The Rebels of the Fallen

The Lazarus Experiment

"So...it's not really your son?" Martha replied.

I gasped, clutching my chest over my hearts.

The Doctor stepped in. "No use arguing about it. She's not letting it go."

"The insult-"

"Terra. Drop it."

"She dares-"

"She hasn't met him, so she hasn't fallen completely head over heels in love with him." The Doctor corrected. He flipped the handbrake to bring us to land.

I narrowed my eyes. "You're just saying that to calm me down."

"Is it working?" The Doctor asked, eyes glinting.

In reply, I turned my nose up at him. He flipped over the last of the switches.

The TARDIS landed.

Time to say goodbye...ish.

"There we go. Perfect landing." The Doctor praised. "Which isn't easy in such a tight spot."

"You should be used to tight spots by now." Martha noted. She smiled, glancing to the door then to us. She was beaming with excitement. "Where are we?"

"The end of the line." The Doctor replied, without the usual excitement. "No place like it."

Martha ran to the door with a skip in her step. I followed behind at a slower pace. She threw the doors open, halting in her gleeful steps as she walked out.

"Home." Martha looked back to us. I stepped out of the TARDIS, the Doctor behind me. "You took me home?"

"In fact, the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about twelve hours." The Doctor explained. "No time at all, really."

"But all the stuff we've done. Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?" Martha asked.

"You did it all in one night." I explained. "A really long night, but just the one."

"Relatively speaking." The Doctor added. He started glancing around the room at Martha's things. There was a lot of pictures of family, of her various belongings scattered around the apartment. "Everything should be just as it was. Books, CDs, laundry." He handed a loose sock to Martha.

She caught it, blushing.

"So, back were you were, as promised." The Doctor finished.

"Wasn't even twelve months late." I commented, leaning back against the TARDIS. The Doctor gave me a scolding look- but his smirk ruined it. "You did this right once. Not a big deal, just a relief."

"Nothing pleases you."

"It's called having standards."

Martha blinked at us, her eyes going a bit wide. "This is it?"

"Yeah." The Doctor and I replied.

It had to be it. For him, the Doctor couldn't get as attached to anyone again like he had with Rose. Nobody could replace her- no one could even hope to try. On my side of things...I didn't want Martha to feel second to us. That she was the 'rebound'. Nobody should feel that way. Nobody deserves to feel that way. She deserved better than what we could give her.

Martha deserved the best.

Anyone who couldn't see that didn't deserve her.

"We should probably-" He motioned to the TARDIS. Before he could take a step, Martha's landline rung.

Hi, I'm out. Leave a message.

"I'm sorry." Martha apologized to us.

"Martha, are you there? Pick it up, will you?" I winced at Francine's voice. Not that there was anything wrong with her voice. It was just...Author I was gonna see her today. Not exactly a great bit of news.