ONE

"Grab it! Grab it!" the Doctor shouted. Martha lunged for the small round object desperately. "Come on, come on!" he shouted angrily. "If you miss this you destroy the planet!"

"I know!" she shouted, taking aim and throwing herself at the silver ball. She slid across the dusty floor, reaching, reaching –

"Just like that!" the Doctor cheered as Martha's hands closed round the steel ball. He shouted gleefully in triumph, throwing his hands in the air, jumping up and down in excitement.

Martha was not so happy. She simply tutted, getting to her knees and dusting off her top.

"Don't drop it!" the Doctor called quickly, then watched in horror as the shiny ball tumbled out of her grip and back onto the floor. "Oh for the love of hydro-spanner adjusting micro-binoculars!" he wailed, distressed. He shot toward her, diving for the ball.

She leapt back out of his way, falling on her elbows. She watched him slide across the floor on his stomach, snatching up the ball with both hands. He began to wheeze with appreciation of his apparent victory, then stopped abruptly as he collided broadside with the wall. His right arm, hip and his head smacked into the solidity of the TARDIS soundly. He opened his mouth to shout something, but thought better of it. Instead he hissed and wheezed, squeezing his eyes shut in pain.

Martha couldn't help it; she laughed. He opened his eyes and looked at his right elbow that had slammed against the wall, desperate to rub it but loathe to take his hand from the ball. He realised she was laughing. He looked over at her slowly in curiosity. After a second he smiled slightly, intrigued, then started to laugh.

"Well?" he called loudly after he'd recovered some composure. "Did we win?"

Martha sighed happily, looking over at him. He looked back at her, eyes wide and mouth rammed upside-down in definite cluelessness.

"Team one wins," a voice said, and he grinned.

"Marvellous! Can I let go of this ball now?" he chuckled, getting to his knees slowly. Martha just lay back on the dusty floor, shaking her head slowly.

"Game is terminated," came the voice, and he dropped the ball, getting to his feet and walking over to her. He looked down at her and put his hands on his hips.

"Well? How does it feel to win your first game of Laramian Boules?" he asked, and she looked up at him.

"Great," she said sarcastically, then laughed. He bent over and put his hands out, and she sat up and took them, letting him pull her to her feet. She dusted herself off slowly. "Although it'd be easier if they didn't keep changing the rules at half-time," she said.

"But where's the fun if you know how to play?" he asked with a smile.

"Game is terminated," the voice repeated. He paused and looked around the large, white room, then over at the small box on the floor, the game controller.

"Yeah yeah, we know," he said brightly. He sniffed, looking back at her. "Well then. What now?" he asked cheerfully, letting his hands slide into the pockets of his brown trousers.

"What do you mean?" she asked. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Well that couldn't have taken more than… oooh, three hours?" he hazarded. "We're still a few hours from our next stop." He turned and walked over to the controller in the far corner, crouching down and pressing the buttons on the side, turning it off.

"Which is where?" she asked. "And please don't tell me Earth!" she added quickly. He straightened and looked at her.

"Why not?" he asked, walking for the door. "I quite like it there. Sometimes," he added to himself as he walked past her again. She sighed slightly.

"But it's familiar," she pointed out. "You've got this great big amazing ship and all you do is hover round the same planet. If I were you, I'd be out going to far away places with strange-sounding names," she said, biting her lip and looking round the room slowly. "Like… Places they've never seen humans, or… places with no cars, or…" She paused, thinking.

He stopped, his hand on the door, looking back at her.

"How about a place with no humans and no rain?" he asked innocently.

"Perfect!" she smiled, walking over to the door with him, taking in his innocent, happy gaze. "Is that where we're going next?"

"Yes," he said confidently. "Well… yes," he added, not looking at her. "Well… er… yes…"

She just looked at him expectedly, waiting, and he looked back at her again.

"Yes! Well, after I've made a few changes to the-. Look, I didn't know you didn't like Earth," he admitted, turning and walking out of the door.

"I do like it!" she called after him, following him out the door.

"Game is terminated," the voice said again to the empty room.

She followed him to the hub of the TARDIS, watching him pull off his brown suit jacket and throw it at a support beam carelessly. He sniffed to himself and loosened his tie slightly, walking round the myriad of displays and controls, touching and moving things apparently at random. He leaned over a small screen, undoing his right shirt cuff and rolling it back slowly, pre-occupied. He muttered something as he reached out and moved a small lever backwards, then straightened and moved the shirt sleeve up past his elbow, peering at it curiously.

"You didn't have to dive for the ball like that," she said, putting her hands out to the high chair behind her and jumping on.

"What's the point in playing if you don't play to win?" he asked querulously, stretching his arm out and turning it. He hissed and she straightened on the chair.

"Is that really painful?" she asked out of habit.

"Kinda," he admitted, rubbing it. "Ow!"

She hopped off the chair and walked round to him, putting her hands on his arm and pulling it round where she could see.

"Ouch!" he protested, and she tutted at him.

"Don't be such a baby," she said dismissively, turning it round and pressing his elbow in both hands. He hissed. "It's not damaged, you'll be alright," she said tersely. "Honestly, you men."

"Time Lords are not known for physical endurance," he said primly, pulling his arm back and the shirt sleeve down slowly.

"I'll have to remember that," she said, a small smile on her face, but he just looked at her, oblivious. "And you're the last one, you'll have to be careful with yourself," she pointed out quietly.

"I'll try," he said to himself, then looked at her suddenly. "You've got a good point. Here, look at this," he said urgently, tugging his shirt out of his trousers and starting to lift it.

"Woah woah woah," she said quickly, raising her hands. "What?"

"I banged my hip and it's starting to hurt," he said innocently. "What if it's fractured?"

"Look mate," she said quickly, backing away one as she caught a glimpse of pale skin between his shirt and trousers, "if you walked all the way up here without it hurting, I'm quite sure it's not the least bit injured."

He paused, his shirt slightly lifted in his hands.

"You sure?" he asked darkly.

"Oh, very," she said with conviction. He pouted, watching her for a long moment.

"Ok," he said simply, pulling the shirt straight again and tucking it in. "Feels sore, though," he grumped as he pushed it back in neatly.

"Yeah well. You'll probably have a bruise there tomorrow. But nothing else," she said to herself, turning away quickly and going back to her chair. She hopped back on abruptly, swallowing and shaking her head.

"Game is terminated," said a voice, and he tutted.

"I know!" he said irritably, then paused. "Hold on… I thought I turned that off," he said to Martha. She looked at him, folding her arms.

"I think you did. I mean, I saw you press buttons – I'm not sure if you pressed the right ones," she pointed out clearly. He nodded.

"Good point." He put his hands in his pockets and walked off again, leaving her alone with the pulsing lights and steady hum of energy all around her.

She waited till she could no longer hear his feet on the grating or his muttering to himself.

Then she huffed out a long breath, waving air at her face.