Well, I'm back! This story is going to be a good one, I can feel it!

It picks up a few weeks after "An Oxbow In Time," leaves off. If you did not read "Oxbow," it's not really necessary to do so - this will stand alone. The only thing you need to know is that Martha Jones and the Doctor are now a couple, and Donna Noble has a new boyfriend named Colin, who is Martha's cousin. And, this prologue will catch you up on a few necessary details.

Disclaimer: I know virtually nothing about the health-care systems in Europe, only that they are more "socialized" than in the U.S. Therefore, I don't know anything about how a citizen of the EU (Britain in 2008, y'all) might go about getting a prescription filled in another country in the EU. I'm assuming it wouldn't be super-easy.

And that's all I have to say about my new story. I'm really excited to write it! So, let's get into it, eh? Allons-y!

PROLOGUE

Martha Jones walked through the door of the TARDIS, and sauntered up the ramp toward the console. "Well, that was unbelievably satisfying to watch," she said. "Is it wrong for me to say that? It doesn't feel wrong."

The Doctor had walked in behind her, and smirked as he locked the door. "No, it's not wrong."

"Because you feel the same way, right?" she asked, with a big, expectant smile. "Seeing that wanker have to face his comeuppance… I mean, you've hopped all over this great old universe and dealt with some serious scum. But how often have you, Doctor, actually got to see someone like him get his arse handed to him by precisely the right people?"

He walked up the ramp toward her. He rubbed his palm across his very striking expanse of five-o'-clock-shadow in contemplation, smiled and said, "Yeah, yeah, I guess you're right. It was kind of sweet not to have to do it myself."

"Right?" she practically shrieked, then she laughed out loud. "Oh, wow. Just this once, everything went the way it was supposed to, eh? I can't believe he got sentenced to eight years in prison, just for threatening me!"

"It wasn't the threat, it was the proof of intent to carry through, that his so-called colleagues produced. But I have to say, I thought he'd get more time for the dual kidnapping and coercion," he said, tugging at the hair on the back of his head. "But it's all right, because leading his troupe at impersonating an official galactic law-enforcement agency… that was the biggie!"

"For a grand total of what?"

"Twenty-eight galactic years incarceration," the Doctor said. "In your time, that's about… oh, fifty years or so."

"What's his lifespan like?"

"About twice yours," he said.

"So his sentence will still make a dent!"

"Yes, but I reckon it's having been stripped of his rank that will hurt most of all," he said, finishing with an arms-crossed pose, that signified he was content with this outcome.

"Oh, damn it," she said, not having heard his final comment at all. She was frowning, pulling her left hand loose from the pocket of her jeans. When she extracted her hand, she showed the Doctor a small, flat plastic packet. "I've still got these."

"Oh, no," he said. "How could she forget something like that?"

"This is on me. I feel like she had other priorities when they left, don't you?"

The she to whom they were referring was their close friend and companion Donna Noble, who had, only about twelve hours before, stepped off the TARDIS with her new boyfriend Colin, ready to begin a much-needed couple's holiday.

However, four weeks prior, Donna had tried to save the planet (and the Doctor) by throwing herself into a time portal, which had resulted in her being lost in the Vortex for twenty-four hours or so, pounded on all sides by unrelenting, unfiltered time energy. Fortunately, the Doctor and Colin had been able to work together to extract her. But unfortunately, travelling through the Vortex without a capsule had messed with Donna's vitals something awful. Martha had had to spend the subsequent month trying to keep Donna's blood pressure steady, and helping her learn how to deal with the occasional seizure.

As the electrical activity in her brain, stimulated by the Vortex, slowly normalized and the anti-convulsant medication began to take effect, the seizures had abated. But they had given way to nauseating migraine headaches. The good news was, by then, Donna's blood pressure was no longer troughing and spiking unpredictably, but had levelled out. It was still too high for Martha's comfort and left Donna at slight risk for heart attack, but it was nothing that couldn't be treated with medication. Donna had no family history of hypertension that she knew of, so Martha was still in hopes that her blood pressure would naturally come down over time, and her need for meds would be temporary.

The previous day, Martha had given Donna clearance to resume all activities, with caution. That included planet-hopping with the Doctor, her usual daily walk/jog on the treadmill, and whatever it was that she and Colin had in mind for their five-day holiday at a resort on the beaches of Portugal.

"Well, I'm ginger, so I burn really easily," Donna had lilted in the exam room, after being green-lighted. "So I guess we'll be staying in the hotel room a lot. Shame, that."

Martha had smiled. "Okay. Just be aware of your body."

"Oh, I plan to be."

"No, I mean, how it's functioning," Martha corrected, rolling her eyes. "If you feel your heart-rate up, and nausea at the same time, you've got to put on the brakes. No matter what you're doing, Donna. I'm serious. And if you feel…"

"I know, pain in my left arm, I should lie down, and call you."

"Yes," Martha said. "None of this is what you might call likely… I mean, I'm pretty confident that at this stage, you've got a fairly average case of hypertension and migraines, like a million other people out there. And I still think it's all artificial, and you'll eventually be free of it, but for now, it's still wise to keep in mind what the signs are."

"You worry too much," Donna complained.

"It's my job to worry," Martha reminded her. "It's literally what I do. If I didn't worry, what would I be? Just a girl in scrubs drinking cold coffee in the break room."

"Very probably true."

"I'm a doctor, it's just the way things are. And, you, Ms. Noble, are a secretary… and a good one. So, think of yourself as a case file to be tracked and organised."

"Interesting analogy," Donna said, nodding.

"And take your meds," Martha told her. "They will keep your blood pressure regulated, as well as help prevent the migraines. One a day, same time each day."

With that, she walked over to the counter, and picked up a tiny cup with a pill in it, a cup of water, and a flat packet of medication, the latter of which she shoved in her pocket for the moment. She handed the pill and the water to Donna, who dutifully took it, then hopped off the table.

The two of them headed for the exam room door, exiting into the hallway.

"So, are you all packed up?" Martha asked, now switching into friend mode.

"Yep, except for toiletries," Donna said. "Just been waiting for your go-ahead."

"Good," Martha told her, letting Donna lead her down the corridor toward her bedroom. "I've got to say, Donna, I'm kind of surprised you want to have this holiday in Portugal, of all places. I remember what you told me about that guy you met there…"

"I chose it specifically because of that guy," Donna said. "I want to have a good time there, and erase his stigma from my life! I like to think I'm finished with the parade of tosser boyfriends, and fiancés who collude with arachnids."

"I'd like to think so too," Martha agreed, having been regaled with half a dozen tales of Donna's being used and discarded by various specimens of human male scum.

"Colin represents a new chapter, and I want there to be nowhere I can't go – geographically, or mentally."

"I guess I can see that," Martha conceded.

And Martha could see that Colin represented something truly new for Donna; Martha had one hundred-per-cent confidence in him as a good man, a scrupulous person, and someone who would never use, abuse, or in any way hurt her friend. And her trust came from the fact that he was her cousin, and a de-facto older brother to her.

"Okay, well," Martha said, as they stopped outside Donna's bedroom door. She'd turned to give her friend a hug. "I want to hear all about this resort when you get back."

Donna laughed. "I'll tell you about the food and the view. I plan on having nothing else safe for your ears."

And now, there Martha stood in the console room, with Donna's five-day supply of medication in her hand, having forgotten to actually hand it off to her, as they were saying goodbye.

"Wow, I am a terrible doctor," Martha said, staring at the packet between her fingers.

"You're human," the Doctor argued, literally waving off the comment.

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean, Time Lord?"

"Just… you're fallible."

"And you're not?"

He sighed, exasperated. "You're an excellent doctor, we all make mistakes, their departure was hurried, and have I told you lately how beautiful you are?"

"Classy."

"Anyway, I suppose we'd better ring her."

"I suppose we'd better," Martha agreed. "We'll just leave a message, and hope she gets it."

The Doctor moved toward the console, and pulled up the TARDIS' phone directory on the screen. "Aw, she'll get it. She's always got her phone on her."

"She doesn't have it on her right now, Doctor."

"How do you know?" asked, absently, pressing buttons.

"Because I'm pretty sure she doesn't have anything… on her right now, Doctor."

He looked up at her quickly, with a bit of a shocked "oh" expression. "W-wow, that was blunt."

With that, he pressed a final button, and they heard the sound of dialling, then the electronic buzz of a phone ringing.

To their surprise, after three rings, they heard Donna's voice chirp, "Well, olà from Portugal, to the TARDIS crew!"

And then, in the background, they heard Colin's voice sound, "Hi, guys!"

Before she could stop herself, Martha said, "Wait, you had your phone on you?"

Donna sighed. "Only because the hotel bathrobes have pockets, and my mother called about half an hour ago."

"Oh," Martha remarked, surprised. "Does she know where you are?"

"Yes," Donna said, sighing again. "I told my granddad yesterday that I was going away with a new bloke, and forgot to ask him to keep it under wraps. D'you know what he asked me, Martha? He asked me if I knew how to use a French Letter!"

Martha laughed out loud. "That's a beautiful story! For several reasons."

"I know, right?"

"A French Letter, what's that?" the Doctor whispered.

Martha stared at him for a long moment to see if there was any irony in the question. She detected none, so she asked, "Really?"

Before he could answer, Donna was off again. "Anyway, mum wants to know when she gets to meet Colin. I told her the twelfth of Never, but she didn't think that was funny. Little does she know, it wasn't a joke."

They could hear Colin chuckling in the background.

"We'll draw up a battle-plan for your mum later, but for now, we won't keep you," Martha said. "We're just ringing to tell you that I'm an idiot and forgot to actually give you your little packet of meds."

"Oh! Blimey, I hadn't even noticed."

"You hadn't noticed?" the Doctor asked her, incredulous.

"Of course not," Donna said. "Do you think my blood pressure is the first thing on my mind right now?"

"No, but given what is the first thing on your mind right now, perhaps your blood pressure should be more of a priority!" he said, brashly.

"Oi, you!" Donna shouted. "I'll thank you to leave the scolding to my primary-care physician!"

"Your primary… really?" he whined.

"Yes, I've decided that just now," she said. "Now step off, Spaceman."

"Fine," he muttered. "Just remember, Earth Girl, the TARDIS answers distress calls, so if you're giving yourself a cardiac event of some sort, it's not my fault if she appears in your hotel room at an… inopportune moment."

"Duly noted, thanks," Donna said back, mock-annoyed. Then, "Where did you find them?"

Martha explained, "I shoved them in my pocket while we were finishing up in the exam room yesterday, and then… poof. Out of sight, out of mind. Luckily, though, I put the same jeans back on this morning and discovered them just a couple minutes ago whilst searching for a lip balm. We can bring them to you, or I can call in a prescription for them, if the resort has a chemist."

"Colin, does the resort have a chemist?" Donna asked, somewhat muffled. "Martha forgot to give me my pills."

"I dunno," they heard him say. "I can check on my phone… where did my trousers land?"

"Erm… over there, on the end of the credenza," Donna said to him.

Martha groaned inwardly.

"Colin's checking" Donna said to them.

It was about twenty seconds before they heard Colin's voice, faintly. "The resort does have a chemist, over on the north side."

"Great," Martha said. "Can you give me the number? I'll get it pushed through today, so you can have your pill tonight."

"Okay, thank you, Martha. Here's Colin," Donna said. To Colin, she said, "Martha needs the phone number."

Martha asked the Doctor, "Have you got a pen and paper?"

He produced one of each from a compartment on the console, and held them out to her.

With that, she repocketed the packet of pills absently, again, to free up one hand.

Martha called the chemist in Portugal, to find out how to have a prescription readied for a British citizen within the day. The process turned out to be a lot more involved than she had thought. But she had promised Donna, so she persevered.

"Well, that was a waste of three hours," Martha breathed, walking into the parlour where she knew the Doctor was relaxing with a book. "Why didn't we just drop off the packet at their hotel front desk? That way, they could come pick it up at their leisure, and we don't have to see either one of them in a hotel bathrobe. Oh, sure, now I come up with the least-insane idea."

She sank down onto the sofa beside him.

"Point is, now she'll have what she needs, so as not to have a heart attack while canoodling your cousin on the Iberian Peninsula."

"She's just got a not-uncommon level of hypertension," Martha said. "The likelihood of heart attack in the next five days is negligible. The migraines are really what will keep her from having a good time."

"Well, now she won't have to worry about that either," he said.

Martha was pensively silent for a few moments, before asking, "The TARDIS wouldn't really just appear in their hotel room if it thought she was in distress, would it?"

"It would take a lot more than a migraine," he said. "Donna's life would have to be in jeopardy, but… yes, the TARDIS could do it."

"Wow, seriously?"

"The TARDIS carries an energy signature from all of her… friends. Me, most especially, but also you and Donna, Rose, Captain Jack… everyone who's ever travelled with me for any length of time. She probably already has a bit of Colin in her consciousness already. She's connected to you through it, whether you lot realise it or not. She can help keep you safe that way."

"I forget sometimes she's sentient," Martha mused.

"And, since one of her primary programming directives is answering distress signals…"

"I see!"

"Neat, eh?"

"Yeah," Martha agreed with a smile.

The Doctor then threw his book aside, stood up and turned toward her, holding out his hand. "Now, up you come."

"Why? I just sat down!"

"Because, Dr. Jones," he said. "I think we're alone now."

"We are," she sang, now giving up her hand.

"Our friends are off on their holiday, they're safe, they're happy," he said pulling her to her feet. "We have peace of mind, and the whole of the TARDIS to ourselves."

"You're acting like you've got something specific on your mind, Doctor."

A bit of sauciness to carry us into the next chapter... and into adventure! ;-)

Let me know you're out there - leave a review with some thoughts. Thank you for reading!