Missing Martha

72

"So what made you put those five together?" Asked Natasha to Martin, phasing him like a slap on the face.
"They just worked." He replied, "I guess they just complimented each other."
They both looked down at the band from the other side of the auditorium watching them laugh and mess about with the different instruments.
"They look up to you like a father." Natasha told him, making him laugh.
"God no they don't." He chuckled.
"Do you have kids?" She asked him, gazing into his eyes.
"No." He replied, breaking eye contact.
"I did." She told him, facing him completely as her eyes gleamed up at his. A wave of nerves rushed through Martin.

"What the hell is going on over there?" Whispered Jemma to Ollie, moving her head to indicate Natasha and Martin at the other side of the auditorium.
"Oh jesus..." Sighed Ollie, looking at the couple looking into each other's eyes, before giving a brief glance at Cloda, with an insane amount of guilt then looking to Zoe who was forcing herself to look down at her phone. "Don't do it sir.. please don't do it."

"I-I'm so sorry." He told her. Still and shocked in the moment. He felt like Zoe, and Natasha was him.
"I'm from the Philippines initially.. I had two little girls, their school was destroyed in the earthquake in 2013.. they'd be ten now." She told him, Martin didn't know what to say. He felt so empty. "Sorry I don't know why I'm telling you this." She said, breaking a false laugh, and sitting down, Martin sat down cautiously beside her.
"Something about you just makes me feel like you'd understand." She sighed.
Martin continued to look at her, completely lost for words.
"Oh- here's the key for your hotel suite." Said Natasha, taking it out of her coat pocket and changing the subject, "I can stick with the kids for a while if you want to unpack."
Martin shook himself as she placed the key in his hand slowly and stroked his thumb slowly as she removed her hand from his.
"If you're sure." He managed to reply, giving an awkward smile before looking to Zoe and eyeing her up.

After quickly leaving the auditorium Martin knew that he needed to provide some sort of explanation to Zoe.
"She's way out of your league, Martin." She told him with a straight and stolid face.
"Zoe, I'm not interested in her." He told her with honesty.
"Martin.. she's a pop star, you know what they're like, she's only going to break your heart and I don't want that to happen to you again." Said Zoe.
Martin paused in his steps and faced her.
Zoe looked over at him with sympathy before reaching out and touching his hand.
"H..how are you?" He asked her, taking her hand and walking beside her.
Zoe gazed straight into his eyes, "pregnant."
Martin's mouth dropped, "w-what?"
"I went to the hospital last night.. told the kids that I needed to get something for you.. got an ultra sound.. and the baby is still there." She bit her lip and looked expectantly up at her.
"O-oh my god that's amazing!" He exclaimed, sliding open the van door and sitting on the bed at the back beside her, he broke her into a warm hug, "you're going to be an incredible mother."
"I'm gonna try." She replied, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes, wishing that this embrace would last forever.
Martin kissed her cheek, making her feel overwhelmed with emotions. She felt the tingling sensation where he kissed her so dangerously close to her lips, but she had to resist the overpowering temptation to kiss him back, she knew how delicate he was, and she didn't want to go wrong again, but when she felt him begin to lift up her shirt she had to open her eyes.
"How many weeks are you?" He asked her,
"Thirteen or fourteen, somewhere around that." She said, unbuttoning the bottom half of her shirt to show him the small bump that had formed.
Martin tentatively touched her lower abdomen, "You sure I'm not the dad?" He joked,
"Oh I wish." She laughed, facing him.
Martin's smile faded as he reached over and stroked her cheek, "Why..." he sighed,
"Why what?" Asked Zoë,
"Why do I keep falling in love with you, over and over again?" He sighed, "even a couple of hours ago I wasn't interested in you but now.."
Zoe looked back at him, yearning for him, but just as she was about to kiss him she saw the band walking towards them outside the window.
"Shit.. the kids.." she said, her eyes wide as she began to button up her shirt again.
Martin cleared his throat, taking his hands away from her and began to lift up his bag, as if he never even considered her.
"Hey, where's the hotel?" Asked Cloda,
"It's just there." Said Martin, pointing at the rather fancy looking archaic building across the road.
"Wow.." breathed Ryan.
"Ryan?" Called Zoe, making Ryan freeze, he still hadn't forgiven himself.
"Yes, Miss?" He answered,
"Isn't it your birthday?" She asked.
Ryan blushed, "Yeah.." he laughed,
"Happy eighteenth! Drinks tonight are in order, Martin." She said, patting his shoulder and lifting up her bag.
"Not for you." Said Martin looking at Zoe and smiling.
"Shh..." she giggled, heaving her bag onto her shoulder and walking outside of the van to help carry some of the instruments.
"Why can't you drink?" Asked Lucy, raising an eyebrow.
"No reason." She replied,
"You sure?"
"New year's resolution." She made up, making Martin laugh with her.
"New year in May?"
"Totally." She giggled, walking into the hotel with the rest of the students behind her and Martin by her side.
"So sir.. you and Natasha...?" Began Ollie, feeling Cloda look at him.
"Yes?" Martin responded, knowing what was coming.
"She seriously fancies you."
"No she doesn't." He replied, trying to find the corresponding number to the key that he'd been given.
"We were watching you two from the stage willing you not to kiss her." Added Ollie,
"I wasn't gonna kiss her!" He laughed,
"It sure looked like it." Argued Jemma,
"She was talking about a delicate subject, I was concerned not.. turned on." He chuckled.
"Well if she initiated a delicate conversation then she's obviously into you." Said Zoe, smiling at him.
"Doesn't mean I'm into her." He replied, smirking back at her.
"Well you've got a single-and-ready-to-mingle celebrity that's into a single-and-ready-to-mingle you!" Said Ollie, laughing as he did.
"No." Martin bluntly declined,
"What? Why?!" They asked,
"To reiterate what your teacher just said... he's not single and ready to mingle." Said Zoe, smiling at Martin as he opened the door to the suite, grinning back at her.