A/N: Set in S03E02, after Clive comes storming back into the pub to kiss Martha.
"Clive," she calls after him. He stops, turns. It occurs to her that that was the first time he's ever initiated a kiss between them. Both in Nottingham and in the courtroom at his silk party, she'd been the one to kiss him first.
"What?" he says, coming to stand beside her again. His face is wary.
"We need to talk."
"That doesn't sound good." He sits down opposite her.
"I'm sorry," she says. "We should have talked properly, after you said what you said, but then all that stuff with David happened, and then we were against each other…"
"We've been against each other before," he points out. She knows she shouldn't take his antics in court personally, that's just his idea of fun. He's always determined to beat Martha because he knows she's a worthy opponent.
"But now you're prosecuting full-time, it's going to happen a lot more. I don't see how this — us — can work."
"Is this about Nicola?" he asks. Martha had watched him flirting with the CPS lawyer earlier, had flashed back to all the other women she had seen him with. "Because that's just work, schmoozing solicitors, you know how it is. You can trust me." His voice is sincere. "Outside of a courtroom, anyway."
She shakes her head. "It's not that. I do trust you. Not in a courtroom, obviously." He smiles. "I just… don't want to ruin our friendship. I don't want us to end up hating each other."
"You already hate me," he says lightly. He reaches for her hand. "Hey, come on. I could never hate you."
She looks at him. "I'm sorry, Clive."
He lets go of her hand and sits back, looking hurt. "Do you just not love me?" he asks finally.
Her eyes fill with tears. She can't answer. He takes her lack of response for an answer, and gets to his feet.
"OK, then," he says. "Good to know where I stand."
"Clive…"
"Forget it, Marth." He smiles, shrugs off his hurt. "I'm used to you saying no."
She watches him leave, the door swinging behind him. "I love you," she says softly, but he can't hear her.