Real Life

Prologue:

He was wallowing again. He always wallowed these days. He was pretty sure the better part of the last couple of decades had been spent wallowing. The Doctor descended from the captain's chair in the TARDIS control room and began to walk around the console mindlessly checking buttons and switches. He was wallowing and waiting. If the TARDIS didn't take him somewhere with a little excitement soon, he knew he would end up curled in a ball on the floor in one of the many rooms of said sentient ship.

The Doctor jumped and gave a high pitched yelp when the mobile rang. He smiled when he figured out that it was Martha's phone and skipped around the captain's chair so he could get it out of his coat pocket. He quickly wrestled it from the coat and hit the button to talk.

"Dr. Martha Jones," he began, already starting to flirt. "You missed me, didn't you?" He couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"Doctor," a voice replied through the receiver.

"Where's Martha?" the Doctor demanded. He didn't think he could lose another one of his best friends so soon after Donna.

"She's alive."

"I didn't ask you if she was alive, Jack!" he retorted as he raised his voice. "I know she's alive." He paused before softly saying, "I can feel it!" He sat on the chair and took a deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair. "Just tell me where she is and I'll be right over."

"She's at the Hub," the former Time Agent relented. "2009, 16 March. Get here."

Part 1

Mickey was sure the Doctor had the door opened before the TARDIS completely materialized in the center of the Hub. The Doctor ran out of the TARDIS and stopped in his tracks. Jack figured the Time Lord probably realized he had no clue where to go.

"Where is she, Jack?" the Doctor demanded.

"She's in the autopsy room," Jack replied. The Doctor's face lost all color. "I told you she's alive, Doctor. It's not like we have recovery rooms at Torchwood."

"Jack," the Doctor warned.

"Follow me."

The Doctor followed Jack, as Mickey and Ianto trailed behind them.

Martha was unconscious on a small cot with a pillow under her head and covered up to her shoulders in blankets. Gwen was seated in a chair next to her. Gwen told the story of the assignment they were on when the last evil alien through the rift did something to Martha before disappearing. They don't know what was done; whether or not it was permanent. And when they got to her, she was lying unconscious.

"Has she been conscious at all?" the Doctor asked as he slowly approached the makeshift bed.

"Yes," Jack answered. "That's why I phoned you." He paused and took a deep breath. "She didn't remember me."

"She didn't remember any of us," Mickey added.

"Mickey reconfigured the machine to test the brain to see if it would help unlock her memories. " The Doctor was still staring at Martha. "It's a bit ironic, don't you think?"

"What is?" the Doctor asked.

"The situation," he replied. "You took away Donna's memory of ever meeting you and now something has taken Martha's. The last thing she remembers is talking to her family on the phone about Leo's 21st birthday party."

"That was the seconds before we met," the Doctor mused. He was quiet for a few moments as he once again looked down at the unconscious beauty and caressed her face before moving a stray hair from her forehead. He took a deep breath. "So, who does she think you are? Torchwood doesn't exactly look like A and E. And you lot don't look like medical staff."

"A private room," Mickey replied. "We told her we were mates she met at the pub after she moved here."

"Does she know she's in Cardiff?"

"Yes," Jack replied. Then, he chuckled. "You should've seen the look on her face."

"Not exactly one of complete happiness," Ianto added, smiling as he remembered the tiny doctor's facial expression.

"She asked to see the attending physician," Gwen continued to explain. "Then, she slipped back into unconsciousness."

"So, can you go into her mind and get her to remember?" Jack asked.

"I need to see what happened," the Doctor replied. He sat next to the sleeping doctor and placed his fingertips at her temples as he closed his eyes.

The others watched, anxiously awaiting the outcome.

The Doctor grunted in pain and collapsed on top of the unconscious woman.

"Doctor," Jack exclaimed as he ran to the Time Lord. He helped the Doctor to his feet. "What happened?"

The Doctor blinked and attempted to shake the cobwebs from his head. "I can't get in," he told them. "Her memories…all of them from the past few years are locked away." He rubbed a hand over his worried face. "I can't get through."

"So, she's stuck like this, with no memory of us?" Mickey asked.

"Maybe with enough time I could get through," the Doctor explained. "But, we're talking weeks…possibly months."

"But, she could get her memories back," Jack suggested, trying to stay positive.

"Yes," the Doctor answered. "She could. However, we can't force it," he continued. "They could be locked away forever if we try to do that."

"So, let's create a temporary sheltered life for our universe's savior," Jack suggested.

"I'm for it," Ianto said.

"Same here," Mickey added.

"Count me in," Gwen asserted.

"Right," the Doctor said smiling. "Allons-y! Let's get her to the TARDIS…"

"No, Doctor," Jack interrupted.

"What?"

"No," the ex-Time Agent repeated. "That would be forcing her. We have to create a life for her here on Earth, in Cardiff." The Doctor grimaced. "If you're not up for this, then, I suggest you leave."

The Doctor noted the seriousness in Jack's eyes and actually believed the Torchwood leader would kick him back into the Time Vortex.

"I'm here, Captain," he declared. "What's the plan? I have to be there. She has to be able to trust me in order for me to weaken the defenses of the fortress around her memories."

"I guess we have to give you a lesson in Humanity 101," Jack stated with smirk.

"Sorry?"

"Martha has to believe you're an integral part of her everyday life," Jack clarified. "She needs to believe you're there all the time." He noticed the look on the Doctor's face. "No offense, Doctor," he continued. "But, you are not going to play the part of 'live-in boyfriend'."

"Jack, why would I…"

"Stop it," Jack interrupted again. "You may be able to fool other people; maybe even yourself at the moment. But, you can't fool me." The Doctor remained silent. "You're her flatmate and best friend. That's it." He looked at Mickey.

"I'll put together an identity for you," Mickey stated before heading to his computer station.

"When can we start this?" the Doctor asked.

"I figure we can put the two of you into a flat nearby and make it look lived in within the next 12 hours," Ianto answered.

"I also need you to fake a few photos of Martha and me together at different locations around the world," the Doctor told Mickey. "She's never going to believe we're mates if she doesn't see any photographs of the two of us."

"You haven't been to Martha's flat in Cardiff, have you?" Mickey asked. The Doctor looked confused. "She has photos of the two of you, Doctor." The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"And don't you remember the all the photos we took the week after she and Tom broke up?" Jack reminded him. "You were here for 6 days."

"I remember," the Time Lord replied. "I couldn't believe she called me. Blimey, she was so heartbroken." Jack nodded. "I would've done anything to make her smile."

"We took so many pictures," Jack said. "Why wouldn't you think she had any?"

"I honestly didn't believe she would have any in her flat of me," he said sadly.

"That angst attitude has to go," Mickey stated. "She has to believe you're actually happy, Doctor."

"I will be happy when this gets underway," he replied irritated.

"I know you can't unlock her memories," Jack said. "But, can you wake her and spend some time talking to her so she knows who you are before you get her home and she has to live with you?"

"I'm sure I can," the Doctor replied.

"Good," he whispered while staring at the marvel that was Dr. Martha Jones. "Now, let's get you into the Humanity 101 class."

End part 1