Last of the Time Lords

London
11:00am, 2nd May 2008

"£3 change." The young, strangely blue haired lady said at the counter, handing back the change to a patient Martha, dressed back to normal in her blue jeans and brown jacket.

Martha took the change with one hand, the other holding a bundle of lovely flowers, full of calla lilies, tulips, dandelions, even a few stalks of lavender...for some reason. "Thanks very much." She returned with a beaming smile.

"Have a lovely day." The lady called as Martha exited the shop and began a nice slow walk into a nearby park, knowing that this was the right moment. Alison was walking up into the park, a black bag slung around her shoulder. She looked…much better here than she did living inside a farm under a dictator's rule. Her blonde hair was brighter, her clothes were clean and nice, speaking a strange style, yet not overly fashioned.

Martha could see that she still liked brown coats and nice sweaters, yet the fingerless gloves were thankfully gone. As calmly as she could, Martha walked up to her, and as Alison was surprised and shocked by her sudden appearance, Martha just pressed the bunch of flowers into her open grasp with a smile. "Just to say thank you…for everything." She said, her tone earnest and warm before walking away. She did hear Alison call out, "But who are you?", but Martha did not turn back, content in the answer to, "Is she safe?", and she was. So, Martha continued to walk silently through the sunlit park before promptly sitting down on a park bench. She leaned back into the bench and closed her eyes, letting the naturals sounds of the park wash over her for a few minutes. The wind's gentle breeze. Two birds above her in the air, arguing over a piece of bread. Footsteps of men and women walking through the park, even a small family with a nappy wearing toddler, who when Martha opened her eyes could see was almost red in the face with childish anger, screaming and crying as his or her foot stomped up and down on the ground.

"All kids are like that." Martha looked to her left to see her mother sitting down beside her on the bench, her hands placed in her lap and a focused gaze of patience in her eyes. "It always, "Me, me, me!"" She mocked in a high-pitched, whining tone.

"Was I like that?" Martha asked with a frown, and Francine's dull look was enough of an answer. Then, the dull look changed into a little smile.

"Compared to your brother and sister, you grew out of it fairly quickly." She muttered to herself, raising a hand up to rub her eyes and giving out a long yawn. "Sorry. Forgot my manners." Francine grumbled, rubbing now at the back of her neck, but Martha just smiled in response.

"How long did you sleep last night?"

"No idea."

"Yeah. I don't think any of us know." Martha muttered. "Is Tish okay?" Martha asked, and Francine nodded.

"She's doing as fine as the rest of us."

"And dad?"

"Split."

Martha blinked. "Sorry?"

"He split from Annalise last night." Martha raised her eyebrows in response, but Francine just held up her hands defensively. "I didn't do anything."

Martha shrugged at that. "Well, it took him long enough."

There was a small moment of silence before Francine gave a little sharp intake of breath. "Oh, shit." She muttered, and Martha looked at her with a frown. "What do we tell Leo?"

Ah. "Honestly?" Francine nodded. "The truth."

"Yeah." Francine sniffed a bit as she leaned back in the bench chair. "He won't believe us."

"For a while." Francine nodded at that, and the two fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments. Then, Martha found herself looking down at her hands before looking back up. "I was thinking…"

Francine looked over when Martha found herself speechless for a second. "Martha?"

"I…" Martha sighed, her eyes closing as she admitted half in a whisper, "I was thinking of staying."

Francine looked at her in surprise, her eyes blinking for a moment. "Do you dislike the cramped space in the TARDIS?" She quipped lightly, and it made Martha snigger for a moment.

"No." She answered. Then, she fell silent, giving out a sigh as the small smile slid off her face, and she glanced down at her lap. "It's just…"

"What is it?"

Martha glanced up, just blinking for a moment before she answered. "I've missed you."

Francine gave a soft smile, wrapping an arm around Martha and bringing her over into a loose hug, Martha leaning her head on Francine's shoulder. "What are you going to do?"

"Become a doctor." Martha answered simply. "Still in training. Still like it."

"You won't like the long hours, that's for sure." Francine muttered dryly, and Martha chuckled.

"Thanks for the words of wisdom." Martha retorted, and Francine shrugged.

"It's just a fact. I think." She quickly added in a tone of sheepishness that made Martha's chuckling last for a moment longer. Then, Francine breathed in and out before asking, "You're going to have to tell the Doctor and Clara, you know?"

"Yeah." Martha agreed. "I know."

Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff
1:00pm

After spending another hour with her family, Martha rejoined the TARDIS crew plus one Captain Jack as the ship materialized in Cardiff. Of course, the Doctor and Clara groaned as the ship had landed two hours later than they wanted, but it was still the same day, so the complaints didn't last long. The four of them moved outside, coming to a stop and leaning against a chest high handrail. "How's the Valiant holding up?" Martha asked, and it was Captain Jack that answered.

"Won't be active for a little while."

"Any problems?"

"Oh, where to begin?" Jack muttered sarcastically, making them snigger. "Let's see…the floors need scrubbing, walls need repainting, the engine, or engines, is severely worn out and needs full replacing…" Jack shook his head before shrugging. "It'll be fine." Jack stood there for a moment, lightly slapping his hands against the railing before giving out a breath and hopping through the large open space in the middle of the railing. "Back to work." He said as he stood back up again.

"We really don't mind, though." The Doctor said with a smile as Jack turned back to them again. "Come with us."

Jack smiled at that thought for a moment. But in his silence, the smile turned a little sad as he shook his head. "I've had plenty of time to think that past year. The year that never was." Jack then looked off towards a large stone plinth with water running down its side as he added, "And I kept thinking about that team of mine." He gave out a breath before turning back to the trio. "Like you said, Doctor…responsibility."

"Defending the Earth. Can't argue with that." The Doctor agreed as Jack leant back against the rail.

"The 21st Century is when it all changes, and you've gotta be ready."

The trio blinked at him. "What does that mean?" The Doctor asked, and Jack just shrugged with his signature smirk.

"Don't know. Just sounds good." He admitted, and the Doctor rolled his eyes as he snuck a grasp at Jack's arm and began to use his already withdrawn sonic on the Manipulator. "Hey! I need that!" Jack protested meekly, but the Doctor just gave him a light glare of warning in response.

"Can't have you wondering about with a time traveling teleport. You could go anywhere. Twice." He quickly added. "The second time to apologize." The Doctor added in a mutter as he finished, letting go of Jack's arm and pocketing his sonic away.

"And what about me?" Jack asked. "You sure you can't fix that? Will I ever be able to die?"

The Doctor sighed and shook his head. "Nothing we can do."

"You, Captain Jack, are what's called an impossible thing." Clara inputted, and Jack sniggered.

"Takes one to know one." Jack took his hands away from the railing to stand up straight, giving the trio a salute in return. "Ma'am. Ma'am." He said to Martha and Clara, who returned his salutes. "Skinny boy."

"Watch it." The Doctor warned.

Jack just smiled before turning away. Then, he stopped and turned back with a concerned yet curious look on his face. "But I keep wondering…what about aging?" He asked with a sheepish blink. "Because I can't die but I keep getting older. The odd little grey hair, you know?" He muttered, pointing to his still perfectly fine head of hair. "So…what happens if I live for a million years?"

The Doctor spluttered for a bit before fervently shaking his head. "I have no idea."

Jack chuckled with a roll of his eyes. "Okay, vanity, sorry. Can't exactly help it." He put his hands on his hips for a second as he looked at the ground in contemplation. "Used to be a poster boy when I was a kid, living on the Boeshane Peninsula. Tiny little place." He added with a smile as he looked back up to the trio. "I was the first one ever to be signed up for the Time Agency. They were so proud of me." He blinked, looked off into the distance as he added, ""The Face of Boe" they called me." Jack blinked again, looked down at the ground, and shook his head with a smile as he looked back up, missing the expressions on their faces as he pointed a finger and said, "I'll see you."

With that, he walked off with his head high, leaving the trio standing there with utter shock on their faces. It was Martha that made the first move, lightly elbowing the TARDIS couple, and they looked at her, the trio sharing a wide-eyed look, their jaws hanging open. "It can't be."

"No. No, no, no." Clara muttered, and the Doctor nodded ferociously.

"Definitely not, no." An instant thought came to the trio, it was an image of a confused, beheaded Captain Jack, his head at least three times his normal size, his hair completely gone and a thousand wrinkles on his face. The thought made Martha and Clara burst out into laughter, whilst the Doctor, through a growing grin, manage to blurt out one more, "No!" before he too fell into the laughter, slapping his hand against the railing.

As the trio walked silently back to the TARDIS, Martha pulled out her phone and began to dial a number, waiting until a kind, yet somewhat tired male voice answered. "Hello?"

"Yes, hello." Martha greeted, almost interrupting the man before he could state both his name and the hospital's name. "I'm looking for a Dr. Thomas Milligan. Could you put me through please?"

"Sure thing, ma'am."

The phone line cut for a moment, replaced by a series of whirring beeps as Martha paused in her walking to listen. The beeps then cut off as the line was picked up, and another man with a familiar voice answered. "Hello?"

Heh. Thomas Milligan, alive and well. Martha thought.

"Hello?"

Martha, without responding to the question, hung up the phone and placed it in her pocket as she stepped through the open TARDIS doors after the couple, watching patiently as they walked around the semi-repaired ship, it's moans of pain now absent, but every once in a while, a little droning whimper could be heard from the TARDIS. "She going to be all right?" Martha asked, and the Doctor looked at her for a moment.

"The old girl can survive through anything." He said, patting one of the coral arches. "As for repairs…well…"

A series of beeps came from the console, sounding to ears like a broken sentence, something along the lines of, "Valiant had it easy". Clara patted the ship's console with a smile. "You'll be okay."

"How about George?" Martha asked.

Clara looked at her with raised eyebrows. "He was surprisingly okay. Hidden away in the library, still reading."

Martha slowly nodded at that, then asked, "Where would you go to first?"

The Doctor crossed his arms as he leaned against the console, spluttering his lips like a horse for a moment before shrugging. "There's a lot to see. Forwards in time, backwards in time. Charles the 2nd, Henry the 8th, Agatha Christie." He listed in a light ramble before frowning. "It's been a while since we've seen Vastra and the gang." He looked at Clara with a small smile, but squinted his eyes as Clara seemed to be regarding Martha with a frown.

"Why did you say "You" and not "We"?" Clara asked. When Martha didn't answer, she shared a look with the Doctor, who both gave out a solemn sigh, their shoulders slouching as they looked back at her.

"I'm sorry…I just can't." Was Martha's response, and they nodded.

"It's okay." The Doctor returned, genuine yet still solemn.

"Spent all these years training to be a doctor, and now…" Martha let her hands drop to her sides almost in defeat. "Now I've got people to look after. And after that whole year…I can't just leave them."

"Of course not." Clara agreed. The trio stared at each other for a moment, and then, they smiled, immediately embracing in a warm hug before parting.

"Thank you, Martha Jones. You just saved the world." The Doctor complimented.

"And you were brilliant." Clara agreed, making Martha's smile widen.

"Yeah. I am good." She agreed with a nod. "You two going to be okay?"

"Always, yeah." Clara answered.

"Possibly, maybe." The Doctor quipped, earning an elbow from Clara. "Ow."

And they better put the rings on their fingers. Martha muttered in her mind.

"How are you holding up?" The Doctor asked, and Martha shrugged.

"Walking isn't too bad."

"I wasn't talking about that."

Martha blinked and sighed, shrugging, but this shrug was solemn and dejected. "Didn't like him taunting her as if she was nobody." Was her answer. She looked up at them with softly raised eyebrows and asked, "If I gave in…would you be…"

"Angry?" The Doctor asked, and Martha shrugged timidly.

"I was going to say, "Mad."" Martha muttered, looking down at the floor, but a small scoff from the Doctor refocused her attention.

"Mad? No." He shook his head. "Angry?" He sighed, and he too gave a timid shrug. "Maybe. I don't know." He admitted. "We might never find out."

"Might have been better this way." Clara inputted, earning their two glances.

"How'd you mean?" Martha asked as Clara leaned against the console.

"It's better to part company on closed doors, rather than…well…"

Martha quickly caught on. "Loud voices and thrown words?" Clara nodded. "Yeah, you might be right."

Clara raised her eyebrows in a slight teasing challenge. ""Might"?"

Martha rolled her eyes. "Okay, you ARE right. Better?" She retorted, and Clara nodded with a snigger.

"I think, Miss Jones, you will do perfectly fine with or without us." The Doctor admitted. "And that's not a bad thing at all."

Martha nodded at that, moving up to shake both of their hands and bring them in for one last hug before parting and moving back to the doors. As she reached them, she paused and turned back. "Do you still have my number?"

They both nodded. "If you need our help, just give us a call." Clara said.

"We'll be there…relatively." The Doctor added sheepishly, and Martha laughed as Clara lightly glared at him.

"In that case…I will see the both of you again." Martha said with conviction, and with one last smile and a wave, Martha Jones exited the TARDIS, closing the doors behind her, and feeling as determined as ever, and yet as calm as ever. Giving out a breath, Martha straightened herself up, put her hands into her pockets, and walked away.

Silence fell inside the TARDIS console room, the Doctor and Clara standing side by side in the center, taking the small moment to fix some of the still broken controls. Then, the Doctor placed his sonic down and turned to look at Clara. "Yes?" Clara asked, seeing his movement out of the corner of her eye. The Doctor didn't answer, and it made her stop, placing her sonic down and turning to look up at him. His face was set in a distant frown, like he was stuck inside of his mind, trying to work out a problem. Clara placed her hand on his and asked into his mind, "Doctor?"

The Doctor blinked, the glaze in his eyes clearing away as he looked at her, his frown turned into an expression of timid reluctance. "I'm ready."

Clara blinked. "For what?"

"To talk."

Clara didn't emote for a second, still a little lost as to what he was talking about. "Talk about what?"

The Doctor, through a soft press of his thumb into her hand, sent an image into her mind. The image was of a very old man, timid and battle worn, and a single gravelly voice echoed two words in her mind. "No more."

Clara's eyes widened just a bit as she blinked, a little shocked, but not surprised in the least. "Oh." The Doctor shuffled his feet for a moment, and Clara took this opportunity to sit down in the Captain's chair, and the Doctor moved to stand before her, and then leaning back against the console. "Take your time." She murmured softly as he remained in uncertain silence, and he gave her a grateful look before returning to racking his brain. Then, after he gave out a little breath, he started to speak.

"I'm not proud of what I've done, Clara." He admitted frankly, but it was without an irritating bite. "And it's not like I'm innocent. I've taken lives." He added, his shaky gaze falling away from Clara for a moment before he refocused it back onto her. "Every one of them I could make an excuse for. "It was their own fault. They didn't try hard enough. They deserved it."" He rambled, and then, he shook his head. "But then it got worse, and I got clever. Manipulating people into taking their own." The Doctor briefly took his gaze away from Clara to look down at his own feet, inhaling a small breath before he continued. "I was never there when the Time War started." At that, he gave a little scoff and a shake of his head. "Actually, I didn't take part in the war at first. I was still…" He paused, inhaling another breath through barely clenched teeth before continuing, "I was still gallivanting around, being me. But the other Time Lords kept calling for everybody to return. I wasn't excluded from that. But I ignored them. Every time they called for help, I kept on travelling." He gave out another breath at that as he moved his hands out of his pockets to cross his arms over his chest. "But then, as I was travelling, I ran into…I ran into Susan." He managed to say through a cracked throat, but he fought it back down. "She was ordered to track me down. It was all nice at first, getting to see her again. She liked her life on Earth, and her family, until…until she outlived them, and was brought back to Gallifrey. She was the first to beg me to stop the war, and I said, "No. I will help where I can, I will not fight."" The Doctor's gaze briefly fell down again before he brought them back up. "That was the last time I saw her. During the war I tried to look for her, but I never found her." He blinked for a moment before continuing on. "Same goes for the others that tried to find me. The Monk, the Rani, Romana, I turned them all away." He shook his head. "I tried, Clara, I really tried to ignore it all, but…it's hard when everyone you have ever known from home wants you to help them live." He sighed and gave a glance up to the ceiling above. "And then I ended it all. Took me years to reach that point, but I ended it, and I outlived everyone. And I don't remember how long it's been since then." He admitted, before he shook his head. "Sometimes I think a Time Lord lives too long."

Clara, who had remained silent this whole time, blinked a little before asking politely, "What changed your mind, Doctor? What made you chose to fight?"

The Doctor thought for a few long moments before he looked at her and said, "It might be better to show you."

When Clara blinked, he moved to sit down beside her and laid a hand in hers. "Oh."

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded slightly as he gave out a breath. "I can't promise you will like what you see."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Clara agreed with a shrug. "I won't know until I see it." The Doctor smiled, and then, as Clara blinked, she found herself tumbling through his mind, many memories flashing before her but not one of them comprehendible. Then, it all stopped upon one memory, depicting the Doctor, standing alone, his surroundings still incomprehensible. Clara felt herself giving a little sigh of patience, waiting until she felt the memory begin inside her mind. Well…here we go.

AN: Short, but needed. I was going to end this on a cliffhanger, but I decided against it, for it felt too abrupt, and it would've made the transition feel too jarring and awkward. I won't say too much more for it might prove to be an annoying spoiler for the next chapter. Until then, thank you so much for reading and please leave a review/comment if you wish. :)