THIS STORY IS IN MEMORY OF THE BEAUTIFUL, TALENTED ELIZABETH SLADEN. DESPITE HER ALL TOO EARLY PASSING, SARAH JANE SMITH LIVES ON AS ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE CHARACTERS OF ALL TIME. RIP.
PROPOSAL- 15 YEARS BEFORE THE FINAL CHAPTER OF 'DARKNESS IS HIDDEN'.
Martha never thought that a dainty two-year-old girl would look at home in the strange, strange environment of a ship that travels in time and space, is bigger on the outside, and is home to the biggest (and only) collection of multicoloured converses Martha had ever laid eyes on but, hey- you learn something new everyday. Little Jenny Gallifrey was sat on an agonizingly bright orange baby mat, willingly donated by Francine ("go on Martha, she'll love it, you had one like that when you were her age") playing with a toy garage and smiling like there was no tomorrow. Martha hearts leapt out to her, seeing her sat there, treating the TARDIS like it was her one and only home. Which, of course, it was.
Martha and Jenny had moved in when Jenny was only just turned a month. Francine had accepted her youngest daughter's decision, reasoning that she 'was in a stable relationship now, even if it was with an alien', but she had cross-examined the Doctor before allowing him to leave without his slap. On the contrary, she'd hugged the young (well, sort of young) couple, wiping a tear from her eye as the ship dematerialised, reassured with the promises of regular visits.
Martha crossed the metal mesh floor and sat down by her daughter. Jenny looked up as she arrived and stretched her arms up to hug her mother round her neck and pressing her soft, toddler lips against Martha's face. Martha smiled contently as her daughter hugged her.
"I love you," she whispered in Jenny's tiny ear. Jenny took her hand and pressed a toy car into Martha's hand.
"Play!" she demanded. "There." She pointed at the spiralling tunnel designed to send cars plummeting down.
"Ok." Martha slid the car along the plastic slot and Jenny clapped joyously as the car slipped down the tunnel and tumbled out the other end.
"Well done Mummy," she gurgled. Jenny was a one hundred percent human baby girl. Before leaving the TARDIS after returning from defeating Damien Lee on the then ruined isle of Portland, the Doctor had insisted on an ultra-scan. The scan deduced that Jenny was the proud owner of a single heartbeat, and all those human qualities Martha never had forgotten. Apparently, with the abrupt change of species Martha had been subjected to, her unborn daughter had reacted to the change and the Malum genes inherited from Tom had been destroyed.
"A bit like plastic memory!" the Doctor had said. "It remembers what it used to be and becomes it!" Martha had frowned a little at calling her child 'it' and comparing her to plastic, but she took his point.
The Doctor and Martha had been in a relationship ever since Jenny had been born. At a month, Martha had come to be with the Doctor in the TARDIS both to be with him and ensure that Jenny regarded the obscure method of travel as home. The TARDIS had very kindly placed Jenny's room right next to theirs, with adjoining doors in case of an emergency. They still managed to save worlds and lives on a regular basis, but the Doctor had become more conscious of safety now he was a Daddy.
The doors burst open and he came in. "Hello!" He embraced Martha and picked up Jenny, who squealed in excitement.
"Careful, she just ate," said Martha, watching as the toddler was spun around in the air like a helicopter, shrieking and laughing in excitement.
"Oops," he said, plonking her back down. "Maybe later." He smiled and pulled Martha into a hug. "Sorry I took so long."
"What happened?"
"I got to the supermarket, like you said and…" he trailed off.
"Tell me," she said suspiciously.
"I got lost," he admitted. "Down the cereal aisle. I was walking around for ages and I just couldn't find my way to the marmite."
"Again?"
"Again," he said. "Sorry."
"You have a horrible sense of direction," Martha said. "You know that, don't you."
"It has been said more than once," he admitted. Then his face lit up. "However, I have a surprise to make up for it!" He danced over to the doors and paused. "You are going to like this!" he said, beaming wildly. Then he pulled open the doors to reveal… Leo.
"No way," said Martha. "I am not going three-way with my brother." The Doctor flushed.
"Eww," said Leo. "No offence, Martha but, eww."
"Not that," said the Doctor. "Leo's going to baby-sit Jenny for us. "
"OK," Martha said nervously. "Leo, you do know how to-"
"Relax Martha, I'm a dad of two," he said, rolling his eyes.
"I suppose," she said. "But still-"
"Martha, Leo is going to take care of everything," said the Doctor soothingly. "Me and you are going to have a romantic night out."
"Oh, that sounds nice," she said. She chewed her lip. "But Leo, Jenny needs-"
"I wrote him a list," said the Doctor. Leo brandished a piece of paper. "He knows what he's doing." Martha pulled the Doctor to one side and whispered in his ear.
"Doctor, we're not leaving him in the TARDIS, are we? Because if we do, we'll come back to find it either sawn in half or on Mars or something."
"He's taking Jenny to his place," the Doctor reassured her. "I thought of that." He smiled at Leo. "We'll be off now," he said.
"Wait! Aren't I getting changed?" asked Martha.
"That's part of the romantic night," he said. "We're buying you a new outfit." Martha smiled and crossed over to where Jenny was sat. She picked the little girl up and kissed her.
"Bye bye," she whispered. "If you get fed up with my brother, feel free to slap him." She watched as Leo strapped Jenny into a double buggy with his youngest daughter Megan, collecting a bag of the toddler's things, before saying goodbye getting ready to leave.
"And thank you," said the Doctor to Leo. He winked at him. "Be the first to congratulate her."
"I will," said Leo, and he left. The Doctor smiled at Martha and pulled her into a kiss.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too."
"Wow!" said Martha. "Where are we?"
"Well, we have some ridiculously expensive dress shops over there," said the Doctor. "A beach where it's always sunset over there, an even more ridiculously expensive hotel room overlooking the coast over there and again it is just for us. We can also go to the movies over there- the cushions are real satin and embroidered with gold. We can go to the theatre, the restaurant- I have everything sorted. You don't have to worry about anything, just for tonight." He reached out and touched her hair out of her face, kissing her gently. She intensified the kiss, her hand curling round his tie, so close their twin heartbeats merged into one.
"I love you," she whispered. "Where first?" They went to the dress shops first. Martha was worried that the Doctor would do what he usually did while she was shopping- suggest they go and look at primitive earth engines and poke fun at them. On the contrary, he pulled out some of the most beautiful dresses Martha had even seen and insisted she tried them on, matching them with elegant shoes and hair accessories. In the end, after the Doctor telling her how beautiful she was every time she slipped into a new dress- not that she minded- they chose a beautiful white dress. It floated down as if it was made of water and hugged Martha in all the right places. They matched it with graceful stilettos with genuine diamonds imbedded in them.
"Diamonds on the heel of your shoe," the Doctor whispered, taking her hand and leading her out the shop. "So now, theatre or movies?"
"What's on?" she asked.
"In the cinema? Casablanca. A brief encounter. Philadelphia story. An affair to remember. Or more modern… sleepless in Seattle? Chocolat?"
"And in the theatre?" she asked.
"Romeo and Juliet. A winter's tale." He paused to kiss her neck. "Love labours lost?" The memory stirred in Martha's mind and she smiled.
"Let's see that," she said.
"I thought so," he whipped two pieces of paper from his pocket. "So I brought the tickets." Martha fluttered her eyelashes.
"Mr Smith, am I that predictable?"
"Never," he said. "I brought tickets for everything."
"Doctor!"
"Ssh," he said. "Refundable. I told I had everything sorted. Trust me."
"Easily," she replied. He led her down streets lit with fairy lights and into the theatre. It was quiet.
"We'll let ourselves in," he said, handing a ticket to an android standing by the entrance. "This way." Pushing open the doors to reveal an old fashioned theatre, about two thirds full of people, the Doctor led the way to some seats on a balcony. They had a perfect view of the stage without having to crane their necks to look up.
"Last time we saw this we stood up all the way through," he said. "This is decidedly more comfortable."
"Shh," said Martha. "The curtain's coming up." The Doctor did 'shh' and they watched the play in silence. Or rather, Martha watched the play. He watched her, taking in her dark complexion, her wide eyes, her womanly curves. As the play proceeded she lent again him in affection and he rested his arm over her shoulder, playing with her sleek hair. The dress looked fantastic on her. It had been a good choice.
Finally the play ended and the lights came up. Around them, people got up with a bustle of coats and bags and made their way towards the doors. But they stayed in their seats a while longer, until everyone filtered out and the building was empty.
"Author?" Martha whispered. The Doctor chuckled.
"Next time," he said. "We'll take Jenny to meet Shakespeare one time, hey?"
"He'd like her," Martha admitted. "She's like him."
"He's extremely likable," the Doctor said.
"Excuse me?" It was one of the androids that worked here, a picture of polite firmness. "Could you make your way out now." Martha sighed.
"I could stay here forever," she murmured.
"Not when you know what comes next," he said. She made to get up but instead he scooped her up into his arms.
"Your too special to walk," he said. Martha giggled.
"Not quite Shakespeare standard I'm afraid." He smiled and kissed her softly.
"This is the very ecstasy of love."
"That's more like it," she whispered. He carried her all the way out the theatre and onto the street. "Where are we going?"
"Food," he said. "It's by the beach."
"I love you so much," she said, her voice cracking.
"Hey," he said. "I love you too."
"I know," she said. Then she hesitated. "I know."
He sat her down on a table overlooking the golden sands of the beach with the blue water lapping against the sand.
"Why isn't anyone on it?" she asked. "A beach like that should be swarming."
"I booked it for the night," said the Doctor. "We'll be totally alone."
"Oh Doctor…"
"Look, the menus are here," said the Doctor. "What will you have?"
"Oh God," said Martha, scanning the thick wad of paper. "There's too much to chose from."
"Take your time," said the Doctor. "We've got all night- longer if you like."
"I'll have the carbonara," she said finally.
"A carbonara and a spaghetti and meatballs," said the Doctor. "With a bottle of your most expensive wine."
"Yes sir."
"How much is this costing you," whispered Martha.
"I just print money off the TARDIS," he said. "Right currency and everything."
"Doesn't seem fair," said Martha. She allowed herself a smile. "Nice though." The meals arrived and it was the nicest food Martha had ever tasted. She let the Doctor know as well twice.
"Plenty more where that came from," the Doctor said. He paid and tipped the waiter over-generously, bouncing up to help Martha from her chair.
"Beach?" asked Martha, gazing longingly over the long expanse of sand.
"Of course," the Doctor said. He bent down and undid the buckles of her shoes, slipping them from her feet. She stepped on the beach, enjoying the feeling of the sand between her toes. Her eyes wandered along the golden- no literally golden- sand and the electric blue water. The wavy line where the sea and the sand met was lined with candles.
They walked along the beach hand in hand, saying nothing. There was nothing to say. The sun, a permanent golden disk frozen in the horizon, throbbed with an orange glow that lit up their faces. Finally, they slowed to a stop, ankle deep in the deliciously warm sea. The Doctor smiled and dropped to one knee.
"Martha Jones," he said solemnly, pulling a small box from his pocket. "Will you marry me?" Martha's mouth fell open, tears flooded to her eyes.
"Yes."