DISCLAIMER: All rights to Doctor Who belong to the BBC, yada, yada, yada.

SUMMARY: The Doctor wants to give something back to Martha so he tries to live one day as a normal person so that they can spend the day together but also with her family. Things backfire on them when they bump into one of Martha's ex's, he cheated on her and now he's boasting about how wonderful their relationship is so, to make him jealous, Martha tells him that she too is in a fabulous relationship. He invites her to go to dinner with him and his girlfriend and she panics as she doesn't really have a boyfriend. She begs the Doctor to play the part and he agrees but can the Doctor really pretend to be a normal guy, and more importantly, how will he react when he finds out that she has told him that the Doctor is her fiancé?

A/N: This story is set about three months after 'Last of the Time Lords'. The Doctor is missing Martha and wants to give something back to her, as a late thank you. I know that the Doctor isn't 'normal' per se but I thought this would show him in a different way, show his human side.

TITLE: The Fake Date – Chapter 3

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"Oh Martha, I'd better…" Francine started towards the door only to have the Doctor pull her back.

"Maybe I should go first, make sure she's…you know." Francine nodded and thanked him the he walked out of the front door and down the path. He found her sitting on the curb, her legs held to her chest and her chin resting on her knees. "Martha?" She said nothing so he sat down next to her, mirroring her position. "What's wrong; would have thought you'd be happy to have them back together?"

She turned her head to look at him and sadly smiled. "I am happy for them."

"You don't look too happy, what's wrong?" He gently tried to coax an answer out of her but she wasn't giving in.

"It doesn't matter." She turned her head again and stared at a spot in front of her.

"Yes it does, you can tell me; it's me you're talking to now."

She sighed but gave in and told him what was wrong. "It's just…I've seen it all before." She fell silent again.

"Seen what?"

"Seen them play 'happy families' when everything isn't perfect. One minute they're 'the perfect couple' and the next they want to kill each other. They've tried to make it work before but it always ends in arguments and I…I don't wanna see them hurt again. They both mean so much to me, I mean they're my parents and I don't wanna have to watch them fall apart again. I don't want Leo or Tish to see it either, Tish wants them to get back together so much but what if it doesn't last? What if they end up hurting us all again…hurting themselves?" She looked at him helplessly and he realised that although she was always the strong one, she was secretly the most vulnerable; torn between her parents happiness and protecting her older sister and younger brother.

"Martha, I can't guarantee that there won't be arguments between them but they really seem to want to make a go of it." He tried to make her feel better, it was her job to look after her family so she always put everyone else before herself but this time the Doctor was making sure she was put first.

"I know but they wanted to make it work last time and look how it ended." Her voice had a hint of sadness but there something else lacing her voice…fear.

He sighed and stretched his legs out in front of him, checking for cars before doing so and thinking to himself that it wasn't very safe sitting half in the road. "Martha I can't promise you that it's going to be perfect because I don't know that it is but maybe they really do mean it this time. You all went through so much in…you know?" She nodded, even the Doctor didn't like to talk about 'the year that never was'. "You all went through hell but they stuck together, surely that's gotta count for something?" She nodded and sighed, knowing that he was right.

"I know, I guess I'm just worried that everything will go wrong, I can't lose my family…not again."

"Again?" He hadn't realised that this had happened before.

"The first time they spit up, it tore the family apart. Leo sided with dad, Tish with mum and me in the middle and I can't go through that again." The hurt was evident in her eyes and he would have given anything to take that away but he knew that he couldn't…not this time. Instead he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

"I won't let that happen, I don't know how, but I'll make sure it doesn't." She relaxed in his arms and sighed contentedly.

"Thanks, I think I just needed to hear that there's gonna be someone there for me if…if it all goes wrong." He held her tighter to him and kissed her head.

"There is…there's always gonna be someone here."

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They finally walked back into the kitchen and Francine and Clive looked up. "Sorry about before, it was just such a shock. I'm really happy for you mum, dad, just don't hurt each other again."

Clive nodded and walked over to her, taking her hands in his. "We won't, not again because no matter what happens, you kids come first this time." Martha nodded and smiled at him.

"Anyway we'd better get goin' otherwise we won't have time for a picnic." Leo tossed an orange and yellow, 'Converse' backpack at Martha and the Doctor told him that he had good taste. "You're in charge of that; we have a volleyball and a volleyball net, a Frisbee, 'Connect Four' and 'Twister'. I even packed a book for you Martha." He proudly smiled at his parents and looked at a shocked Martha.

"Leo that's very sweet but we're not five anymore. You're twenty one, isn't it time to give up connect four?" Tish lectured him as Martha stood, mouth open, staring at Leo.

When Martha finally snapped out of her daydream-like state, she threw her arms around Leo and laughed, confusing everyone in the house. "I have missed you so much Leo."

"Martha I haven't been anywhere?" He hugged her to him, a confused smile gracing his lips.

"I know it's just…it doesn't matter." She pulled away from him and looked at Tish. "And Tish, where's your sense of fun? Come on it'll be fun to relive those days when we didn't have to worry about work or nights out or all that junk."

Tish smiled and nodded. "I guess you're right, well let's go then."

They all exited the house, Francine locking the door behind her, and started walking down the road to the park. Francine and Clive walked, arms linked, at the back whilst the Doctor and Tish walked ahead, talking about where he had been since she saw him last and how each others lives were going. Leo walked in front with Martha on his back, complaining that he was the youngest so realistically she should be giving him a piggyback, not the other way around. She merely smiled and rested her chin on top of his head, glad to have her family back together again and the Doctor by her side, even if it was only for today.

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A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short but hopefully I can start working on the next chapter soon and have a longer one up for you soon. Thanks again for reading and reviewing, your support is very much loved.

Thanks again.