FIC: Just a Dream (Martha, others)

[dk323]

Title: Just a Dream

Author: dk323

Rating: PG

Characters/Pairings: Martha, Ten, Sarah Jane Smith, Capt. Jack Harkness, future!Doctor

Spoilers: Turn Left

Disclaimer: Don’t own Doctor Who, just playing with its characters.

Summary: Martha has been having these dreams lately.

Author’s notes: Taking a bit of an artistic license here, but this is a what if Donna hadn’t exactly created a whole world around her, but instead had changed her current reality. And Martha gets a sense of what’s to come…

 

Again. She didn’t understand why she was having these dreams. The first few times, Martha figured it didn’t mean anything. Just her subconscious telling her that something unpleasant would happen in her future. She really didn’t want to dwell on dying after making the decision to save someone else and losing her only chance to make it out alive.

 

And she really wished that the thought, “What if she hadn’t met the Doctor that day?” wouldn’t be on her mind.

 

But she did meet him – on that seemingly ordinary day – on the way to work. He had come up to her and said, “Like so!” before he had taken his tie off, then “See?” before turning around and leaving. Martha, of course, feeling puzzled at this strange occurrence.

 

And then he was John Smith, a patient on her rounds. But not really John Smith. He was something much more than that. As she stood beside him on the balcony, stood next to an alien – though she didn’t believe it then – they watched – in the earthlight, he said – as real, proper aliens, the Judoon had landed on the Moon.

 

Martha knew, without a doubt, that the two of them – Smith and Jones – had saved the day. The Doctor had given his life to make sure the Judoon found the Plasmavore. And Martha – using her medical training – had given him her last breath so he could stop the MRI machine.

 

And the hospital landed back on Earth with more people alive than dead.

 

But in her dreams, there was no Doctor. Martha didn’t want to think about how frantic she was on the inside while on the outside, she tried to remain calm.

 

There was this woman calling herself Sarah Jane Smith in her dreams. Martha hadn’t met her yet, but some of her colleagues at UNIT had mentioned her.

 

She smiled tightly at her and said, “Everything will be fine. I’m here to help.”

 

Martha had just looked at her, “I don’t know if I believe you.”

 

“What’s your name?” She asked.

 

“Martha. Martha Jones. Who are you?”

 

“Sarah Jane Smith. And trust me, Martha, I know what I’m doing. I’ve seen things you couldn’t even begin to imagine.”

 

“Why are we on the Moon then?” Martha wondered.

 

“It has to do with aliens, Martha,” Sarah Jane began, “They’re called the Judoon and they’re looking for someone. We’re all in danger if they don’t find that person. But I’m on it. I have help – accomplices. It’ll be fine.”

 

“Sarah Jane!” A teenaged girl with dark hair came into the room.

 

Sarah Jane looked toward the girl, “Hold on a second, Maria.”

 

Then she looked back at Martha, “Want to help?”

 

Martha nodded, “All right.”

 

*

 

But in the end it didn’t matter. Not really. People were dying all around her and Sarah Jane had said something about the MRI machine before she left her.

 

When Martha could feel the end was near, she set her resolve.

 

If she could save one person, she would do it. Because she never saw herself as a selfish person. And she would be a doctor some day – she was meant to save people.

 

Even if it meant at her own expense.

 

“Here, take this.” She held out the last remaining oxygen tank to Oliver Morgenstern.

 

He looked uneasily at her, “No, Martha. I couldn’t.”

 

“Take it! Just take it.” Martha said firmly, placing it next to him.

 

He looked on hopelessly as Martha Jones stopped breathing.

 

*

Martha always woke up, shaking at that point. She wasn’t sure what it meant when you saw yourself die in your dreams, but surely it didn’t mean anything good.

 

She finally decided that there had to be some reason why these dreams hadn’t stopped. It had been almost two weeks since they started. And even worse, flashes of it started haunting her waking world as well.

 

Martha blindly searched for her mobile on her bedside locker. She grabbed it and turned on the lamp.

 

She had to make sure, she thought as she dialed her old mobile number.

 

“Hello?”

 

Martha sighed in relief, “Doctor?”

 

“Yes, that’s me. How are you, Martha?”

 

“I’m so glad you’re alive.” She breathed out before she mentally kicked herself. She should never call in the middle of the night when her brain was still half-asleep.

 

She could hear him chuckling over the phone, “Is that why you called?”

“No…it’s just I’ve been having these dreams. But it’s not important. I’m sorry to bother you. Say hello to Donna for me, will you? Goodbye.”

 

“Martha, hold on. Tell me what’s wrong. You don’t sound fine.”

 

“Where are you off to then? You and Donna?” Martha quickly changed the subject.

 

She could hear the Doctor sigh and then he said, “We’re going to be landing soon at an alien market bazaar. Now don’t change the subject, Martha, tell me why you really called. What happened in your dream?”

 

“I’m going to call Jack, all right? It’s really not important. It’s silly – probably means nothing.”

 

“Take care of yourself, Martha Jones.”

 

“Yeah, you too, Doctor.”

 

“Turn left! For god’s sake, turn left!”

 

“What was that?” Martha said sharply.

 

“I didn’t hear anything…” The Doctor answered.

 

The line cut out before Martha could reply.

 

After putting the phone back on the bedside locker, Martha told herself that she would call Jack in the morning before she fell asleep.

 

The words, “Turn left! For god’s sake, turn left!” running around in her mind.

 

*

 

Martha met Jack for lunch the next day.

 

She told him about her dreams – what happened in them - and her fear that they seemed too real to be overlooked. And they kept haunting her – never stopping – not even staying in her sleep, but while she was wide awake as well.

 

Jack looked thoughtful, taking hold of both her hands from across the table, which Martha found comforting.

 

“Maybe if you see the Doctor – with your own eyes? If calling him didn’t work? It could be as simple as that.”

 

Martha shook her head, “I’d much rather Torchwood look me over. Use the technology you have to figure out if it means anything bad. I trust my instincts, Jack. And they’re saying that something’s not right. It’s more than just a dream about me never meeting the Doctor. I’m sure of it.”

 

“Okay, you’re the doctor here. You could stop by tomorrow.”

 

Martha was about to answer him before she saw a flash of memory in front of her.

 

The Doctor stopped in front of her and said, “Like so!” just like she remembered, but when he was about to take his tie off –

 

He faded away.

 

He was gone.

 

“Jack --” She said, not hiding the fear in her voice.

 

But then there was nothing.

 

*

 

Donna Noble had turned right.

 

*

 

Martha woke up when the first rays of sun were coming through her bedroom window.

 

The last vestiges of a dream faded away. She only remembered the fear. But that too went away and she covered her face to shield herself from the morning light.

 

“Hello there.” She heard someone whisper.

 

Martha nearly jumped in shock at discovering another person in her bedroom. Tom was still in Africa, after all.

 

“Oh, sorry. Here,” The man, considering the deep tone of voice, said apologetically.

 

He turned on the lamp, and Martha took a proper look at him.

 

“Who--?” She started, confused.

 

He held the sonic screwdriver in front of her.

 

“Doctor?”

 

“Yes, that’s me.”

 

“You’ve regenerated. Apparently.” Martha commented, feeling a bit surprised that she wasn’t more surprised.

 

“Yep, and not a moment too soon. Trust me, you don’t want to know. So, what do you think?” He grinned at her.

 

“Your hair’s sort of reddish brown and your eyes – I’ll have to get used to seeing them such a light blue.”

 

The Doctor ruffled his hair, “Yeah, I was hoping for ginger, but didn’t quite happen.”

 

Martha rolled her eyes, “Why are you here, Doctor?”

 

“Did it happen yet?”

 

She looked at him questioningly, “Did what happen?”

 

“Answer me this, Martha. Did you see Donna again after the Sontarans and that unexpected trip?”

 

“No, I haven’t.”

 

The Doctor muttered to himself, as if he were scolding himself for something and then said to Martha, “I came too soon. Might as well make the most of it. How about a trip, Miss Jones? Just like old times.”

 

Martha shook her head, “No, I can’t. I can’t do it anymore. I thought you knew that, Doctor.”

 

He looked thoughtful for a moment, “You’ve been having those dreams. Those dreams you never told me about. But it turned out all right, Donna fixed it.”

 

“What dreams? I don’t remember.”

 

The Doctor searched in his coat pocket for something before he pulled out a piece of paper.

 

“See?” He said, showing the paper to Martha.

 

It said: Visit Martha and ask her about the dreams.

 

“I figured it was either that or well, the other thing.” He said, putting the paper back in his pocket.

 

“What other thing?” Martha asked, though she knew that he wouldn’t tell her.

 

It was still in her future after all.

 

The Doctor kissed her forehead and then took hold of her hand, “It’ll be fine. I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but you survive. Just saw you a few days ago. We had tea.” He smiled at her.

 

“What about Donna? How is she?”

 

But the closed look on the Doctor’s face told Martha that that was a topic he’d rather not discuss.

 

“Next time I see you, Martha, just like I am now – you will say yes.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“To traveling with me, of course.”

 

“What changes my mind then? If you’re so bent on giving me hints about my future.”

 

“Sorry, spoilers.” The Doctor only said, though she could tell he was hiding something unpleasant from her.

 

Not a moment later, the Doctor clapped his hands and Martha knew he was going to leave.

 

“I’ll be seeing you, Doctor Jones.” He said, waving at her before he left the room, tossing the sonic screwdriver from hand to hand.

 

“Good bye, Doctor.” Martha said quietly.

 

Too bad she now felt wide awake, Martha thought. She couldn’t wave off the strange meeting with a future Doctor as just a dream. Now she had a glimpse of her future and she was yearning for more.

 

But that would have to wait.