often enough, I can catnap," she said. "So wake me if you need to sleep. Doctor's orders."
He saluted her with two fingers. "Yes Doctor Jones."
"Thanks Jack," she murmured. The next moment she was asleep.
* * * * * *
By Martha's estimation, it took four days for the Doctor to wake up: but being in the Vortex, where no time passed, this was rather a rough estimate. She was sitting at his bedside, talking softly to him, when he woke and turned his deep brown eyes to her face.
"Martha?" he asked disbelievingly.
"Hello Doctor."
"What are you doing here?" He sounded fretful.
"Waiting for you to wake up," she answered.
"But I told Jack - "
"Not to tell me, I know." She gave him a half smile. "When Sarah Jane got your message, Jack and I were already with her."
"But the arches," he said worriedly.
"Nasty bit of technology," she agreed.
He looked at her searchingly. She seemed very calm and matter-of-fact, but there was something lurking in those dark eyes of hers. He resolved that they'd have to talk about this as soon as he was feeling less like a limp lettuce.
"Where's Jack?" he asked.
"He and Sarah Jane are sleeping," she told him.
"Sarah Jane is here too?" he asked startled.
Martha nodded. "Those arches gave her nightmares for a couple of days, but Jack said she's slept fine the last two nights. Well, what passes for night here."
"Sarah Jane and Jack are sleeping together?" he asked surprised. "I thought you - " He broke off abruptly seeing something in her face that he couldn't immediately pinpoint.
"We've never been exclusive, remember," she told him, managing a small smile. “Do you want something to eat? Or a cup of tea?"
His face brightened perceptibly. "I could murder a cup of tea."
"Give me a few minutes, then," she said as she finished her notes on his chart. She went out and he picked up the records from the end of the bed, being careful not to snag his IV, and read through her careful notes with the realisation that she'd saved his life yet again.
Martha came back sooner than he'd expected, carefully carrying a mug from which steam was rising invitingly. She set it down on the little side table by the head of the bed, then adjusted the bed so that the head rose up to an angle, supporting him in a sitting position.
"Here." She passed him the mug of tea, then fished in her pocket and pulled out half a packet of his favourite chocolate digestives. She put them down on the bed, then quickly and deftly removed the IV, applying a small dressing to the spot where it had been inserted into his skin.
The Doctor watched silently, drinking his tea, as Martha disconnected him from the various monitors. He loved watching her work: she was graceful, yet deft and economical in her movements. He ought to take her dancing some time, he decided.
"How did you end up on Odemark?"
He pulled a face. "Walked into a trap."
She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "You walked into a trap?" He nodded. "You need a Companion," she told him.
"Are you re-applying for the job?" he asked lightly.
She shrugged. "Maybe. Tell me about the trap."
So he told her about receiving a distress call, apparently from a stricken shuttle which had been caught in a solar flare. He'd traced the signal, but when the TARDIS had arrived, he'd found himself on Odemark. He'd been arrested for trespassing on the prison planet and sentenced without a trial. A few days later, there had been an attempted breakout and almost everyone had been killed or had escaped.
"Why not you?" Martha asked, puzzled.
"The arch. It triggers bad memories."
She frowned, then realised the implications. "Gallifrey," she whispered, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
He nodded. "I literally couldn't get out of the room. I tried several times before I grew too weak to walk. The memories were so bad that I was incapacitated."
"Oh god." She started to cry; she'd thought reliving her own memories had been bad enough, but for the Doctor to relive the destruction of Gallifrey over and over again: it was a wonder he hadn't gone mad.
She became aware that she was sobbing against the Doctor's shoulder, his arms wrapped around her. "Shh, shh. It's OK Martha, it's OK."
After several minutes, she pulled away and gave him a watery smile. "Sorry."
"You've nothing to apologise for," he said. He held both her hands in his. "Tell me about how you got me out."
So she told him, starting from Mr Smith relaying his message and ending with them arriving back at the TARDIS. "Jack got her into the Vortex," she said. "I don't know how."
"He's slightly telepathic - just enough that the TARDIS could guide him," the Doctor said.
"Oh." She digested that. "He's never said."
"A lot of the Time Agents have some telepathic abilities," he told her. They were silent for several minutes. "Those arches must have affected you pretty badly, though. Worse than Sarah Jane."
She pulled a face. "They were horrible. It was lucky I found you when I did, I don't think I could have managed to search another floor."
"They must have given you nightmares, too, worse than Sarah Jane's," he observed, watching her intently.
She nodded and he saw something flicker in her face, but it was gone too fast for him to decide what the emotion was. "I slept in here so I wouldn't disturb anyone."
"Is that why - "
"Why Jack and Sarah Jane are sleeping together?" she interrupted. "Sort of. When we first got on board the TARDIS, Sarah Jane needed some sleep and rather than hunt for her room, she slept in Jack's. Because we've been sleeping shifts, more or less, so that there was always someone watching you, she continued to use Jack's room. When she had nightmares, he comforted her." Martha turned her head away, aware that the Doctor was watching her closely and not wanting him to guess how much it had hurt her that Sarah Jane had preferred to turn to Jack.
"But what about you?"
She glanced back at his face. "Jack and Sarah Jane were lovers before she met me - maybe she realised she preferred men to women."
This time the Doctor could see the hurt in her eyes. "It's not like Sarah Jane to be fickle," he said.
Martha opened her mouth to answer just as Jack walked in. "Hey Doc, good to see you're awake. How are you feeling?"
He shrugged. "I've been worse. I'm ravenous though."
"I'll go and see if I can find you something more substantial than biscuits to eat," Martha said, retreating to the door.
Jack put a hand on her arm before she disappeared. "Sarah Jane was asking for you," he said. "That's why I came in."
She nodded. "OK."
Jack watched her go, then turned back to the Doctor and was surprised by the disappointed look on the Time Lord's face. "What?"
"I'm surprised at you, shutting Martha out."
Jack raised his eyebrows. "Me shutting Martha out? Try Martha shutting us out." He dropped into the chair she'd vacated and rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know what happened to her when she went looking for you, but she's not been herself since then. I've tried to get her to talk, and so has Sarah Jane, but she's fobbed us both off."
"Oh." The Doctor looked thoughtful. "It must have been the effect of those arches. She told me that when she was searching for me, she searched four rooms on three floors, each guarded by an arch so she had to pass through a dozen of the things twice, going in and out - " He met Jack's eyes, realisation dawning of just what she had endured for him and knew the other man understood how awful that must have been for Martha.
"They're designed to debilitate, too," the Time Lord continued, his loathing for such technology clear in his tone, "so the cumulative effect wears you down. The prison staff all wore special helmets that shielded them, but Martha was unprotected."
"Shit! I had no idea. She told us that going through the first arch a second time wasn't as bad as the first time and I believed her. Sarah Jane and I only went through the first arch once."
The Doctor nodded. "Martha's tough, but those arches are the worst example of telepathic technology I've ever come across: even with my mental shields, I suffered ill-effects." He rubbed his eyes. "We need to find a way of reconnecting with Martha so she doesn't feel so isolated by her experience."
Jack gave him a thoughtful look, which the Time Lord noticed. "What?"
"Well, we're both a little bit telepathic, can we use that to share her memories? What she went through during that year you rewound must make her feel pretty isolated anyway, without this as well."
"We could try it," the Doctor said. "I'll try anything." He swallowed hard. "I don't want to lose her Jack."
* * * * * *
Martha made her way through the corridors to Jack’s room, well; his and Sarah Jane's room, she thought darkly. She was relieved that the Doctor was finally awake, knowing that they'd be going home soon. She decided that she was going to spend as much of the remaining weekend as possible sleeping in her own bed.
When she opened the bedroom door, she was surprised to find Sarah Jane in bed. She hesitated in the doorway, still holding the handle. "Jack said you wanted me?" she asked uncertainly.
Sarah Jane sat up, the sheet sliding down to show she was naked. "I've been wanting you for days," she said softly and patted the bed beside her with a smile.
Martha stared at the older woman. "The Doctor's awake," she said abruptly. "I'm going to get him something to eat." She turned and fled.
* * * * * *
Sarah Jane walked into the Med Bay a few minutes after Martha had left, now dressed and looking unhappy.
"I thought you were going to - " Jack began, then stopped, unsure whether the Doctor would disapprove.
"Seduce Martha?" Sarah Jane finished. "She took one look at me and bolted, more or less."
The Doctor sat up straighter. "Have either of you hugged her since we left Odemark?"
Jack shook his head. "Just a kiss on the forehead."
"I haven't touched her since I helped her into the TARDIS after we rescued you," Sarah Jane said.
"You don't think she was raped, do you?" asked Jack worriedly.
The Time Lord shook his head. "I'm pretty sure she wasn't. But I wonder what bad memory those arches unlocked. I think we're going to have to find a way to get Martha to talk."
* * * * * *
Martha banged around the kitchen, taking her frustration out on the cupboards and drawers until the TARDIS' hum took on a pained note. She let go of the door she was holding and leant her forehead against the wall instead. "I'm sorry," she breathed. Turning, she allowed herself to slide down the wall and bent her knees in front of her so she could rest her arms on them. She decided that doctors really did make the worst patients, including, no especially, psychiatrists.
She sat there for several minutes, staring vacantly at nothing until she remembered she was supposed to be getting the Doctor something to eat. She got up and sorted out some pasta, fresh veg and tuna steaks, figuring she might as well make enough for everyone whilst she was at it. Everything was cooked and ready to serve, and she was just getting a bottle of fruit juice out of the fridge when the Doctor walked in, closely followed by Jack and Sarah Jane.
"You got up," she said stupidly.
He nodded. "You know me, can't stay still for long." He sniffed appreciatively. "Something smells good."
"Thanks." She looked at them warily: something about their body language told her that there was going to be a confrontation in the not-too-distant future and she felt anxious at the prospect.
"Tell you what, let's go mad and have some wine," the Doctor said, taking the bottle of fruit juice from Martha and delving into the fridge: he passed the bottle to Jack, who opened it.
Sarah Jane sat down and watched Jack pouring the alien Chardonnay.
"I'll help you serve, shall I?" asked the Doctor.
She nodded and pulled the tuna steaks from the grill, whilst the Doctor grabbed the pasta. Within a few minutes everything was ready to eat and Martha found herself being guided into a chair next to the Doctor.
Jack started telling anecdotes about life at Torchwood as everyone ate and Martha found herself beginning to relax, although she kept her eyes on her plate and wine glass, which the Doctor was keeping topped up.
"We'll wash up later," he said when everyone had eaten enough. "Let's go for a walk." He held out his hand to Martha and she took it, feeling properly relaxed for the first time since they'd left Odemark.
They headed to the meadow room that they'd visited on Sarah Jane's birthday and Martha suddenly felt nervous. The Doctor must have sensed she was tense because he stopped and pulled her into a hug.
"What is it Martha? You've been hiding something ever since Odemark."
"I'm fine," she said starting to pull away.
"No you're not," the Doctor said softly, holding her firmly. "Talk to us, Martha."
"I can't," she said desperately.
"Then show us."
She stilled and looked up into his face, startled. "What?"
"I'm telepathic, so's Jack - you can show us whatever memory has been bothering you and we'll help you deal with it." He held her gaze with his own and she saw concern and warmth in his eyes.
"It's horrible," she said quietly.
"I know," the Doctor said. "It had to be, for you to have been behaving the way you have."
"What about Sarah Jane?" Martha asked, glancing over at the older woman. "She's not telepathic. And - I don't think she should see it."
"She deserves to know why you've been avoiding her, don't you think?" asked the Doctor mildly.
Martha looked over at Sarah Jane again, then up at the Doctor again. "How are we going to do this?"
"Sit down," he said, with a gesture, and they sat down, Jack and the Doctor on either side of Martha and Sarah Jane opposite so that they formed a square. "Jack and I will see your memories and with the help of the TARDIS, we'll project it into the centre of the square so that Sarah Jane can see it."
She looked around at their faces. "I can't - It's not fair - "
"No, it's not fair," Sarah Jane agreed, reaching across to touch her arm. "It's not fair that you're miserable. But we want to help you."
"You've been avoiding the two of us all this time," Jack said, touching her other arm, "but we're not stupid, Martha, we know you're hurting and we don't want that. Please let us help you."
She sighed. She could tell that they weren't going to give up on her. "OK."
The Doctor put the fingers of his left hand to Martha's temple and took her right hand in his other hand. Jack moved his arm, then put the fingers of his right hand to the centre of Martha's forehead and held her left hand in his.
Sarah Jane put one hand on the Doctor's right shoulder and the other on Jack's left shoulder, then smiled at Martha. "Be strong," she said softly, smiling warmly.
"Close your eyes," the Doctor said. Martha obeyed. "Now relive the memory."
They saw a forest where Spring was slowly overtaking Winter: there were a few patches of snow here and there under the trees, but there was a lot of green too.
"Where are you?" asked the Doctor.
"Russia." Martha whispered, her grip on the Doctor's hand tight.
They watched as a teenage girl and a younger boy ran towards a hut. They were still several feet away when a group of four men in the black uniforms of the Master soldiers appeared around the corner of the hut. The pair skidded to a halt, the girl promptly pushing the boy behind her.
"Where is Martha Jones?" asked one of the soldiers.
"I don't know," answered the girl in a defiant tone.
"I don't believe you." The soldier nodded to the others who immediately moved towards the pair.
The boy pulled away from his sister's grasp and turned to run, but he only got a few paces away when one of the soldiers shot him. The girl screamed and launched herself at the soldier who'd shot her brother: he and one of the others grabbed her arms and held her between them, her arms outstretched.
"You're a fiery one," the first soldier said admiringly as he moved towards her. "I like a girl with spirit." He stopped, then shouldered his gun, before grabbing her chin with one hand and groping between her legs with the other. The girl struggled but she was weak with hunger, and they were strong and well fed.
"Hold her down," he said. He laid aside his gun, then when the men had got her down on the forest floor, one holding an arm and leg apiece, he unzipped his trousers, pulled out his cock and raped her, ignoring her screams. The four of them took it in turns to hold her down whilst one of the others violated her. She'd stopped screaming after the third man, and the fourth got up from between her legs with a look of disgust on his face.
"I think I've been fucking a dead woman," he said, then spat on the girl's face.
They gathered up their guns, then disappeared down the track into the forest.
The Doctor pulled Martha into his arms as she sobbed in anguish. "I'm sorry Martha, I'm so sorry." He kissed the top of her head, watching as Jack moved to comfort Sarah Jane.
When Martha's sobs eased, he lifted her face from his shoulder. "I can help you to forget it again," he said. "Do you want that?"
"No!" Martha’s voice broke in anguish. "I was witness - if I forget, what that poor girl went through counts for nothing." Her eyes burned as she held the Doctor's gaze defiantly. "I won’t let that happen."
"But Martha," said Jack softly, still holding Sarah Jane but reaching one hand out to stroke Martha’s cheek. "The Doctor rewound that year. It never happened." He tried not to feel hurt as she flinched from his touch.
"It only happened in your mind," said Sarah Jane, calmly but firmly from across the square, her eyes glistening. "That girl is alive and well, with no memory of that alternate year." She smiled tenderly. "Don’t you think you deserve the same?"
The Doctor ducked his head to meet Martha’s downcast eyes. "Let me help you to let it go, please?"
Martha froze for a moment, then nodded, the other three visibly relaxing as she made her choice.
The Doctor sighed and kissed her forehead. "Close your eyes again," he said "and think of a plain white room without windows or doors or any other features." He waited a few moments. "See it?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered hoarsely.
"Concentrate on that and try not to think about anything else," he told her.
She forced herself to focus and felt the Doctor's cool fingers at her temples. He called on the TARDIS to help him and began the painstaking task of blurring Martha's memory, dulling the sharp edges, then fading it out so that she would only remember seeing the forest.
Jack sat with his arm around Sarah Jane's shoulders, watching the Doctor and Martha, although there was nothing to actually see except him holding her head. "Are you OK?" he asked Sarah Jane.
"Think so," she said. "Do you think Martha will be OK?"
"If the Doc's got anything to do with it, she will be," he answered.
After a few more minutes, the Doctor eased Martha down onto her back and they saw she was asleep. He moved over to join Jack and Sarah Jane.
"You OK?" Jack asked worriedly, noticing he looked rather worn out and suddenly remembering he'd only been awake a few hours.
He nodded. "Yeah. Could do with a nap, though." He took Sarah Jane's hands in his own. "Are you OK?"
She nodded. "What did you do to Martha?"
"Made her forget what she'd seen. All she'll remember is the forest. I can make you forget too."
She shook her head. "Seeing Martha's memory of it isn't as bad as witnessing it. It's not much different to seeing it on TV."
"That's my Sarah Jane," he said quietly. "You've always been a brave one." He looked at Jack. "You OK?"
"Yeah."
"Sure?"
Jack nodded. "I think we could all do with some sleep," he said.
The Doctor yawned suddenly. "Good plan." They moved over to where Martha was curled up peacefully and arranged themselves so that the Doctor was on one side of her and Sarah Jane was on the other, with Jack spooning up behind the older woman.
~~~~~~
LJ insisted this was too long for one post, so part two is here !