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Title: Ecologies
Characters: Martha Jones, Duplicate Doctor
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The duplicate Doctor considers Martha Jones. Five reasons he wouldn't choose her; one reason he could.
A/N: Thanks![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ebbyzone and persiflage_1 for beta-ish advice. This story was inspired by one of the 10 Word stories I wrote for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
newworldnewlove: He did not think that she was a viable option.
One
It never occurred to him that she was a viable option. She was happily engaged, and since they'd parted after Messaline, the Doctor hadn’t given her a second thought, save to urge her to rid the Earth of that dismal key. The Doctor shouldn’t have been surprised; if Martha Jones would ever kill in his name, it would be to fight the Daleks. It was the only time she’d ever killed, and she’d done it for him then, too.
So as he sleepily slips his arm around Rose to pull her closer to him in the night, he doesn’t have any longings related to Martha Jones. Why should he? The Doctor never had.
Two
He'd never thought she was a viable option, but when the Doctor and Rose left him at Martha’s London flat, dripping wet and mourning the loss of the possibility of staying with Donna, he’d begun to cling to the idea that she would take him in, that she would care for him, love him, and be happy to have what he thought she’d always wanted.
She did take him in, and she did care for him, and she did, in her way, love him. He still had to get his own flat and make a life for himself; after a couple of months, he grew tired of being the third wheel. He sent them a clock for their wedding.
Three
Of course he thought about the viability of a relationship with Martha. How could he not? After all, they had to resolve Solomon's dilemma, one woman and two men. As he put on the blue suit, he remembered the day he’d met her in that hospital, the excitement of flirting with a pretty girl who thought he was pretty as well. Yes, this could be just the move to make: two women, two loves, and every body happy.
If only he’d come into existence before the Doctor had met her at all. Martha wouldn’t be interested in a consolation prize. She didn’t need consoling.
Four
No, after watching the Doctor sacrifice so much that wasn’t his to avoid killing, after suffering his attempts to save his enemies, she would be too disgusted with what he’d done at the first opportunity. He was a hypocrite. She would never see him as a viable option.
Five
It would choke and wither and die almost as quickly as it bloomed. She was really a lone operator; Martha had spent most of her time with the Doctor on her own, and if her patterns were any indication, she was better suited for a loner’s life. No flatmate, fiancé in Africa, work that moved her about the globe to protect and to defend. No, not one for keeping anyone tethered, when she herself was so detached. A fetus isn't viable for at least five months, a plant can’t live without tending on a regular basis, new love needs maintenance to keep it going on.
Neither of them were interested in gardening.
Alpha | Omega
They acknowledge one another—a nod, a hug, a friendly awkward smile—but there’s nothing to draw them to each other, save perhaps her curiosity at how he actually is, his physiology a new system to explore; or his desire to learn earthbound survival skills from someone who has so recently mastered them. These are not sustainable reasons to break with established evolutionary trajectories, and so neither really registers in the other’s ecosystem.
He never learns to feel better than second best. She always doubts the thing she might have done.
A park. A beach. A Chiswick home.
Stability achieved, the TARDIS travels on.
Characters: Martha Jones, Duplicate Doctor
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The duplicate Doctor considers Martha Jones. Five reasons he wouldn't choose her; one reason he could.
A/N: Thanks
ebbyzone and persiflage_1 for beta-ish advice. This story was inspired by one of the 10 Word stories I wrote for newworldnewlove: He did not think that she was a viable option.One
It never occurred to him that she was a viable option. She was happily engaged, and since they'd parted after Messaline, the Doctor hadn’t given her a second thought, save to urge her to rid the Earth of that dismal key. The Doctor shouldn’t have been surprised; if Martha Jones would ever kill in his name, it would be to fight the Daleks. It was the only time she’d ever killed, and she’d done it for him then, too.
So as he sleepily slips his arm around Rose to pull her closer to him in the night, he doesn’t have any longings related to Martha Jones. Why should he? The Doctor never had.
Two
He'd never thought she was a viable option, but when the Doctor and Rose left him at Martha’s London flat, dripping wet and mourning the loss of the possibility of staying with Donna, he’d begun to cling to the idea that she would take him in, that she would care for him, love him, and be happy to have what he thought she’d always wanted.
She did take him in, and she did care for him, and she did, in her way, love him. He still had to get his own flat and make a life for himself; after a couple of months, he grew tired of being the third wheel. He sent them a clock for their wedding.
Three
Of course he thought about the viability of a relationship with Martha. How could he not? After all, they had to resolve Solomon's dilemma, one woman and two men. As he put on the blue suit, he remembered the day he’d met her in that hospital, the excitement of flirting with a pretty girl who thought he was pretty as well. Yes, this could be just the move to make: two women, two loves, and every body happy.
If only he’d come into existence before the Doctor had met her at all. Martha wouldn’t be interested in a consolation prize. She didn’t need consoling.
Four
No, after watching the Doctor sacrifice so much that wasn’t his to avoid killing, after suffering his attempts to save his enemies, she would be too disgusted with what he’d done at the first opportunity. He was a hypocrite. She would never see him as a viable option.
Five
It would choke and wither and die almost as quickly as it bloomed. She was really a lone operator; Martha had spent most of her time with the Doctor on her own, and if her patterns were any indication, she was better suited for a loner’s life. No flatmate, fiancé in Africa, work that moved her about the globe to protect and to defend. No, not one for keeping anyone tethered, when she herself was so detached. A fetus isn't viable for at least five months, a plant can’t live without tending on a regular basis, new love needs maintenance to keep it going on.
Neither of them were interested in gardening.
Alpha | Omega
They acknowledge one another—a nod, a hug, a friendly awkward smile—but there’s nothing to draw them to each other, save perhaps her curiosity at how he actually is, his physiology a new system to explore; or his desire to learn earthbound survival skills from someone who has so recently mastered them. These are not sustainable reasons to break with established evolutionary trajectories, and so neither really registers in the other’s ecosystem.
He never learns to feel better than second best. She always doubts the thing she might have done.
A park. A beach. A Chiswick home.
Stability achieved, the TARDIS travels on.
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There's a typo here: and if her lived patterns were any indication
"living" not "lived"
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Thanks! I don't know why, but those drabbles just brought out this perspective in me.
I actually meant "lived" there; I originally had "life patterns," but didn't want the repetition of "life," so I changed it to lived. I'll think about going with living instead.
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:(
I actually meant "lived" there; I originally had "life patterns," but didn't want the repetition of "life," so I changed it to lived. I'll think about going with living instead.
I think I prefer "life patterns", "lived patterns" just sounds like the wrong tense - it distracted me as I had to read it twice to work out what you were saying.
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Wow...didn't think of it beta-ing, more like getting a sneak preview of an awesome (and heartbreaking) new fic. Glad I could be a part of it. :D
This is such a great characterization of Martha, of Handy, of the Doctor...
These are not sustainable reasons to break with established evolutionary trajectories, and so neither really registers in the other’s ecosystem.
I love the idea of them being so separate from each other that it's truly like they're on different planets or ecological opposites.
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Are you kidding? You helped me sort out the point of view issue, which was kinda making me nuts. That's the one thing about writing him at this moment--lots of he and him and his unless I come up with more awkward names. Thanks for helping!
This is such a great characterization of Martha, of Handy, of the Doctor...
Thank you; I suppose it is heavy on the Doctor (perhaps I should add him to the character list?).
I love the idea of them being so separate from each other that it's truly like they're on different planets or ecological opposites.
I'm glad you liked that--it intrigued me quite a bit.
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Wow, so much here, so many emotions tied up in the words. I'll admit that I felt a bit unsettled by a lot of it, but not in a way where I disliked reading it at all, I just felt really bad about the two characters involved, you know? Sometimes the reality of things can be harsh and I think you deftly showed how Handy with (our)Martha as a pairing has so much stacked against it -- not that it is impossible, mind you, but definitely a more difficult pairing than, say, Handy/alt!Martha (and that is coming from someone who ships both!). At least in my opinion.
Still I thought it was a brilliant character study of two damaged souls.
And this?
Neither of them were interested in gardening.
So utterly perfect.
I'll admit when I saw that you'd written Handy/Martha, I was hoping it was going to be secksings inspired by the Nameless verse (you will still do that, y/y?), but I love that you threw me a total curveball. :)
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I think this little snip has been building in me for a long time. Thank you for reading it and commenting so graciously on it. Sorry it wasn't what you hoped for when you began it; I'm sure at some point I'll write somebody doing something naughty to someone else! ;-)
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These lines right here perfectly illustrate why Martha, of any dimension, and Handy typically don't work for me. With alt!Martha I can never shake the feeling that she's a consolation prize and doesn't even know it most of the time e_O
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To each his own! Thanks for reading and commenting!
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So I'm wondering, does Handy leave at the end of the story? Going off of this bit: Stability achieved, the TARDIS travels on.
Or is it meant to be up to the reader's discretion?
I feel so bad for Handy - he was put in such a difficult position in Journey's End. :(
This definitely made me think about the complications of a relationship between Martha (our! and alt!) and Handy.
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Thanks for the props to Naming Day, which is my happy Martha/Handy story, but revolves around the same idea that this one does--I can only see of one way in which they work together, and it relies on them healing each other.
So I'm wondering, does Handy leave at the end of the story? Going off of this bit: Stability achieved, the TARDIS travels on.
Or is it meant to be up to the reader's discretion?
Actually, nothing changes--everyone goes to the same places (A park. A beach. A Chiswick home.); the AU is just alternate possibilities, but the end is the same.
I feel so bad for Handy - he was put in such a difficult position in Journey's End. :(
There was so much about that ending that I disliked, but the lack of agency for Rose/Handy really sucked; he genuinely looks surprised and hurt at the Doctor's planned outcome, until he recovers and steps up to the plate.
This definitely made me think about the complications of a relationship between Martha (our! and alt!) and Handy.
It's a complicated pairing, and while I enjoy imagining and writing it, I can't deny its difficulties. I'm glad you enjoyed the fic; I actually enjoyed writing it!