Thanks for the love on this one, its starting to pick up momentum, sort of. So many of you knew, and yet so many of you thought it was someone else. Good call those that knew.
Her long slender hand reached across the span of distance between the door of the ancient ship and the small gathering of people outside of it.
The man with the sad affectation held his bandaged arm and took a large step backward. "No," he insisted with a wild shake of his head. "Oh, god, this is cruel, too cruel. " He looked toward the woman he thought was his wife as if this had all been her fault, as if she had concocted this entire scene. "Why, why would you do this?"
Martha only heard his words from across some great chasm of reality. She stared unabashedly at the young woman still dangling out of the doors of the TARDIS. "I don;t understand." Martha insisted, hands clutched the sides of the incubator as if in defense of the child within it.
Jenny let out a large, long huff, reminiscient of sounds that the Doctor himself had made at in the face of human stupidity. "Right, we can stand here gob smacked and slack jawed wile those bugs come crawling over us, or we can all get into the nice time machine and take care of the situation." She had said it as if there was a choice, but even as she spoke, she had taken control of the situation. Jenny grabbed the incubator and dragged it into the confines of the ship.
Sarah Jane watched the scene with a detached air. "I think Jenny is right." she added, placig a hand on her old friend.
John flinched from the contact and fired an accusatory glare at the woman. "You in on this?" he nearly bellowed. "Tell me what the hell is going on here, and why is my dead daughter wheeling my not son into a giant blue box?"
Martha shool her head and wanted to scream. The old ship had made paper mache of experiences that the Doctor had had; she could not be mad, it was the old girl's oly way to patch the holes a life of a human would have. Martha watched her son being taken into the ship and had instinctively followed, then halted when she saw John's countenance. "Doctor...she tried with a glimmer of hope.
The man with the broken arm flinched again at Martha's voice, he turned from her and looked inside of the ship, angling his head to get a better look at the inside where Jenny stood next to the incubator with an instrument, working to get it open. "I can't believe you locked him up in this." Jenny shook her head.
Martha sighed, family reunions seemed to always have a note of tension to them, but this was ridiculous. "John, please. We need to get into the-"
"My dead daughter is standing in a box that is not a box, " he charted in a small voice. " saw her die three years ago. She was shot on the street..." he shook his head. "No, this is all balls up impossible." He turned and moved to the door of the attic on the far end of the room, stopping for a moment at the large computer and shaking his head as if stunned by the impossibility of the entire situation was summed up in the housing of the large living computer. "You're all insane."
Martha and Sarah Jane exchanged a silent game of 'rock, paper, scissors,' ending with Sarah Jane chasing after the Doctor, and Martha entering the TARDIS.
Jenny flashed a look of at Martha that the older woman could only classify as annoyance mixed with irritation. "How the hell could you let him do that to himself?" she asked after Martha had closed the door to the ship. Martha watched the young woman pull her son out of the incubator and hold him close. "he is beautiful." she sighed to the boy.
"Martha was not sure what comment to address first, instead she chose a different line of questioning. "I realize that there is a horde of creatures bearing down upon your kind, your father is not himself, and you have recently returned from the dead. However, I must ask a few questions."
That look again, and a low strangled noise from the younger woman, that Martha could only guess was more irritation. "I survived, came here, and now I am going to get you all out of this you have managed to dig us into."
Martha had hopes of Jenny's use of you was the plural, even the King's, anything but the dismal accusatory sneer that she heard in her voice. Great, Martha thought with a sigh, another blond that hates me. "Ok, questions later. I need your help to get him to open that damn watch."
Jenny shrugged as she snuggled Adric closer. "He'll open it, he's got no choice, its what we are." Jenny juggled the baby between arms, "The bugs are gonna get here soon, we need to leave."
She could see the soldier in the girl's eyes. The door opened behind the and Sarah Jane entered into the TARDIS. "How is he?" Martha asked.
"He is not well. The strain of all of this, and having just come out of surgery when you...convinced him to come." Sarah nodded to Martha knowingly. "He's in the spare room downstairs, resting."
"No time for rest, " Jenny clipped, "We need to get on the road."
Martha raised a hand and spoke. "I'll go, if anything he could not be out there with the watch in case he opens it.." Martha looked as if she considered taking Adric with her, Jenny made no move to hand him over, and Martha strolled out of the door s of the ship.
Martha found him standing outside of the TARDIS. His good hand stroked the side of the machine in a way that must have been reminiscent of his true self. His eyes met hers as she stepped into the attic and Martha was struck by the absolute sadness in his eyes. "This…" he started from a choked voice. That's Jenny in there." John shook his head. "But, I saw her die, watched her fall, she passed away in my arms. How is this possible? How is she here? How is she alive? I remember her death."
"Do you recall her funeral?" Martha asked, pained at what she must do.
\He stared at nothing for a time, head bowed, eyes as lost as she had ever seen them. "No, I don't I –maybe its from the illness."
Martha folded her arms and leaned against the side of the ship, as close to the man as she dared to get. "An illness that you informed me," she looked at her watch dramatically. "Twenty five hours ago was nonexistent." She shrugged at the end of her statement, eyes never leaving the sad brown ones next to her.
He shook his head, another sad look slid across his fine features. "I don't know…" But, his unbandaged hand reached into the side of the robe he still wore and pulled out the watch.
She watched his hands turn the watch over and over in his hands. He seemed stuck, as if given the choice; he would stand there with that watch in his hands for all of eternity. Cautiously, but with the gentlest voice she could muster, she asked him another question. "Do you remember her birth? Her mother? Where did she grow up?"
The fist hit the blue door with such a force that Martha wanted to check his hand for damage. "My life is a lie," he sobbed quickly getting hold of his emotions again before going on. "My life is a lie, and you have lied to me for months."
"You asked me to." She shrugged again and shook her head. "And I had to, I had to hide you and Adric. It was my job" Martha shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "No, it is my job to keep you safe. You and Adric," she left the rest of the sentence to hang in the air, a knowledge of something she did not need to speak. "Given the chance, I would lie again and again if that is what's needed."
He nodded as if it was the explanation of all. "I open this, and I become him." He spoke a truth as a statement, yet searched for an answer in her eyes.
Martha nodded, firing the answer to him wordlessly with a hooded look, she watched as he sighed and spoke again. "I don't want to be him. I want to go home, to my books and my piano." He took Martha's hand into his good one and tugged. "C'mon, let's go get Addy, let's go home." He plead. "Please we can start over, all new lives, me and you. And Addy."
"You know I want to,"She admitted with a nod and holding in the sb that wanted to erupt. "You know I would."
He nodded with another firm tug on her arm. "Then let's we can buy a house somewhere near your family, who needs Manchester anyway?" Another tug on her hand, and his head came to rest on her forehead. "I love you."
She could say it, there was not a whisper of hesitation when she looked into his y=eyes and repeated the words to him. It was easy as breathing. He was who she loved, a slight of hand away from the man she truly loved.
He leaned into her then, his lips came to hers and she tasted that old scent, felt the odd sensation of safety and fire in his touch. She accepted his touch, and return it as sincerely. "Will you kiss me like that, after?" he asked with his lips only moments away from hers. "Will you always kiss me like that?"
Martha gave an imperceptible nod, and John kissed her again for the last ime as a human man. "I don't want to be him." he answered softly.
"I love him," Martha admitted to both of them. "And he is you and you are him. The man I love does not want to be the rage that he has to be, but he is. He wants to go home to small life, but he can't and I accept that. I accept you, both of you."
"We can't go home to that small little life, can we?"
Martha fought against her first instincts and pulled him into a hug. He resisted for a moment, a time that seemed to stretch into an eternity. He relented, ceasing the tugging of her hand, and allowed Martha to hold him, his head resting on her shoulder. "You know that we can't" she spoke softly into his ear. "Deep down, John…Doctor. You know, you know you have to open that watch. The universe needs you, and right now, the Earth needs you."
"And you?" he asked quietly, not looking into her eyes. "Do you need me?"
"Always, Doctor. I always have, and I imagine I always will." It was an end as much as a beginning for John, she felt his body shudder silently against her frame as he let go of hat he thought had been real, and worked for the strength to embrace a life he knew nothing
They stayed that way long enough for Sarah Jane to pop her head out of the TARDIS, only to duck back in at the scene in front of her. Martha silently thanked the tact of the older woman and allowed John the human to grieve.
He followed behind her into the ship, her hand tugging his now. He seemed unfazed by any of his surroundings, and for an instant, Martha understood the Doctor's love newcomers amazement at the ship. It was pride. His gaze was fixed upon the tiny woman holding Adric. Martha thought the young girl would have tired of the baby by now, but Jenny was as steadfast as a centurion of Rome. She smiled at John and moved to stand next to him. John took a hesitant step backwards and Martha worried he would dart back out of the TARDIS, she realized he was a hare's breadth away from losing his sanity as it is, he just was not ready to confront a not dead daughter holding his not son.
Martha let go of his hand and John finally did take a tourists spin around the console room. He moved toward the time rotor as if a man in a dream. His free hand touched, tentatively at first the various switches and dials. Jenny made to speak, but both Sarah Jane and Martha silenced her with a quick wave of their hands. Martha did not want to disturb his reverie. She knew he was feeling something that would lead to the ultimate goal. Holding him outside of the TARDIS, she knew it was a sort of goodbye for him; he was closing a life of sanity and normalcy and speeding toward the unknown.
He lifted his head and watched the rotor move steadily and evenly. The women in the room held their breath as he stared mesmerized by the motion of the heart of the ancient ship. It was a sudden call from Addy that snapped him back into reality. The infant, upon finally seeing his father, held out his arms and made a grunt of desire. John moved swiftly to the small child, he took him from Jenny and held him in his arms.
The silence in the room soon filled with the small conversation of father and son. He needed to say good bye to the old Addy, but that child was long gone. The quiet nature of the boy made the man who held him ask to no one. "Is he an alien as well?" he asked.
It was Jenny who answered; she had been itching to say something to him since she was silenced earlier. "He is, and so am i." she nodded as if this would hold as explanation enough.
But, John the human turned to his wife with the questions. "So, I am an alien, Jenny is an alien, and " he held the baby in his arms closer to his chest, Addy did not seem to mind, he lay his head on his father's chest and let his thumb drift toward his mouth. John patted the baby's back gently as he spoke. "And, he is not my son." He asked Martha.
"I told you he is, John." Martha spoke slowly. "And I told you how that happened." Jenny flashed a look at Martha as she spoke; a look that told made Martha realize that Jenny did not have all the details on that one. Perhaps a free exchange of information later over coffee and judgments?
John nodded and brought Adric to rest in Martha's arms. He reached into the pocket of his robe and again brought out the watch. He stared at it and sighed. Without any great fanfare, or hesitation, John Bowman opened the watch and was no more.
Jenny leapt over the jump seat to help as her father crumpled onto the metal grating. Martha gently shoved the young woman out of the way after placing Adric in Sarah Jane's arms. "Budge up, let me see him." She offered as kindly as possible to the younger woman.
"He's not even your species." Jenny accused, but moved aside reluctantly. She paid Martha for her diligence to the Doctor with a sour glare and a petulant folding of arms.
Martha ignored the young woman's antics, recalling her own visage in the face of her father's affair with Anaalise. Even though there was no mother to remain loyal to, there was still the idea of fathers and daughters that was near sacred in its devotion. Instead, she helped the Doctor to a sitting position and tried to maintain his dignity around the flimsy hospital robe. He smiled at Martha sadly, embarrassed at him momentary lapse of strength. In seconds, he was on his feet; the golden light that had poured forth from the watch had dissipated into fragile memory.
"Blimey, that's got quite the kick to it." He smiled at Martha with a quick squeeze of her hand. "I think next time I am going to have to put that in a—"
Martha shook her head and smiled at him. "Next time, you find another nanny to run behind you." She asserted.
"Awwww, c'mon Martha. No one takes care of me like you." He drawled, the smile that was tugging at her own lips was reflected in his face.
"I've done it enough." She fired back, the smile spreading across her lips. He had an effect on her that she could no longer deny. "What is this, the fourth time? Fifth time?"
"No one else chases behind me like you." He answered.
"I can." Jenny spoke up. As if suddenly aware of her presence, The Doctor grabbed her by the shoulders and hugged her without warning.. The young girl gave herself over to the contact, she seemed to melt into the arms of the older Time Lord, and he held her as if she would fly away as soon as they lost contact.
Jenny," he finally uttered in a voice strangled by emotion. "Oh, I don't know…"The Doctor looked into the eyes of his daughter for a long moment.
"Doctor," Sarah Jane spoke from the other side of the console. "There is n orange truck outside of the house."
"Orange truck, orange truck." he seemed confused for a minute, but Martha knew he was back in the game, "Ah, that's right, orange truck. " He looked at Martha and grinned. "I thought we had already taken care of this problem." he grinned.
"Oh, you know, same old life." she shrugged nonchalantly.
"Same old life, same old me." he rifled through his pockets as if in search of something, Martha stood next to him holding the sonic screwdriver she had been hiding in her pocket since the hospital.
"Looking for this?" Martha asked.
He took the item from her hand, his fingers dancing across her hand momentarily. "Always can count on you, Martha Jones." He offered her his free arm and grinned. "Want to go handle some pest control Dr. Bowman?" his eyebrow quirked in querry.
Martha slid her arm through his and smiled. "Absolutely Mr. Bowman."