Hey, guys :) Qwerty here. This story was supposed to be a quick two page one-shot. It's actually more like eleven pages… I had a little too much fun with this one, I guess xP Enjoy!

Disclaimer: BBC owns all. If I owned Dr. Who, trust me, we'd still have Rose :'(

**EDIT 4/20/2014** One reviewer pointed out I mistakenly spelt "console" as "counsel". I'm sorry for the error- I've edited the story so that the correct spelling is used.

Martha walked down the crowded street, her shoulders hunched up against the brutal wind. To say she was lost in thought would be an understatement. However busy her mind might be, every thought revolved around one man- or rather, on alien man. The Doctor.

Martha felt like she was slowly going crazy. She knew how she felt- she loved him. It was obvious to anyone who was with the time traveler and his companion for any period of time… obvious to everyone except the Doctor, that is. And who did the Doctor love? That was also obvious. The problem was, he didn't love her. He loved-

"Oomph!" Martha gasped, reeling back and falling to the pavement. She'd been so lost in thought, she'd slammed right into someone.

"I'm sorry," gasped a feminine voice, offering a hand to Martha. The latter accepted the hand, and the other woman hauled Martha to her feet, still looking embarrassed.

"It's alright," Martha assured the woman. "I'm fine, really. Are you ok?"

"Yeah," the woman said, giving Martha an odd smile with her tongue poking out slightly between her teeth. "'M fine." Martha didn't believe her for a second. Despite the woman's cheerful voice and reassurances, her creamy skin was unnaturally pale against her blonde hair- either she was sick, or had lost blood, Martha wasn't sure- and her brown eyes seemed slightly unfocused. She had both hands pressed slightly over her side, hiding it from view. The woman was definitely not "fine", and she probably hadn't been "fine" before she hit Martha, either.

"Are you sure?" Martha asked doubtfully. "I'm a doctor… well, a doctor-in-training, but if you're hurt I might be able to help." The young woman considered the offer for a minute, looking hesitant.

"I'm looking for someone, actually. He'll be able to help me," the woman said finally.

"Well, at least let me help you find him. Who's this man, then?" Martha insisted. Again the woman hesitated.

"A man called 'The Doctor'," she said finally. Martha froze. "Odd title, I know, but he… travels… quite a bit and I don't want him to run off before I can catch him."

"The Doctor," Martha echoed slowly. "Tall, pinstripe suit, sideburns?"

"That's him!" The woman said in excitement. "Have you seen him?"

"I travel with him," Martha explained. The woman fell silent for a moment, studying Martha. Then a small smile spread across her face.

"Good. So he's not alone. I was so worried he'd be all alone again…" She trailed off, speaking more to herself than to Martha.

"C'mon," Martha said. "I'll take you back to the TARDIS. Then we'll get you all fixed up, yeah?"

"Yeah," the woman grinned. "I never caught your name, by the way."

"Martha. Martha Jones," Martha introduced herself, gesturing for the other woman to follow her as she walked down the street. "You?"

"I'm…" The woman gasped, clutching her side and breaking off. "I'm starting to feel dizzy."

"Oh, no," Martha said, looping one of the woman's arms over her shoulder to help support her. "Hold on- the TARDIS is just around the corner."

Martha escorted the woman to the med bay, helping her sit down on the examining table. All the while, the young lady looked at the TARDIS around her with a slightly nostalgic expression, like she'd never expected to see the space ship again.

"Alright, let's see what's wrong," Martha said, standing in front of the blonde. The woman obligingly removed her hands from her side, and Martha took a sharp intake of breath at the sight that greeted her. The blonde's shirt was soaked with blood, and her hands were red from clutching her injured side.

"What happened?" Martha asked softly, motioning for her to lie back on the examining table.

"Bullet wound," the blonde winced. "It only grazed me, but it won't stop bleeding." Martha rolled the woman's shirt up a bit, exposing her side to the cool air. Taking a wet wash cloth, the nurse began cleaning the wound. The blonde gave a short gasp, wincing slightly away from the cloth, but that was it. Her hands gripped the side of the table so hard her knuckles turned white, but she didn't cry out.

"How'd you get this?" Martha asked, hoping to start a conversation and distract the woman from the pain.

"Long story," the woman gave a small laugh, then stopped, a pained expression on her face. "I was trapped in this other world and managed to escape because… well, that's another long story, but this man didn't want me to leave. He shot at me- I don't think he meant to hit me, I think he just wanted to scare me. And here I am."

"How'd you know the Doctor was here?" Martha asked, dabbing more blood away.

"I didn't, at first," the blonde admitted. "I got lucky and heard the TARDIS. Couldn't quite pinpoint where the sound was comin' from, though."

"Yeah, she does have her tell-tale sound," Martha laughed, looking up at the TARDIS's roof. "So, let me guess- past companion?"

"Yup, that's me," the blonde said with her trade mark grin. "I couldn't tell you how long ago it was, though. For me, it's only been five or six months. For him, who knows?"

"That's the problem with Time Lords," Martha agreed.

"Couldn't have been too long, though. Not if he hasn't regenerated since last time," the blonde mused. Martha barely heard her- she'd managed to clear the blood away and was examining the wound critically. It wasn't too deep- at least, not deep enough to have hit any organs- but it was long and looked painful. Good thing it's clean now, Martha thought as she reached for the bandages. Could've gotten pretty nasty if it'd gotten infected!

"So," the blonde began as Martha grabbed the white gauzy role. "Have you been with the Doctor long?"

"Oh, not too long," Martha admitted. "He's taken me on at least four or five trips, though."

"It's exciting, isn't it?" The woman asked, smiling her unique little grin and tilting her head to the side slightly, making her shoulder length blonde hair gather on her shoulder. "I always loved travelin' with him." As she spoke, the blonde's eyes got a wistful look that Martha recognized.

"Uh-oh," she laughed. "You've got that look."

"What look?" The woman asked, re-focusing on Martha.

"The I'm-in-love-with-the-Doctor look," Martha teased. She expected the blonde to laugh and move on, but to her surprise the woman blushed, not meeting her gaze.

"You're not, are you?" Martha asked, freezing.

"It's bad, yeah?" The blonde sighed. "It's hard not to fall for him, though. With all his… doctor-ness."

"His doctor-ness is pretty irresistible," Martha agreed softly, and both women fell silent for a moment. I should have known other woman would see somethin' in him, Martha thought. After all, it's not like I'm the first companion he's had.

"You like him too, then?" The blonde said eventually. "Are you two a… yah know."

"A couple?" Martha sighed again, her heart sinking. "No," she muttered. "Sometimes, I don't even think he knows I exist."

"Why's that?" The blonde asked, eyebrows crinkling together in confusion.

"He had this companion before me," Martha explained, suddenly very interested in studying the gauzy bandages gripped tightly in her hands. "A woman named Rose Tyler. He talks about her all the time. Sometimes, I'll say somethin', do somethin', and he'll give me this look, like he isn't seein' me at all. Like his mind's somewhere else, and I know he doesn't see me. He sees Rose," Martha said softly, staring determinedly at her hands.

Risking a glance up at the blonde, she wasn't expecting what she saw. The woman was staring at Martha, eyes wide in surprise and mouth half-open with an unvoiced sentence lost in her shock.

"He does that?" The woman asked finally, sounding far away.

"Yeah," Martha confirmed. "As if it's not bad enough that he's always thinkin' of her, he talks about her a lot, too."

"Really?" The blonde asked, still in shock. "What do you mean?"

"Every time somethin' happens, he'll say something like, 'If my Rose were here, she'd know what to do," Martha quoted, remembering their adventure with Shakespeare. "He actually said that- we were in this hotel room, see, we'd been to see Shakespeare-"

"Shakespeare!" The blonde exclaimed, but Martha continued as if she hadn't spoken.

"-and he said, 'My Rose, she'd know just what to say if she were here. She'd know what to do.'"

"He said that?" The blonde asked softly, her cheeks flushed and an odd look in her eyes.

"Yep," Martha confirmed sadly. "He'll never look my way. He's too far in love with that 'Rose' lady."

"He said he loves…?" The woman trailed off, looking intently at Martha.

"He doesn't need to," the other woman replied. "It's clear as day. You hear me? Back with Shakespeare, he said my Rose. My Rose. I should be happy for him, I know," Martha continued, eyes stinging. "But it's hard- when I know he doesn't- he won't-" she broke off, blinking her eyes quickly to clear her vision.

"I'm sorry," the blonde said gently, although Martha wasn't sure what she was apologizing for. "There's someone for everyone, though, yeah?"

"Maybe," Martha sighed. "You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault- no one's fault really. Besides, you're not Rose, so what does it matter?"

"Actually-" the blonde began, looking uncomfortable, just as Martha remembered the bandages in her hand.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Martha rushed, getting back to the woman's side. "Here I am, prattlin' on, and you're still hurt. Here, hold still," Martha ordered, carefully wrapping the blonde's side.

"Martha, listen-"

"Sit up quickly, please, so I can wrap this around," Martha instructed, waiting for the woman to oblige. Once she had shifted into sitting position, wincing slightly and taking sharp intakes of breath through her teeth from the pain, Martha set back to work.

"Martha, you should know-" the blonde tried to start again, but Martha cut her off.

"Shh," she said gently. "You don't want to make it worse. Wait a minute, I'll run and grab some painkillers," Martha said, finishing up the bandages and helping the blonde lie back down.

"Martha, I'm-"

"One minute, we're out of painkillers, I'll be right back!" Martha said over her shoulder, leaving the room. She was pretty sure they had some more in the storage room…. Rushing in, she cursed under her breath when she saw the bottle was gone. That was right- the Doctor had taken one when he'd accidentally hit his head on the console. Martha turned on her heels and hurried to the control room.

Where did he put the bottle? Martha wondered, her eyes scanning the control room desperately. As if summoned by her thoughts, the TARDIS door opened and the Doctor himself walked in.

"Ah, Martha! There you are!" He grinned, tossing his coat over one of the TARDIS posts. "I was wondering where you'd gotten off to. So, what do you say to-"

"Doctor," Martha interrupted. "What'd you do with the painkillers?"

"Painkillers?" The Doctor echoed, arching an eyebrow. "Why, are you hurt?" He asked, concerned.

"Not me," Martha shook her head. "A woman on the street. Said she knew you."

"Did she now?" The Doctor asked, both eyebrows arching toward his hairline. "What's this woman's name?" Martha opened her mouth, and then froze.

"I don't know," she admitted, frowning. "She has a bullet wound. Guess I got kinda caught up in the moment, trying to help her."

"A bullet wound?" The Doctor asked, concern evident in his voice as he walked toward the console. "Is she ok? What does she look like? Maybe I'll remember her."

"A bit on the short side, blonde," Martha told him, thinking. "She has this odd smile-" She broke off when she saw the look on the Doctor's face. "Doctor? You alright?"

"Does she smile with her tongue between her teeth?" He asked, sounding a million miles away. He was frozen, his eyes wandering over in the direction of the med bay.

"Yeah, she does," Martha said. "You recognize her?" The Doctor muttered something in his native language under his breath, but judging by his tone of voice, it must have been something along the lines of, it can't be… can it?

"Doctor? Bullet wound? Painkillers?" Martha prompted, trying to jostle the alien from his thoughts. The Doctor's eye's widened at the mention of the woman's injury, and for a minute a look of panic crossed his face.

"They're by the chair," he said, walking quickly toward the hall that led to the med bay. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get them! Quickly!" Then he was running, tearing down the hall to the med bay.

"Doctor? Doctor!" Martha called, grabbing the bottle and running after him. She finally caught up to him just outside the door. He'd hesitated, one hand on the handle. His eyes found her, and the vulnerability in them startled her.

"What if it's not her?" He asked, his voice oddly raw.

"Not who, Doctor?" Martha asked, confused. The Doctor wasn't looking at her anymore, though. He took a deep breath and opened the door, walking inside, Martha close on his heels.

"Doctor?" The blonde asked, turning to the man. Her trademark smile overtook her face and she grinned at him from her place on the table. "You look the same, then." Martha could see the uncertainty in her eyes, though, hidden by her carefree tone. She thinks the Doctor might have moved on, Martha realized. She thinks he might not want her on his ship anymore.

"Rose," the Doctor said, taking long strides to the table and staring at her like he couldn't quite believe she was real. He gently cupped one hand to her cheek, cradling her face, and that seemed to be all the evidence he needed. "Rose Tyler," he grinned, a smile overtaking his face as he sat down on the edge of the table and pulled her into a hug. His eyes shut as he held her close, just relishing being with the blonde… wait a minute, Martha realized. Did he just say Rose Tyler?

The woman- Rose- winced slightly, pulling back from his hug apologetically. The Doctor's eyebrows knit together in concern, and he laced one hand in hers. They were talking, still holding hands, but Martha didn't hear a word. She felt like she was underwater, watching the scene from a stranger's eyes. No- that wasn't right. The Doctor and Rose weren't the strangers. She was the stranger, she had to be, because the Doctor had never looked so concerned and happy and in love all at once and so it had to be Rose and Martha found herself struggling to breathe and it felt so wrong so why did it look so right?

Martha, stop! She ordered herself, taking a deep breath. Think. She turned back to Rose, studying the woman and ignoring the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Whatever she'd expected Rose to look like, it hadn't been… this. When the Doctor talked about Rose, he seemed too lost in memory, so… happy, and sad, all at once. Martha had begun to imagine Rose as a beautiful woman, the image of a model, who was brave and clever and great in every way she felt that she was not. A woman who was incredible enough to capture the unattainable Time Lord's heart.

And now Martha was left looking at a woman who looked so… normal. She was pretty in her own way, Martha thought, but nothing extraordinary. Her hair, by closer inspection, looked dyed and was barely styled- just cut to brush her shoulders, hanging loose to frame her face. She had wide, pretty brown eyes, but had gone a bit heavy on the eyeliner and mascara. Her clothes weren't exactly fitted- she wore jeans that hung slightly from her slim form and her loose pink t-shirt still had a blood stain the size of a softball on it. Her hoodie was wrapped loosely around her waist, and her sneakers poked out from under the hem of her jeans. Definitely not the model-like woman Martha had envisioned.

"Martha?" Martha was jerked back to the present by the Doctor, who was trying to get her attention without getting up and leaving Rose's side.

"Huh? Yes?" Martha asked, pushing her thoughts to the side.

"The painkillers?" He prompted, and Martha handed him the medicine.

"Here you go," the Doctor said, handing Rose the pills.

"Thank you," Rose said with her tongue-between-the-teeth smile. "But, uh, do we have any water? I can't swallow a pill without any," she said, looking embarrassed.

"Quite right," the Doctor realized, turning to Martha with a pleading look in his eyes. "Martha, could you-?"

"All the cups are still in the dishwasher," Martha reminded him.

"We have bottled water."

"We do? Where?" Martha asked.

"In the pantry," the Doctor prompted. Martha still looked blank. "Never mind, I'll get it," he said, hopping up. "Rose, I'll be right back," he promised, leaving the room.

"I'll hold you to that," Rose joked, and then the Doctor was gone. Martha and Rose were left in an uncomfortable silence.

"I'm sorry," Rose muttered, not meeting Martha's eyes. "I tried to tell you."

"I know," Martha croaked, and that almost was what made it so bad. Rose had tried to tell her. She'd been nice, sympathetic, and friendly; it would have been easier if she were awful and mean. But no, of course Rose was the type of person Martha could be friends with.

"I'm sorry," Rose said again, this time looking at Martha, begging her to understand.

"For what?" Martha asked, attempting a smile and failing miserably. "It's not your fault. You're a lucky girl, Rose."

"I know," Rose said softly. "But, remember, there is someone for everyone." Martha looked away, her doubt clear on her face. "I wish I knew how to help you," Rose murmured.

"Me too," Martha said with a laugh that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Rose. I was in here earlier, just prattlin' on about you without knowin' I was talkin' to… well, you."

"It's fine," Rose said with a genuine smile. "It's not like you said anything bad."

"Still," Martha said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

"Well, I'll tell you how you can make it up to me," Rose grinned. "After I'm all better, we'll sign you up for one of those dating sites, yeah? You can even write down, 'preferably alien' on your page!"

Martha couldn't help it- she burst into laughter. "Oh, sure," she joked. "I'll end up with some two-tentacle green Martian from Pluto!"

"A Martian from Pluto?" Rose asked, and both girls broke back into laughter.

"Why not?" Martha shrugged. "I've seen weirder things!"

"You would, travelin' with 'im," Rose grinned. "You like it, then? All the travelin', I mean."

"Course I do," Martha replied. "Who wouldn't?"

"True," Rose conceded. She fell silent for a moment. Finally: "You know," Rose said thoughtfully, "I think we got off to a bad start, yeah? Let's redo that. 'Ello, my name's Rose Tyler. You?"

"Martha Jones," Martha said, a small smile playing around her lips. "Nice to meet you, Rose Tyler."

"An' you," Rose grinned. "So, Martha, what do you do for a livin'?"

"I'm learnin' to be a doctor- a real one. You?"

"I used to work at an alien control faculty- I guess you could call it that. A place called Torchwood. Before that, I was a shop girl."

"That's a big difference," Martha commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," Rose laughed. "I guess it is." Just then the door swung open and the Doctor walked back in, proudly holding up a bottle of water.

"The very last bottle of water," The Doctor said proudly, handing it to Rose. "You, Rose Tyler, are a very special girl."

"Yeah, I am," Rose smiled. Martha had a feeling she wasn't talking about the water. Standing up abruptly, she turned to the door.

"I'm gonna turn in for the night, yeah? I'll see you two in the mornin'," she said, leaving the room and trying to push away the twinge of jealousy even her new friendship with Rose couldn't cover.

"She's nice," Rose commented as she unscrewed the water bottle, looking at the closed door.

"'Mm, yeah, she's a good friend," the Doctor said, his eyes still on Rose. Rose bit her lip at the comment, not meeting his gaze. "What?" He asked, eyebrows crinkling together. Had he done something to make her mad already?

"She wouldn't like that," Rose muttered, popping the pill into her mouth and gulping it down.

"Wouldn't like what?" The Doctor asked, baffled.

"You callin' her a friend," Rose clarified.

"Why not? We are friends," the Doctor argued, still confused.

"She likes you, you know," Rose said, finally meeting his gaze.

"Ah," the Doctor said, shifting uncomfortably. Time to change the subject. "So, how'd you get back? Not that I'm not happy to see you, I am! Very happy, in fact. But I thought- that is, it has always been impossible, what you just did, believe me, I tried. So, how-"

"Doctor," Rose interrupted, her eyes twinkling. "You're rambling."

"Ah, so I am," the Doctor said.

"Bad Wolf has her uses," Rose continued, smiling at the mention of her alter ego. "It's a miracle it worked, but it did."

"Rose Tyler," the Doctor grinned, his eyes crinkling up at the corners. "That's fantastic. But how'd you get hurt?" He asked, eyes flying back to the blood stain on her shirt.

"A co-worker at Torchwood," Rose winced. "Somehow, he knew about the Dalek-Cyberman war that happened back here last time someone 'jumped' between universes. When he heard I was tryin' to get back, he told me he'd stop me at all cost and… well, obviously he meant it."

"I see," the Doctor said, no longer smiling. His mouth was set in a thin line and his eyes were hard- Rose suddenly thought how lucky her co-worker was to be safe in a parallel world. The Doctor, when upset, was not one to mess with. And right now, he was definitely upset.

"You ok?" Rose asked, trying to snap him out of it. "You know, I'm fine Doctor. Really, I am."

"He could have killed you," the Doctor replied shortly. Rose fell silent- it was hard to argue with that. The Doctor blinked and shook his head, obviously making a conscious effort to push his anger away and focus on Rose.

"It's great to have you back," he grinned, trying to convey just how much he'd missed her in those six simple words. It didn't sound like enough, even to him, but Rose smiled at him like he'd said the best thing he possibly could have.

"I thought maybe… maybe you wouldn't want me back. New companion and all, I mean," Rose confessed, suddenly very interested in her hands.

"Rose Tyler, I will always want you around," The Doctor said seriously, trying to convey how strongly he felt about it in the inadequate sentence. "Always. And that's a promise."

"Good, 'cuz I told you you're stuck with me forever," Rose smiled, her eyelids fluttering slightly- the medicine was starting to kick in and she was getting sleepy.

"Get some sleep," the Doctor ordered, running one hand over her hair and pulling a chair up besides the table. "You need to heal. Then we can go on adventures again- just like old times."

"Just like old times," Rose echoed, her eyes finally slipping shut and her voice slurring with sleep. "I'd like that." She opened one eye again, looking at the Doctor, obviously contemplating something. "Would you stay?" She said finally.

"Always," he said firmly. "Now get some sleep," he repeated. Rose nodded and her breathing evened out almost immediately, and soon she was fast asleep. The Doctor leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, eyes closed.

I love you, he murmured, not in English, in the language of Gallifrey. Even though she was sleeping, the Doctor could've sworn Rose smiled ever so slightly. Maybe one day he'd work up the courage to tell her in English, when she was awake. But for now, it was a start.

And what was the rush? In quiet moments like this, he could almost imagine they really had forever.

-Three Weeks Later-

"How you feelin'?" Martha asked, sitting down next to Rose on the couch in the library.

"Great, thanks," Rose grinned. She looked much better- three weeks of careful attention from the Doctor and undisturbed rest had done wonders, and she was well on the road to recovery. "You get any responses on that dating website?"

"I'm not sure, actually," Martha frowned, her hand flying to her phone in her pocket. "I'll check- one second."

At first, Martha had been hesitant to go through with the online deal- she'd found her feelings for the Doctor hard to dismiss, even though it was obvious now she'd never be able to act on those feelings. But over the last three weeks, she and Rose had become close friends, the later convincing the former to give it a shot. She'd even had the Doctor install a site that would receive request from all over space and throughout time- talk about options. Over the course of a few days, Martha had gotten several responses- none worth following up on, but she left her profile open. Who knew? Maybe it would pay off in the end. Perseverance had certainly worked for Rose.

The Doctor, despite having to temporarily cut back on the adventures while Rose healed, had never seemed happier. He was always finding little excuses to hold her hand, or give her feather-light kisses the top of her head. (She'd even seen them share a quick kiss- a real kiss- when they thought she wasn't looking.) He smiled more often, too- as hard as Rose's return had been for Martha, she had to admit she liked seeing the Doctor so full of life.

"Well? Anyone new?" Rose asked, nudging Martha with her shoulder. Martha, jolted from her thoughts back to the task at hand, looked back down to her cell phone.

"Um… let's see. Not really… wait," Martha scrolled back up, studying the profile picture of a familiar looking young man who'd expressed interest in grabbing coffee sometime on her page. Clicking of the image, she scanned his page for his name. When she found it, she couldn't help but burst into happy laughter.

"Oh my gosh! It's Riley!" She laughed, showing the screen to Rose.

"Who's Riley?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the picture.

"I met him on a space ship a few weeks back. It was hurtlin' toward the sun- we were trapped together," Martha explained. "I didn't have him pegged as a dating-site kind of guy."

"He's cute," Rose grinned, handing Martha back her phone. "Call him up! Why not go out for a quick cuppa?"

"You think?" Martha asked, grinning. "Alright, maybe I will. Last I saw him, though, I didn't think I'd ever see him again- I told him so, too."

"So?" Rose scoffed. "I'm still not quite healed, and you've got nothing else to do. I'll get the Doctor to drop you off, it's not like you'll be hurtin' anything."

"Yeah," Martha said, looking back to her phone. "Ok, I'll call him up. Maybe you were right, Rose."

"Right about what?"

"Maybe there really is someone for everyone," Martha smiled. Then she grabbed her phone and left the room to make the call- it was time to move past the Doctor. He'd found love; no reason she couldn't do the same.

And that's it! Hope you liked it! Make my day and leave me a review? :) Pretty please?

Until next time!