Heaven's Light ✿ The Doctor [2]

24- Human Nature (pt. 1)

"I don't understand him." Martha blurts as she walks into the console room, she has never been happier that the Doctor was off doing who-knows-what somewhere else in the Tardis, dropping her bag on the floor.

Avery looks at her in surprise, sitting more upright in the jumpseat and closing her book as she inquires, "What do you mean?"

"One second he acts like he cares, the next he has me at arm's length."

"Been holding this in, have you?" Martha nods as Avery pats the spot beside her on the jumpseat. Martha moves to sit beside her as Avery explains softly, "What you need to understand, Martha, is that the Doctor is an extremely complicated man." She looks at Martha for a long moment before asking, "How much has he told you about his past? About the Time War?"

"An overview but I feel like there's more that he hasn't told me." She answers.

Avery stiffens slightly and states, "He's told you enough."

Martha runs her eyes over the carefully crafted expression on Avery's face, the one that is her trying not to give too much away, "And, he's told you everything." She breathes.

"It's a heavy burden, but one I gladly carry." Avery replies before beginning an explanation, "When I first met him, he was extremely closed off, scared to show the slightest bit of vulnerability. Understandably so, he had just lost his entire planet, he couldn't afford to form more attachments only to lose those too. But that changed when he started traveling with Rose, it reignited his ability to see the beauty in the world. She became a sort of moral compass for him. She was forceful in her push for him to do the right thing in a way I'm not. It's probably why he never listens to me when it matters. She became a rock for him, the source of a lot of his happiness, and they were very codependent; if she was in trouble, he would do everything to help her and she would fall apart at the thought of losing him. So with her gone, he lost part of himself in a way." Avery meets Martha's eyes with a sad smile, "That's why he keeps you at a distance, he's reverted back to how he was when I first met him." Avery takes Martha's hands as she quickly adds, "Now I want to be clear that none of this justifies how he treats you. But, I know he's a mystery to you and I want to offer a little insight on why."

"Thank you." Martha says.

"Of course." Avery responds before giving Martha's hands a quick squeeze and standing up to begin flitting about the console. She had picked a nice resort in the 23rd century for Martha to enjoy and get a break from running. Avery glanced at Martha as she worked, subtly showing her worry, "You'll come back, right?"

"Yeah." Martha answers before smiling, "He needs me."

"I need you too. I've gotten too comfortable, you offer perspective." Avery told her before beaming, "And, I really like you."

Martha grins in return, scooping up her bag, "Good to know I'm appreciated by one of you weirdos."

Avery laughs lightly, "Enjoy the resort, Martha." She then quickly assures, "I'll make sure the Tardis arrives in a week to pick you up." Martha waves as she exits the Tardis and Avery smiles softly.

***

The Doctor and Avery run into the Tardis, closely followed by a blast from an energy weapon, "Get down!" He commands and Avery rolls to the floor. There's a bang and sparks fly as the Doctor slams the door shut. He rushes over and grabs Avery's shoulders as she stands up, "Did they see you?"

"I don't know."

"But did they see you?"

Avery flounders, "I– I don't know. I was too busy running."