A/N. Thank you. This was supposed to be a much longer chapter, with a lot more bickering and this-is-it-I-am-leaving moments… but who am I to complicate the situation even more?

Previously…

"I see you are getting along all right, girls?" The Doctor winked at them. But before he could see the disapproving looks in their eyes, he continued, smirking.

"I do have a say in that one question my darling has raised, though."

Belong: Chapter Four

Both Rose and Martha looked at him. "You were eavesdropping on us?" The dark-skinned companion was utterly scandalised. "You?" Strangely, the other companion was nowhere as shocked. Not even surprised, in fact. Maybe he had been eavesdropping on Rose before, for some reason. Yes, this had to be it.

The Doctor did not expect this reaction. "Well-"

Rose rolled her eyes at him. "He does that sometimes, Martha. It's about time you found out just how much of an annoying… alien he can be." She ignored his hurt look. "Anyway, Doctor, what was it you wanted to tell us about you having a say in our conversation?"

Oh, Rose. The Time Lord tried to read something in her eyes… But the Tyler girl kept avoiding his gaze.

If there was one thing Martha Jones has been very closely familiar with it was tension. It was obvious that was not going anywhere anytime soon.

Which one of us do you mean? "What do you mean?" She asked the Doctor out loud instead, just the tiniest bit intrigued. He couldn't be having Rose in mind. Martha tried to list some of the reasons that would justify her opinion of the clearly misled blondie. It did not take long…

That girl was almost shamelessly undereducated, for God's sake! With no understanding how life worked, both literally and figuratively… While she, Martha Jones, a medical student, a soon-to-be doctor… She could help the Doctor on so many levels! With so many things… all sorts of things… The girl looked the Doctor over almost dreamily. Surely, the overly perfect – for Martha honestly believed he was – called her darling for a reason? She would certainly enjoy hearing him use that epithet on her more often!

The Time Lord chose to ignore the question, his gob once again getting ahead of his mind. "Rose knows it. I know you do, Rose."

Some confirmation was in order. "Do I know what?"

That you can't choose between which one of us to keep as your companion? That I am only back aboard the TARDIS because you could not risk breaking a promise?

Apparently, the girl has misinterpreted his words altogether. Judging from the unfitting excited grin on Martha's face, both of them did. But he was too slow to think of any sort of a response. Rose was quicker.

"Do you want to get that question answered first? In front of Martha? Tough. It's not how this goes."

"No?" He countered. "Do you know just how much trouble I am having to even wording this? Surely, you must have an idea."

She did get the idea. Just not the one he hoped she would.

"You said... You promised..." Rose gasped, having understood there was nowhere for her to go - her room was around her.

Martha grinned, having made her own conclusions. "'M' sorry, Rose. That's the way life works," Martha eyed her smugly.

The Doctor could not take the farce any more. Of course, he was not without blame himself, but that was not the point.

"Why wouldn't you listen? Both of you?" He grabbed Rose by the hand, not caring to do the same for the other girl, who failed to see the implication.

"But first-"

The Doctor exhaled, leading Martha Jones out of the room quietly. "This needs to be settled once and for all. If you wouldn't mind?" The fake kindness in his voice and expression was suddenly almost suffocating him. Knowing why exactly Martha's eyes were sparkling so did not help him feel any better.

But if Rose was up for that kind of game… Who was he to refuse?

"Whatever you say, Rose," he sounded... Bored? Tired? "Maybe you're right. Maybe all of this was just-"

Just- Rose backed away from the Doctor as much as humanly possible, suddenly in a hurry to get away from this room before his words have caught up with her. Thoroughly. He stared after her, but stopped her before she could leave her chamber.

The companion's steely voice was visibly enforced. "Whatever? I demand a lift home, Doctor. I am not strong enough to deal with your moody, undecided, treacherous self whenever we talk. Have your Martha. Learn to love her. Receive warm hugs and... And kisses. Every day. Let me go. Leave me. At home, with my Mum. Maybe she was right all along… I guess this is goodbye, Doctor." This was when Rose realised she hasn't stopped to take a breath once. She saw the Doctor opening the door for her. It opened to… a garden. The amount of fresh air hit her with an unexpected force. "Breathe, Rose," the Doctor encouraged her, sincere worry in his features. "Just try to do it slowly at first," he reminded.

"I'm fine. I'm okay," she assured him, forgetting all about Martha all of a sudden, having found herself in the Doctor's embrace. It seemed his very closeness was making her feel dizzy.

"Am I interrupting something?"

The Doctor glared at Martha. She tended to choose the worst moments possible to find him.

"Yes, you are," he said darkly. "This girl here has been going through a grave case of oxygen deprivation," he added.

"But Rose is better now?" Martha believed to have seen the girl through.

"Let's hope so," he murmured it in the most cryptic way possible, letting go of Rose as if nothing has happened.

The dark-skinned girl hurried to suggest something which seemed like a genius idea inside her mind. "I know! We could send Rose into some planet famous for its pure oxygen! It should fix that problem completely!"

"Wait, Martha Jones. Are you accusing my gardens of unclean air?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

This was not how this was supposed to be. Why hadn't she thought of such a trick?

"No! I just thought-"

"Rose isn't going anywhere. Unless she wants to. Do you, darling?" He knew her answer at once.

"Nope."

"Thought so!" The Doctor grinned at them both manically. "But… I don't know, Martha… Since you have come with such a brilliant idea, maybe you would like to? I could get you anywhere in the universe!"

"I thought it was Rose who needed it?"

The fair-haired girl gave Martha a blinding smile. "Rose is here. She has everything she needs. Thank you for asking."

"Please, Martha. Leave us." The Doctor employed his best you-know-you-have-to look. "Just for now," he added. "The library, the media room… all yours."

"O-okay," she agreed. Because the Doctor must know what he was doing! "See you in a while!"

The moment Martha closed the door after herself, all the Doctor and Rose could do was stare at each other.

"Before we start quarrelling again…" The Doctor took her hand. "How are you, Rose?"

This was unexpected. "I feel okay," she said.

"Don't lie to me. I won't have my one and only Rose Tyler suffer because of my foolishness."

Fine, then. Rose was more than ready for this. "Just answer me this, Doctor. Do you love her?"

The Time Lord sighed heavily. His hands were suddenly holding both of hers, not without fierceness. It hurt, but Rose was too stunned to say anything. "Here, Rose. Look at me… These lips are for you. These hands are for you. These hearts are for you. Not for Reinette. Not for Sarah Jane. Not for Martha Jones!"

"Do you believe me?" He peered at her sincerely, his look hopeful.

"Yes," she smiled. "Always. But what about-"

Martha Jones must have been somewhere close. The TARDIS hardly ever bothered to help any other companion than Rose to hear the discussions of others. "Anyone calling me?"

Rose burst into giggles. This was getting ridiculous.

"Oh, Martha… Rose and I, we have just been discussing… how about a trip to a lovely spa several eons away?"

She blinked. "What, all three of us?"

"Don't be silly, Martha Jones! We have ordered two separate suites!"

A/N. She still doesn't know. How (un)fair is that? Reviews would be lovely!