Authors Notes: Edit: 25th July, 2010. This story has now been updated and looked over by a beta.

I liked Tom's character in series 3 but find not enough written about him and Martha after the world returns to sanity following the Masters demise. This story will be in 3 parts and I may do a sequel down the track if it proves popular. Many thanks to doctorsdiva for bet'aing and continued support.

The Royal Hope Hospital was in normal functioning mode. A staff shift changeover was in effect and voices buzzed at low frequencies; exchanging information, sharing medical data and weekend plans. Occasionally a message would be broadcast over the P.A. system and the nattering hushed briefly before once more gaining in momentum after the announcement had finished.

In one corner of the room was a door marked 'Staff Only'. It opened, and through it came a young woman dressed in a white lab coat over dark trousers and buttoned up blouse. Her ebony hair was tied back into a neat bun and she wore just a hint of makeup. She looked professional and confident, but she also sparkled with excitement and, if she owned up to it, quite a lot of self satisfaction.

She pinned on her identification tag. It read Martha Jones MD. She had passed her exams around 3 months ago and now had the privilege of walking these hallowed halls of healing with the full knowledge that she could serve humanity with her skills.

Her thoughts turned back to her graduation ceremony. Her mum, dad, sister Tish and brother Leo had been there to support her. The pride that she had seen in their eyes had moved her to tears. There was a time not long ago that none of them had thought they would see this day. The hurt, death, and nightmares of an event that had never occurred in today's reality had shaken them to the core.

Martha stopped herself going along this train of thought; it didn't do to dwell on such painful memories, not when she had a bright future to look forward to. All of them did. Thanks to him.

Her family were not the only ones who were proud of her. After the graduation celebrations, she had returned to her new flat and found a post it note stuck on her fridge. She had gasped in surprise when she first saw it, hardly daring to believe that he had been here in her flat. She had torn it off the fridge wondering what he had to say before reading the scrawled handwriting.

Martha, oops, sorry, Dr Martha Jones,
Congratulations on graduating. Now you can save the world again and this time they will all know your name. You were never second best by a long shot. Keep believing in yourself and know I'm very proud and honoured to have met you and I do not say that to just anyone.
From,
The Doctor.

She remembered holding that note in her hands for so long, visualising the person who had written it. Wistfully she wished that she had been there to see him. They had shared so much joy and pain. She remembered all the adventures they had taken throughout time and space.

At first, he had let her travel on board the TARDIS because of gratitude, but afterwards she became his companion for a short time. That life was incredible and she had found strength in herself that she had never known existed. They had met Shakespeare, got stuck in 1969, faced creatures that burnt like a sun, and that was just a few of the tales she could tell. She had experienced a kaleidoscope of emotions while being with him; some fantastic moments and others that had terrified her beyond anything she had ever known.

Despite her resolve, her thoughts returned to their encounter with the Master; another Time Lord but cruel, vindictive and power hungry. In a time line that no-one on Earth (except those at the eye of the storm) would remember, the Master had taken over the planet with his Toclafane children; creating a paradox and building an empire that almost launched a destructive assault on the rest of the Universe.

The Master had the Doctor as his prisoner but Martha was able to teleport away. With the Doctor's final instructions ringing in her ears, she had walked the earth telling everyone she met about him, tuning them all into one moment in time; one moment of psychic connection fuelled by the support of 15 satellites, exploiting a weakness in the Master's Archangel network. That moment would give the Doctor back his abilities, his freedom and with his unfailing compassion bring the Master to his knees with the words; "I forgive you."

Martha remembered the anguish the Doctor felt after the Master had been shot by his wife, Lucy; the desperation he experienced when trying to convince the Master to regenerate and his sorrow after the other Time Lord refused and then died in his arms. She had seen him cry before and it hurt because she knew she too would bring more pain to him very soon. Then Time had reversed; with the Master defeated and the paradox broken everything returned to where it had started a year ago.

She recalled the moment she told him she could not continue to travel with him. She was training to be a doctor and now had people who needed her so badly: If only that had been the simple truth. Martha loved him but she knew that there was no happily ever after future for them; the Doctor did not think of her like that, his hearts already belonged to someone else. Martha was smart enough to know when it was time to bring a good thing to an end, before anymore hurt followed. So she had 'got out' and they had parted as good friends. She had moved on but accepted the fact that he would always own a piece of her heart.

Martha remembered looking at the note again and realising it had a post script on the back. It simply read:

PS. Now stop reminiscing, it's time you got to know a certain Dr Tom Milligan and snogged him senseless.

Her laughter and slight embarrassment at this post script caught her off guard. How had he known about Tom? Sometimes it just wasn't worth getting a migraine over how much or what the Doctor knew. Even after all this time he was still full of surprises.

Her thoughts turned to Tom, a man she had met during the year of enslavement; his beautiful eyes, mop of brown hair and his chin sporting the bristles of a new beard; his gentle smile and eyes full of concern and attraction ...

"Dr Jones, excuse me, Dr Jones, Martha," said a voice next to her. She had been so deep in thought she had not noticed the receptionist coming up to her and wanting her attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Juliet," said Martha. "I was daydreaming."

"A great pastime for us all," said Juliet. "So are they gorgeous?"

"Uh ... What?"

"The person you were day dreaming about," Juliet said teasingly.

"I don't know," said Martha truthfully, "Haven't met him yet! Right so what did you want me for?" she asked Juliet changing the subject.

"You're wanted in the Administrators office. Something to do with the work schedules. Apparently there is a new male doctor joining the team tomorrow."

"Great just what we need, more testosterone around here," laughed Martha.

"Oh, well, he might be cute. Yeah?" said Juliet. "Be the guy in your daydreams even?"

"After saving the world, I deserve some good luck," sighed Martha in a small voice. However, Juliet did not hear her as she was busy answering the switchboard again.

Martha made her way to the Administrator's office as requested before continuing her rounds. She loved her work, as it touched her emotions in so many ways. She wasn't naïve; she had travelled the world after all and seen a lot but here in the hospital each day provided her with new surprises and challenges that she would rise to and try to conquer. Yes, the Doctor would be proud of her.

The Administrator's office was empty but she saw the new work schedule on the desk. She picked it up hoping it would give her a name of the new doctor. She gave a start when she saw the name ... Dr Thomas. Was Thomas his first or last name, she wondered? 'Stop obsessing, Martha! Oh, well, guess I'll find out tomorrow,' she said to herself. Taking out her diary, she noted down her new shifts before placing the schedule down on the desk. She left a message for the Administrator to say she'd been there and then Martha left the office to continue her rounds for the rest of an uneventful day.

That evening, back at her flat, she finished a takeaway and glass of wine. Martha didn't mind being alone. It gave her time to think; about the past, the Doctor, her travels, her family and finally, Tom. She still couldn't figure out why he had made such an impression on her, after all she hadn't known him for more than a couple of days; not enough time to get intimate, well, not for her anyway. She was woman enough to know that he had already been smitten with just the legend of her before they first met and that attraction only grew after he saw her in the flesh.

Martha recalled the moment when the Toclafane had surprised them as they were spying on the rockets. Because Tom was a medic in that time line, he had been able to move about with permission from Mr Saxon. The silver spheres had dismissed him and continued on their way. Martha had frozen when the Toclafane approached and Tom had been puzzled as to why they hadn't seen her. She had explained to him about the perception filter she wore around her neck and how it made others unaware she was there, unless she brought attention to herself.

"How come I can see you?" he had asked.

"Because you want you to see me," replied Martha and then had smiled as she could almost see his blush in the darkness.

She remembered his bravery, his protection of her, not only because he was attracted to her, but because he seemed to understand how important she was to the whole world: He would rather die then let anything happen to her. Sadly that is exactly what did occur: At least in that other reality anyway. The Master was preparing to kill her in the street but Tom had come running out, his gun blazing, trying to protect her. He was shot with the Master's laser screwdriver but his eyes never left her face as he slumped to the ground and breathed his last. His death, however, did give her a reprieve from her own as the Master took her back on board the "Valiant" to taunt the Doctor with her execution. Of course, that never occurred, because they saved the world, but she still couldn't forget the brave medic turned protector that was Tom Milligan.

After leaving the Doctor, Martha had found out where Tom worked and had phoned him just to hear his voice. He had answered but she had lost her nerve and did not speak so he had hung up. At least he was definitely still alive in the present. 'How on earth am I going to meet him though?' she asked herself. 'We work in different hospitals, different fields of medicine. What if he's married or has a girlfriend or even a boyfriend?'

The Tom Milligan that she knew certainly was attracted to women so that was a good sign. Martha finally decided to let it go for now and went to bed, hoping sleep would come easily. Her dreams were often plagued with nightmares because of the Master but tonight, perhaps because she had been thinking of him so much today, Tom's face was the picture behind her eyelids and she felt his protectiveness guide her into a sound sleep.

In a suburb about 10 minutes away from where Martha lived was the apartment of Dr Tom Milligan. He had moved in last weekend, as tomorrow he was starting a new job at London's Royal Hope Hospital. The position had come out of the blue, but it was a good opportunity and would lead to bigger and better things for him.

Right now what he needed was a good night's sleep, although, getting to sleep was not the problem. For several months now he had been having the same dream and it was driving him crazy. He would dream that he was still a medic but part of a secret underground resistance movement that was living and working on an Earth that was totally wrong. Strange metal creatures flew about yelling, "We will fly, blaze and slice," and there were people dying ... so many dying. Because of his daytime profession he was allowed to drive and move from place to place with permission from the Lord and Master Mr Harold Saxon and this made his resistance duties much easier.

Woven throughout this nightmare, however, was an underlying feeling of hope. It always came in the form of a woman with beautiful skin, the colour of fine chocolate, ebony hair and dark eyes that hid a multitude of emotions and secrets. She had travelled long and far and carried with her the salvation that the enslaved earth so desperately needed. Stories and legend surrounded her and for some reason he felt that he already loved her. He had the sense that he would protect her even with his own life so that this woman might succeed in her seemingly hopeless quest.

The stories and legends had named her but for some reason that name always escaped him. She had come to save the world; although he thought it seemed a little late for that. Every night the question plagued him. Who was she and why the same dream night after night?

Tom muttered to himself, 'It will be me becoming a psychiatric patient if this keeps up.'

Turning off the light, he closed his eyes. Before long, sleep came and the dream resurfaced from his subconscious mind to torment him once again.

He awoke to the sound of his electric alarm clock. The minute he opened his eyes, the dream started to fade and he found it hard to remember it in detail. Tom knew he was going to have to find answers soon or he would never be able to function properly; lack of sleep was not a helpful skill in a doctor at any time let alone several months of it. There was no time to dwell on it now, though. It was a new day, new job and sure to be full of surprises. Almost with a childish skip he dashed to the shower excited to be getting the day underway.

Martha awoke feeling strangely refreshed. She looked at the clock and gave a small scream. She had forgotten to set her alarm so now she was going to have to really move. A quick shower, change of clothes and a mouthful of toast later, she left her apartment and headed to work.

'Just what I don't need; turning up late on the day of the new doctor's arrival,' she thought to herself. Some of the male doctors already thought they lorded it over her and the other woman medics. They did not need another reason to crow or another candidate on their side, not that she couldn't handle them of course.

Dashing through the front doors, she ran quickly to the staff room to deposit her things then slowed to a professional calm walk as she made her way to the Administrator's office for the morning briefing. Thankfully, there was no one else there.

'A good coffee, that is what I want,' thought Martha. The Administrator had a coffee machine in the next room so she made her way there for the much needed caffeine hit. She had just finished making her coffee when she heard footsteps next door.

"Hello?" a voice called out.

"Yeah! Hi ... be there in a sec," replied Martha.

She picked up her coffee and rounded the corner to greet the newcomer. As she looked up the coffee cup fell from her hands and crashed to the floor, spilling its contents but Martha didn't even notice. The shock on her face matched the quiver in her voice as she stuttered out the name of the person before her ...

"T..T..Tom!"