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storypaint) wrote2013-03-16 02:51 pm
storypaint) wrote2013-03-16 02:51 pm
[Doctor Who] no yesterdays are ever wasted (Martha/Ten)
Title: no yesterdays are ever wasted
Fandom: Doctor Who
Length: 932 words
Prompt: 'fix it' comment ficathon: doctor who, ten/martha | she confronts him about how he's been a total shit, leaves him high and dry, and he regrets everything and comes crawling back lol
Pairing: slight Martha/Ten
Other: This would be in some kind of AU where Martha wasn't part of Journey's End.
Excerpt: "Martha, there you are!" he says, opening his arms wide as if expecting a hug. He has a smudge of something unidentifiable on his cheek, and he looks strangely haggard. If he were a human, she'd tell him he should see a medical doctor, but he'd probably just brush her off with some comment about unusual Time Lord physiology. So she doesn't.
Martha has been home for three weeks when she gets a phone call from a friend in her apartment building.
"D'you hire someone to come get your things?" Dani asks her. "There's some skinny bloke in a suit just let himself into your apartment. Looked a bit ratty, thought I'd give you a call."
Martha is worried about theft for only a moment before she realizes that her visitor must be the Doctor. That would be just like him to let himself in to snoop around.
"It's all right, Dani," she tells her. "Don't call the police, I know him. He's sort of an ex."
"You just dial me if you need some backup," Dani said. "Still have the baseball bat under my bed."
Martha narrowly talks herself out of asking for the bat. She hangs up the phone and heads for her apartment. Luckily, her mom is taking a nap, so she doesn't have to lie about where she's going.
*
The Doctor is halfway under her kitchen sink when Martha unlocks the door. He scrambles out from underneath, looking guilty.
"Martha, there you are!" he says, opening his arms wide as if expecting a hug. He has a smudge of something unidentifiable on his cheek, and he looks strangely haggard. If he were a human, she'd tell him he should see a medical doctor, but he'd probably just brush her off with some comment about unusual Time Lord physiology. So she doesn't.
She folds her arms and ignores the hug. "Why did you break into my apartment?"
"Break?" He screws up his face, pretending innocence. "I didn't break anything. Just used the sonic. You didn't answer, so I thought I'd wait for you to come back. Noticed that you had a bit of a drip in the sink, so I thought I'd take a look." He rocked back and forth on his heels, putting his hands in his pockets. For a moment, Martha hates him, his stupid friendly face and casual smile. Then she just sighs.
"I thought I made it clear to you. I'm not doing this anymore."
"This what? Just a friendly visit," he says, wounded.
"This!" she says. "I'm living my own life now. I moved back in with my mother. She needs me. I wouldn't have even known you were here if my neighbor hadn't called me."
"Just thought it'd be nice to say hi," the Doctor says
"You've said more than enough. Why are you here?"
He's quiet for a long moment. "To apologize," he says. "I didn't really do it properly, back then."
She lifts her eyebrows.
"It's been a while," he admits. "I've been traveling with someone else. And now I'm dying, Martha. I didn't want to die without apologizing for the way I treated you. I should never have driven you away. You could have done it, you could have saved her, somehow, I know you would have known what to do, but I panicked, and now she doesn't remember a thing." His voice is rising as he speaks, becoming sharper. His eyes are elsewhere.
This is familiar to Martha. This is still not about her. She doesn't know who he's talking about, but the story is still the same.
"You're the Doctor," she says, and her voice drips with sarcasm. "Don't you save people?" But that's not fair. He does save people. He's just never been able to love her like she wanted him to. He's hardly been able to save her body, most of the time. And now he's dying, and wants to be forgiven.
"I'm sorry," he says.
"I'm not sorry I left," Martha says, and after a moment, "but I am sorry for her."
She has a picture in her mind, a redhead this time, or maybe another blonde. But she can't see the stranger's face. She can just hear the crying.
"I've got a friend," he says then, ignoring her statement. "You'd get along with him, I think. Should remember to introduce you. You are going to join UNIT, aren't you? That'll help."
Martha has already had three phone calls from UNIT. When she gets back to her mother's house, she decides that she's going to delete the number from her cell phone.
"I just want you to be happy, Martha," he says, terribly earnest.
"I'm trying," she answers. "I'm trying."
She herds him out of her apartment and into the hallway, but that won't work. The man who lives next to Dani is grumpy and has nothing better to do than eavesdrop on neighbors. She doesn't want him to hear anything inexplicable, even if she's going to let this apartment go as soon as her lease ends. So it's a horribly awkward elevator ride and then standing in the small garden.
"Thank you for the apology," she says, hands in her pockets. She doesn't want to meet his eyes.
"This isn't going the way I wanted it to," the Doctor says.
"I know," Martha says.
"I wanted to tell everyone goodbye," he says. "Will you tell your family for me? I didn't think they'd want to see me."
Martha nods. He tries to hug her again. She lets him, because it's easier than refusing.
"I won't do this to anyone again," he says to her firmly, standing too close. "I don't need to travel with someone. It always ends badly."
"I thought you were dying," she says, despite herself.
"In my next life," he says. "I won't repeat my mistakes."
"That's all I ask," she says, and she turns and leaves him in the garden.
Fandom: Doctor Who
Length: 932 words
Prompt: 'fix it' comment ficathon: doctor who, ten/martha | she confronts him about how he's been a total shit, leaves him high and dry, and he regrets everything and comes crawling back lol
Pairing: slight Martha/Ten
Other: This would be in some kind of AU where Martha wasn't part of Journey's End.
Excerpt: "Martha, there you are!" he says, opening his arms wide as if expecting a hug. He has a smudge of something unidentifiable on his cheek, and he looks strangely haggard. If he were a human, she'd tell him he should see a medical doctor, but he'd probably just brush her off with some comment about unusual Time Lord physiology. So she doesn't.
Martha has been home for three weeks when she gets a phone call from a friend in her apartment building.
"D'you hire someone to come get your things?" Dani asks her. "There's some skinny bloke in a suit just let himself into your apartment. Looked a bit ratty, thought I'd give you a call."
Martha is worried about theft for only a moment before she realizes that her visitor must be the Doctor. That would be just like him to let himself in to snoop around.
"It's all right, Dani," she tells her. "Don't call the police, I know him. He's sort of an ex."
"You just dial me if you need some backup," Dani said. "Still have the baseball bat under my bed."
Martha narrowly talks herself out of asking for the bat. She hangs up the phone and heads for her apartment. Luckily, her mom is taking a nap, so she doesn't have to lie about where she's going.
*
The Doctor is halfway under her kitchen sink when Martha unlocks the door. He scrambles out from underneath, looking guilty.
"Martha, there you are!" he says, opening his arms wide as if expecting a hug. He has a smudge of something unidentifiable on his cheek, and he looks strangely haggard. If he were a human, she'd tell him he should see a medical doctor, but he'd probably just brush her off with some comment about unusual Time Lord physiology. So she doesn't.
She folds her arms and ignores the hug. "Why did you break into my apartment?"
"Break?" He screws up his face, pretending innocence. "I didn't break anything. Just used the sonic. You didn't answer, so I thought I'd wait for you to come back. Noticed that you had a bit of a drip in the sink, so I thought I'd take a look." He rocked back and forth on his heels, putting his hands in his pockets. For a moment, Martha hates him, his stupid friendly face and casual smile. Then she just sighs.
"I thought I made it clear to you. I'm not doing this anymore."
"This what? Just a friendly visit," he says, wounded.
"This!" she says. "I'm living my own life now. I moved back in with my mother. She needs me. I wouldn't have even known you were here if my neighbor hadn't called me."
"Just thought it'd be nice to say hi," the Doctor says
"You've said more than enough. Why are you here?"
He's quiet for a long moment. "To apologize," he says. "I didn't really do it properly, back then."
She lifts her eyebrows.
"It's been a while," he admits. "I've been traveling with someone else. And now I'm dying, Martha. I didn't want to die without apologizing for the way I treated you. I should never have driven you away. You could have done it, you could have saved her, somehow, I know you would have known what to do, but I panicked, and now she doesn't remember a thing." His voice is rising as he speaks, becoming sharper. His eyes are elsewhere.
This is familiar to Martha. This is still not about her. She doesn't know who he's talking about, but the story is still the same.
"You're the Doctor," she says, and her voice drips with sarcasm. "Don't you save people?" But that's not fair. He does save people. He's just never been able to love her like she wanted him to. He's hardly been able to save her body, most of the time. And now he's dying, and wants to be forgiven.
"I'm sorry," he says.
"I'm not sorry I left," Martha says, and after a moment, "but I am sorry for her."
She has a picture in her mind, a redhead this time, or maybe another blonde. But she can't see the stranger's face. She can just hear the crying.
"I've got a friend," he says then, ignoring her statement. "You'd get along with him, I think. Should remember to introduce you. You are going to join UNIT, aren't you? That'll help."
Martha has already had three phone calls from UNIT. When she gets back to her mother's house, she decides that she's going to delete the number from her cell phone.
"I just want you to be happy, Martha," he says, terribly earnest.
"I'm trying," she answers. "I'm trying."
She herds him out of her apartment and into the hallway, but that won't work. The man who lives next to Dani is grumpy and has nothing better to do than eavesdrop on neighbors. She doesn't want him to hear anything inexplicable, even if she's going to let this apartment go as soon as her lease ends. So it's a horribly awkward elevator ride and then standing in the small garden.
"Thank you for the apology," she says, hands in her pockets. She doesn't want to meet his eyes.
"This isn't going the way I wanted it to," the Doctor says.
"I know," Martha says.
"I wanted to tell everyone goodbye," he says. "Will you tell your family for me? I didn't think they'd want to see me."
Martha nods. He tries to hug her again. She lets him, because it's easier than refusing.
"I won't do this to anyone again," he says to her firmly, standing too close. "I don't need to travel with someone. It always ends badly."
"I thought you were dying," she says, despite herself.
"In my next life," he says. "I won't repeat my mistakes."
"That's all I ask," she says, and she turns and leaves him in the garden.