REVISITING THE LOCH
Sarah looked around the sparsely appointed cabin. 'This will do nicely for some peace and quiet,' she said to herself. Putting her suitcase next to the bed, she paused to peak out each of the windows. She slipped a small duffle bag off her shoulder, unzipped it and pulled out a small notepad and pen, sitting them on what passed for the dining table. This was a weekend to get back to the basics, avoid technology, and above all – relax, recharge and reconnect to her personal writing.
It had been a while since Sarah allowed herself to write something that wasn't work related. Between her kids, alien invasions, and the occasional project for her editors, writing for fun was a luxury she hadn't allowed herself.
Now it was time to change that. The kids didn't need her, and for a change, even the aliens had been leaving well enough alone.
She stepped out onto the cabin's small porch and sat in one of the wooden rocking chairs. 'Now that's the way to enjoy Loch Ness. Peaceful and quiet, with nary a sign of Zygons.'
'Are you sure?' a voice with a Scots lilt said from the side.
Sarah turned to see a short man with a question mark jumper step out of the shadows. As he stepped towards her, he tipped his hat.
Sarah smiled. 'Why am I somehow not surprised to see you here?'
'I was just in town, checking on our friend, the Skarasen.' The Doctor sat down in the chair next to Sarah.
'How did you know I was here?'
He shot her a wicked grin. 'I make it my business to know these things.' He reached out and took her hand in his.
They sat in companionable silence for a while before the Doctor turned to Sarah. 'So tell me what really brings you up here, Sarah Jane?'
'I wanted some peace and quiet. Sky is on a school trip, and of course Luke is happily ensconced at Oxford. I've not taken any time for myself in quite some time, so I thought I might get come up here, get away from it all, and get some writing done. I have an idea for another novel I want to try my hand at.'
'You'll be fantastically productive, I'm sure.' He dropped her hand, stood up and looked around. 'I guess I should leave you to it.'
As he started to step away, Sarah stood up and grabbed at his arm, her hand sliding down to hold his. 'You don't have to go, you know.'
The Doctor looked back at her, squeezed her hand and smiled.
'If you were anyone else, I wouldn't say that.'
He stepped closer and reached up to rub his hands along her upper arms. As he tilted his head down towards hers, a loud noise from the loch caused them both to spin around.
A head rose out of the loch and roared, before looking directly at the Doctor and Sarah, then immediately submerging. Sarah's eye widened, as the Doctor slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close.
'He's being playful today,' the Doctor said with a smile as they watched the Skarasen rise and submerge multiple times.
'Any day he's not trying to kill us is a good day.'
'Oh come on Sarah, that was only because of Broton's control discs. Otherwise, he's quite docile. And normally stays out of sight.' He turned back to Sarah and watched her reactions, a smile remaining on his face.
Once the waters of the loch calmed, the Doctor said, 'I so enjoy seeing the universe through your eyes. I always have.' He brought her hand up to his lips. 'Thank you for never losing that wonder.'
Sarah smiled, 'You have it too, it just gets buried under the surface from time to time. It's times like this you let it out.'
'Maybe you just bring out the best in me. In each of my incarnations.' He pulled her to him, inhaling the scent of her hair and committing it to memory. They held each other silently and just enjoyed the feel of holding each other. Finally, the Doctor whispered, 'How long are you planning on staying up here at Loch Ness?'
'Just for the weekend.'
He pulled back and looked in her eyes. 'I know you wanted to get some time alone, but we so rarely get these quiet moments. Would it be extremely rude of me to ask to intrude?'
Sarah shook her head, a large smile sweeping across her features. 'A weekend with you, alone, with no one trying to kill, maim, or otherwise injure us? I can't think of anything better.'
'A quiet cabin, a beautiful loch, and my favourite human.' He leaned in and pressed a kiss against her forehead. 'Sheer perfection.' He pulled back and looked at her, taking in every detail, before leaning in and capturing her lips with his.
Both of them heard the Skarasen roar and splash again, but this time, they were focused only on each other.