A/N: I've never actually ridden/been near the London Eye, so inaccuracies are likely. I did my best to research it!
I see this as being set post-Journey's End, sort of as a celebratory trip, but it could fit just about anywhere.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Duh.
"Where should we go, then? Tinsanlia? Shenaig–"
Jack interrupted the Doctor, "Been there a few times– real friendly locals." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Donna to widen her eyes in horror.
"Oh! What about Ytsen?" The Doctor babbled on, dashing around the TARDIS console, pulling levers and flicking switches, more for show than anything else. "They have these cats–awful creatures, they are– that hop! Cats! That hop!"
His companions watched with varying levels of skepticism on their faces. Donna was the first to speak. "How about somewhere on Earth?" she requested. "I've had quite enough of space, for the moment, thank you very much."
Martha nodded her assent and ran a hand through her hair, pushing it away from her face. "Earth sounds nice."
The Doctor was a bit disappointed by their lack of enthusiasm, but one glance at the pink-and-yellow human hovering just to his left was enough to boost his spirits back to the over-the-top level they'd originally been at. Though, his glance shortly became something just a little more than a glance. He caught himself just as she turned back toward him, quickly reaching for his mallet and pounding away at a particular spot on the console. "Earth it is, then," he agreed easily.
The Doctor scampered around, pushing, pulling, flicking, and twisting the buttons and levers on the console, for real, this time. "Now, then… Earth… Twenty-first century…" He paused and looked up at the group of companions gathered in the TARDIS. "We're going somewhere brilliant."
-l-l-l-l-l-
The sidewalk was crowded, filled to the brim with the late-season tourists. Harsh UV rays pounded against the light concrete, casting glares and tanning skin. There were few clouds in sight, but they were light and wispy, and of no real consequence.
All of this combined to create a peaceful, serene atmosphere.
It was abruptly shattered by the vwrooping of the TARDIS's engines as it materialized right in the center of the sidewalk.
The tourists stepped back in surprise and stared at the blue telephone box, completely perplexed, until one of their number began to applaud hesitantly. Soon, the applause were thunderous. If it was at all possible, when a man in a pinstriped suit emerged, the sound swelled to even higher heights. "Yes, yes," he assured them absently, "It's a magic trick– nothing to worry about…"
The Doctor looked around, as his companions followed him out. "Earth –got that right, at least," he informed Rose, a cheeky grin on his face, "2015 –fantastic!– annnnd," the Doctor paused and licked his finger, before holding it aloft, "London! Bit after your time, mind you. Rather lacking in bananas, if you ask me, but they know how to make their chips…"
Rose came up beside him and as she laced her fingers through his asked, "Where are we, then?" She looked up and down the sidewalk. There were shops and tourist traps galore, but not one sign designating their location.
The Doctor looked down at her, that same amazement in his eyes that'd been there since he'd first seen her in the street. "I just told you– London," he replied happily.
Rose rolled her eyes, though the motion was contradicted by the smile still on her face. "Yes, but where in London?"
"Hold on," Martha said, joining them, "Is that Big Ben?" She pointed across the river they'd landed next to.
No one answered her inquiry, as it was quite obvious that it was indeed, Big Ben.
"Wait a second," Donna murmured, turning around, "Then– look at that! The London Eye's right there!" Sure enough, it peeked over the top of a distant building– the Sea Life Aquarium.
Jack grinned. "I've had some fun on that particular tourist attraction," he informed them. "He wasn't exactly human, but I don't think the gal selling the tickets minded much–"
Donna held up her hand, a slap threatened in the motion. "We don't want to hear about your private life," she informed him resolutely.
Jack closed his mouth reluctantly, and Donna lowered her hand slowly. But when she turned away, Jack moseyed on up to a passing group of girls and introduced himself.
"Ya know," Martha said thoughtfully, "I've never been on the London Eye… Lived here my whole life and never rode it once. S'pose I've been rather busy," she added, with a shrug.
"Rose and I went under it once," the Doctor mused, "Stopped the Nestene Consciousness… Right rude, it was. Blamed me for its its planet getting destroyed during the Time War."
Rose caught his eye and they shared a knowing smile.
Martha couldn't help but feel a bit left out. "What?" she asked, looking between the two of them, "When was this?"
The Doctor glanced down at Rose. "That was the first time we met," he remembered.
"And, if I remember correctly," Rose said, "I saved you, that time."
The Doctor didn't reply. Instead, they simply stared at each other, lost in the memory.
"Right, then," Martha interjected, her eyes mid-roll, "Well, I've never been–"
"We should fix that!" The Doctor decided, snapping back to the present, "All of time and space and you've never ridden the most famous ferris wheel of all time!" With that, he took off, running down the street, pulling Rose along with him and leaving Donna and Martha to collect Jack and follow.
-l-l-l-l-l-
"So the Doctor and Rose…" Martha began, gesturing to the pair now walking ahead of them, "Are they– well, together?"
Neither Jack or Donna answered.
"Who are you asking?" Jack inquired, leaning down and stage whispering in her ear.
"You, doofus," Martha replied, "You traveled with the two of 'em. I figured you might know. He –the Doctor– always seemed so sad when I mentioned her… I just figured…"
Jack lifted his shoulders and let them fall. "They've always been like this– running around, holding hands, saying things that don't make any sense…" He trailed off. "Someday, I'll get them both alone and–"
"Oi!" Donna cried, "What did I say?"
Jack was unapologetic.
"So, basically," Martha continued, trying to bring the topic back on course, "what you're trying to say, is you don't know?"
"I don't think so." Jack finally answered her question. "They're sorta clueless when it comes to… that sort of thing."
"I think that's the first thing you've said all night that wasn't an innuendo of some sort," Donna mumbled.
"I can change that, if you'd like," Jack offered with a wink.
The whole time Martha had been with the Doctor, he'd been distant and difficult to reach. He'd been quiet and just plain sad. But now… with Rose by his side once more… He seemed so much closer and open. So much louder and happy.
Yes, during her time in the TARDIS, she'd fancied the Doctor, but that didn't change the fact that he was an incredibly good friend to her. He'd let her go when she'd decided to, sacrificing his own happiness for hers.
Much as she wanted him for her own, she'd come to the understanding that it was never going to happen. Ever. His hearts had already been stolen– he was just too blind to see it.
The thought made her snort. The Oncoming Storm brought to his knees by a pink-and-yellow human. And neither of them realized it.
"They need help," Martha murmured, unaware that she'd spoken aloud.
"What?" Donna asked.
"They don't see it," Martha explained, "How perfect they are together."
Donna's face lit up. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Jack, who had had a look of pure confusion on his face up until this point, finally seemed to get it. "Oh, I love it!"
And between the three of them, they cooked up what they thought was the perfect plan. It wasn't even all that complicated. Well, if you happen to have a functioning vortex manipulator.
-l-l-l-l-l-
Jack, Martha, and Donna reappeared and followed the Doctor and Rose into the ticket office for the second time that day.
The Doctor and Rose had enough good sense to wait for the other three to catch up, before entering the line.
"Where've you been?" Rose asked, as they approached. "Thought we'd lost ya, for a minute there."
Neither of them noticed Jack sliding off to the ticket window.
"Oh?" Martha asked nonchalantly, "Well, the two of ya ran off faster than we could follow, so–"
Rose laughed brightly. "Point taken."
"You're really good at it," Martha added, trying to keep their attention on her.
That same smile passed between them– that reminiscent, too bad you weren't there smile.
"We've had a lot of practice," the Doctor replied, "There was once this woman–"
Rose must've caught onto his thought stream, because she threw in, "Not a woman– more like a trampoline."
"Right," the Doctor went on, "The year five-billion, the sun explodes, last of the human race, and all that. Anyway, Cassandra –that was her name– decided to bring the whole thing down…"
The Doctor rambled on, doing his best to explain it, with help from Rose, of course, but Martha still looked between them in confusion. She was more than relieved when Jack showed back up, waving the tickets.
"We're ready to go," he proclaimed, handing them out. He was careful to make sure that Rose and the Doctor got the right ones.
They had to wait in another line for a few minutes, during which the Doctor got antsy and began grumbling about how boring linear time is. "We have the TARDIS, for Rassilon's sake!"
There was a moment of confusion when Rose and the Doctor were loaded into a different capsule than the rest, but Jack assured them that this was perfectly normal, –something about weight limits– and the woman overseeing things didn't open her mouth to contradict him. Perhaps she understood what was happening.
Rose turned in surprise when the woman closed the door behind them and secured it. "Aren't they gonna put other people in with us?" she asked.
The question wasn't expressly directed at the Doctor, but he answered, as he was the only one who could hear her. "Guess not."
Seconds later, they were moving smoothly upwards, towards the sky. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, causing the sky to be washed in bright oranges and pinks.
"Look at that," Rose said softly, moving toward the glass walls, and gesturing in the general area of the sunset. "It's beautiful."
"Mmm," the Doctor murmured, coming to stand beside her, "Gorgeous." He wasn't sure he was talking about the sunset anymore.
"It's funny," Rose continued, "I used ta see this everyday, but now… Now I see it, ya know?"
The Doctor nodded. "Funny how that works," he agreed. "You don't really appreciate what you have, until it's gone."
A silence fell over the pair as they realized his words' double meaning.
"Back on the beach…" Rose pulled in a breath and turned her eyes up to the Doctor's. "The last time we saw each other… You–" The air hitched in her throat, but she pushed on. "D'ya remember what ya said?"
The Doctor smiled sadly, the memory of Bad Wolf Bay much more than unpleasant in his mind. "I said, 'Rose Tyler,'" he answered.
Rose felt her own face mirror his, setting itself in a sad smile of its own. "Yeah," she said, "And how was that sentence gonna end?"
The Doctor didn't reply at once. Rather, he took Rose's hand in his own, giving it a squeeze, and leaned into her. Three words were whispered into her ear.
-l-l-l-l-l-
"Look," Martha said, pointing over her head, as the red capsule currently housing Rose and the Doctor came into the final leg of its journey around the wheel.
Rose and the Doctor's silhouettes were clearly visible, and Jack watched enviously as the they snogged the living daylights out of each other.