Title: Communication (2/?)
Author: Syreene
Characters/Pairing: 10Doctor/Martha
Rating: PG
Spoilers: none yet
Summary: Martha asks the TARDIS for help talking to the Doctor...
Disclaimer: Don't own Doctor Who...just a copy of his scarf.
Author's Notes: Continuing after my story "Keeping Appointments" - Another plot bunny that's been nibbling at my ankles...I'm crossing my fingers that you guys will like this one too.

"All right…" said the Doctor as he threw down two pillows and sat down cross-legged on the rug in the library, a crackling fire in the fireplace radiating warmth behind him. He patted the pillow in front of him and nodded to Martha. "Come on now…might as well get comfy if we're going to try this."

Martha sat down across from him on the pillow, her excitement apparent on her face. "Rightio, what do I need to do?"

A laugh escaped the Doctor's lips as he rubbed his hands together. "You're going to need to relax, first."

Martha closed her eyes and took a deep breath slowly, in through her nose, out through her mouth. When she finished she opened her eyes and looked much calmer.

"Okay…I'm going to establish a connection, because I want you to get used to how it feels. Whenever you communicate telepathically, if there's any memory or thought you don't want exposed you just need to think of a door. You close the door; you close the access to it."

"Reminds me of the lucid dreaming I've been doing since I was a kid," Martha confessed. "I used to have these horrible dreams until my Dad taught me how to put them in a book. If I didn't like a dream, I could tear it out…and if I did, I could bookmark it for later."

"Kinda like that," the Doctor agreed as he rested his fingers against her temple. "Oi, there's a thought…what do you do if you don't have a bookmark for your psyche? Dog-ear it? There'd be bent memories all over the place…"

Martha failed to stifle a giggle and quickly tried to compose herself. Suddenly she felt a nudge in her mind, a soft brushing of mental fingers on her psyche.

"Hello there…" The Doctor muttered as he concentrated.

Doctor?

Right here, Martha. Blimey…I think someone's watched Monsters Inc. too many times…

Martha spun around to see that they were now in what looked like the factory floor from the Pixar movie, Monsters Inc. She was standing next to a console with a large lever, and hooks in the floor looked like they were ready to receive a door. Oh gods, Tish…this is all your fault for making me watch this movie so many times…! Martha smacked her forehead in embarrassment.

I don't know…it's a rather interesting way to do it, I thought. Definitely saves you from having to walk up and down all those endless hallways…The Doctor strolled up and down the factory floor, his hands in his pockets as he examined the place. He walked up to the console Martha was standing next to and gave her a grin. Shall we see what your subconscious brings us?

Unable to restrain her doctor's curiosity, Martha nodded with a smile.

Alrighty…pick a number! The Doctor thought as he quickly ran his hands over the buttons.

Um…42? It is the answer to everything,' innit? Martha laughed as she stuffed her hands in her jean pockets, gazing at the hole in the wall where the door would come out.

With a pull of the switch by the Doctor, noises were heard as the gears started shifting inside the factory. After a few minutes there was a clicking noise like the chain of a roller coaster, and then a door came into view. It was a large dull grey metal door, with a porthole at eye level.

Martha tried to remember where she knew this door from, when it lowered into place and the Doctor walked up to it in silence. As he reached out a trembling hand, she could swear she heard him whisper…"I'll save you."

Martha walked around to the other side of the door, and noticed there was a handle on this side as well. As she touched the handle, her mind reeled with the agonized screams of the Doctor over and over. "I'll save you!" he had exclaimed. Was that what he was saying to me? Do I really matter that much to him?

On the opposite side, the Doctor was experiencing a similar revelation…but he was hearing Martha's gentle reassurances to Riley, her scared voice telling him how much she believed and trusted the Doctor, even though she barely knew him and he never told her anything about himself. There she was…plunging to her death because of me…placing all her trust in me…again…and all she ever wanted was to know me. By Rassilon, I've become such a selfish prat in my old age. Rude and selfish…but still not ginger.

Martha opened her eyes to see the Doctor sitting across from her in the library. His hands were still at her temples, but he was looking at her now, slightly sad. "What just happened?"

The Doctor lowered his hands gently from her face, his right hand cupping her cheek softly before he dropped his hands into his lap. He sighed before he started to explain, "Doors open both ways, Martha. When we both touched the door of the S.S. Pentallion, on one side was your memories of the experience…and…"

"On the other was yours." Martha finished. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…I didn't want to…" Martha bit her bottom lip. "Did you really say that?"

The Doctor held her hands in his and stroked them with his thumbs. "Undeniably, and rather loudly I thought," he said with a half-hearted grin. "I've got to say, Martha Jones M.D., watching you drift away like that made me feel something I hadn't felt in quite a while."

"What was that?" Martha asked gently.

"Doubt." He looked up at Martha and she could see the sadness in his eyes. "Watching you fall out of reach with those creatures loose on the ship…for that moment, I honestly didn't know what I was going to do, and it scared me to no end."

"But you came through for us all, didn't you?" Martha reassured him.

"Only to almost kill you all myself," he muttered darkly as he tried to remove his hands from hers.

"But you didn't," Martha reiterated strongly as she refused to let his hands go. "You risked your life, again I might add because you do do that a lot, which I will save for another conversation, and you ended up saving us all."

"I wasn't too worried…I had my doctor with me, after all." He did his best to reassure her with a smile.

Martha looked at him for a moment before she smiled and said "You are such a liar…sweet, but a liar nonetheless."

"Moi?" The Doctor asked in mock offense as he placed a hand to his chest. "I'm shocked, Doctor Jones, that you would come up with such a diagnosis."

"Ri-i-i-ght," Martha drawled with a grin. "We'll get back to that later, and don't think I won't…but for now, can we get back to the matter at hand?"

The Doctor grinned honestly and rubbed his hands on his pants before he placed them up to her temple again. "And Allons-y…"