No Matter (a Doctor Who/Sherlock Holmes crossover) 8/?

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Title: No Matter
Author: sarah531
Rating: PG13
Fandom: Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes
AN: This is set after the Hiatus for Holmes and Watson (oh, and it’s the bookverse, despite my icon) and after Human Nature for the Doctor and Martha.
Summary: A detective, a doctor, a would-be doctor and a Doctor walk into a bar.

Previous chapters: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven

No Matter

“You know,” Martha said to the Doctor, “you’re not really acting like yourself today.”

“Martha, I don’t actually have a ‘today’ as such.”

Martha sighed and turned instead to her new friends. “You two both carry guns, right?”

“Yes. And there’s one here for you, Doctor,” Watson said.

“Not for me,” the Doctor answered. “Never guns for me.”

“But we ought to go armed.”

“I’ve got the sonic screwdriver.”

“I don’t know if it’s really a great idea to take guns, though” Martha said. “I know she’s not a little girl, but she looks just like one, and…you know. Trouble. Executions. That kind of thing.”

“We aren’t going to shoot her,” the Doctor said, but he seemed incredibly uncertain about something. “We’ll just put her back where she belongs.”

There was silence in the room apart from the sound of two guns being loaded.

“She’ll live forever,” Martha said. “Imprisoned.”

“She’s not a little girl, Martha, she’s a creature of great power.”

“You said she wasn’t a creature. And you did…what you did…to her and her family because you were angry. You can’t still be angry. Not like that. Not oncoming-storm-king-of-the-universe angry.”

The Doctor’s eyes were far away.

“Living forever, it’s just…it’s horrible, when you think about it. You’ll live a while, I know, but you’re not immortal, you can’t really guess at what it is…”

“You know,” the Doctor said, “there’s someone I must introduce you to at some point.”

Martha filed this away for later. “You’re going to imprison her again, then. Forever and ever and ever.”

The Doctor looked at her, and Martha couldn’t help but wonder what he was really seeing.

“No,” he said. “I won’t. We’ll capture her and take her to the Judoon. The Family are wanted throughout the universe. She’ll be locked away until she dies naturally. She’ll kill no-one ever again.”

“Well,” Martha said, “…good.”

Holmes, who had been quiet for the past few minutes, spoke up. “Doctor.”

“Yes?”

“This being can’t be allowed to escape again. I really do suggest you take a pistol.”

The two men locked eyes for a minute, but neither of them said anything else to each other.

*

They wandered down the street. It was early morning, and no-one was about. The four of them stopped outside the TARDIS.

“Wait here,” the Doctor said. “I need to get something.”

They waited.

“Watson,” Martha said.

“Martha,” Watson said, smiling, “I permit you to call me John.”

“Okay, John?”

“Yes?”

“I reckon it was you who made me want to be a doctor. I mean, it wasn’t all you, it was a lot to do with my mum. But I read so many books when I was younger, about people who did so many amazing things…but when it came down to it I just wanted to heal people.”

“Oh, Martha. I’m honoured, I truly am.”

Holmes watched them idly.

“But this sounds an awful lot like farewell talk.”

“Oh…oh, none of us will die, we’ll be fine,” Martha said, almost believing it. “But me and the Doctor will leave eventually. I don’t belong here. I belong back in the twenty-first century, with my family.”

“Oh yes,” Watson said, sounding quite disappointed, “of course.”

The Doctor came barging out of the TARDIS.

“This,” he announced, “is a portable force-field machine. We find her, trap her, and take her away!”

“I take it she’s not killing any more people in the meantime.” Holmes said.

“No. Now that the nanogenes are gone I don’t think she has the power.”

“You’re sure?” Martha asked.

“No more than any other human.”

“Okay.”

They stood and looked at each other.

“As soon as this is done,” the Doctor said, “we’ll be on our way.”

“Of course,” Watson murmured.

They turned their attention to the streets.

“Okay,” the Doctor said, “let’s get this over with.”

He pushed a button on the machine. Nothing happened.

“This way,” he announced, and started walking.

“How can you tell?” Martha asked.

“Low-level telepathy.”

“Oh, right.”

The sun was steadily rising to the sky. Holmes and Watson drew their pistols.

“She’s near,” the Doctor said. “Put the guns down.”

“I think not, Doctor,” Holmes said.

Nothing happened.

“You know…” Martha found herself saying, “I really didn’t think the two of you would get along so badly.”

From around a corner a girl walked out. No balloon. Small, blonde, walking towards them.

“Well,” the Doctor said, “here you are.”

“Hello,” the girl said, “Doctor of mine.”