belle, doctor who

twenty-four

Belle starts to panic as the one Hath lets go of her and runs back with the others. Martha's Hath is injured. Belle rushes over to help.

"Hold on, I've got you. Is it your arm, yeah?"

The Hath bubbles its green breathing liquid as it looks at both Belle and Martha.

"Is that a yes? Let me examine it. Keep still. Still, yeah? No move. Belle, mind holding him?"

The Hath nods at the same time as Belle. She places a hand on the Hath's back and looks into its eyes.

"Half fish, half human? How am I supposed to know? Is that a shoulder? Feels like a shoulder. I think it's dislocated."

More armed Hath arrive. Belle taps Martha.

"We're trying to help him," Belle starts.

"I am a doctor and he is my patient, and I'm not leaving him," Martha makes Belle get out of the way. "Now, this is going to hurt. One, two, three."

Martha puts the shoulder back into its place. The Hath cock their weapons, then the injured one intervenes, bubbling the explanation. Belle panics while this is all happening. Everyone relaxes again.

"Now, then. I'm Doctor Martha Jones, and this is Isabelle Dunne. Who the hell are you?"

"Belle because we are friends now," Belle tells everyone. Including Martha.

•••

"So. I noticed you have a ring?" Belle questions Martha as the uninjured Hath brings them somewhere.

"Yes! I'm engaged. He's wonderful," Martha says. "Though there's one thing you should know about me."

"And?" Belle asks. The Hath turns around. Martha shakes her head at him.

"Not for you," she tells him. The Hath puts his head down.

"I used to travel with the Doctor," Martha tells Belle. "And I can tell by the way you look at him... that's how I felt about him when I was traveling with him. He was magnificent."

"Uh... what look?" Belle asks, confused, though she knew as soon as Martha started to say something.

"That you're in love with him," Martha says. "I can see it in your eyes, how you smile brightly, how you kissed his cheek... I just wanted to warn you that you could get hurt when traveling with him."

Belle's stomach drops. "Well that brightens the mood," she says. "Thanks, though."

"For?"

"The warning. Though I've known since my first trip that I could get hurt. He's not all fun and games, but I like him just the way he is."

"Speaking of mood brightening, there's not much to be happy about right now," Martha whispers to Belle. Belle nods.

"I just... can't believe I have a daughter now. With him. You know?"

Martha nods. "It's pretty shocking, to be honest with you."

The Hath brings them to a map that is a hologram.

"Right. Enough chatter," Martha says as the Hath points to where the dot is. "So we're here?"

•••

After a few minutes of analyzing the map, Martha and Belle see other lines appear.

"Ooh," Belle says as she and Martha smile. "There's more! Maybe the Doctor is looking at this too?"

"Yeah, maybe," Martha says.

"That's a new map. There's a different set of tunnels," says Martha.

The Hath starts coming around them and celebrates.