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Chapter 14 . . .
After what felt like non-stop adventuring with interesting stops in the past, present, and future, the trio eventually agreed to a well-deserved break. When the Doctor suggested the vacation planet Midnight, Martha was immediately intrigued. It was, after all, the place River had hinted at and seemed to imply something significant to both she and the Doctor happened there. She was a bit anxious but also curious to see what was to come and so she eagerly agreed to his choice with Donna easily making the decision unanimous.
Unfortunately, once they arrived and got settled in their luxury suite, deciding what to do proved a bit more difficult to agree upon. While the two women envisioned a break lounging and being pampered at the hotel spa, the Doctor suggested a train ride around the planet. At issue was that it was a three hour trek on a train filled with other tourist. Neither Donna nor Martha found that option more appealing than relaxing in the spa. He bantered, pleaded and cajoled for at least one of them to join him before Donna put an end to the debate when she looped her arm through Martha's and began in the opposite direction before Martha could cave. He stood watching the retreating pair's backs before eventually accepting defeat and heading off to take the tour on his own.
It was later in the day, as Martha and Donna lounged by the large indoor pool, that their peaceful interlude was shattered by the resort manager. He promptly began to explain that there had been a problem with the train the Doctor had taken. Both women were immediately alarmed but the manager assured them everything was under control and that the train should arrive at port within the hour. The pair hastily made their way back to their suite to change before going to meet the train. The passengers were just disembarking when they arrived. Everyone who stepped off appeared unusually quiet and even a bit pale. Eventually their mate came into view and neither hesitated to go to him and engulf him in a warm hug. He, surprisingly, accepted the embrace with little resistance.
The friends eventually made their way back to their room where a dazed Doctor was coaxed into sharing what had happened on his trip. He gradually conveyed a tale of mob mentality that led to one death and nearly his own. He explained about the creature with the ability to overwhelm a person's mind and how it created the situation on board the train. It was clear from his tale that whatever it was was dangerous and having people around it was just bartering for trouble. Martha and Donna agreed with his assessment that management needed to be made aware of the danger before they left the planet themselves.
Martha soon exchanged a knowing look with Donna as both noticed the Doctor still appeared to be in a bit of shock about everything. Clearing her throat lightly, Donna abruptly announced she would start packing. Though the Doctor never reacted to her pronouncement, Martha gave her friend a grateful smile before watching the other woman vanish into her room and push up the door.
Once they were alone, Martha inhaled deeply. Things had gradually been changing between she and the Doctor since they confided in each other after her break up with Tom. He seemed more open to discussing things with her, running thoughts by her and earnestly seeking her and Donna's opinions about certain situations. But this type of situation gave her pause. It was emotional and tenuous and there was no way to tell how he might react to her prodding. His ire might be raised and aimed at her or he could shut down all together. Yet as she glanced over at her obviously distressed mate, Martha knew it was risk she had to take. So in a tone meant to soothe, she softly began, "Do you want to talk about it?"
His initial response was to lean back against the sofa they now both occupied and ran his hands over his face. After another lingering moment of silence he shakily began to speak, "I used to believe that given any situation, no matter how dire, somehow humanity would rise to and above the adversity they might face but after today . . . Martha, I just don't know anymore."
He paused and inhaled deeply. Martha could see how the experience had taken a toll on her companion. His face bore the expression of one both tired and hugely disappointed. He was, for the first time she could remember, truly questioning if the human race was worth the effort. She longed to find the right words to convince him they were but before she could, he began to speak again.
"I mean I can understand being scared. Blimey, I was a bit afraid myself but to be willing to sacrifice another being to save yourself was just more than I was prepared to deal with this day."
Martha sighed and glanced over at him. What could she say to that? She had, herself, had occasion to wonder about her species but she also believed with all of her heart that there were more people worth saving than not. She gradually leaned back as well joining him in his reclined state before gathering herself to attempt to champion the human race. While he kept his eyes forward, she could sense he was waiting for some response to his musings and she finally offered what she could.
"I know you have so much invested in us humans and our little planet and sometimes it probably feels as if it's all in vain. I recognize what that feels like, especially after the Year. There were many times during that mess that I felt like giving up and giving in. More times than I cared to admit that I observed humans turning on each other over scarce resource or using the misery around them as a means to their own end. Yet every time—every single time—I found myself ready to give up on us I would see something so simple as a complete stranger sharing the last of their food with someone staving or people offering to share their meager shelter with as many as they could accommodate and it reminded me not only of what I was fighting for but also that there were more people like them in the world than the other kind."
This time she paused and studied his softening profile. He nodded thoughtfully but remained quiet, allowing her to add one more thing.
"I know I probably don't have the right to ask—none of us does after all you have done for our planet—but I'm going to anyway."
She leaned in closer to him, her lips tantalizing inches from his ear, and softly implored, "Please don't give up on us . . . any of us."
Her emotional plea finally caused the Time Lord to snap from his stupor and seek out her gaze. He was surprised to find that she did not expand the distance between them when he turned. Her face remained just mere inches from his own and for a long moment neither moved or spoke another word. The Doctor's mind, though, was whirring a mile a minute. He was pretty sure her words of reassurance were deeper than their surface meaning. She wasn't just talking about the human race but herself personally. Was she telling him she might not be a lost cause after all? Almost too afraid to hope, he decided a calculated risk was in order. The moment seemed too perfect to let pass an opportunity to see if his strategy of the little things was indeed bearing fruit.
The last time he attempted what he was now contemplating she had taken it the wrong way, saw as him manipulating her. This time he hoped she would take the gesture for exactly what it was, him reaching out to her. With a brief moment of hesitancy, he closed the minute space between them and pressed his firm, thin lips to hers. Martha was, of course, surprised at his actions. Yes, he had initiated previous kisses with her but this was the first time that there didn't feel like there was an agenda involved. He wasn't using it to gain an advantage with some foe or to forestall her imminent departure. This time he was kissing her like someone who simply wanted to show and receive affection. And so she gave into the moment almost immediately and softened her features to accept his sweet, undemanding kiss.
How something so simple as a kiss could set her whole body afloat was something she could only marvel at. This impossible man was again drawing her in and Martha knew it would be oh so easy for her to become lost in him again. Her mantra from the moment she re-boarded the TARDIS was they were simply mates. Nothing less. Nothing more. Yet at this moment all of her senses and emotions became crossed and for a fleeting moment she allowed herself to believe there was more behind it than just one friend seeking comfort from another. However, no sooner had that thought crossed her mind she felt his lips, slowly begin to retreat from hers. The loss, disturbingly, caused her heart to momentarily sink. That feeling, though, was soon replaced by another—fear. Instantly she feared that he was preparing to again retreat from her and their intimacy. Images of other times she was devastated after he gave her a glimmer of hope of something more only to take it back began to pass through her mind. Silently, she chastised herself for getting lost in this thing again and immediately began to steel herself for the excuses she convinced herself were to come.
Yet when the connection was finally severed and her eyes, which had drifted closed during the exchange, gradually fluttered open she found him gazing at her steadily. The look in his eyes was not that of one getting ready to shatter her. He, instead, appeared quite content, a marked change from just a short bit ago. His countenance along with the small smile that curved the corners of his lips slowly put Martha's fears at bay. She tentatively returned the gesture and inwardly sighed a breath of relief. Another hurdle, it seemed, had been overcome on this journey they were cautiously taking together.
Donna poked her head out of her door when she heard the quiet chatter of earlier stop. A warm smile graced her face as she observed two people who had become like family to her peaceful and content in each other's presence. She truly believed that if anyone deserved some happiness it was the Time Lord she had come to think of as her best mate. And as unorthodox as the pairing might seem to some, she could see that the lovely Martha Jones brought him that and she couldn't be happier for them.