<Who: Martha Jones and Jack Harkness What: Dealing, getting back to work, the world needs saving... even if someone is missing When: December 7, 2012. Where: Martha's place, then the Hub. Why: Ianto is gone again... =(
It was something she had learned a long time ago, working for UNIT, traveling with the Doctor, and now working for Torchwood. There were lessons that went along with the job, and the most paramount among them was that a quiet period would always be followed by an event of some catastrophic proportion. Whether it was the Nexus that had swallowed Jack - which she still hadn't gotten all the answers about yet - or the invasion by the Skrull, or Ianto's disappearance... something they'd been working to avoid, downtime was great when it was short, but long periods of it precipitated doom...
It had been a fitful sleep that Martha had woken from that morning. She'd been tossing and turning all night, Ianto's disappearance wasn't sitting well. She missed him. They'd worked so hard to try and keep him there with them that it was like pushing a knife through their persons when it didn't work, when he wound up vanishing again. Tosh said that the odds were he'd reappear, but until it happened...
Martha pushed herself into a seated position and looked around her room. They'd finally gotten all of her things moved into her new flat, but it didn't feel like home yet. Something was off... terribly off. Jack was missing. Martha tried to remember. He'd come over the night beore but she didn't remember him leaving. Maybe he'd gone back to the hub.
Even with the arrival of Robert - who seemed to be keeping Jack distracted, sort of becoming one of the team, even though he had yet to be properly field tested, - Martha was worried. If he wasn't here then he was definately at the hub. Getting up, she started padding around looking for him, if she didn't find him then she'd leave at once...
He was gone... again. But this time, he didn't come back. Even with the Doctor's help, they couldn't pinpoint Ianto's location. All of them had been prepared for the worst when this had started, but Jack had thought they'd fixed it.
Rather than wake Martha, Jack had left her flat and headed back to the Hub. He hadn't slept... the Captain had just spent some alone time on the top of the Millennium Center staring out at the lights of Cardiff. When he'd finally grown tired of it, Jack had returned to the Hub and headed up to his office.
He sat there quietly, just thinking about everything that had happened. It had been a mistake... telling Ianto that he loved him had been a big mistake. Whenever Jack got to that point with someone, it always went horribly wrong. And this time was no exception. Ianto Jones was gone for good this time.
As he brooded, Jack's thoughts turned to Martha. He couldn't bear to lose her too. But a part of him wondered if she was going to be next. He lost everyone he cared about... always had, always would.
Looking around the apartment had been a bust. But somehow Martha had had a sinking suspiscion that it might be. The odds of him staying at the apartment in a moment like this... Jack needed something more, he needed... the closest she could come up with in that moment was a feeling of freedom. To see the world below him as it was. She'd done that a few times, looking at the world from down below - back when she was still traveling with the Doctor. He'd let her do it once more when he'd shown up. It had been something of a birthday present. It really put things in perspective. Or sometimes... Sometimes it did.
Martha's first and only stop was the Hub. She'd tossed on clothes, noticed that Jack's SUV was missing. There really was only one real option. As much as she knew that he needed time, needed space, she didn't think that him being on his own like this would be good for him. Brooding with his thoughts...
The trip to the hub was a quiet one. She turned on the radio, trying to break herself out of her own thoughts, but it only served to distract her, and that wasn't what she wanted right now. At this hour there wasn't much traffic, getting there took less time than she thought it would.
Sometimes Martha wished there was a quieter way of getting into the Hub. But the klaxons went off and the door opened to reveal an empty hub. No sign of anything having been moved, nothing. Upon further inspection there was a light on in his office and Martha found herself standing in the doorway watching the man she loved for a moment before saying anything. Ianto's disappearance weighed on all of them, Martha missed him his disappearance had been like a knife to the side. But she was worried about Jack... extremely worried.
The question was what to say? What could she say? They'd done everything they could to try and pinpoint his location... "I thought you might be here..." her voice was quiet, not wanting to jar him from his thoughts. She took a small step into the office, leaning against the doorjam. Her stomach suddenly feeling a bit unsettled... which it had been doing lately.
Jack blinked and looked up at the sound of her voice. He should have known better... Martha would always find him. And it wasn't like Jack was actually trying to hide from her. He clasped his hands together and rested his elbows on his desk, smiling faintly as she leaned against the doorjam. "I didn't want to wake you," he replied softly. "So I figured I'd try and get a little work done and let you rest."
He did smile though as he pointed out, "You know... you can use your swipe card to disable the klaxon before you come in. That's mainly there for visitors. Granted, the lights and sirens are fun and it really got on Owen's nerves sometimes. But... just saying." He shrugged and smiled again, but it was more forced and didn't reach his eyes.
Turn it off.... Of course they could turn it off. Not that anyone had ever bothered to tell her about it But it made sense that they should be able to... She could have shook her head if the situation weren't so serious. But this wasn't the time. Things that hadn't been said, or hadn't been explained, or maybe - given when she'd come in - some things had just been overlooked. But it didn't matter.
Martha just smiled, nodded but didn't say anything about the Klaxions. There were more important things to do. Stepping into the office, she walked over and leaned against the corner of his desk, putting one of her hands on top of his shoulder. "You didn't have to go through the trouble," of course she knew that he hadn't really come here to work. She glanced at the papers in front of him and frowned. She'd seen them there the previous day. "Was just a bit worried," she reached out and tried to grab one of his hands, despite them being clutched. How did she say it, walking on eggshells wasn't going to do it. "Didn't want you being here in the dark all on your own."
Jack leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, swiveling his chair sideways and pulling Martha onto his lap. He sighed and frowned, knowing that she'd be able to see right through anything he said to contradict that he was fine. "I just... I don't know. Sometimes it gets to me... this job and the way that I am. For the rest of my life... hell... for eternity, I'm going to lose everyone that I lvoe and care about. I try not to get too attached. But sometimes, there's a special few of you that I just can't help it. The team that I built was like that. Then I lost Suzie, Owen, and Tosh. Somehow, Tosh came back and I'm grateful for that. But you, Gwen, and Ianto... you three are special. Gwen's become my best friend and I'm closer to her than words can ever describe. Ianto wasn't supposed to happen... he was some fun on the side because I knew I could never have Gwen. But over time, it changed and I realized I actually love him. But you..."
Jack smiled faintly and cupped a hand to her cheek. "You're so much more. I'm as close to you as I am to Gwen. I love you just as much as Ianto... more even. And we've both seen and done things the others will never understand. End of the World Survivors Club.... the Year-That-Never-Was... travelling with the Doctor..."
He sighed and finally whispered what had been bothering him since Ianto disappeared. "I can't lose you too, Martha."
Martha put her head down on Jack's shoulder, tracing slow circles on his back. It was the folly of a life longer than what was the norm. The knowledge that you were going to outlive everyone... There had been many nights that Martha had stayed awake trying to wrap her mind around the implications of what Jack's life was. Back when they'd first met the idea of an impossible thing... Traveling with the doctor you saw eight impossible things before breakfast, but Jack was special. He was different. It was one of the things that she loved about him. But that question. The knowledge that while she could spend the rest of her life with him... It wasn't something she liked thinking about, and did her very best to ignore.
The idea of him alone, the fact that she knew what was coming... She hadn't thought about the Face of Boe for such a long time. The thoughts seemed to come at the worst of times. It was something that she was determined to change. She didn't care that it was supposed to be impossible.
Martha ran a hand through Jack's hair as he cupped her cheek, her free hand moving to cover his. The look in his eyes broke her heart. She tried to put a small smile on but couldn't bring herself to do so. If someone had told her all those years ago that she would be here, now, when she'd first met Jack - hitching a ride on the TARDIS - she might not have believed it. She hadn't known what to expect back then. She'd been much younger, but now. She couldn't picture a life that didn't include a him. A future that didn't include him. She knew that - of all the things that Jack Harkness held, this fear was one he faced every day. It cut through like a knife. She'd been seeing it in the way he held himself since Ianto's disappearance and in the way he'd looked at her. That fear - even if he hadn't realized it - was written on his face.
She squeezed his hand and wrapped her arm around him. "And you won't." She knew that the words may have sounded hollow. How did you promise something like that to a man who had seen eons? But she meant it. Every word. "I know that it's hard to accept, but there is nothing, not on earth, not in space, that can take me away from you. And if it did," she paused, tilting her head to the side, "well I'd just have to do whatever it took to get home. And I wouldn't stop until I was." This much was true. She didn't know if it helped. They had been through too much done too much to just let things happen. They'd done everything they could to keep Ianto with them, but they'd failed... and she knew that it ate at them.
"I did a lot of reading while I was with the Doctor." She couldn't count the time that she'd spent in the TARDIS library. "There's a belief, on Thetoria, a planet in a system that I can't even pronounce the name of, that every living thing has someone or some thing that they're meant for. That they are literally connected by unseen forces and will be drawn together. It doesn't matter the distance it doesn't matter how long it takes. But once it's done, there is no escaping it. You're bound." She allowed herself a small smile. "For good or ill. No matter what..." He was it or her. And she would fight tooth and nail to stay or get back to him.
"So you think that's us?" he asked her curiously. "That the two of us are connected and will always be drawn back together?" Jack considered that idea for a long moment and he had to agree that maybe it had some merit. After meeting Martha for the first time and her escaping from the Master, he didn't know if they'd ever see her again. Even their first meeting had been such a whirlwind and hadn't even lasted for more than a couple of days. But then she returned to rescue him and the Doctor, only to part ways in Cardiff when Jack went home. But even then, they made certain to stay in touch with each other. Martha took time away from UNIT to help Torchwood. They met up again when all of the Children of Time joined forces to defeat Davros and the Daleks. And now here she was again, working permanently for Torchwood and being at Jack's side.
"We do sort of have a knack for always finding each other," he finally admitted with a faint smile. "Who knows? You might be right, Martha."
He gently nudged her chin upwards and leaned in to tenderly kiss her. "You know there's nothing that would keep me away from finding you again if possible. So long as you're alive, I'd find you. It's not like I'll have to worry about running out of time."
Martha smiled lightly, practically able to see his mind working, thinking about what she'd just suggested. She pushed some of his hair from his eyes - that stubborn hair that always hated to cooperate this late at night.
"Haven't you learned by now," she responded, intertwining their fingers with one of her hands. "I'm always right." It wasn't chastising, a bit more playful, trying to make him smile more. It had been such a stressful few days. But it couldn't stay this way, she knew it couldn't...
"I know you would. I don't think there's anything on this planet or any other that would keep us rom finding our way back to one another." she leaned in to kiss him again. "You found me when I was locked in that ship by the Skrull. Got me out of the Pharm. There's no reality in which I'm not here with you." She smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder. She adjusted a bit on his lap, suddenly stiffening, feeling a bit nauseous but managing to right herself.
It was a hell of a time for it to act up. Sometimes she really hated human anatomy! Even if she was a doctor!
Jack laughed softly when she suggested that she was always right and squeezed Martha's fingers. He waited for her to get comfortable and then gently kissed her temple. "You and me against the world, Doctor Jones. No matter what, I promise I'm always here for you."
He noticed the sudden stiffening and asked her softly in concern, "You okay?"
"Well if there was someone who was to have my back, I can't think of anyone else who could do a better job." She smiled softly, brushing her thumb over his knuckles. "It will be okay, Jack." It was something that she wanted to be true. She hadn't seen him this shaken up since... It hadn't even been real. He'd been close when they'd had problems stabilizing Ianto, but the last time he'd been this bad had been after he'd gotten out of that Nexus thing... Bloody hell it had been a long year.
Martha looked at Jack with a small smile, trying to cover her discomfort. "Yes, I'm fine... Just been a bit under the weather the last few weeks, a bit queezy at the most inappropriate times." she forced a smile. "Started about three weeks ago. Must be something going around." She'd been queezy during her last rounds - it had started suddenly. So she hadn't ruled out a stomach flu, a mild one. "I'll be fine," she tried to assure him. She'd been keeping it to herself as in the last weeks they'd been busy. VERY busy. Trying to stabilize Ianto had been top priority. She knew how do wait.
"You should be taking it easy then and resting. Isn't that what you always tell the rest of us?" he said, giving her a knowing smile. Jack opened his mouth to tease her again when the proximity alarm went off. He frowned and flipped open his wrist strap, pulling the data using it and giving it a quick review.
"If you're feeling up to it, we've got a Weevil up top just outside on the Plass. If we grab it quickly, we can toss it into the cell next to Janet until we can tag and return it to the sewers later."
Shooting him an amused look, she couldn't help but smirk. "Haven't you heard? Doctors make the absolute worst patients. We never listen to ourselves," she got the quip and a wink off just as the alarm went off. When Jack had started staying at her place she had asked him to hook a wireless alarm up to her new place, so they wouldn't miss anything. Of course it went to his strap too. But this late?
She wasn't used to the alarms going off this late. It was unsettling. The alarm going off here, in the silence that surrounded them. But there wasn't anything else to do. Work called. It was the mission. And it was their purpose here. Martha took a breath and nodded. "I'm good for it. It always passes. And even if I weren't there's no way that I'm letting you go out there without backup, mister." Bad things happened when you went out without backup.
Martha leaned in for another kiss before moving to stand, getting off of Jack's lap. She needed to grab her Tazer. Despite her position, she still refused to carry a gun. Jack was still trying to get her to change her mind, especially after the Skrull incident, but this far he'd managed to get her into the range and to carry a powerful tazer. Doctor's did no harm... The question was where had he moved it? "The faster we get this done, the sooner we can get back to bed." It was true.
"Sounds like a plan to me." He stood up and unbuckled his belt, sliding the holster for his Webley onto it. "From the sensor readings, I think there's only one up there. So we should be fine."
He checked his weapon to make sure it was fully loaded and watched as Martha hunted for her tazer. "I wish you'd reconsider and use a proper sidearm..."
"One Weevle against the two of us? IT doesn't stand a chance." Martha shot Jack a smile, pulling open one of his desk drawers, finally holding the device up in triumph, having finally found the Tazer.
Attaching it to her belt - the holster attaching to her pants - Martha shrugged slightly. "I know. But it just seems... wrong still. But hey, you've got me into the range. If I need to use it, I will but... do no harm?" It was something she took very seriously. But even she knew that if something else happened, she wouldn't have a choice. Jack wasn't already uneasy about the tazer. She'd just have to be careful.
Martha slipped on her coat and nodded. "Alright. Martha Jones, Weevle Retrieval Squad, reporting for duty." She stood up straight and saluted. "Let's go." She backed up, literally walking backwards towards the door.
"Yeah, do no harm. But when something's trying to harm us, then I say do as much harm as you can." He smiled though as he fell into step beside her, the pair of them making their way to the lift that would lead up to the tourist office.
"Maybe if I show you my special brand of gun training I can change your mind," he teased. Once they reached the office door, Jack smiled and opened it, motioning for Martha. "Ladies first."
And that was when he heard the all too familiar inhuman cry of the Weevil as it lunged forward, right at Martha.
"That's why I have the taser. And as you may remember, how long did it take to convince me to take that along?" She shot him an almost amused look. As if this weren't a very serious conversation. Which it was. She had the feeling that it was an argument that she'd eventually lose,. But for now she had her taser... Still... "Well, if it's anything like you're special brand of researching after hours, I'm certain you'll be able to get me to agree to almost anything," she bit her lower lip, winking at her lover. Not the time or the place, but it was the way they did things.
Jack opened the door and Martha bowed her head as if to say thank you. Taking a step out time seemed to slow slightly. One second she was taking a step outside, the next there was an inhuman cry and a figure coming right at her. It was big. And it was angry. Martha stumbled to the side, not giving herself any moment to stop and think. Trying to get out of the way.
How had it gotten so close?! Her hand moved for the Taser...
"MARTHA!" Jack yelled, rushing forward as he saw the Weevil lash out with its clawed fingers. He could see it all happening, but felt powerless to do anything to stop it. Jack tackled the creature to the ground and rolled with it, trying to put some more distance between them and Martha.
Maybe it had missed... maybe she'd moved in time. Jack grabbed hold of the Weevil's arms and struggled against the creature's strength, crying out in pain when the thing bit the side of his neck.
It took her a moment to realize what had happened. She'd gone for the tazer but the Weevil was faster. Its claws had lashed out but Martha didn't feel very much. Thing were a bit blurry, her body was less steady, and for some reason breathing was a bit harder.
She heard Jack yell and felt a pain shoot through her. She pushed it down trying to ignore it. Her hands went for the tazer on her belt and she tried to move forward but for some reason movement was more difficult. "Hey..." the words came out weak to her own ears. SO she tried again. Her arms were outstretched, the tazer in hand. "HEY! Get off of him!" she was trying to get the weevil's attention. She pulled the trigger, the cables shooting out and attaching to the creature. If nothing else she now had its attention. Moving might be an issue if it came at her again...
The moment the Weevil was distracted Jack managed to pull his gun free. He shot the creature and pushed the heavy body off of him. The loss of blood caused by his injuries was starting to make him dizzy, but he had to check on Martha.
Jack barely managed to get to his feet and stumble over to her. He braced himself against the wall and shook his head, trying to clear away the haze. "Gotta get you inside," he commanded as soon as he saw that Martha was injured as well.
She heard the gunshots but couldn't find the energy to focus on them or what was happening. The next thing she knew, Jack was next to her and she was looking at him with a hazed expression. He was talking about an injury and he looked terrible. "What are you talking-" and that's when she saw it. There was blood starting to seep through her shirt. Her breathing became shallow and she started getting dizzy. Grabbing the wall to stabilize herself, Martha managed a nod, which made her feel like she was going to throw up.
She wasn't going to die here. She'd made a promise! Not even an hour ago and she would be damned if that was going to happen here. Her knees buckled but she managed to keep herself on her feet, minus a bit of wobbling. "A-alright..." she put an arm around Jack, managing to rip off a piece of her lower shirt and press it against the wound on his neck - albeit rather uncoordinatedly, trying to focus on moving and keeping it there. "Med-ical," she started.
They needed to move. And fast! Though her mind was reeling from what was happening. The pain seeming to catch up with her body.
Martha was hurt... and bad! Even through the pain, his fuzzy mind could comprehend that. Jack's own injuries were severe, but they hadn't started healing fast enough for him. With the way things were going, he would pass out from blood loss and be unable to help her. And depending on how long it finally took him to die, it might be too late.
Jack blinked and pressed the muzzle of his Webley against his temple. He'd be killed almost instantly and would revive nearly as fast. It would leave him with a hell of a headache, but there was no other choice.
The Captain took a breath, pulled the trigger, and collapsed on the floor. Less than a minute later, he jerked back to life and gasped as his eyes snapped open.
There wasn't a moment to lose. He gathered Martha up in his arms and carried her inside, silently cursing the lift as he waited for it to reach the bottom. "Don't you dare die on me," he said, holding her body against his chest. "I'm not losing you too!"
She heard the gunshot but it didn't seem to register until he fell from her reach, causing Martha to stumble along with him. She fell to her knees, not understanding. Weevles didn't use guns. They didn't need them. She was grasping at threads, trying to focus, running down the list of a Weevle's biological differences, but her thoughts were muddled and the next thing that she knew she was being lifted, her head lolling around before finally finding a hold against something warm and solid.
Martha heard Jack's voice, near yet far away. "Can't. Promised." And she had. Her eyes fell shut trying to keep herself focused, in the here and now, lolling away with blood loss... Those were the last things she said, doing her best to stay aware, but it was a losing battle.
Martha was still breathing when the two finally reached the bottom of the lift. The blood had practically soaked through her shirt, and her breathing was shallow but steady as Jack rushed them both to the normally cool medical bay. Martha never felt a thing, she felt hot against the cold, something that in a moment of clarity as she felt herself lowered down, she realized was wrong. "Jack," she was too hot, and the pain suddenly intensified in a blaze of white heat that ripped through her body, eliciting a cry from the doctor, who tensed up, just wanting it to be over. "S-shock?" No. This wasn't what shock felt like.
"It's okay... I've got you," he said reassuringly. Jack carried Martha directly to Medical and gently set her on the table, immediately turning to begin rummaging through the nearby supplies.
"We've got to stop the bleeding," he said, grabbing a handful og thick gauze pads. But when he slid her shirt upwards to inspect the injuries, his eyes widened in shock. "What the hell?"
It didn't make any sense. There was no way all of that blood had come from such small injuries. As a matter of fact, he'd never seen anyone escape that kind of a clawing from a Weevil with such light wounds.
There was a surge of pain and then... the pain suddenly seemed to subside. Not completely, it was still there. The heat seemed to fade as well, and the cold of the medical bay started to seep in. She could feel the blood on her skin, the smell was terrible.
But in an instant she seemed more coherent. Her eyes opened slightly. She was woozy but there, almost like she was drunk or floating. But something was wrong - correction, something further must have been wrong - Jack wasn't applying pressure. "What's is it?" She didn't know what he was staring at. She winced again, some more pain emanating from the wound that Jack was staring at. She couldn't see what was going on.
She pointed towards a set of drawers sitting against the wall. Blood meant a wound. They needed to close it up. Her breathing got harder as she made an effort to move her body. It was a BAD idea.
"Don't move," he ordered, getting Martha to relax and lie back down. He used the gauze to wipe away the blood, still staring slack jawed and in disbelief at injuries.
"That shouldn't be possible. There's no way... I know he clawed you deeper than that." Jack frowned and shook his head. "I know it was deeper before we got down here. And now it looks like the Weevil barely clipped you!"
She lay back down, but was starting to make some notes in her head. She shouldn't be this coherent. She shouldn't even be conscious. Everything in her training was screaming at her, and the fact that she could draw on the training now when the amount of blood was so evident... And then there was Jack's reaction. She stopped moving, her eyes closed, focusing on what he was saying. What she was feeling.
She winced slightly as she felt the gauze brush over the wounds, but... it stung, nothing more. "Should be in more pain." Not that she was advocating it, but this didn't make sense. Her wounds had closed? Everything she was hearing was leading her to think that was the case. The heat she'd been feeling before, was that related?
"We need more." she said, her eyes opening up. She pointed against the wall. "Scanner in the top drawer..." She was trying to keep herself calm. Something was happening to her. Something she couldn't explain. She was almost sure there was a bit of a panicked look in her eyes, but she knew better. Knew to stay calm. She winced, frowning. She wanted to see it... she was a terrible patient, she really was. And she knew it. "Need to run some tests..." In other words she needed to be off this table!
"Don't even think about moving!" Jack snapped, quickly moving to open the drawer. "I know how to use nearly every piece of kit in the Hub, including the medical equipment. Just be still and let me take some readings. I promise I'll hand it right over to you."
Jack grabbed the scanner and turned it on, quickly running it up and down the length of her body. The readings weren't making sense. "You shouldn't be able to do this... especially not without me lending you some of my energy."
She wasn't going to win this one. Getting off the table was not an option, and the best thing she could do was just give up the need to be in charge of what went on in medial - and just let Jack handle it... Breathing kept getting easer as the minutes passed by, which was a plus.
The odd thing was that - other than that momentary heat... "I don't feel any different," she reported. "Obvious asides..." They both knew. She should be bleeding heavily right now, in immense pain, hell she probably shouldn't even be conscious. "Other than those few moments when I felt like I was on fire..." And actually, if she was honest with herself? She was a little hungry, and the instant she thought about food she was hit with a wave of slight nausia, so that wasn't happening...
She waited for him to finish the scans before asking. "Have you ever heard of something like this happening to a human without any kind of assistance?" She was hoping. The question then became what was causing it? She was trying really hard not to seem as terrified as she was. It had been fifteen minutes at the most and how much had happened?! What was happening to her?
"Fire?" He frowned and scanned her again, wondering if the thing was calibrated wrong or something. "Well, I read the files that the Pharm created once he realized you'd been exposed to the various energies from the TARDIS and the Time Vortex. We know you're now considered human plus, like all Companions who've travelled with him for an extended period of time. But this?"
Jack shook his head and handed the scanner over to her. "I've never seen anything like this before. Not in a typical human being from this time period who...."
As he continued to review the readings, Jack stopped in midsentence and his eyes widened in shock. He quickly rushed over to the other side of the room, rolled over another scanner, and grabbed hold of Martha's hand. Before she could object, he placed it onto the surface and held it in place. Within seconds, the data was projected onto the nearby wall.
"You're... you're pregnant?!?"
"Just for a few moments, it was like... a fever that I couldn't sweat out. And then it was gone." She was sure that her body had heated up. It sure as hell had felt like it. Martha would have shook her head if she weren't lying on the table. "If the energies were going to cause something like this, it should have done it by now," she agreed, clearly uneasy about these unknown changes. "Well before now. Back when the absorption was still fresh. That would have been the time for change to take place..." At least that would make sense. The energy was just something now that was sitting there dormant in her cells. It hadn't hurt any of the other companions, being Human Plus. At least not that she'd heard of. And she was certain that she'd have been Sarah Jane's first call these days for medical advice had something happened... Jack's situation, of course that was different!
Taking the scanner from him, Martha looked over the readouts, pushing herself up on the arm that wasn't holding the scanner. It didn't hurt... much. Her forehead furrowed. The readings were... it wasn't normal. Not at all. "It's like the cells are growing back at a hyper accelerated rate." Like time had for whatever reason sped up? But that didn't make sense either. "What the hell happened to m-" she was about to ask what the hell could have caused this, as it was in no way natural, but Jack grabbed her hand. She was surprised and her body jerked slightly as she tried to get a look at what he was doing, she winced slightly. She shouldn't have done that. He had told her not to move... She looked at him expecting some kind of an explanation, "Jack, what the hell ar..." But the look on his face and the words he spoke next caused her to blink.
"What?" What had he just said? Had she heard him right? "What are you talking about, Jack? I'm not..." and that's when she looked over and saw the readout from the second scanner. Martha took a deep breath - which hurt more than she tried to let on. Her eyes were back on Jack in an instant. Those readings... they didn't lie. So it wasn't a stomach bug? The last few weeks, it had been... "Are those readings right?" She pushed herself up to a seated position, it took extra effort, despite the fact that Jack had told her not to move... She needed to see.
"Yeah... it's right," he confirmed. Jack set the hand scanner on the table next to her and turned to look at the display on the wall again. Sure enough, there was the little red dot that confirmed it, as well as the readings on approximately how far along she was.
"So..." he paused, looking over to Martha with a nervous expression on his face. "So... this... this is a good thing, right?" Jack slid an arm around Martha's waist to help support her as she sat up.
She was pregnant. The readings didn't lie. For the last few weeks she had thought that she was sick, that she had some kind of a stomach flu but it had been morning sickness. She'd never made the connection. She'd never stopped to think about other options. It just never had occurred to her that she could be pregnant, but - thinking about it - maybe it should have.
Momentarily - despite the uncomfortabilty that her injury was causing her - not pain now just uncomfortable feelings - she nearly forgot what was happening, what they'd been seeing. She leaned against Jack, the facts swirling in her head. She was pregnant.
Martha took a breath before nodding, quickly. "Yes," she laughed a little, turning to Jack. "We're... Jack, we're having a baby." Admittedly she was still trying to digest this. She and Jack were going to be parents. Then suddenly she had a question hit her, was he okay with this? Was this going to be a problem? No why would it be a problem? But... he'd had children before. They'd never talked about this. Kids. It just hadn't come up. She was happy, elated, surprised. "I mean, I'm alright with this, but are you?" She realized just how awkward that had come out.
All the while, there was still the other elephant in the room. A pregnancy wouldn't have caused this change in her. There would need to be tests done, scans, comparisons. She had no idea what could have caused an accelerated healing. But so much had happened the last year and a half that it could be almost anything...
"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine with it. Surprised and not expecting it, but yeah." Jack smiled and gently wrapped his arms around her. He tenderly kissed Martha's cheek and murmured softly, "I really am happy about it, Martha. But I'm also worried about what's going on with you. Even being pregnant with my kid wouldn't have enabled you to be able to heal like that."
She seemed to physically relax, almost as if the adrenaline had just drained out of her. Martha put her head back against Jack's shoulder closing her eyes and nodding slowly. "I know..." she whispered. "I am too." Her hand moved from her stomach up just a few inches to where the gashes had been not fifteen minutes ago. She took a breath before continuing. "We just... run tests and scans, and compare the data to records until we figure out what caused this." She was genuinely afraid, and trying not to be. Something was happening that she didn't have the answers to. And now that she was pregnant... would this have consequences? What had caused this, was it a who? Why now? She really didn't know! But whatever it was it was sped up healing... it was a start.
It was a sobering thing, knowing that just a little while ago you were close to death. Hell there was blood on her hands that she hadn't noticed until now, now that she had her facilties back completely. Her shirt was a lost cause, she'd be throwing it out when they got back... well, after testing was done. Not before.
Martha looked up at Jack for a moment, now actually able to take in everything. You never would have been able to tell from how she was responding that she was nearly unconscious just minutes before. Blinking a few times, she noticed something. There was a powder burn on his temple. Outside... she'd heard something... Her shoulders fell as she reached over, putting a hand to the spot... He hadn't... Had he?
"We'll figure it out together," he promised. "Maybe see if we can get a hold of the Doctor to give us a hand." But Jack fell silent as Martha brought her hand up and touched his temple. At first, there was a flicker of confusion in his eyes. But then he realized that the Webley must've left some power residue after he'd shot himself. Jack sighed and nodded quietly.
"I thought I was going to lose you," he explained. "With the amount of blood you were losing, I couldn't afford to take the chance that I might die from my own injuries before I could get you inside. So I sped things up and shot myself. You know I'm fine though... I've got a headache, but I'm fine. I wasn't going to risk losing you, Martha." Jack shook his head and met her eyes with his own. "I love you," he added softly.
She allowed herself a small smile. "I still have the superphone; he'll probably be upset that we didn't call him sooner." She sighed and wrapped her arms around Jack's midsection. "But the sooner we figure this out..." She paused. "I don't really want to, but if you think that changing to a legitimate firearm would be better, now might be the time to do that." Especially if this happened again. Could it even happen again? She didn't know. They now had to figure this out, she needed to go see her doctor, there were decisions to make about the baby. Robert's orientation needed to be completed. Never a dull day at Torchwood.
Martha reached up and brushed a few stray hairs out of Jack's eyes. "You're not going to lose me," she said repeating her words from earlier. "I promised, and I have something very important to live for." There were some unshed tears in her eyes, he'd died for her. In the most honest sense there was. And then he said it. She leaned up and kissed him. "I love you too." And she was going to do EVERYTHING to keep herself there.
Her fingers brushed over his temple again, wondering if the bullet was still in there... she wouldhave to ask about doing a scan but not now. Not tonight. She just wanted to go home. Or at least leave medical. "Do you think that a girl might be able to get out of medical?" she managed a small smile, not letting go of him.
"You want to stay here for the night? Or go back to your flat?" he asked. Jack slid one arm beneath her legs and gently picked up Martha in his arms. He knew she was perfectly capable of walking, but at the moment he wanted to spoil her a little.
"I think we should just take it easy for the rest of the night. I've got the usual alerts set in place and it'll let me know if there's anything that can't wait until morning."
She hadn't been expecting him to pick her up. It was a nice surprise. Martha leaned against him, wrapping one of her arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder. She was more than thankful to get out of Medical. Though she'd be even more thankful to get out of these now bloodstained clothes. At this point it was edging on four.
"We may as well stay here tonight, though I'll need to get some fresh clothes for the morning." She nuzzled his shoulder. The set of clothes she normally kept here had gotten trashed a few weeks earlier and she'd forgotten to bring a fresh set. "By the time we get back it will be too late for us to get back to bed, and after tonight, I just want to spend some time with you. The where doesn't really matter."
Hearing his words about the alarms she sighed. "Oh I hope that nothing else happens tonight, haven't we had enough surprises for one day?" She almost laughed at this. But there really was no laughing matter. Not one, but two physical conditions? Surprisingly she wasn't as physically drained as she thought she'd be. It was almost as if she'd gotten some kind of second wind.
"I can always drive over to your flat to get some while you're resting. You should just keep some extras down in my room, besides that set you normally have in your locker." Jack tenderly kissed her forehead as he carried Martha through the Hub and up into his office. He set her down so she could climb the ladder down into his small quarters.
Jack did crack a smile when she mentioned surprises. "Yeah... some of which were better than others. The crazed Weevil I could've done without. But now we've got to figure out what's causing this accelerated healing for you. I doubt it's the baby causing it. Alice never caused anything like that to happen for Lucia."
He waited until Martha was at the bottom and followed her down. "You can borrow anything from my closet for tonight if you'd like."
"I keep forgetting to replace the ones in my locker," she admitted with a sigh. She snuggled closer to him taking full advantage of the situation, kissing him as he set her back on her feet. "Remind me next time we're home," she whispered. "They're still covered in the goo from last week," she chuckled to herself. "I know being covered in alien innards is just so sexy."
Martha made her way carefully down the ladder. She'd done this enough times that she could do it in her sleep, but it wasn't preferable. In fact it could get you killed. So much had happened today... "I could have done without it too..." her eyes went up to look at Jack, specifically at his forehead as she said it. He'd died today... and when she'd realized it it had stung, worse really, it had felt like a knife. She stepped off the ladder and took a seat on his bunk. "We'll have to do some more tests in the morning..." she said with a sigh. She wasn't looking forward to this. "In truth? It could be anything from residual energy from traveling in the TARDIS to something that I came into contact with at UNIT..." There was - for a moment - worry in her eyes. What if it effected the baby? She was already thinking like a mother and she'd only known for... what? Half an hour? At the most?
Martha patted the mattress next to her. "Well, I'm sure that we'll find something for me to wear," she said with a wink. Right now she just wanted him to be close.
Jack rummaged around in his small dresser and pulled out one of his white t-shirts for her to wear. "Here, beautiful. You can wear this. And like I said, I'll get you some more clothes while you rest. Why don't you take a quick shower and then get some sleep?"
He nodded towards the door leading to his private loo and shower. "And don't worry... I promise I won't disappear. Or if you want, I could you and scrub your back or something?"
Taking the shirt, Martha shook her head. "I can head back to the flat tomorrow morning..." or rather later, looking at the clock. She paused. "I know I might not know the difference, but, you know I worry when I wake up and you're not there." she felt bad saying it, but tonight, when she'd gotten up, she knew where he was and she knew why. All she wanted was to help him. And she couldn't think that tonight had really helped. Maybe a little... but, she just hoped that he let her take some of the burden.
Standing up, she stretched, her shoulders suddenly feeling stiff. She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, "I wouldn't mind a little company," she nuzzled against him. "Especially since I think both of us could use a scrub off..." She reached up and brushed his forehead again. The hot water really would feel good. Her muscles were tense... Maybe a side effect of almost dying?
"Okay, okay... you win. I'll stay here tonight and we'll deal with it in the morning." Jack smiled warmly and wrapped his own arms around Martha, pulling her body close against his own. He kissed the top of her head and began slowly backing the pair of them towards the other room. A hot shower would probably help to relax them both.
"You know you don't need to worry about me, right? And I wouldn't do anything stupid or anything to let you get hurt."
She smiled a bit, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Things will be better, or at least less crazy in the morning," she said with a sigh, following his lead. She could almost hear the shower calling their names. As they went she managed to slip off her shoes, and reached behind her to try and drag Jack's suspender's off his shoulders.
His words touched her, but didn't help much. "It's... there's more to it than that," she said, her shoulders falling. She could never unsee it now. "I know that I don't need to but just because you can die without it being permanent... I know how much it hurts you," she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "You died for me tonight Jack. And as much as I know that you wouldn't let me-" she paused, mentally saying 'us'. She'd known for what? Less than an hour? How was it already 'us'?! "I don't want you getting hurt either."
Yes saying it to an undying man was... It might have sounded strange, but she didn't know any other way of getting her meaning across.
"And I'd die for you again," he replied softly. Jack unbuttoned his shirt and took it off, tossing it aside. His white undershirt quickly followed. As he listened to Martha and saw the concern etched across her beautiful features, he paused and took hold of both of her hands.
"It might hurt me, but it's something I've gotten used to. For me, enduring a little pain to spare my loved ones from feeling it is worth it. I... I don't get close to a lot of people, Martha. In the end, I always lose them. So if I can do anything to keep them with me for even a little longer, no matter how selfish that might be on my part, then I'll do it."
He paused, leaning down to quickly unlace his boots so he could toe them off. "The Doctor told me once that I was... 'wrong'. I'm a fact... something that never should've happened. But if I'm going to be forced to live forever, then I'm going to do it on my terms. Which means making sure I take the physical pain for both of us when necessary. The mental... well, we can share that I guess."
She grabbed the bottom of her shirt, slipping it over her head, her arms felt heavy after everything they'd been through tonight, and the instant that her arms were out, she let the shirt fall to the floor next to her, not really caring where it landed. No sooner was the shirt gone from her hands then Jack had her hands held in his. She looked up at him, as he spoke.
The words weren't easy to hear. They were things that she knew, she knew Jack. He'd seen so much, had to bear so much during his lifetime - a lifetime that she knew one day would end... or at least if her logic was right it would. All she wanted was to take some of that weight from his shoulders. Even though she knew that she couldn't. She squeezed his hand, reaching up and running a hand down his cheek.
If she's honest with herself what he's saying surprises her. "He said that?" She purses her lips together and shakes her head. There are points when the Doctor can be cruel, and despite the fact that they adore the man, when it happens, it hurts. Martha puts a hand on Jack's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "You're not wrong," she said it seriously. As if saying it would counter what the Doctor had said. "I don't believe that, and I don't think you do either." She wrapped her arms around him for a moment, looking up at him, intertwining their fingers. "We're in this together, your battles are mine. And I'll share what I can, but you have to promise that you'll let me," she looked at him. She didn't want to be protected like she was made of glass... "Partners." She smiled softly, watching his reactions. They were a team.
Jack knew how stubborn Martha could be and he loved her for it. She was amazing in so many ways. "Partners," he repeated with a smile. "Now finish getting undressed already," he teased.
After he finished stripping out of his own clothing, Jack pulled a pair of towels out of the small cupboard and motioned for Martha to follow him into the shower. He turned on the water and began fiddling with the taps to try and reach the correct temperature.
"So... boy or girl?" he asked curiously. "Because to be honest, I'd be good with either. It might be nice to have a boy this time though."
She stood back for a moment, watching as he finished getting undressed with a small smirk on her lips. She couldn't help it. She liked what she saw. The cheeky look went away only to be replaced by a more relaxed one as she finished herself and followed him in.
Martha wrapped her arms around him, pressing up against him from behind. She allowed herself to really relax, maybe for the first time since Jack had carried her back inside. "Hmmm..." she gave herself a moment to think. "A boy... a miniature version of you running about," she teased. "He'd be a heartbreaker by the age of three."
"Probably. It's pretty much a guarantee the kid's going to be a looker. I mean, come on... we're the parents!" he joked.
Jack grinned and turned around so he could face her and wrapped his arms around Martha, holding her close. "I don't know if Cardiff can handle a miniature me. Good thing you'll be around to keep him from being too naughty."
"Having to keep two Harknesses in check... that does sound like a full-time job," a sly smile crossed her lips as she leaned up to kiss him. "Good thing I'm always up for a challenge." She smirked. "When he gets older you get to give him his first sex talk." She couldn't help that it was a hilarious metal image in her head.
Martha met Jack's eyes for a moment, running her hand down his side with knowing look, she couldn't help she mischievous look on her lips. "You know... I seem to remember that this was how this whole pregnancy thing started."
"Was it?" he teased, grinning as his eyes met hers. He playfully pinched her arse and winked, then leaned in to tenderly kiss her. "You know... in light of all of this, maybe we should find a place. I can hardly help you raise a kid while living here in my bunker."
Martha jumped slightly, chuckling before kissing him back. This was one of those few moments, when nothing was going wrong, when everything just seemed to be perfect - even if they weren't. Martha pulled them so they were both standing under the spray. It was hot and the room was already starting to fill with steam. She finally broke the kiss, opening her eyes, sighing contentedly. Her shoulders were tight... she hadn't realized that until now. How she didn't know but they needed to relax, she needed to relax.
She reached up and pushed some stray hair out of Jack's eyes. "You mean that? You'd give up staying at the bunker?" She knew the answer, hell they'd been looking for a place, a place possibly for the three of them before Ianto had... Before. She couldn't help but think that he would have found this whole thing amazing. Martha stood on her toes and leaned in with a mischievous look, whispering, "As I recall, it started just like this..." in his ear before kissing him again, ignoring the water.
There were so many questions that she still had. More than a few concerns. Damnit they needed to tell her parents eventually...
Jack nodded and used a hand to slick back his hair as he grinned down at her. "Yeah, I think it was something like this. But as for the bunker, definitely. We've got a kid on the way. And even if we didn't... well, we'd already been looking anyways. So... yeah. We find a new place and move in. Preferably some place not too far from the Hub, so maybe here in Cardiff or across the Bay in Penarth."