and all at once I owned the Earth and sky

[Martha Jones appears on the Plane, wary of the invisible flooring but obviously in love with the scenery]

Okay… At least the ground is solid. Probably. Still a bit freaky, though maybe it isn't--is that a beach?

[with one last look at the ground, Martha makes her way to the beach. She seems happier on somewhat-more solid ground]

Much better. [Martha turns her head up to the sky] God, look at all the stars… [of course, the entire thing is just weird as far as physics are concerned. All the galaxies and nebulae are too near to each other and should probably be warping one another at these distances, but it all looks too perfect] Maybe it's a planetarium of some sort, 'cause it can't be an observatory…

[Martha could sit here and wait for someone to find her, or…]

Probably should stay where I am and wait. It would be very reckless and irresponsible to wander off, wouldn’t it? [a bit of a grin crosses her face] So I think I’ll go… this way.

[And Martha heads off in the direction of the Colosseum]

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[he is a show-off but she adores it anyway]

If you'll hand me a racket.

[He bounces the ball for a moment longer before switching to let it sit on one racket. He hands the spare racket to her and takes a moment to bounce the ball a few times.]

Have you played much tennis?

Serena Williams was my role model. [she makes a face] Tish always got to pretend to be Venus.

[she backs up, turning the racket in her hand and grinning]

Oh, really? [The Doctor gets on his own side of the net, bouncing the ball casually as he readies himself.] Would you have rather been Venus?

At this point? [grins at him] I'm just fine being Martha Jones.

[The Doctor grins widely and gives a short laugh.]

Brilliant old Martha Jones, with a secret fondness for tennis. I quite like that.

Right! [He bounces on his feet, jumping up and down a moment before settling and stretching his shoulders.] Ready! And here we go!

[And he serves the ball, huzzah!]

[Martha easily returns the serve]

[The Doctor flashes her a pleased smile and returns the ball, putting just a little spin on it.]

[swings her racket around to send it back at him]

I hope you're not going easy on me.

I wouldn't dream of it! I'm just enjoying the back and forth.

[Though he does hit the ball harder this time.]

[which earns him a Jones Smash Attack in return!]

[He's a bit surprised - he didn't know she was that good. In his hurry to get the return, the ball twists and thumps against the net.]

Blimey, wasn't expecting that one.

[so smug right now]

My serve.

[she grabs the ball and retreats to the baseline, bouncing the ball twice before serving a mean hit]

[He hits it back hard, making a bit of a show of it by throwing his arms out with a grin and a 'Ha!']

[don't get cocky, 'cause the Martha can strike back!]

[Oh snap, have a serving of Doctor smash, then.]

[Martha actually does a DRAMATIC DIVE to save the ball! WHICH SHE DOES, AND IT FLIES OVER, but, you know, she dove, so she is sprawled on the ground and saying 'ow ow ow' under her breath]

[The Doctor hits it back - out of reflex, he swears - but then he jumps the net to check on her.]

Martha? All right?

[Martha gets to her feet on her own, dusting herself off]

I'm fine, just a scratch. I got worse from Tish when I made fun of her boyfriends.

[she goes after the ball and tosses it at him] Your point and your serve.

Edited 2009-05-21 08:02 (UTC)

[The Doctor nods, satisfied with this. He sends her a smile as he catches the ball.]

You're really quite good at this. A bit competitive, eh?

[He bounces the ball and thinks for a moment before serving a hard hit.]

[catches it and sends it back over]

That's the Jones family.

[He can't help but laugh a bit as he hits it back.]

'We are Bushes.' Some families really are stuck together that way.

[He briefly considers the Jones family post-Year but he doesn't dwell on it long. This Martha is happy and her family is safe.

And anyway, tennis, whee!]