Author's note:

Wow, this took ages! It were supposed to be another 4 or 5 chapter thing, but turned into 13! Couldn't help it, sorry.

Takes place BEFORE the TV series ep 3.11 ('Utopia'), as I started writing this before they started on spaceships and stuff! Just not fair...

Not sure it'll stand up under too close a scrutiny. Please be nice!

ONE

Martha relaxed and smiled, feeling the strong sun on her face and hearing the birds call and cry in the distance.

This is more like it, she thought, opening her eyes and shielding them from the harsh glare, opening them gradually to look at the patterns of the clouds.

"That one looks like you," she chuckled out loud, raising a hand and pointing at it. "With huge eyes and no chin, until it gets upset," she teased.

There was no answer and she waited. She heard the unmistakable sound of a soft snore and let her hand drop, turning her head to her right.

The Doctor was also flat on his back, his hands behind his head. But the strong sun and horizontal environment had robbed him of his will to take an interest in any world.

She sighed to herself, rolling onto her right side and putting her hand under her cheek. She flicked her gaze to the stiff weave of his coat, on which they were lying, then back at him.

"Am I that interesting?" she asked herself quietly. "At least you didn't chuck me out after I declared my undying love for you," she added tartly. "God, that was stupid."

She watched him, wondering if he were dreaming.

What do Time Lords dream about? she heard herself wondering.

She thought she noticed a slight twitch to his eye, but then sighed and told herself to stop watching him.

There's something private about sleeping, even if you do it full view of others.

She shifted onto her back again, taking a deep breath of sea air and smiling again.

"Certainly beats working," she said conversationally. "Tell you what, this has been a fab break. I hadn't realised how hard I was working till I stopped."

He grunted something unintelligible suddenly and she looked over at him.

"Doctor?" she asked.

"Working," he mumbled, sighing to himself. She sat up quickly. She leaned over and walloped him in the chest area.

His eyes crashed open and he sat up abruptly. He looked around quickly, disorientated. He realised she was a few feet to his left and looked over at her, non-plussed.

"What?" he blurted.

"You little cheat," she accused.

"What?" he said quickly, confused.

"You were listening to everything I said!"

"What?"

"Even when you're asleep you're bloody well listening!" she accused, but then had to smile at the way he looked around furtively, expecting trouble.

He put a hand up to his chest slowly, rubbing it gingerly for a second.

"It's not working," he said defensively.

"What isn't?" she asked gamely.

"The Jorina Field By-pass Regulator," he said, looking back at her.

"Oh!" she said quickly. "You mean, you were just thinking about that by-pass regulator thing?" she dared.

"Have been for a while. Well, you know, on and off. Actually, it acts up quite a lot," he said conversationally, letting his hand drop from his front and instead leaning both hands behind him to shift his weight to them comfortably. He looked out over the grass on top of the cliff. "Not exactly what you'd call 'reliable'," he added to himself. "Still, what do you expect from a race of beings with more tools than workers?" he sniffed.

"Oh. Sorry," she said quietly.

"Sorry for what?" he asked curiously, looking at her.

"Well, I just thought you -. Oh, nothing, forget it," she said.

"Ok then," he said brightly, getting to his feet slowly, "break over." She began to get up slowly. "Even for you Earth doctors who work too hard. Come on," he said, simply picking up his coat and shaking it out.

She opened her mouth, stunned, but then just let it go. She turned toward the TARDIS, about thirty feet behind them.

"You know, Doctor, you really should get out more if you have to resort to listening even when you're asleep," she teased, and he threw his coat over his arm before following her in the direction of the police box.

"Me?" he prompted. "Get out more? Are you bored of me already?"

She pulled out her key and unlocked the door, pushing it open and walking in. The familiar slight hum of power, the smell of some foreign metal, the lighting which seemed to be tinged slightly orange today, all reminded her immediately of a thousand things; Shakespeare, alien faces, boiling suns, motorways, angels, daleks…

"All I'm saying is," she said, pausing to wait for him to step into the ship and close the door behind him, "some days you spend too much time thinking about this thing and not enough time thinking about yourself."

"This thing?" he prompted, confused. She waved her hands around slowly.

"The TARDIS. I mean, I know she's important to you and everything, but she is just a ship," she said, trying to be gentle.

"She's all I've got left of home," he said flatly, walking past her deliberately and up to the console.

"Oh. Yeah," she realised slowly. He looked at her for a long moment, then back at the console.

"Forget it. Where to?" he asked cheerfully.

"I don't know – you pick," she said, making herself smile warmly.

"Nah, I get side-tracked," he admitted with a smile. "Tell you what, we'll let her pick," he said happily. He reached out and moved a few levers, then realised Martha hadn't spoken. He looked up quickly as he slid his hand over a few buttons. "What now?" he asked innocently.

"Doctor… Just… Look, she's great, and she's this big amazing miracle of trans-dimensional engineering –"

"Transcendental­," he corrected.

"Whatever. But she's still a ship. The Titanic was an amazing feat of workmanship, but she was just a ship, too," she pointed out gently. She was aware her face was slightly pathetic, but she didn't care. "Do you see?" she asked.

He slid his eyes to the console, then back to her. He didn't move for a long moment.

"Or not? I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, Doctor."

He sniffed, and then his eyes alone slid back to the console under his fingers. She waited and sure enough, his gaze slipped back over to her silently. He sucked in a deep breath, nodding and straightening, taking his hands from the console quickly. He stepped back one swiftly.

"Yep," he said quickly, nodding. "No, yeah, absolutely," he added smartly.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, 'course," he said quickly, nodding and looking at her with those large brown eyes that radiated calm and innocence.

"Right then," she said, "I'll, er, get some tea." She turned and walked off.

He didn't move, just waited until he couldn't hear her feet on the grating any more.

Then he sniffed, looking round to make sure she was definitely not still stood there.

He put his left hand out slowly to the centre console, hesitating briefly before letting his fingers connect with the cool surface. He flattened his palm out against it, smoothing it up slowly, then pulling it down again gently.

"She didn't mean it," he reassured the surface softly.

-------------------------------------------------

"Here we are then," he said cheerfully, watching through a small viewer as he twisted a small ball in the console. "Oh. Unexpected," he mused to himself.

"Well you did let her choose," she said sweetly.

"Yeah, but… well, whatever. I'm sure she had reasons for bringing us here," he said quietly, biting his lip in indecision. He sniffed suddenly, grinning. "Hope you like water."

"Where are we?" she asked, fully prepared to be excited by the look and feel of another new world.

"Estylach," he said brightly, "approximately forty-five million miles from Epsilon Eridani B, which is about… ooh, ten or so light-years from your solar system," he said confidently. "Not too close to home, are we?" he teased cheerfully.

"As long as it doesn't have an NW12 postcode, it's fine," she grinned.

"Good!" He turned his head and looked at her. "It's hot, wet, and they have these really cool little rock-pools where you can –"

"We're going swimming?" she dared. "Excellent!"

"You're going swimming," he said, looking back through the viewer.

"What? Oh – you mean to tell me you can't swim? You? You?" she teased. He straightened as the TARDIS smacked down, jarring them nearly off their feet.

"Of course I can swim," he said stiffly, putting his hands in his pockets. "I just choose not to."

"Spoilsport," she grumped, and he just looked at her. "Wait – I don't have anything to wear," she said.

"Not a problem," he beamed.

"Now hold on, mister, this place better not be a –"

"You can get stuff there," he said patiently and she smiled again.

"Oh. Well then, let's go," she said happily, turning to the doors. He watched her go, shook his head, and followed her silently.

She stopped at the door and took a deep breath.

"You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to this," she said, looking up at him as he stopped next to her.

"What, the wood? Oh well, granted, it's a bit –"

"No, stupid – walking out onto a new world," she grinned.

"It's quite old, actually."

"Shut it and come on," she chuckled, opening the door.

It was humid, in the way that the would-be rain simply stuck to the air, refusing to fall but being very good at being ever-present.

"Grief! It's like walking into a butterfly garden!" she cried, waving air at her face.

"I did tell you it was hot and wet," he said cheerfully, moving her smoothly to one side and stepping out. He looked around, grinning and nodding to himself. He undid the buttons on his jacket, pulling his tie loose slightly. He turned to look at her, holding his elbow out. "Well?"

"Right then, let's go," she said bravely, stepping out and taking his arm.