Rose walked quickly into the kitchen, throwing on her jacket and preparing to head to work. She stopped at the coffee maker and poured her coffee into a travel mug. She was running a little late and was hurrying to get out the door in time but she couldn't help but stop and pause. She was struck, as she so often was, by her own actions. It was all so normal. Living in a proper house, going to a regular job, was all so ordinary and so very opposite of the way she used to live. It was so very far from the way she wanted to live. After she'd started traveling with the Doctor she was sure she would never live this kind of life again and she was often hit by the strangeness of her normal life.

It almost seemed silly, even to her, that she felt her life was so normal. She was sure almost anyone would disagree with her about that. Working at Torchwood and living in a mansion was hardly what one would call a typical life. Anybody else who had found themselves in her position would find their life rather thrilling. To them, a job working for a covert agency that investigated aliens and a social life of the wealthy would make for a thrilling life. And maybe she would have too had it come at a different time in her life. Surely, nineteen year old her who had worked in a shop would find it exciting. But twenty one year old her, with all she had seen and experienced, just couldn't find it interesting enough.

She was grateful for her job. She knew that it was the closest thing she would have been able to find on this Earth to the life she'd had before. She knew no other job would have been as adventurous as this one and she was glad that it kept her busy and filled the greater part of her days. But most of all she was thankful that her work every day brought her closer to finding the Doctor. She was able to do all the research she could to help her find her way back to her original universe and she was able to work on the dimension cannon that may one day reunite her with the Doctor. As frustrating as it was to watch the days turn into weeks, into months, as she was stuck here she was making slow progress and that helped.

She was also very glad she wasn't alone in this universe. Sometimes, she felt guilty for how sad and down she felt about being trapped here. She had her mum. She also had Mickey, her good friend that she had thought she would never see again. And she had Pete who, while he wasn't her real father and their relationship had its challenges, was kind to her and their relationship had potential. She felt guilty being sad when she really was surrounded by the company of people who also cared about her very much. She did her best to hide it around them but she still knew it was there and she couldn't help but wonder if she was terrible person for feeling the way she did.

At first glance, her life here really was good. She had a good, important job. She lived in a huge, beautiful house, with any material possession she could hope for within her reach. And she was surrounded by people who cared for her. But all of those things couldn't stop the nagging inside of her. It was a good life but it wasn't the one she was meant for. This wasn't where she was supposed to be and she knew even if a life was a good one, if it wasn't the one you were intended for it could never be enough. Her purpose, her heart, her very mind even was meant to be elsewhere and she knew that no matter how good things were here, she would never be satisfied.

Only she knew that she had been changed, altered in a way that could never be reversed. She was different now and the old rules, the completely human rules, that would have governed her before just wouldn't do. Her mind was different in a way that no one around her could understand. She couldn't 'move on' or just 'choose to be happy' as some might suggest. She had made a choice that would never allow her to do that. She had joined her mind to the Doctor's forever and now that she was separated from him, her mind would always strive to drive her back to him. That was what it was meant to do. It would make her miss him all the more, remember him even more frequently, and yearn for him more than she would have without the bond. It was continually pointing out her need for him in an attempt to make her go to him.

She wished it was possible for her to do that. She missed the closeness that they shared. It was something only the two of them could have. What they had was so special, every other relationship she'd had or ever could have paled in comparison to it. It was a true bond and she felt the absence of that in every relationship she now had. Relationships could be so much more and it made her sad to see how much others missed out on by not having that same special connection that her and the Doctor shared. She longed for that true joining she'd had with the Doctor where they could come to each other completely open and vulnerable with each other and then find themselves secure as they shared their very thoughts and feelings.

She missed that transparency. In the beginning, when they had first started to touch each other's minds, she had been a little worried about that. As someone who had never had another person look into her mind she had naturally been nervous about the Doctor seeing her so completely. But it hadn't taken her long to lose the fear she'd had at the start as she had shared more and more with the Doctor. Now, she not only didn't fear that openness any longer, she longed for it. She never wanted to be without it ever again because it created a genuine relationship with true intimacy. Their relationship had become unhindered by the secrets and barriers that could come in between two people.

No relationship was perfect, for any species or in any universe. But she felt that what they shared was pretty close. They fell in love like Time Lords, with some definite added human benefits of course. It was a perfect combination of mind and body and there was so much she missed about it. She missed how she could just touch him and know what his thoughts were. She missed being able to know his true feelings just by being next to him. She loved how even in the middle of a busy day he could give her just one look and she knew they would bond minds together later. And she longed for how she could just lean against him and whatever she seemed to be missing in her own spirit she would find in his, ready to be given to her.

She turned back to her coffee, stirring it and feeling much more melancholy than she had meant to be for so early in the day.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

Rose turned around at her mum's voice. She found Jackie slowly making her way to the kitchen, her large belly hindering most of her movements these days, especially when she first woke. "Morning, Mum. I'm surprised to see you up so early."

Jackie came to stand next to Rose, pulling her dressing gown tight around her, though it didn't stay closed the way it should have anymore. She set a kettle on the stove and turned to Rose. "I didn't sleep so well."

"Yeah, Pete told me you were up last night."

"Yeah. He said he saw you up. Did you have another nightmare?"

"Yeah, I did," Rose admitted but she quickly shrugged it off.

"Did you remember what this one was about?"

"No."

"Well, I hope they ease up soon so you can get some sleep."

"Yeah me too."

Rose didn't say any more about it. She didn't think her dreams were a normal occurrence and she didn't have much hope of them passing naturally on their own. Her mind felt like it was in a constant state of chaos. Sometimes, it felt so bad she marveled that she was ever able to pretend she was normal and unaffected by what was going on inside. It really only seemed natural that her sleep would be impacted by it.

It was better to think that the bad dreams were a side effect of her troubled mind than it was to think of the alternative. She hoped it wasn't the Doctor reaching out to her in some way. He hadn't come to visit her in her dreams since the time he had at Christmas but that didn't mean he wasn't trying. She felt sure he would try it again after the success they'd had. But these days her sleep left her feeling so upset and troubled that if the Doctor was trying to reach her than it must be in distress.

She didn't voice any of these concerns though; it would only sound strange. Her mum didn't know that sometimes dreams weren't just dreams. She didn't know that Rose and the Doctor were capable of communicating through them. Without knowing that she would only worry if she knew Rose was so concerned about the nightmares. She knew the sleep disturbances troubled Rose but she didn't know the half about why they bothered her and Rose knew there was no reason for her to.

"You've been too stressed lately. You need to relax and take care of yourself."

Rose forced a smile. "I'll try," she said as convincingly as she could but she felt sad.

Things hadn't been the best between Rose and her mum since they had arrived in the parallel universe. Overtly things didn't seem all that different but Rose could sense the definite strain between them. Rose couldn't be completely honest with her mum and she knew the secrets kept between them were hurting their relationship.

Rose had really given some thought about whether or not she would tell her mum about what she and the Doctor shared. She really had wanted to tell her mum about all the exciting things she was capable of now and how extraordinary her relationship with the Doctor had become because of all of it. And she had almost done it a few times but she stopped herself each time. Rose couldn't stop remembering the conversation she'd had with her mum on the TARDIS that very day they'd been pulled into this universe. Her mum had thought Rose was changing; she had seen Rose becoming more and more like the Doctor. She thought Rose was losing her humanity and she had made it quite clear she did not like what she saw. She said one day Rose wouldn't even be human and it was clear that she had been terrified and appalled at the thought.

Rose couldn't forget that look of almost disgust on her mum's face. She couldn't imagine how her mum would actually look at her if she told her that she was changing. Her mum wouldn't be happy to know that Rose was different and maybe she really was a little less human than she used to be. She was definitely more like the Doctor than she used to be. She didn't want to think of how differently her mum would look at her if she knew the things she was capable of doing in her mind. She might even look at Rose like she was an alien herself. She wanted her mum to really understand the trouble she was going through; she wanted her to know how deep a loss this was and know she wasn't just being stubborn when she said she couldn't just move past it. But she didn't want her mum to look at her differently, so she had decided to keep it to herself.

She also knew her mum still held some hurt feelings about Rose's choice to stay in their home universe. If Rose had had her own way, then she would have stayed in their universe and her mum would have lived in the parallel one. Rose hadn't even said goodbye to her mum that day; there just hadn't been time. Rose had been so upset when she'd been forced into the parallel universe that her mum had been kind and hadn't brought up the issue. She was glad her mum had had mercy on her because those first few days would have been even more terrible if she had known her mum was mad at her.

When she had gotten through those first few terrible days, she did eventually notice the pain she'd caused in her mum. She knew her mum was hurt and for good reason. She'd apologized for not saying goodbye and her mum had said it was alright and she understood. Rose knew she had her mum's forgiveness but that didn't mean she had her full trust anymore. That day had left a mark on their relationship.

That piled on top of all the things her mum didn't know about her had caused a real rift between them. Rose didn't like keeping parts of herself from her mum. Their relationship had been improving over the last couple of years and was better than it had ever been. She didn't like that they were on a downwards slant again.

She knew her mum worried about her and she didn't want her to. Her mum was very happy in this universe and she didn't understand why Rose couldn't be at least a little happy after so many months of being here. Rose felt the disparity between them and she wished she could explain the reason for it but she'd long ago decided against it. She just didn't feel that there was any good that could be gained from it. There was nothing her mum could do to change her situation and she didn't want to ruin the happiness that her mum had found for herself here.

"I've gotta go," Rose said giving her mum a kiss on the cheek before she headed out the door.

It was only when she outside and out of her mum's sight that she let her face fall back to where it was more in line with her true feelings. She really wished that everything didn't feel so wrong here.

A/N: This scene takes place immediately following the events of "Evolution of the Daleks."

The Doctor walked into the TARDIS with Martha following close behind. They were both silent for a while, thinking about the events of the past couple of days they'd spent in New York fighting the Daleks. Martha looked particularly thoughtful but the Doctor was too apprehensive of her answer to ask her what was on her mind. He decided to leave her in her own thoughts and was already fiddling with controls when she finally spoke.

"Are we going to talk about it?" she asked, caution and nervousness in her voice.

The Doctor instantly felt anxious at the question. He contemplated first if it was at all possible to avoid the question but when he realized that he wouldn't be able to ignore the question entirely he reluctantly responded. "Talk about what?" he asked, not meeting her eye and acting aloof as if he didn't have any idea at all what she might ask him.

"Doctor," she said, concern in her voice. "I'm worried about you."

Martha had been traveling with him for two months now. He had debated long and hard in the beginning about bringing her with him. Even after they had successfully defeated Florence the Plasmavore and cleaned up the mess the Judoon had left on the moon he had gone back to his TARDIS and left her on Earth, thinking he wouldn't see her again. But he hadn't been able to make himself leave immediately even though he thought he had decided not to invite her to come with him. Instead, he found himself seriously wondering if she might like to travel with him. She had more than proven herself worthy of the invitation and he was almost certain she would accept if asked.

But he hadn't been sure if he was ready for that. He had been alone for months and he had become so private and isolated that he wasn't sure he wanted to let someone else in. His life was not in the best state and he was out of practice interacting with others. He knew he would have to make some changes if someone else was there. It had also seemed wrong to offer someone a spot that wasn't really open to be filled. Though Rose had become so much more than just his traveling companion, she was still the last person who had accepted such an offer and to extend it to someone else seemed wrong.

Ironically, it had ultimately been thinking about Rose that had finally made him decide to ask Martha if she wanted to come along with him. He knew that Rose worried about him when he had said he was on his own. The separation was difficult for them both but she at least had her family with her. He didn't have anyone else and he knew she wouldn't want him to be alone. She would want him to accept the opportunity of making a new friend, of having a companion to keep him company. He knew she wouldn't be upset; one of the great things about the bond was that it didn't allow any room for jealously. When you were bonded to someone you knew where you stood with the other person and you could be fully secure in knowing that it would never change.

As was always the case, he found that Rose was right. Martha was good for him and he was glad he had asked her to travel with him. He still struggled every day with the pain of losing Rose but he found that having a friend around did help ease that pain if only slightly. Just not being alone was a big improvement. With someone else's eyes upon him he thought about himself more and gave more consideration to taking care of himself. He had to adhere to a schedule and pay attention to all of those little details like changing his clothes and eating every day and if he didn't Martha would notice and point it out to him.

It also helped greatly to have another person to focus his attention on. Before Martha had come to travel with him he'd spent almost every moment thinking about his separation from Rose and working on solutions to get back to her. While he wanted to spend every minute he could on working to get back to her he knew focusing every second of his thought to it had been a detriment to himself. It was destructive to every aspect of his health to focus every waking thought on everything he'd lost and pressuring himself to make it right again. With Martha there now he could allow himself to have adventures again. It was a good distraction to be going places again and experiencing it with someone who was seeing it all with new eyes.

The daily activity was good for him. But sometimes, he felt guilty when he realized he was genuinely having fun. Most of the time he was just faking enjoyment but there were a few times, when he actually felt happy. Those times were few and far in between but they happened occasionally. Martha was a smart girl and a good companion to have by his side. She enjoyed their travels and that human excitement, so fresh and new, had always been contagious. He had a few good moments but he felt guilty for every single one of them.

In those moments of guilt, he had to remind himself that his situation now actually made him better for his mission of getting back to Rose. He'd been way too burnt out before and so deep in depression he hadn't been doing anyone any good. Spending his days with Martha made him all the better for the nights, almost every one of which he spent working and researching and searching for any way back to Rose. It kept his mind sharp and focused and already he felt he'd made more progress in the two months Martha had been with him than the six he'd spent on his own.

Martha had been a real and proper friend to him. He hated that he needed that as much as he did. He'd always been more human than the rest of his people but his time with Rose inside of her head had changed him and made him even more like her. He was built now for relationship and tailored for his bond to Rose; he needed comfort and companionship even more than he had before. Without her there he was left lonelier than he had ever been. Though Martha's company was not even close to being a substitution for Rose's it did still help a lot. It felt good to have someone care about him. He knew that this time in his life had not been his finest but Martha still treated him good. She had still been a true friend even when he knew he wasn't holding up his end of the bargain as much as he should.

One of the things that made the friendship work so well, at least in his opinion, was that she respected the privacy he needed. She didn't pester him or pressure him to talk about things he wasn't comfortable with. He knew he wasn't as good of an actor as he hoped; he knew she saw he was in pain. And yet she never forced him to talk about it. She gave him his space and he was grateful for that.

However, his streak of luck in this department seemed to be at its end. He knew he had been asking for trouble when he'd spoken honestly earlier. Just a few moments ago, Martha had remarked "There's someone for everyone." He should have agreed with her. He should have just put on a smile and agreed with her. At the very least, he should have kept his mouth shut and let the comment go. But her statement had made him uncommonly sad and his face had fallen as he'd remarked with a serious expression, "Maybe."

Admitting the truth was a mistake and he knew that. He'd allowed the veil to fall and that had been an error on his part. But her innocent enough statement had caused a stronger reaction in him than he had been prepared for. Sometimes, he was so good at burying the pain, of pushing it down and not letting it show. But sometimes, like this time, it came close to the surface without warning.

There really was someone for everyone and Rose was his someone. She was meant for him. If he could have someone as special as her then he knew there was hope for anyone. It was such a happy sentiment but it did not guarantee a happily ever after. He was meant to be with Rose but she had been taken from him.

His mind started to pulse with pain at the thought. It came from deep down inside of his mind where he repressed it and was a dull ache. He kept himself from indulging in thoughts of Rose during the day for this very reason. Pain came with thoughts of her and the absence of her presence. Right now, it was slight and manageable but it would get worse if he didn't control it. It would soon overwhelm him and he couldn't let himself feel that around Martha.

"You don't need to worry about me," he said, this time being conscious of making himself smile. He tried to make himself look happy to ward off suspicion and he pushed the sad thoughts away in the hopes he could chase away the pain.

He hoped she would drop the matter as she always had before but she wasn't to be deterred this time. "I think I do," she said insisted quietly, walking a few steps closer to him.

"Well, you shouldn't," he said firmly. He didn't wanted to be mean but he wanted to close this discussion as quickly as possible.

"Yes, I should," she said her own voice sterner this time.

He looked at her, detecting the certainty in her voice. "What makes you say that?" he asked challenging her. He didn't know what she was on to and though he was worried she might be closer to the truth than he liked, he also doubted she would get it completely right. He assured himself that there was no way she could possibly know the truth of what was going on.

"Doctor, you put yourself in danger several times and I think we need to talk about that."

"These missions get dangerous," he explained. "They aren't all calm and safe. Sometimes I find myself in harm's way."

He knew it was a low blow to insinuate she didn't understand the nature of his work but he needed the attention off of himself as quickly as possible. He tried his best to skim over it but he could tell she still took offense at it. She was new to this life but she knew what it was about and she didn't seem appreciate him trying to act like she didn't know what she was talking about. "This time was different and you know it."

"No, it wasn't."

"Yes, it was. You put yourself in harm's way, intentionally. I fully understand that these missions are dangerous but you were unnecessarily reckless on this one."

The Doctor knew it was true. He had been reckless, jumping in front of danger at every opportunity with eagerness. Even he didn't understand why he had done it. He couldn't deny it and he would have to admit that his actions alarmed even himself. It really was as if he no longer valued his safety and maybe subconsciously he didn't. But he wasn't going to admit that Martha. After searching for but not finding a defense he just ignored her statement.

"I'm just saying," she continued when she saw he wasn't going to answer, her voice kinder now. "Since I'm traveling with you and I depend on you to get where we're going... I need to know if you're trying to harm yourself."

He turned around quickly to look at her, surprised and startled by her words. "I am not trying to hurt myself," he said with determination.

When she answered her voice was gentle and nonjudgmental. "Are you sure?"

She meant it as an honest question and he could see she really was worried about him and his safety. She was giving him the chance to talk, a safe place to express himself if he wanted to take it. She was offering him the help she thought he needed. The thing was he didn't know the answer to her question and that scared him.

"I'm sure," he said, even though he didn't quite believe it.

She didn't believe it either. She knew he was in trouble even if she didn't know what it was and she wasn't ready to give up on the subject yet. "Really? Then why did you want that Dalek to kill you?"

"I didn't want a Dalek to kill me," he said, confused at where she was drawing her conclusions.

"When we were in Hooverville you just jumped in front of it."

"I was trying to reason with it."

"You were begging it to shoot you."

The Doctor felt a stab in his gut, remembering. It hadn't been his finest moment and he recalled it now with some embarrassment. "I was trying to save those people," he said with more calm than he felt as he considered that particular memory. "If it was focused on me if wouldn't want to kill them. Besides, I knew it wouldn't really kill me."

"Really? You know that for a fact? How is that since it had just killed an innocent man?"

He hadn't known that for a fact. The truth was he hadn't really been thinking at all but he answered her as if it had been a well thought out plan. "I've dealt with the Daleks before. I know what they're going to do and how to anticipate their actions."

"So, that's how you also knew all those human Daleks wouldn't shoot you when you begged them to kill you?" she asked, her expression clearly skeptical. Martha was smart and entirely too clever to fall for the weak lies he was giving.

He knew she wasn't serious but he went with it anyway hoping she'd get frustrated and give up. "Exactly."

"O.K. So, then how do you explain allowing yourself to be electrocuted? You even lost your sonic in the process and were very out of it when I found you. But I suppose that was all part of the plan too?"

He couldn't help it; he couldn't look at her anymore. She knew the truth and she was saying it all back to him. "The Daleks...they destroyed everything," he said quietly. "They've taken my whole world...twice now. The last time I saw one..." he said but then he stopped. There was a catch in his throat and he wasn't even sure why he had begun to say what he had been planning on saying. He couldn't believe he'd been so close to saying the truth out loud.

The last time he'd seen a Dalek they had taken Rose from him. Maybe that was why this mission had been so hard for him. He hadn't connected the pieces until this moment but maybe that was why he'd acted so strangely and recklessly. He hadn't thought about how he would react when he saw one again. He'd always hated the Daleks but it got worse every time he encountered them. This time what they had stolen from him was so fresh in his mind and the wound so deep and raw it all came back to him easily.

"The last time you saw one…what?" Martha asked with understanding and kindness, clearly eager to listen to him.

He regretted his momentary lapse. He didn't want to talk about that; he didn't even want to think about that day. All the sadness and melancholy he'd been feeling earlier increased. His mind ached for Rose, seeking out reassurance and comfort from her both of which it wouldn't find.

"Doctor," Martha said quietly as she stepped closer to him, reaching out a hand to him but he stepped away from it. "I know you don't want to do yourself harm...but you're getting into dangerous territory."

The Doctor was still staring determinedly at the console in front of him. She was being kind to him and she was completely right in what she was saying. He just wished she'd let him go though. He wanted her to let him go and be alone in his sorrow. He wanted to give into the pain that was brewing; he wanted to be able to indulge himself completely in his sadness. He usually ran from it but right now it was so close to the surface he just wanted to be able to take care of it.

"I know you're sad. I can see it in your eyes. It's nothing to be embarrassed about," she said quickly, noticing the uncomfortable expression on his face. "I know you're in a lot of pain and I just want to help."

"You can't," he said gravely and it was the truth. As much as he wanted comfort the only comfort that would solve the problem was out of his reach. Martha could listen, he could further humiliate himself and let her see him cry but that was all that could be achieved in this. Martha wouldn't know what he was talking about and it would only hurt him all the more to have to explain it.

"Maybe it would help if you talked about Rose," Martha suggested so quietly he barely heard her.

The Doctor's mind flared in pain at just her name. His mind knew her name; it knew it was intended for that name. Everything he was trying to repress in himself multiplied tenfold. He was so desperate for Rose that just the mention of her name set off such a powerful reaction in him that he had to close his eyes for a moment to deal with it.

His mind was searching in earnest now and that was a bad thing. This was the strongest he had ever felt it around Martha and he had to do something about it. If this went on he knew he'd lose it and he refused to do that in front of her. This pain was private and he intended to keep it that way.

He opened his eyes to look at her. "Do not talk about her," he said, clear warning in his voice when he spoke. He had been patient with her questions but it ended here.

"I know you miss her," she said stepping towards him, her voice begging. "And that's alright. But I think your grief is starting to put you in danger."

"Martha," he said, his voice full of caution again. "You know nothing about this situation."

"No, I don't," she agreed. "Because you haven't told me anything. But I think it would help if you talked about it."

The Doctor laughed, humorlessly. "It would not help." Just talking about it was making it worse. Martha had no idea what he was going through or how meaningless talking about it would be.

"How do you know?"

"I just do," he said, finally. He knew it was a lame excuse but he hoped they were at least finished with this conversation. His head was pounding, burning and moving so fiercely now that he pressed a hand to it. He knew that would do no good but he focused his energy inside on pressing the pain back down.

"Doctor, you and Rose-" Martha started cautiously.

She'd said the name again and all the progress he'd made was done away with. His distress increased so much that he felt himself just on the edge of losing it. With one more word he would be undone and he would not allow that to happen.

"Stop it! Just stop it! Alright?" he said turning around to face Martha again. "Do not talk about her. Do not act like you know anything about this situation. You know nothing about her and you know nothing about us. I'm not going to talk about any of this, so stop trying to act like you know anything about what's going on here. You know nothing."

The Doctor instantly regretted his words. Martha wasn't one to cry openly but she pressed her lips together and looked down and he knew without a doubt that he had hurt her. His pain started to retreat and the moving in his mind was calming but he didn't feel as good about that as he had expected. He knew she had only been concerned about him and had nothing but his best in mind. He hadn't meant to hurt her and he hated himself for snapping at her and being so short with her when she had been nothing but understanding with him.

He was just so afraid. He was afraid of what he felt, of the pain and loneliness and sadness he felt inside and how strong they could be if he gave them his full attention. He was afraid of this throbbing in his head and how bad it could get and how overwhelming it could be. He was afraid of how close to the edge he always felt he was. Just the mention of Rose's name made all of it worse and he knew that if he talked about her at all then he would lose it. He was like a spring, wound so tightly from the pressure of keeping it all to himself that he knew it would only take a slight touch and he would snap.

When Martha finally overcame the emotions that were building up inside of herself she looked at him again and spoke. It made it all the worse that she spoke so calmly, without any of the anger that he deserved. "Doctor, I think that maybe you and I need to take a short break."

His mouth dropped open in surprise and he felt his hearts start to beat rapidly in worry. That wasn't what he had been expecting to hear and it wasn't what he wanted either. He had never stopped to think that Martha might leave him. He thought back to the time he'd spent on his own before he'd met her. Only now that he had a friend again did he realize how terrible and lonely that time had been and he desperately didn't want to return to it. He knew he was difficult to live with and he knew he had made a mistake here but he had hoped to be given another chance before she decided she was through with him.

He struggled to think of something to say, something clever to convince her to stay. But he was at a loss. He was too emotional to be his usually charming and clever self. He was too upset right now about Rose and he was too panicked about losing Martha to think clearly. He also knew, deep down, that any argument he could give Martha wasn't enough. He hadn't been a very good friend to her and he deserved to be left.

She must have noticed at least part of his alarm because she spoke again. "I just think maybe we need a tiny bit of time away from each other, get a little space, clear our heads a bit. I'm not saying it's permanent or anything…I just think we both could use it."

It hurt because he didn't want space. But he couldn't blame her if she needed it from him. And he had to admit maybe, if she was gone for a few days he would learn to appreciate her as he should. "Alright," he agreed. "Maybe that would be for the best."

The Doctor set a course for Earth and Martha's home. He hoped that everything would be alright and that Martha would come back and they would be better after some time apart. He really hoped that there was no reason for the nagging sense of doom he felt as they got closer and closer to their destination.