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lizbeeTitle: 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!
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
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
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
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Date: 2007-06-30 10:55 pm (UTC)This is why we don't let slashers run our shows, kids.
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Date: 2007-06-30 10:59 pm (UTC)*waits to be accused of homophobia so can laugh big dykey laugh in their faces*
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Date: 2007-06-30 11:07 pm (UTC)Maybe Rusty just kind of sucks a bit?
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