Chapter One 

Martha 

“Should we be rocking like this? I mean, I understand the whole traveling through the vortex in time bit, but this…”

Martha’s words cut off abruptly as the TARDIS heaved sideways, throwing her off her feet. The Doctor, who had been studying the steering panel of the ship intently, briefly looked up at the sound of her fall, before returning to his task.

“It looks like she’s in flux.” The Doctor said thoughtfully.

 She watched him adjust his reading glasses, realizing his use of the word her was in reference to the ship, and not an acknowledgement of her position on the ground. Which was fine, really. They’d traveled together long enough for him to know she could take care of herself, and she could. But still…a little concern would have taken the edge off her now aching shin.

“Flux.” Martha sighed as she slowly stood up. “That’s a brilliantly vague analysis. Can you be more specific?”

“Not really. She does this from time to time, when the mood strikes, never really found what caused it. It’s not an actual flux, just some sort of moodiness. But I needed to call it something, and I do love saying that word.”

He smiled brightly, pleased with himself. The smile faded at her exasperated expression, and he cleared his throat.

“Tried to fix it the first time it happened.” He said. “But she wasn’t having it. Ended up in the Silfrax Galaxy. Nasty little planet, full of wasps.” 

The Doctor walked away from the panel and sat down on a raised platform nearby, leaning back against a metal beam. He crossed his long legs at the ankles, and his arms rose up to rest behind his head. Martha stared at his lean, handsome face, illumated by the bright green glow of the TARDIS control panel, and crossed her arms over her chest, which only elicited a mischievous smile in response.

“Oh, what’s that look for?” he said. “Don’t like the mystery?”

“The mystery I can handle.” Martha said shortly. “I just don’t want to end up in the middle of a bloody sun, that’s all.”

“Oh, that’ll never happen.”

“It won’t?”

“Very unlikely.”

Her arms dropped to her sides.

“Well, which is it?”

“Hmm?”

“Which is it?” she repeated, louder this time. “Is it “never happen”, or is it “very unlikely?”

He blew out a puff of air, looking around the ship, before meeting her gaze once more.

“Can’t it be both?”

He had been this way since she met him, a walking jumble of eccentricities and contradictions. For someone so brilliant, so well versed in the ways of science and the lot, he spent much of his time avoiding clear answers, particularly to anything pertaining to himself. It drove her mad sometimes, went totally against her inquisitive nature. But she’d accepted it. Because he was The Doctor. And he was her friend.

But right now she felt the overwhelming urge to throw her shoe at him.

“I knew this wasn’t a good idea. My mother warned me and I just didn’t listen, I was just so angry..”

“At Tom?”

“Yes, at—”

The TARDIS rocked again, and she grabbed the railing in front of her.  The Doctor’s eye brow rose. 

“She’s reacting to your anger; try not to get so wound up.”

“Wound up, eh?” She pointed a finger to her chin. “This is not my wound up face, trust me. You’ll spot the real one straight away.”

Martha realized she was being a rotten shipmate, but she couldn’t help herself. There was knot in her stomach that had formed as soon as she learned her fiancée was seeing someone else, someone blonder. And taller. And it wouldn’t go away, just got bigger, and the pain made her irritable, borderline nasty, really. 

She’d taken holiday from her position with UNIT, unable to concentrate on her work with this thing in her stomach. Martha knew she needed time away when she mixed up a flu vaccine when an alien anti-body medication.  The solider was fine now, but he’d turned a rancid shade of muddy blue and had to be quarantined. She’d asked for a holiday that was granted in record time.  She’d try not to take that personally though.

 This was her first time away since she’d taken the job, and her superiors were beyond accommodating, telling her to take as much time as she needed. It made sense considering all she’d done for them in the past years. Saving the world did have its benefits, though Martha was sure having a direct phone line to The Doctor helped things along. They needed her because they needed him, and no matter how well she did at Unit, she never forgot that. 

So, being firmly entrenched in a blue period, she’d called The Doctor, a choice she was now actively questioning. It wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted to spend time with him, she did. He was brilliant and fun, he was always good for a laugh. And she’d missed him terribly. Dona Noble, his current traveling companion, had taken leave to visit her family, so The Doctor was more than enthusiastic about her joining him again, if even for a short time. He’d laughed that brilliant laugh of his and talked about entire planets covered in oceans, a large city engulfed in the sea.

It was all so very fantastic.

But at the first unnerving shift of the TARDIS, the knot had reared its head again,. Everything that had happened before, all that had gone wrong the first time she traveled with him came rushing back.

And now, she could be seconds away from imploding inside a burning sun. Well, she’d already been down that road, and she’d be damned if she’d take that ride again. Martha remembered the raw fear and panic when she’d been trapped in that escape pod, helpless as it slowly drifted to the large ball of flaming gas. The unbearable heat, the crushing hopelessness. Until then she’d never felt anything like it. It still made her tremble whenever she remembered, despite her eventual rescue, courtesy of The Doctor.

Plus, her hair looked a fright afterwards.

“Well, I can’t just stand here and wait for something to happen.” Martha said finally.

“Why not?” he said. She knew he was toying with her; he was the last person to let things just happen. But she played along.

“Because I can’t.”

Her dark eyes drifted to the panel.

“Maybe I could have a go, figure out what’s wrong.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.”

It was her turn to raise her eyebrow.

“Why not?  I’ve been here before remember, I’m not a novice. And I happen to be quite brilliant at figuring things out, alien technology is my specialty.”

“They have a specialty for that?”

“They made it. Just for me.” She replied proudly.

“Ah…” His hand motioned to the panel, his eyes lit with amusement.

“Very well, Doctor Jones, give it a whirl. But don’t push the red button.”

“Why, what’s the red button do?”

“Oh, there is no red button; it just sounded like something I should say under the circumstances.”

“God, you’re such a prat.”

 Dean 

“I’m hungry. You hungry?”

He watched the irritation cross his brother’s face, which was currently lightly sprayed with fresh blood. Sam held a long machete in his hand and a particularly nasty demon lay dead at his feet.

“You know Dean, I don’t have much of an appetite at the moment, but thanks.”

Dean shook his head, and stuck his dad’s leather bound journal back into his jacket pocket. Sam was usually the one who read the exorcisms, Dean was shit when it came to Latin, but his brother had dropped the book when the demon had jumped him. So Dean picked it up and managed to get the words out, though it took a bit longer than usual. Which was probably why his brother was giving him that pissy look again.

“Are you sure?” Dean said as his stomach rumbled. “Cause we passed an all night diner on the way here. I think they have pie... man, I’d love some pie right now.”

Sam shook his head and dropped the machete on the floor. He’d taken the weapon off his attacker, a cute little blond with jet black eyes who swung a mean fucking blade. It was too bad really, she was definitely his type. Except for the whole possessed by a hell demon thing of course.

Sam wiped his mouth, and grimaced.

“I think I got blood in my mouth.”

“Shit, I hate it when that happens.” 

They walked out of the house, Dean limping slightly. The bitch had bit him on the leg at one point. He just hoped those things brushed their teeth, the last thing he needed was a damn infection.

“You know what gets that taste out man.” Dean continued.

“What’s that?”

“Pie.”

Sam sighed, and quickened his pace, heading for the car. Dean’s hazel eyes widened, and he lifted his hands slightly.

“What?  Damn, don’t be such a baby, it’s just blood.” He said, then continued, his voice significantly lower. “Nasty ass demon blood, but still…”

“Can we go?” Sam called out, already in the passenger’s seat of Dean’s black Impala. Dean made his way to his car, giving a quick appreciative glance to the gleaming black finish, which he’d just detailed early this morning. Which was why he parked so far from the old house when they’d tracked the demon.  He didn’t want any ectoplasmic vomit, or some other nasty shit running his wax job.

“Look, just take me to the hotel, okay?”  Sam said. “ I need to get this shit off me, then you can go eat, drink, fuck, whatever the hell you want to do.”

Dean leaned back in his seat, now slightly concerned.

“Dude, is there something wrong? I mean, I know it got kinda messy back there, but she was just a demon, and pretty lousy one at that.”

Lie. She’d kicked their asses.

Sam ran a hand through his long shaggy hair and stared out the window.

“I don’t know, maybe…I think I might be a little burned out. On all of this…” Sam said.

A crooked smile formed on Dean’s lips.

“Burned out. What…like, a teacher or something? You need a summer vacation?”

“Forget it.” Sam said quickly.

“It’s not like you work in a cubicle, Sam.”

“I said forget it Dean, let’s just go okay?”

Dean shrugged his shoulders; he’d met his deep conversation quota for the day. Sam was always going through some kind of blue period; he’d been that way ever since they were kids. Which was fine, Dean realized that his brother wouldn’t stop analyzing shit to death a long time ago. But still, there were some days he when he wanted to turn his music up full blast and toss him on the side of the road, let him work out his issues with some fresh air and a road burned ass.

He’d never do that of course…but still…it was a nice thought.

“Hey man.” Dean said, trying to snap him out of his funk. “We should hit Vegas tomorrow, go to that club you like. The one with the big assed strippers.”

“That’s the club you like Dean.”

“Ah, no.” Dean shook his head while he turned the car onto the freeway. “Don’t put that on me, you’re the ass man Sam. Always have been.”

“I’m an ass man huh?”

“Big and juicy.”

“And what does that make you?”

The crooked smile was back.

“Hell, I’m equal opportunity. I can’t just pick one part, wouldn’t be fair to the rest of them.”

“That’s very noble of you Dean.”

“I have my moments.”

  Martha 

“How’s it coming Dr. Jones?”   

The Doctor was leaning over her shoulder, so close she could smell that odd sent of his, almost impossible to describe. It was otherworldly, slightly spicy, a bit smoky…a bit of everything really. Like he picked up a hint from each world he’d traveled, each person he’d come in contract with.

Of course, if The Doctor were human, that would be beyond disgusting, but he definitely wasn’t, not with those two hearts of his beating around in his chest. And she shouldn’t smell him, she didn’t do that anymore. They were mates, that was all, and mates don’t…smell, each other.

“You’re in my light.” Martha said quietly.

“There’s lights all over...” he responded, leaning in closer. He pointed to a bright green switch just in front of her.

“Did you fix that?” he said, slightly astonished. She couldn’t help the small grin that grew on her face.

“Yeah, I did.” She said. “It’s a communicator, or something, right?”

“Yeah, it is.” He said, rubbing a hand across his cropped brown hair, causing it to stand on end.

“We put these in for emergencies; Timelords could communicate when we ran into trouble. It broke ages ago, but I never bothered to fix it because…”

She watched his eyes darken a bit, and knew he was remembering again.  His world, his home. Gallifrey and the war that had destroyed it. Destroyed his people.  He was the only one left.

And now, because she’d been so damn curious, she fixed a useless communicator that only reminded him that he had no other Timelord to call. Now he was all broody, like her, which had never been her intent.

“Doctor…” she began, but he waved her away.

“It’s good, that you fixed it, can’t have things just sitting around broken and the like. No one wants that.”

He gave her that knowing smile of his, and she was sure he knew exactly what she was thinking, could see that knot resting in her stomach. Martha nodded and grabbed hold of the railing as the TARDIS shifted again. She was getting better at that; she didn’t even stumble this time.

“No, luck on the flux, eh?”

“No.” Martha sighed. “It would help if I had something to go on besides just flux. I mean it’s a nice name but…”

“Martha..” The Doctor interrupted, his eyes serious again.

“Oh, I wasn’t criticizing you really. I mean, I was, but I didn’t mean to. I was just saying that I need more to go on...”

“Martha, look at yourself.”

Her hands immediately went to her face, searching for any food bits from her dinner. She caught a glimpse of her hands and gasped as she stared at the bright green glow that enveloped them.

“What is that?” she cried. “Is it from the TARDIS?”

“I don’t know.” He said, grabbing both her arms.

“Well, figure it out!” she cried as it grew brighter. The light began to creep into her vision, and the TARDIS slowly began to fade away.

“Martha! Hold on to me. Take my hand.”

She heard him call out to her, but it was as if he were far away, at the end of a brightly glowing tunnel. Martha could feel her mouth moving, but she couldn’t hear the words, only felt the vibrations in her throat as she screamed his name.

He called again, so faint she could only make out a few words this time.

“I’ll find you.” he said. And she knew he would.

Then he was gone.

 Dean 

Dean stood at the counter of the diner, and gave a wave and a nod to the cute red headed waitress, who blushed in response.

He wondered if she blushed all over. He’d have to check that out later, just to be sure.

But first he had to take his suddenly whiny brother back to the hotel room. Sam had refused to even get out of the car, pointing silently to the blood on his face and clothes. Dean had shrugged and made agreeable noises, even though he really didn’t see what the big deal was. Just tell them it’s fucking strawberry jam, and go about your business.

“So, that’s two cheeseburger platters, with fries, and two slices of peach pie. Did I get everything?”

“Yep, that’s it.” Dean said cheerfully. “Good to see peach pie on the menu, been awhile since I had a nice, ripe peach to munch on.”

The blush grew stronger. Yeah, definitely blushes all over.

“Well, okay, I’ll just put your order in, it shouldn’t be too long.”

“Great.” Dean said, rubbing his hands together. He turned around, looking out the window at his brother, who remained firmly in his seat.

Dean smiled and gave him two thumbs up.

Pie, he mouthed silently.

Yet another eye roll. Dean’s eyebrows furrowed.

Fine. He’d eat both fucking pieces himself.

He sat down on the bar stool, scanning the local paper that someone had left on he counter. The stories were pretty routine, missing persons, car accidents, lawsuits. But he’d been a hunter long enough to know that an ordinary domestic dispute could be so much more, like evil possession more.

They’d found this last chick after her boyfriend turned up missing, normal occurrence on the surface, but Sam had noticed that the guy wasn’t the first kid to take a hike from the high school. Add to that the sudden winning streak of the football team and well, demon summoning wasn’t a big stretch.

The pussy little quarterback had spilled his guts pretty quickly, explaining how he’d summoned the demon to help his chances at a scholarship. The demon had jumped into the hottest body it could find, which happened to be the head cheerleader of course. Hence the string of missing, presumed dead jocks. Which wasn’t a big loss in his opinion, but jocks have parents too.

But now, all he wanted was to eat his food, then find a nice bar with a big T.V. and some passably hot females. But he had to deal with Sam first, as always. Maybe if they stopped by the liquor store, he could get him drunk enough to forget what he was bitching about, and be his wingman. Sam was an awesome wingman.

Dean stood up from the counter, his order brought to him by his adorable new friend, a big smile on her face.

“So what time do you get off?” Dean said as he took the food. He leaned in closer, lowering his voice slightly. “Or should I say what time do you want to get off?”

Her green eyes widened, and the blush faded as she suddenly paled.

“What?” Dean said. “Too far?”

She pointed wordlessly behind him, and he turned around, his eyes finding his car again. The takeout bags fell from his hands, and he stared at the bright green light shooting from the windows of the Impala, lighting the night sky.

Sam.

Dean rushed toward the door, his hand immediately going for the gun under his jacket.

“Sam.”  He shouted, stumbling down the front steps before quickly closing the distance between him and the passenger door.

He pulled frantically at the handle, averting his eyes from bright glow inside the car. The gun fell from his hands, as used both of them to grip the shiny metal.

“Sam!  Unlock the door!”

Dean gave the handle a final pull, before reaching for the gun he’d dropped to the ground. He was aiming the butt of the weapon at the glass when the door suddenly swung open, knocking him to the ground.

Dean felt a body fall on top of him, surprisingly light. Soft curves pressed into his chest, legs intertwined with his.

Definitely not Sam.

The light slowly faded, and his eyes gradually readjusted to the dimly lit parking lot. He lifted his head, his eyes taking in the thick dark hair, the smooth brown skin of his new companion.

She moaned softly before looking up, her dark eyes meeting his, and he could see her slowly processes her current situation. They laid there for a moment, his arms wrapped around her body, staring at each other in silence.

“Alright then.” She said finally with a clipped British accent. “Not what I expected, but on the bright side, not imploding inside a sun either.”

Dean shook his head, the crooked grin forming on his mouth.

“That has got to be the worst pick up line a chick’s ever said to me.”

 Meanwhile 

He watched the little girl brush her doll’s hair while humming a soft tune under her breath. To say the toy was beaten up was an understatement, its face as covered in black soot, the formerly blond corn silk tresses threadbare and grungy. A closer look revealed that one of the eyes was missing, giving the doll a wounded, maimed appearance that most people would find disturbing.

Well, he wasn’t most people of course. He’d seen countless horrors throughout his lifetime, and now beyond it. The condemned were all around him now, screaming, anguished, burning with pain. All begging for forgiveness. But not him, never him.

It wasn’t salvation he craved. It was vengeance.

The little girl looked up at him, and smiled. She was precious really, long dark hair, smooth pale skin. She wore a navy dress with a lacy white collar, complete with matching headband atop her head.

She was a smart looking kid, and he could have liked her if he actually liked children. And if she hadn’t been a particularly vicious hell demon. Tapered down the cuteness, that bit.

He watched her eyes slowly turn an opaque white, slightly glowing. She was looking through the gates, into the world beyond. The world of the living.

The world he wanted back.

“She has left him now.” The demon said, her voice small, childlike. “The dark one has fallen from the sky.”

“Well, lets hope she has a rough landing, yeah? Crack’s a few teeth or something?”

The demon giggled, its eyes returning to it human like form.

“Did I do good?”

“You did great pet, just like I told you.”

“You’re funny. Wanna play checkers?”

“Fuck no.”

The eyes turned black and he felt his chest began to slowly turn inward, crushing his lungs. 

“I wanna play checkers.” She said, her childlike voice growing deeper, and louder. So loud he felt his eardrums exploding. Again.

“I didn’t finish.” He ground out, and felt the pressure immediately cease. He coughed a bit, then straightened his shirt and tie before speaking.

“What I meant to say was fuck no, I prefer chess.”  His eyes drifted to a ratty chess board that appeared in the corner. She clapped her hands excitedly hurrying over to play.

“Oh, I’m really good at chess. My mommy tells me all the time.”

“I bet she does, Pet.” He said, fixing a smile on his face. As if the bitch had a mother.

He stopped her hand as she reached for the black pawn, ignoring the chill that ran through his body at the touch.

“Other side sweetheart.”

“You want the black ones then?”

“Oh, yes.” His smile widened. “Black is definitely my color.”  

He gave a quick laugh before his eyes fell on the doll again, lying beside the chess board. He grimaced.

“Put that away, yeah? It’s bad enough here without that thing winking at me.”

The demon shrugged, but she did as he asked. Which how it should be really. She might have the upper hand at the moment; this was her world, this hell dimension he was trapped in. All because he’d happened to die on this planet, instead of the countless others he’d traveled to. To say it wasn’t fair would be a vast understatement.

But it wasn’t fucking fair.

And yet… he was the Master.

 And he would rise again, just like he’d done countless times before. But he was smarter now, wiser. He’d been preoccupied with The Doctor, his brethren. The only other one of his kind.

He’d underestimated the girl. And she’d nearly destroyed him.

That wouldn’t happen, not again.

This time, Martha Jones would be dealt with straightaway. He could make the girl tremble before him, now that she’d been separated from her precious Doctor.

He’d accept nothing less when he ended her life. She would fear him again.

He’d make sure of it.

Chapter 2 

Martha

“I should get up.”

The man she was currently splayed over just smiled up at her and shrugged.  

“That’s one option.” He said.

His voice deep and very American, and she felt the vibrations from his chest move through her as he spoke. It was an odd sensation, but not a completely unpleasant one.

Martha cleared her throat and slid sideways, trying her best not to brush against anything that would make her blush. He was very attractive though, in a very blond sort of way. And his cocky smile told her he was well aware of that fact.

She placed her hands on the pavement, covertly checking out her surrounds. Earth. This looked liked Earth, not some alien time dimension or anything. But judging from current company and her ability to see stars in the sky, it looked very likely that she hadn’t landed back in London.

“You okay?” he asked when she swayed on her knees a bit. Martha took a deep breath of air and nodded.

“Yeah. Just slightly off balance, that’s all. Not an every day occurrence, popping out of the sky. Might be easier the second time around, yeah?’

“Yeah—Wait, huh? The sky?”

“Well, yes I...”

“Hold on.” He said, and then quickly got to his feet. Martha watched as he walked toward the black car she’d only recently been hopelessly trapped in.

“Sam, is this the practical joke shit again? Fuck this is sad, you know I always win.”  He leaned down; taking in what she knew was the empty interior of the car.

Who was Sam?

He gave an irritated grunt, then scanned the parking lot.

“That fucking…Okay, fine. You wanna start this? I'm game. I’m not the one who ended up with a superglued dick, remember?”

“Whoa, okay. Excuse me..” Matha said, rising to her feet as well.

“Just a minute.”  He cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling even louder. “It was stupid bringing the girl in, I could have fucking shot her you know—I wasn’t going to shoot you.” He said this last part quietly; turning to face Martha’s alarmed expression.

He gave her what she assumed was his reassuring smile.

“I don’t just go around shooting people, I’m just.. Sam!”

Martha waved her hands in the air, drawing his attention back to her.

“Who’s Sam?” she asked.  He smiled again.

“Who’s Sam…Sam is the asshole that put you up to this shit.”  He turned toward her, his hazel eyes eyeing her appreciatively.

“What did he say, that this was some kinda movie audition or something? Cause I got a video camera if you’re into that kinda thing, but not much else.”

Martha stared at him for a moment before shaking her head side to side, backing away from him.

“Oh, no, no. This.” She gestured back and forth between them emphatically. “ This must end immediately.”

She reached into her pocket for her mobile, her dark eyes widening as she met only an empty space.

“I’m Dean, by the way. Dean Winchester, though I’m sure Sam probably told you that.” He said, scratching his chin. “And you are?”

“Royally fucked.” Martha moaned, staring up into the sky. “I left it in the TARDIS”

“Hmm? What’s that, some kinda Volvo or something?”

Sam

“I’m telling you, I don’t know any Martha. I just...this just….shit.”

Sam ran his hand through his hair nervously, feeling trapped under the man’s angry gaze. The Doctor, that’s what he called himself. Just The Doctor. He wouldn’t give him his actual name, which was itself freakishly odd, but that along with the current surroundings, was scaring the holy shit out of him.

What the hell was this place?

“Look.” Sam said, holding his hands out in what he hoped was a peaceful gesture. “I was in my brother’s car, waiting for him to pick up his goddamn pie so I could finally go home and rest, and this...big green light just appeared and…”

“Hold on.” The Doctor squinted at him, walking closer. Sam resisted the urge to back away, figuring the squint had to mean better things than the glare. The glare was giving him hives.

“Did you say green light?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, I looked down and…”

“Your hands were covered in green light.” The Doctor brought a hand to his chin, his eyes wide.

“Oh, this isn’t good.” The man said, almost to himself. “Not good at all.”

“Really?  You caught that too?” Sam said an exasperated smile on his face. “Cause I sorta got that when I ended up—where the fuck am I?”

The Doctor had moved to the big column thingy in the middle of the room. He looked up Sam’s question, as if he just remembered he was still there.

“What? Oh, this is the TARDIS.”

“Oh.” Sam said nodding his head. “Thanks. That helped.”

The Doctor sighed and removed his glasses.

“Look…what’s your name?”

“Sam. Sam Win…”

“Yeah, okay. Look Sam. If this were any other time, I’d be more than happy to explain where you are, who I am, and all that bit, but I can’t right now you see. Because my friend, my very good friend, has just vanished before my eyes, and I have no idea why”

The Doctor’s voice grew louder, more intense.

“She was taken from me and I want her back.  I promised I would find her, so if you would, just sit tight, don’t speak, and try not to touch anything that might kill you.”

“What?”

“Forget that last bit, I was on a roll. Thought I should have a big finish.”

Dean 

“You said my brother is where?”

Dean saw her flinch at the anger in his voice, but at the moment he didn’t give a shit. All he knew was that his brother had gone missing somehow, and now this…this girl was telling him that Sam was in a fucking spaceship.

That traveled through time.

“I don’t know for sure.” She said for what seemed like the hundredth time. “But if what you said about the green light is true...”

“It is.” Dean grunted.

“And if I saw that same light before….before I came here, then it stands to reason that if I’m here, than he must be…”  She looked skyward, causing him to unwittingly do the same.

“Up there.” She finished.

He brought his eyes down to her again, and placed a hand over his mouth, squeezing tightly. He was beyond pissed, he was fucking boiling with anger, but he knew that yelling would either scare her or piss her off. And neither was gonna help him find his brother.

“There’s just one small problem with your theory…I’m sorry, what was your name again?”

A dark eyebrow rose and she crossed her arms over her chest. She was wearing a thin purple top and blue jeans, no jacket despite the chill in the air. Dean noted just how thin the top actually was, and struggled to focus on her words.

“Actually, you never really asked.” She said. “You were too busy being fresh and staring at my breasts.”

“Was I?” Dean said. “Damn, guess I’m kind of an asshole. But at least I’m not batshit crazy, cause aliens aren’t real. Oh, and neither are time machines. Trust me, I checked.”

“Oh my…you checked? How on earth could you check something like that?”

“I have my ways.” Dean said defensively, knowing his ways included the back of hundreds of MAD magazines he’d bought as kid. All that allowance, fucking wasted.

“Oh, well. Sorry, but they are real. And your brother is very likely on a ship with one right now.”

“No he’s not.” Dean said. She rolled her eyes.

“Look, I know this is hard to believe, hell I wouldn’t have believed it myself at one time.”

“No it’s not that. Trust me, I have no trouble believing in…weird shit, okay?”

“Well what then? Are you just being intentionally thick to annoy me?”

“Sam isn’t on a spaceship because there’s no way in hell that he could end up somewhere that awesome, without me. God doesn’t hate me that much.”

“You sure about that? You are kind of a wanker.”

“Don’t know what that is, but by your tone, I’m guessing you just called me a dick.”

The Doctor 

He was trying his best to concentrate, trying to figure out what the hell had happened, what went wrong.

Why he‘d lost her.

But he could still see that…that boy sitting in the corner, his silly long legs stretched out along the floor. That petulant scowl fixed on his long face, it was all too distracting.

He felt bad. And very guilty, because he put him there in that corner like a child, when all this wasn’t even his fault. He didn’t know how or why this had all taken place, but he felt with absolute certainty that it stemmed from the TARDIS. That light, when he touched her…he’d felt the ship. The heart of the TARDIS had pulsed inside him when he’d held Martha.  Then, it had taken her away and brought this boy, this Sam in her place.

But why?

“What were you doing?” The Doctor said aloud. Sam jumped at the sound of his voice, banging the back of his head against the wall behind him. “When the light came I mean. Anything special?”

“I told you.” Sam said, his eyes squinting in pain. “I was sitting in my brother’s car.”

“Uh huh. And that’s where all that came from?” he pointed at Sam’s shirt. “Your brother’s car?”

Sam looked down at the bloodstains, then gave him a sheepish grin.

“Oh, that’s just…strawberry jam.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to earth, but I’m relatively sure that humans have yet to make jam with blood in it. Or…wait, what year are you from?”

“2008.”

“Oh, well no then. No blood.” The Doctor gave him his best meaningful stare. “Try again.”

Sam’s broad shoulders drooped, his deep voice suddenly tired.

“Look, just so you know, I’m not some crazy serial killer or anything, there’s a reason for this.” He gestured weakly to the offending shirt.

“Oh, I’m sure there is.” The Doctor pulled a few levers as he spoke, causing the ship to shift just a bit. Which was good. At this point, any response was good. “So why don’t you tell me?”

“What?”

“The reason Sam.” The Doctor looked up; his eyes steady through his thick glasses. The boy shrank away, which in his experience, often meant very bad things.

“Yeah, that’s complicated.” Sam hedged. The Doctor smiled.

“Oh, I can do complicated. It’s where I live, actually.”

“Okay.” Sam opened and closed his mouth several times before words actually came out.

“It’s demon blood. Me and my brother, we hunt demons. And werewolves. And vampires and ghosts. And sometimes witches, but those bitches are crazy, so we kinda try to avoid them.”

The Doctor eyed him steadily for a moment, then gave a short nod.

“Alright then. Asked and answered.”   He noted the confusion that crept up the boy’s face.

“What, that’s it?  Asked and answered, that’s all you’re gonna say?” Sam said.

“What would like me to say, Sam? That I don’t believe you, that demons and hell are just myths passed down through generations, eventually perceived as truth?  From your expression, I would think you’ve heard all that before, several times even. It doesn’t matter what I believe Sam, only that you believe it. That it’s real to you.”

“Trust me, it’s definitely real. You haven’t seen the shit that I’ve seen.”

“Oh, I think you’d be surprised at what I’ve laid eyes on over the years. And that thing, whatever it was you killed, could have been something else entirely. Something from another world perhaps.”

Sam seemed consider his words carefully before responding.

“Yeah, that sounds great, but I’m pretty sure that bitch was a demon.”

Martha 

She sat on the curb, her hands cupping her chin and watched him pace back and forth. They’d been at this for over an hour, her trying to convince him that she wasn’t certifiable, him coming up with asshole remarks in response. She was bored with it really and deathly tired.

She knew The Doctor was going to show up any minute, straighten all of this out, but the waiting… if he took much longer, she would just have to sort the situation herself. She wasn’t sure exactly how she would go about that just yet, but she did know her first course of action would be to rid herself of this guy as soon as possible. In fact… 

“I think I should go now.” She said, standing her feet. He looked up, his eyes widening slightly, as if realizing she was still there. She’d seen that look before, today in fact. Great, she thought. Another man who forgets I exist.. How do you find them Martha Jones?

“Wait, what?” He walked over to her, shaking his head. “You can’t go anywhere, not while my brother’s still gone”

“I’ve been trying to tell you, your brother is probably fine. Better than fine, he’s with The Doctor. I would wager that right about now he’s pretty fantastic.”

Dean shook his head, a wry smile on his lips.

“You don’t know Sam. He could be in a Jello filled vat of naked women, and bitch about it not being sanitary.”

“Jello-filled vat of naked women?”

“Green, I think. Green Jello tastes the best, not of that red shit. Red Jello’s for pussies.”

“Alright” Martha said, raising her hands in surrender. “So, what then?  You want us to just stay here, in the parking lot? “

“You said this Doctor would come running after you right. Any time now?”

“Oh, so does this mean I’m no longer, as you put it, batshit crazy?”

“No, but I got less than shit to go on other than your fucking delusions. I’m hoping there’s some truth in with all that bullshit.”

“Nice. Well, yes, he’ll come, but it’s getting cold and I’m not really dressed for…”

Her voice trailed off as his eyes lifted from her face, focusing behind her.

“Hello? God, I heard about all the rudeness here, but honestly…”

“You should get in the car.” He said.  She looked at the black car she’d struggled out of earlier.

“Umm..well, you see I don’t usually...”  He grabbed her arm and twisted her around to face the lighted diner several feet away. A girl stood on the front steps, pretty, if slightly plain, with bright red hair that bellied her meek appearance. She wore a light pink waitress uniform that clashed horribly with her hair color.

“Alright.” Martha said, confused. “Did you forget to pay her or…”

The rest of her thoughts were lost as the girl walked towards them, her face becoming clearer as she approached. Her skin was flawless and lightly freckled, her lips a little too thin for the rest of her face.

And her eyes, well, Martha was sure they were some pretty color, maybe green or a light grey. But now they were dark, her irises completely gone. They were as black as coal.

Martha opened her mouth wide, and took a deep breath, shivering as the temperature instantly grew several degrees colder. The waitress’s black eyes focused on her face and the girl smiled a dark, sinister smile that made her skin crawl.

“Whaa…” Martha took a deep breath and tried again. “What the fuck is that?”

Dean leaned his head down, and moved his lips close to her ear, his breath warm on her skin.

“That, Martha Jones, is the weird shit I was referring to earlier.”

“Oh.” The thing grew closer.

“Well, next time, let’s be a bit more specific, yeah?”

The Doctor  

They’d stopped. 

The TARDIS gave a strong heave before coming to a sudden standstill. The Doctor’s eyes were wide and instantly shifted to find Martha’s intelligent brown gaze, only to meet Sam’s confused blue one instead.

Oh, this wouldn’t do at all.

“We stopped.” Sam said.

“Yes, I suppose we have.” The Doctor replied. He looked at the door, and felt it calling to him, that insatiable curiosity twisting in his gut. Where had she taken them?  What world would they meet outside those doors?

“Can we…are we gonna look outside.” Sam said.

“No need.” His voice had a clipped finality that made Sam stand a little straighter, as if rebuffed. “We’re not staying, I just have to make a few small adjustments and we’ll be off again. Only be a minute.”

“You keep saying that but it’s been hours already.” Sam sighed.

“No, it hasn’t.”

“Yes, it has. You were just all…pinched faced-up in that thing too long to notice.”

“No, it has—pinched faced?”

“Look, I realize you might think this is fun for me, watching you talk to this…ship like it’s a person or something, but I’m bored out of my mind and I’m worried about my brother. I just wanna take a walk, maybe find a bathroom or something, that’s all. Clear my head.”

The Doctor was still for moment.

“Alright, off you go then.” He said, then bent down over the console again.

“Off…wait, by myself?”

“Yeah, why not?” He shrugged “Door’s right there, only needs a push. Just knock when you’re finished, I’ll open up.”

Sam looked at the door, then back at him, his eyes filled with uncertainty.

“You’re really not going?”

“I went before I left.”  He straightened his glasses and didn’t look up again until he’d heard the TARDIS door opening. There was a rush of air, and after an extended amount of time, it closed again.

Sam was gone.

“Interesting.” The Doctor said, staring at the door once more. “He actually did it.”

He waited for Sam to come back, raving about cat people or a frozen tundra, but he didn’t. The Doctor flicked a switch on the panel on and off, (not really sure what exactly it was turning on and off, too many switches in this thing), and found himself unable to concentrate on the task at hand. He needed to get control of the TARDIS, needed to find Martha again. But the ship refused to respond, and he was starting to think that perhaps he’d been brought here for a reason.

Wherever here was.

“Oh, sod it.” He said, and made a beeline for the door. Both hearts were pounding in his chest as the door flew open and a light filled sky burst into view. He was….

“The Library?” The shock was unmistakable in his voice as he stared at the seemingly endless stacks of books, large enough to cover an entire city. An entire world, actually.

“But I was just here.” The Doctor said, his voice slightly tinged with disappointment.   Sam walked up beside him, his arms full of books and a wide smile on his face.

“Can we stay?”

 Dean 

“What is that thing? “ Martha said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s a demon. Well, it used to be a girl, but now….that thing’s inside her.”

“A demon?”

“Yep.”  Dean reached for his gun, letting out a soft shit after realizing he’d left it on the ground next to the car.

“So,” Martha continued. “I’m thinking this wouldn’t be the time to explain that demons aren’t real then?”

“Nope, probably not.”

“Okay. Should we be running or something?”

“Nah, it’s only one.” Dean said, moving slowly toward his car. “I can take care of her, I just need my—”

“You mean only two.” Martha said.

“Huh?  Where the fuck are my keys?” Dean searched his pockets frantically, his mind picturing his loaded shotgun resting in his trunk, currently filled with rock salt. The bullets in his hand gun were okay, they might slow the thing down, but the rock salt would give him more time for the exorcism. Of course, the colt would be the best of all, but that was locked up in the motel room. Sam’s fucking bright idea, that one.

‘There’s two, not one.” Martha said again, and Dean’s head rose sharply, to fall on an old woman, making her way behind the waitress, her eyes just as black as her companion’s.

“All right.” Dean said, his voice slow and deliberate. “That’s…not a good thing.”

“I wouldn’t think so, no. ” Martha said, walking towards him. She put her hand in her own pocket and pulled out his key ring, complete with dangling silver skull and crossbones. Dean glared at her for a second, then jerked the keys out of her hand.  She shrugged.

“It seemed like a good idea, I didn’t know where the hell I was.”

“Little tip.” He said as he plunged the car key into the keyhole of the trunk. “Taking my keys is never, ever a good idea.”  He grabbed the shotgun, and slammed the lid down again.

“Now.” He said, “Watch and—oh, shit.”

“What...” Martha looked over at the now empty parking lot.

“Fuck me, where’d they go?” she breathed.

“I don’t know.” He began to scan the parking lot, his hand tight on the shotgun. “But they were walking pretty damn slow, so they couldn’t have gone---holy fuck!”

The old lady seemed to appear out of nowhere as he turned his head, her sudden appearance making him jump a few inches. He heard Martha gasp from behind him, and he instinctively moved to shield her body with his.

“Run.” He growled as he cocked the gun.

“No.” he heard her say. “I’m not leaving you alone with that thing.”

“Are you gonna argue with every fucking thing I say, cause that shit’ll get old real fast. And why hell is she not attacking us?”

They both eyed the old lady, whose black eyes peered at them. She’d made no move toward them at all, just stood there. It was creeping him out, the staring. Dean considered shooting her in the face just to make her stop.

“Maybe she wants to say something?” Martha said.

“Like what, I picked a shitty body, can I have yours?”

“Or something else.” She said. “Maybe she knows something…is…is she pointing at me.”

Dean looked down at the demon’s slowly rising hand, and saw the shaky index finger slowly rising to rest on Martha’s face.

“Why is she doing that?”

“Fuck if I know.”

“Well, make her stop.”

“You make her stop, she’s your friend. You’re the one who wanted to bond all girly like.”

“Great that helps...”

“They come for the dark one.”

They both recoiled at the phlegm filled hiss that emerged from her chapped lips.

“Now, that’s just…nasty.” Dean breathed.

“The come for you dark one. They come for you...”

“Dark one, eh?” Martha said, her eyebrow rising. “Right, welcome to America, Martha.”

She moved away from Dean, ignoring his whispered protests. She moved a little closer, but not within arms reach, he noted. Smart. Like she’d done this stuff before.

“Who’s coming for me?” she shouted. “Whose coming for the…the dark one?”

Dean glanced at his car, noting the reflection of his wax job, his gleaming finish giving him a perfect view of the lot behind him. He grabbed Martha’s shoulder and spun her around, ignoring her protests.

“Enough with the grabbing…” she exclaimed, but he quickly interrupted.

“I’m not sure.” He said pointing behind him. “But it’s very possible she means them.”   Dean lifted his gun, and faced the screaming hoard of demons rushing across the pavement. A dozen, maybe more, with the red haired waitress leading the charge.

“You ready to run now?” he said, his eyes narrowing as he took aim.

“You coming with me?” she replied.

He was silent for a second, before dropping his gun to his side, letting out a defeated sigh.

“Fuck yeah, let’s go.” He said.

They turned simultaneously and bolted for the Impala.

Lilith 

Her beautiful boy.

He’d run from her. Escaped her grasp and left her behind, where she couldn’t follow. She was too weak now, after the battle. After his brother.

That had been unexpected, the brother.

But brother was gone, flying in the dark and stars. Away from him.  From her boy.

Her beautiful boy.

The Master would help her, make her strong again. And then she could go back, back to the world beyond, the world of the living.

And she could find him again.

And everything would be like before. The way it should be.

She’d make sure of it.

Chapter Three

Sam

“Okay, so let me get this straight.” Sam stood in the middle of a large stone courtyard in front of The Library. Well, one of the libraries, apparently the entire planet was full of them. Which of course he found beyond awesome, but The Doctor not so much.

“Libraries….eat people?” he said. The Doctor rolled his eyes, crossing his lean arms over his chest.

“I’m fairly certain that in my detailed and precise explanation of the situation, that I did not at anytime utter the words Libraries eat people.”

Sam’s broad shoulders rose and he glanced around the large space, surrounded by sweepingly tall buildings.

“Well okay, books eat people. The pages, because they’re made of trees. And now they have monsters in them?”

The Doctor stared at him for a second, before giving a quick shake of his head.

“Good enough, the important thing is that we don’t linger, I just need to know why she brought us here.”

“She?”

“The TARDIS.”

“Oh, right. That thing. Yeah, why is it a blue box? It’s weird, when I stepped outside, I thought it would be….I don’t know, a silver orb, or a Galactica or something.”

The Doctor’s brow furrowed and he started back at the TARDIS.

“It camouflages itself to fit in with its surroundings. Well, she use to anyway, got stuck like that a while back, haven’t been able to fix it quite yet. I think its brilliant actually, nice shade of blue, don’t you think?”

“You really can’t fix that?”

“She’ll fix herself when she’s ready, and we have more pressing concerns to consider at the moment.” The Doctor looked around anxiously again, his hand firmly planted on his chin. “ One of which is…why are we here?”

“And we can’t go inside?”

“Absolutely not.” The Doctor said. “I lost quite a bit of people the first go round, and the last thing I need is one of those things latching onto you. Which means that while we’re here, you will not leave my side, not once. And stay out of the shadows.”

“Do what?”

“Stay out…why must I repeat everything I say, you seem like a bright young man. Keep up.”

Sam threw up his arms in frustration.

“Well it’s a little hard to follow, since you can’t be bothered to actually explain anything. I know I’m not Megan...”

“Martha.” The Doctor corrected sharply. “And no, you’re not her.”

“Sorry. But I’m stuck here, and from what you’ve said, I can’t go back until you figure this thing out. So instead of pushing me aside, or making me sit in the corner like a fucking kid, maybe I could actually help you with something.”

The Doctor stared at him.

“You want to help?” he said.

“Yes.” Sam said, relived.

“Alright then.” The Doctor put his hands in his pockets, and gave him a pointed stare. “But I have to warn you, this could be very dangerous. Lives at stake and all that.”

Sam resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“Don’t worry; I think I can handle it.”

“Back to your demons then?”

“They’re not my demons; I don’t have the fucking copyright. Do we have a deal?”

The Doctor rocked on his feet, before giving him a large smile.

“Sure, why not. Come on then, off we go!.” The Doctor put out his hand, and Sam looked down at it, confused.

“Uh…that’s okay. I’m good on my own I think. With the walking and everything.”

The Doctor glanced at his outstretched hand, then pulled back, sucking in a breath between his teeth.

‘Right, sorry. Old habits.”




 Dean

“We should go back.”

Dean’s eyes slid sideways to briefly glance at Martha, before returning to the road. His only response was to reach forward, and switch on the CD player on the dashboard. Black Sabbath filled the interior of the car with wailing guitar riffs, and he saw her recoil slightly from the sound.

“I’m serious.” She continued, raising her voice above the music. “We go back and…”

Dean shook his head, a small smirk forming on his lips.

Martha glared at him for a second, then quickly flipped the stereo off, silencing the music. The smile instantly vanished.

“Did you just touch my radio?” he said.

“We should go back and try to figure out what those things are, what they want. Running isn’t going to solve anything, not in the long run...”

“Did you just turn off my damn radio?” Dean repeated. Martha blew out a frustrated breath.

“Yes, Dean. I touched your penis—I mean stereo.”

The muscle in his jaw twitched, and he was torn between anger and amusement. She was cute when she was mad, a small line formed right between those big dark eyes of hers.

“Don’t mess with the tunes.” He said in the sternest voice he could manage.

“The tunes? Funny, this doesn’t look like a time machine. Do American’s still say that?”

“You know, I liked you better when you were scared. You talked less.”

“I wasn’t scared.” She retorted, and sat back in her seat. Her bottom lip gave the barest hint of a pout. “Just a bit…taken aback.”

“By the not demons?”

“They’re not. They can’t be.” She said. “They must be some alien life form, one UNIT hasn’t catalogued yet. They look like humans though, so they could be sort of hybrid…”

Her voice trailed off at the sound of his laughter, a loud booming noise that filled the car.

“What?” she snapped, which only made him laugh harder. “What’s so funny?” she repeated, very obviously pissed off.

He wiped the tears from his eyes as his laughter subsided.

“You’re killing me, you know that? You really think that alien shit makes more sense than hell being real? That there really are demons and witches, and ghost flying around, stirring shit up?”

“Witches?” she said.

“Yeah, witches. And I’d stay away from them if I were you, those bitches are crazy.”

He could see her dark eyes processing the information; trying to work out some logical answer he knew didn’t exist. He had to admit, she impressed him. The way she handled herself back there, and now, not even a hint of panic crossing her face.

She didn’t take things at face value, just because he said they were true. Which was frustrating as hell, but he couldn’t blame her. He was still having doubts about all that time machine shit.

“Aright, then.” She said finally. “So let’s just agree that whatever those things were, they wanted something, yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.” Dean agreed as he made a left turn onto a narrow bridge. “They wanted something alright. Like a warm, sexy, body to crawl into.”

Martha gave a small grin, and tilted her head a bit.

“Sexy? Really?” she said. Dean turned his head and gave her that crooked smile.

“Sure.” He said. “I’m pretty damn hot. You didn’t notice?”

A small shout of laughter burst forth, which she quickly smothered with her hand, looking out of her window instead. He grinned in earnest, strangely pleased that he’d made her laugh.

“You really think a lot of yourself, don’t you?” she said when she’d turned around. The little line was back, the smile only a memory.

Dean shrugged.

“Someone has to—shit!”

The car suddenly braked, wheels squealing in protest as they slid forward. Martha’s hand braced against the dashboard, their bodies where tensely ridged until the Impala came to an abrupt stop.

Dean stared out the front windshield, the lights from the car illuminating the narrow bridge. There was a slight fog in the air, but he made out her small form easily enough. He’d know that bitch anywhere.

He swung the car door open, and jumped out, before slamming it closed again. Their eyes met as he stalked toward her, and he reached for his gun, before realizing that he’d left it back in the car. Again.

“What the fuck did you do to my car!” he shouted.

Ruby eyed him carefully before responding, her body never moving an inch.

“Where’s Sam?”

The Doctor

He didn’t want to be here. Too many memories. Of dying, of fear.

Of River.

It had crossed his mind that Dr. River Song had once again drawn him to The Library, as she had before. The woman had known him, known everything really. She’d talked of their time together, the intimacy and trust between them. And that it hadn’t happened yet. Their adventures lie ahead somewhere, stuck between his future and her past.

And then she died. And he had grieved her, this woman who he had yet to meet. Left her behind, in this world of books and shadows.

Deadly shadows.

“Doctor?”

He snapped out his reverie to focus on Sam’s face.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Maybe…” Sam cleared his throat and started again. “I was thinking that maybe whatever happened the first time you were here, that it might have something to do with the ship coming back.”

“That’s a reasonable assumption yes.” The Doctor said. He’d already made that connection, but he didn’t bother to tell Sam that. The boy was bright, and he could see his mind working, trying to figure out the puzzle.

Just like Martha would do.

“Okay.” Sam went on. “So, I’m thinking we should retrace your steps, go to each place you went last time to see if there were any clues.”

The Doctor rocked back a bit, frowning.

“That could work. Only one problem though.”

“What’s that?”

“We’re not going inside those buildings under any circumstances, is that clear? There’s an agreement in place, and if I break that in any way...”

“You’ll get eaten by the tree monsters?”

“Yes—no, would you stop calling them that? They’re called Vashta Nerada, and there are millions of millions of them in those buildings.” The pointed toward the skyline, where scores of buildings reached high into the sky.

“They swarm in shadows of forests, live among trees. They’re the smallest of creature, almost harmless on their own. But together….” The Doctor’s eyes darkened. “Together they’ll eat you alive.”

He could see Sam’s hands twitch a bit.

“Thinking about those books you carried?” The Doctor said.

“No.” Sam replied as he reached up to scratch his neck.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I just… Dammit, I get it okay, it’s dangerous. I was just thinking…you know, retrace your steps. Like when you lose your keys...”

The Doctor’s eyes widened.

“Hold on.” He said. “Keys…keys…I lost my…ha! That’s it!”

“What?” Sam said, but The Doctor was already running around the stone courtyard, careful to stay in the bright sunlight.

“Yes, yes…that must be it.” The Doctor said out loud. He could hear Sam trailing behind, his feet heavy on the flat surface.

“Watch the…”

“Shadows.” Sam finished, panting slightly. “I got it, you don’t have to, whoa…”

The Doctor stopped at the sound of his voice, spinning around. Sam was frozen staring at his feet, his face slightly pale. The Doctor followed his line of sight to the shadows below, two dark reflections of Sam’s body reaching in opposite directions.

Sam looked back up at him, his face grim.

“That’s bad right?”

Martha

“Who’s she?”

Dean glanced at Martha briefly before returning his gaze to the pretty blond standing in front of the car. Martha hung back slightly, noting the violent hostility between them.

Old girlfriend perhaps?

“Martha, get back in the car.” Dean said, his voice sharp with tension. Martha’s response was cut off by the blond, whose blue eyes quickly swung towards her.

“Yes, Martha.” The blond said with derision. “Get back in the car and let the grownups talk.”

“The bloody fuck...” Martha started for her, dark eyes filled with anger. Dean reached out a hand, stopping her from going further. He gave a small shake of his head, his eyes never letting the girl out his sight.

“Don’t.” he said. “Don’t let that bitch come near you.”

“That’s right sweetie.” The girl said, her head tilting to the side ever so slightly. “Listen to your dumbass boyfriend. You’re out of your depth.”

Martha bristled at the taunt, her body warm with anger. She turned to Dean, raising her eyebrow.

“She’s a demon.’ Dean said, before the question left her lips. “And a shitty one at that ain’t that right Ruby?”

The smile on Ruby’s lips faltered a bit.

“Fuck you.” she said. Dean smiled, and turned to Martha.

“Hey, did you know they kicked her out of hell?” he said. “Apparently, her hell buddies didn’t like it when she was rubbing her tits all over my brother, trying to snare him with her moldy snatch. So they won’t let poor Ruby play in any reindeer games. Right bitch?”

Ruby’s eyes briefly turned pitch black as she fumed, before switching back to a clear icy blue.

“I don’t have time for this shit, where’s Sam?”

“Where your nasty ass can’t find him.” Dean said. Ruby rolled her eyes, before focusing back on Martha.

“Whatever you’ve done, you need to fix it. And fast.” She said. Martha shook her head in confusion.

“What I’ve…I haven’t done anything—and why are you speaking to me as if you know who I am? First the pointing, and now the bitchy asides, do I know you? Have we met before?”

Ruby sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Everybody knows about you sweetheart. You’re big game.”

“Game?” Her brow furrowed. “Game, like bloody cattle or something?”

“Cattle?” Dean said. She shrugged.

“It was the first thing…sod it, what do you mean, game? Like I’m being hunted?”

“You got it cutie.” Ruby said, a cool smile on her face. “There’s a price on your head, one that every demon, vamp, and furry is dying to collect on.”

“Well that….that…” Martha shook her head, smiling tiredly. “That’s not even a possibility, I just got here. Not even…” she looked at her watch.

“Around…oh hell, this is all messed up. The TARDIS, it does this thing with watches…”

She stopped at Dean’s warning stare. Right, no Doctor talk in front of Bitchy Demon Lady.

“Well, you’ve made an impression on somebody.” Ruby said. “Wish I had more info, but as your dickish companion so eloquently put it, I’m officially out of the hellfire loop. Heard about you over some drunken bar talk.”

“And you just had to come and what?” Dean said. “Throw a bit of sunshine our way?”

“I came to warn Sam.” She said. “But I couldn’t feel him, not even a little. What have you…”

“Alright, powwow’s over.” Dean lifted his arm, shooing her away. “Fly away home wicked bitch from down under. We’re finished here.”

Martha watched her eyes, saw her consider attacking him, before backing down.

“For your sake, Sam better be okay.” Ruby said, slowly backing away. “Otherwise, I’m just a hop, skip and a jump away from killing your ass.”

“I’ll be waiting skank.” Dean called out. Ruby stopped for a second and smiled.

“Too bad about your car though.” She said. Dean’s face became stone.

“What the fuck did you do…”

“I guess you’re gonna have to run then.” Ruby called out. “Better hop to it.”

“Run?’ Why the hell would I…..oh…”

Martha felt a hard shove and she was thrown face down into the street. She looked up to see a large, burly form tackle Dean head on and send him flying though the air, landing next to the railing of the bridge.

The thing spun around and faced her, and Martha’s body jumped slightly before sliding frantically away from the grotesquely twisted face.

“Dark One….” It groaned, its mouth filled with something black and disgusting.

Martha let out a nervous breath.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to chat about this first?” she said. The thick dark spittle dripped from its mouth, onto its chin.

“Right.” She said, slightly mesmerized by the sight. “I guess that’s a no.”

Sam

He wasn’t really scared until he saw the look on The Doctor’s face. It wasn’t there long, just a quick flash before going pensive and thoughtful. But he knew what he saw, and had a pretty good idea what a look like that meant.

And none of it was good.

“Don’t move.” The Doctor said, reaching out a hand in warning. “Just don’t….just stay completely still.”

“Don’t move, stay still. Got it.” Sam looked down at the shadows, each veering out diagonally from each other. It was such an odd feeling, a small thing that everyone took for granted. But when it changed, when you suddenly have two shadows instead of one, it can feel…odd. Disjointed.

Terrifying.

“Okay, so now what?” Sam said. The Doctor’s eyes wouldn’t meet his, but stayed firmly on the ground. “Hello? Suggestions, comments?”

“I’m thinking.” The Doctor said, and he began to slowly circle around Sam, never getting close enough to touch the shadow of course.

“This is what happened isn’t it?” Sam said. The Doctor stopped walking.

“To those people, the first time. Is this how they died, staring at the fucking ground?”

The Doctor walked closer, not bother to look at his feet this time. He placed a firm hand on Sam’s shoulder, his gaze direct and steady.

“Listen to me; you are not going to die. I told you I wouldn’t lose anyone else on this planet and I meant it. Understand?”

Sam’s gaze drifted down, but The Doctor dipped his head, catching his gaze once more.

“Sam.” The Doctor said. “Do you understand? Do you believe me?”

“Yeah.” Sam nodded, because strangely, he did. “Yeah, I do.”

“Good.” The Doctor let go of his shoulder, and looked at the shadow with newfound intensity. “Now we just have to….wait, hold on...”

He knelt to the ground, his eyes riveted at Sam’s feet. Sam refused to look down now, sure the little Vasta Whatevers were slowly eating away at his feet, swarming over his body like little vampire gnats.

“What is it?” Sam said, relived his voice was still a normal pitch.

“It’s gone.”

Sam’s eyes widened and he looked down. Only one shadow remained, and as he moved his arm, it moved with him. All normal looking and non lethal.

His face erupted in a huge smile of relief as the Doctor stood once more.

“Oh, that’s great.” Sam said, meaning every word. “That’s just so damn awesome.”

“Yes...” The Doctor said thoughtfully, his brows still narrowed. “Only the Vashta Nerada aren’t really the sort to just…scamper off like that, are they?”

“I have no idea.” Sam said smiling, but he didn’t think the man was really listening.

“No, no…they’re relentless these things. They hunt you until…well, until they eat you. But they just left you alone…”

The curious gaze fell on Sam this time, and he took an involuntary step backwards, smile slowly fading.

“I didn’t do anything.” Sam said. The Doctor’s head dropped, and he felt the weight of that hard gaze.

“You sure about that?” The Doctor said. “Is there something you’re not telling me Sam? Something about you I’m not aware of?”

Sam smiled nervously and scratched his head.

“That’s kinda rich coming from you Mr. Doctor, no last name, just The Doctor.”

The head lifted and the eyes softened just slightly.

“Bit of a sore spot? Alright then.” The Doctor said. “But that won’t stop me from finding out the truth, I tend to do that. Just so happens that we have more pressing matters to attend to.”

Sam resisted the urge to sigh in relief as The Doctor took off again. He trailed behind him, keeping his eyes to the ground the entire time. But there were no more shadows; it was as if they’d all just vanished at once.

Like they ran away or something.

“Here we are!” The Doctor said as they reached a long descending stair case. He made quick work of the steps, and stopped at a long railing overlooking The Library buildings.

Sam looked down at the railing to see a well worn blue book, a journal by the look of it. Some kind of pen looking thing sat on top. Well, it wasn’t really a pen, it was a bit longer, and thicker, with a bunch of…stuff on it. More like a tool really.

“What’s that?” Sam said, unable to keep the curiosity out of his voice. The Doctor stared at it for several seconds, before slowly lifting it off the book.

“That, young Sam.” The Doctor said. “Is my lost set of keys.”

Dean

He’d lost count of how many times some fucking demon had tossed him around like a beanbag. They were strong, too damn strong. And the landing hurt a little bit more every time.

And it pissed him off. Every fucking time.

Dean slowly got to his feet, watching the asshole advance on Martha, who was scrambling for the other side of the bridge. He could run for his gun, but it would probably get to her before the car door was even open. So he opted for plan B.

Full running tackle right into the thing’s gut.

It worked of course. It always worked. He threw it off balance, and it let out a loud howl before crashing to the ground. Dean felt a brief moment of satisfaction, before his arm was twisted violently, causing him to scream out in pain.

Plan B always did hurt like a bitch.

He heard the splashing of water below and looked up to see that Martha had vanished, probably ran under the bridge somewhere. Which was good, he didn’t have to worry about keeping her safe while he….got his ass kicked by this particularly funky hell creature.

Dean twisted around, breaking its grip on his arm, and landed a sharp head butt squarely in the middle of its face. While it recovered from the blow, Dean rolled sideways, then sprung to his feet, his hands balled up, his body in a fighting stance.

It was good while it lasted.

It reared at him again, so quickly that he didn’t have time to react and suddenly he was pressed against the railing of the bridge, splintered wood tearing at his back. It was trying to push him over, and as his body shifted further over the side, Dean realized it was winning.

“God…dammit.” Dean grunted, his arms shaking with effort as he pushed back, trying to keep his body planted. As his feel slipped a little bit further, suddenly the demon howled with pain, its death grip loosening, before letting go completely.

Dean stared at the thing, eyes wide as it writhed in agony, wailing at the top of its lungs. It twisted and turned, and as it spun around, he realized that Martha’s arms were firmly planted around its neck, her small body hanging on for dear life.

“Little help!” She called out and he sprung into action, quickly running up behind her.

They pushed the demon to the other side of the bridge, and Dean gave it a solid punch to the face, causing it to fall over the railing and into the water below. They leaned over the railing, and watched as it drifted downstream, still howling along the way. After a few moments, the demon was gone, and the bridge was filled only with the sound of their labored breathing.

Dean slowly turned to Martha, who looked back at him silently. She was soaking wet, her hair plastered to her head, her shirt and pants clinging to her body, dripping huge puddles around her feet.

“Salt water?” he said.

She nodded, then shivered a bit. “I remember reading in a book about salt and…demons once, that they don’t like it. I took a chance that the water wasn’t fresh. Good on me, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Dean said as he stared at her. He was struck by a sudden desire to kiss her, pull that soft little body into his. His hands flexed at his sides as he fought the urge. Instead, he shook off his leather jacket and tossed it around her shoulders.

“Let’s get you dry.” He said, and began to walk back to the car. “The last thing I need is you getting sick on me on top of everything else.”

“You’re welcome.” Martha called out, before slowly trailing behind him. She opened her door, and dropped inside, and he forced himself not to think about what her wet clothes would do to the seat. She had saved his life, which gave her a bit of leeway.

Dean closed his door and hesitated for a moment. He turned the key and the car purred to life, steady and strong.

“That lying bitch.” Dean said.

“Yeah, she’s a real shit. Can we go now?” He nodded, and put the car in gear. His eyes glanced sideways.

“Thanks.” He said, and then quickly turned on the stereo before she could respond.

The Master

His hand ticked on the wooden table impatiently, his other holding his resting chin. Lilith avoided his gaze, choosing to brush the ratted hair of her broken doll.

He didn’t speak, though he wanted to, very much. He wanted to scream, his throat was aching with it, but he stayed calm. The last time he yelled at her, really reamed her out, she’d broken into tears, then ripped his tongue out. He didn’t relish growing that back again.

Finally, when he felt able to speak at a normal level, he addressed her.

“Lilith?”

“Yes, Mr. Master?”

He hated when she called him that.

“Right. Pet, could you explain to me, just one more time how the fuck Martha Jones went from flying though time and space, to land in the godddam arms of a fucking demon hunter?”

Okay, that was a bit harsher than he intended. Luckily, she didn’t seem phased by his words, her hand never straying from the doll.

“I put her there.” She said.

“You did?” The Master nodded tightly. “And it never occurred to you that having her shacked up with a demon hunter might but a damper on the whole….hell minions killing her scenario?”

“Not really. I didn’t think about it.”

“You didn’t…oh, okay. Why not?”

She looked up at him now, her eyes a blinding white.

“Because I don’t want her, I want him.” She said. “And I can find him now that he has the Dark One, because I can find her.”

The Master rubbed his eyes in frustration.

“And you didn’t think this was something I should know? You got me all bloody excited. Jesus, I had a fucking hard on for a moment there.”

She looked down at his crotch and he resisted the urge to turn away.

“Don’t do that.” He said. “I may be a twisted sick bastard, but I draw the line at wee ones staring at my cock. “

Chapter Four

Martha

She feel asleep at one point during the drive, she wasn’t sure when. It was an impressive feat actually, considering she was freezing, wet, and being attacked by acid rock guitar riffs.

Dean didn’t speak much, just kept his eyes on the road, which was fine with her. Martha was tired of arguing. Tired of wondering why she was still here.

Of wondering why The Doctor hadn’t found her yet.

She woke briefly when the car stopped, and watched Dean jump out of the driver’s seat without a backwards glance. Martha barely opened her eyes, not wanting to signal that she was awake and start the fighting up again.

They were at a motel, which she’d expected, but Dean walked to the nearest room, and pulled out a door key. Martha allowed her gaze to linger on his lean, muscled body, of which she had a nice view now that she wore his leather jacket. Her eyes found the sinewy muscle of his forearm, and she shivered a bit, not just from the cold.

The spell was broken as he walked inside, and Martha quickly averted her eyes from the door.

“Stop it, Jones” she said. “That road only ends more tears. Had quite enough of that.”

And sex, she thought, eyes drifting back to the now slightly ajar door. Lots and lots of..

“Enough!” She yelled, shutting her eyes tightly.

“Enough of what?”

Martha jumped at the sound of his voice, hitting her head on the car window beside her. Dean lifted his eyebrow at the sight, his own head peaking through the driver’s side window, which had been rolled down to the halfway point.

“Nothing.” Martha murmured, putting her hand to what was sure to become a substantial lump. “Are we staying here?”

“Nope.” Dean said, and walked to the back of the car, quickly opening the trunk. Martha waited quietly until he returned, and watched him slide easily back in the driver’s seat.

“Why not?”

“Because Bobby’s not here.” Dean said, and started the car. Martha stared at him silently, and then lifted her hands in frustration.

“Aright, I’ll have a go. Who’s Bobby?”

“Bobby’s a friend; he’ll let us crash for a while. Help us figure this shit out.”

Martha nodded, staring out into the dark as he pulled out of the parking lot. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, and she looked at him, slightly startled.

“You said we weren’t staying? As in, not coming back to the motel?”

“Yep.” Dean said. Martha fell into silence, then shook her head, a relieved smile forming on her face.

“You know, I must have been asleep when you went to the office to check out the room. I just missed it.”

The hazel gaze slid her way, before returning to the road. Her smile faded.

“You did pay for that room? You didn’t just…leave?”

“I left the maid a tip. Does that count?”

“Oh, you.…why would you do that, you have money—do you have money?”

Martha was slightly disturbed to realize that she didn’t have any, only a spare quid in her damp jeans pocket.

Dean only smiled, which actually put her slightly more at ease.

“Yeah, I’m good. Sam and I…well, we got in some trouble awhile back, and decided it would be best to lay low, try to avoid things like security cameras. The office had three of them pointed at the damn desk, plus the room was a fucking pit, so I wasn’t really excited about paying for it anyway.”

“So you just…skipped out on the bill that—hold on.” Martha twisted in her seat, her eyes now fully alert. “When you say trouble, do you mean the police are after you?”

Dean’s head wavered from side to side before answering.

“If I say yes, do you promise not to go all Brit shrill on me, cause my head can’t take it.”

“I do not go Brit shrill, whatever the hell that means.”

“You’re doing it right now.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yeah, ya are...”

“No I….” Martha closed her eyes tightly, and took in a deep breath. “Stop avoiding my question.”

“You caught that huh?”

“I’m very clever.” She said flatly. Dean sighed and cleared his throat.

“There may be a few warrants out for me and my brother in a couple of states.”

“How many is a couple?”

“Oh…only….maybe…twelve?”

Martha fought off the shocked gasp that threatened to escape her lips, which resulted in an odd strangled gulping noise.

“And when you say wanted, what exactly do you mean?” She shifted in the seat, her eyes never wavering from his face. He didn’t say anything for a while, then brought a hand up to run across his chin. He’d tensed up, she’d noticed it immediately, and as she waited for an answer, she began to question whether she truly wanted to hear what he might say.

Finally, Dean slowed the car, stopping at an empty intersection. He turned his head toward her, his cocky expression transformed into something decidedly more grim.

“We’re wanted for grave robbing. We…dug up some bodies in a few places, and it pissed some folks off.”

Martha was still for a moment, before erupting in hysterical laughter, her body shaking against the seat. Dean watched as she bent forward, grabbing her now aching stomach, until finally she dissolved into soft giggles.

“I thought…” she gasped. “I thought you were going to say murder or something. That you’d hacked some poor girl to pieces.”

Dean cleared his throat, and pushed the gas pedal on the car, sending them forward again.

“That’s insane.” Martha said, smiling at him. “Right?”

Her smile began to fade.

“Dean?”

“Would it help if I told you she was already dead?”

Sam

He stood against a beam in the TARDIS, watching The Doctor watch what Sam now knew was called a sonic screwdriver. The Doctor didn’t take his eyes off the thing until they were back in the ship, then sat it down on the console in front of him. Sam wasn’t even sure what it was for, if it would actually fix anything. And of course, The Doctor hadn’t volunteered that information.

He just…stared at it.

Sam refused to sit on that step again, his body was too long to fit in such a small space. So he stood in the middle of the ship, eyeing the man before him. The Doctor was slumped over the panel, his arms crossed on the surface. His chin was propped on top of them, and he stared at his find intently, his expression almost….melancholy.

“So we found something.” Sam said. The Doctor’s head bobbed up and down against his forearms, but he didn’t move from his slumped perch. Sam rolled his eyes, and began to whistle, looking around the TARDIS disinterestedly.

“Did you mother tell you that it’s impolite to whistle?” The Doctor said.

Sam stopped, his eyebrows narrowing slightly as body tensed. He hated when people brought up his mother.

“No.” he said, not wanting to explain that she’d never had a chance to tell him anything really. At least, nothing he could remember.

“Well, it is.” The Doctor said.

“I think you’re making that up actually.”

“It’s true on this ship. Have a seat Sam, we’re not going anywhere. Not until she decides.”

The Doctor’s head finally lifted as he gazed at the long column in the center of the room.

Sam nodded, but he didn’t sit, still feeling the painful knot on his head from the last time.

“I’m okay.” Sam said. “I just wish I knew what that meant.” He pointed to the screwdriver, and The Doctor nodded in agreement.

“So do I…” The Doctor said, once again picking up the tool. “I left this in The Library the last time I was there, River—a friend of mine, it was hers. Well, it was mine, then it was hers—well…” The Doctor straightened; his eyes squinting as he appeared to mentally pull the information from the air. “Actually, it was Jack’s, I got it from him ages ago.”

“Jack?” Sam said.

“Oh, you don’t know him.” The Doctor said.

“I realize that. Who is he?”

“Jack?” The Doctor scratched his head. “Jack Harkness is…complicated. Yes, that’s it.”

“Complicated.” Sam said, a wry smile on his face. “What, you two have some kinda history together?”

“Absolutely not.” The Doctor said quickly, then stumbled as the TARDIS roared to life. Sam heard a loud noise, like two large gears moving together. The Doctor grabbed hold of the panel, and Sam immediately followed suit, and looked up at the now glowing green column, transfixed by the beam of light moving up and down inside.

“Fantastic, isn’t it?” The Doctor said, a small smile on his lips. Sam nodded, his eyes still watching the display in front of him.

“Yeah.” Sam said, his own smile forming. “Yeah, it is.”

Dean

“What the fuck are you doing hear this late? Don’t you know how to use a goddamn phone?”

Dean smiled as he stood on the wooden porch, then opened his arms wide, ready for a bear hug.

“Hey Bobby!”

Bobby Singer glared back at him, his round, grizzled face slightly splotchy and creased from his pillow, his heavyset body clothed in only a t-shirt and boxer shorts. Dean had knocked on the door for ten minutes before the man finally answered.

“Well.” Bobby said. “I’m up, what is it?”

“We need to crash.” Dean said, dropping his arms to the side. “And can I just say, the lack of enthusiasm breaks my heart man. I hurt, right here.” He said, pointing to his chest.

“You want a happy welcome, there’s a Day’s Inn up the road.” Bobby grumbled. He looked behind Dean at the Impala in his driveway.

“Where’s your brother, hiding? He knew better than to wake me up, I bet.”

Dean’s smile faded at the mention of Sam’s name.

“Sam’s not here.” He said. Bobby looked at him curiously.

‘Well, where is he?”

“That’s the million dollar fucking question.” Dean grumbled. “I’m not sure—I mean, I have an idea that’s kinda more a crazy assed theory. And it’s not even mine.”

Bobby stared at him in silence.

“He kinda…disappeared?” Dean finished. Bobby crossed his arms over his chest.

“Sam’s missing and you’re just now telling me? Dammit Dean, why the fuck didn’t you call me when it happened? I could have hit the phones, called a few of the guys. You know they’ll come running if a hunter’s missing, we stick together boy.”

“Yeah, I know Bobby but this…” Dean shook his head.. “Shit, I wouldn’t know the first thing to tell…”

“Hold on.” Bobby said sharply, his eyes moving behind Dean to rest on the Impala. “Before, you said we need to crash. If Sam’s gone, who…”

Dean looked back to see the car door opening and Martha sliding out, pulling his jacket even tighter around her body. He could see she was shaking from patio, and a wave of guilt rushed through him as she approached the house.

“I’m so sorry, but I have to really have to take a pee.” She said as she approached them. “Could I use your toilet?”

It took a few seconds, but Bobby’s response was swift. He shoved Dean aside, and reached out for Martha’s hand, guiding her inside the house.

“Of course you can, did he just leave you in that damn car this whole time?” Bobby said. Martha smiled gratefully.

“Yes, he did, but I’m learning not to hold those things against him. Doesn’t appear to know any better, this one.”

“Like he was raised by wolves.” Bobby agreed.

Dean watched them laugh together, than eye him with disapproval. Dean lifted his hands and his eyes grew wide.

“Shit, what? I brought her here didn’t I.” he said. “I could have left her in a fucking parking lot with a shit load of demons, she’s the one they wanted by the way. But I didn’t, and got a bruised ass and my fucking car seat ruined for my goddamn trouble.”

They were both silent as Dean ended his tirade, Bobby’s thick brows narrowed with irritation.

“Well there you have it.” Bobby said. “My fucking hero. Damn Dean, can’t you see this girl—I’m sorry, what’s your name sweetheart?”

“Oh, I’m Martha.” They shook hands while Dean rolled his eyes. “Dr. Martha Jones.”

“Well, Dr. Jones, I’m Bobby, and you’re more than welcome here. The bathroom’s in the back, just go straight down the hall.”

She smiled gratefully and hurried past him. Dean began to follow and was blocked by Bobby’s large frame.

“What the fuck?” Dean said. “Damn Bobby, I’m tired.”

“That’s a shame. Cause you’re gonna move that car of yours round back first. I ain’t havin’ no beat cop tearing up the place cause he spotted that damn thing. Might as well wear a t-shirt that says arrest my dumb ass.”

Dean looked at his car, then back at Bobby.

“It’s black.” He said. “And it’s nighttime.”

Bobby shook his head, and jerked his thumb backwards.

“Get going.” Bobby said, backing up in the house. ‘And come in the back way, I don’t like using the front door. Damn nosey shits next door, always watching.”

Dean opened his mouth, but was greeted with a slammed door in his face.

“Okay, then.” He breathed, giving a resigned nod. He slowly descended down the stairs, and stopped beside his car, running his hand over the black hood.

“Don’t listen to him baby...” he cooed. “He’s just pissed off cause he’s old.”


 

The Doctor

As the TARDIS hurtled through space, once again to some unknown location, The Doctor’s eyes were involuntarily drawn to the sonic screwdriver clutched in his hand. He knew it was why he’d been taken back to The Library, the TARDIS wouldn’t have started up again otherwise. What he didn’t know was why.

It was beginning to wear on him, this existence in the unknown. He had to get a handle on things, find away to take control of the matter. Otherwise, he might never get a chance to search for Martha, find her like he promised.

He’d never broken a promise to Martha Jones, and he wasn’t about to start now.

“We have to stop it.” The Doctor said abruptly. Sam’s eyes, which had been locked on the power source, drifted back to his. The boy awestruck and he couldn’t blame him, really. The TARDIS was a powerful, magical thing, it still had the ability to render him speechless at times. But at this moment, it was on the verge of driving him mad.

“We can’t keep at this, I’ll never find her.” The Doctor said.

He could feel Sam watching him as he pushed away from the consol, his eyes scanning the interior of the ship, until falling on the mallet he’d tossed in the corner.

“Yes, that’s it.” The Doctor said as he rushed to pick up the tool. He stuck the screwdriver in his pocket, and clutched the mallet with both hands.

“What’s that for?’ Sam said wearily. The Doctor smiled reassuringly.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just trying a new approach—must always be flexible about such matters.”

“You’re going to hit it? With that?”

“Just a nudge really, she won’t feel a thing. Don’t worry, do it all the time. Very enjoyable actually. More for me perhaps. Ah well.”

Sam shook his head.

“Look, I know nothing about fixing stuff; I can’t even change the oil in my brother’s car. But something tells me hitting shit might be the wrong way to go.”

The Doctor dangled the mallet from his fingers, allowing it to swing at his side.

“Do you have a better suggestion?” The Doctor said.

“Yeah, let it get to where it’s going.” Sam said.

“And what if where it’s going is the middle of a large star on the verge of going nova, what then young Sam? The TARDIS is quite a sturdy little ship, but even she can’t withstand those kind of temperatures.”

Sam shifted slightly, considering his words. The Doctor swung the mallet up, holding it in front of his face, eyeing Sam speculatively.

“Still squeamish about the hammer?” The Doctor said. Sam’s chin tilted up slightly, before looking back at the glowing console.

“We should take our chances.” Sam said finally, his jaw set. The Doctor smiled and tossed the hammer to the floor.

“Oh, I like you.” The Doctor grinned.

“Alright, young Sam, we do it your way. Who knows how long she’ll go though, I once spent two years roaming around a planet that had been dead for six. Nothing but rocks and Tistle creatures, disgusting little things those…”

“What are…” Sam’s words cut off as they felt the TARDIS come to an abrupt stop. Their eyes met and The Doctor rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

“How about it Sam. Want to see where she’s taken us?”

Sam gave him a tentative smile.

“Yeah, sure.” He said, and the Doctor bounded off the platform, and pushed the door open. His grin faded abruptly and was replaced by a frown, which was then followed by a loud groan.

“London? “ The Doctor said, grasping a chuck of hair on the top of his head. “Of all the,.. why here? I was just here…”

“We’re in London?” Sam said from behind him. His eyes took in the busy street, the houses surrounding them. “I’ve never been to London, never been overseas at all. Dean’s such a pussy about flying…wait, we’re on Earth. It brought me back home, right?”

“Not exactly, I don’t think it brought you anywhere.” The Doctor said. His hand reached inside his pocket, resting on the screwdriver, which felt warm to the touch.

“We’re here because of me, it has to be. But why? What’s here that I need—hold on.”

He took a few more steps away from the TARDIS, staring down the street. “I know this place, I’ve seen that house before. I’m not sure, but I think….”

“Well it about time you showed up!”

The Doctor shook his head as the familiar voice called out from a few feet away.

"I been waitin’ for weeks, you said you’d be back here in a day, one day! How in the bloody hell does a man with a time machine get behind schedule, it’s a time machine.”

The Doctor felt his body lean back involuntarily as Donna Noble approached him. She carried two large bags, which were likely filled to the brim with items she didn’t really need. Her long red hair was tossed around her shoulders by the wind as she slung one of the bags at his chest, causing a rush of air to escape his lips.

“Too heavy?” she asked. “Means you should eat more. Skinny as a rail this one.”

She spun around, stopping short as she spotted Sam’s lanky body standing in front of the TARDIS.

“Who is that?” She said, her eyes widening with interest. The Doctor grunted over the weight of the bag, shifting it to one side.

“That’s Sam.” The Doctor said. Donna turned to look at him, her lips parting with delight.

“Can I have him?”


 

Martha

“A time machine?” Bobby said.

Martha nodded, then took another sip of scalding hot tea. She didn’t care that it burned her tongue, she was finally getting warm, and welcomed any form of heat she could grab hold of.

They all sat at an old wood table in the den, a fire raging behind them. Bobby had given her a large button down flannel shirt and a pair of sweat pants to wear, the only thing in the house with a drawstring he’d said. She’d thanked him profusely, and donned the loose clothes, realizing how ridiculous she probably looked, but too cold to care.

Dean sat beside her, still clad in his t-shirt and jeans, a cold beer in hand. He was tired as well; she could see the circles under his eyes. Though she was sure that had just as much to do with his missing brother as with a lack of sleep.

“And you think Sam is traveling with your friend…what was his name again?”

“The Doctor.” Martha said, avoiding what she was sure was a mocking glance from Dean. “It’s just The Doctor. I was traveling with him when this green light appeared.”

“This is the same light that was in your car?” Bobby asked Dean. Dean shrugged and took a swig of his beer.

“Maybe.” He said. Martha sat up a bit straighter, focusing on Bobby.

“I saw a green light and came here. So it’s perfectly reasonable to assume…”

“Assume.” Dean said sharply, forcing her to look at him once more. “You’re making assumptions, but you don’t know that for a fact. My brother could be anywhere, he could be in some hell dimension for all we know.”

Martha shook her head.

“I just don’t think…”

“It doesn’t matter what you think!” Dean yelled, slamming the beer down on the table.

“ Sam’s gone. You guys can sit here and talk about time machines and flying doctors, but he’s still fucking gone.”

Bobby put a hand on Dean’s arm, but he shook him off. Dean eyed both of them for a second, then ran a hand over his face.

“I’m goin’ to bed.” Dean said, then turned away, not looking back as he climbed the long staircase.

“He’ll be okay.” Bobby said to Martha. She’d watched Dean walk away, and couldn’t help feeling concerned.

“He’s pretty upset.” She said. “I know I would be if Tish…that’s my sister, if it were her…”

Bobby nodded, taking a drink of his own beer.

“Yeah, Dean’s had it rough with the family thing; Sam’s all he’s got left.”

“Really?” Martha said, leaning slightly closer. “Where are his parents? I mean…if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I don’t.” Bobby said. “That boy upstairs might get pissy about it, but you should probably know since it seems like you’re gonna be dealing with him for a while.”

Martha started to protest, tell him The Doctor would probably be here any minute, but she stopped herself. He hadn’t shown up yet, which she knew meant he must have his own issues to deal with as well. She knew he’d never leave her behind, not intentionally.

Martha had called home as soon as she’d changed out of her clothes and left a message on her mother’s answering machine, explaining where she was. Even if The Doctor couldn’t find her immediately, her mother would know that she was here, in America. And Sam was on the TARDIS, she truly believed that despite what Dean had said. He had to be. Otherwise…

Dean’s pain filled expression flashed in her mind.

“What happened to his family?’ she asked. It was Bobby’s turn to become grim.

“They were killed.” He said. “Both of them, by a demon.”

“At the same time?”

“No.” Bobby shook his head. “His mom died when he was a boy, but his daddy died just a few years back. There’s more to the story, but that’s all I feel comfortable discussing.”

“Understood.” Martha said, then looked up at the staircase once more.

“He doesn’t believe me.” She said.

Bobby smiled.

“You blame him?”

She smiled back.

“Not really. But you do. Why?”

“I’m old.” He said. “I’ve seen a lot of shit in my lifetime. I know better to dismiss things offhand, that’ll get you killed in our line of work.”

“And what’s that, your line of work, I mean.”

“Hunters.” He said, taking another long drink. “Dean, Sam, and me, we’re all hunters. Only instead of huntin’ deer, we hunt down all the evil shits that wanna fuck with this world. Like the ones fucking with you.”

Martha nodded, playing with a loose thread on her shirt.

“You don’t believe me?” he asked. Martha was quiet for a moment, before speaking, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I think I may have to.” She said.


 

Dean

He held the Colt in his hand, the metal of the gun cool against his skin. His father’s gun, his gun now. His and Sam’s.

“You really like those things.”

Dean looked up to see Martha standing in the doorway, her small curvy figure dwarfed by the large pants and shirt. His shirt, though he didn’t bother to tell her that.

Dean rose from his position on the bed and set the gun on the dresser.

“If by things, you mean guns, then yeah. I like breathing too, they kinda go hand in hand.”

She shook her head.

“Not true, I’ve survived several life and death situations without those. “ She said, eyeing the dresser warily. “I don’t like them at all, actually.”

Dean picked up The Colt again, walking towards her. He saw her eyes flicker with apprehension, but she stayed still, her body not moving an inch.

“This isn’t just a gun.” Dean said. “This was my father’s. He gave it to me because he knew it could kill a demon, stop em cold. Only thing that can besides an exorcism.”

She eyed the weapon with renewed interest, as he knew she would.

“What’s so special about it?” she asked.

“It was made by a hunter” Dean said, flipping the gun sideways, showing her the engraving carved into the metal. “Samuel Colt made it in 1835. Only damn history lesson I can ever remember. It kills anything, everything. And it’ll kill whatever’s after you.”

Her eyes met his.

“I’ll kill whatever’s after you.” he said.

Their eyes held for a moment, before she looked away, dropping her gaze back down to The Colt.

“That engraving…” she said. “That’s in Latin, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Dean said.

Her hand reached out and traced the letters, and she leaned in closer, the fresh smell of soap invading his senses. His eyes traced over her face, drifting down to the smooth brown skin of her neck, before he brought them back down to the gun.

“Yeah.” He said again, clearing his throat. “It says...”

“I will fear no evil.” She finished for him. A small smile reached his lips.

“Jesus, you’re just like Sam.” He said. She looked up at him.

“Really? Is that a good thing?”

“Yeah.” Dean nodded. “Yeah, it is. But you look a hell of a lot better in that shirt than he does.”


 

Ruby

“You made me sad. I don’t like to be sad, my face get’s all red and ugly. Like yours.”

Ruby glared at the empty street in front of her, arms crossed over her thin body, her eyes gleaming with hatred. Lilith’s voice grew louder inside her head, and she flinched, the sound creating an agonizing headache.

“It was your fucking idea to stick him with the girl. He’s so busy being all big and shit, protecting her ass, he won’t let me near him.”

“Try harder.”

“I did try. He wants my damn head. You really think he’s gonna let me whisper sweet nothings in his ear? And as long as he has that Colt...”

“Take it from him.”

“Just like that, huh?” Ruby paced on the dirt road, running a hand through her thick blond hair. “This shit is insane, I should be looking for Sam, not trying to suck up to his brother.”

“The brother is among the stars…”

“Say what?” Ruby said.

“He travels with the man with no name.”

“Man with…fuck, Sam really did a number on you didn’t he? Cause you’re sounding all kinds of wonky…”

“Take it from him.” Lilith said sharply. “Or I’ll get angry. And then you’ll burn, like before.”

Ruby was silent as the fog lifted from her brain, signaling that Lilith had closed the door between dimensions. She sighed and sunk down the ground, putting her chin in her hands

“I fucking hate kids.” She pouted.

Chapter Five

Sam

“More tea Samuel?”

Sam smiled at the blond woman that Donna had introduced (albeit somewhat reluctantly) as her mother. He sat at the small kitchen with cooled cup of weak tea in one hand and a plate of…well, he wasn’t sure what placed in front of him. On first glance it looked like toast with some knarly looking sauce on top, but he couldn’t be sure. The woman had mentioned brown sauce actually, but that couldn’t be it, there to be something else right?

Were those beans?

“I’m good Ms. Noble, but thank you.”

“Silvia. Just Silva.” She smiled brightly, and moved back toward the stove where several pots were simmering.

“Who does your hair?”

Sam looked across the table to find Donna staring at him, her blue eyes slightly narrowed as she eyed his borderline shaggy haircut.

“I do.” Sam said, resisting the urge to touch his hair. “I mean…why, is there something wrong with it?”

“No, no, it becomes you actually. Looks a bit rugged, like you just got out of bed or something. Nice image, that.”

Sam’s mouth opened, but no sound came out as his face began to flush. He cleared his throat, and began to look around the room frantically.

“So um…where is he? The Doctor I mean.”

“Oh, he’s over in the living room, brooding again. I swear, that man will fixate on the strangest things, he just keeps starin’ at that screwdriver like it’s gonna talk to him any second. I’ve been traipsing around for quite a bit now, and the other one never said a word. Not sure why he thinks this one will be any different.”

Sam gaped at her.

“Wait, there’s more than one of those things?”

Donna leaned back in the chair and rolled her eyes.

“You mean he hasn’t pulled it out yet? That’s rich, he usually can’t wait to show new ones his favorite toy. Sonic screwdriver, ridiculous that is. I mean, you travel around the universe, fighting aliens and the lot, and pick a screwdriver to fend them off?”

Sam shrugged, sliding the tea cup back an forth on the table.

“I don’t know, from what you told me he’s pretty big on fixing things. You know, stuff that goes wrong with people and….aliens. Kinda makes sense when you think about it.”

A large smile formed on her face, and he shifted uncomfortably.

“What?”

“I can see why he likes you.” Donna said. “You think like him.”

“I do not.” Sam said. “I mean, he’s cool and everything, but.” He leaned in a bit, and Donna did the same. “Sometimes, I think he might, I mean with every thing that goes on around him, he just seems like…”

“Barney?” she said. Sam’s eyebrow rose in confusion.

“Like the kid’s show?”

“No.” Donna sighed. “Look I know he’s a bit off at times, but he knows what he’s doing. Well, maybe not right now, I’ve never seen his hair quite that spikey before, that’s never a good sign. But The Doctor will figure things out, he always does. We’ll find Martha again.”

“Yeah.” Sam said. “So he cares about her, Martha I mean.”

Donna nodded, and looked back towards the living room.

“More than he realizes.” She said. “Martha knows him, I mean really knows him. And they just…you should see them together, minds always working, figuring things out. He thinks she’s brilliant and he’s right. She is.”

“So you’ve met her?”

“Oh, yeah. We traveled a bit in the old TARDIS.” Donna said. “Saved lives together, heroes and all that. I was very brave.”

“You were?” Sam said, smiling in spite of himself.

“Oh, yes.” Donna said. “I’m quite an impressive person as well Sam”

She leaned over, and placed a hand to the corner of his mouth.

“You just got a little something, right there…”

Sam stared at her as she slowly brushed some unknown crumb off his face. Unknown in part because he’d yet to eat anything. Her fingers brushed over his lips, lingered on his chin, before pulling away.

“There we go, all better.” She said finally.

“Thanks.”

“Happy to help.”

Martha

For a moment, she thought she was home.

She smelled some kind of bread baking and breathed in deeply, shifting her body under the covers. Her eyes opened slowly, taking in the blast of sunlight that filled the room.

And then she remembered.

Martha sat up in bed, eyes landing on the peeling, unfamiliar furniture littered throughout the room. Her stomach clenched slightly as the previous night’s events unfurled in her mind.

“Not a dream then.” She said to the empty room.

When she rose from the bed, her eyes caught sight of her clothes laid out on a chair in the corner. They were freshly washed and pressed, not a wrinkle in sight. She picked up her shirt, and smiled softly.

Bobby, she thought.

Martha showered and changed quickly, never being one to feel completely comfortable in a strange place. Being naked in someone else’s house was just odd, she couldn’t explain it really. It was why she’d always insist that Tom spend the night at her flat, she couldn’t sleep in his, let alone linger on morning beauty rituals.

Maybe she’s been too rigid about those things, she thought as she made her way downstairs. Perhaps the blond who replaced her didn’t have quite as many hang-ups. Just one more thing she’d probably never know.

“Good morning sunshine!” Bobby bellowed as she entered the kitchen. He held a pan of what appeared to be scones in a mitt covered hand, a wore a bright smile on his face.

Dean sat at the table, cup of coffee in hand, his acknowledgement of her presence limited to a brief nod. She sat at the table, and inhaled deeply.

“Oh, that smells heavenly.” She said.

“Taste fucking good too, if you pardon my French.” Bobby said. Dean took a drink from his mug, scowl fixed on his face.

“Fucking morning people.” Dean said. “Assholes, every single one.”

“I take it you didn’t sleep well, then?” she said. Dean’s eyes fell on hers, and she felt a light flutter in her stomach.

Where the hell had that come from?

“Not really.” He said, sliding his eyes toward Bobby. “Since my room was right next to fucking Shamu, I had to listen to his whale calls all night.”

“I don’t snore.” Bobby said.

“Yes, you do goddammit, and you denying it don’t make it any less true. Get some damn strips or something, man.”

“Strips?” Bobby placed a plate in front of Martha and began to load her up with scones.

“Yeah, those little things you put on your nose…and why the fuck am I telling you this? Just go to a damn pharmacy.”

Martha picked up a piece of bread.

“I didn’t peg you for scones Bobby, these look…”

”I’m sorry, what did you say?” Bobby said. Dean smiled to himself and took another sip of coffee.

“I…just…these are scones aren’t they?”

The smile faded from Bobby’s face as he looked down at the tray.

“These are my momma’s biscuits, what the hell are scones?”

Dean leaned back in his chair.

“Some fruity British muffin they serve at Starbucks. Sam likes that shit, gets them all a time. Me, I like manly pastries. Biscotti all the fucking way, I love dipping those things in coffee, boy…and the chocolate ones..”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Bobby said. He pointed to Martha’s plate.

“Those are buttermilk biscuits young lady, not…scones. I’m sure Dean can go get you some if you…

“Nope.” Dean said, rising from the table. “Got work to do, no time for a mocha run, sorry.”

“What kind of work?” Martha said as she bit into the biscuit. Her eyes drifted shut as the bread seemed to melt in her mouth, filled with the taste of butter. She couldn’t stop the small moan that escaped her lips.

When she opened her eyes, Dean was staring at her, his body frozen in place.

“Sorry, I….it was really good.” She said sheepishly. Her hand reached up to wipe a bit of crust from her lips.

“What did you mean before, what sort of work?”

“Huh?”

“You said you had work to do this morning. What kind, does it have something to do with your brother?”

“Who?”

“Fucking scones.” Bobby grumbled behind them, tossing the pan back on the counter.

The Doctor

“Maybe it’s a message, from that friend of yours. What was her name again?”

“River Song.” The Doctor replied distractedly, eyeing the screwdriver through his reading glasses.

Wilfred Mott’s light blue eyes slid back and forth between The Doctor sitting on the couch, his lean body hunched over, and the sonic screwdriver on the coffee table. The Doctor was well aware of the man’s confusion over his actions, as well as his desire to help in the situation. He liked Wilfred, he’d proven to be quite brilliant on a number of occasions. But how to explain something that he couldn’t quite yet grasp himself?

“She used it before, didn’t she? I mean you said…”

“She left me a message, something that helped me save her. In a sense that is, she did die, only not completely…sort of kept her echo—you’re not understanding a world of this are you?”

Wilfred smiled as his head shook side to side.

“No, but it sounds fantastic!”

The Doctor smiled in spite of himself.

“You figure that thing out yet?” Donna said as she entered the room. Sam walked in behind her, his eyes instantly locking on the screwdriver.

“No..” The Doctor said.

He removed his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. “We know the TARDIS was drawn to that planet, drawn to this.” He picked up the screwdriver, holding it up to the light. “And then brought us here, for what? For you?” He said, nodding toward Donna. She smiled and tossed her red hair behind her shoulders.

“Maybe it missed me.” She said. She frowned as The Doctor shook his head.

“No, that can’t be it.” He said. “This all started when Martha disappeared. No wait, hold on...” He rose from the couch. “That wasn’t it…no,…Martha did something, she fixed it, the communicator. That’s when everything started.”

“And you’ve lost me.” Donna said.

“I think he’s lost us all sweetheart.” Wilfred volunteered.

“No, but that makes no sense, it’s just an interface system, like a mobile phone—her mobile! “ The Doctor ran to the side of the room, his fingers fumbling with the phone receiver. Donna hurried to his side, jerking the phone away from his hands.

“Let me!” she said. “You’ll break the bloody thing. What’s her number?”

The Doctor’s back straightened and he looked around the room, all eyes focused expectantly on him. Donna sighed heavily, and replaced the receiver, back in its cradle.

“You don’t know her phone number.”

“She always called me!” The Doctor said. “It never came up actually.”

“Figures.” Donna said, slamming the phone on the table. “Two hearts or no, you lot are all the same.”

“Hey guys.” Sam said. They all turned to see him staring at the screwdriver on the table. “I think I might….Donna, you said that The Doctor has one of these too?”

“That’s right.” The Doctor said, pulling his from his jacket pocket. “Works a bit like that one, only a bit less…complicated.”

“Right.” Sam said. “So, whose was this again? Before your friend had it?”

“It was Jack’s.”

“Before that?” Sam said. “Was there anyone else…”

“Well, never quite got the chance to…ask...” The Doctor’s face grew darker, his eyes clouding over. Donna shook her head, stepping back a few paces.

“I know that look.” She said. Sam looked at her, then back at the Doctor.

“What look.” He said. “What, did he think of something?”

“Doctor?” Donna said. “What is it, what’s wrong?”

“I think I know why I’m here.” He said quietly. “And if I’m right…if I’m right this entire scenario just became a bit worse.”

They were all silent as his words hung in the air around them.

“Sounds dangerous.” Wilfred said, standing to his feet. “I better get my good hat.”

The Doctor lifted his eyebrow at Donna, who shook her head.

“Don’t ask.”

“Aright then.”


 

Dean

“Perhaps it’s the accent that’s causing a bit of confusion. My “Brit speak”, as you like to call it, or a tin ear perhaps. I’m not sure how many different ways I can express that I don’t like guns. I won’t use them.”

Dean lifted the sawed off shotgun from the table and checked the barrel for ammo. He’d replaced the live rounds with blanks earlier this morning, but he always double checked before shooting, just to be sure.

His dad had taught him that.

“This is insane, I’m a doctor. I heal people, not…pop caps in their asses.”

Dean smiled.

“Been watching Bad Boys II?” he said.

“Please. Pulp Fiction. I do have standards.”

“Oh, no doubt. Travolta screams high brow. ” He pushed the gun towards her and she cross her arms across her chest, her mouth set in a firm line.

“Take the gun.” He said.

“No.”

“Martha.” Dean swung the gun down to his side, his brows furrowed as he stared at her. “I’m not sure you get exactly what happened last night.”

“Is this about the demons? I get it, I do. Demons are real, at least…they are here. And they’re very scary, and dangerous, and smell rancid. You don’t have to explain it to me.”

He moved closer to her, and she shifted uncomfortably.

“I think I do. Those things are after you for some reason, who the hell knows why. But they’re not gonna stop, not even if you hop your round little ass on a plane and fly home to the mother country. They’re not just here, they’re everywhere. And they want you.”

Martha looked away for a moment, then looked back.

“I know that.’ She said. “I…I do.”

“Good.” He moved backwards a bit. “Now, Bobby’s making calls, looking shit up trying to figure this out. While he’s doing that...” he lifted the shotgun again, cocking it for emphasis.

“We’re gonna do this.”

“Dean...”

“You got to protect yourself baby, and that quick mind of yours is handy, but not in a fist fight.”

“Did you just call me baby?”

“Just take the fucking gun, my arm’s tired.”

She reached for it attentively, her slim fingers wrapping around the barrel. He watched her stare at the weapon distastefully, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

‘There’s the target, over there.”

She found the wood posts not ten feet away.

“That’s a bit close.”

“Demons don’t attack from a safe distance.” He said. She lifted the gun to her shoulder, aiming the weapon awkwardly.

“Did you say you were in the military?”

“I’m not...I don’t carry a sidearm, and we didn’t train with…these things.” She said.

He blew out a deep breath and reached for her hand, placing her fingers around the trigger. Dean moved his body behind her, and reached for her other hand, wrapping it around the hilt of the gun.

“Keep a tight grip, the kickback’s a bitch.” He said, her small height causing him to bend down significantly. She was tense, too tense to shoot worth a damn, but he didn’t move.

“Relax.” He said.

“Never happen.” She said, but she followed his instructions, her shoulders slumping slightly. He let go of her hands, but stayed close, his voice lowering slightly as he spoke to her.

“Now, focus on the post, just above where you want to shoot.”

She smelled like that soap again. What the hell was that, Zest?

“Good.” He said.” Keep you body towards the target.” Her hips shifted, and he felt the curve of her ass brush against his groin.

“Okay, now breathe...” he said, lowering his lips only inches from her ear. “And squeeze the trigger, don’t pull.”

The report startled her, and he felt her jump a bit. There was a haze of smoke and he heard the wood of the post splinter as the bullet found its target.”

“I did it.” Martha said, slightly amazed. She turned her head, a bright smile on her lips. “I hit it on my first try! That’s just brilliant, go me!”

His gaze locked on her mouth.

“Yeah, that’s…that’s umm…shit, fuck it.” He said before crushing his lips to hers.

Martha

His mouth was slightly bitter, most likely from the coffee he’d drank this morning. And as the moist heat of his tongue pushed past her lips, she thought perhaps she could start drinking coffee after all. At the moment, it was the sweetest thing she’d ever tasted.

Martha dropped the gun to the ground, her hands lifting to his hair, becoming buried in the thick cropped tresses. His arms moved around her waist, and lifted her slightly, before pressing her back against the wood panels of the house.

Martha met his probing tongue with her own, stroking softly inside the warmth of his mouth. His hand slid down to cup her ass, and he pressed her against him, his thigh moving to settle between her legs. She felt her nipples harden as they pressed against his chest, and aching warmth formed between her thighs. Martha moaned into his mouth, arching her spine as his hand slid beneath the hem of her shirt, gently rubbing the skin at the small of her back.

“Dean! Martha! Where the fuck are you guys!”

They broke apart instantly, as if someone had shot a gun in the air. Martha straightened her shirt as she turned away from Dean, saying a small prayer of thanks for her blush proof skin tone.

Bobby ran behind the house, his own face flushed bright read, two large guns in hand. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a hacking cough left his throat, causing him to bend over a bit.

“Slow down Bobby.” Dean said, as Martha hurried to his side. She placed a hand to Bobby’s wrist and began to take his pulse.

“They’re coming.” Bobby gasped. “Shit, I saw them…when I was down the road...”

She saw Dean’s body instantly tense, his eyes narrow.

“Who’s coming.” He said.

“All of them.” Bobby said, gently disentangling himself from Martha’s grasp. He tossed one of the shotguns to Dean, who caught it easily.

“What do you mean...”

“I mean fucking all of them!” Bobby said. “Demons, vamps, you name it. I never seen anything like this shit, it…fuck, it’s insane. Goddamn We are the Hell Demon World out there.”

“It’s me.” Martha said, and they both looked down at her.

“They’re coming after me—what the bloody hell is going on!”

Sam

“What the hell is going on!” Sam yelled.

They all stopped instantly and turned around, The Doctor, Donna, and her grandfather all in a row, and all looking at him like …well, like some crazy American.

“Where are we going?” Sam said. “I mean, you all just run out the door, don’t say a word, and start walking. Which by the way, why are we walking? Don’t any of you have cars?”

Donna gave a quick laugh.

“Oi, what is it with you Americans, always wanting to drive when you can bloody well walk. What got you caught up in all that Mid-East nonsense, yeah?”

Sam lowered his head, raising his hands in surrender.

“Okay, you’re right. I should walk more, it’s good for the heart and—where the hell are we going?”

Donna looked around.

“Oh, well I don’t know.” She said. Sam looked at her father, who shrugged as well. They all turned toward The Doctor, who looked slightly startled at the sudden onslaught of attention.

“Oh, me. Right, we’re headed just over that hill. Not much farther really. Off we go.”

“Over the hill.” Sam mumbled to himself as he resumed his trek. He was irritated, no…he was mad. He was sick of being left out of the loop, feeling two steps behind. He was the one who mentioned the screwdrivers, which was why they were out here in the first place. Yet the man couldn’t be bothered to explain what exactly what they were doing, why they were going over the fucking hill.

Because he wasn’t her.

….you should see them together, minds always working, figuring things out. He thinks she’s brilliant and he’s right. She is.”

I can be brilliant too, he thought. Or at least…kinda clever.

“Here we are.” The Doctor exclaimed. Sam looked around, his eyes bright with confusion.

“A salvage yard?” he said.

“Oh, yes. One man’s trash and all that.” The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver, the tip glowing with a bright blue color.

“That’s it...” The Doctor said softly, staring at the screw driver. “That….that’s it!’ He rushed into the yard, at once, leaping and sidestepping mounds of garbage.

“I’ll wait here.” Donna said, her nose wrinkling a bit. “He’ll come back this way; the TARDIS is at the house. Can’t resist showing what he found anyway.”

“Well, I’m going.” Wilfred said. Donna grabbed hold of his arm.

“No, you are not. Sam will go, won’t you Sam?”

He looked at the trash then back at them, noting their expectant smiles.

“Is this like a test or something?”

“If that helps, yes it is. Go on now, I’m sure The Doctor could use some help. Or at least a willing audience.”

Sam climbed through the aisles of garbage, trying not to think of all the airborne diseases that could be floating around the place. He’d only gone a few feet before he found him, shifting through a heap of rusted metal.

“What are you...”

“It’s here, I know it is.” The Doctor said. Sam looked down at his surroundings, his eyes resting on a torn campaign poster.

“Who’s Harold Saxon?” he said.

The Doctor sat up suddenly, a triumphant smile on his face.

“Ha!” He turned to Sam, and shook dirt from his hand, wiping the found object on his clothes. Sam squinted as what The Doctor held became clear.

“Is that…”

“A sonic screwdriver.” The Doctor finished. “Lost in the rubble when the ship went down. Lying here for ages, this thing. So powerful and yet, forgotten. Even by me.”

Sam placed a hand to his head.

‘So there are three of those things?”

The Doctor nodded.

“And the TARDIS is searching for each them through time and space. The question is why?”

“I think a better question is when the hell are you gonna give mine back. I paid a shitload of money for that thing. Even made out with Slitheen. Not my proudest moment. ”

Their eyes lifted and Sam saw a man stalking toward them, wearing a long duster coat that swished dramatically at his back. Clear blue eyes locked on the screwdriver in The Doctor’s hand, and dimples formed at his cheeks as smiled.

“Doctor, how the hell are you?” the man said. Sam watched The Doctor place his find in his coat pocket, his intense expression breaking into a smile of his own. The man’s eyes turned to Sam, and brightened with interest.

“And who’s this?”

The Doctor cleared his throat a bit.

“Sam Winchester, meet Captain Jack Harkness. Stay away from him.” The Doctor said.

“Oh, now. I don’t bite. Not unless you want me to.”

“Jack.”

“Kidding. Sort of.”

Chapter Six

Martha

She watched them pull out one firearm after another, panic mounting in her chest. The kitchen table she’d had tea and sco—biscuits at only an hour before was now littered with bullets and guns, and…and….what was that?

“What is that?” She said.

Dean looked up from his gun, his eyes following her pointed finger to the shriveled green thing on the table.

“Eww….Bobby. You didn’t get another one of those fucking things, did you?”

“They work you little shit.” Bobby said, sliding another bullet into his shotgun. “And don’t think I don’t know you’re the one who threw out my other one, you owe me a fucking grand. And a bottle of my good whiskey.”

“You paid a thousand dollars for that thing?” Dean shook his head, a small grin on his lips. “Damn, you got hosed.”

“Don’t change the fact that you owe me money.”

“Hello?” Martha called out, causing them once again to look at her. “And what is this again?”

“It’s a dijinn ear.” Dean said, his voice grim.

“A what?”

“A dijinn ear. A dijinn’s like a genie, but more of an asshole. Folks like Bobby here keep’m for protection. Cause they’re old and don’t know any better.”

“I know what a dijin is, I read about them in Classics.” Martha replied. “Did you say ear? As in…”

Bobby gave a deep sigh and picked up the offending body part, stuffing it into his shirt pocket. Martha and Dean stared at his shirt, distaste curling the corners of their mouths.

“You’re just gonna keep that there, huh?” Dean said.

‘With what I saw coming, you bet your sweet ass I am.” Bobby said. Dean glanced at Martha, who shook her head before turning away.

“How much time we got?” Dean said.

“Not much.” Bobby replied, moving toward the window. “I got a protection spell on the property that reaches out a couple of miles, but it won’t hold them long. Wasn’t made for a damn horde of demons, that’s for sure.”

“You said vampires.” Martha said, once she was able to face him again. “I know I’m new at all this, but aren’t vampires afraid of the sun? Don’t they…burn up or something if it touches them?”

Dean grabbed a bag of salt and tossed it into her hands. She caught it easily, though its heavy weight caused her to back up a couple of steps.

“Spread it around the house.” Dean said. “And to answer your question, yeah, sometimes. Sometimes not. Those guys don’t really care about rules all that much.”

“A simple no would have sufficed.” Martha said. His eyes met hers, and she felt her face warm a bit, remembering their kiss only minutes before. She turned away as her pulse quickened, and headed for the living room.

“Martha.” She turned back at the sound of his voice. He stood there, only a few feet away, his shotgun held at his side, his face drawn and tense.

“Yeah?” She said, trying to keep her voice normal. His mouth opened then closed, and he broke eye contact, nodding toward the living room window.

“Don’t leave any empty spots” He said finally. “One smudge and they’re inside.”

Her dark eyebrow lifted and her head lowered a bit.

“Don’t worry about me.” She said. “I’ve fought off a megalomaniac Time Lord with a god complex, I think I can manage to lay a round of salt, yeah?”

“Yeah—huh?”

“I’ll get it done.” She smiled; feeling the odd need to reassure him, before it slowly began to fade. An idea crept up on her, one so obvious that she was irritated that she hadn’t thought of it before now.

“Dean, there may be a ton of those things out there, but you’ve got something they don’t.”

“And that is..”

“You got me.” She said. Dean stared at her for moment, slightly confused, before what she was saying hit him. His mouth tightened.

“No fucking way.”

“It will work.” She said. Bobby walked up beside Dean, looking back and forth between them.

“I’m sorry, did I miss something just now. What the hell are you two…”

“She wants to be bait Bobby.” Dean said. “Actually thinks we’re gonna let her stand there and wait for those assholes to get her—and you’re nodding your fucking head. Son of a bitch!”

Dean slammed the gun on a nearby table, making Martha jump slightly.

“Don’t say it Bobby.”

“Dean, it’s not a bad idea.”


 

The Doctor

“What do you mean Martha’s gone. Where the hell is she?” Jack said.

The Doctor stared down at the screwdrivers in his hands, three of them now. All different in size in weight, each containing various levels of power.

All equally dangerous in the wrong hands.

“I don’t know.” The Doctor said reluctantly.

They stood outside the TARDIS, Jack and Donna. And Sam, who had been abnormally quiet on the walk back, despite his place between Jack and Donna, who took turns lobbing sexual innuendos his way. But Sam said nothing, only nodded politely, even when Donna pressed her body against his arm at one point. Hard to miss, that.

“You don’t know.” Jack’s brow furrowed, and he crossed his arms over his chest. Jack had explained earlier that he’d picked up the TARDIS during a routine sweep for alien activity for TORCHWOOD. Which was why he’d been strolling among the garbage just as they’d arrived.

And now, as The Doctor told him what had happed to Martha, his smiling blue eyes sharpened, and if he wasn’t mistaken, became slightly tinged with anger.

Martha and Jack had grown close in the past year, more than he realized apparently. He briefly wondered if something more had happened between them, but immediately dismissed it. Martha knew better than to fall for an oversexed alien hunter with a nice smile.

No, she was smarter than that.

“No Jack, I don’t, but I do know Martha, and she can hold her own quite well actually. At least until I find her.”

“And how exactly do you plan to do that? By staring at your toys all day?”

“Toys? Says the man who drives that monstrosity over there.”

They all turned to spot Jack’s large utility vehicle, with the words TORCHWOOD emblazoned on the rooftop. Jack grimaced as he turned back to The Doctor.

“Point taken. But that car is fucking awesome.”

“Sorry to interrupt.” Donna said, though he knew full well she wasn’t. “But what exactly happens now. You found what you were looking for in that trash, now what?”

“Now, I go where she takes me.” The Doctor said, nodding toward the TARDIS which was now only a few feet behind them. He placed the screwdrivers in his pocket, his eyes drifting to Sam, who stared at the blue box steadily, as if slightly transfixed.

“Isn’t that right Sam?” The Doctor called out. Sam snapped his eyes away, turning to face them.

“What? Yeah, yeah that right. We should go…figure out…”

“Well, I’m coming with you.” Jack said. Donna’s mouth dropped open.

“Like hell, you had your turn.” Her finger pressed into Jack’s chest, causing him to look down, slightly amused.

“That’s my seat in there, I’m travlin’ with the Doctor this go ‘round. Not you, you’ve already gone. Twice.”

“What about him?” Jack jerked his head toward Sam, and Donna’s eyes followed for a second before returning to Jack’s face.

“He’s cuter than you.” she said.

“Now I know you’re fucking with me.”

“Guys.” The Doctor said, and they all turned their eyes to him. “Time And Relative Dimension In Space.”

Blank stares.

“Enough room for everyone? Bigger on the, oh come now, you can’t be serious!”

‘He means everyone can come.” Sam said quietly. “Even me.”

 

Martha

Martha stood on the patio, and rocked gently on the balls of her feet. She wore her jeans and t-shirt from yesterday, and Dean’s leather jacket, which he’d yet to get back from her. And honestly, she wasn’t really keen on offering either.

It was quiet, which under any other circumstances would be calming. Living in London, she’d grown used to the sounds of the street outside her window, but being here, so far from civilization was almost peaceful. Almost.

Then the wind changed.

Her body tensed. The air felt odd, slightly static. Like it was charged with some sort of strange energy. Martha stared into the empty road ahead. There was only one more house a couple of yards down, and it looked completely empty. Bobby had said something about neighbors earlier, but she’d yet to see anyone exit that house.

Her skin began to crawl.

Martha breathed in deeply, trying to steady her increasingly frayed nerves. This was fine, it would work. She’d been in worse situations before, this was a…

Mistake. This was a bloody fucking mistake. And now she was about to be eaten by a movie monster.

She turned back to the house, her hand rising to grasp the doorknob. All she had to do was turn it, run back inside and hide behind that ugly couch in the living room. They were the hunters and she…she….

Was going to stay on the patio.

Her head leaned against the doorjamb, slowly turning side to side.

“And here you are.” She said. “Like you’re stuck in that bloody pod again. Why can’t you just listen to your mother you stupid bint.”

“Mother does know best.”

Martha spun around, her back pressed against the door as a man stood only inches away. He was about her height, with a neatly trimmed beard. And his eyes were jet black.

And he smiled.

“Hello.” He said. Martha’s hand groped frantically under the hem of the coat as she gave him a nervous smile.

“Hello back.” she said, her voice almost at a normal pitch.

“Nice day.” He looked around the patio nonchalantly. “Little cool though. Nippy.”

He lifted his shoulders a bit, as if to demonstrate the chill in the air. A flash of irritation rushed through her as her hand finally found the small object at the small of her back.

“So, just to be sure, before you possess me, swallow my immortal soul, whatever, you’re going to what…chat me up?”

The smile faded slightly, but remained on his face.

“I’m trying to be pleasant.” He ground out through gritted teeth.

“Oh, well you can stop that now.” She said. “It’s a bit condescending actually, that you think just because you’re you and I’m me, that you have to make me comfortable or something. As if I’m afraid of you.”

“Aren’t you?”

She paused briefly, as if considering his words.

“You know, for a moment there, I was.” She shrugged. “But I’m over it, bit of a blip really.”

His hand shot out and grabbed her neck, slamming her into the wood frame of the door. She grimaced as pain shot through her head, but refused to make sound.

“How bout now?” The demon hissed.

Martha pulled at his vise like grip to no avail. She gasped out her words, struggling to breathe.

“You’re….in….my ..p…personal space..”

Her other hand reached up from behind her back, gripping the small spray bottle she had hidden there. He gave a short laugh, as his grip tightened.

“And what is that little girl, holy water? This isn’t the movi—ahhhhh!”

His hand quickly dropped away as he grasped his face, and she stumbled sideways, thrown slightly off balance.

“Well now, that was a lie, wasn’t it?”

His face, which he’d covered with his hands, raised slightly, the skin red and peeling. Martha grimaced as an acid smell reached her nostrils, sulfur. Definitely sulfur. The demon’s smile returned as he called out, his voice ringing through the air.

“Get her!” he yelled, and faces began to appear, bodies streaming toward the house as if from nowhere. She looked around the frantically; the spray can in her hand almost empty now.

“Fuck me.” Martha breathed, and this time when she reached for the knob, she opened the damn door.

She ran inside the living room, feeling them behind close her. That static energy had become an almost burning sensation, hard to describe, but oh so terrifying. Martha tossed the small can aside, and picked up an iron poker sitting next to the door, before heading to the dining room toward the back of the house.

They were gaining on her, and she felt fingertips brush the back of her jacket before she dove forward, tucking the poker against her stomach as she rolled across the ground. When she rose, two female demons stood in the dining room, their jet black eyes slightly confused.

“That actually worked?” She said, smiling brightly. Martha pointed above their heads, and they saw the Devil’s Trap Bobby had drawn on the ceiling a few hours before.

“Don’t feel bad.” She said, as they eyed her with anger. “I wouldn’t have looked there either.”

The Doctor

“This is bullshit.” Jack said, his perfect features arranged into a slightly face creasing scowl. “I’m here, you’re here. Why hell can’t I just go with you guys?”

The Doctor sighed, and walked towards him, his hands pressing together as if preparing to talk to a child.

Jack held up a finger before a word left his lips.

“Uh uh, don’t do that?” Jack said.

“Don’t do what?” The Doctor leaned back a bit, as if surprised.

“You were about to lecture me just now, like I was ten. I hate it when you do that. There’s only one way I liked to be spanked and that ain’t it.”

“Did you say spanked?” Donna called out form her perch beside the TARDIS. Jack gave her a dazzling grin.

“You offering?”

“Quite enough of that.” The Doctor said quickly, before turning back to Jack. His hands lifted, but he caught them this time, leaving them firmly at his sides.

“Jack, I need you to go to America, you may find her before I do. If she’s anywhere near where Sam left his brother..”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jack grumbled, giving a longing look at the TARDIS. “It’s just.. been awhile you know. I miss it.”

“It misses you.” The Doctor said, placing a hand on his arm. “And I do too. But I need you to help me. Help me find her. Please.”

Jack nodded, then pulled the Doctor in a tight hug. He could see Donna’s eyebrows rise as the hug lingered, and The Doctor cleared his throat, causing Jack to finally release his grip.

“Alright then, we all set?” The Doctor called out. “Donna?”

“Oh, I’m ready. Been ready for weeks if you remember.”

“Right. Sam?” The Doctor said. Sam only nodded.

The Doctor eyed him carefully before speaking once more.

“You know, you could go with Jack.” He said. Sam’s eyes glanced over at Jack, who crossed his arms over his chest.

“Why does he get a choice?” Jack said, but The Doctor ignored him.

“Do you want to? You’re welcome to come with me, but…do you want to?”

Sam nodded slowly, his hand running through his hair.

“I wanna go with you guys.” he said finally.

“Are you sure? Your brother..”

“I know Dean is probably worried, but…” He turned to Jack. “If she’s with him, you’ll tell him I’m alright? That I’m just…traveling?”

“Sure.” Jack said, cocking his eyebrow. “But it’s not just traveling you know. You realize it’s dangerous with him?”

The Doctor’s mouth tightened slightly, but he said nothing.

“Yeah.” Sam said. “But what the hell isn’t these days?”

The Doctor let out small grin as Jack nodded his approval.

“You’re quite a catch aren’t you, nice work Doctor.”

“I had absolutely nothing to do with it.” The Doctor replied. Jack let out a small snort.

“There’s not much in this world you have nothing to do with. Hey, Sam? You got your brother’s mobile number? I could try to..”

“Dean doesn’t have a cell right now, he dropped his when he was fighting a demon…”

Sam trailed off, looking everywhere but Jack’s face. Jack’s mouth opened slightly, and he turned The Doctor, his eyebrow raised again.

“Did he say a demon?”

The Doctor only smiled.

“Best hurry up. “ The Doctor said, backing away. “And if you see Martha…tell her…tell her...”

“I’ll tell her you’re on your way.” Jack finished for him. The Doctor’s smile grew softer, slightly wistful.

“Yes.” The Doctor said. “Do tell her that.”


 

Dean

“Martha, down!”

He watched her body drop to the floor and pulled the trigger, the explosion from the shotgun ringing his ears. The window in front of him shattered, quickly followed by a wail of pain that let him know he’d found his target.

“You okay?” he yelled.

“Yeah!” She called out.

And she was up again, instantly at his side. Dean motioned toward the stairs, and she ran for them, the poker still tightly clutched in her hand. He turned around, and covered her as she climbed, not chancing a glance backwards until he heard the sound of a door opening.

“That’s a big gun.”

He spun around at the voice, only to meet a sharp pair of pointed teeth aimed at his throat. Dean brought a fast elbow to the vampire’s neck, lifting its head, while his other hand rammed the shotgun in its mouth.

“I like my shit big.” He said. “Makes me feel all manly.”

Blood spurted from the back of its head when he pulled the trigger, the pale form slumping down at his feet.

That was five.

Dean headed up the stairs, moving backwards until he reached the first door. He gave two sharp knocks, and it swung open, Martha’s relived brown eyes staring into his.

“Took you long enough.” She said. He gave her a quick smile.

“Got bit.” Dean said. “Well, almost. I have a big gun.”

“What?”

“You guys ready?” Dean said. Martha turned to Bobby who nodded. Dean saw the grim look in his eyes, and hesitated.

“You sure about this Bobby?’ he said quietly. But Bobby just waved him off.

“I got friends boy, I’ll be fine. Let’s get this shit done, I’m tired.”

He nodded, then looked to Martha who nodded as well. Dean and Bobby reached for a freshly loaded shotgun, and the small blowtorches piled on the bed. Martha held out her hand, and after a second Dean placed a gun into her hand as well.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Let’s go.” She said tightly.

Sam

He wasn’t sure how long they traveled this time, his watch had stopped working a while ago. It actually went backwards first, before giving out all together. Apparently time travel was a bit too much for a Seiko.

“So this one is yours?” Donna said, pointing to the first screwdriver on the panel. The Doctor only nodded.

“And this one was….Jack’s. After which it belonged to River Song. Who you gave it to sometime in the future, after you actually meet for the first time. But that hasn’t happened yet.”

“Correct. And well done.”

“Cheers.”

She pointed the third screwdriver, the one The Doctor fished out of the garbage.

“And whose is this?” Donna said.

The Doctor’s eyes grew darker as he eyed the instrument. He stayed quiet as Sam moved forward, closer to the both of them.

“Who’s Harold Saxon?” Sam said. The Doctor’s eyes lifted, slightly startled by the question.

“Where’d you hear that name?” The Doctor said sharply.

“Who is he?” Sam repeated, unwilling to mention the campaign poster on the ground in among the rubble. He wasn’t sure why he’d asked about the name. Something about the face on the poster felt familiar. It was the eyes. He’d seen eyes like that before.

They were like The Doctor’s.

“He’s dead.” The Doctor said. “As is the previous owner of this screwdriver. Which makes me wonder who else may have owned this one. So far, the TARDIS has led me to each of these and their owners, which could mean...that someone else had this before…him...”

“Before Saxon?” Sam said.

“I didn’t say it was Saxon.”

“You didn’t have to.”

The TARDIS shifted a bit, causing them each to grab hold of the center panel. When the familiar jolt rocked the cabin, they eyed each other, their gazes lit with excitement. They each ran for the doors, Donna jockeying for the front position as her hands reached out, pushing them open.

Her anticipation quickly morphed into disappointment.

“Oi. I guess they can’t all be winners.” She said. Sam walked up beside her, taken aback by the darkly lit interior of what looked to be an aging cargo hold.

“Is this really ship?” Sam said. “I mean, the TARDIS is one too, I know, but this…feels like a….a space ship.”

Doctor walked out behind him, his eyes slightly alarmed as he began to look around him.

“It is a space ship…and I’ve….”

“You’ve been here before.” Sam finished, grinning slightly. “I’m starting to notice a pattern….hey, are you okay?”

The Doctor’s face had gone pale, his brown eyes slightly panicked. Donna’s face grew concerned as well and she reached for him, only to have him slide slightly out of reach.

“Doctor?” Donna said.

Sam’s grin was gone, and he looked around again, trying to understand what was happening.

“What is it?” Sam said finally. “What’s wrong? Did something happen here?”

The Doctor closed his eyes, sweat beading his brow.

“I lost her. Here on this ship. She almost… ” He said softly.

“Lost who?” Sam said.

His eyes opened and Sam resisted the urge to turn away from the raw pain staring back at him.

“Martha.”


 

Martha

The house went up fairly quickly.

They’d barreled downstairs, setting the walls on fire as they ran. The shotgun burned her hands a few times as she fired, averting her eyes when she heard the screams.

They were demons, monsters…and she was killing them.

Now, they stood a little less than a mile away and watched the house burn. They’d re-salted the unprotected areas outside of the house as they left, preventing the demons from crossing into the yard. As an added bonus, the house was covered in Devil’s Traps, so the odds were good that those they didn’t kill on their way out were now still trapped inside the blaze.

No, not killed, Martha mentally corrected herself. The bodies were destroyed, but the demons…the demons lived, likely on their way to find another host.

“Well at least the vamps and werewolves won’t be back.” Bobby said gruffly. “That’s something.”

“No it’s not.” Dean said. “Those were their damn pets. They got tons more where that came from, and now they’re pissed at us because we burned the ever loving shit out of them.”

Bobby and Martha glared at Dean, who shrugged.

“Truth fucking hurts.” He said. “Who’s up for a beer?”

“It’s noon Dean.” Bobby said.

“And your goddamn house just burned to the ground, you should be hauling ass to get wasted.”

Martha’s eyes strayed back to the burning building, remembering the heat of the fire against her skin. Just like before. Just like that sun.

Martha snapped her eyes from the house, resolutely focusing on the two men at her side.

“I’m game.” She said, causing both their eyebrows to shoot up a bit.

“My hands are killing me, and I need a pee. Let’s go find a pub and get sloshed already.”

“Now you’re speaking my language” Dean said, smiling. “Well, not really, but I got the gist. I’d say going medieval on a bunch of sulfur farting demons earns us a fucking beer buzz, right Bobby?”

“Right.” Bobby said quietly.

“Right.” Dean gave a quick smile then headed for the Impala. Martha placed a hand on Bobby’s arm, and he smiled at her softly.

“Didn’t think I’d miss that piece of shit house this much.” He said.

“I know.” She said as they walked to the car, her voice softening as well.

“It’s funny really.” She said. “How you never really know how much you’ll miss something until it’s gone”


 

The Doctor

Burn with me.

The words filled his head as soon as he left the TARDIS. Just as they had before, the last time he was on this ship.

It was all so clear, just like it happened yesterday. The bare bones crew they’d found when they’d arrived, the strange affliction that struck one of the crew members.

And then the dying began. And the screams.

“What do you mean you lost her, Martha was…?” Donna sighed with frustration. “Bloody hell, explain for god sakes. Don’t leave us standing here with out thumbs up our arses.”

The Doctor gave his head a small shake, and ran a hand through his dark hair. He could feel Sam watching him, waiting patiently for an answer.

“When we came here.” The Doctor said. “There was…a life form inside this…burning sun. The ship ran out of gas and became trapped inside the gravitational pull. It was boiling, this place. Slowly….burning...”

He looked up at the familiar pipes and levers surrounding them.

“And Martha…was brilliant as usual, she was helping me and…she got caught in an escape pod, trapped really. And it began to drift. Out there….”

He nodded toward the walls of the ship as the memory overwhelmed him. The desperation in her face as she called out for help, frantically knocking against the glass of the small pod. She’d looked so young. So…afraid. And that sun, blindingly bright and burning behind her.

Almost…beautiful.

“I watched her.” He said, his voice barely a whisper. “I watched her drift away from me, toward that sun. To her death.”

“Doctor...” Sam said.

“I just stood there, screaming her name.”

The Doctor gave a rueful smile.

“I’ll save you.” The Doctor glanced at Sam again. “That’s what I said. Over and over, like a…I’ll save you. But she couldn’t hear…”

“And you did.” Donna said. “I know you did, you done it for me plenty of times.”

“Yes.” The Doctor said. “But she…I…”

“We should look around.” Sam said suddenly. The Doctor looked up, his eyes slightly unfocused.

“We need to figure out why we came here.” Sam said, moving closer to him. His voice was firm, direct.

“So we should look around, see what’s still here, right?” Sam prompted.

“Right.” The Doctor said. His mind began to clear as he looked around the cargo hold.

“The ship was refueled when we left, they must have gotten clear ages ago. But this place feels empty. Deserted.”

“Well.” Sam said. “If there’s no one here, then it has to be something you guys left behind. Or maybe something happened, something to do with you.”

“Or with her.” The Doctor said. “She was there when….when…”

“When what?”

“The life form inside the sun. It’s what killed most of the crewmembers, it invaded each of their bodies, burned them from the inside.”

Burn with me.

“And it was inside me too.” The Doctor said.

Burn with me, Martha….

“And I….I’m not sure, but I think part of it hasn’t quite left.”

They stared at him for a moment, before Donna lifted her arms in frustration.

“Small hint. That information should be shared before the bloody recap. Honestly...”


 

Ruby

“Damn, that wasn’t even close.”

Ruby’s eyes rolled as she reached into her pocket, bringing out a crumpled twenty. The deep laugh of the man at her side made her eyes narrow slightly as she watched the flames dance across what was left of the house. He snatched the bill from her hand, waving it proudly.

They stood at the window of the house a few yards from the hunter’s, the homeowner’s bodies littered around them. Ruby kicked a stray arm from her booted foot, her blue eyes flashing with anger.

“Can you cool it with the smug shit already, its grating.” She said.

“I told you the Winchesters would eat those dumbasses alive. Where’d you find those guys, at some funky bar or ….oh, hell. You did. Damn Ruby, are you really that desperate...?”

“Yes.” She snapped, turning to face him. “I am that desperate, I need that Colt like yesterday. And that bitch….Lilith, won’t take no for a fucking answer.”

“And the pouting hasn’t worked? I though you had Sam all wrapped up in those pretty eyes of yours.”

“Sam’s gone.” Ruby said, watching the Impala drive away. “And I can’t find him. It’s like…like something’s protecting him, shielding him in some way. It’s fucking weird.”

“Yeah, well, fuck him. Last thing I want to see is that little shit’s face. Besides, did you see that cute little ass?” He gave a short laugh. “The Dark One….Fuck, when I was living I woulda been all over that.”

A small smile grew on her lips, as she turned to him. His dark eyes narrowed, slightly weary.

“What’s that look for?”

“I just got an idea.” Ruby said, her smile growing even larger as she swung her shoulder’s back and forth happily. “Wanna hear it?”

“Does it involve ripping Dean Winchester’s fucking face in half?’

“It could.”

Gordon Walker smiled, his eyes growing even darker than his deep brown skin.

“Then I’m all ears baby.”

Chapter Seven

Martha

It occurred to her several times during the two and half hour drive to ask where the hell they were going. They’d passed seven—no, eight pubs now, with no comment from Dean or Bobby as they moved on. And of course, her being herself, she wanted to ask—no needed to ask once again what the hell was going on. The words were on the tip of her tongue actually. Until she caught a glimpse of grin pulling at the corners of Dean’s mouth. He knew how much the ride was killing her, that she was desperate to know where they were going. That shut her up immediately. Yes, she was a bit predictable, but she was beginning to realize she was a bit stubborn as well. The only time she did speak was to demand a bathroom stop; she did still have to go after all.

“You sure this the right way?” Bobby grumbled from the backseat. Dean glanced at him in the rearview mirror, the brought his eyes back down to the road. Martha leaned back in her seat, drumming the tip of her fingers on her thigh impatiently. The grin was back again, and he kept glancing her way occasionally, as if waiting for her to explode.

“You should keep your eyes on the road.” She said, feigning boredom. Dean made a left turn, before looking at her once again.

“You’re a hell of lot nicer to look at.” Dean said. “Besides, you look like you wanna…oh, I don’t know ask me something.”

“Not really.” Martha replied.

“You sure?  No questions?  None at all?”

Martha’s eyebrows rose as she stared at him “Why?”

“Hmmm? Why what? You got a question?” Dean said quickly. She heard Bobby let out a deep sigh.

“Give it up Dean, she’s on to you.” Bobby said. Dean grunted with displeasure as he looked up at the rearview mirror.

“Well, she is now dammit.” Dean said. “You just can’t let shit be can you?  Well that’s a fucking forfeit.”

“Go to hell, she wasn’t gonna ask you Dean.” Bobby snapped. “And you’re a damn cheater anyway, asking her all those questions and shit.”

“Oh, so there were rules?  We got rules now, because all I heard was…well, shit I didn’t hear a fucking thing ‘cept you bitchin’ about your money.”

“Which you still fucking owe me.” Bobby said. “Plus another five hundred, as per our agreement.”

“Fuck you man.”

Martha twisted sideways in her seat, offering a better view of her companions.  “Did I miss something?” she said. “I mean, I’m sure we’ve all been in this car together, but I definitely feel like I’m behind a jump or two.”

She watched them stare at one another, before both fell into silence. Martha felt her lips tightened with irritation.

“Was there some sort of bet that I’m not..”

“Dean bet the money he owes me for the dijinn ear he tossed that you wouldn’t make it to The Roadhouse without asking where we were going.” Bobby said. “And I said you wouldn’t, that you were smart as fuck and would probably trust us by now, seeing what you’d seen. That you’d just go along for the ride. And I was right.”

“No, you weren’t.” Dean said.

Martha stared up at the car roof for a moment before responding. “This is....insanely childish, you do realize that don’t you.”

“Yeah.” The both said, and she nodded.

“Good, as long as that’s sorted then.” She replied. “Oh, and by the way, Dean was right Bobby, sorry.”

The thick eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

“But you didn’t—”

“I didn’t ask where we going, no.” she replied, her eyes shifting to Dean’s profile. He currently wore a cocky grin, throwing occasional victorious looks Bobby’s way.

“I did want to ask however, though I do trust that you both know what you’re doing. For the most part anyway.  I just like to know things, always have. A bit compulsive really. Of course, I was going to ask, but I’m pretty sure it was…”

She pointed at Dean’s smile, causing it to immediately transform into a frown.

“That grin there, that tipped me off pretty early on.” She said. “You don’t play poker or anything, do you?  If so, I recommend you stop immediately.”

“Are you done?” Dean said irritably as Bobby began to chuckle in the back seat.

“I believe she’s got your number boy.” Bobby said. Dean flashed a sarcastic grin back at him, before looking her way again.

“But I was right.” He said. “You would’ve asked.”

Martha shrugged. “Why dwell on things that will never happen?” she said.

“Because I was fucking right, that’s why.” Dean replied. 

Sam 

“Well now.” Donna said, breaking the extended silence caused by The Doctor’s latest revelation. “That was a bit of drama wasn’t it? Yeah, so I say we pop back round the TARDIS and head off. Don’t look like there’s anything here anyway, and to be quite honest, you’re startin’ to scare the living shit out of me.”

This last part was directed to The Doctor, who was now hunched over a control panel beside a large door. His only response to her words was a brief glance sideways, before the focusing on the task at hand.

Sam inched slightly closer, not wanting to interrupt his work, but fascinated by what he was seeing. The Doctor had pulled out his screwdriver; the blue tipped one, not one the others, and shined it on the panel, emitting a low hum as he moved it across the numbers. He squinted at the thing intensely, but Sam couldn’t see anything other than the panel. What the hell was that thing for, what was he looking at?

“Oi,I swear.” Donna said, walking forward to stand beside Sam. “It’s like I’m talking to myself some days, just to hear my own voice.”

“What is he doing?” Sam said. “I mean, what’s that thing do?”

Donna tilted her head to the side as she considered his question. “Don’t really know actually, it just…does things. Opens doors, gets information. I seen it blow up somethin’ once, some kind of..reversal of the polartity, whatever that means. He says that rubbish all day, and I just nod my head. Works for both of us, that.”

Sam nodded his own head as The Doctor finally straightened from his position, spinning around to face them.

“Right so, sonic screwdriver, not so good with deadbolts, can’t open them at all actually.”

Donna rolled her eyes at this. “Yes, you’ve said that dozens of times, so how do we—”

“I said it to you, not to him.” The Doctor said, pointing to Sam. “The screwdriver can open most of the locks in the universe, but not deadbolts. A glitch in the design, hasn’t been fixed yet.”

Sam looked over to the door, then back at The Doctor. “But you weren’t looking at the dead bolt, that was the key panel you were…shining your light on.”

The Doctor let out a deep breath, and replaced the screwdriver in his jacket pocket.

“I thought I could scan the coding of the panel; find one of the security keys of a crew member from the memory databases.”  The Doctor said, turning to the panel. “But unfortunately all that time in the sun’s atmosphere damaged the ship’s hard drive; most of that information’s been erased.”

“So we can’t open the door.” Sam said, surprised at his disappointment. From what the Doctor told them, the ship could be dangerous, they didn’t know even know where they were. But still…it sucked not being able to go any further.

“Well, that’s that.” Donna said. “Back to the TARDIS?”  She began to move backward, only to pause after realizing no one was following. “You’re not finished are you?’ she said to The Doctor, her voice flat.

The Doctor’s expressionless face broke out into a huge grin.

“I said most of the ship’s hard drive.” His fingers reached out and pressed several buttons, and the large door creaked loudly as it slid open. A spontaneous laugh erupted from Sam at the sight, an excited thrill rushing through him.

“I was able to reboot the entire system, start everything up again.” The Doctor said.

“And you just made up your own code.” Sam finished for him, and The Doctor nodded excitedly. “Exactly Samuel.”   Donna blew out a frustrated breath, and slowly made her way back towards them.

“That’s brilliant” Sam said smiling brightly.

“It is, isn’t it?” The Doctor replied, with a large smile of his own.

Martha 

Dean turned the wheel once more, and they were taken off the main road, onto a small dirt path leading to a old storefront, seemingly alone in the middle of nowhere. There were several cars parked in front and on the side, all various shapes and sizes. Dean bypassed the front of the building, parking the Impala around back instead.

“This is bigger then the last one.” Bobby said as he eyed the building. Dean nodded in agreement.

“Maybe this one will last longer too.” He said. Martha cleared her throat, waiting patiently, causing Dean to roll his eyes in surrender.

“This is The Roadhouse. The new one anyway, the other one kinda…burned up.” He said. Martha exited the car first, and Dean and Bobby followed suit, each of them stretching their now aching legs.

“I’m assuming we didn’t come all this way for a world class pint?” she said. Bobby walked towards the back door, Dean and Martha close behind.

“It’s a hunter’s bar.” Dean said, and she paused briefly, staring at him.

“You people have bars?” she said.

“Yeah?  I mean…we all just kinda hang out here when we’re passing through. Why? Something wrong with that?”

“No, not at all actually.” She said as she climbed the stairs. “It makes sense, I just…you and Bobby seem so isolated, like you spend a lot of time on your own. I thought that was how it worked.”

“It does.” Dean said. “Most of the time.”  Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light, taking in the people littered across the room. Dean placed a hand on her elbow, guiding her gently past the tables. It was something she normally hated, that proprietary stance men took on in public places. Tom only attempted it a few times before she broke him of the habit; she could find her way on her own, thank you very much.

But now she felt none of those things. Maybe it was the alien environment, or everything that had happened in the past few days, but his touch was reassuring, steadying. Like he was making sure she knew he was there.

And there was the small fact that she was desperate to kiss him again. But she tried to dwell on that too much.

 “Dean! Martha, over here.” Bobby called out from across the room. He was standing next to a woman behind the bar, who had already pulled out three beer bottles, and icy frosted mugs. Martha felt like weeping at the sight.

“Hey Ellen” Dean said as they reached the counter. Ellen nodded a hello, before her eyes moved over to Martha, who gave her a small wave.

“Hello, I’m Martha Jones.” She said, reaching out a hand. Ellen moved away from the counter, shaking out a dust rag with an aggressive snap. Martha looked down at her hand, as if inspecting it carefully.

“Don’t be a bitch Ellen.” Dean said. “Or at least pretend not to be.”

“You can go to hell Dean Winchester, Bobby told me what happened to his house.” She snapped. Bobby shrugged his shoulders at Dean’s baleful stare and took long swig his drink, ignoring the glass by his side. “She asked.” He said after he’d emptied the bottle. He sat it down on the counter, then reached for the one beside it.

“Those all yours?” Dean said.

“Yep.” Bobby replied, causing Dean to sigh as he turned back to the bar. “Hey Ellen, could we get..”

“You can get jack shit, what the hell’s matter with you.” Ellen rounded on him angrily, hands on her hips. “You lose your brother like a set of keys, and instead of being out there tracking them down, you’re…what?  Tryin’ to impress your latest piece of ass?”

Dean slammed his fist on the counter, causing Martha to jump slightly. She’d remained quiet throughout the exchange, briefly reflecting that this was the first time she’d ever been referred to as a “piece of ass.” He and Ellen glared at each other for a moment before he spoke again.

“Don’t talk about her like that.” Dean said quietly. Ellen rolled her eyes, cocking her hip slightly.

“Dammit Dean, you burned down Bobby’s house cause they were after this girl. Doesn’t that seem a bit fucked up to you?” she said. “You only just met her...”

“Ellen, it’s fine.” Bobby said. “It was my damn idea.”

“I don’t care, you wouldn’t be in this mess if Dean wasn’t letting his dick do all his fucking thinking. God, your Dad taught you better than that, I know he did.”

Martha saw him tense at her words, his eyes glint with even more anger than before. She placed a hand on her arm, feeling his rigid muscles beneath her fingers.

“Dean.” She said quietly, and then she waited. Slowly, he looked down at her, anger still there, but mixed with sadness. Pain.

“Dean.” She said again. “Can we get a booth?  I’m a bit knackered at the moment. I’ll get the drinks, yeah?”

She didn’t dare look away as various emotions crossed his face. Martha saw the sharp nod of his head, and he delivered one last withering glare to Ellen before walking away. They all watched him move toward a booth in a far off corner, staring down its current occupant until the man stood up and walked away, throwing nervous glances behind him.

“Why the hell’d you do that?” Bobby said quietly to Ellen.

“Do what?  Tell him how fucking stupid he was being?” she replied.

“You brought up John.” Bobby said. “You know what that does to him, what good....”

“It’s the only thing that sinks into that thick assed brain of his.” Ellen said, tossing the towel on the counter behind her.  Bobby rubbed his mangy beard thoughtfully.

“Not the only thing.” He said, staring pointedly at Martha. Martha straightened slightly as Ellen brought her stormy gaze her way.

“Yeah, you did.” Ellen said.

Martha smiled uncomfortably. “Oh, I didn’t…I just thought he needed to take minute, space and all that.”

“And he listened to you.” Ellen said. “Dean don’t listen to anybody, except Sam. Which makes me wonder...” The woman leaned forward slightly and Martha fought the urge to back away, not wanting to bear the brunt of her wrath. “Just who the fuck are you Martha Jones? And why is there a demon clusterfuck riding your tiny little ass?”

Martha sighed as she looked from Bobby to Ellen, and shook her head.

“I don’t know.” She said. “And at this moment, I could give honestly give a fuck. I just really, really want a drink.”

Ellen was silent for a moment, before breaking out into a large grin.

“Then you come to the right place. Tequila it is.” She said, grabbing two shot glasses. Martha’s opened her mouth to correct her, wanting to order beer, but Bobby gave her a warning shake of his head.

“Tequila.” Martha said, forcing a smile on her lips. “Sounds brilliant.”

The Doctor 

They stood on the deck of the ship, staring out of the large window before them. The sun was just a bright, as volatile as when he’d last seen it, streams of hot gas occasionally whipping out from the boiling depths. They weren’t as close this time; the ship was still out of the sun’s gravitation pull, as it was when they’d left. But they barely moved, which made no sense to him. When he’d gone—when he and Martha had left this ship, they had gas, the crew was leaving this place. More than happy to after everything that had happened.

So why was the ship still here?

“That…that’s the sun you mentioned.” Sam said. “The one Martha almost—”

“Yes.” The Doctor said, his previous excitement now gone. Sam ran a hand through this thick hair as he stared at the sight before him. “Man, that…holy shit.”

“Exactly.” The Doctor said. Donna was walking around the cabin, her hands occasionally touching random items scattered about the room. She shivered slightly, her arms wrapping around her body.

“This place feels like a tomb.” She said. The Doctor didn’t reply, but he knew exactly what she meant. He felt it too. And it made him angry.

“Do you think…” Sam began. “You said there were people left, but if we’re still here, close to that sun, then...”

“They could be dead.” The Doctor said. His rage coiled through his body, unfurling as if a match had been struck.

“Doctor.” He heard Donna say, but it as if she were far away now, from him, from  everything. There was only him, and that bloody sun. That thing…

“You killed them.” He said, and the flame of anger began to grow. “After we left here, you murdered them after you swore you wouldn’t.”

Yes.

It was there. Still, after everything that happened. And it wasn’t afraid, ashamed of what it had done. Not yet.

“Why?” The Doctor said, but received only silence in return. He felt the last of his resolve crumble as his rage overwhelmed him.

“WHY DID YOU KILL THEM.!”  He screamed. “They’d done nothing to you, they were leaving, returning home!”

Burn with me.

“Burn with—why won’t you answer me?” he said. He could hear his voice cracking, becoming slightly hoarse. “They did everything you wanted….Why would you..”

And then it hit him.

“Vengeance.” He said softly. “You…killed them for revenge, because of what they’d done.”

Everything burns.

“They were going  to leave, just walk away after all the pain they’d caused. And you…you couldn’t live with that could you?” The Doctor said. “And did it work, do you feel better now? Whole again?”

Doctor.

“No of course not. How could you?  How could anyone?”

“Doctor?”

It took him a moment to identify the voice as Sam’s. He turned his head, blinking rapidly as he attempted to focus on his face.  Sam’s blue eyes were bright with alarm, and The Doctor realized he was lying on the floor, that Sam and Donna were now hovering above him.

“Sam...”

“Tell us what to do.” Sam said. Donna’s eyes were bright with tears, her already pale face a deathly white. The Doctor began to respond, when a sudden pulsing heat moved through him, eating at his flesh. He felt his back arch from the ground as his lips parted with surprise.

It was angry.

And he began to scream.

Dean 

Dean glared at the salt shaker in the middle of the booth, resisting the urge to send it flying across the room. He could feel the stares of the other hunters in the bar, but they all kept to themselves, for which he was grateful.

He’d let Ellen get to him, he knew that. He hated when she went off on that mommy shit, might as well waved a finger in his face and told him he’d been naughty. And to bring up his dad…why the hell had she done that?

Dean sat back in booth and ran an angry hand across his face. He was pissed about that, her bringing Dad up, but…she was right. And that pissed him off even more. This whole thing had knocked him on his ass really, Sam disappearing, and Martha. He’d been playing catch up this whole time, just reacting to shit instead of trying to solve the damn problem. It was easy to assume Sam was alright, that he was off joyriding in some spaceship….well, maybe not easy, but he could live with it. But he didn’t know that sure. His brother could be hurt, or worse…and he’d just been going along like nothing had changed. Well, almost nothing.

“This seat taken?” Martha said as she walked up to the booth. She held a bottle of tequila in one hand and two shot glasses in the other. She gave him a small smile as she slid into the booth beside him, sitting the items down on the counter.

“Martha I’m not—tequila?” he said, lifting the bottle in his hand. “You drink this?”

“No, actually.” She said, placing an elbow on the table. “I wanted a beer, but Ellen is…a bit forceful in her opinions. She recommended this.”

“Recommended?” Dean gave a small snort as he spun the cap off from the bottle. “Is that Brit speak for chucked a bottle at your head? Cause that’s how she “recommends” stuff to me.”

“She’s worried about you.” Martha said. “And she should be, I put you both…”

“Don’t do that.” Dean said, filling both the shot glasses to the brim. “None of that bullshit in here, that’s not why we came.” He sat the bottle down and slid one of the shots toward her.

“I’ll make you a deal.” He said. “You won’t start moaning about how dangerous you are, and I won’t get all broody about what a fucking disappointment I am. Deal?”

“Yeah.” She said, and slid her fingers around the rim of the glass. “Who exactly are you disappointing?”

Dean smiled bitterly.

“My dad. My brother. The damn busboy, take your pick.”

“Oh.” She said. “But why...”

“You ask a lot a questions.” He said. “But you don’t answer many, do you?”

“Yes, I do actually.” She said. “You just don’t ask me any, there’s a difference.”

“Alright.” He reached down and lifted her hand from the glass, his fingers playing with her engagement ring.

“Question.” He said, tapping the diamond with the tip of his finger.  He watched her eyes darken; her eyelids lower as she looked at the ring on her hand.

“I left him.” She said. “Not more there than that.”

“Bullshit.” Dean replied, not letting go of her hand. “A woman like you, there’s always more to that story.”

“Perhaps, but the rest isn’t really worth mentioning.” She said tightly. “Not to me anyway.”

He was silent for a moment, which caused her to look up at him.

“What?” she said as he eyed her carefully.

“He cheated on you.” Dean said. Her hand twitched slightly at his words, but she didn’t look away.

“Yeah.” She said, and he nodded.

“Then you dodged a bullet cause he’s kind of a dumbfuck” He said, and he saw the corners of her mouth twitch.

“You didn’t see the girl.” Martha said, and his grip on her hand tightened once more.

“I see this one.” Dean replied. “That’s all I need to know.”

 Sam 

He had to do something.

The Doctor writhed on the ground, his eyes flashing with a vivid light. He was fighting something, whatever it was inside him. And from what Sam could see, he was losing.

“God, make it stop.” Donna cried, standing to her feet. She began to look around frantically, her movements jerky as she rushed through the room. Sam was sure she didn’t know what she was looking for, only felt the need to do something.

“Burning..” The Doctor moaned. “Too much…it’s too..”

“The TARDIS.”  Donna paused mid-motion as she spoke, her eyes becoming saucers. “Yes!” she exclaimed, smacking herself on the head. “Why didn’t I…can you pick him up. He’s a runt of a thing, shouldn’t be too heavy.”

“I can try.” Sam said, looking back down at him. “But he’s in a lot of pain, won’t—“

“Just do it. I’ll help, and we’ll apologize to him after he thanks us for saving his ass.”

They each grabbed an end, Sam taking on a majority of the weight by sliding his arms under The Doctor’s, holding the man’s chest to him. Donna grabbed his feet, which were encased in what looked like converse tennis shoes, or trainers as Donna referred to them. It was slow going, The Doctor was still twisting and turning in their arms, and Donna dropped his feet several times along the way. They were both panting by the time they made it to the TARDIS, and Donna pulled a key from around her neck, quickly sticking in the door.

“You have a key?” Sam said, and she only winked at him. They stumbled inside, and Donna shut the door quickly, as if to keep out whatever had invaded the ship.

“Get him over there.” She said, nodding toward the panel. Sam followed her instructions, not sure what was happening, but wanting only to feel useful. He laid The Doctor next to the glowing panel, then stepped back as Donna walked up beside him.

“What now?” Sam said to her.

“Now, we wait.” She replied, her eyes locked on The Doctor. “Hopefully, she’ll take care of the rest.” She said, nodding toward the center of the TARDIS. They stood there a few seconds before The Doctor suddenly lifted his body, his eyes glowing brightly as he focused on them.

“That’s not good, is it?” Donna said. Sam began to shake his head, when the Doctor began to speak, his voice several octaves lower that before.

“Come to me.”

Sam and Donna eyed each other, then looked back at the Doctor.

“I think he means you.” Sam said. Donna shook her head.

“Wrong, he was definitely lookin’ your way, saw it with my own eyes.”

“Nah, he’s known you longer. And you got a key and everything...”

“He gives all of us a key, he must have hundreds of them stashed away somewhere. Don’t mean anything, it’s like a party favor. A hello, welcome to the TARDIS, go on, have a key!”

“I didn’t get one.”

“I’m not goin’ over there.”

 “She comes to me…” The Doctor said, and they were immediately silenced. “I can feel her…. here…want….she needs….”  

Sam felt his skin begin to crawl as the words came, and suddenly he didn’t want to hear anymore.

“The Dark One…”

“What the..” Donna began, but Sam quickly silenced her with a small wave.

“She comes to me… she is you…” The glowing eyes met his, and Sam felt himself backing away, leaving Donna’s side.

“Sam?”

“You…she is…..you..”

“What the hell does that mean…I don’t.. ”

A bright light shot up from the panel of TARDIS, illuminating the entire ship. They both covered their eyes, pain shooting through Sam’s head as the stream grew even brighter. He could make out The Doctor as the light moved around him and watched as he began to shake violently. It went on for several minutes, before coming to an abrupt halt, the light quickly sucked back inside the ship.

The TARDIS  was silent once again, except for Donna’s labored breathing.

“What the fuck was that?” Sam yelled.

“The TARDIS.” She said. “It healed him…at least, I think it did.”

The Doctor’s eyes opened slowly, and much to Sam’s relief, they were back to their normal brown color.

“Doctor?” Donna said, gingerly moving closer. “Are you alright, is it gone now?”

The Doctor raised his gaze, looking past her at Sam. His face tight, his eyes grim and Sam felt a knot began to form in his stomach.

“Are you okay?” Sam said.

“What are you Sam?” The Doctor said, slowly rising to his feet. “And this time, I must insist on the truth. Because whatever you are, it’s not human.”

“Hold on, I don’t understand, he is an alien?” Donna said. Sam gave a nervous smile, his mind working frantically.

“I’m not….I’m human, I just…”

“That thing was afraid of you.” The Doctor began to walk towards him, his pace slow but steady. “I could feel it every time it looked at you, it wanted to run.  The Vashta Nerada did the same, and I need you to tell me why. This all isn’t’ just coincidence, there’s a reason you’re here, I think we both know that.”

Sam’s throat closed as he broke eye contact.

“Sam, it’s alright.” The Doctor said. “Just tell me.”

”I’m part demon.” Sam snapped, bringing his gaze back to The Doctors. “When I was a kid, a demon put his fucking blood inside me, and…now, I’m part demon. I got hunters and hell bitches that want me dead and sometimes I get visions and shit. Happy?”

The Doctor didn’t respond the flicker of surprise on his face his only reaction.

“Well…” Donna said. “That there’s a conversation killer if I’ve ever heard one.”

Martha 

Dean began to move his fingers across her hand, slowly sliding them back and forth. Martha breathing became nonexistent as her body grew warm at his touch. She bit her bottom lip, and his eyes locked on her mouth, his body leaning closer to hers.

“Dean...” she whispered, and he brought his other hand against her cheek, lightly grazing the soft skin.

“You know.” He said, his voice lower than before. “When I kissed you…I could swear you made this soft little moan….”

Martha felt her body lean into him, her thigh pressing against his.

“I can’t stop thinking about it.” he continued as his finger began to trace the line of her mouth. He moved closer, and placed his lips over her ear, the heat of his mouth playing against the sensitive skin.

“I wanna hear it again.” The fingers had moved to the nape of her neck, rubbing in small gentle circles. Martha closed her eyes as felt her body trembling, the deep ache pulsing between her thighs. Her hand moved from underneath his, to graze the line of his chin, which was roughened by light stubble.

“Dean, we…this..” she couldn’t form the words, couldn’t bring herself to push him away. She could only curse the fact that they were in this bar, that there were so many people around.

“Martha.” He whispered his hand moving down to her thigh, gripping her leg tightly. His tongue slid along her the edge of her ear, and she gave a small groan of frustration before pulling back from him.

“Car.” She choked out, and he stared at her with confusion, his hazel eyes clouded with lust.

“What..”

“The car… now…” she repeated, already sliding out the booth. He hesitated, still slightly confused, before abruptly realizing what she meant. Dean hurried out beside her, knocking over a shot glass as he rose to his feet. Martha glanced over at the bar, but saw no sigh of Ellen or Bobby as they hurried outside, quickly rounding the building to find the Impala parked in back.

Dean fumbled with the keys as he attempted to unlock the door. Martha watched him for a moment, before pushing his hands away impatiently. Her arms locked around his neck, and she pulled him down to her, pressing her mouth against his.  

Her tongue sought his out, delighting in the feel of the wet tip against hers. She heard him grunt with pleasure, and returned her exploration with one of his own. His hands gripped her waist, and he lifted her body, slamming her against the side of the car. Martha wrapped a leg around his waist, moaning as her groin met the hard length of his erection.

His hands gripped her ass, and he rubbed himself against her slowly, causing electric shivers to move through her body. Martha began roll her hips in time to his movements, and Dean let out a deep groan as his tongue continued to thoroughly explore her eager mouth.

And then, he stopped.

Martha swallowed a whimper as he pulled away, every nerve ending in her body crying foul.  Her eyes shot open, staring at him in amazement as he slowly lowered her back to the ground.

“What…why did you…”

“Sorry.” Dean said, his voice flat and stoic as he looked over her head. “But I’ve never been one for an audience.”  Her eyes widened as she spun around, following his gaze. A tall black man stood a few feet from the car, his teeth gleaming against his dark skin as he smiled brightly.

“On top of a car?” the man said, clucking his tongue disapproval. “Man, that’s low class even for you Dean.”

“Stay.” Dean told her, and for once she didn’t argue. She was still disoriented, and she watched mutely as he began to back away, his hand reaching behind his back. He pulled out a handgun, quickly aiming it at the man’s head.

“That’s right baby, you stay right there.” The man said as his eyes became pitch black.

“Me and your boyfriend got some unfinished business, don’t we Dean? Unfinished cause I never got around to killing your ass.”

Martha

Martha slowly backed away from the car as her eyes moved back and forth between the two men. Well, man and demon really, and one Dean had obviously dealt with before. It was like when they ran into Ruby on that bridge, only-only this felt much worse. The air was thick with the promise of violence, and the fury currently lighting Dean's eyes almost scared her more than the demon.

"You made a mistake you know." Dean said quietly. "Don't you know where the fuck you are?"

The man smiled at this, seemingly unfazed.

"You think I give a shit about them? Those are my people in that bar, I hunted side by side with half of them before your daddy even fucked your momma, I ain't scared of them." The man walked closer and Dean's fists tightened even more. "But you. You just got all kind of fucking secrets they don't even know about."

Martha inched towards the door as Dean slowly drifted toward his left, causing the demon to counter his movements. They were circling each other now, like animals stalking their prey.

"They don't know how I died Dean, do they?" The man's smile faded as his eyes narrowed. Dean's mouth tightened, but he didn't respond.

"If they knew..." The man's voice was a low hiss now, almost snake like. "That I'd been murdered by a hunter, by one of our own, you think they'll be all hot to come save your ass?"

Dean stopped suddenly, and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know Gordon." He said. "But I'm not the one that needs fucking saving."

Dean reached out and grabbed the man's collar, pulling him forward to deliver a powerful head butt to the bridge of his nose. Gordon reared back, his nose bloody and slightly crooked, and blinked in confusion. Dean just smiled.

"Didn't know it would hurt did you?" Dean said, right before he sent an elbow flying into the man's mouth. Gordon cried out and fell to the ground, a cloud of dust forming around him.

"That's because you're a little baby demon, and this place is under a fucking protection spell." Dean began to move toward the building, to where Martha was still standing. "You're not strong enough yet Gordon. Your body still thinks it's human. How did you get your body back by the way?"

Gordon scrambled to his feet, his breathing labored as he watched them. Martha's body went cold beneath his jet black stare.

"Dean." She said, but he shook his head, tossing her the car keys.

"Go inside." He said. "Tell them there's more coming."

Martha gave a quick nod and he turned back to Gordon, just as the man rushed toward him. Martha spun around as Gordon's fist met Dean's jaw, causing him to grunt in pain.

The bar was still incredibly dim, and she bumped into a chair as she hurried inside, her eyes wide as she scanned the room for Bobby or Ellen. They were still out of sight, and after a brief moment of panic, Martha moved to the middle of the room and climbed up on the nearest chair.

"Demon outside!" she yelled, and all eyes turned towards her. Ellen suddenly appeared behind the bar, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Did you say-" Ellen began, and Martha pointed frantically towards the back door.

"There's a demon-" But she didn't have to finish her sentence. Chairs scraped against the hard floors and the sounds of guns cocking filled the room as men and women filed out the back door, toward Gordon and Dean. Ellen reached below the bar and pulled out two large shotguns, holding one out toward Martha.

"You coming?" she said.

Martha nodded, and jumped down from the chair, hurrying over to grab the weapon.

"You know how to shoot that thing." Ellen said and Martha nodded.

"Dean showed me." Martha said, causing a grin to form on Ellen's face.

"He's a good kid." Ellen said. "Now let's go save his dumb ass."

Martha let her lead the way, clutching the gun as she brought up the rear. Her eyes fell on at a lone man still sitting at a table, an icy beer clutched in his hand. He caught her staring at him and lifted the drink, giving her a small nod in salute.

"I'm right behind you." He said, taking another drink. Her eyes narrowed, but she held her tongue, realizing that apparently not ever hunter was enthusiastic about his job.

"You should look out." He told her as he sat the beer on the counter.

"I'll be fine, this isn't the first-"

"No, I mean look out."

Martha spun around and small fist rammed into her jaw, knocking her to the ground. The shotgun fell from her hands, and skidded across the floor, just out of her reach. Martha gasped with pain as her eyes lifted to meet the blue eyes of her attacker.

"I think it's time you and I had a little girl talk." Ruby said as she stood above her. "Now that the boys are all tied up and all."

Martha glared up at her, rage squeezing at her chest.

"You'd like to chat?" Martha said, before sending her foot crashing into the demon's knee. Ruby cried out in pain, clutching her leg as she hit the hard floors.

"Fine then." Martha said. "Let's chat."

Sam

To say things were awkward now was an understatement.

The Doctor had returned to staring at the screwdrivers, his brow furrowed as if he was mentally trying to force an answer from them. And Donna-she wouldn't even look him in the eye now, which surprisingly made him feel even worse.

They thought he was crazy-at least she did. The Doctor just-well, he was just another puzzle for the man to solve, something he just hadn't figured out yet. And Sam wondered, not for the first time, why he hadn't just gone with Jack, tried to find his brother instead of flying around with a bunch of strangers.

"Sam."

He lifted his head quickly at the sound of Donna's voice. She walked over to him, her blue eyes subdued as they finally met his.

"Yeah." He said, trying not to come off as too eager. She was talking to him, and he didn't want to say anything else to fuck it up.

"I've been thinkin' about what-what you said back there, about demons."

Sam just nodded, slightly anxious as he waited for her to continue.

"And I admit, the first thing that went through my head was this is rubbish, this bloke's a bloody loon, you sure can pick'em Donna. I had a fiancée that was worshpin' an alien, did I mention that?"

"Ah-no. No I don't think so." Sam said. Donna nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah, slip's my mind now and again. So anyway, I hear the word demon and I just reject it straight away, tell myself that can't be true because demons ain't real."

Her eyes met his as her hand reached out to grip his forearm.

"But I shouldn't have done that." She said, and lifted her free hand to gesture at their surroundings. "I mean, look where we are? We're in a bloody time machine, that little skinny man has two hearts in his chest, who the hell am I to say what's real?"

Sam looked up at The Doctor with renewed interest.

"Two hearts?"

"So yeah, my point is that I believe you." Donna said. Sam immediately met her eyes again, and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"You do?"

"Yeah." She said. "I mean, why not? Hell. Heaven, they can all be out there, just as easy as that bloody talking sun. Though I am worried a bit about that last holiday to Barcelona that one could send me straight down under."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about." Sam said, grinning himself. "I mean-someone like you would never end up in a hell dimension, you too damn nice. You'd have to sell your soul to a demon or something."

Donna squeezed his arm a bit.

"That's good to know." She said. "Though-I don't suppose any of those deals include talking off a few pounds. You know, round the middle?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing." She said, clearing her throat. "Just me talking out my ass again."

"It's me."

They both looked up as The Doctor finally spoke, his dark eyes peering at them through his glasses. He slid them off his face as they waited for him to continue. Donna, sighed impatiently, rolling her eyes.

"Alright, I'll bite." She said, rolling her eyes. "What's you?"

The Doctor began to reply, but was cut off by Sam, who answered excitedly.

"Controlling the ship." Sam said, and The Doctor smiled. Sam walked over to the middle of the TARDIS, staring at the glowing green column in the center. "It's-somehow, you're controlling the ship, where it's going." His mind began to race as the past events began to fall into place.

"You are a brilliant, aren't you?" The Doctor said to him, and Donna waved her hands in the air, causing them to both look her way.

"Yes, you both are fantastic, brilliant, whatever-can someone please explain to me what the bloody hell is going on?"

The Doctor nodded toward the green column.

"All this time, I assumed that the TARDIS was guiding herself, she's done it before, plenty of times. But this-we've been landing in places I've been, ever since Martha and Sam switched places. The screwdrivers, the ship, everything. She's been using me to chart our course, using my subconscious."

"But-why would it do that?" Donna said. "After all this time, you said it's never done that before."

"The communicator." Sam and The Doctor said it simultaneously. The Doctor walked over to the small switch on the panel, the one that Martha had fixed for him.

"You said she fixed it right before?" Sam said, and The Doctor nodded.

"And then she disappeared, and I-my mind's been consumed with her ever since, finding where she'd gone, and the TARDIS has been using that to chart our course. This isn't just a communicator, it's tuned into my mind somehow, my biological makeup, just like the TARDIS."

"The TARDIS has your DNA?" Donna said, and The Doctor nodded distractedly.

"A TARDIS isn't like a normal ship, they're grown, not built." His hand slid along the console as he spoke. "And before they can become fully functional, they must have the biological imprint of a Time Lord, the first one that operates it. This ship-I'm part of this ship and that communicator must have opened a channel of some kind, strengthened the bond between us."

"So, instead of communicating with other Time Lords, it reached out to you?" Sam said. And The Doctor nodded.

"She had to." He said quietly. "Because there are no other Time Lords."

Dean

He spit out a mouthful of dirt and blood, a taste that surprisingly wasn't that unfamiliar to him. It did give him a bit of satisfaction to see Gordon doing the same, took some sting out of the whole being knocked flat on his ass thing. Yeah, the guy had an advantage. Being a demon, even a young one like Gordon, gave your punch a little more power than the average human. But fuck, this was Gordon Walker. And dead or alive, there was no way he was gonna let that man kick his ass.

"You ready for round two?" Gordon said as they both slowly got to their feet. Dean kept his face stoic, determine not to grimace as his ribs protested the sudden movement.

"If it will shut you the fuck up, yeah." Dean said. "Cause dammit man, I hate the sound of your voice, always did."

"Aww, now that's not true, we were tight there for a little while. Back when you were cryin' about your daddy-"

Dean's fist cut off the man's words, and Gordon fell back against the Impala, chuckling under his breath.

"Same old Dean. Still got fucking daddy issues like the bitch he is."

"I think you got issues of your own to worry about Gordon." Ellen called out from behind them. Dean looked up to see a swarm of hunters moving slowly towards them, shot guns cocked and aimed. Bobby stepped out from the back door of the bar, Dean's leather bound exorcism book clutched in his hand.

Gordon's smile faded as he stared at the faces that surrounded him. He lifted his body from the car, and straightened the collar of his blood stained shirt.

"Hello Ellen." He said, nodding his head towards her. "Still a cunt I see."

"That's right." She said. "And you ain't a hunter, which means you stay the fuck off my land."

Dean swallowed his frustration as he backed away from Gordon. He wanted to do this on his own, work the asshole's face some more, but he knew better than to argue. They watched out for each other, that was how it always was.

"Hmmm.." Gordon wiped the blood off his face as his eyes turned to Dean. "That one for all and all for one, bullshit. Yeah, I remember that. Course, I don't think the Winchesters's have fully grasped that concept, or maybe they just don't give a fuck, not sure which."

"Jesus, what are you going on about?" Ellen said. Gordon grinned tauntingly at Dean, who remained stubbornly silent. Let the fucker talk.

"Sam Winchester was the one who killed me." Gordon said, his voice almost sing-song in tone. "Snapped my neck like it was nothing, asshole was strong. Hell, I'd say almost-demon like."

"You're leaving out the part where you tried to kill him." Dean said. "You hunted him down like a fucking-"

"Demon?" Gordon finished. "I was a hunter Dean, and your brother is one of them. Deep down you know that. He'll turn on you someday, when that blood starts boiling to the surface. I saw it, right before he broke my neck. I saw that evil in his eyes. He'll kill you, all of you. Just like he-Ahhhhhhh!"

Everyone jumped slightly as Gordon began to scream in agony. His head tilted back, and the muscles in his neck were taunt as he dropped to his knees. A thick, black cloud rose from his mouth, whirling in a small cyclone, before taking off through the quickly dimming sky.

Bobby slammed the leather book shut, and gave a small grunt of satisfaction.

"Enough with that shit." He said. He watched faces of the hunters around them as they now eyed Dean suspiciously.

"You all fuck the hell off. Go drink a goddamn beer or something." Bobby said. Dean ran a hand over his face, before walking to his a car, stepping over Gordon's lifeless body along the way. The hunters began to walk towards the bar, but Ellen shook her head.

"Nope, bar's closed." She said. "He probably ain't the only one coming, so go get your shit and get ready, we got more work to do."

The group began to walk toward their vehicles, a bit of irritated grumbling here and there. Ellen and Bobby watched Dean slam his fist down on the roof of the Impala, his face furious with anger.

" Dean-" Bobby said, but Dean just shook his head.

"Where's Sam?" Dean said. "Fuck, if he's-where the hell is Sam!"

"He's probably okay Dean." Bobby said. "If what Martha said is true--."

"I don't give a shit, I need him." Dean lowered his head slightly. "Shit this-fuck, I need my brother Bobby."

"I know." Bobby said quietly. "I miss him too."

Dean looked up suddenly, staring at Ellen.

"Where's Martha?" he said. Ellen looked around, slightly confused.

"I don't-she was right behind me-"

But Dean was already running toward the bar, the rest of her sentence lost in the wind.

Martha

Her usual reaction in these situations was to think her way out. There was always something, a way to ease oneself out of such occurrences relatively unscathed. The Doctor taught her that, and it had worked pretty well for her so far.

But now, as she scrambled across the bar room floor, eyes trained on the large shotgun she'd dropped, her mind refused to cooperate, think rationally. Only one thought ran through her mind, over and over like a mantra. Or perhaps a prayer.

Get the gun.

Martha resisted the urge to shout triumphantly as her fingers closed over the barrel, her body twisting around as Ruby grabbed her ankle. They froze simultaneously, Martha watching her over the length of the gun, Ruby's hand still gripping her ankle as the demon's eyes stared into the end of the weapon.

"That won't kill me." Ruby said. Martha cocked the gun, just as Dean had showed her.

"I'm okay with that." She said. "Let go of me."

Ruby immediately released her grip, and Martha slid her feet inward, slowly rising as she kept the gun trained on the girl's head. She heard the stomp of footsteps as Dean ran inside, stopping short at the sight in front of him.

"Are you okay?" he barked to Martha, who nodded. Dean moved closer, and his eyes darkened as he stared at her face.

"Did she hit you?" Dean said.

"I'm okay." Martha replied, but he was already moving toward Ruby, grabbing a chunk of blond hair to force her to her feet.

"Shit-fucking protection spells, that hurts!" Ruby cried. Dean's hand gripped her neck and she gasped for air.

"That better?" he said darkly. Martha walked towards them, but was stopped by Ellen's warning hand.

"He's got some shit to work out honey." She said. "Better her than you."

"You know..." Dean said coolly. "You really should stop fucking with people I care about. Cause I'm pissed right now. Can you tell?"

Ruby nodded slowly, her fingers scratching at his hand.

"And I don't think it's a fucking leap to assume you sent Gordon after me. Didn't you Ruby."

Her response this time was a loud croak, and Martha couldn't help flinching as he tossed her aside abruptly, her body slamming into the floor.

"Why." He yelled, and she eyed him warily over her coughs and gasps. "What the fuck is all this, why are they after her? Why the fuck are you..."

"I don't know!" Ruby cried out, her voice slightly hoarse. "I'm just-shit, I just do what I'm told, and I was told to kill the bitch and take the Colt. That's it. That's all."

"You and a fucking army." He said. Martha walked towards her, ignoring Dean's warning glance.

"Who was it?" she said.

"What?' Ruby snapped angrily. Martha ignored her response, keeping her eyes trained on her pale face.

"Who told you to kill me?" Martha said. "I don't understand why anyone-anything would want me dead, I haven't-"

"Apparently you pissed someone off during your perfect fucking life." Ruby spit out. "Maybe it's got something to do with you fucking him." She nodded to Dean, who began to advance on her once more. Martha stopped him, placing a hand on his arm.

"What are you-"

"Lilith." Ruby sighed, rubbing a hand across her scalp. "She wants you dead, and she wants him-"

A sarcastic smile formed on her lips as she stared at Dean.

"Hell, I think she just fucking wants him."

The Doctor

He had a solution to the problem, as always.

If the communicator was causing all this jumping round through space, he would simply disable it. It would slightly disappointing, disassembling all of Martha's brilliant work, but it had to be done. It was past time to take control of the TARDIS, and now that they knew what was happening, why this had happened, he could begin the task of setting things right.

Only....

He knew in his gut it wasn't this simple. Yes, the TARDIS had tapped into his subconscious mind, but that didn't explain the switch, the green light that had taken her from him. That couldn't have been him, of that he was positive. Because even subconsciously there was no way he'd ever wish Martha Jones away from him. Not for one moment.

"So you're gonna break it then?" Donna said, and he nodded.

"Appears the right thing to do." He said. He could feel Sam watching him carefully, and got the strange feeling that the boy knew exactly what he was thinking. What was that he'd said about visions...?

"Maybe you shouldn't." Sam said slowly. "I mean, we still don't know why I'm here, that could have been the TARDIS, but-I don't know, it doesn't feel right."

The Doctor silently agreed. And there was the time back there, with the sun entity. He'd been in and out of awareness, catching snippets of thoughts and emotions. It had been afraid, of Sam, but of something else as well. And those words....The Dark One.'

Who was The Dark One? Was that who'd it been afraid of?

"These demons." The Doctor said, noting the wary look that crossed Sam's eyes. "Can you describe them for me, what they look like, how they act?"

"They look like humans and they act like evil assholes." Sam replied tightly. The Doctor resisted the urge to sigh with frustration.

"Look, if you can describe them for me in detail, I might be able to figure out what they actually are, what planet-"

"They're not aliens." Sam said. "Look, I know you've got his big brain and all-or, do you have two of those too?"

"No, sadly I've just the one." The Doctor said.

"Yeah, well, I grew up with those things. My dad taught us how to hunt, showed us what we were hunting. How to stop them." Sam pulled down the collar of his t-shirt, revealing the dark ink of a tattoo on his chest. The Doctor immediately slid his glasses on and leaned forward, studying it closely. It was the shape of a sun, with a star drawn inside.

"What is that." He said, fascinated.

"It's a protection spell." Sam answered. "It keeps me from being possessed. That's what they do, they get inside humans and possess them, take them over completely. Dean-my brother-he has one too."

Donna came up beside The Doctor, staring just as intently, though The Doctor doubted she was only looking at the tattoo.

"Could you pull that a bit lower, I can't see-"

"That's good Sam, thank you." The Doctor said, ignoring Donna's frustrated glare. He ran his hand through is hair, his mind unwilling to accept Sam's words. It wasn't that he didn't believe him, he did. What he couldn't believe was that Sam's demons were anything more than another species, creating havoc in a place they didn't belong. Invading bodies....had he come across someone that invaded bodies....

"Oi, I think we landed again." Donna said. "That wasn't too bad, barely noticed it really. Who's up for the grand door openin'?"

Sam and The Doctor remained silent as she looked back and forth between them.

"Are you-no one wants to open the door? That can't be true, you're the bloody Doctor." She gave him a hard slap on his arm, that hurt quite a bit more than it should have.

"It's your TARDIS, open the bloody thing. And I want one of those manic little smiles along with it. Off you go."

"Manic smiles?" The Doctor said as he made his way to the door. "I don't-I wouldn't call them manic, that's a bit extreme--."

"Whatever. Just open the thing."

Sam walked up beside him as he pulled the doors open, and the he and Donna stumbled away from the door abruptly at the sight before them, obviously startled. The Doctor only stood there, his eyes taking in yet another place from his not to distant past.

"You'll both be fine, there's air." The Doctor said, keeping his eyes forward. Donna was clutching Sam's waist tightly, only letting go when he moved forward again, to stand by The Doctor.

"How is that-possible?" Sam said, reaching out to touch the field of energy in the doorway.

"She protects us when she has too." The Doctor said and nodded to the space before him. Sam looked out as well, his eye widening as he soaked it all in.

"Are we-are we really-"'

"On the moon." The Doctor nodded as a small smile crossed his face. "That there's earth just ahead. Welcome home Samuel-well, sort of."

Sam smiled too, shaking his head in amazement.

"Dean is gonna shit a brick when I tell him about this." He said. The Doctor looked back toward the earth, his smile becoming slightly wistful.

"What is it?" Donna said behind him. The Doctor turned around, shoving his pockets in his hands.

"What was that?"

"What is it, the reason we came here?" Her blue eyes met his, searching for something. Answers perhaps, but he'd begun to feel as if he only had one to give her. The only one that made any sense.

"Martha." He said, turning back to the doorway. "I-the day I met her, we ended up on the moon. I took her out to a balcony-it was the hospital, they'd actually pulled it from the earth and-well, the rest isn't important, what is important is that she walked out with me. She was afraid, I could see it her eyes, but she did it anyway. And we stood there, staring at that planet. And then I knew..."

"You knew what?" Sam said, and The Doctor met his gaze.

"That I wanted her with me." He replied, then looked out the doors once more.

"I still do."

Martha

Ellen had insisted they clean up at her place, telling them to stay as long as they wanted. She only hit Dean in the head once when he brought up her previous comments about the fire at Bobby's house, saying if he so much as lit a match she'd blow up his car.

That brought a quick end to the conversation.

They didn't talk about Lilith. Bobby and Ellen took off to gather more information, and Dean hadn't said a word about what Ruby had told them. It was difficult, knowing that some creature had focused on you without your knowledge, chasing you down while you're completely unaware. She'd been feeling that for days now, and didn't wish it on anyone. Especially not Dean.

Ellen's place was bigger than she thought it would be, a single level spread with six bedrooms and three bathrooms. Dean explained that she took hunters in on a regular basis now, ever since her daughter Jo had run off a year ago to become a hunter herself.

"She misses her." Dean said as Martha stared at the picture on Ellen's mantle. The girl was very pretty, with long blond hair and a small dimple in one cheek. "Ellen and Jo would fight all the time, but-she's just waiting for her to come home."

"So she mothers the lot of you then?" Martha said, and Dean grinned.

"Yeah, something like that."

Martha's eyes turned to the other pictures on the mantle, stopping on a photo of Dean and a handsome man that had to be his brother.

"Is this Sam?" She said, and he walked up beside her.

"Yeah, that's my brother." Dean said. They were standing in front of the Impala, Dean's arm tossed around his brother's neck. Sam was several inches taller, so his long body was slumped awkwardly as he grinned at the camera.

"You look close."

"Yeah, well." Dean shrugged. "We weren't always; Sam was actually at Stanford for a while, bout to head into law school. But he came with me when---when dad disappeared."

"What happened to him?" Martha said. "Your father? You don't have to say, I just-"

"He died." Dean said. "A demon killed him, happens to hunters all the time."

Martha noted his stiff shoulders and decided to drop the subject, though she was sure there was more to the story than that. Dean reached up to the mantel and brought down another picture, his features softening a bit.

"This is Dad." He said, and she looked down, seeing a man with shaggy brown hair and sad brown eyes. Martha leaned closer to the picture, a strange prickling sensation forming at her neck.

"That's your father?"

"Yeah." Dean said and placed the picture back on the mantel. "Looked more like Sam then me though, at least that's what folks tell me. Hey, are you okay?"

Martha walked over to the couch and sank down in the soft cushions. No, she wasn't okay. She actually felt a bit panicked, because she could have sworn she'd seen that man's face before. In the bar, the one who'd warned her about Ruby. But that was impossible.

Wasn't it?

"I'm just-I think I may go splash water on my face, I'll just be-"

She didn't bother to finish as she moved toward the hallway, Dean's concerned eyes following her every move. Martha found the closest bathroom, and shut the door firmly behind her, moving quickly towards the sink. She stared at her face in the mirror, noting wild glint in her eyes, the slightly ashen complexion.

A ghost? Had she'd been talking to a ghost? Or worse, was Dean's father a demon and he had no idea? But he'd saved her, sort of, warning her like that. And then he just-vanished. With everything that happened, she hadn't even noticed.

Martha waited a few more minutes before taking a deep breath in an attempt to strengthen her resolve. She should tell him, he deserved to know what she'd seen. And then they'd figure it out together, decide what to do next. About everything.

Martha emerged from the bathroom and began to slowly walk down the hall. She stopped after only moving a couple of feet, her eyes staring through an open door of one of the bedrooms.

Dean had removed his shirt, and sat on the bed, a first aid kit resting next to him. He grimaced as he applied antiseptic to a cut on his arm, one of many all over his body. Martha walked inside, noting the yellowish bruises on his ribs and back.

"You might have broken something." She said, and he looked up at her, placing the small swab down beside him.

"Nah, I don't think so." He said. "I know what that shit feels like, this will heal. It always does."

She moved the first aid kit to the side and sat next to him on the bed. Her resolve to tell him about his father was fading; she wasn't exactly sure what she'd seen. Maybe she should talk to Bobby about it first, ask him what she should do. She just really didn't want to hurt Dean, not if she didn't have to.

Martha pointed to the kit, and lifted an eyebrow.

"May I?"

Dean gave her a nod and a shrug, and she lifted a few bandages from the box, along with the antiseptic.

"Sorry about earlier." She said quietly.

"You were freaked. I understand, those fucking demons are freaky." Dean's muscles tightened as she worked on a deep cut on his shoulder blade. "Damn rocks, things were like knives."

Martha nodded silently as she carefully taped a large white bandage over the cut. She could feel him staring at her, his eyes taking in every inch of her face. The memory of his groin against hers came rushing back, and she bit her lip, struggling to focus.

"Thanks for helping me back there." Dean said, and her eyes finally met his. His hand reached up to push a strand of hair from her forehead, and his lips formed that crooked smile of his. "Getting Ellen and everyone."

"I thought you'd be angry." She said.

"I was." Dean said. "But fuck, I'm always pissed about something. You were right, doing what you did. Thanks."

"You're welcome." She said. His hand had moved down the side of her neck, fingers lightly moving across her skin. Martha's eyes drifted down his body, her medical indifference quickly fading as she took in the lean muscles of his chest. Her hand rose to the dark tattoo on his upper body, her fingers tracing the thick lines of the sun drawn on his skin.

"What's this" she whispered. "Does it mean something?"

"It's a protection spell." He replied, leaning closer to her. "Keeps the demons out. Sam has one too."

"Oh.." Martha's eyes drifted shut as his mouth moved only inches from her own. His warm breath mingled with hers, and a small shiver ran up body as his lips grazed her own.

"You mouth is so soft." He murmured, then ran his tongue across her bottom lip, causing her to emit a small whimper. Her hand slid along his neck as he teased her mouth, and she moved closer to him, her body now aching with need.

"Martha..." he whispered as her tongue met his, and the teasing became a deep, hungry stroking inside her mouth. She felt his hand reach up to find her breast and he began to knead the soft flesh slowly through the thin fabric of her t-shirt.

Her head was swimming, and she struggled to think, to focus on anything other than what he was doing to her body. God, she'd practically attacked him in the bar, been ready to have him on the roof of his car. She wasn't this person, never shagged someone she'd only met days ago. She should stop this, before it went too far. Before she-before-

Before something happened inside her that she couldn't take back.

"Dean..." Martha gasped as he broke the kiss. His mouth moved across her chin, before leaving a trail of heat down her neck. "We shouldn't....this can't..."

"Yes, it can." He said against her skin. She moaned as his fingers found her hard nipple, pulling gently at the taunt skin. Too many clothes, she thought, wanting to feel his skin on hers.

"Just say yes..." His head lifted as he met her eyes. "Say yes to me..."

And then, as his heated eyes stared back at her, the last of her resolve faded away. She grabbed the hem of her t-shirt and lifted it over her head, tossing the material aside. His hands slid across her waist as he watched her remove her bra, freeing her breasts to his gaze. Dean pushed her down to the bed, and lowered his head to gently wet a dark areola with the hot tip of his tongue.

"Yes..." Martha breathed, her hands plunging into his thick, blond hair. "Yes...yes..."

Dean circled her nipple with his tongue before taking it deep into his mouth, his teeth lightly grazing her skin. His hand slid across her stomach, caressing the soft curve, before finding the top button of her jeans.

Martha watched as he lifted his head from her breast, and slid the jeans down her legs, and onto the floor. His mouth moved to the curve of her lower stomach as his fingers played along the hem of her panties.

"Please." she moaned, her body trembling. Slowly, he peeled the material from her hips, and she lifted her ass as he moved it down the length of her legs.

Dean stood up quickly and removed his own pants and underwear, freeing his cock to her searching eyes. He was even bigger than she'd imagined, the thick, hard shaft causing her heart to pound anxiously. Dean stared down at her, his appreciative eyes taking in every inch of her body, and she felt a sharp thrill rush through her. She'd never felt this wanted, this desired before, and it was intoxicating. And as she parted her legs, revealing her wet slit to him, she felt alive. More than she had for a long time.

"Jesus, you're beautiful.' Dean whispered, and she reached out a hand to him, desperate for him to touch her once more. He moved back to the bed, his body resting between her legs as he pressed her into the mattress.

His hand moved across her hip, and found her mound, becoming tangled small triangle of curls. Martha could feel his cock against the lips of her slit and she moaned with frustration as his fingers parted the soaking folds of her sex.

"Dean.... please..."

She felt his cock push inside her, the large head slowly stretching the slick wall of her sex. Martha's nails dug into his waist as his shaft filled her, her lips parting as she gasped sharply. She lifted her hips to greet him, and soon he was buried deep inside her, his eyes locked on hers.

They were still for a moment, just staring at one another, unable to speak. Dean lowered his lips to hers and kissed her gently, almost tenderly, before he began to pump his cock inside her aching pussy.

Martha lifted her hips to meet his, as she let out throaty moans of encouragement. He moved in a smooth steady rhythm, his back muscles flexing with each thrust. The room became filled with their heavy breathing, and the soft squeaking of the iron bed. Martha bent her knees slightly, her eyes closing as the thrusting of his dick overwhelmed her.

"Dean.." She moaned and he lowered his head, his lips pressed against her ear.

"Say it again."

"Dean..." she cried out "Oh god, more...."

And then he was pounding into her, his cock moving in deep, punishing strokes. Martha shouted with pleasure, and arched her back from the bed as her groin began to tighten around him. His balls pounded against her ass and became soaked with her cream as she came, the orgasm causing her body to convulse and writhe beneath him.

Dean kept his rhythm steady, and she let out a panting moan as he lifted her leg to his shoulder, his cock shifting to find her g-spot. His dick was lifting her hips from the bed, and could only manage a weak groan of pleasure as another orgasm hit, this time causing loud, guttural shouts from deep inside her. Her ass squirmed and wiggled against the bed, and she felt him stiffen as his own orgasm hit him, his lips pressed tightly against her throat. She felt his body sink down into hers, and she clung to him as he breathed heavily against her, his heart pounding in his chest.

They laid there, bodies still joined and covered in sweat, each knowing there was so much to say, but unable to find the words. Soon, Dean shifted his position, and moved beside her on the bed, her body wrapped in his arms. Martha felt his lips against her forehead, as she began to drift off, her body completely spent. But she could hear him whispering softly to her, his deep voice a low mummer.

"I'll keep you safe." He said, and pulled her even closer to him. "I promise, whatever it takes, I'll keep you safe."

And she knew he would.

Lilith

She was stronger now.

It was working, just as she knew it would. All that fear, that pain. It fed her, made her strong again. It burned inside her, all that light, but it was worth it. He was worth it.

Her beautiful boy.

"Are we close?" The Master said, and she nodded, smiling prettily. He'd stopped yelling at her for a while now, which was good. She didn't like his face all red like that.

"Good." The Master said. "What about the girl-Ruby? Is she..."

"She failed me." Lilith said, her eyes a glistening white. "And she will be punished like the rest of them. They've forgotten their fear, forgotten me. But I'll make them remember. And then they'll burn."

The Master smiled carefully as he watched her toss her dark hair over her small shoulder.

"And Martha too?' he said. And she nodded.

"Her first."  

Chapter Nine

 Martha                

The thought occurred to her several times that they should have left the room by now. Or at least gotten out of bed, the sky had been dark for ages. Exactly how long she wasn’t sure, she wasn’t sure of much right now, except the wonderful things that were happening her body.

“Hmmm.…”  It was the extent of her ability to communicate, her mind rendered useless as Dean’s mouth moved at the small of her back, alternating between soft, lingering kisses and hot strokes of his tongue. Martha felt his hand sliding up her thighs, and she lifted her ass slightly as he cupped the firm cheeks.

“Dean…” she was able to gasp out the word and he delivered one more kiss before lifting head. She turned on her side and their eyes met as his hand lightly massaged her hip. They didn’t speak for while, just watched each other across the bed, a smile forming on both their lips. She spoke first, her voice slightly breathless as the confession tumbled out.

“I don’t want to lea—“

“Neither do I.” He finished for her, and then he was at her side, laying his body next to hers. Martha felt his arm wrap around her waist, and she moved closer, pressing herself tightly against him. She heard his small intake of breath as her legs slid against his cock, and his hold tightened on her as his shaft became rigid.

“We shouldn’t be doing this.” Martha whispered as his hands found her ass once more. “I mean, there are demons and things—out there…and we haven’t found your—Oh, God...”

His fingers had slid between her thighs and began rubbing the soaked lips of her slit. Martha’s legs parted slightly, and his fingers found her clit, gently teasing the swollen nub.

“This is where I want to be.” Dean whispered against her ear, and her eyes closed as his breath warmed her skin. “The rest of them can wait.”

His fingers plunged inside her and she gasped; her hips lifting as he slowly pumped them in and out of her sex. Dean lowered his head and kissed her, the wet heat of his tongue making her whimper softly. She was thrusting her hips against his hand, and he broke the kiss to whisper hoarsely against her lips.

“Stay with me.” Dean pulled her closer, rolling his body until she lay on top of him. His hand reached up to push a lock of hair behind her ear as she stared down at him, her eyes tracing ever inch of his face.

“Just—stay with me.” Dean said again and Martha nodded before kissing him softly. His hands plunged into her hair, and she slid her groin down slightly, her hand reaching down to grasp the wide girth of his cock. She ended the kiss as she lifted her body, pressing the large head against her sex. Their moans mingled together as she slowly took him inside her, and she felt her slick walls stretch, accommodating him as his shaft filled her completely.

“Martha.” He whispered, and his eyes drifted shut as she began to ride him. Martha moved her hips in a steady, slow rhythm, at times creating small circles as she worked his cock against her soaking canal. Dean lifted his hips against her, and his hands reached up to find her breasts, teasing the aroused nipples. Martha tilted her body forward, gasping the iron headboard as her movements became faster. She was covered in sweat, her breathing labored as she worked her body against him and came suddenly, almost violently, the force of it causing her to cry out. His hands moved down to grip her hips, keeping her upright as she moved. Dean lifted his chest and pressed it against hers, and his arms wrapped around her as she ground her hips against his. Martha felt her body tense as a shattering warmth rush through her, and she clung to him, slightly desperate as the second orgasm wracked her body. Dean let out a long, hard groan and she felt his release inside her, his muscles become hard under her hands, before slowly relaxing against her.

They held each other, heads resting on each other’s shoulders, their hearts pounding. She felt Dean kiss her shoulder, and her eyes closed tightly, overwhelmed by the rush of tenderness that rushed through her.

God, what was this? What was happening…

“Dean—“

“Just a little longer.” He said, and pulled her closer against him. She nodded, and ran her hands through his hair, more than willing to hold onto what they’d just shared.

Just a little longer.

The Doctor  

“This has to end.”

The Doctor’s eyes never wavered as he spoke, but he felt Sam and Donna’s enthusiastic nods beside him, Donna even going as far as giving a small whistle of relief.

“Bloody time you made that mental jump.” She whispered, and he only grimaced in response. Sam slid closer to him, his deep voice traveling through the underground tunnel despite his hushed tone.

“So, exactly why are we afraid of the trash can?”

“Because it can kill us, Samuel.”

“Oh. Okay.” Sam was silent a moment, before he spoke again.

“Seriously?”

“It’s a Dalek, Sam. It may not look like much, but those things have destroyed entire planets, galaxies. Even—even species.”

“The trash can?”

“Yes, yes, the bloody trashcan.” The Doctor began to walk toward the Dalek, who’d remained still throughout this exchange. No wonder the boy had a difficult time grasping the danger. Sitting there that way, he looked harmless, nothing like the mindless killing machine he was raised to be.

They were deep inside the New York sewer tunnels, he didn’t know exactly when, but if the pattern held, he’d guess it was sometime in the 1930s, close to when he and Martha had stumbled upon Daleks here the first go round. They’d solved that problem of course, but now he’d come across this lot, a forgotten Dalek, perhaps deserted by his people.

The ones that managed to escape him anyway.

“That thing is creepin’ me out, can we go?” Donna said. The Doctor looked back at them, noting the emphatic shaking of Sam’s head.

“We can’t go until—”

“Donna’s right.” The Doctor interrupted. She smiled triumphantly at Sam, who only looked at him with confusion.

“But we just got here.”

“There’s nothing out there we need to see.” He began to walk towards them, careful to make a wide circle around the mute Dalek. Any other day, he’d study the thing, attempt to discover what had rendered him into this catatonic state. But not now. He refused to waste another moment on a Dalek when Martha was out there, waiting for him.

“I’ve decided to take new approach.” He said, placing a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “I’ve grown slightly impatient with this one; it’s only led me to—a Dalek. And that’s the last place I should be. Or want to be for that matter.”

“So what now?” Sam said.

“Now we—”

“Run!” Donna shouted, her blue eyes widening as she stared past them. “We run our bloody arses off!”

The Doctor spun around to see the Dalek slowly coming to life, his small gun, shifting back and forth as his body began to move. The Doctor’s grip on Sam’s shoulder tightened as he pushed him toward the TARDIS, his shouts echoing Donna’s previous ones.

“Run! Hurry Sam!”

Sam quickly obeyed, and they were able to close the TARDIS doors before the first shot was fired. The Doctor took in both of their terrified faces, before stalking over to the central console of the TARDIS, reaching for the small rectangular shaped door near the center. He hesitated for a moment, his breathing heavy as he processed what he was about to do.

“You can’t be serious.” He heard Donna say and he felt all his pent up anger and frustration burning inside him as he looked up at her. She took a step back, but didn’t break away from his gaze.

“Doctor.” She said

“This has to end.”  He said, then hesitated for a moment. “Cover your eyes.”

His hands pried open the small door, a blindingly bright light filling the room.

“Sam!” he called out, his ears ringing from the shear energy being released. “Come, now! Hurry.”

Sam quickly moved beside him, his hand lifted to shield his eyes from the glare.

“What is it?” Sam shouted, and The Doctor took his hand, pressing it inside the brightly lit rectangle. Sam averted his eyes, but didn’t pull away as the light crept slowly up his arm.

“The heart.” The Doctor replied, and felt the TARDIS began to move. The green column began to slowly move up and down, the sound of takeoff clear through the ship’s interior. The Doctor quickly pulled Sam’s hand from the light, and pressed the flap down again, the interior growing significantly dimmer than before.

“That was the heart of the TARDIS.” The Doctor said, his voice slightly breathless. “And if my theory is correct, your biological imprint has just set a course back home. Your home I mean. Or somewhere thereabouts.”

And to Martha.

“Your theory?” Donna said, before smacking him on the arm. “You put his hand in that thing for a bloody theory?  It could have ate him.”

“The TARDIS doesn’t eat people Donna. And it’s a sound theory, Sam isn’t like me, he’s human. Only one lifetime for the TARDIS to process, this will work. It has to.”

“Says you, you can barely drive that thing, you sure as hell didn’t know what that—that little knob would do when Martha fixed it. It could have ripped his skin clear off his bones—”

“I’m alright, Donna.” Sam said, and she only grumbled in response, crossing her arms under her chest. The Doctor cleared his throat and slid his fingers across the console. He was sure the TARIS wouldn’t—although there was this one time—

“There’s just one problem.” Sam said, and the Doctor lifted his head to meet Sam’s eyes.

“Hmm, what was that?”

“There’s a small problem.” Sam said again, and The Doctor’s brow furrowed.

“You said this thing should be taking me home?”

The Doctor nodded, and crossed arms across his chest.

“Yes, your body signature was imprinted when you touched the heart, and since the ship likely brought you here in the first place, it would be a logical conclusion that—”

“But I don’t have a home.” Sam interrupted.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t have—me and Dean, we move around a lot, we don’t have a home. Not for a while now.”

The Doctor blew out a puff of air and leaned back against the railing surrounding the console.

“Perhaps I should have thought of that part.” He said and Donna snorted loudly.

“Brilliant my bloody arse.”

Martha 

After a small round of arguing, followed by another quick shag, Dean finally allowed her to leave the bedroom for a quick rummage through the kitchen, her growling stomach emphasizing her argument. Martha tossed on her jeans and his t-shirt, which she’d rummaged out of a duffel bag that he’d sat in the corner.

“See if she has those cookies, the one’s with the chocolate in the middle.” He said as she walked toward the door.

“You’re stealing her cookies?” she said, and he grinned.

“I always steal Ellen’s cookies, it’s expected. Though technically, you’re the one doing the stealing, I’m just a bystander in all this.”

“So I suppose I can keep them to myself then.” Martha said as she opened the door. “You being so innocent and everything.”

“You don’t mess with a man’s cookies Martha.”  He gave her a slightly wicked grin. “Not unless he asks you to.”

“Pervert.”

“Hell, yes. Hurry back, and I’ll show you exactly how perverted I can be.”

She was still smiling as she made her way into the darkly lit kitchen, finding the cookies shoved all the way to the back of the shelf. She peered at the package, and sighed at the warning thickly inked in black magic marker.

STAY THE FUCK OUT OF MY COOKIES DEAN.

“She means it too.”

Martha almost dropped the bag to the floor as she spun around, her heart pounding hard in her chest.

“Ellen’s a bit of a bitch when it comes to her cookies, almost as much as Dean. But not quite.”

Martha’s eyes widened as she took in the man sitting at the kitchen table.

“You’re—you’re him.”

The brown eyes softened as he smiled at her, gesturing to the seat on the other side of the table.

“Name’s John.” He said. “I’m—I was Dean’s father. And you look like you should sit down, I hate to have you pass out on me or something. I get that sometimes.”

Martha nodded and slowly drifted toward the seat, sinking down slowly so she wouldn’t tip over. She was a bit disoriented, and she realized belatedly that her hands had completely crushed the bag, the cookies becoming small crumbles in her hands.

“Bloody hell.” She murmured, and he laughed, a deep, melodious laugh that instantly put her at ease.

“You know, my boy’s had questionable taste in women over the years. But you impress me Martha Jones.”

“You know my name.” It was a statement rather than a question, an obvious one really. John nodded, leaning back in the chair.

“I’ve been around.” He said. “I keep an eye on my boys now and again.”

“Oh.” She said. “But you—I mean, you weren’t—just now—“

“No.”

“Of course.” She laughed a little too loudly, and could feel her face burning. “I mean I’m sure you wouldn’t—that is—why are you here?  I mean, how am I seeing you, I’m not...”

“Crazy?  No.” he smiled. “But you knew that already. Can’t really be part of your imagination if you’ve never seen me before.”

“There are other ways.’ She hedged.

“Are we really going to waste time with this?” he said

“Why haven’t you shown yourself to Dean?” she countered. “I haven’t known him very long, but I know he’d love to see you—”

“I’ve caused him enough pain for one lifetime.” John said, his eyes darkening a bit. “The last thing he needs is me haunting him on top of the rest. He does enough of that guilt shit on his own without seeing my ugly mug again.”

“The rest?” she said.

A hand ran across his hair in a gesture so like his son’s it startled her.

“Dean—I sold my soul to a demon, so Dean could live.” John said quietly. “To the demon that killed his mother. So my boy could live.”

Martha resisted the urge to touch him, his sorrow palpable across the table. But she didn’t know how this all worked, he could vanish if she tried to make contact.

“That’s dreadful, I’m so sorry.”

“His mother died when he was a boy, and then I left him. After that—all he has is Sam, at least that’s all he thinks he has. And now, with his brother gone….”

“He’s alone” Martha finished quietly. John smiled at her again.

“No.” he said. “He has you.”

She bit her lip, remembering how Dean held her only moments before. And how good it felt, to have those arms wrapped around her body. No one had ever held her like that, not even Tom. Certainly not The Doctor.

“But I’m—I’m not…”

“He needs you.” John said, standing up from the table. “And you need him. Especially now.”

“What? I’m not sure what you mean.”

“He’s coming for you Martha.”

“You mean Dean.” She said. “That—demon, Lilith. She wants Dean, not me. I’m only in her way, that’s why—”

“He wants you Adriana.” He said, and his body began to shimmer and fade before her eyes. Martha stood up quickly, panic rising in her chest.

“What! Don’t just—shit, wait! Why did you….”

Her voice trailed off as he faded from view, and she stared down at the crumbled bag of cookies.

Why had he called her by her middle name?

It took him a few minutes to realize where they were. But when he did, a strange mix of emotions ran through him. Happiness maybe?  Regret, most likely. But perhaps even a little fear, though he wasn’t sure what he was afraid of.

He was home.

“I grew up here.” Sam said aloud as The Doctor and Donna walked up beside him. That wasn’t really accurate. While the house looked exactly the same, he and Dean hadn’t spent as much time there as they probably should have. Dad was always taking them out on the road, sometimes leaving them with Bobby, but sometimes they’d just stay in a hotel, waiting for him to come back from whatever hunt he’d found. But there were a few Christmases where they’d actually make it back, they’d even get a tree and shit, and he loved it.

God, how had he forgotten about this place?

“There now, you see!’ The Doctor said, smiling broadly at Donna. “Sam here did have a home, it just slipped his mind.”

“You really want to start that up again?” Donna said, and The Doctor averted his eyes, turning back towards Sam.

“Now then. We just need settle on the current date, make sure you don’t run into yourself, that sort of thing.”

“What would…”

“It’s better if you don’t.” The Doctor said quickly, his eyes searching the deserted street. “Let’s just leave it there—my god, this street is empty. Where is everyone?”

Sam and Donna began to look around, quickly drawing the same conclusion. There were no cars, no pedestrians of any kind, which was—strange. It was your typical suburban neighborhood, and in the middle of the day. Where were the soccer moms, the kids playing on the sidewalk?

“I don’t like this.” Sam said, and then they heard the sound, right before The Doctor could answer.

“EXTERMINATE!  EXTERMINATE!”

The Doctor’s mouth fell open as his face tightened with irritation.

“You have got to be kidding me.” The Doctor said, right before the Dalek fired a laser beam several inches above his head. They all fell to the ground as a tree branch crashed onto a nearby lawn.

“Did they follow us?” Donna shouted, ducking her head for cover.

Sam looked up at the trashcan as it began to roll towards them. He turned to The Doctor, who glared at the thing approaching them, eyes dark with fury.

“Suggestions?” Sam said.

“Only one.” The Doctor replied.

“Run.”

Dean 

“Well, the dead has arisen.” Bobby grumbled as Dean made his way into Ellen’s kitchen. Martha was currently showering in the bathroom, and had kicked him out after he’d lathered and rinsed her thoroughly. He’d made his way to the front of the house to find Ellen and Bobby sitting at the kitchen table, ice cold beers in hand, and Bobby flipping through another one of his ratty old books.

“Can I get me one of those?” Dean said nodding toward the beers, which only earned a glare from Ellen. She shook a cookie bag at him, her brown eyes lit with anger.

“Do we have to do this every fucking time you visit?”

“I’m not guilty this time around, sorry.” Dean said. He leaned against the counter, his eyes brows lifting slightly. “I haven’t been in here all day, maybe you got mice.”

“I ain’t got fucking mice, I got a freeloader who steals my goddamn cookies.” Ellen tossed the bag on the table and pushed up from her seat. “But I should have known better, you been stealing those things ever since you were little.”

“What can I say, I’m consistent.” Dean said, and nodded toward the bag. “Any left in there?”

“Boy, don’t make me cut you.”

“He’s probably telling the truth, you know.” Bobby said as he turned a yellowing page of his book. “Couldn’t even stay in the house without blushin’ the way them two were carrying on.”

Dean moved to the refrigerator and swiped a beer, hiding the small grin that formed on his lips. Martha was a screamer.

“Not sure what you mean.” Dean’s face was expressionless as he turned around, and Bobby just rolled his eyes.

“Right.” He said, and Ellen hit him on the shoulder.

“For god sakes Bobby, if they wanna fuck like rabbits, let’em.” She said. “Can’t count how many times I got worked up after a hunt, they’re young. Let’em be young.”

“Thank you Ellen.” Dean said. “But not for the visual, you can take that back.”

“Suck it Dean.” She said, sliding back into her chair. “And Martha’s a sweet girl, smart and pretty. And brave as hell, count your blessings on that one.”

He couldn’t stop the smile this time, and he looked down at his beer, remembering how she felt beneath him. Being with her, he’d been able to forget all the shit for awhile and it was nice. Hell, it was fucking great. And it was taking everything in him not to run down that hall and find her again.

“Yeah, she’s alright.” Dean said, putting the beer to his lips. Ellen snorted at this, while Bobby’s eyes finally lifted from the text.

“Just watch yourself Dean.” Bobby said, and Dean lifted an eyebrow, placing the beer on the counter behind him.

“What’s that mean?” Dean said, and Bobby sighed heavily.

“It means that cute little accent of hers is there for a reason. She’s got a life back home Dean, and once this is over…”

“You done playin’ papa?” Dean snapped, grabbing up his drink again. “Cause I’m done hearin’ it.”

“You ain’t heard a fucking thing boy.” Bobby said. “But then you never do.”

“You guys find something or what?” Dean said, nodding toward the book on the table. Bobby opened his mouth, but was cut off by the loud roar of an engine from outside. They all stared at each other as Ellen’s dogs began to bark frantically, then hurried to screened door as bright headlights illuminated the yard. Ellen grabbed the shotgun leaning against the doorframe, and they each barreled outside, eyes squinting as they were blinded by the high beams.

“You think it’s a demon?” Bobby called out, and Dean shrugged.

“Maybe—maybe not, that is one big motherfucking truck. Is that a Hummer?”

Ellen cocked the shotgun as the driver killed the engine, pointing at the large windshield.

“Don’t give a shit.” She said as driver moved closer. “But it’s fucking up my rose bushes.”

The lights of the truck dimmed, likely from some kind of automatic timer, and the man approaching them came into view. Dean took in the short, aggressively styled brown hair, the long duster coat swinging at his back. His eyes narrowed as the focused on the gun at the man’s hip.

“He’s got—”

“I know.” Ellen said, lifting the shotgun slightly. The man stopped a few feet away, and glanced over at the black dogs growing from behind the fence. He nodded toward them, before bringing his eyes back to Ellen.

“Cute. Yours?” he said.

“Purebred.” She said. “And they’ll bite the hell out of strangers if I let’em.”

The smile widened.

“Actually, I was talking about him.” he said, pointing toward Dean. “Although, I must say, you’re quite disarming in your own right, you must be Ellen.”

“What the fuck?” Ellen and Dean spoke at the same time as the screen door opened behind them. Dean heard Martha’s short gasp, and began to warn her away, only to have her run past him, jumping into the man’s waiting arms.

“Jack!” she shouted as she embraced him, and the man laughed in response, catching her easily.

“Ah, Martha Jones.” The man said, hugging her tightly. “Voice of a nightingale. I’ve been looking for you sweetheart.”

Dean felt his chest tighten as he watched them, his hand flexing at his side. His eyes widened as the realization hit, catching him slightly off guard.

Holy shit, he was jealous.

Sam 

Sam felt the heat of the laser beam only inches from his body but he kept running. There were three of them, at least, that’s how many he’d counted before he took off. He’d been separated from Donna and The Doctor, both calling out, but neither able to reach him before the shooting began in earnest. So he’d run to the back of the house, praying the large tree was still where he remembered it.

Though if he had time to think on this a bit more before acting, he would have realized how damn stupid his plan was. Climbing a tree? And he was the smart brother?

Sam tripped over a large root in the yard, and scrambled up to his feet again. The trashcans kept shouting, over and over again. Exterminate. Like he was fucking bug or something.

“God, help me.” He whispered, and another laser passed him as he ducked down, hitting the large tree he’d run to. The thick truck began to splinter down the middle, and Sam threw his body to the ground as a large half fell towards the house.

“No.” he whispered as leaves and branches crashed through the roof, into the interior of the house, windows shattering as wood crumbled beneath the tree’s weight. He could make out the Spiderman curtains in one of the back windows and realized it was his childhood bedroom, being torn to shreds.

His fucking home.

“EXTERMINATE! SURRENDER OR BE EXTERMINATED.”

His chest began to rise and fall, his body growing hot with anger. There was rage, so much rage burning inside him, and he wondered if this is what The Doctor felt like, when the sun took him over. Sam assumed that it was painful, all that heat in his body. But now he wondered if he also felt—powerful.

“Sam!’

Donna. That was Donna calling out to him, but he couldn’t answer, couldn’t see her. There was too much….

“Sam, get away from there!”

The Doctor. That was—god, what was this? What was happening…

He lifted his eyes toward the Daleks and they fell into silence, their small lasers turning downward. They backed away slowly, as the feeling inside him grew. Pulsing, red hot energy. And he moved toward them.

“You’re afraid.” He said, and he could have sworn he saw them shaking. “You fear me. You---fear me. FEAR ME….”

A red hot pain stung his cheek, and his head flew backwards as his jawbone popped loudly. Sam brought a hand to his face, his eyes wide as he turned back to a slightly frantic Donna, who now stood between him and the Daleks.

“Holy fuck—did you just hit me?” Sam cried, and Donna snapped her fingers in his face.

“Yes, demon boy.” She said. “Not sure you realized you went all exorcist on us just now, your bloody eyes were white, glowin’ and everything.”

“My what?”

“She’s right.” The Doctor said as he walked towards the Daleks. He leaned closer to  them for a moment, before straightening again, turning his eyes toward Sam.

“Your eyes were bright, almost like the TARDIS. Thought it was the TARDIS actually, until I saw this.”

“Saw what?” Sam said, still holding his aching jaw. Apparently Donna was stronger than she looked.

“They’re dead.” The Doctor said, pointing toward the Daleks. “All three, just---dead. And while I may not know everything about my ship, I do know that she would never do something like this.”

Sam eyed the Daleks as a sliver of fear rushed through him.

“So what are you saying?” Sam said.

“I’m saying that I’m starting believe you.” The Doctor said. “I believe there is something inside you, something that could possibly—well, I can’t really say it quite yet, but you know what I’m getting at.”

“You believe in demons?”  Donna said. “Well, knock me over with a feather, this is a day for surprises. First Sam with the glowy thing, and now—”

“I didn’t say I believe, I can’t—I’m just finding it difficult to follow the same thought patterns, when all this is in front of me. I felt something, when Sam—went glowy, as you put it. I felt fear.”

“I think we all felt that.” Donna said, but the Doctor walked towards Sam, his brown eyes studying him intently.  

“No..this was more than just emotion, this was—forced. You caused that fear, you willed it inside them.” The Doctor said, pointing to the Daleks. “You willed it into me. And I’m not sure, but it seemed as if it—well, it felt like—”

Sam finished his sentence, his heart beating wildly in his chest as he stared at the dead Daleks.

“It felt like I was feeding.”

Ruby  

Ruby shook the chains of her cuffs for the umpteeth time, letting out a deep sigh of frustration. She’d been in the basement of Ellen’s house for hours now, the thick iron combining with the devil’s trap below her feet to render her completely incapacitated. Now, all she could do was wait, for Dean to put a bullet through her head with that fucking Colt, or for Lilith to make good on her promise to see her suffer. She was fucked from both ends, anyway she looked at it, and even that asshole Gordon had apparently disappeared on her

Can’t count on anyone these days.

She was just about to let out another round of bitching when she felt it. A cool rush of power moving through her body, her eyes turning black as the feeling grew stronger. Every nerve tingled, ever inch of her ached with yearning. Ruby gasped loudly, tilting her eyes up to the beamed ceiling.

Then she smiled.

“Sam.” She breathed. “Oh, baby, I found you.”

Chapter Ten

Martha

“So I called in a few favors down in Manhattan—they’ve got a great Torchwood branch there, not better than mine, but good—and they helped me track you down.”

Jack took another drink of his lager as he leaned against the kitchen sink, throwing a self satisfied grin her way. Martha couldn’t help but grin back, seeing Jack was like having a little bit of home show up on her doorstep. It righted her a bit, made her feel as if things might eventual go back to normal.

Only—normal meant without Dean.

She turned her eyes to the table, where Dean was hunched over a large book, turning pages with a bit more force than was necessary. He’d barely spoken to her since Jack arrived, which made her slightly anxious for some reason. She couldn’t have done something wrong in such a short time, so it had to be something else, something he wasn’t telling her.

She just wished he look at her again.

“You tracked her down how?” Bobby said, his eyes alight with interest. “I mean—yeah, how?”

“Oh, it was easy.” Jack said. “I just ran a trace on any abnormal energy surges in the past few days, and cross referenced that with the energy signal from the TARDIS. Wasn’t too hard to track you down once I had a general area. Brilliant idea really, wish I’d thought of it first.”

Martha’s eyes finally left Dean to focus on Jack once again.

“It wasn’t—then it was—”

“That’s right beautiful.” Jack said. “Got that one straight from the man himself.”

Martha felt her heartbeat quicken at his words, only now realizing she’d started to believe The Doctor had forgotten her somehow. Well, maybe not forgotten, but definitely been distracted in some way. He was a Time Lord after all, and she was just—Martha.

“Jesus man.” Dean said as he looked up from the book. “Sweetheart? Beautiful? Nightingale, what are you like a hundred?”

Jack’s eyebrow rose as Martha glared at Dean.

“That question’s more complicated than you think.” Jack said. “Either that, or I don’t know the answer, which is probably more likely. What with the time traveling, and the immortality thing, one has to wonder when a birthday actually stops meaning something. No grey hair is no grey hair in my book, who the hell cares about the candles. Am I right?”

They stared at him as he took another drink, then gave a small wink to Ellen, who turned away abruptly, suddenly fascinated with the barrel of her shotgun. Dean grunted, and shook his head, a derisive smile on his face.

“Well that---was just fucking odd man.” Dean said, and Jack nodded in agreement.

“Agreed. But coming from a guy who hunts vampires and witches—I’ll take it with a grain of salt.”

“What are you doing?” Martha said quietly. Dean straightened in his chair when he realized she was talking to him.

“What—I’m making conversation.”

“You’re being an ass.” She said, crossing her arms beneath her chest. “And we both know that you’re not, so why are you—”

“I just asked the man a question.” Dean said, his hand giving another hard flip to the pages in front of him. “Kinda”

“Oh.” Jack said, causing Martha and Dean to stare at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”

“What?” they asked simultaneously. Jack only grinned as his eyes drifted back and forth between the two.

“Light bulb moment.” Jack said. “Of a sexual nature—exactly what are you looking at there might I ask.”

“It’s an ancient text of demons.” Bobby said as he entered the kitchen. He carried three more books in his hands, and slammed them down on the table, the resulting dust causing Dean to cough loudly.

“Sorry.” Bobby said, and Dean watched him though squinted eyes.

“That shit could be toxic, you know.” He said. Martha found a chair, and slid next to Dean at the table, Jack moving forward to look over her shoulder. Dean glanced up at her, and their eyes held for a moment, before he looked down again, turning the page.

“Ruby said Lilith was behind all this shit. She’s a demon.” Dean said to Jack. “And you’re late to the party, so let’s not rehash the real, not real bullshit okay?”

Jack lifted his hands in surrender.

“No argument here. Whatever we’re dealing with sounds like fun. I brought the big gun.”

“What big gun?” Ellen asked, and Jack’s dimples deepened slightly.

“Oh, I have several. One I have particular interest in showing you.” he said. Ellen’s mouth tightened, and she cocked the shotgun violently, causing them all to jump.

“You can cut that shit out any time now.” She said, and Bobby moved forward, blocking them from each other’s view.

“You were saying?” he said to Dean, who stared at Ellen and Jack a bit longer before clearing his throat.

“Right. So yeah, Lilith and my brother went toe to toe about a year ago she tried to kill him and it backfired on her. Sent her ass straight to hell. At least, that’s what me and Sam liked to tell each other anyway, made sleeping a lot easier.”

Martha leaned in closer, feeling Dean’s eyes lingering as he watched her.

“Destroyer of children and seducer of men. Well.” She leaned back. “That leaves me out, I’m neither of those things.”

“But Dean is.” Bobby said. “And she’s got a hit out on you cause your fucking with her favorite toy.”

“I’m not a goddamn Weeble.” Dean said, but Martha was only half listening. John Winchester’s words kept playing through her mind, that it wasn’t just Dean they were after, it was her. Someone, or something was after her, and if Lilith preferred the more masculine side of things, did that mean there was something else? Something they didn’t know about.

“We should talk to Ruby again.” She said, and Dean slammed the book shut.

“Wrong fucking answer.” He said. Martha let out a frustrated sigh as Dean stood up from the table, his body tight with anger as he walked toward the living room. Jack slid into his vacated seat and opened the book again, his eyes scanning the pages with interest.

“Dean—” Martha began, but Dean only shook his head as he turned around, his eyes taking on that angry squint she was beginning to dislike. He always said something that pissed her off after.

“You are not going anywhere near that broad, understand?” he said, and she stood as well, feeling her own eyes narrow a bit.

“She just downstairs, it doesn’t make sense not to—“

“It makes all the fucking sense in the world to stay clear of that bitch, she’s poison. The nasty shit she tried to do with my brother. She’s lucky I haven’t shot her ass yet.”

“And why haven’t you.” Martha said, only making him scowl more as he leaned his body against a nearby wall.

“Cause I haven’t eaten yet.” Dean said deliberately. “I don’t like exorcisms on an empty stomach; makes me grumpy and shit.”

“You’re so full of it.” Martha said, and Dean raised his arms out to the side.

“Can’t be full of anything. Haven’t eaten yet.”

“Hey guys.” Jack said, and they glared at each other for a moment before turning towards him.

“Who’s the Dark One?” Jack said.

Martha’s stomach dropped at his words.

“What—why did you say that?” she said, and Jack pointed to the book, sliding it around for her to see.

“Cause it’s right there.” He said. “Granted my Latin’s a little rusty, but I’m pretty sure this says the Dark One is the end of light. Or kills light, or something like that. Like I said, I’m rusty.”

Bobby rushed to Jack’s side, taking the book away from him. Martha felt a strong hand grip her arm as Dean walked up beside her and fought the urge to lean into him, press her face into his shirt. But she didn’t do any of those things because they wouldn’t be of much help to the situation. Plus, Jack was there, and he’d only tease her about it later.

“The Dark One is the end of Light.” Bobby said, then looked up at Martha. “This talks about some kind of death bringer that walks the earth.”

“So it’s a prophecy?” Ellen asked, and Bobby nodded.

“Looks like.” He replied, glancing at her before looking toward Martha again. She shook her head, waving her arms in the air.

“Alright, enough of this.” She said. “This is madness, I’m not a bloody death bringer. This Dark One nonsense, it’s just—Christ, I’m not a death bringer.”

“Adriana.” Jack said, and Martha looked down at him, her eyes wide.

“What about it, that’s my middle name.” she replied. “Why is everyone suddenly calling me—”

“That’s your name?” Bobby said, and she looked towards him, inadvertently moving closer to Dean.

“My middle name, yes.” She said. “Why, what’s—”

“Spit it out Bobby.” Dean snapped. “You’re freaking her out with this shit.”

Bobby and Jack looked at each other, before Jack turned to Martha, his eyes softening a bit.

“Martha, Adriana in Latin means—” But her mind already completed the sentence as the connection fell into place.

“Dark One.” She said, feeling her body grow cold at the realization. “It means—The Dark One, doesn’t it?”

“Martha—“Dean said, but she didn’t hear him not really.

“Death.” She said quietly. “I—I bring death. Ha. Good to know.”

They all fell into silence, hearing only the faint sound of the dogs barking outside. Dean gripped Martha’s shoulders and turned her around, forcing her to meet his eyes.

“I’m gonna go talk to Ruby.” He said. “You stay—”

“No.” she said. “We go together, I want to—we go together.”

“I could have told you that wasn’t gonna work man. Not with her.” Jack said, and Dean tossed a glance his way.

“Yeah, I’m figuring that out.”

“Dogs.” Ellen said softly, her brown eyes fixed on the doorway. “The dogs are barking.”

“Yeah.” Bobby said, before his eyes widened. “Yeah.” He said again, reaching for his gun.

“Did I miss something?” Jack said, and Ellen gestured to his pistol, which was currently lying on the table.

“You got something bigger than that, I suggest you pull the fucker out.” Ellen said. “We got company.”

Jack was still for a moment, before breaking out into a huge grin.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Sam

He knew this was coming.

On some level, he’d always known the demon shit would hit the fan, so to speak. You couldn’t just walk around with something like that inside you without some fucked up thing eventually happening, life just didn’t work that way. At least—his life didn’t work that way.

Before it was just visions and even those had been few and far between lately. He’d started to think that maybe, after the standoff with Lilith, that something had been switched off, that whatever it was inside him had already done it’s thing—or something. But now this—he was feeding on fear, just like a demon would. Sure, it was some metal covered alien thing, but it had been alive. It had a life and he’d taken that somehow. And no matter how hard he tried to spin it, the fact remained that he’d killed those things without even realizing what he was doing.

Sam looked up at The Doctor and Donna, who had both fallen into an uneasy silence. He could tell from the look on the man’s face that The Doctor was having the exact same thoughts he was, probably light years ahead of him by now.

“I’m sorry.” Sam said, because it was the only thing he could think to say. “I’m sorry I dragged you guys into—this…”

“What exactly is this, Sam?” The Doctor said. “I didn’t listen before, that was an error in judgment on my part.”

“One of many.” Donna mumbled, then fell silent at The Doctor’s hard stare.

“As I was saying—I’m listening now. You said you were part demon, that you had their blood inside you?”

“Yeah, this demon—he did it when I was a baby. It was for some prophecy of his or some shit, I don’t know. But he’s dead now, Dean killed him.”

The Doctor nodded, running his hand through his hair as his eyes rested on the dead Daleks.

“And you’ve never been able to do something like this before?” he said, and Sam shook his head emphatically.

“No, never. There were a few visions, and some small shit but never anything like this. And you said my eyes turned white?”

“Oi, like bloody Christmas.” Donna chimed in. “Very creepy, thought I might go off you for a second. Good thing I like alpha men.”

“Thank you Donna.” The Doctor interjected, before turning back to Sam. “So what you’re saying is that recent events could have triggered all of this somehow, perhaps your trip to the TARDIS threw off some sort of switch?”

“No, I didn’t say any of that actually.” Sam replied, but The Doctor was already walking through the backyard, toward the front of the house.

“You would have eventually.” The Doctor called out. Donna and Sam looked at each other, before Donna tilted her head toward The Doctor’s departing figure.

“You sick of that yet?” said Donna, and Sam just gave her a tired smile. She looped her arm through his, and they began to follow, their pace significantly slower than The Doctor’s.

“So, you have a brother.” She said, and Sam nodded. Donna’s blue eyes watched thoughtfully as she continued.

“And he knows about—”

“Yeah.” Sam said. “Dean knows everything—he, he tried to protect me from a lot of it. What happened. What might happen.”

“And you two run around hunting demons all day? How do you do that? What do you do for money?”

Sam couldn’t help the small grin that formed at her words. He knew better than to tell her the truth, that they’d become pretty good at forging credit cards, as well as stealing them outright. It wasn’t something he was proud of necessarily, but—damn he was good at it.

“Oh, we get by.” He said instead. “You know, odd jobs here and there—”

“You know, your dimple shows when you lie.” Donna said, and Sam brought a hand to his cheek.

“I don’t have—” he began.

“I know.” Donna said, letting go of his arm as they reached the TARDIS. “I was just testing you.”

“How’d I do?”

“Miserable failure.” She said. “You don’t have to lie to me Sam, remember that. You can trust me.”

Sam nodded quietly, as the doors to the TARDIS swung open, The Doctor emerging with a large smile on his face.

“What?” They said simultaneously, with Donna gasping as a thought occurred to her.

“Bloody hell, you fixed it!” she said, and The Doctor swung his body from the door, holding onto the TARDIS with one hand.

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far. Using Sam’s imprint has made her return to normal, she’s ready to go exactly where I tell her.”

Donna shook Sam’s arm in excitement as he let go of a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. The Doctor met his eyes, and they gave each other knowing smiles.

“Ready to go home Samuel?” The Doctor said. Sam immediately thought of Dean, and his stupid car. The damn obsession with pie, constant comments about female body parts. He thought about hunting, having blood in his clothes every night, sometimes not sleeping at all because he was so fucking afraid. He thought of all of this, as well as what he’d seen in the past few days, things someone like him couldn’t begin to describe. It was fantastic, all of it.

Only…

Sam nodded slowly.

“Yeah.” He said quietly. “Yeah, I’m ready to find my brother.”



 

Dean

Dean could feel his frustration every time he looked at Martha’s face. She was scared, she had to be. She didn’t even believe there were demons a day ago, and now she was reading about herself in some fucking prophecy. It just didn’t make any sense, and he wasn’t sure if he believed all that shit anyway. Translating prophecies was always tricky business, you could read about a ball of fire falling from the sky, and it could just be the lighting or some shit, you never really knew. Sure, the stuff with her name was creepy as hell, but there had to something they were missing, that would make some kind of damn sense. And the fucked up thing was, there was only one person currently in the house that could explain it to them, one fucking, ho bag of a demon whose throat he was dying to cut open.

Martha and Dean had made it down to the basement and were currently staring at the thick wooden door that led inside. Bobby, Ellen, and Jack were preparing for another demon onslaught; which Ellen assured them would take some time because of the protection spells she’d cast around the place. It not only gave Dean and Martha enough time to grill Ruby, but Bobby time to call in reinforcements, ring up any and every hunter within a thirty mile radius.

And the Jack guy---hell, he didn’t know what the fuck that guy was doing besides staring at Ellen’s ass. He kept talking about some gun in his truck that would take care of all the shit, and they’d finally left the room to the sounds of Ellen bitching about the guy’s hair.

“Don’t talk to her.” Dean said, before he opened the door.

“Dean, it’s fine.” Martha replied. “I’m fine, and I spoke to her before, yeah? She hates you.”

“And the feeling’s mutual. She’s demon and demons lie.” Dean said. “Shit, I don’t even know why we’re doing this…”

“I have to try.” Martha said. “If she knows something, I can’t just—I have to try.”

Dean nodded, his hand moving to twist the knob at the door. He froze for a second, then turned to Martha, pulling her into a deep, lingering kiss. He felt her hesitate at first, her lips parting in surprise, before she melted against him, meeting his probing tongue with her own.

He raised his head after he’d kissed her thoroughly, and she looked up at him, eyes full of questions. Dean pushed a strand of hair from her forehead, and kissed her lips once more, lightly this time.

“I just wanted to do that.” He said. “Before.”

“Before what?” Martha said softly, and Dean felt his face tighten.

“Before I go in there.” He said. “Cause after—you may not want…”

“What are you talking about?” she said, but he’d already released her, his hand turning the doorknob as he swung it open. Ruby stood in the middle of the basement, her eyes pitch black as they quickly focused on Dean’s.

“I knew you’d come.” She said, smiling slowly. Dean walked towards her, each step stronger than the last as he gained momentum, his fist slamming into her mouth the moment he reached her. He felt the bones crush under his fist, and she cried out in pain, a byproduct of being stuck inside a human body. He’d already pulled out the Colt by the time she looked up, aiming the long barrel of the gun directly between her eyes.

“Where is Lilith.” He said coolly. She opened her mouth to speak, and he slammed the barrel into her cheek, causing her to screaming again. Dean re-aimed the weapon, his eyes steady as she met his gaze.

“I’d tell the truth by the way.” He said. He heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching and didn’t have to turn around to know it was Martha. He just prayed that she didn’t get too close.

“Ruby.” He warned and she let out a heavy sigh.

“She’s in hell Dean.” Ruby said. “Playing fetch with her fucking hellhounds.”

“Then why is she after Dean?” Martha said, interrupting another round of pistol whipping. “I mean—if she’s there and he’s here…”

“Got me.” Ruby said, shrugging slightly. “Though I wouldn’t bet on that whole hell bound thing for long, she’s gaining strength as we speak. I can feel her getting stronger, all that heat is—it’s so…”

“Nobody cares.” Dean said. “What’s this got to do with her?” Ruby’s eyes turned toward Martha, the grin now gone.

“She wants her dead. Nothing simpler than that. Keeps talking about the Dark One, the destroyer, blah blah…”

“Destroy what?” Maratha said. “Destroy her?”

Ruby titled her head to the side impatiently.

“Like that bitch would actually tell me anything important. No, she rambles on about fucking blueberry pancakes for hours, then orders me to rip out your intestines, it’s pretty damned—”

The sentence was cut off by another blow from Dean, this one sending her head flying backwards. Dean’s knuckles were aching, but he couldn’t help the satisfied rush he felt as he watched her bleed.

“This—” Ruby said as she tilted her head forward. “Is why I miss Sam.”

“There’s someone else.” Martha said, causing Ruby to look towards her again. “The book—it said Lilith focuses on men and children, why would she even look twice at me. Is there someone else down—down there besides Lilith.”

Ruby smiled.

“Shit, I’d clap if I didn’t have blood in my hair. But that put me in a bit of a funky mood.”

“There’s another demon.” Dean said. “Why the hell didn’t you—”

“You didn’t ask.” Ruby said. “And I’m not about to volunteer information to a guy using my face a punching bag.”

“Who?” Martha said quickly, desperate to keep the conversation on track. “You said there was another, who is it? Or what—”

“Don’t know his name, she keep him to herself for the most part.” Ruby said. “Possessive little bitch that she is. But damn, has he got a hard on for you. Don’t know if he wants to kill you or fuck you.” Ruby leaned in closer, her voice low and smooth as she whispered her words. “But lady…you are all that man thinks about.”

“How do you know that?” Martha said.

“I’m tied to Lilith and so is he. I can hear his thoughts sometimes, mixed up with hers. Martha, Martha, Martha—so very Jan Brady.”

“Okay.” Dean said “Enough with the monologue, how do we stop this, get this asshole.”

“Oh, that’s easy.” Ruby said. “He’s a demon Dean. How does anybody talk to a demon?”

Dean’s mouth tightened at her words.

“What?” Martha said, looking back and forth between them. “What is it?”

Dean cleared his throat before answering, his eyes falling back on Ruby’s satisfied face.

“We’ve gotta summon him.” He said tersly, and Ruby’s smile just grew brighter.

“Bingo baby.” she said.


 

Martha

Her head was reeling as they made their way back up the stairs, trying to make sense of what she’d just learned. They had to summon a demon from hell who was apparently obsessed with her for some reason. And—no, she couldn’t even think about the rest at the moment, that was more than enough make her stumble twice going back up the steps.

“Martha...” Dean said, but she waved him off. She was sick of this, this fear, this not knowing. This world she landed in, it was so different, so bloody frightening that she’d lost herself somehow. She’d been running nonstop, reacting instead of trying to come up with solutions. Well that was over, done, it wasn’t working anyway. And no more hiding behind some weapon either—

“Dean! Martha! Get up here, now!” They started at the sound of Bobby’s voice, before rushing up the rest of the stairs. Martha could hear yelling, Ellen’s mostly, and a shotgun being fired, a sound that had become so familiar in such a short amount of time. When they reached the kitchen, it was empty, the commotion having moved into the front yard. Dean grabbed his shotgun and held another out to her, frowning when she shook her head.

“Dammnit Martha—not this shit again.”

“There has to be another way besides—”

“Did I just step in your goddamn time machine, they need our help.” He shouted. Martha heard another round of shots fired, and then grabbed the gun from Dean’s hand, cocking it quickly as she scowled.

“Last time.” She said, and he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah right, let’s go.” He said and they moved outside, the screen door slamming behind them. Ellen and Bobby were only a few feet away from the house and Martha could make out Jack’s tall frame as he moved forward to stand in front of them.

“Dammit boy, you’re too close.” Bobby shouted at Jack, but Jack ignored him, concentrating on the weapon in his hands. There were demons circling the low gate around Ellen’s yard, maybe eight or nine all together. Dean aimed his shotgun and moved forward to join Bobby and Ellen, while Martha hung back, her eyes drawn to the large gun Jack carried.

“Jack.” She called out.

“Almost got it.” He said. Martha shook her head, wondering where she’s seen the weapon before. It was black and long, almost as long as his entire leg and was wide enough to have a cannon like appearance.

Cannon?

“Jack?” Martha said again, her eyes widening slightly. “That isn’t—you didn’t bring...”

The sound of the weapon charging rang out through the yard, and Martha dropped her gun before rushing off the patio.

“Dean!” she cried. “Bobby, Ellen, move back.”

“What?” Ellen shouted, and Jack straightened his body, placing the gun on his hip.

“I’d listen to her if I were you.” he said, and then smiled.

“Oh, and cover your eyes.”

 

Dean

The blast from the gun sent him flying, his body slamming into the hard ground beneath his feet. He’d heard Martha’s warning, but didn’t really process what was happening until his ass smacked against a fucking rock. Dean shouted a few choice curse words after that, and made a mental note to buy Ellen some grass next Christmas.

“What the fuck was that!” Bobby shouted from a few feet away. He and Ellen were slowly rising to their feet, leaving Martha the only one still standing. Which made sense, she’d been behind everyone when the asshole fired his Uzi.

An Uzi that killed demons apparently. Nothing left of them but a small cloud of dust.

Jack spun around, the large gun dangling at his side as he let out a shout of satisfaction.

“Damn. That gets better every time” he said. “You guys alright.”

“I’m gonna ram that fucking thing up your ass.” Ellen snapped.

“That’s a yes for Ellen, everybody else?”

“Did you have to use the maximum setting?” Martha said as she walked towards him. Jack shrugged.

“Well, there’s no guidelines for demon killing, this things for Daleks.” He said. “I figured I should cover all the bases.”

“What the fuck is a Dalek?” Dean said as he stumbled to his feet. Martha walked over to his side, and he grunted as a sharp pain rushed up his back.

“Let me look at you.” She said, but he shook his head.

“I’m good.” He said. “Just walking off the fucking ass ache from the dumbshit with the Uzi.”

Jack nodded, and began to walk back to his truck.

“Apparently you’re okay too. Got to put this in the cooler, thing overheats all the time.”

“Good to know.” Bobby said, before turning to Dean and Martha. “I’m going on in while I can still feel my right side.”

Ellen joined him, placing a hand on his arm as they made their way inside the house. Martha ran a hand against her neck, and Dean resisted the urge to pull it away and replace it with his own.

“Martha...”

“He did kill the demons Dean.” She said, and he frowned.

“Are you two—I mean is there something between you guys?”

Martha’s eyes widened at his question as she began to smile.

“Me and Jack?” she said. “Oh, bloody—there’s nothing between Jack and I, never has been. Well—I did kiss him once, but that was only because I felt slightly left out, I hate that.”

Dean shifted his body at her words.

“You’re angry.” She said.

“My ass hurts.” He responded. “And you kissing that jackass doesn’t make it feel any better.”

“We’re just friends.” Martha said as Jack made his way towards them. Martha gave a quick glance over to Jack, then lifted on her toes to plant a quick kiss on Dean’s lips. Jack grinned as he moved closer, pointing to his cheek.

“I save the fucking day and he gets the kiss?” he said. “That’s all kinds of wrong.”

“I’ll see if Ellen is free.” Martha said as she began to move toward the house. “Though I think you may want to cover your bullocks, just in case.”

“Noted.” Jack said, and she turned around to walk up the steps. Dean threw a quick glance at Jack, before walking forward, his momentum stopped by the strong grip of the man’s hand. Dean lifted an eyebrow as he turned to face him.

“I’m not kissing you either.” Dean said. Jack gave him a baleful stare as he let go of his arm.

“I’m not the one you have to worry about. With her I mean.”

“Yeah.” Dean said. “Martha told me—I mean, it’s not like I care that you and she—if you guys ever—”

“Uh huh.” Jack said, and moved slightly closer. “I see that look in your eye, the way you watch her. It’s a beautiful thing, actually. And that woman deserves it; she got a raw deal with that fucking fiancée of hers. And trust me—”

“Wait.” Dean said, his brow furrowing slightly. “You said your not who I should worry about.”

Jack nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. Dean looked to the house for moment, before turning back to Jack.

“Who should I be worried about?”

The Doctor

He stood outside the TARDIS, leaning against the ship as his eyes took in his surroundings. The lights from the house were bright enough to illuminate a large portion of the backyard, and he could see shadows moving behind the curtains, hear voices of people talking to one another. Sometimes heard hers, shouting, laughing at times. He eventually found her thought the curtains and his eyes lingered, taking in every movement as his hearts began to pound in his chest.

The door opened slowly, slightly hesitant as she peered outside. Her dark eyes scanned the dimly lit yard for what felt like an eternity before they rested on him.

The Doctor watched the surprise light her eyes, her lips part as she stared at him. She moved forward, walking from the house before stopping several feet away, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

The Doctor lifted his body from the TARDIS and approached her slowly, unable to stop his smile from forming. He moved until he stood only a few inches from her and her head tilted up as she meet his eyes.

“Hello Martha Jones.” The Doctor said. She smiled brightly at him and he took her in his arms, pulling her close as he lifted her feet from the ground.

“I knew you’d find me.” She said, and his eyes drifted shut as he pressed his cheek against her hair.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, his arms hugging her even tighter then before.

“I’m so sorry it took me so long


 

 Chapter Eleven 

Dean 

It didn’t register at first, the extra person sitting at Ellen’s kitchen table. Dean was a bit preoccupied, with his still aching ass for one, but mostly with the information Jack had just tossed his way.  That Martha used to have a thing for this Doctor guy, which meant he didn’t look old, despite being old as hell. She talked about him like some kind of mentor, and his mind had instantly compared him to Bobby or Ellen.

But by the time Jack had started in on the guy’s intense brown eyes, the situation became pretty damn clear. It made sense, her moony looks when she talked about how smart he was, how the guy’d saved her so many times. She was in love him. And Dean felt like a damn fool for not realizing it earlier.

So yeah, to say he was distracted when he walked inside the house was an understatement. There was a heavy knot in his chest and he felt like hitting something, tearing the whole damn house apart. But more then anything he just—wanted her. So damn much.

“Hey Dean.”

“Hey Sam.” Dean replied distractedly. He was sitting his shotgun next to the door when his body froze, his eyes lifting up and sideways in matter of seconds. Sam stood up from the table, and smiled, that awkward, goofy smile Dean always gave him shit for. His brother looked the same, he’d changed his shirt, but there were nothing like the bruises and cuts Dean now sported, nothing that said Sam had done anything other then take a few days off from hunting. Like he’d been on fucking vacation.

He looked—happy.

Dean walked forward slowly, and Sam’s smile faltered a bit, eyes meeting his warily. Dean knew Sam was taking in his appearance, which was a pretty good reflection of the shit that had just went down. Bobby and Ellen watched them in silence, with Bobby moving toward Sam, his body tensed and ready for any possible physical confrontation. Dean heard Jack close the door behind him, but didn’t look away from his brother’s face.

“So.” Dean said, his voice slightly flat. “A spaceship huh?”

Sam’s eyes slid over to Ellen and Bobby, before coming back to Dean.

“It was also a time machine.” Sam said and Dean nodded at his words, his voice tight.

“That’s nice, sound very—cool.” He said, and Sam grinned.

“It was actually—”

“Yeah, that’s enough.”  Dean took in a deep breath, then stepped forward to pull Sam into quick hug. Sam was still for a moment, then returned his hug with one of his own, until Dean pulled away again, clearing his throat loudly.

“I missed you too Dean.” Sam said, and Dean threw a derisive grin his way before responding.

“It’s about time you got back, Bobby was worried sick, wringing his fucking hands like an old woman.”

“Really?” Sam said, lifting an eyebrow toward Bobby, who just glared at Dean in response.

“We were all worried.” Bobby said pointedly, before turning to Sam. “We’re just glad to see you boy, that’s all.”

“Good to be back.” Sam said. “You wouldn’t believe the stuff I’ve seen—”

“Yeah, well, there’s some pretty fucked up shit going on here too.” Dean said. “And your demon stalker bitch is right in the middle of it.”

Sam’s eyebrows shot up just as a woman emerged from the hallway behind him, her bright red hair illuminated by the florescent kitchen lights. She walked up beside Sam, then stopped short, looking back and forth between them.

“That’s not your brother.” She said, and Sam nodded.

“Donna this is Dean.” Sam said. Donna’s mouth opened, then shut close once more, her face taking on a practiced nonchalance.

“He’s a bit short then, ay?” she said.

“Short? I’m 6’1!” Dean said, and Sam just smiled. Dean crossed his arms over his chest, frown lines creasing his forehead.

“This is Donna.” Sam said as Jack passed by them to take a seat at the table next to Ellen. Jack grinned at her broadly, while she quickly looked away. Dean wasn’t sure, but he could swear she was blushing.

“Donna.” Dean gave her brief nod, then turned back to his brother, who eyed him expectantly.

“Ruby’s downstairs.” Dean said. “She’s under a devil’s trap right now—”

“And you haven’t killed her?” Sam said, shaking his head with disbelief. “Man, I don’t believe it. Who the hell stopped you?”

“What do you mean stopped me, why would you just assume someone…stopped me?”  Sam looked at Bobby who raised his hands in the air.

“Wasn’t me.” Bobby said. “You know I’m not really the keep demons around kinda guy.”

“Ellen?” Sam said, as Dean blew out a hard puff of frustrated air.

“It wasn’t fucking Ellen—why the hell does it have to be anybody?” Dean said. “We need information that she has, I’m not gonna shoot the bitch while she’d still useful.”

Sam was quiet for a moment, then turned to Jack, who shook his head.

“Wrong gender.” Jack said pointedly, and Sam’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked back at his brother.

“Wait a minute…you were with Martha—The Doctor’s friend, right?”

Dean felt his muscles twitch at the mention of her name, but was able to keep his face somewhat impassive. He opened his mouth to respond when they heard the back door swing open, followed by footsteps that made their way to the room.

“Yeah.” Dean said as Martha walked through the doorway. “I was.”

Her eyes were bright with excitement, and the small dimple on her cheek was impossibly deep as a man walked up behind her. He was tall, all skinny and pale, with brown hair that seemed to shoot out from his head, like he’d been electrocuted at some point during his life. He was wearing the lamest suit Dean had ever seen, a brown pinstriped jacket and pants, and converse tennis shoes that geeked him up even more. Nothing impressive, nothing that screamed this dude was a time traveling bad ass—but still….there was something in his eyes that felt familiar to him. That heavy, aged look he’d seen in demons time again, like he’d seen hellfire first hand, got close enough for it to burn the skin. But this guy wasn’t a demon—at least, Dean didn’t think so. Hell, his life would be a lot easier if he was.

He wouldn’t have to see her standing next to him.

“Everyone, this is The Doctor.” Martha said, and the man smiled happily and gave a quick wave.

“Hello.” He said, brightly, his eyes scanning the room. Bobby grunted a response, and Ellen’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“The Doctor? That’s it, no last name?” Ellen said, and he shook his head, shrugging his thin shoulders.

“No, no last name, just The Doctor. And you are?”

“Ellen.” Martha said quickly. “And that’s Bobby, they’re both hunters of—demons.” Martha stumbled over the last part, glancing at him apprehensively, before looking away. The Doctor eyed her, eyes curious while she turned to Dean, her smile instantly growing softer.

“And this is Dean Winchester.” She said. Dean couldn’t meet her eyes, choosing instead to focus on The Doctor, who stuck out a hand in his direction.

“You’re Sam’s brother.” The Doctor said.

“Yep.” Dean said, and The Doctor grinned.

“Sam thinks quite highly of you, did you know that?” The Doctor said, and Sam jumped slightly at his words, an uncomfortable grin on his face.

“Oh really?” Dean said, and Sam shook his head.

“I didn’t—that’s not really—ahem, so you’re Martha?” Sam said, turning to her. She nodded, her head lifting a bit higher because of his height.

“And you’re Sam, I feel like I know you already.” She said.

“Likewise.” Sam said glancing over to The Doctor. The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes drifting from the two of them to the books on the kitchen table.

“What are those?” he said, and Donna sighed dramatically.  

“And we’re off. At least we got to act normal for a bit, ay?” she said, and Martha moved over to her, pulling her into a tight hug.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Martha said, and Donna returned her embrace, patting her reassuringly on the back.

“Oh, now, you knew I couldn’t stay away—were else would I be?” Donna said as they parted. “Oi, I’d be whipping up beans and toast for mum if it weren’t for this lot.” She said, and Martha nodded.

“I know what you mean.” She said. Dean saw Martha glance his way again, and felt his stomach twist even more then before.

“These are demon texts?” The Doctor said as he sat down in front of the books, and Dean walked off to the side, grabbing another beer from the refrigerator. Bobby walked over beside him and grabbed the drink from his hand, quickly placing it back inside the fridge.

“What the fuck Bobby..” Dean said, and Bobby moved closer to him, lowering his voice so only Dean could hear.

 “You’ve had enough of those tonight, you need a clear head if you’re gonna deal with this shit. Stop your fucking sulking, and get over there and help.”

“Sulking?” Dean said. “I’m not—why the fuck would I be…”

“You ain’t the only one with eyes boy.” Bobby said. “She don’t belong to you Dean, she had a life before—”

“I know.” Dean said, even though he didn’t, not really. Every time he looked at her, she felt like his, like she belonged with him. Not that—fucking suit.

“Well, act like it.” Bobby said. “Cause there’s more demons on the way, you know that, and we gotta figure this shit out before—”

“The Dark One.” The Doctor said, his eyes wide as he looked up from the book. “Who is this—why is this…”

“It’s me.” Martha said, and The Doctor’s mouth opened slightly, before closing again. He looked down at the pages for a moment, then looked at her, his face noticeably grimmer then before.

“You’re the Dark One?” Sam said, and she turned to him, confusion in her eyes.

“Yes, why? Do you know something…”

“I think.” Dean said, looking around the room. “That we all might need to compare some fucking notes, don’t you?”

Everyone nodded, and The Doctor looked at Jack.

“Do they always swear this much?” He said, and Jack nodded.

“Welcome to America Doctor.”

Martha 

She was trying to make sense of it all, but it was difficult. In part because it seemed so impossible, that the sun—entity or whatever it was had mentioned that name, the one the demons insisted on calling her. Sam was apparently part demon—the TARDIS had taken The Doctor on a physical trip down memory lane—it was all just….impossible. And yet she knew better than to dismiss impossible things, learned that pretty early on.

Plus, it didn’t help matters that Dean had withdrawn from her again, from everyone actually. It didn’t make sense, he was fine before….before….

Before she saw The Doctor.

Bloody hell.

He was jealous, first of Jack and now of The Doctor. It was petty and annoying, and yet—slightly thrilling, it had never happened to her before. Tom was always so damn trusting, it became a bit insulting actually. It never occurred to him that she’d look at another man, turn away from him for any reason. That another man could want her just as much as he did, maybe even more.

She was pretty sure she had Jack to blame for Dean’s state of mind, and he’d conveniently joined Ellen outside the house, helping her “reinforce her protection spells.” Which meant her reaming of him would be delayed a for a bit.

Donna was in the living room, checking on her mother and grandfather and Bobby was checking on Ruby, which left just her with The Doctor, Sam, and Dean to sort out what appeared to be a hopelessly convoluted mess.

“So these things—demons you call them—have been chasing Martha this entire time?” The Doctor said. Sam looked up at her, his green eyes sympathetic, so unlike his brother’s which remained hard and impassive.

“I’m sorry, that really—sucks. Having those things chase you, I’ve been there.” He said. Martha gave him a thankful smile, briefly shrugging her shoulders.

“Oh, it was fine. Not the first time I’ve been on the run away, doubt it will be the last. And I had—Dean was there. He was fantastic actually…”

She saw Dean’s eyes shift sideways at her words, before looking back to his book at the table.

“Yeah, Dean’s good at that, helping people.” Sam agreed. “And he can also be kind of a dick when he likes somebody.”

Dean’s eyes lifted at this and Sam stared back at him, his eyes never wavering from his brother’s.  Martha found herself looking down at her hands, wishing she had something, anything to do with them.

And then it hit her—what she was doing, letting others stare at those damn texts while she fretted over Dean, whether he was angry at her or not. This wasn’t who she was, what she’d do at a time like this. And those sideways glances from The Doctor told her he’d been thinking the same thing.  Martha quickly walked over to Dean, tearing the book away from his hands with a newfound determination.

“Hey, I was—” Dean protested, but she just ignored him, moving her body closer to the stack of books.

“Excuse me.” She said, and began to look down at the pages intently, praying that the new information from Sam and The Doctor would lead to answers. She heard a hitch in Dean’s breath as he prepared to speak, but then… nothing. Which disappointed her more then she liked to admit.

God, he didn’t even want to argue with her anymore.

“The sun called me The Dark One, and this calls me the death bringer.” Martha said. “You said it was afraid, that you felt its fear when it—”

“Yes.” The Doctor said quickly, obviously not keen on the subject. Martha nodded, then went on.

“Right, and Sam….you said he caused fear as well, that it killed all those Daleks.”

Sam’s body visibly tensed at her words, and he looked quickly at his brother, whose eyes were dark with anger.

“Yeah.” Sam said, then turned back to Dean. “But it wasn’t like I did it on purpose, it just happened—”

“I got it.” Dean said tightly, and Sam sighed.

“Dean, I promise I didn’t…”

“I know you didn’t.” Dean said. “You told me you wouldn’t use that demon blood shit, and I believe you. The end.”

Sam nodded, but Martha could see his brother’s reaction still bothered him, hell it bothered her. Apparently the idea of his brother using his—gift, or what have you was a sore subject between the two.

“Well, alright.” She continued. “So from what you’ve said…the commonality between those events is…”

“Fear.” The Doctor said, his voice matter of fact. Which told her that he’d already made that connection, was just allowing her to catch up to him.

“If you already know what this is…” she said, before he cut her off.

“I don’t.” The Doctor said, finally meeting her gaze. “I know what it appears to be, what it seems. If I accept that there are actual demons, that evil can exist in concrete physicality, then yes. I believe I may know what this means. “

They watched him carefully, and he looked around the table, meeting each of their gazes.

“But I don’t believe that.” He explained, and they each rolled their eyes. “And therefore, I don’t really know anything at the moment, nothing that could be of use anyway.”

“Jesus, would you just tell us what you know already?” Dean snapped. “I realize you think this is a fucking joke—”

“You’re wrong, I don’t think that at all.” The Doctor said, nodding toward Sam. “What I felt from him was real, there’s something inside him. And it’s connected to the sun, and to the TARDIS…”

“Doctor.” Martha said quietly, and he looked back at her. “I believe him. I think its real, the demons…”

The Doctor was silent for a moment before responding.

“Don’t you mean you believe them?” he said, and she felt her face flush, but refused to look away.

“The sun was a demon, wasn’t it?” she said, and he looked down at the book in front of him for a moment.

“If I….yes, if what they believe is true, then logic—logically what I felt could be considered some sort of… possession.” The Doctor breathed out this word harshly, as if finding it difficult to say. Martha looked over to Dean, who eyed The Doctor with newfound suspicion.

“How’d you get it out?” he said, which made Sam speak up.

“The TARDIS.” He said. “We brought him back there, and it just kinda—took it out of him. He was fine after.”

“So this demon was afraid of me, Lilth is afraid—that I’ll what, kill them? Bring their death?” Martha said. “That’s—you can’t kill demons, not with that Colt, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Dean said. “But there’s a reason these things want you gone, which means there must be something else we don’t know about.”

“There’s one downstairs, you say?” The Doctor broke in, and Dean nodded slowly as Sam ran a hand through his hair.

”Yep, Sam’s hellspawn groupie.” Dean said. “Bobby’s down there with her right now, trying to make her talk..”

“I need to speak…”

“No.” Dean said. “We’ve heard enough from that bitch, and she just lies anyway. Almost had me summoning another one before I got some fucking sense. “

“Another demon?” Sam said. “But why…”

“She says he’s obsessed with me, or something.” Martha said. “That he thinks of about me all the time, wants me—dead, apparently. Which makes no sense, I haven’t done anything to make someone hate me that much, dead or ali—”

She stopped short as a face rose in her mind. The pale skin, cropped dirty blond hair. Slightly crazed brown eyes, and that laugh—dear god, a manic laugh that sent chills down her spine.

“Martha?” she heard Dean said, and The Doctor placed a hand on her arm, leaning in closer.

“Martha are you…” The Doctor said, and she bit her bottom lip for a moment before finding her voice.

“I know who it is.” Martha said quietly. An angry heat began rush through her, and she felt her face muscles harden, her hands clench tightly in her lap.

“What—you—who the fuck is it?” Dean said. Martha looked up at The Doctor, who shook his head with confusion. And she smiled a sad, derisive smile. The only one she could manage under the circumstances.

“Guess I should have voted Saxon, eh?” she said.

The Doctor 

The drumming.

This wasn’t possible, what she was saying. He’d watched him die.

Can’t you hear it?

Felt the life leave him, he didn’t regenerate. Refused, even though The Doctor begged him to.

Inside my head. I thought it would stop. But it never does. It never, ever stops. Inside my head. The drumming, Doctor, the constant drumming.

But if what she was saying was—then he was trapped in some dimension, sending these things to find her, kill her or worse. Because of him.

“Do Time Lords have souls?” Martha asked him, and The Doctor could only shake his head.

“I’m not—this isn’t…we have biological imprints, life echoes….we are time- the beginning, the end….” His hand ran through his hair, making it stand even more on end. “But we die.” He finished. “They all did, everyone on my planet.” He said. “And they never came back. If they had…I would have found them by now.”

The Doctor saw Martha’s eyes soften at his, and was hit by a sudden urge to touch her, slide a hand across her cheek. He quickly looked away, his gaze resting on Sam’s brother and found the boy glaring at him, arms crossed tightly across his chest.

Why was he….

“But he died here.” Sam said, as they all looked at him. “The people on your planet didn’t die here, this Master guy did.” He shrugged. “Maybe hell is an Earth exclusive or something.”

“Then how do you explain the demon sun?” Dean interjected, and Sam just shrugged. “I can’t. None of this makes any fucking sense, and it’s not going to unless….”

“Unless we summon him.” Martha finished. The Doctor instantly began to protest, but stopped himself, realizing that she was right. If any of this had the remote possibility of being true….

“Yes.” The Doctor said, standing to his feet. “We need to bring an end to this, and if performing your—ritual helps us do that, then….”

“This is a mistake.” Dean said, and Martha sighed heavily.

“Dean, I know you…”

“No, you fucking don’t.” he snapped and The Doctor’s eyes narrowed a bit.

“There’s no need for that.” The Doctor said, and Martha put a hand on his arm, shaking her head.

“It’s fine...” she said.

“No, it’s not.” The Doctor replied, looking back up at Dean. “You seem like you’ve had a—difficult life so far, perhaps too difficult for one so young. And I sympathize with that, but that’s no excuse for taking it out on those around you. Pain is personal, it’s yours to bear, to cope with as best you can. Don’t make it anyone else’s—especially not hers.”

Dean stared at him coolly, before a crooked grin broke out on his face.

“That was lovely Obi-Wan, seriously.” He said. “And hell, I’d be shamed as fuck if I didn’t know personally that summoning a demon—any fucking demon—is a mistake. I’ve made it, Sam here’s made it, hell….my dad even made it, and now he’s dead.”

Dean looked around the room at each of them, his frustration evident.

“This guy—if he is what you say he is, could come up here with shit you ain’t even heard of, he’s a fucking alien-demon hybrid thing. If that don’t scream hold the fuck up, I don’t know what does.”

“Folks.”

They turned to Bobby, who’d entered the room slightly out of breath.

“If we’re gonna make a move, now’s the time.” He said. “Ruby’s….happy. Smiling like a pig in shit, and well….that’s always a bad thing.”

Martha 

Dean was right.

As she watched them begin to chant words from the old text, she realized that, deep inside. It wasn’t just fear, even though the thought of seeing him again, meeting those crazed eyes was the last thing she wanted, but this was more. It was ominous, like something bad was almost certain to happen if he came.  And Dean felt it too, every time he looked her way. He was worried about her. Maybe even scared.

But there wasn’t another way, not one they could find as quickly this.

“You’re saying it wrong.” Ruby interrupted, and Bobby looked up from the book in irritation. Apparently Sam was the resident summoner among them, but Dean wouldn’t let him near Ruby, no matter how much he protested. Which was apparently the right thing to do, the disappointment on the demon’s face was palpable when he didn’t enter the room with the rest of them, her mood darkening considerably ever since.

“You can shut the fuck up any time.” Dean said, and she rolled her eyes, holding out her hand for the book.

“I can do it for you…”

“No.” Dean and The Doctor said simultaneously, then eyed each other with wary eyes. The Doctor had circled Ruby upon seeing her for the first time, then studied the devil’s trap on the ceiling with just as much intensity. She’d laughed at him, but he’s just ignored her, until she finally fell into an uneasy silence, her blue eyes apprehensive every time his gaze turned her way. He’d been watching the proceedings carefully, only asking the occasional question now and then, but his reaction to Ruby’s request was immediate, and just as intense as Dean’s.

“Start over.” Dean said to Bobby who nodded in agreement. The chant was unfamiliar to both of them, one used to call forth demons of wrath and vengeance. Or in this case, a big assed grudge of some kind.

Martha looked over at The Doctor, wanting to say something to him, but not sure what would be appropriate under the circumstances.

Bobby finished up the incantation, then lit a match to throw in a small pile of ingredients at his feet. They stared at the small flame for a moment, then looked about the room, bodies tense and ready.

“How long does it—” The Doctor began, but Dean quickly shushed him. There was a few seconds of silence, then—“ But it seems like…”

“Shhhhh..” Dean said again, causing The Doctor to throw his hands in the air in frustration.

“Honestly, is quiet absolutely necessary for this sort of thing?” he said. Dean grinned at him.

“If it’ll shut you up, hell yeah it is.” He said, and Martha felt the corners of her mouth twitching a bit. She quickly smothered the smile at the sharp look from The Doctor.

“You find that amusing?” he said, and her lips parted as she struggled to find an answer.

“I—yeah, sort of.” She said without the smallest hint of guilt.

“That’s lovely, you’ve only been here a few days and you’re…”

“Well, you do talk quite a bit.” She said. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I just—“

“You sound like Donna.”

“I like Donna. So thank you.” Martha smiled at him, then turned to find Dean staring at her now, his eyes lit with something indefinable. But whatever it was, it made her want kiss him to bits, and the light in his eyes made her wonder if he was thinking the same thing.

“I never thought I’d see the day.” Ruby said, and they turned towards her, Martha with a bit of confusion.

“What the fuck are you..” Dean began, but was cut off when Ruby pushed out a hand towards him, an invisible force knocking him backwards into a nearby wall. Martha flinched at the sound of Dean crashing to the floor, and felt The Doctor reach for her arm, pulling her behind him. Bobby was also sent flying, grunting in pain as he collided with a heavy beam.

“I never thought I’d see the day when Martha Jones threw over her precious Doctor.” Ruby said, as she turned toward them. Martha watched as the blue irises began to fade, becoming a frighteningly bright solid white. Ruby’s head tilted to the side as she eyed them, her mouth forming a disapproving frown.

“I mean—it makes you lose faith a bit. Bloody hell, I know I’m getting choked up. Siding with that—human boy, when there’s a Time Lord at your side? What sort of companion are you? Flighty bitch.”

Martha felt The Doctor push her toward the door.

“Run.” He said, and she shook her head, her eyes finding Dean’s unconscious form.

“No, I can’t...” Martha whispered.

“She’s in love, you stupid tosser.” Ruby said, as she began to walk towards them. “And not with you. That’s got to bruise the old ego a bit, yeah?”

“Whatever you are...” The Doctor began, but his mouth shut when she held up her hand, tossing him off to the side like a rag doll. Ruby turned toward Martha, who began to shake her head slowly, not wanting to accept what she knew in her heart to be true.

“Hello Martha Jones.” Ruby said, then ran a finger down her cheek. “I’ve been wanting to see you again, for so—very long…”

“No...” Martha whispered.

“I can see you Martha Jones…” Ruby said, her voice slightly sing song in tone. “Come on little girl…” The voice grew harder, the eyes so bright, it was almost painful.

“Come on and meet your Master.” 

Sam 

He wasn’t happy about being left behind, but he understood. The idea of seeing Ruby didn’t really appeal to him anyway, he’d had enough her clingy shit to last him a lifetime. The bitching about him neglecting his gift had worn thin before this mess even started, and when Dean told him she was downstairs—and alive—he realized he’d had enough. His brother was right, she was acting like a fucking stalker, and whatever was happening with this—thing inside him, she was the last person he wanted to share it with. So he’d hung back, wished them luck, and reassured himself that once this was over, he’d make sure that the next time he or Dean said the word Ruby, it damn sentence would be past tense.

“Sam—get your gear!” Ellen barked at him though the kitchen door and he immediately went in to action, finding his brother’s shotgun leaning against a nearby wall. He checked the barrel, making sure it was loaded and could hear Ellen shouting orders in the front yard, Jack responding quickly in kind. There were more voices then, which told him help had finally arrived, fellow hunters who’d actually picked up their damn phones. And the demons were coming—from the sound of things they were almost here, and Sam took a deep breath, readying himself for the fight. He hadn’t been away for long, but the barrel felt odd in his hands, the weight almost unnatural.  Had he forgotten how to do this?

The question went unanswered as the sound of a chair sliding across the floor made him spin around, instantly aiming the gun at the intruder. He caught sight of Donna’s red hair, her blue eyes wide with fear, and lowered the gun, letting out a deep breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“Bugger me—did you just—oh god.” Donna inhaled deeply, and bent at the waist, her hands going to her temples.

“I think my life just flashed before my eyes.” She said. “And I haven’t been shagged nearly enough, it was bloody depressing.”

A small smile formed on Sam’s lips and he held up what he hoped was a reassuring hand, placing the gun on a nearby table.

“Donna, I’m sorry.” He said as he walked towards her. “You surprised me and—there’s demons outside, they’re coming. So we gotta get ready.”

Donna lifted her head, and smoothed down her hair, her features becoming calmer then before.

“I’m fine—it’s fine. I understand—demons you say? That’s—alarming.”

“Yeah.” Sam said, the smile broadening. “But don’t worry, this is what we do. What I do. And well—it’s not a bad deal when something like this goes down, being surrounded by hunters.”

“Yeah, sounds about right.” She said. Her smile slowly began to fade, and she began to bite her bottom lip, eyes worried.

“What?” Sam said. “What wrong.”

“I just—what you said, that I shouldn’t worry. Because you lot will protect me, yeah?”

“Yes, of course.” Sam was only a few feet away from her now and he lifted a hand to her arm, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “I can’t promise things won’t get bad, but we—”

“But here’s what I don’t get.” Donna continued. “You’re protecting me, but who’s watching after you? Where’s your brother? Did he leave?”

The smile on Sam’s face faltered for a moment, before strengthening once again. He placed both hands on her shoulders, and leaned forward, lowering his lean body closer to hers.

“I’m pretty good at taking care of myself Donna.” He said, and she smiled and shook her head, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

“Oi, I know that, I just—”

“You know what else I’m good at?” Sam continued, and she shrugged her shoulders, looking up at him expectantly.

“I’m good at spotting demons.” He said. “It’s some kind of sixth sense I have—probably because of that demon blood shit. Didn’t have it as a kid, but as I got older and more—stuff started happening to me, it got stronger. It’s like—I can smell them. Smell every fucking lie they’ve ever told.”

His hands gripped her tighter, and he pulled her to him roughly, the smile now gone.

“But you know that already, don’t you Lilith?”  He whispered, and her eyes widened for a moment, as if surprised. Then they began to glow, that solid white color that he once found so terrifying. But that was before—before her powers failed her when she attacked him. It had been a surprise to both of them, that she wasn’t able to kill him instantly, and then she’d run away—ran back to hell as far as he knew.

She’d been weak, he did know that, the face of the woman she’d taken had grown deathly pale. But now as he stared at the stolen face of his friend, he knew she was strong again, healthy even. It was a thought that was reinforced when his body was lifted into the air, and tossed against a nearby wall, the impact causing a sharp pain to explode in his back.

Lilith moved forward, curling Donna’s lips into a hard smile as she looked down at him.

“You remembered me!” She said, the tone of her voice higher now, more childlike. But still, it was Donna’s.

“That makes me so happy—I thought you might forget. And I look different. My butt feels big, I don’t like that.”

“Let her go.” Sam ground out, slowly climbing to his feet. “This is between you and me—she’s not a part—”

“Were you always this tall?” Lilith said as she watched him. She gave a small shrug, and flicked her hand, sending him flying once again.

“This is fun!” she said, clapping excitedly. “Let’s do it again.”

Martha 

“You’re pathetic, you know that?” Martha said.

The Master—still wearing Ruby’s small frame—hesitated at her words, the hand he’d lifted to her lowering slightly. He looked down at himself, and then into a nearby mirror, sliding hand though the long blond hair of the body he’d taken.

“Well—a bit tarty perhaps, but pathetic? That’s a little bitchy don’t you—”

“You died.” Martha spat out, taking several small steps away from him. He turned back to her, the glow in his eyes dissipating to a small shimmer as he crossed his arms underneath his chest.

“Are you about to lecture me, Martha Jones?’ he clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “You’ve become more like him than I realized—don’t tell me. You’re going to explain that I should be graceful in death; that my time here has ended. Or something else nauseatingly trite.”

“No.” Martha felt her face muscles tightening, anger rolling through her body. “No, I wasn’t, there was nothing—graceful about you when you were alive, I can’t expect you to be nothing but the petty wanker you always were.”

He smiled at her words then let out a small chuckle.

“You were the brilliant bitch, weren’t you? Wonder why The Doctor didn’t keep you longer.” His eyes trailed up and down her body. “Bit dumpy perhaps?”

“You’re pathetic.” Martha continued “Because you’ve done something that’s—impossible. At least it was in my world before…before all this began to happen. In my world people don’t rise from the dead—they’re just dead. Sure there are echoes and brain pathways but—dead was dead. Nothing else.”

The Master placed a hand on his hip, and she slid her eyes sideways before continuing.

“But you’ve come back.” she said. “You’ve clawed your way back up from—wherever you came from and you’re here. With me. A nobody.”

His head tilted to the side, eyes slightly confused.

“What are you—”

“You’re the bloody Master!” Martha cried. “You’ve invaded planets—hell, you ruled this one for a while. People fear your name over galaxies, on planets light years from this one. And this is where you come? To find me? Why?”

The Master was silent for a moment, looking back at the mirror at his side, before turning back to her.

“Don’t you have better things to do?” Martha asked him, and he smiled. He opened his mouth to speak, and then paused as if reconsidering his words.

“You know—you think I would, but no.” He waved his hand and she flew down to the ground, her shoulder slamming into the hard cement. Martha bit her lip, refusing to cry out as she looked up at him.

“Martha, Martha.” The Master said, blond hair swinging forward as he leaned down towards her. “Don’t you realize that there’s no where else I’d rather be? You’re special to me love. Your face was the only thing I saw, all those years, burning. Screaming in pain. I screamed your name, you know. Loved the way it felt in my mouth.”

“You chose to die.” Martha said. “You could have regenerated, you’re a damn Time Lord, you can live forever. But you didn’t. You chose to die.”

The Master leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I changed my mind.” He said, which was followed by the loud rapport of a shotgun echoing in the small space. A spray of blood fell on her clothes and face, and a short scream escaped, as her body flinched against the floor. The Master looked down at the body he’d stolen, and the large blood stain forming on his shirt. Martha slid away from him then, her eyes moving sideways, catching sight of Dean lying on the floor, a smoking shotgun gripped in his hands.

“Change it back.” he shouted, and they watched The Master clutch the wound, taking a few stumbling steps before sliding down a nearby wall. Martha’s eyes never left his, now glowing again, though sight wasn’t as frightening as it was before.

“Get the book.” Dean said, groaning as he sat up on his knees. “I’ll check Bobby and—The Doctor, you gotta exorcise him.”

“But I don’t know—”

“You know Latin.” Dean said. “And he’s here for you—we summoned him from wrath. It should be you Martha, if we—”

“Is the room spinning for everyone—or is that just me?” The Doctor groaned. Martha looked over to him, a relieved smile on her lips. He lifted a hand to his head, and looked up at her, meeting her smile with one of his own. But it slowly began to fade as he stared at her, and he placed a hand behind him on the wall, quickly climbing to his feet. Martha looked at him with confusion, then turned to Dean, who seemed just as confused as she was.

“What is it?” she said, and The Doctor moved toward Dean, never taking his eyes off her. He lifted the small bag of salt Dean had carried with him into the basement, and poured it onto the floor, creating a barrier between her and them. Martha quickly rose to her feet, her heart pounding as the panic rose inside her.

“What’s going on!?  She cried, and looked frantically at Dean, whose face had become withdrawn, impassive.

Angry.

“It’s not her.” The Doctor said, and Dean gave a short nod as Bobby groaned behind them, finally showing signs of life. Martha covered her hand with her mouth, feeling a hysterical scream rising from her throat. Only her hand didn’t move, even though she told it to do so, moving into her pocket instead, reaching for the iron blade Dean had insisted she carry. Martha watched her hands raise the blade in the air, then run it up and down her arms, the shining metal cool to the touch.

And then she realized. She wasn’t alone.

I’m with you Martha Jones. Don’t you see?

Oh God.

I’ll always be with you love. Forever.

Sam 

Sam heard them screaming outside. Whether it was Ellen, Jack, or the demons he couldn’t be sure. But he couldn’t help them, not now. She wouldn’t even let him move off the fucking floor.  

There was an invisible weight pressing on his chest, like a big ass foot stepping on him, keeping him down. And whatever powers he may have had against demons weren’t working on her, she only giggled when he tried to use them. And he couldn’t blame her, he had no idea what the fuck he was doing, his efforts coming out as grunts and wheezing. But the power—what he felt with the Daleks refused to return, and all that was left was an increasing fear that this was it for him. That he would die on a slightly dirty kitchen floor with Ruby laughing at him, wearing his friend’s face. Donna—what the fuck would happen to Donna now? She had a family, friends. She shouldn’t have been here, wasn’t supposed to—

“You’re not as fun as you used to be.” Lilith pouted, twirling Donna’s hair around her fingers. Sam felt another wave of fear rush through him, and realized that it was coming from her, that she was filling him with terror little by little. Just as he had done before.

And then they died—the Daleks. They died from this.

“Stop.” Sam choked out, and Lilith shook her head, smiling again.

“Nope. Make me.” She said, and the pressure grew stronger, the fear making sweat pour down his face. Why the hell was she so strong, she wasn’t like this before. What was—how did…

The question drifted away as the weight was suddenly lifted, air finally pouring into his lungs. Sam choked and gasped, rolling to his side on the floor as Lilith began to slowly back away from him.

The fear began to subside, ebbing away slowly, until his heart began to beat at a normal pace. Lilith mumbled to herself, her eyes lifting away from Sam to stare at the kitchen door leading out into the yard.

It was like what happened before, her suddenly running away from him after her power failed. But then—it wasn’t—her fear felt different, and wasn’t directed at him at all.

“YOU CAN’T STOP ME!” she screamed, and he winced at the high pitched sound. She was almost hysterical, pulling at Donna’s hair frantically as she backed away out of the kitchen.

“You can’t stop me.” She said again, quieter this time, and then Donna screamed as a thick black cloud flew from her mouth. Sam watched Lilith leave Donna’s body, the demon cloud a dark haze floating in the air, before disappearing entirely. Donna fell to the ground, and he quickly moved toward her, crawling on his knees until he reached her unconscious form. She moaned as he checked her pulse, and he smiled in relief. She was alive. God, she was—thanks to…What?

He heard the sound of boots on the front steps, the footfalls slow and deliberate as they moved toward the house. They could have been Jack’s, or Ellen’s even, but something made him reached for the discarded shotgun, aiming the barrel as he shielded Donna from the intruder. Sam remembered the fear on Lilith’s face and felt a small trickle of fear return, realizing that he could be facing something that had just scared the shit out of a powerful hell demon.

And he gripped the gun even tighter.

Dean 

Dean wasn’t sure what he felt he watched Martha’s eyes slowly turn a solid white, the bright glow making her brown skin almost golden in color. He didn’t let himself feel anything—he couldn’t. If he did, he wouldn’t be able to save her.

“I think I like this one better anyway.” The Master said, running the knife up and down her arms. “Has a nice little irony about it, yeah?”

 The Doctor had picked up on it first, that she wasn’t—her anymore. They hadn’t moved fast enough, should have salted the asshole before he could move. But he wasn’t thinking—he was focused on her, looking her over, making sure she was okay. She’d been fucking great, keeping the guy talking while he reached for the gun, didn’t even break a fucking sweat. Fantastic. Martha Jones was—fucking fantastic.

And now this dipshit had taken her away from him.

“You won’t win this.” The Doctor said, and the Master just smiled, the movement deepening the dimple in Martha’s cheek. He pressed the blade deeper into her skin, and Dean instantly moved forward, stopped by The Doctor’s warning hand.

“Perhaps not.” The Master said in Martha’s clipped accent. “But there are small victories I can take pleasure in—killing you for instance.”

Dean heard Bobby move toward them, stopping when he reached Dean’s side. Bobby had a shotgun clutched in his hands, and Dean resisted the urge to take it from him. To protect her, even though she was—she had…..

“You won’t kill me, we both know that.” The Doctor continued calmly. “And you won’t hurt her either, you have nothing to gain with this. Nothing to—”

“You never did understand me.” The Master spat, eyes locked on the Doctor. “You and your inane desire to help every pitiful life form that crosses your path. As if that could make up for all the death you’ve caused—the damage you’ve done. You’re just like me—only I’m man enough to bloody accept it.”

The Master moved forward, feet edging the salt line between them.

“I’m The Master! I’ve risen from the dead, something no other Time Lord has ever done. And you called me! You summoned me—you stupid man, you brought me back.”

“Yes, I did.” The Doctor said. “I knew you’d come here because you couldn’t resist—gloating about it. You see—I know you a lot better then you think.”

The boastful smile on The Master’s face faltered a bit, his feet shifting slightly. Dean saw Bobby begin to raise his gun, but gave the man a hard shake of his head.

“I didn’t believe all this you know.” The Doctor said, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Sam—that’s Dean brother—have you two met?”

Dean glared at the Master, who looked at him briefly before turning away. The Doctor rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, looking back and forth between the two.

“Well, he’s a bit—abrupt, but I’m sure a very nice man once you get to know him. Martha likes him—so that’s something. It’s good enough for me anyway.”

Dean looked at him briefly, before turning back to Martha.

“Yes—Martha is…well, you know what she is, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.” The Doctor continued. “She bested you even—this lowly human girl. One you didn’t even see coming.”

Anger lit The Master’s face, and he lifted Martha’s chin haughtily.

“Bloody fluke that was.” He said. “And trust me—she’s scared now, terrified actually. She can see you, you know. Hear what we’re saying. And now she’s—oh wait, I think she’s crying. Very sad.”

Dean eyes lowered the exorcism book at The Master’s feet, and the Master smiled as he followed his gaze.

“I’d love to see you try.” The Master said. “Wonder how far you could get before I rip you into pieces, want to wager?”

“You’ll do nothing of the kind.” The Doctor said. “In fact, I do believe your strength has faded a bit since your little—entrance, has it not? Of course it has, because if it hadn’t….”

“He’d have crossed the fucking salt by now.” Dean finished, and The Master looked down at his feet, the cockiness now completely vanished.

“I don’t—what’s happening…”

“You’re a Time Lord.” The Doctor said. “That’s not a human soul you’ve—forced inside my friend, but your biological imprint is merging with hers. Becoming more human…”

“Like a normal demon.” Dean said, a smile now forming on his face. “Like one whose ass I can kick?”

“Yes, something like that.” The Doctor answered. The Master began to breathe heavily, staring down at the body as if it were eating him alive.

“How did you—you couldn’t have known, you don’t even believe…” The Master’s voice was slightly hysterical now as he began to back away from him.

“Perhaps not. I’m not yet versed on the ins and outs of human demonology.” The Doctor continued. He lowered his head, eyes growing dark and hard as he stared at the Master. “But I do know that a human is static in time, one life. One lifeline. And placing your soul inside…”

“Makes me like them.” The Master gasped, and began to shake his head frantically. “No…not that. I’m The Master not---I’m better. I’m bloody fucking MORE!”

“Let her go.” The Doctor said quietly. “You can keep yourself—stay what you are—just let her go.”

Dean watched The Master’s eyes lift slowly, a slightly crazed glint inside them. The rest played out in slow motion, the lifting of the knife, it turning slowly in his hand, pointing into Martha’s chest. Someone was yelling, him maybe. Maybe not—but he felt himself move forward, reaching out desperately to stop him.

The Master smiled as the blade pierced Martha’s flesh, sinking deep inside before he fell to the ground. Dean felt The Doctor moving beside him, but he reached her first, groping frantically for her arms—for any part of her body. The Master smiled weakly at them as the knife dropped to the floor, and looked down at the blood that poured from her body.

“Look’s like I pierced the heart.” He said. “Fitting, that. The little bitch did break mine.”

Bobby dug into his pocket for a cell phone as the Doctor stared down at her, his eyes wide with shock.

“I didn’t think—I didn’t think he would…” The Doctor began, and Dean pulled her body into him, struggling to stand. Her head lolled backwards, her arm dangled at her side as his feet slid across the floor, which was now covered in her blood. He began to fall and his knee slammed into the floor to stop his downward momentum.

“Dean...” Bobby said, and Dean shook his head, attempting to right himself.

“Dean, the blade was iron.” Bobby said, the implication of his words clear. A choked sob rose from Dean’s throat as he stared at her face. She was so pretty, with her eyes close liked that. When she was sleeping. Why the hell hadn’t he told her?

“Bobby.” Dean said, and he felt Bobby’s hand on his shoulder as he brought Martha’s body to his own. He buried his face into her neck, breathing in her scent, desperate to take the smell of her with him.

To hold on to it forever.

Sam 

The screen door creaked open and he could hear the sound of guns firing. There was a brief moment of silence, then an even louder explosion, one that had Jack shouting in victory. 

Hell, maybe they were winning.

But he didn’t take his eyes from the door, only lifted his gun as the intruder stepped inside the kitchen.

It was dark, the lights all blown out by Lilith only moments before. So he couldn’t see the face right away, could only make out the outline of a body, one smaller then he expected.

“Who are you?” Sam asked, not believing for a second that the thing would answer. But as it moved even closer, his fingers began to loosen on the gun, his eyes narrowing as a strange feeling overwhelmed him.

Familiar. Why did this person feel—so familiar.

“Who are you?” he said again, softer this time. A hand reached out and touched the barrel of his gun, pushing it to the side until it was aimed at the ground.

A woman’s hand.

As she bent her knees, couching down to his level, he took in the fitted black jacket and slacks, the silver weapon fastened on the belt on her hip. Beside it was what looked like a communicator of some kind, and a—small tool, one he recognized instantly.

It was a sonic screwdriver. The same one they’d found at The Library.

“Time to get up Sam.” She said, and reached out a hand. He shook his head, confusion mixing with shock, mixing with—ever other fucking emotion he could think of.

“Martha?” he said, and she smiled, a small dimple forming in her smooth brown cheek.

“He’s right, you are a quick one.” The fingers curled a bit, beckoning him forward. “I think there’s been enough of this, don’t you?”

Sam took her hand gingerly, and she gripped it tightly, her smile growing larger.

“He was right about that too.” she said. “Right then, follow me. It’s time to save the world, yeah?”

Chapter Thirteen 

Sam 

“Wait a second—so you’re from the future?”  Sam said, and Martha nodded distractedly, her dark eyes quickly scanning their surroundings. They soon fell on Donna, whose eyes were beginning to flutter, and she quickly straightened, still holding onto Sam’s hand.  He stayed were he was, his previous urge to follow her dampened as he reflected on her words.

“We have to go Sam, there’s not much time left.” She said to him, and he looked at Donna again, hesitant to leave her. Martha sighed impatiently, letting go of his hand before walking across the kitchen floor. She stopped at the doorway, then turned back to him, her mouth forming a small almost coy, grin.

“Don’t you want to know what happened—what this was all about?” she said, and he nodded a moment, not wanting to seem too eager. Her hand pushed the door open, and he could hear sounds of fighting outside. More demons, Sam thought, and he quickly scrambled to his feet.

“I have to help them.” He said, and Martha’s smile vanished, her face tight and serious.

“If you want to help them, come with me.” She insisted. “And we have to go now. Don’t worry about Donna, she’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Why are you—”

“Because I’m dead.” She snapped, and his eyes widened slightly, trailing over to his shotgun. Martha rolled her eyes, crossing her arms impatiently, which caused the screen door to shut again.

“I’m not a demon Sam.” She said. “Or a ghost, or vampire—whatever. I’m me. More or less.”

“More or—” Sam shook his head, lifting his hands in front of him as if to stop the onslaught of information. “You just said you were dead, but if you’re from the future then how—I mean, did somebody make some kind of incantation?  Did Dean….did my brother make a fucking deal?”

Martha shook her head and the smile slowly returned to her face, her eyes softening.

“No, nothing like that. Wasn’t needed. It was simple really.” She pushed open the door again. He walked over to her, his eyes never leaving her face.

“Simple?” he said, and her smile grew brighter.

“Yeah.” She replied. “I had a Doctor.”

 The Doctor 

This wasn’t right, there was something—he was missing something, but what was it, he’d thought of all the variables, every possible outcome before they performed the ritual and everything happened just the way he—the way he—

Why was she dead? 

Was it because of him?

“Dean, we gotta…” Bobby began, and Dean only glared at him, Martha still cradled in his arms. The Doctor’s eyes fell her once again, took in her ashen face. This wasn’t right, it wasn’t supposed to end this way. Martha wasn’t…

The Doctor felt his throat closing, grief starting to take hold, but he pushed it back. He had think, to figure things out. It was all he had, the only thing that could—save her.

“We got to salt her body boy.” Bobby said, but Dean just ignored him.

 There was more—there had to be but what?  Everything they’d gone through, the Library, the ship. The sun. And the moon.

The moon….

“Oh.” The Doctor said, his eyes widening as he stared at Martha. “OH! OH, THAT’S IT!”

Dean and Bobby stared at him, with Dean’s red rimmed eyes narrowing with confusion. The Doctor moved over to them then, and carefully too Martha’s lifeless hand in his, feeling the last remnants of her body heat quickly ebbing away.

“Don’t.” Dean said, and The Doctor looked up at him, trying to contain his excitement. If it was what he thought—if he were right….but they had to move quickly.

“Dean.” The Doctor said. “I need to you to let me take her.”

“Fuck off.” Dean said, his voice completely flat as his arms grasped her tighter. The Doctor moved closer, and when it appeared that Bobby might intervene, he held up a hand in warning, silently asking the man to remain still. Bobby looked down at Dean, and nodded, backing away with worried eyes. The Doctor looked back at them, and saw Dean brush a lock of hair from her face, with more tenderness then he thought the boy was capable of.

“I can save her.” The Doctor said, and Dean’s eyes crashed into his. His mouth opened, and closed again, before he was able to speak.

“What did you—did you say…”

“I can save her. I think I can—if I’m right.”

“If you’re—what the fuck are you..”

“We’re running out of time.” The Doctor said, lifting Martha’s hand slightly. “She’s fading, Dean.  I know you’ve just met me…”

“Okay.” Dean said suddenly, which took him by surprise. Dean sucked in a deep breath, and leaned forward, allowing The Doctor to slide his arms beneath her. “She believed in you.” Dean said, once she was in the Doctor arms. “Said you would never—that you’d always help her, find her no matter what.”

The Doctor looked down at Martha’s face for a moment, then back up to Dean’s before he replied.

“She was right.”

Dean

Letting her go caused a pain deep inside his chest, as if she’d been physically ripped from his body. Before the Doctor spoke, his mind was already working, going through every spell, ever summoning he could think of, anything to make her whole again. The guy was so sure, so fucking—he said he could save her. And Dean had let her go, because Martha trusted him. And because he’d do just about anything to have her open her eyes again.

I’ll keep you safe.

That’s what he told her, promised her when they---but he’d just watched when that fucker stabbed her. Like he was fucking useless. Had she really been crying, or was that just another lie to fuck with their heads? 

“Dean, you sure you want to….” Bobby didn’t finish the sentence, only nodded toward The Doctor as the man climbed to his feet, Martha held in his arms. He was skinny as hell, but the man picked her up effortlessly, eyes locked on her face.

“Yeah.” Dean said, reaching for his shotgun as he climbed to his feet. A strange calm had come over him; the only sign of his grief was a high pitch ringing in his ears. Focus. Stay focused.

“What do you need?” Dean asked The Doctor, who glanced warily at the gun in his hand.

“The TARDIS.” The Doctor said, lifting his eyes to Dean’s. “I have to get her back there—it’s sitting behind some trees—”

“Done.” Dean said, cocking the shotgun. He glanced over at Bobby, delivering a pointed look that had the man grumbling under his breath. Bobby cocked his own shotgun, and nodded in agreement.

“I’m in.” Bobby said. “You just take care of the girl, we’ll handle the rest.”

The Doctor pressed Martha closer to his body and set out toward the stairs. Dean placed a hand on his arm, moving in front of him, while Bobby took up the rear, eyes bright and alert. They walked quickly, but cautiously, climbing until they reached the door leading into Ellen’s kitchen.

Dean saw evidence of a struggle, the table kicked off to the side, dishes broken in the floor. And there was Donna, rubbing her hand against her bright red hair, confusion in her blue eyes. Bobby passed them, and set his gun on the table, placing a concerned hand on her shoulder.

“Are you okay?’ he said, and she shook her head.

”No, I’m about as far from bloody okay as you—Oh, my lord, is that Martha?” she gasped. The Doctor moved forward, not bothering to answer as he headed for the door. Dean followed after him, and he heard Bobby speak in a low voice, reassuring a terrified Donna.

“She’s going to be okay.” Bobby said, and a choked sob burst from Donna’s throat.

“How can you say that—all that…there was so much blood...”

“BOBBY!” Dean shouted as they moved outside. A demon was on them immediately, and Dean fired a carefully placed shot into the creature’s face before kicking it aside. “WE NEED YOU!”

“Come on.” Bobby said, and Donna nodded, following behind him as he lifted his gun. They moved as a group, with Bobby and Dean holding off each attack that came their way. Dean realized they were converging on them now, the fight in the front of the house now forgotten.

It was her. They still coming for her, even now that she…

Which meant The Doctor was right, this wasn’t over.

“There!” The Doctor said, and Dean spotted a bright blue phone box sitting in the middle of the trees. Donna ran past him them, moving out in front before Dean could stop her, and tore a key from around her neck. She slammed into the door of the blue box and opened it quickly as a demon leaped toward her. Bobby shot into the creature’s stomach, and it quickly fell to the ground at her feet. To her credit, Donna never flinched, didn’t bother to move until the thing was dead. But when she looked up again, her eyes were bright with fear.

“Any day now gents!” she cried out, and they filed inside, her and The Doctor, then Bobby. Dean took out two more demons, before he backed into the box and shut the door, then almost dropped his gun when he turned around.

“Holy shit.” Dean said, and Bobby nodded, his eyes taking their surroundings.

“Ditto.” Bobby said, and they moved forward slowly, trying to get their bearings. Dean watched The Doctor move to the center of the room, to some kind of big green column, with a bunch of—shit around it.

“Can they get in here?” Bobby said, and Donna shook her head, before looking over to Martha and The Doctor.

“No.” she said, crossing her arms under her chest. One hand lifted to her mouth, and she held back a new round of tears as The Doctor placed Martha next to the console. Dean dropped the gun at his feet, and moved forward, trying his best not to give up hope.

Hoping for miracle. Something he’d stopped doing when was a kid.

The Doctor looked up at the green column, and for the first time Dean saw tears forming in the man’s eyes, desperation on his face. And anger, his features were twisting as rage over began to overtake him.

“It has to work.” The Doctor ground out. “All this—I’m right.  I have to be….”

They all stared silently at Martha who remained lifeless. The Doctor looked down at her again, and placed a shaking hand against her cheek.

“I have to be.”

Sam 

She led him to the side of the house, where a small blue Port-a Potty sat in the middle of a group of trees. There were demons all around, but they just ran past them, focused on something else entirely. Sam asked her how this was possible, and she pointed to a small black key she’d tossed in his hand when they walked outside the house. Said the key allowed them to move undetected, caused some kinda shift in their surroundings, or something. He was just figuring out what she meant when they stopped at the toilet, which led to his current state of even greater confusion.

“You gotta pee first?” he said, and she rolled her eyes before opening the door. Sam shifted on his feet, and she gestured for him to walk inside.

“But I don’t…”

“You should know this part by now.” Martha said. “Bigger on the inside?”

Sam’s eyes grew wide, and moved from her, to the potty, then back to her.

“You—you don’t mean…holy shit….” Sam brought a hand to his mouth, trying to stop the smile threatening to form on his lips. After a moment, he slowly moved inside, seeing what he expected. And more then he ever dreamed.

It was like the TARDIS, only it felt….newer. The middle column was a gleaming white, the panels a mix of blacks and grays. There were none of the random items scattered around, the entire ship was painfully neat, organized.

But still…..it was a TARDIS.

“Is this yours?” Sam said after he’d made several rounds across the room. Martha was at the middle console, pulling levers and pressing buttons, never looking up at his question.

“Yeah.” She said. “Only mine works a bit better.”  Sam stumbled as the ship began to move while Martha gave the bright column a smile of satisfaction.  He looked back at her for a moment, before his excitement faded, his expression muting significantly.

“Where are we going?” he said.

“To the Dämonsun.” She replied instantly. “Or sun demon—whatever you all were calling it, you have to exorcise it.”

“We’re going to exorcise a sun? How the hell are we going to—”

“It’s not really a sun, it was a man centuries ago. He was trapped out there and well….And it’s not we.” She said, moving closer to him. “You Sam. You’re the one who has to destroy the demon. You’re the only one that can at this point.” 

Sam was quietly for a moment, before speaking again.

“It was you.” he said quietly, and her head lifted at his words.

“Yes.” Martha said. “Yes, it was.”

“The Doctor not being able to control the TARDIS, it taking us to all those places. The whole time, he thought it was him, that the ship was inside his mind or something. But it wasn’t. It was inside yours.”

Martha reached down and pulled the sonic screwdriver from her waist, holding it up for him to see.

“Jack Harkness bought this off a Slytheen, who stole it from a Kiltar warrior five hundred years from now. That warrior stole it from me when I was held captive on a bartering ship. Five hundred years in to your future.”

Sam’s head bean to slowly move from side to side, his voice becoming slightly hoarse.

“But you’re—how is that possible?” he said, and Martha moved forward until they were only a few feet away.

“Because.” She said deliberately. “We are time. The beginning. The middle and the end.”

“That means...” Sam stumbled over his words. “You’re saying you’re a…”

“Time Lord.” Martha replied, then held up her hands to give a gentle wave of her fingers. “Surprise?”

 Martha 

There was light.  And she thought she was dying.

And then, it grew brighter, heated her face and her chest. And she began to feel again—the cool hard floor, her fingers. Slightly numb, but there. She could move them, at least she thought she could. And she could feel her heart. Steady, regular beats pounding in her chest.

Beats. As in—more then one?

“BLOODY HELL!” she gasped, her eyes popping open as she brought a frantic hand to her chest. She could feel them, the two hearts pounding away, quickening as the panic began to overtake her.

“Martha.” The Doctor said, and she felt him attempt to grab hold of her. But she pulled away, scrambling on her knees across the floor, trying desperately to catch her breath.

“Martha, calm down.” The Doctor said, and she twisted her body to face him, a hand grasping her chest.

“Calm down? Really?” she said, her voice several octaves too high. She began to look around wildly, and saw the eyes staring, faces all turned her way. And she wanted to scream.

“Martha.”

Dean. Oh, god that was Dean’s voice, where was he?  Did they do this to him too?

“Martha, look at me.” Dean said. He was crouched in front of her, she didn’t even see him move. He was just there.

“What’s wrong with me?” She whispered, and she saw him smile

“Nothing.” He said. “You’re okay—you’re…a fucking miracle.”

A nervous laugh burst forth from her lips as he pulled her into him. Her arms instantly went around his body, and she clung to him tightly as her eyes slowly lifted to the rest of the cabin.

TARDIS. They were inside the TARDIS, which meant…

“Doctor.” She whispered, and she felt Dean tense up in her arms, his body slowly move away from hers. Martha looked at Dean for a moment, before he smiled at her, then they slowly began to climb to their feet.

The Doctor stood next to the center column, the green light illuminating his withdrawn face. Martha looked down at her clothes and saw the blood. She remembered the knife, the pain that it had caused. The Master. Inside her, he’d been inside her body, and now…

Now she had two heartbeats.

“What—”

“His biological imprint.” The Doctor said quietly. There was sadness in her eyes that made her take Dean’s hand into her own. 

“I warned him.” The Doctor continued. “That we weren’t like humans, that if he stayed inside you much longer—that you would start to—”

“He’s inside me?” Martha said. “He—he’s part of me.”

“Yes.” The Doctor said. “Biologically of course, not his mind. At least—I don’t think it is, it’s all new territory for me at this point.”

“He saved your life.” Donna said, and Martha blinked at her, before being able to focus on the woman completely. Donna looked over a The Doctor, then move forward, a tentative smile on her lips.

“I saw it—we all did. He brought you here and—there was a light.” Donna pointed to the green column, which continue to grow brightly in the dimly lit ship. “At first it came from the ship and then—it came from you. Rose up from your mouth and…you’re alive. He brought you back.”

“No.” The Doctor said. “I just brought her here, I thought—perhaps that it had been long enough, that his biology had already mixed with yours. And I was right.”

Martha closed her eyes a moment, before opening them again.

“Yes.” She said finally. “Yes, you were. Only—what the hell am I? I have another heart in my chest and I feel—I’m seeing—wavy lines and….”

“Time” The Doctor said, and began to walk closer to them. Martha felt Dean’s grip on her arm tighten as the man moved closer, but she didn’t look away, could only keep her eyes glued to The Doctor’s face.

“I see time? Like you?” she said softly and he nodded, looking back and for the between her and Dean.

“I’m sorry Martha.” The Doctor said. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Chapter Fourteen 

Sam 

Sam paced around the ship for what felt like forever, while Martha just watched him. Didn’t bother to say a word. When he finally opened his mouth, she cut him off instantly, anticipating his question.

“I’m still human, for the most part.” She said. “Got all the Time Lord perks, if you could call them that. I’m a bit over 500, give or take a few years.  Watched my family grow old, die eventually. And then I just—left, for good. Haven’t been back to earth in centuries, didn’t have a need. Until now that is.”

She was so remote as the words left her mouth, for moment he doubted her claim of being human. Her eyes—they were like before, but….they were also like his. Like the Doctor’s.

“Why now?” Sam said. “Why come here now, for this? I’ve fought demons loads of times, what makes this so different?”

“Lilith.” Martha answered, and Sam felt a slight rolling of his stomach at the name. Why the fuck did everything have to come back to her?

“Okay.” Sam said, his voice held tight. “What about her—what has she done?”

“She feeds off fear Sam, particularly fear in other demons.” Martha explained. “It’s what she’s always done, what made her so powerful. Human fear is nice, but demons…much stronger.”

“You mean like me?’ Sam said, and instantly wanted to take the words back. But Martha just nodded, seemingly unfazed by them.

“Yes, just like you. Only on a much grander scale.”

Sam closed is eyes as the rest of the story fell into place.

“The sun demon.” He said. “She’s been feeding off that thing?”

”Yep.” Martha replied. “And it’s letting her do all kinds of shit, like raising demons on her own, causing us to switch places in the first place. And play with time.”

“What are you…?”

“She was feeding off the Master too Sam.” Martha said. “Parts of him were inside her and the wanker probably didn’t even realize she was doing it. That mixed with what she’s already taken in…”

“Makes her dangerous.” Sam said, and Martha shook her head at his words.

“More then dangerous.” She said. “She’s bloody lethal.”  

The heat began to increase in the ship, and for a moment Sam thought his skin was starting to burn, that Lilith had found him again. But Martha only flicked a switch and the doors of her TARDIS flew open, the bright light of the sun demon filling the interior.

“Why me?” Sam said as he stared at the sun. “I mean, you seem like a bad ass now, you  could do this, right?”

“No, I can’t.” Martha said. “I’ve tried exorcising, reasoning with it, but—”

“You do exorcisms?” Sam said, his eyebrow raising. Martha smiled softly as she stared out into the sun.

“Yeah.” She said. “You’re brother taught me quite a bit after we met. Never thanked him properly for that.”

“Dean…”

“Is fine. Everyone will be, if you do this Sam.” She said. “I could destroy the demon, just wipe it out, but that wouldn’t affect Lilith’s power, I need her back to what she was, where she belongs. And that sure as hell isn’t out here.”

Sam nodded, feeling the sun’s power radiating inside his body. He turned to the doorway as the intense heat began to feed him, sending his heart pounding in his chest. And it flared within him, that thing that craved the sun’s fear. Hungered for it.

“What do I do?” Sam whispered, and Martha moved closer, whispering in his ear.

“Just take it from her Sam.” She said. “Make it your own.”

“But I don’t know how—” He began, but that wasn’t true. His body just knew, could feel her there, fighting against him. Lilith. She was screaming, pushing at his mind trying to get him to stop. But he was winning; her voice was getting lower, weaker. And now he was—strong…

“Is she gone?” Martha called out, and he shook his head, feeling his nose starting to bleed. Just a little more—he had to hold out just a little longer, for Dean. For everyone he still cared about.

He had to save them.

“Sam.” Martha said, but he didn’t answer. Didn’t want to, only wanted this. That power…god, all that strength…..

“SAM, IS SHE GONE?” Martha shouted, and he nodded slowly, his mouth forming a small grin. Yes, she was gone, the little bitch had run away from him….

There was a sharp pain in his head as the connection was broken and he fell backwards, away from the TARDIS doors. He saw a vivid flame of light, and then the sun started to grow bigger, the brightly lit surface pulsing in and out ominously. Martha waved her sonic screwdriver and the door slammed shut, and Sam felt the familiar rocking of the ship as they began to move.

“What happened?” Sam breathed, and she crouched down bedside him for the second time that day.

“We won.” She replied. “Well, we will shortly. After I find Lilith.”

“You—you’re going after her?” Sam said. “Was that why she was so afraid, when you showed up. She took off so fast..”

“Most of them do.” Martha said. “But I’ll find her. Just like the others.”

“Others?” Sam said, and she just smiled.

“Death bringer, The Dark One.” she said. “They call me all kinds of names, let others know I’m coming.”

She stood up again, her dark eyes cool as they stared down at him.

“But I’m partial to The Hunter.”

The Doctor 

He didn’t want this for her, for anyone. He wanted her alive, smiling at him in that way she had. Like she new everything about him, all that mattered anyway. It was selfish, saving her. And he didn’t do it for the young man that obviously cared for her deeply. It wasn’t for her family either, though having to look in her mother’s eyes and explain how he’d lost her daughter didn’t exactly appeal to him. None of those reasons were why he brought her to life again. Knowing what it might mean.

He just couldn’t lose her. Not when he’d already lost so much along the way.

And to make matters worst, he almost felt happy. Because of the first time in so many years—he wasn’t alone. She was a Time Lord, like him. She’d live forever, like him.

With him?

The Doctor quickly pushed those thoughts aside, knew they were foolish to even entertain. She did have a life, and even if she were ready to accept what had happened to her—which he doubted she was—asking her to travel with him again would be asking too much of her. Too soon.

But still…

“We should go outside, see if the others need our help.” Bobby said. The man had been silent throughout the exchange, his face taking on a slightly shell shocked appearance. The Doctor looked from him, to Donna, whose blues were appraising him intently. The Doctor looked away for a moment, then looked back and he saw her mouth tighten, disapproval evident on her face. She knew—what he’d been thinking. Perhaps she’d been thinking along those lines as well.

“Yes, well.” The Doctor said, clearing his throat. “We should see what’s going on out there, I didn’t catch sight of young Sam when we were—”

“Sam!” Dean shouted, and causing them to jump slightly. Dean finally released Martha from his grasp, and bent down to retrieve the weapon he appeared so fond of.  “Shit-where the fuck is my brother?”

“He was in the kitchen.” Donna said. “I remember—he was there with me and then—there was someone else. A woman.”

“A woman?” Dean said. “Fuck, was Ruby? Lilith?”

“No.” Donna said, then shook her head. “I mean—I don’t think so, I’m not sure what happened.”

Dean turned toward the doors, then paused a moment as he looked at Martha again. Martha waved him off.

“I’m fine, go find your brother.” She said, and Dean grabbed her then, pulling her into his arms. The Doctor watched him kiss her, then watched her returned the embrace and felt a hard knot in his chest that took him by surprise. He wanted to avert his eyes, but couldn’t look away from them. The way he touched her hair, the smile he gave her as they broke from the kiss. Martha grinned back, and Dean kissed her forehead before letting her go, he and Bobby running for the TARDIS doors.

“You lucked out with that one.” Donna said, and Martha nodded, staring at the door long after Dean had gone through them. She turned away almost reluctantly, and met The Doctor’s eyes, uncertainty replacing the previous softness there.

“Are you afraid of me?” The Doctor said, and Martha shook her head slowly.

“No.” she said and took in a deep breath. “No, I’m afraid of me.”

The Doctor moved toward her then, slowly, not wanting to scare her, and he saw the tears fill her eyes as she watched him. He stopped only a few feet away, and looked down into the face that meant so much to him, more then he was ever willing to admit. It was impossible—they were impossible. Only now—now….

Now.

“Martha.” He said, and she rushed into his arms, holding onto him tightly. He hugged her back, resting his cheek against her hair as she cried in his arms.

“It will be alright—I’ll help you.” The Doctor said, avoiding Donna’s stare once more. “I promise, you won’t be alone, not like I was.”

“You can’t say that.” She said into his jacket. “If I don’t die—then everyone around me will. I can’t…”

The Doctor pushed her from him then, gripping her arms tightly as he met her watery gaze.

“I won’t leave you.” he said. “Not unless—unless you ask me to.”

Martha smiled then, wiping the tears from her face.

“I know—and I believe you.” she said. “I just—feel like I’ve lost something, like someone’s just died. Besides me, of course.”

Donna walked up beside them and too her hand.

“Well—I don’t know much about being a Time Lord.” Donna said to her. “But I do know if anyone could drive this bloody thing, you could. Probably better then this lot.”

She tilted her head over to The Doctor, whose brow furrowed at her observation. Martha’s eyes widened and she looked over The Doctor’s shoulders to stare at the TARDIS console. The Doctor’s mouth dropped open, and he began to wave his hand, shaking his head as he backed away from them.

“Oh, now hold on a minute.”

“You called me a Time Lord.” Martha said, and Donna nodded in agreement.

“Yes, that is what he said.” Donna said, and The Doctor looked back and forth between them.

“What are you—“

“I’ve always wanted to drive this thing, and he’d never let me.” Martha continued, and Donna just snorted.

“Men and their toys. You think this was his bloody cock, the way he rubs that panel all day long.”

“Oh, now that’s not necessary.” The Doctor said, and ran a hand through his hair, feeling surrounded. He braced himself for the next onslaught, only to be saved by the reopening of the TARDIS doors, and Bobby sliding back inside.

“Well?” Martha said as she turned to face him. Bobby just shrugged his shoulders.

“They’re gone.” He said. “All of them, there ain’t a demon in sight. They all just left.”

The Doctor was silent for a moment as Donna turned to him.

“That’s good, ain’t it?” she said.

“Not necessarily.” The Doctor and Martha said simultaneously and they grinned at each other for a moment, before heading for the doors. They were met with an eerie silence as they walked outside, which was then broken by the sound of Jack whooping at the top of his lungs, shouting congratulations into the night air.

“HOLY SHIT, WE WERE AWESOME!’ Jack yelled, and they all hurried into the front of the house, where Dean and Ellen were watching him wave his gun in the air in victory. His clothes were dingy and torn, as were Ellen’s and the small group of hunters that had joined the fight. Jack slid his gun down to the ground, and stalked over to Ellen, whose eyes widened as he approached her. She didn’t get a chance to protest before he pulled her into a kiss, bending her backwards as his mouth devoured hers. The Doctor watched the woman resist for a moment, before sliding her arms around his neck, returning the kiss with increasing enthusiasm. They ignored the catcalls from onlookers, holding on to each other tightly before eventually coming up for air.

Jack had a huge grin on his face when The Doctor and Martha approached him, and Ellen stumbled off to the side, smoothing her hair as she mumbled something under her breath.

“Doctor.” Jack said, then turned to Martha, gave her a hard kiss on her cheek. “Martha Jones, glad to see you’re both alright.”

“And you.” The Doctor said, glancing at Ellen. Jack’s smile just grew wider, and the delivered a hard slap to The Doctor’s arm.

“Can’t resist a victory kiss, especially one like that. The things that woman can do with her tongue. And that was just in my mouth…”

“Yes, right.” The Doctor said quickly. “Victory you say? So you, killed all those—creatures?”

Jack shrugged.

“Seemed like it. Shit, they just up and died, one minute they were scratching and clawing at me, the next some nasty black shit is dripping out of their mouths, falling out into the ground. I’m new to this kinda thing, but it seem like they were dying to me.”

“Me too.” Ellen said, finally finding her voice again. “They didn’t just escape, those demons all dropped dead. Something killed them, besides us I think.”

“And yet, you claim victory?” The Doctor said, and Jack just shrugged.

“Hey, someone has to.” Jack said, and winked at Ellen. “Might as well be me.”

Dean walked up beside the, his brow furrowed as he scanned the empty yard.

“Where’s Sam?”

 Sam 

“So—it’s over?” Sam said, and Martha nodded, though her eyes told him she didn’t really believe that.

“Well, it depends on what you mean by over.” She said finally, and he gave short laugh, suddenly exhausted.  

“By over I mean not getting stalked by fucking demons every day. Or at least Ruby and Lilith, they’re gone right? They’ll leave me and my brother alone?”

“And Ruby?” Sam prompted, and Martha just smiled.

“I’ll leave that one to you and your brother.” She said. “I think you both could use that bit of satisfaction.”

Sam was quiet for moment, watching her guide the ship.

“Why do all this?” he said, and she looked at him again, eyes questioning.

“The little clues, sending us all over the galaxy? Why not just show up, tell us what we need to know?”

Martha sighed and ran a hand over her dark hair.

“Because if I had, this would have never happened.” She replied. “You never would have developed your powers and this wouldn’t’ have been possible. I sent messages to you and The Doctor because it was the only way to communicate without affecting the course of events—I had to give The Doctor information without leading him back to me to soon, but I did need to speed things up a bit.”

“Too soon?”

“For it all to happen, for me to die. I had to die Sam, there’s so much that’s been done because of that one moment. What Lilith was doing was starting to affect timelines, change what has to be. That’s what I came here to fix, nothing else.”

“So—you could screw with us, but not with yourself?” he said, and she nodded.

“Basically. You were in the TARDIS, traveling with The Doctor, which is—beyond time so to speak. I on the other hand, was here, with your brother.”

“Dean.” Sam said, and he watched her eyes darken a moment. “His name is Dean, why haven’t you said…”

“Five hundred years Sam.” Martha said quietly, and he lifted his head at the sadness in her voice. She looked down at the console, and threw a switch, causing the ship to rock once again.

“You’re home.” Martha said, and he stared at the doors.

“That’s it?” he said, and she nodded.

“Yeah, basically. I take care of the rest, but your part in this is over. Go on. Time for you to get on with things, yeah?”

Sam stared at her for a moment.

“You seem lonely.” He said, and she smiled at him ruefully.

“Not lonely.” She replied. “Just alone.”

Dean 

He breathed out a deep sigh of relief as his brother’s lanky frame came into view. Sam ducked under a tree branch and gave him an awkward smile, his eyes glancing around him as he moved forward.

“Where in the holy fuck have you been?” Dean said, and Sam just slapped a hand on his shoulder, his grin growing broader.

“It’s over, right?” Sam said, and Dean just stared at him, confused.

“Yeah, how the hell did you know that?” Dean said, and Sam gestured at their surroundings.

“No demons.” He said. “God, I could use a beer. You want a beer?”

“Sam.” Dean said, grabbing his brother’s shirt as he tried to walk past him. “Where were you?”

Sam was silent for a moment.

“I was fighting Lilith.” He said. “And I won. She’s gone.”

Fear crept up on him at his brother’s words, and he crossed his arms over his chest, shifting his body uncomfortably.

“You beat her how?” Dean said, and Sam briefly looked away from him, confirming is fears.

“Dammit, Sam, you didn’t.”

“I had to Dean, she was gonna kill everybody.” Sam said.

“So you use that demon psychic shit?” Dean said. “How many times—you don’t know what might happen if…”

“Nothing happened.” Sam said. “And I’m—really tired. And hungry. And I want a damn beer, so can we just go inside? Please?”

Dean hesitated, before nodding.

“Fine.” He said. “But this conversation isn’t over.”

“Oh, believe me, I know.” Sam said. “And I know you’re just worried about me, but trust me, I’m fine. Better then I’ve been in a while actually.”

“Well—good.” Dean said. “You go on in—I’m gonna check on Martha.”

Sam stopped at his words, this time gripping his brother’s shoulder.

“Is she okay?” Sam said, and Dean eyed him curiously.

“Yeah.” Dean said. “I mean—she is now. She had—she almost…”

“So she’s going back? With The Doctor?” Sam prompted, and Dean felt his face tighten at his brother’s words, his eyes sliding off to the side.

“Dean.” Sam said. “You know she has to…”

“Yeah.” Dean replied. “I mean—no I don’t. I don’t know a fucking thing she has to do but be with me. I just—want her with me.”

Sam’s eyes widened at his brother’s words.

“Wow.” Sam said. “I don’t think I’ve ever—you really like her don’t you.”

“Yeah.” Dean snapped. “I…shit.”

They stood together in silence, Dean staring at the ground as the truth started to sink in.

“It won’t work will it?” Dean said quietly, and Sam shook his head.

“We’re hunters Dean, we don’t even have a place to live.” Sam said. “And she’s got—stuff that she probably needs to work out, and…”

“Okay.” Dean said, his voice hard, emotionless.

“Dean…”

‘You’re right, okay?” Dean said. “I—you’re right. End of discussion.”

Martha 

“Just a little longer.” She said softly, and The Doctor stared at her, choosing to remain silent. Martha shut her eyes briefly, not wanting to start up the tears again, especially not in front of him. Once was enough to last her a lifetime. This one at least.

They were standing outside the TARDIS, all of them. Donna and Bobby, Sam. Jack had shown up just a few minutes ago, straightening his shirt as he looked back at the house. Ellen walked out the door slowly, her face as tough as ever, but a distinct flush to her skin that hadn’t been there before. And Martha remembered her previous words, the way she used to celebrate after a successful hunt. Apparently, that tradition was alive and well.

“Well, it was lovely meeting all of you.” Jack said, his eyes turning to Ellen. “Some more then others.”

“Fuck off.” She huffed, before pulling Martha into a brief hug.

“Don’t be a stranger.” Ellen said, and Martha nodded silently, not trusting her voice. She watched Donna move to Sam, and embrace him tightly, tears streaming down the woman’s face.

“You watch over yourself, don’t let those skinny little twats turn your eye or anything.” Donna said, and Sam just smiled, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

“You have nothing to worry about, trust me. You’ve ruined me for women.”

Donna just rolled her eyes, and gave his arm a squeeze before nodding to Bobby and Ellen. She moved back to The Doctor and Jack side, and gave a small wave before grabbing hold of Jack’s arm.

“Holding on a little tight there...” Jack said, and she slapped his shoulder, cutting of the rest of his words. The Doctor walked forward, passing Martha to reach out a hand to Sam, who took it eagerly.

“You were brilliant, you know that?” The Doctor said. “And the offer still stands, for you to come with us.”

“Thanks.” Sam said, smiling broadly. “But I got—stuff here, demons to kill, that kind of thing. But I—what I saw….damn, that was awesome. Thank you.”

The Doctor smiled in that slightly manic way for of his. “No, thank you Sam.” He said. “I mean that.”

He released Sam’s hand and gave a quick salute to the rest of the group on the house steps.

“It was lovely meeting all of you, thought perhaps next time it can be under better circumstances. Like tea perhaps?”

“No offense Doctor.” Bobby said. “But I’d be real fine if I never saw your face again. I got enough shit down here without worryin’ what the fuck’s going on up there.”

The Doctor nodded slowly at his words.

“Fair enough then.” He said, and turned back to the TARDIS, waving a hand to indicate that Jack and Donna should follow. They both ignored him, watching Martha stare at Dean, who was currently leaning against the kitchen door, his body not moving an inch.

“Hello?” The Doctor said, and Donna shooed him away. He walked over and gripped both their arms, and they reluctantly began to move toward the TARDIS, delivering the occasional glance backwards.

“Take care of yourself girl” Bobby said, and he hugged her gently. Sam followed suit, and thanked her for taking care of his brother while he was away. And then they all left, passing by Dean as they walked into Ellen’s house, throwing quick glances his way.

Martha crossed her arms under her chest, and looked down to the ground for a moment. She heard him walk towards her, his feet heavy against the wood steps, and when she looked up again, he was only inches away.

“So I guess you’ll get on with the hunting then?” she said, and he nodded, his hands sliding into his pockets.

“Yeah.” Dean said. “And I guess you’ll—fly away in a fucking box.”

She smiled then, laughter bursting for as she met his eyes.

“I’m sorry.” She said, and his brows narrowed, as in confused.

“For what?” Dean said.

“That this couldn’t—that I can’t…”

“Martha, I’m a hunter.” Dean said quickly. “Hell, it’s not like I’m stable or anything, the longest relationship I’ve ever had was with my car.”

Martha looked over at the Impala, and felt the sadness creep up again.

“Well, it is pretty nice.” She said, and he smiled at her, his hands reaching out to pull her into him.

“Damn.” He whispered, lowering his mouth to hers. “I think you might be fucking perfect, you know that?”

“Not perfect.” Martha whispered back, her lips grazing his. “Just…a bit….brilliant….”

He kissed her then, his lips firm against hers, his tongue pushing past them to deliver a deep and thorough stroking inside her mouth. She pressed her body against him, sliding her fingers over the sensitive skin at his neck. When he lifted his head, she licked her lips gently, reveling in the taste of him on her skin.

“I’ll come back.” she whispered, and he only smiled.

“Martha…”

“I promise.” She said, her voice harder this time as she moved away. “I’ll come back after—I’ve worked all this out.”

“Okay.” Dean said, though he didn’t sound as if he believed her. But he was wrong, she would come back, wouldn’t rest until she saw him again.

“Well.” She said. “I guess I’m off then.” He nodded, and she began to back away slowly. She saw something flicker in his eyes, and for a moment she thought he was going to say something, maybe even ask her to stay.

 “Goodbye Martha Jones.”   

Dean 

He did the right thing.

Dean told himself that as he watched her walk away from him, those dark eyes of hers turning away as she ran to the TARDIS. He was waiting for her, The Doctor. The only one who could help her with—whatever she was now.

Time Lord.

Hell, if that didn’t scream break-up, he didn’t know what did, but still—part of him wanted to fuck the entire thing. Take her hand and promise he’d settle down, stop hunting. A fence, a yard, whatever the hell she wanted if she’d just stay.

But he knew better. And so did she.

And so he only stood there as the TARDIS disappeared before his eyes, the sound of  large gears churning as the blue box faded into the night air. He didn’t move, could only look at the space the ship occupied, and try to swallow the hard lump that formed in his throat.

“It’s a bit cold out tonight, yeah?”

Dean spun around at the sound of her voice, his hand instantly reaching for the gun he kept at his side. His eyes widened when he saw her, clad in a black jacket and pants, her dark hair pulled back tightly from her face. She was slightly thinner, her eyes harder then before. But they softened as she looked at him, and trailed over his body slowly before lifting once more.  

“Bloody hell, you look so young.” She said, walking towards him. “I’d forgotten how damn cute you were—you aged well of course, but still….”

“Martha?” Dean said, and she smiled at him, a small dimple forming on her cheek. She moved forward, reaching out a hand to touch his face. Her fingers trailed across his skin softly, and he gripped them tightly, pressing them against his mouth.

“I told you I’d come back.” she said as she moved closer, tilting her mouth up to his. Once again, she whispered words against his lips, ones so low he almost didn’t hear them.

“I’ll always come back to you Dean.”

 The End