AN/ This fic takes place partly between 'The Christmas Invasion' and 'School Reunion' in season two and also partly between 'Family of Blood' and 'Utopia' in season three. The BBC owns everything. It is written in the TARDIS' POV and is a part of my TARDIS 100 series. I have LilCosette to thank once again for this fic. She is my muse and my beta. This one is for her. Thanks, Cossie!
Few people know this, but I am capable of enjoying the small things in life just like everyone else. For example, I like the feeling of landing on grass or soft soil, but I don't like landing in mud or a swamp. I may not be able to experience all of these sensations in the same way as everyone else, but my link with the Doctor and his companions allows them to share the experiences with me. This works best when they're near me because our link is already pretty strong.
I noticed that the Doctor tended to repeat some of his past experiences with Martha, taking her to the same places as he took Rose. Martha soon cottoned on to what the Doctor was doing and why he was doing it. He was obviously missing Rose and was having trouble letting her go. When the Doctor finally was able to move on, he more or less stopped taking Martha to the same places he did Rose… with one exception.
I remember fondly this one occasion not too long after the Doctor regenerated when I landed on a little planet known as Meaclausen. The Doctor described it to Rose as "beautiful, kinda deadly, but with the most fantastic sunsets this side of the universe." Rose smiled at him as he landed me on a cliff overlooking the black Meaclausen Sea with grand mountains in the background. The view was nothing short of magnificent. Rose and the Doctor sat with their backs leaning up against me, enjoying the massive sunset.
"Meaclausen means 'exclusive' in the natives' language," he explained to her. "It has three suns, you see?" The Doctor pointed at them. They seemed stacked one on top of another. The first of these suns was just touching the peaks of the mountains. "One of their days from sun up 'till sun down lasts for a full thirty-six hours."
They watched in awe as the disappearing suns painted the sky all shades of red, orange and purple. It literally was like an Earth sunset times three. I was glad to able to share their awe at the extreme beauty before them. It was one of their few quiet moments, when they just sat together and were happy.
Long after that occasion, the Doctor continued to look back upon those memories with a deep fondness. I noticed him thinking about it several times when Martha was asleep or otherwise busy. He was reluctant to take her to that planet though, because he was trying to move on.
"So, why do you want to take her there?" I asked him.
"I want to show her the beautiful sunsets," he answered via his mental link to me.
"That's what you said when you wanted to take Rose there."
"Well, it's the same for Martha."
If I had arms, I wound have crossed them. "Martha isn't Rose. They're two very different women, you know."
"I do know that," he told me, annoyed. "I just want to show her the sunsets, that's all. You seemed to enjoy it last time." He gave me a smirk.
"Well, I did… but…" I gave a mechanical sigh. "Fine, we'll take her to Meaclausen and have a good time."
The Doctor gave me a proper smile and began to set the co-ordinates. "Thank you, old girl."
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't tell her you took Rose there too. You know she won't like that."
"Right."
Martha walked into the console room at this time, fresh from the shower. She was wearing comfortable clothes. "You look cosy," the Doctor commented.
"Did you want some tea?" She asked him.
The Doctor smiled, thinking of tannins and how helpful they are for regeneration sickness. "Sure. We can drink it while we're watching the sunsets."
"Sunsets? Where?"
"On a very special planet called…" Right on que, I landed on the soft grass on the planet. "…Meaclausen"
