FIC: How Martha Jones Saved the World (and so forth) (epilogue) (PG-13)

[lizbee]

Title: How Martha Jones Saved the World and Lucy Saxon Initiated Divorce Proceedings with Extreme Prejudice (epilogue)
Summary: Entirely AU conclusion to "The Sound of Drums", in which companions come to the rescue, UNIT blows stuff up and Lucy Saxon's pocket-watch is opened.
Spoilers: "Human Nature" and "Family of Blood", "Utopia", "The Sound of Drums" and so forth. Also, SPOILERS FOR "LAST OF THE TIME LORDS" IN THE COMMENTS.
Notes: Well, we're all AU now.  I HAVE TRANSCENDED CANON!

How Martha Jones Saved the World and Lucy Saxon Initiated Divorce Proceedings with Extreme Prejudice
by LizBee

Epilogue

Lenaquist's presence faded within days, leaving Martha alone.  Literally, as well as figuratively; as soon as the TARDIS was returned to earth -- the Valiant making a cautious landing eight hours after the Master's disappearance -- he had vanished into her depths.  She stayed with him for a few hours, but there was no work for her in there.

Outside, she treated injuries and answered questions, sat quietly and nodded like a good girl while Bambera reamed her out for her mission to the Valiant, then went to sit by Ace's bedside.  She walked in the sun and read lists of estimated fatalities.  She visited her parents and listened to her mother's apologies, she dried Tish's tears. 

She went to the funerals.

"Do you still hear it," Jack Benton asked as they walked through the gardens of UNIT HQ one morning.  "The Time Lord in your head, I mean."

"Not much," Martha admitted.  "Sometimes.  I never understood statistics before, but I do now.  You?"

"He was a chancellory guard," Benton said slowly.  "He was ... xenophobic and proud.  Not a nice guy, really, but he had his own kind of honour."

"Is he still with you?"

"No.  Well, sometimes I have an irresistable urge to wear tight red trousers, but I hope that passes soon."

She laughed, and their hands brushed.

"No," he said eventually, "I'm not sorry he's gone.  I didn't much like having him in my head."

"How's your dad?"

"Oh, good.  Well, getting better.  He's himself.  Which is all I can ask for, really."

Six billion Toclafane had descended, and a tenth of Earth's population had died.  The numbers were too vast for Martha to comprehend.  And everyone, everyone who survived, who hadn't been able to escape, had been taken by a Toclafane.

Any way you looked at it, nothing would ever be the same again.

"Martha!"

Martha turned.  "Ace!  I can't believe they let you out of bed."

"'Let' isn't the word."  Ace still walked with a limp, and sometimes, when she thought no one was looking, Martha had seen her holding her side.  "Jack busted me out."

Jack was on the phone, pacing back and forth a few feet away.

"No," he was saying, "I want you all back in Cardiff in three days.  And you absolutely cannot keep the Yeti."

Ace laughed, then groaned, clutching her side.

"I'm on light duties for a while," she said.  "I was going to hop forward a couple of centuries, find a nice summery planet with good beaches, but Jack's made me a better offer."

"I'm bringing in a new consultant," Jack was saying, "no, she's not an alien.  Why would you even think that?  Ace," he called, "you're not an alien, are you?"

"Hundred percent human, barring a couple of wibbly bits," she answered.  "So," she said, turning back to Martha, "what about you?  Are you staying with the Doctor?"

"I'm not sure yet," Martha admitted.  "The Brigadier-General says there's work for me, and--" she glanced at Benton, "I have had a few good offers.  And then there's my family..."

"You could go," suggested Benton, "and come back for leave sometimes."

"I could," Martha said.  "I really, really ... could."

But Ace was no longer paying attention to them; she was looking over at the house, from which two figures were emerging.

"And what are they planning to do?" she asked.

Martha's attention was on the Doctor's body language.  Hands in pockets, eyes on the ground, all subdued restraint.  Romana walked beside him, arms crossed tightly over her chest.  Her dark hair was tied up in a loose knot, and there were shadows under her eyes.

"I don't know," Martha said at last.  "I really don't know."

"He needs someone to look out for him," said Ace.  "To stop him from going too far ... or make him go further."

"I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a nursemaid to a thousands-year-old alien lunatic."

"He's going to hunt down the Master."

"Did he tell you that?" Martha asked.

"Didn't need to."

They watched as the Doctor said reached out to touch Romana's arm.  She stepped back.

"I'm going with him," Martha decided finally.  "But not forever."

"Forever's overrated anyway," said Jack.

They stopped speaking as the two Time Lords approached. 

"This would be a nice time for an inane comment about the weather," Benton whispered.  Martha stifled a giggle.

"Well," said the Doctor when he was standing before them, "the TARDIS is fixed ... well, mostly.  I think.  It's all down to fine-tuning now.  Want to take it for a test run?"

"What did you have in mind?" Martha asked.

"Oh, just a spin.  Horsehead Nebula and back.  Oh, and there's this great little restaurant on an Earth colony in the thirtieth century, they do things to pasta that could inspire religions.  Come on," he offered her his arm, "I'll take you to dinner."

Slowly, Martha stood up.

"Anyone else want to come?" she asked, looking at Romana.

"No," she said.  "I'm staying with UNIT.  Helping with the clean-up and so forth."

"You could come to Cardiff," Jack suggested.

"No thank you."

"Come on, Martha," said the Doctor, "we've got a universe to explore."

She let him lead her away, but she glanced back at the people she was leaving behind.

Jack Benton waved at her.  Martha laughed.

"What?" the Doctor said.

"Nothing.  Well, just a private joke."

She didn't explain, and he didn't ask, and they returned to the TARDIS in companionable silence.



end

Comments

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'm confused. Why did they put the actual show finale on the Internet in this form, and then air some dramatization of an eighth-grader's ff.net story on the BBC instead? Oh well, either way it was aces. So to speak. :-D

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

This doesn't bode well for the finale. I was drunk when I wrote this fic.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

If you're in the finale for Doctor/Master slashiness, you'll have multiples and then weep copious buckets and start writing fixit fic like the dickens. If you're in it for an actual good storyline, just forget it right now.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I suppose there's no point for expecting any respect for the characters with the extra X chromosome?

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

Um, let's just say that when the Doctor and the Master agree that girls are just no goddamned good while the former is literally holding the latter in his arms...fuck, I hate this show. I admit I find John Simm incredibly hot, but it doesn't change the fact that I still hate this show.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

THOSE DAMN VAGINAS JUST RUIN EVERYONE'S FUN.

This is why we don't let slashers run our shows, kids.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

*ships Doctor/Romana like no tomorrow*

*waits to be accused of homophobia so can laugh big dykey laugh in their faces*

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

*ships Doctor/Romana on the grounds that schoolboy enemies-villainsex is so HP fandom*

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

The whole thing is so unbelievably Harry/Draco from start to finish that...yeah. Yeah. *shakes head sadly* Also, apparently the Master can mesmerize an entire nation of people he's never met into voting him into office but he can't keep a handful of humans on his own fucking spaceship under control? I don't care if I didn't pay for it, I want my goddamned money back.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

Maybe all the angsty hatesex was interfering with his hypnotic mojo?

Maybe Rusty just kind of sucks a bit?

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

I've been saying that Rusty can't write (and no, I don't mean good-characterization-bad-plotting-skills, I mean he just can't write) for a year and a half now and nobody believes me. It must be like being in that tiny hypnosis-resistant bit of the population going, "So what exactly was wrong with Harriet Jones, anyway?" Oh, and speaking of, any mention of her? Any mention of how this whole thing from start to finish is all the Doctor's fault? No, of course not. I'm starting to hate Ten again and I really thought I was over it.

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

Oh, I believe you. *nods* I have been grumbling about this for a long while now. We groan when we see his name in the script credits.

[purple-smurf.livejournal.com]

This reads so much better than the reviews of the finale I've seen about the place, yes.

"No," he was saying, "I want you all back in Cardiff in three days. And you absolutely cannot keep the Yeti."

*snorts*

And OMG I WANT ACE ON TORCHWOOD. I might actually, y'know, watch it then.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I'd watch it too!

I mean, I'd be embarrassed, but I'd watch it.

[wal-lace.livejournal.com]

... I'm working on a theory that Ace is the Secret Mastermind behind the Time Agents, and the reason Captain Jack cot stranded is she got bored with him.

This requires New Adventures Ace, of course, but that shouldn't be a problem...

Oh, and, uh, hi, lizbee. Someone (katemonkey, I think) recommended this and it made me a happy fanboy. Thank you.

[malaleen.livejournal.com]

I now officially adopt this fic as canon now.

I will be trying desperately to replace what I saw in the Last of the Time Lords with this.

Thank you for that.

[aligoestonz.livejournal.com]

Lovely.

And far, far more believable than what actually happened on the show.

(Oh, and you might want to start running from the people who wanted to eat your brain now)

[lurkerlynne.livejournal.com]

No brain eating! Then there will not be any more ficcage.

Good god, where have I been that I missed this?! ::saves::

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

I have seen the final ep and I am definitely just going to treat this as canon instead. Oh, the pain... the pain! And now we have a Titanic episode for Christmas, because Jack and Rose will obviously need saving or something and the Doc needs a new companion... ::eyeroll::

I'm going to have to go back to not watching again.

[medie]

oh this is so my canon and I do not CARE what the Beeb puts on instead!

[themolesmother.livejournal.com]

Oooh, lovely.

Thanks for persevering with this. From the sound of it I'm going to find the actual show a bit of a disappointment by contrast :-).

MM

[vass]

Thank you. Just - thank you.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

"No," he was saying, "I want you all back in Cardiff in three days. And you absolutely cannot keep the Yeti."

BWAH!

Also, win. Also, making me sadder at actual finale. Also, win. Yes. Good.

[ridikuluss.livejournal.com]

This was so many millions of times better than what they broadcast!! *showers you with cookies*

Maybe that brainwashing drumbeat thing is real, except Rusty's done it to TPTB at the BBC and that's how he's getting to produce this dreck .... except I really did like most of this season, and I loved the chemistry (actor, not romantic) between Martha and the Doctor and not ONLY because I thought the Doctor and Rose had none-- and this ep just trashed all of that all to hell. *cries*

[fred-god-of.livejournal.com]

I Don't even Know Ace and I love her, and want to see the Torchwood team with her on it. I actually enjoyed the season finale but your's would have been just as amazing and probably led to a lot more high pitched exhalations of glee.

If this is what you write when you're drunk I won't be calling AA anytime soon. :-)

[eve11]

Dear Rusty: I reject your reality and substitute lizbee's. That all right? ;)

This was fantastic. Plotty and smart and wonderfully in character and I just loved it to death. Thanks for sharing it!

[jaydeyn-sitari.livejournal.com]

Oh this was brilliant! I am half expecting Romana to show up at some point in the future but I loved Lucy in Sound of Drums (though in 3x13 she had lost her edge, somewhat) so I do hope she shows up also in the future. Lucy = Romana would be FTW. Seriously.

Heh, Captain Jack Benton... UNIT! Ace! Liz! Sarah! Oh, the best of the best of hte best! :D

:)
Jaydeyn

[infiniteviking]

Finally got back and read the whole thing... YAY. Wonderful characterization of Lucy and the Master; multiple cheers for Ace and the others, good plot, exciting action -- I love it. *adds to memories*

[tptigger.livejournal.com]

"No," he was saying, "I want you all back in Cardiff in three days. And you absolutely cannot keep the Yeti."
ROTFL! Gwen or Tosh? Or Ianto?

And I totally want to read about Ace meeting the rest of Torchwood Three! (-8

(Wandered here at kerravonsen's rec, in case you were wondering. Will likely memory/rec myself.)

Thank You

[quarryquest.livejournal.com]

Vilakins sent me over here.

I loved the story and you have made sense of the crap which has become Dr Who these days.

I loved the original Drs (and must admit I did think some of Eccleston was good to) but post that it all went terribly terribly wrong.

Fan writers can do so much better than the writers on the show - I have learnt this over the years.

p.s. I loved the CSI reference. Martha, Jack and co could so kick Horatio Caine's backside.

[azikale.livejournal.com]

I have a question- Why, exactly, do you not write for Doctor Who? I'm sure we could find a substandard writer (RTD, perhaps) to remove, and then you could sort the damn show out. And maybe, just maybe, make it a little less sexist/incoherant/generally terrible.

P.s. I friended you, hope that is ok.

[kalibex.livejournal.com]

*adopts this as her new canon, too*

[mirabilelectu.livejournal.com]

I just now read the whole thing, and I, too, wish to substitute this ending with what was on TV last Saturday, being as this fic actually makes sense and stuff.

[fyrdrakken]

Wishing so hard this is how the finale had really gone. Ah, well.

[my_daroga]

Thank you.

Am 1 handed, so short. Love it, wish you were RTD only with vagina and not sucky.

[padawanpooh.livejournal.com]

Yep- this is how it *really* was. The Companions save the world, Romana is back and Sergeant Benton's son is hot ;-)

I love you so much for this fic!

re

[kitttherug.livejournal.com]

Brilliant! And SO much better than the real thing. So sad.

My fave lines in all of this?


Jack was on the phone, pacing back and forth a few feet away.
"No," he was saying, "I want you all back in Cardiff in three days. And you absolutely cannot keep the Yeti."

[supremelurker.livejournal.com]

I have no idea how I managed to miss this fic for so long. Man, they should hire you to write for the show; it's a million times better than what was aired!!

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

*beams*

In fairness to RTD, though, I wrote my fic in a week about four days. He only had a weekend, or so I've heard.

[thirdblindmouse]

This is my new canon now. I might have to give up Donna, but to exchange her for Martha!awesome, Romana, and a 3rd season finale that actually makes sense and contains mystery and drama (as opposed to Tinkerbell!Timelords) would be worth it.