"The Six" AU
'Journeys Converge'
Chapter Eleven
- The Wisdom of Mott -

A/N: I don't own squat, except what I write.

Music: The Beginning of the End (Ladytron Remix)

Martha was in trouble and she knew it. Barely a month since she and Tom called it quits, and now this beautiful, innocent doppelgänger of the Doctor was under her skin. Beautiful? Innocent? Oh, Lord, she thought to herself as she held Donald together in a hug. I haven't even reported in to UNIT yet!

Innocent was how it started, too. Or not so innocent, she realized. He had checked her out like any other bloke. True, it was a bit inappropriate with when he did it. Still, he gave her the once over like the Doctor never had. It felt nice. Beyond nice, really.

Then the bastard was showing her up on how to shop, while asking her opinion on what looked nice on him, no less. Taught her a few tricks as well, which was good. But, him going through underclothes without a care in the world about did her in, especially when he settled on that high hipped bikini style with that grin.

Yeah, she was picturing how they'd look on him. The bastard.

I am so done for, she thought to herself. And how inappropriate is it to be thinking how nice he smells while comforting him, anyway?

God. Distraction! Now, please!

Oddly enough, she got her wish. "What happened?" Sarah whispered from somewhere close by.

Glancing over Don's shoulder, Martha saw her standing next to them and shook her head. "It didn't go well," she said quietly.

The dark coldness that crept over Sarah's face was something Martha saw a few times before; a near match for the Doctor's when he was truly pissed off. Oh shit, she thought to herself. "Sarah, don't…"

Sarah's hand flew up and interrupted her train of thought. Seeing her walk calmly to the main doors of the TARDIS, the smile she had wasn't pretty at all. It looked rather malicious, to tell the truth. "I wont hurt them." The 'much' was left unsaid, but Martha felt it anyway.

After she was gone, Don seemed to come out of his state. "Sorry," he murmured in her ear.

She shook her head. "Nothing to be sorry for." Impulsively, she turned her head and kissed his cheek. "Remember, this is about you… not them. If they can't handle things, then it's their own fault. Personally, I think you're perfect." Oh, I'm done for, she thought.

Don drew back enough to look her in the eye, and she wiped the tears from his face with a hand. "That's twice you've kissed me."

The bluntness made her blink. Did he not like it? "That all right?" she asked with a slight frown.

A half grin went over his face with a slight gust of a chuckle. "More than all right," he said. After a beat, the wan grin filled the other side of his face. "Brilliant, in fact."

And with that, he closed the distance to kiss her on the lips. While chaste, it was very different from when the Doctor kissed her to fool the Judoon. Lasted a lot longer as well, and she felt her toes curling. When it was over, they were hugging again.

The outer door opened, and Martha saw Wilfred. Instead of looking the place over in wonder like most did, his eyes landed on the back of Don's head. Tapping his shoulder, she got him to turn around and prepared herself for the worst.

Wilf looked him over with worry all over his face. He has been crying, he thought. "You all right?" Seeing that the only response to that was a rather owlish blinking, he stepped up and palmed the side of his face. "Are you all right?" he asked again, a bit slowly this time.

Don swallowed, forcibly shoving the hope that this more than familiar act provoked to the side. "I'm always all right," he winced slightly at the crack in his voice. The usual that the Doctor used was so much crap like that.

"Liar," Martha said quietly. "You don't have to hide it, you know."

Mouth in a bit of a smirking wince, Don looked up to a random hexed roundel. "Right. No, I'm not, and you really can't fix this one Gr– Wilfred. You can't say that she really loves me and doesn't know what she said. She doesn't know me, and you don't either so that one just wont fly this time."

Wilfred caught the name slip, and that cracking almost whisper made his brow furrow even more with sorrow. He was right. The usual platitudes really wouldn't cut it this time. A quick glance at Martha, and he stepped forward to hug the man.

Don was startled by the hug, and his arms went up in surprise. Looking down, he wavered for a moment. Just a moment, but it was filled with racing questions. Is this real? was the most prevalent. Giving up, his breath hitched again with a whimper before he wrapped his arms around whom he remembered to be his grandfather.

Stepping back a bit, Martha moved her fists to her pensive smile. Half better than nothing, she thought. Feeling wetness on her hands, she wiped her face and stood by. While this was a bit of a private moment, she couldn't help but put a hand on Don's shoulder – adding to the support.

The outer door opened, and a protesting Sarah was being force-walked inside. "Dammit, mum! She…" Her tirade was cut short before it begun when she saw the hug in progress.

Rose and Martha shared a bit of a smile with each other, before she lightly swatted Sarah on her bum to move her forward. "Right. Well, one good thing about your temper," she said as they moved to the other side of the console room, "got them talking. So, not grounded," she mock whispered.

The glower Sarah gave her over that made her mother giggle a bit. A light pop on her mum's shoulder, she sat in the jump seat and frowned at the squeak it made. "We need to update some things in here. Not exactly child safe, is it?"

Rose rolled her eyes. 'Like it ever was anyway,' she thought to her by accident. Realizing that, she looked at her. 'We'll discuss that later, and that didn't get you completely out of a talking too about that near slip up out there. Remember: Always control your emotions before a confrontation. You can seriously…'

'Hurt someone. I know. I'm sorry,' Sarah thought back as she slumped a bit. Ever since she broke a bloke's arm by accident, she'd been corralled into anger management against her will. Wasn't her fault she didn't look stronger than most. Besides, the git deserved it for backhanding her girlfriend like that.

Rose patted her shoulder with an approving grin, then leaned over and kissed her on her forehead. 'Love you, wildcat.'

Sarah rolled her eyes and smirked. 'Love you too, mum.'

The outer door opened again, and the Doctor grinned as he passed the trio by the door. Noticing the other two by the jump seat, he went to stand next to Rose and took her hand. "Nice distraction, Sarah. Wouldn't have been quite as pushy about it, but I do like the results over there."

Sighing at the triumphant smile on Sarah's face, Rose turned her head to look up at her husband with an 'idiot' expression on her face. "Don't get any ideas, Sarah. He doesn't know about the counselling yet. So, no bouncing us against each other."

"I stand corrected," the Doctor said apologetically, then looked at their daughter. "I take it there's a bit of a story there, yeah?"

Deflating with a sigh, Sarah just nodded her head. Wanting to opt out of that discussion, she raised her brow and focussed on Wilfred and her Uncle. A half grin grew when she noticed Martha's hand on his shoulder.

Pulling back from the hug a bit, Wilfred looked up at Don. "I know that my usual talk wont work. What I will say, though, is that I tried very hard to snap her out of that way of thinking. Her mother was the same way, God rest her soul, and Sylvia only got worse after she left us. About the only thing I can say to you, is that it will take time."

Don nodded dumbly, knowing this bit already, and was distracted by Donna rushing in to hug them both. "You don't ever have to put up with her," she whispered in his ear. "I wont allow her abuse you like she did me."

"Now, sweetheart, you know what she's like," Wilf said quietly.

She popped her head back. "That's just it, Gramps, we know. She may be my mother, but that doesn't mean I have to like her. The constant negative nagging; the completely self-centred attitude; She may mean well, but her way of going about it is worse than using a sledge to crack an egg, for pity's sake!

I may have had to put up with it, but I wont let her do it to him!" she ended up ranting. "He and I are the same in every way except gender, Granddad," she pointed to herself and Don with a finger. "Like I told her, we are effective twins…"

"I know," Wilf interrupted her. "Sweetheart, I know. The Doctor explained it, and I think I got the gist of it. Not all that bright in some areas, but I think I got family down pat." He looked up at Don. "Might surprise the both of you to know that I always wanted a son or grandson." He paused to eye Donna from the side. "Not to say I haven't loved you any less, my dear, but I can say that I'm not closed to this.

And, knowing that you two have all the same experiences, you should know that I mean all of that. Right Don?" he finished with that look. The one that he would give Donna whenever he'd talk her down… The one with his head down in a tilt, while looking up through his brow with a bit of a smirk on his face.

Don lasted three seconds before he started chortling. "Bloody hell!" His head went back in a bit of a cackle, then hugged Wilf and Donna at the same time. "Mott power," he said in a bit of a titter.

Donna and Wilfred both started chuckling at what they usually said after one of these, and echoed it together. 'Mott power.'

"So…" Don mumbled in their huddle. "Mott or Noble?"

"Noble," Donna said in an equal mumble. "Sod what she thinks. Look weird if we're twins with different names, you think?"

"Not opposed to either," Wilf said, "but whichever you two decide is fine with me."

"Really?" Don said.

Wilf nodded. "You think I didn't mean what I said before?"

Don shared a quick look with Donna and noticed her knowing smirk, then a matching one slowly grew on his face. "Sorry. Bit new to this. Well, new to everything, no matter what I've got in my head. I look at you, Donna, and see what I expect to see in a mirror. Then I look at the Doctor and see what I actually see in the mirror. Damned if it isn't confusing as hell."

"How bout we hit a chippy?" Wilfred said.

"No fried," Don and Donna said at the same time.

Wilf looked put out. "Oh, wonderful. Now I get it in bleedin' stereo."

"Bit of a downside," Don started.

"to have another mouth on this," Donna continued.

"Doesn't mean that we don't…"

"…love you any less though."

"Oh my God, it's Fred and George," Rose quipped with big eyes.

Martha nodded. "Just a bit, yeah."

"Oh, great," Sarah said grumpily, "More Henry Potter fans."

"Harry!" Rose shouted.

"Henry?" the Doctor asked at the same time. "That's just…"

"Completely wrong," Rose nodded angrily. "No tea, odd names for books and whatever." She sighed, then grinned. "Bout the only thing good about Henry Potter, was that he ended up with Hannah Granger, Hermione's name over there. Ron's still Ron, and jealous prat."

"Did you by chance…" the Doctor stage whispered.

Rose nodded with a big grin. "E-Book versions of a lot of things. Have an entire library's worth for you."

"Brilliant!" the Doctor, Don and Donna said at the same time.