Sorry for the delay. I have two ready, though. Hope you continue to enjoy!
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Chapter 8 . . .
Martha arrived at her sister's two bedroom townhome to a warm welcome. "Welcome back to Earth, Sis," Tish stated as she embraced her younger sibling.
Martha smiled warmly, "It's good to be back."
The duo eventually moved further in the house and once she dropped her bag off in the downstairs bed room, Martha joined her sister in the kitchen where she had tea ready.
"So tell me everything. How are things going with you two?" Tish began.
Martha took a long sip of her tea before speaking, "First things first, did you do as I asked?"
Tish held up a hand and crossed her heart, "I swear I didn't say a word to mum about you coming home even though I don't get why. She would love to see you."
"And she will but I'm just not ready for the third degree yet. Thanks."
"Of course. Now spill. What have you and the Doctor been up to?"
Martha sighed. She didn't think it was fair to just dive into her own drama first thing. After all, she hadn't seen her family in nearly a month, by their view. So she decided to build up to herself, "You first. What's been going on here?"
Tish rolled her eyes in annoyance at her sister's evasiveness but responded anyway, "Nothing much. My event planning business is doing well. We have a gala for a non-profit coming up in a couple of weeks."
"That's great, Tish. Congratulations."
"Thank you. As for mum and dad, they're actually in the midst of a good spell. They have been out together a few times and, Lord help me, I caught them "together" one day when I went to the house."
Martha's eyes widened, "Oh my God! That must have been traumatic."
Tish couldn't hold back a giggle, "To say the least. Especially since I caught them in the kitchen."
Martha put up her hands this time, "Alright, we can skip those details. How about Leo?"
"He and Keisha actually took the baby to Disneyworld. Said he loved it."
"That's awesome. I feel like I've missed so much," Martha replied with a hint of sadness in her tone. Her sister couldn't help but pick up on the slight melancholy.
Gently she inquired, "Martha, are you OK? You seem a little down."
Her first instinct was usually to blow off such concerns but this was part of the reason she had decided to come back. She needed a fresh perspective and she knew Tish would give it to her without all the judgment her mother would dole out on the side.
"Besides wanting to see everyone, there was another reason that I came back. But before I tell you I need your word that whatever is said between us stays between us. The last thing I need right now is mum saying I told you so."
Tish looked at her with even more concern, "Told you what? Martha, what's wrong?"
Martha, though, persisted, "Promise me."
"I promise. Now tell me what happened?"
After one more sip from her tea, Martha pushed the cup aside and slowly went about rehashing everything that had brought her back home. Tish sat in what appeared to be silent awe as her kid sister recounted her time in 18th century Africa. Martha couldn't really read the expression on her sister's face as she wrapped up her tale but she knew Tish would have some insight.
Tish, for her part, remained quiet a bit longer before she seemed to find her voice again, "This is a lot to take in, Martha. I don't even know where to begin. You were nearly kidnapped by slave traders, almost caught in a war, and the Doctor knocked you out?"
Martha nodded, "I was so stunned. It never occurred to me that he would ever do something like that. It's like even after everything we've gone through . . . everything I have done for him that he still sees me as a rookie who can't handle myself. I just don't get it."
Tish noticed that she glossed over the two other items in the list and dived right in to the last. It was clear to her that Martha, surprisingly, wasn't either seeing or acknowledging the connection between the first two and the last. She studied her for long moment as though trying to figure something on her own before she finally spoke again, "Can we back up a minute? Martha, you were nearly carted off to slavery. I'm horrified just hearing about it. How do you think the Doctor was feeling while witnessing it?"
Martha furrowed her brow, "What does that have . . . wait what are you getting at?
"You're the genius in the family. What do you think I'm getting at?"
Martha thought for a moment before replying, "You think he was upset too."
Tish simply nodded causing her sister to respond pointedly, "I'm not saying it wasn't a disturbing scene to walk in on but you don't know him the way I do. Yes, he is always been concerned about his companions' safety but would not allow his concern to dictate his actions especially when he knows that they can handle the situations they find themselves in."
Tish bluntly returned, "Are you sure about that? After all weren't you the one who said you two had become closer of late. Do you really think that has no bearing on what came later?"
Again Martha was quiet for a beat. Could her sister be right? She looked her sibling in the eye and barely hung on to her own notions, "Besides, that happened like three days before he decided to knock me out. Why would he have waited that long to act or say something if he really believed me to be in danger?"
Tish sighed, "Well, for one, you asked him to stay longer and help remember? And then when the little boy went missing, you were prepared to go back out into a dangerous situation without thinking it through. He probably had been thinking about what nearly happened since that day. When he couldn't convince you to stay back, he probably panicked."
Martha's head was now swimming. Could all of this have been about him being scared for her? Why didn't that thought ever occur to her? "This doesn't make any sense. Why wouldn't he just say that then?"
"Because he's a guy and I'm sure species has little bearing on this truth, guys are dense when it comes to emotions. They can fight wars and solve complicated equations but when it comes to something like expressing their feelings it's like they can't grasp the concept. He thought he was protecting you and this was how he went about it."
"And I should just accept that as a proper reaction?" Martha tartly retorted.
Tish held up her hands, "I'm not saying I agree with the method. Knocking you out was definitely not cool but the reasons for it . . . I think you could understand that."
Martha narrowed her eyes at her sister, "So, you really believe that's why he did it?"
"I think it's a pretty safe bet basic fear played a big role in his decision."
Martha still appeared less than convinced so Tish continued, "I'm serious, Martha. You were nearly assaulted and kidnapped by slave traders and then you're all gun ho to go traipsing back out into the jungle when there might have been other traders out there. He freaked and did something majorly stupid but still, I think it's clear he was only trying to protect you."
Martha took a moment to turn that over in her mind. Was he trying to keep her safe? Something so simple . . . so human and it was partly because of that, she never stopped to consider that it might be the reason for his actions. She was so used to him reminding her and anyone who would listen that he was not human but at his hearts he had some of the same tendencies. Martha now couldn't decide what was more unnerving, that things had changed that much between them or that her first thought was that he had done what he did out of disrespect.
"Tish, even if you're right, what does it say when he would choose to do that rather than just talk to me," Martha replied.
Her sister pushed her own cup away and leaned into the table some as she retorted, "Let me ask you this, would you have listened?"
Martha narrowed her eyes at her. Her first instinct was to curtly reply in the affirmative but after thinking about it for a bit longer she remained silent which served to urge Tish forward.
"Martha, you're my baby sister and I love you but sometimes you can be . . . stubborn. Especially when you think you're right."
Again, Martha wanted to protest but inside knew she could not. In fact up until he knocked her unconscious, he had been trying to convince her to stay behind but she barely registered his reasons. All she heard was him trying to impede her and she had reacted in her defense. She only sighed this time as she now rose from her seat and began to pace. Could she have really misread this situation so thoroughly?
Tish could see that her little sister was considering her words and decided to add something else for her to think about. "Sweetie, it's apparent he cares but just didn't express it the way you would have liked. He acted rashly but that doesn't mean he wasn't still acting from the heart. So you have to think and decide if one action, misguided as it might have been, is enough to derail everything else you two have and share."
