Lazarus banged violently on the door, alerting the building's automatic security, causing sirens to begin to go off and a computerised warning to come over the PA, "Security breach. Security breach. Security beach."
"What is happening?" Martha asked, looking around frightfully.
Tish whispered, "Uh, an intrusion. It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts. Seals the exits."
"He's breaking through the door," Cass stated, eyes narrowed in a mixture of irritation and exhaustion, "We need to go through the stairs, come on!"
They ran down the stairs, hearing the door slam open with a resounding bang, growls echoing down to them as they hurried.
"He's inside!" Martha yelled.
The Doctor tightened his hold around his tether's hand, speeding down the stairs as he shouted, "Haven't got much time!"
The group burst through another set of doors, entering the reception area once more, the guests once loitering around casually now all wearing matching expressions of worry and confusion.
"Tish!" The redhead called, "Is there any other way out?"
"There's an exit in the corner, but it'll be locked now."
Cass nodded, reaching under her skirt for her sonic, quickly setting it on the necessary frequency, before lobbing it at Martha, instructing, "It's on setting 54, be quick!"
The human nodded, rushing off quickly towards the door, her sister following, and the two Time Lords looked at each other, the next course of action formulating between them, before they ran to the platform holding Lazarus' machine, yelling to the people gathered still, "Listen to me! You people are in serious danger!"
"You need to get out of here right now!" Cass added.
An older woman, holding onto a Martini glass scoffed derisively, "Don't be ridiculous. The biggest danger here is choking on an olive."
Glass shattered and Lazarus appeared on the landing above, leaping down to the reception floor. Martha and Tish rushed to open the door as around them, everyone ran for the available exits.
"Mum, get back!" Leo yelled, pushing his mother away seconds before he was hit by a table Lazarus had sent flying his way.
"Leo!" Francine shouted worriedly, as across the room, the two sisters finally managed to get the door open, Martha looking back and yelling, hands ushering everyone inside, "Over here! This way! Everyone downstairs now! Hurry!"
The woman who'd been holding the Martini glass, the one who'd so derisively scoffed at the Time Lords' warnings screamed in fear, as Lazarus stood menacingly before her, stinger raised.
"No!" The Doctor yelled angrily, noticing them, "Get away from her!"
But he ignored them, the sounds of the woman's frantic, pain-filled screeches filling the room seconds before her emptied husk of a body dropped to the floor, drained of all life energy.
"Lazarus!" Cass shouted, aware of the glow that had overtaken her eyes, knowing that she had to draw his attention away from the innocent humans, especially Martha's family, which he'd begun staring at, "Leave them the hell alone! Pick on someone your own size, you ugly motherfucker!"
Thankfully, her method worked, since he turned to face her, allowing the group time to quickly run to the exit.
"What's the point if you can't control it? The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you." She snarled, veins beginning to tint golden beneath her skin, as the Doctor took up her side, continuing her thought, "You're a fool, a vain old man who thought he could defy Nature. Only Nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!"
Finished, his hand reached down to wrap around hers, fingers weaving tightly together as they ran back to the door, hurrying back up the stairs hoping to lose the mutated human following them long enough to cause a diversion of some sorts.
Preferably of the exploding kind.
They reached a service hallway of some kind, filled with various pipes lined along the walls, along which they tried to creep silently, Cass making a concentrated effort to push the vortex down, to keep her skin from lighting golden.
Lazarus was still following them, his footsteps far louder than their own, voice monstrous as he hissed, "It's no good. Neither of you can stop me."
"Is that the same arrogance you had when you swore nothing had gone wrong with your device?" The Doctor called back, pulling his tether in front of him, shielding her from being spotted first, trying to keep himself in the line of fire first.
He could feel her irritation at the move, but he ignored it. She did what she felt she had to to keep him safe, he would do the same.
Always.
Lazarus chuckled, "The arrogance is yours. You can't stand in the way of progress."
The redhead snorted, voice amused as she replied, "is that what we're calling feeding on living, innocent people now? Progress? Because I promise you, in most people's books, that's called being delusional."
"It is a necessary sacrifice."
"Unfortunately," she began, her tether finishing, "That's not your decision to make."
Suddenly, the lights came back on, flooding the hallway they were in with brightness, Cass closing her eyes in aggravation since they were no longer hidden.
Knowing what was about to occur, she quickly pulled her tether back, tugging on the constant sea of power in her and aiming at a specific spot on the ceiling, Lazarus yelling in pain instead of taunting them, as he'd been about to do.
Quickly, she pulled the Doctor behind her as they ran down the corridor, explaining, "He was on the ceiling, since he's also spider-man now. Since I can't reveal much without making my own cerebral arteries explode, at least I can intervene."
They enter one of the labs, the Doctor running to the various gas pipes, opening them, while she headed towards a large battery attached to the main light fixture, ripping its covering out and leaving all of the wires exposed.
When they heard Lazarus approaching, a hand wrapped around her arm, tugging her into her tether's chest and he ducked down, hiding the both of them behind one of the many tables.
"More hide-and-seek? How disappointing. Why don't either of you come out and face me?" The scorpion-man murmured amusedly.
Cass rolled her eyes, drawling sarcastically, "Have you happened to cross any mirrors or reflective surfaces lately?"
The couple stood up, both shooting matching smug expressions at the scientist as the Doctor finished, smirking, "Why would either of us want to face that? Hmm?"
They ran from the room, Cass aiming a bolt of vortex power into in as they left, causing the room to explode behind them.
Martha ran to them, meeting them at the halfway point, eyes growing at the light that seemed to be emanating from the Time Lady. Choosing to file those questions for later, she reached into her pocket for the sonic, right as the Doctor questioned, "What are you doing here?"
"Returning this," she huffed, throwing the red-tipped screwdriver at the redhead, who caught it happily, pressing a kiss to it as she shoved it into her own holster, still strapped around her upper thigh, Martha chuckling, "I thought you might need it."
"How did you..." he began, only for his tether to cut him off with a laugh, "Honey, we tend to make noise wherever we go."
"Exactly," the human nodded, smirking, "I heard the explosion. Guessed it was you."
"I blasted Lazarus." Cass shrugged.
"Did you kill him?"
A loud crashing noise echoed down the hall, and the trio took off on another run, Cass chuckling lightly, "I'm thinking we just pissed him off, actually."
They burst out into thew reception area again, Lazarus' loud steps following them.
Looking around, Martha yelped, "What now? We've just gone 'round in a circle!"
The redhead reached for her arm with her empty hand, tugging both her tether and the human towards the machine, right as Lazarus clambered in.
Pushing the two into the small cabinet, she squeezed herself between them, angling herself sideways so that every inch of her front was pressed rather intimately against her tether, while her back was moulded to Martha.
Exhaling sharply, she quickly pushed the first inklings of desire into the back of her mind, explaining, "We can't let him go outside, but he can't find us either. This just seemed like the best hiding spot."
"He knows we're here." The Doctor added, shifting slightly and smirking when he felt Cass tense as his hand inadvertently ran beneath her breasts. Pushing the heady feelings that were rising away, he continued, aware of the strain leaking into his voice, "But this is his masterpiece. I'm betting he won't destroy it, not even to get at us."
"But we're trapped!" Martha exclaimed, moving, and pushing the redhead further into her tether, the Doctor needing to shuffle one of his legs forward to keep his balance, though it just so happened to slip between Cass', pressing rather harshly into her centre.
The Time Lady closed her eyes, tilting her head forward, forehead dropping on his shoulder, biting into her lip harshly to keep from making any noises, as he explained to the human, "Well, yeah, that's a slight problem."
"You mean neither of you have a plan?!"
"That was the plan," Cass explained, voice hushed and strained, "Get in here. Figured we'd just wing it after."
"In your own time, then." Martha huffed.
He shuffled again, his legs moving a little, knee bending and pressing tighter into Cass as one of his hands ran down the front of her body, trying to reach his pocket.
The girl groaned under her breath, her teeth digging into her lower lip, as her voice lit his mind, heady and nearly dripping with tension, stop moving, I'm begging you.
I'd have thought you'd have wanted me to keep moving, he couldn't help but reply, smugness in his voice, as he shielded how affected he was by their precarious positions as well.
Cass dug her face into his shoulder tighter, Please, Theta, please don't. This isn't the time, don't start something you can't finish now.
He nodded, head dropping to quickly pressing a kiss to her head as he pulled his sonic out, waving it at the human who gasped, "What're you gonna do with that?"
"Improvise." He grinned, before slowly nudging his tether, indicating for her to straighten, an apology ringing out into her mind as he fully slid down her body, his lips accidentally running across her silk-covered stomach as he kneeled on the floor, facing one of the control panels.
The redhead placed one of her palms where he once stood, physically holding herself up as her balance was wrecked by...everything that had just happened, eyes dropped to him as she observed him popping the panel open.
Behind her, Martha questioned, "I still don't understand where that thing came from. Is it alien?"
"No," she explained, "for once since I've met him, we're dealing with something fully human in origin."
"Human? How can it be human?"
The Time Lady bit her lip, quickly thinking of how to explain, before asking, "You ever hear of the 'dormant gene' hypothesis?"
Martha hummed in agreement, and Cass continued, "It's basically this. Whatever he did to himself, when the machine malfunctioned, it awaken some ancient codes in his DNA, and based on what we've seen, seems like they're becoming rather dominant."
"So it's a throwback."
Beneath them, the Doctor nodded quickly, forgetting their positions and turning to face Martha, nose accidentally grazing the apex of his tether's thighs, before quickly facing forwards again, having felt her tense against him, "Some option that evolution rejected for you millions of years ago, but the potential is still there. Locked away in your genes, forgotten about until Lazarus unlocked it by mistake."
"So it's like Pandora's Box," the human theorised, happily unaware of the state the couple was in, of how tightly both of them were clinging to their focus, actively pushing the desire and frustration away.
"Sure," Cass agreed, cursing herself silently when her voice came out in a near squeak. Clearing her throat quietly, she tried again, "Sure, yeah. That's probably the simplest way to look at it."
Suddenly, a bright blue light filled the inside of the cabinet, and the redhead swore loudly, cursing the old man, as Martha drawled, "That's not good, is it?"
"He switched the machine on," Cass confirmed, before glancing at her tether and adding, a hint of worry seeping into her fake-amused affect, "Mind hurrying up a little honey? Before we get turned into infants?"
"I know, I know. Nearly done." He promised.
"What are you doing?" The human asked.
"Trying to set the capsule to reflect energy rather than receive it."
"Will that kill him?"
"Oh, you genius," Cass whispered in awe, understanding what he was doing, before explaining to Martha, "When Lazarus transforms, he's three times his size, cellular triplication, so he's spreading himself thin."
"We're gonna end up like him!"
"Just one more!" The Doctor yelled, pulling on one final wire, causing the energy field to shift, the light shooting outwards towards Lazarus, clearly incapacitating him, and he quickly pushed the door open, jumping out, before reaching in and grabbing his tether, tugging her into his chest, Martha following.
Now that he was looking at her, he could see how flushed she'd become, small beads of sweat glistening on her hairline, her pupils nearly swallowing her irises whole.
He clenched his jaw, knowing they couldn't do anything about it now, as Martha gaped, "I thought we were gonna go through the blender then."
Cass huffed out a light laugh, looking at the young doctor with an impish grin, "Some faith Marth. Like I'd have ever allowed that to happen." Before facing her tether again, teasing him lightly, "It really shouldn't have taken you this long to reverse the polarity, my love. You must be out of practice."
He narrowed his eyes lightly at her, biting into his own lip as he whispered in her mind, allowing the arousal he'd been holding back to slowly seep into her, relishing in how quick her breathing had become, perhaps you shouldn't tempt me, Luna love.
I like to live life on the edge, she whispered back, emphasising the point by winking at him, teeth digging into her lip, as her fingers weaved between his own.
Their eyes turned back to Lazarus, who was fully sprawled on the floor, passed out in his human form.
"Oh my god," Martha breathed, "He seems so... human again. It's kind of pitiful."
"Ironic isn't it?" Cass drawled, "Eliot saw it too, 'This is the way the world ends, not with a bang',"
" 'but with a whimper'." Her tether finished.
————————
A stretcher wheeled the body out, the time-travelling trio watching from the stairs.
Cass was biting into her lip, trying to decide whether to risk another brain aneurysm in order to tell the Doctor what was actually occurring.
One the one hand, having that knowledge would definitely help him, but on the other....she had a feeling that if she caused herself anymore harm, he'd be very angry.
"She's here." Tish called out loudly, as she ran to them, the remainder of the Joneses following. The girl threw herself at Martha, hugging her tightly, "Oh, she's all right."
Francine approached them, eyes shooting out lightening. The Doctor didn't notice, smiling genially at the woman, but Cass had, and as he opened his mouth to speak, she readied herself, knowing her reflexes would have to be very sharp.
"Ah, Mrs Jones, we still haven't finished out chat."
As predicted, Mrs. Jones' hand shot out, though instead of landing on the Doctor's face, it was caught in the redhead's, who shook her head, "With all my due respect Mrs. Jones, and it is plenty, don't assume you can simply lay your hand on my husband. It is, not only unwarranted, but incredibly rude."
His fingers weaved through her own, a wave of gratefulness moving through him, as Francine glared, "Keep away from my daughter."
"Mum, what are you doing?" Martha gasped, running to the Time Lords, rubbing Cass' tense shoulder apologetically.
She didn't know what hd come over her mother, but the couple had done nothing but take care of her, and keep her safe. She wouldn't let anyone harm her friends like that.
The Doctor pulled Cass against him, her back on his chest, one of his hands wrapping around her front as he whispered amusedly, "All their mothers, every time."
"It is becoming a bit of a pattern, isn't it?" The redhead murmured jokingly, raising their joined hands to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to his own.
Martha's mother didn't soften, simply pointed accusingly at the couple and snarled, "They are dangerous! I've been told things."
"What are you talking about?" Her daughter scoffed.
"Look around you! Nothing but death and destruction!"
Martha gaped, eyes narrowing in disbelief and anger as she retorted, "This isn't their fault. They saved us, all of us!"
Cass meanwhile, had made her decision, and sighing softly, whispered into her tether's mind, He's not dead. Mutation made him stronger, so the shot brought him down temporarily, didn't kill him. He'll be heading to the church, soon.
A wave of anger flooded her when she winced, her mind brightening in pain, which then spread to him. She'd been correct in her initial thought, he was angry, very angry.
Pushing through it, knowing this brain bleed was probably a little worst that the previous, she still added, I will do what I must to keep you and our friends safe.
He wanted to answer, was nearly itching with the need to reprimand her for it, for never thinking of herself and her own safety, but before he could, a loud crash resounded from outside, and instead he was forced to follow after his tether, who'd taken off running.
Their bound hands propelling him behind her.
Within minutes, Martha and Tish had joined them, the four running towards the ambulances quickly, only to find the doors flung open, the formerly full stretcher empty of the body it had once carried.
The Doctor shook his head, muttering, "Lazarus, back from the dead." He glanced down at his tether, noting with some level of worry that her eyelids were twitching slightly, as beside them, Martha questioned, "Where's he gone?"
"Church," the redhead informed her, the word dripping with pain, since it had literally begun feeling as though her brain was being cleaved from the inside, and uncomfortable amount of warmth gathering in her chest, making her veins itch.
Tish nodded, "Cathedral. It's Southwark Cathedral. He told me."
"Lead the way, then."
——————
They entered the cathedral quietly, following the signal the Doctor's sonic was emitting.
"Do you think he's here?" Martha whispered.
The couple nodded, Cass replying quietly, "Where else would you go, if you were ever looking for sanctuary?" When she glanced up at her tether, she explained quietly, He used to hide here, during the Blitz. This was where his thirst for immortality grew.
Stop, just...just don't go looking into the future for now. We don't need it anymore. He huffed back, anger and tightness in his voice, though she couldn't really feel it, since he'd erected a wall between them, blocking her from accessing his emotions, or even seeing any deeper than simply he surface levels of his thoughts.
She nodded softly, averting her eyes away from him, as they moved separately to the open space behind the altar and underneath the bell tower, since their hands were for once, not intertwined. Lazarus was sitting there gasping, a red blanket from the ambulance wrapped about him.
"I came here before. A lifetime ago." He gasped, never turning to face them, though clearly knowing he wasn't alone. "I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat there, just a child... the sound of planes and bombs outside."
"The Blitz," the Doctor sighed.
Lazarus nodded, "You've read about it."
"I was there."
The mutated-human scoffed derisively, "You're too young, both of you."
"So are you," Cass added softly, pity in her eyes as she looked at him.
Lazarus laughed but it soon turned to gasps of pain as he fought against the mutation, "In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again."
The Doctor listened to him, though his attention was splint when he noticed his tether moving around them, eyes gazing intently at the bell tower. He could hear her thoughts, could see the idea as it formulated in her mind, since she hadn't placed any barriers between them.
And as much as he wanted to disagree, as much as he just wanted her to hang back, he couldn't.
Because her idea was actually great.
"So defenceless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it." Lazarus finished, drawing the Time Lord's attention back to him.
"That's what you were trying to do today."
"That's what I did today."
"What about the other people who died?"
"They were nothing. I changed the course of history."
Cassandra scoffed, shaking her head, "What, you think you're the only human capable of greatness? Any of them were too. You think history's only made with equations? Facing death is part of being human. You can't change that."
"No. Avoiding death." Lazarus disagreed, "That's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fibre of being. I'm doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more... successful." Before groaning in pain, bending iii half as he continued to fight his body's urge to transform.
"Look at yourself! You're mutating! You've no control over it! You call that a success?" The Doctor shook his head.
"I call it progress. I'm more now that I was. More than just an ordinary human."
"There's no such thing as an ordinary human."
Martha stepped up to the couple, whispering as she watched Lazarus groaning and struggling, "He's gonna change again at any minute."
"I know," the Doctor whispered back, "If we can get him up into the bell tower somehow, Cassie's got an idea that might work."
The redhead nodded, as the human whispered, looking up, "Up there?"
"You're so sentimental, Doctor. Maybe you are older than you look." Lazarus finished.
"I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one. In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the struggle. Tired of losing everyone that matters to you. Tried of watching everything turn to dust." He squatted down beside Lazarus, trying to speak to him, trying to make him understand, "If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you end up alone."
Unbeknownst to him though, because she couldn't feel him, Cass flinched, believing the words may have been aimed at her. She'd thought they'd moved past that, she'd believed that their tether, that them finding each other even after everything that had happened, every obstacle that had blocked their way...that it would have changed his mind.
That he'd know for certain now that he had her, that he wasn't alone anymore. But clearly, she'd been wrong.
"That's a price worth paying," Lazarus stated.
"Is it?"
"I will feed soon."
"I'm not gonna let that happen."
Martha stepped up behind him, yelling, "Leave him, Lazarus! He's old and bitter. Thought you had a taste for fresher meat."
"Martha, no!" The Doctor yelled, watching as the human girl took off on a run.
Cass straightened, quickly pulling her heels off, before shouting, "Why would you choose fresh meat, when you can have an aged Scotch, Lazarus? Come and get, if you can." Before running towards the stairs, following her friend, ignoring the way her tether was calling her name behind.
He wasn't alone, and he didn't have to do everything himself anymore. If this was the only way she could prove it, then she would.
"What are you doing?" Martha yelled, noticing her quickly climbing figure.
The redhead narrowed her eyes, feeling the golden glow overtake them, "Helping, just keep running and trust me!" Inhaling quickly, she called down, "Doctor! The Tower!"
——————
The Doctor ran to the centre of the Cathedral, eyes moving furtively around, trying to track his tether's whereabouts.
He couldn't feel her anymore, she'd very firmly slammed down her own barriers, keeping him out, much like he'd done before.
"Cassie?!" He yelled up, Tish running to join him, nearly pleading, "Where are they?"
He shook his head, eyes narrowed as he tried to reach for her. He knew she was safe, pain couldn't be blocked as effectively as emotions or thoughts, so he hung onto that knowledge, the knowledge that she was fine for now, safe and unharmed.
"Martha?!" He shouted again, hoping for any indication of where they were, and thankfully, he got it.
"Doctor?!" The human girl's voice reached them, her head peering out from one of the archways.
"Take him to the top, the very top of the bell tower, d'you hear me?!" He stated, right as a loud growl reached them, followed by a bright golden light, and a pained yelp.
Seconds after, Cass' voice yelled out, "Keep running Martha! I'm keeping him back!"
Loud grunts and growls could be heard, but he still couldn't feel her, he couldn't feel anything beyond a slight sliver of pain, just stroking across his temples.
Swallowing heavily, he quickly ran to the organ placed in the corner of the room, sitting down, Tish joining him just as quickly, and slotting his sonic into the instrument, explaining hurriedly, "Hypersonic sound waves. Inspired."
————————
Above him, Martha was cornered, having finally reached the end of the bell tower, breathing to herself, "I'm trapped, there's no where to go."
Through her panic, however, a familiar voice intoned in her mind, Calm down, trust me. I've got it. And if you can't trust me, trust him, he's gonna get us out of here.
Lazarus entered, blocking the only doorway, tail swiping high above his as he hissed menacingly, "Miss Jones..."
The human girl whimpered, plastering her back against the wall, until suddenly, a beam of golden light slammed into the man, sending him toppling sideways, as Cass reached them, snarling, "I thought I told you to leave the fresh meat behind, and stick with aged Scotch Lazarus. Clearly your age is wearing on your hearing."
He growled, turning quickly, his tail swinging towards the redhead, managing to catch her arms with his stinger, tearing the skin open, Cass yelping in a mixture of surprise and pain.
————————
The Doctor and Tish looked up, the man flinching as pain exploded across his arm, Cass' walls dropping for a second before erecting themselves again. He inhaled sharply, turning back to the keys, mumbling to Tish as he laid his fingers over them, "Hope it's good acoustics in here."
The young woman followed his lead, both of them waiting for the signal to begin playing.
————————
Cass snarled angrily, fists clenching as fire spread down her arm, where Lazarus' stinger had slashed her. Small streams of blood were dripping from her fingers, leaving small scarlet droplets on the ground, eyes still flashing a bright golden.
He turned to her again, growling even louder, and her knees bent in a defencing crouch, shoulders straightening as she prepared to move, pulling some of the power down to her arm, and as he swung at her, she sent a flash his way, diving to the ground and yelling, "NOW!"
———————
"We need to turn this up to 11." He mumbled, pulling his sonic out and recalibrating it, before reslotting it back into the organ, fingers poising themselves over the keys, Tish doing the same, before they began playing, the noises resonating up.
———————
The two women hunched onto themselves, planting their hands over their ears, as Lazarus groaned and writhed in pain, shuddering as the sound waves assaulted him, moving around blindly, before he toppled over the edge, a screech of pain leaving him, before he hit the ground, remaining forevermore silent.
———————
The two who'd been playing stopped suddenly, leaving their perch and running to the alcove, the Doctor kneeling beside a once-more human Lazarus, and closing his eyes.
———————
"Cassie?!" The Doctor's voice called out to them, Cass grunting as she slowly stood up, reaching a hand down to Martha and helping her, the human yelling down, "We're alright!"
The redhead shuddered, the mixture of pain and her powers receding back into her, and Martha wrapped a tight arm around her shoulders, whispering gratefully, "Thank you, you saved my life."
"That's what friends are for, right Marth?" She chuckled weakly, leaning on the girl before hissing in pain, as the wound on her arm burned.
Looking down at it, the human ripped a small piece off her already tattered dress, wrapping it tightly around the redhead's arm, whispering, "We need to go down, disinfect it."
"Eh, I'll live." Cass shrugged back, before bursting out in small chuckles, disbelief at the situation overriding the pain and exhaustion they both felt.
———————
When her foot hit the bottom of the stairs, she was pulled into her tether's arms, his lips landing on hers with a desperation she hadn't felt from him before. When he finally pulled away, his forehead rested on her own, breathing harsh as he whispered, "You're okay, love."
"I know," she murmured softly, smiling at him, though the exhaustion, both emotional and physical was clear on her.
Swallowing, she added, "I know you're angry, but please....lower the barriers. I can't...I can't feel you."
Immediately, his essence flooded into her, every ounce of worry and love and fear hitting her all at once. As she swayed under the waves, his grasp on her tightened, his voice whispering through her mind, I'm sorry, Luna.
So am I, she added, pulling away and moving to her tiptoes, pressing a loving kiss to his forehead, as behind them, the two sisters hugged each other happily, joyous shrieks of relief and victory surrounding them.
"I didn't know you could play?" Martha giggled at them, looking at the man with a raised, skeptical brow.
"Oh, well, you know, if you hang around with Beethoven, you're bound to pick a few things up." He shrugged smugly, rolling his eyes when Cass snorted, "Oh sure. If you wanna call what you did playing."
"Especially about playing loud, right?" The human doctor added, chuckling at his small pout.
He leaned forward, a hand cupping one of his ear jokingly, "Sorry?"
The trio burst into happy laughter, the tethers' hands tightening around each other, Cass getting tugged back against the Doctor's chest.
————————
Later, they all stood back in Martha's flat, in front of the still parked machine, there Doctor sighing, "Something else that just kind of escalated, then."
"I can see a pattern developing." Martha smiled, shaking her head, "You should take more care in the future. And the past, and whatever other time period you find yourself in. Can't leave Cass to handle you all on her own."
"It's good fun, though, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"So, what d'you say, one more trip?"
She sighed, shaking her head, "No. Sorry."
"What do you mean? I thought you liked it."
Cass' shoulders slumped, looking at her tether, "It's not fair love. We can't keep doing this. Either she's a companion, or she isn't. This constant back and forth isn't right to or for her."
"Exactly," Martha nodded, "I don't want to be just a passenger anymore. Someone you take along for a treat. If that's how you still see me, well, I'd rather stay here."
His eyes dropped to Cass', as he whispered into er head, You sure?
Yes, always. She nodded slowly, and he grinned, shrugging at Martha, "Okay, then. If that's what you want."
But the human didn't get it, her eyes dimming as she mumbled, "Right. But we've already said good-bye once today so it's really best if you two just go."
She walked away from the TARDIS, keeping her back to it. But when neither Time Lords said anything, when the familiar wheezing of the clever machine didn't fill her living room, she looked over her shoulder, finding them still standing there, smiling happily at her.
"What is it?"
Cass grinned, "We said okay."
"Sorry?"
"Okay," the Doctor repeated, motioning to the TARDIS parked behind them.
Martha burst into laughter, jumping up and down excitedly, running to the Time Lords and wrapping her arms around the both of them, "Oh, thank you! Thank you!"
Cass rubbed her back tenderly, whispering, "Well, you were never really just a passenger, were you, Martha Jones?"
The human smiled, pulling away and smirking, "I take it I'm your companion then, right?"
The redhead nodded slowly, "If you'd let me have that honour, then I'd love nothing more."
"Yes!" Martha screeched happily, rushing past them and into the TARDIS, the two following after her, before the wheezing sounds filled her apartment seconds later, the machine vanishing into thin air instants before the answering machine piped, "Hi, I'm out! Leave a message!"
"Martha," Francine's panicked voice said, "it's your mother. Please, phone me back. I'm begging you. I know who this Doctor and Cassandra really are. I know they're dangerous. You're gonna get yourself killed. Please, trust me. This information comes from Harold Saxon himself. You're not safe!"
————————
Cass tilted her head back, letting the water from the shower-head wash down over her, the nearly scalding drops pouring down on her head, soothing the pain lingering there.
Her arm was still smarting, the temperature of the water stinging the still open wound slightly, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She needed a moment to just be, to not think of what's to come, to not think of the inevitable argument that awaited her outside.
Because she knew her tether, could still feel his irritation at her actions bubbling in her veins, could still fell how suffocating and drawing his worry and fear for her had been.
But she couldn't argue with him right now, she needed to wind down, sleep off the still painful electricity she'd endured, and then maybe tomorrow, she'd be ready to plead her case.
Clearly though, fate never granted her what she thought she wanted, since the door opened behind her, allowing some steam to escape, as the bond in her chest warmed, his gentle hands landing on her shoulders, kneading the muscles there.
"Theta..." she whispered slowly, shaking her head, "i can't..."
He shushed her softly, her exhaustion wafting through him as he continued to try and massage the tenseness out of her, "Just relax love. I've got you. This isn't about that."
And slowly, she relaxed in his grip, leaning back against him, body turning into putty under his ministrations, eyes slowly closing and breathing slowing down.
He'd been hearing her in his mind, how worried and yet bone-tired she was. How the day's events had seemingly worn her down, how all she craved was a shower and to fall asleep in his arms, though she doubted he'd be so willing.
And he hadn't been able to help himself. Because no matter how infuriated her was with her, and he was very irritated, he could never deny her anything. And if she needed him, his love and support and closeness, then he'd never hesitate to give them to her.
Slowly, he shut the water, reaching his hand outside for the towel she'd placed and wrapping it around her, picking her up and cradling her tightly into his arms as he walked them out, placing her on their bed.
Her eyes were soft as she looked at him, barriers down and exhaustion clear in them, watching as he moved around the room, opening a couple of drawers and rifling through them, only to return with a first-aid kit of some kind, intent clear as he slowly removing the towel from around her, revealing the cut on her arm, and patchied it up, wrapping a bandage around it tightly.
"All done," he whispered when he'd finished, leaning down to press his lips to it softly, before pulling away and laying on their bed, tugging her into his arms and placing the blankets around them.
"Are we not going to talk?" She asked, sleep already slurring her speech, "I figured for sure you'd have plenty to say."
He nuzzled into her lovingly, lips leaving a trail of kisses on each piece of skin they could see, whispering, "I do, and we will, but not now, not today." Reaching behind him, he quickly shut the light, adding as he snuggled into her, "You need rest, considering you got into the way of a lightening strike... and after how many barriers we raised, we need this...we need a little bit of closeness before the inevitable row."
Leaning his face closer to her own, he kissed her lovingly, "I need to fall asleep and wake up with you in my arms, safe and sound. Can you give me that, Luna?"
"For you, anything." She whispered, smiling softly before closing her eyes, his warmth infusing with her and lulling her to sleep, the sound of his heartbeat drumming under her ear.