An: this one-shot (with a sequel) is dedicated to the very talented actress Elizabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane on Doctor Who and some of its spinoffs. Yeah, the tribute is a few years late, but I didn't know who she was until this past spring (2014), when I started watching Doctor Who (and my life changed forever). Only after I had seen a few of her episodes in Doctor Who and the Sarah Jane adventures did I truly feel the sadness and grief Whovians felt in 2011 when she passed. So I wrote her a little fanfiction tribute. It's a one-shot, but it's a long one-shot.
I warn you, it's sad. It'll probably make you cry. But if you do read it all the way to the end, leave a comment and let me know what you thought, and ways I can improve it. I won't have an authors note at the end because I feel like its a proper ending as it is. SPOILERS FOR THE SEASON NINE FINALE OF DOCTOR WHO! Now this has gotten too long, so I'll leave you alone now.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Doctor Who, the Sarah Jane adventures, or any of the characters mentioned. They belong to the BBC. Only the story, Mr. Wood, and Rose Smith are mine. I also do not own the rights to the song "You'll Be In My Heart," by Phil Collins, which is where I got the name.
Every companion has an end to their story. The Doctor knew this.
Rose had been trapped in a parallel world with a Metacrisis version of his eleventh self. She was loved and she was happy. Mickey and Martha were happily married and fighting stray aliens together. Donna, now Donna Temple-Noble, was also married, to Shaun, and had a daughter of her own now. Although she felt like something was missing, she was more or less happy. Amy and Rory had lived out the rest of their days peacefully in New York. They had been happy, Amy had told him so in her letter. River Song was living in a digital world where she could never die. She was happy to be with her team and take care of Charlotte Abigail Lux and her friends.
Everyone's story had to end sometime. People came and went. The Doctor knew this better than anyone in the universe.
Still, losing Clara hurt. He didn't even know who she was, but he missed her more than words could say. His Impossible Girl, that's what he nicknamed her. From the holes left in his memories, the Doctor knew how much she had been involved in his life. Someone had come to stir him back into the world after Amy and Rory left. Someone had helped him save Gallifrey instead of destroy it. And now…her tale had ended.
The Doctor wasn't quite ready for a new companion. But he didn't want to travel on his own again either. He supposed he could visit a previous companion, but not many could take the shock of seeing him regenerate again.
Except one…
"Call him," Luke Smith said suddenly.
"Call who, Luke?" Mr. Smith, the giant supercomputer, asked politely.
"You know who, the Doctor. You have his number from when the Daleks stole the earth."
"I do not think it will work."
"Just try!" Luke pleaded. "Mom wants him."
Mr. Smith hesitated, then proceeded to dial the number. Before he could finish, however, Sarah Jane, in the bedroom, heard the familiar wheezing and groaning of the tardis.
"He's here," she whispered.
Skye, sitting beside her mother, waited in breathless anticipation. She had never met the Doctor before and in spite of the situation was very excited to meet him at last.
The Tardis materialized in the bedroom, and Luke burst in, very relieved. The doors swung open and the Doctor stood in the doorway. He saw Sarah Jane reclining in a wheelchair, looking pale and older than usual. She smiled at him weakly.
"Sarah Jane!" He ran to her side. "What happened?"
"I had a stroke, Doctor. What happened to you?"
"Last regeneration. Things don't always go my way."
"You're Scottish," Sarah Jane said, amused.
"That I like. What do you think?"
"I like it fine."
"How are you doing?"
But Sarah Jane started coughing and didn't speak.
"She's dying, Doctor," Luke said. "We were just about to call you and see if you could come."
The color drained from the Doctor's face. Sarah Jane had always been there, through many, many regenerations. She was the one companion who had gotten used to that fact. He didn't want to lose her.
"You know, I think I'll come back on a different day," he suggested, hopping up and edging towards the tardis.
"You can't leave!" Sky exclaimed, outraged. "You have to help her!"
"Well, I clearly can't do anything," he said carelessly. "What's the point of me staying here? I've got a time machine. I'll just go back in time to a different day and visit you."
Sarah Jane reached out and feebly grasped his hand. "Don't leave me. Please, not again."
"Don't make me do this. I'm not ready," the Doctor said, on the verge of tears. "I'll memorize the date and come back for you later. I just lost Clara, I'm not going to lose you on the same day. And since I can't do anything, I'm leaving!"
"You won't ever be ready. No one is ready for a loved one to die."
Luke walked over to the tardis and blocked the door. "You can't leave."
The Doctor crossed his arms and glared at Luke, but the attack eyebrows didn't seem to be working. Luke was completely unintimidated. Finally, the Doctor gave up. With a defeated but reluctant air, he knelt beside the chair again.
"Fine! I'll stay."
"Thank you," Sarah Jane whispered. "This is Skye, my daughter." The Doctor gave her a questioning glance. "I'm too weak to tell you the children's stories now, Doctor. They can tell you later."
"Just rest," the Doctor said. "I'll be here."
"No," Sarah Jane said, struggling to sit up. "There's something I need you to do for me. I would like you to take care of them both. Take them traveling with you, please. They can't stay here on their own."
"I can't promise I can protect them."
Sarah Jane smiled. "You'll find them full of surprises, Doctor. They won't need as much protection as you think." Sky and Luke exchanged a grin. "Unfortunately, you'll need to become their legal guardian for that to happen. I'm sorry."
"That means…?"
"Paperwork," Luke said.
"Bah! Always hated paperwork. So boring, and never me."
"And probably a house visit of some sort to make sure it's safe for us," Sky added.
"Well, that rules out the Tardis," the Doctor said.
Sarah Jane laughed, but then coughed from the pain.
"Mum?" Sky asked. Sarah Jane nodded, concentrating on breathing.
"Will you do this for me, Doctor? Please tell me you'll do it."
The Doctor looked at the two saddened children. Last time he had traveled with children was with Courtney Wood, and it hadn't been continuous, just a trip every now and then. Even so, it had put her in danger. But if what Sarah Jane had said was true, then he supposed he could try.
"Anything for my Sarah Jane." She smiled gently.
Just then there was a knock at the door.
"That'll be the lawyer," Luke said. "I'll go get it."
The Doctor hurriedly went and made the Tardis invisible. K-9, he later found out, had already been tucked away out of sight. A moment later a tall, thin, and slightly boring looking man entered the room. But the Doctor could sense he was kind.
"Good afternoon, Sarah Jane, Sky. Is this him, then?"
"Yes sir," Luke said. "Mr. John Smith. Last name is purely coincidental. Like we said, an old family friend. Mr…John, this is mum's lawyer, Mr. Wood."
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Wood," the Doctor said, trying to be cordial for Sarah Jane's sake.
What followed was an extremely dull and tedious hour of looking over Sarah Jane's will, ending with a long discussion of the Doctor's guardianship over Luke and Sky. Mr. Wood agreed to come over and inspect the Doctor's house that the next day. When he finally left, Mr. Smith came out of the wall.
"How's she doing, Mr. Smith?" Sky asked nervously.
"Scanning: Sarah Jane," Mr. Smith said.
"What's he doing?" the Doctor demanded.
"Mr. Smith can tell how much time mum has left," Sky said. "I don't know how, it's all very complicated, and I'm not a genius like Luke."
"Stop it," Luke said. "You are more brilliant than other people your age."
"Am I? It's hard to tell."
"Result: Sarah Jane has thirty-six hours. Warning: subject to change."
"Still," the Doctor said. "That's enough time to go clean up the house."
"What house?" Sarah Jane asked.
"My friend, Craig Owens. Hopefully, he'll move out for a few hours and let me pretend to live there. Oh. problem."
"What?" Sky asked.
"I seem to have regenerated since I last saw him. He knows about regeneration so hopefully it won't be much of a problem. Sky, would you like to come and help?"
"If it's okay with mum." Sarah Jane nodded and Sky smiled.
That evening Sky and the Doctor stood on the step of the Owen's flat. The Doctor rapped on the door again. "I can hear someone moving around in there," he said. "Maybe we should try a window. I like windows." He started investigating the exterior.
"We should probably try the com first," Sky said, pointing to the button.
"What's the com?"
"It means that if anyone is in there they can hear us speaking right now. It's sort of like a telephone. I think. I don't know, I get these sorts of things confused."
"That's alright, so do I. So many eras and worlds, each with their own technology! It gets hard to keep up after two thousand years."
"Two thousand? You're two thousand years old?"
"Is that a problem?"
"N-no. Is it not very long for your species?"
"It's a very long time."
"Oh. Well, are we going to use the com or not?"
"I suppose we could try," the Doctor said disappointedly. He pressed the button like Sky showed him. "Craig, it's me, the Doctor. I need to borrow your house again." Silence. "If there's a burglar in there, know that I will pound you to the ground for breaking into this house!"
"Are you sure they still live here?" Sky asked. "Mum says sometimes people move."
But then the door opened and a teenage boy stood gaping at them, looking very much like a young Craig.
"Ah. Another problem. I thought I had set the Tardis not to time travel. Craig, we'll come back later. Forget about us."
"You're really the Doctor?" the boy asked.
"Yes, how do you know?"
"My dad has told me stories! And I remember you…sort of. You were younger then. You probably don't remember me, I was just a baby."
"Stormageddon? Dark Lord of All?"
"That's me," the boy grinned. "But I go by Alfred now."
"I prefer Stormy. Are your parents at home?"
"No, they're out of town for the weekend. Said I could stay at home as long as I didn't answer the door for anyone."
"I'm not anyone."
"No, that's why I opened the door."
"Well, this works out perfectly! I'm sure your parents won't mind if we rearrange the house a bit."
"Mum might get a little upset, but if you want to borrow the house I'm sure she can make an exception."
"We'll put everything back to normal. Oh right, Sky, this is Alfred, my friend Craig son's, and Alfred, this is Sky, my friend Sarah Jane's daughter."
The two teenagers stared shyly at each other and tentatively shook hands. "Don't flirt," the Doctor said. "We have to make this house seem like mine in about 12 hours!"
"Yes, sir!" Alfred said, saluting.
"Please don't salute," the Doctor said. "I'm fine with just the 'yes, sir.'"
"But I want to be a soldier when I grow up."
"Soldiering isn't all it's cracked up to be, but that's not the point. I can't tell you how to live your life, and even if I did you wouldn't listen. The point is, don't soldier me."
"Right. Sorry."
"Good lad. Now let's get to work!"
In less than twelve hours, they had moved all of Sophie's stuff into the Tardis, rearranged the furniture to the Doctor's liking, removed all the pictures and hung up paintings of outer space, and eaten a good deal of food. They also throughly cleaned Alfie's room to make it look it like the Doctor was already prepared for Luke to move in, and had done the same for the guest bedroom, with a few moderation a to make it seem more girly.
"It's too bad we won't really be living here," Sky said. "I like what we've done to "my" bedroom."
"Bah! We can do the same thing in the Tardis," the Doctor said. "And better. Now, Alfie, we're going to have to get you out of sight. The lawyer can't know this is your house."
"Right. I'll just run down to the grocery store to get some more M&Ms since we ate them all. Dad would be upset if he found out we ate his private stash."
"I want to see that," the Doctor said.
"We can't. We have to get back to mum, remember?" Sky said.
"Yes, we should. Thanks for reminding me; you can't be here when Mr. Wood comes either. Come on."
Twenty minutes later Mr. Wood knocked on the door. The Doctor opened it, slightly out of breath.
"Mr. Wood! Good morning! Lovely to see you again. Do come inside."
"Your house is very clean," Mr. Wood remarked. He walked around the living room and kitchen.
"Oh, I've been out of town. Traveling on my retirement funds, you know."
"Really? Where to?"
"Cardiff, London, Rome, Pompeii," the Doctor said, trying to remember places he had spent on earth recently. "Spent some time in America as well."
"Interesting," the man said blandly. "I see you're interested in astronomy?"
"Very. I love it."
"Spacious backyard."
The Doctor momentarily panicked. Had they cleaned the backyard? Finally, he remembered Storm-Alfred had done it while he and Sky prepared the guest bedroom. Speaking of...
"Would you like to see the bedrooms now? I've already prepared them for the children's stay."
Mr. Wood nodded and they inspected the three bedrooms. The smell of paint still lingered strongly.
"Sorry about the smell, it hasn't worn off yet."
"They seem to have been painted yesterday."
Seeing no believable way out of this comment, the Doctor decided to tell the truth for once.
"They were. I had no idea Sarah Jane's health was declining so fast, I only just came back yesterday and heard the news. That's when she asked if I would become guardian for Luke and Sky."
"You did all this since yesterday?"
"Yes," the Doctor said slowly, crossing his fingers behind his back.
"Well, Mr. Smith, you seem very eager and the house is suitable. All is in order, I think."
"So...?"
"As soon as Sarah Jane dies, they are yours."
"Don't say that like we're waiting on her to die!" the Doctor snapped.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Of course, we're not. I simply meant that was when you officially become their guardian."
The Doctor didn't say anything, still enraged. Then the phone rang. "One moment please." He picked it up, hoping it was Sky or Luke. "Hello, this is Doctor Smith speaking...How may I help you?"
"What?" a familiar voice asked. But it was not Sky.
"Craig Owens is that you?" The Doctor tried to mimic his previous regeneration's speech patterns without compromising his accent. "It's me, the Doctor! I took care of Alfie when he was little?"
"Doctor? Is that really you? You sound so old. And what are you doing at my house? Is Alfred alright?"
"You must have called the wrong number, Craig. This isn't your house, it's mine. Don't worry, Alfie's fine, I saw him just a little while ago."
"Did you regenerate? Is that why you sound funny?"
The Doctor sighed and thought a second. "Yes to the first question, no to the second. Look, Craig I'm in the middle of something and can't talk. I'll have to call you back. Talk to you later." He quickly hung up and turned to Mr. Wood. "Sorry about that. Thought it might be something about Sarah Jane."
"Quite alright. I was just going anyway."
"Goodbye," he said shortly.
He had just closed the door when the telephone rang again.
"Hello?"
"Doctor? It's Luke. You'd better come quickly. I think mum's taken a turn for the worse."
"On my way."
Without saying goodbye, he hung up and raced outside. He dashed down the sidewalk towards the park, where the Tardis had landed. On the way he met Alfred.
"Alfred, your dad called. Mr. Wood is gone. Be back later to help clean up."
Alfred stood there for a moment, baffled. "Okay!" He shouted uncertainly.
The Doctor burst into the Tardis and put in the coordinates. The doors had barely slammed close when it took off. Another few seconds and he was in the bedroom.
"Greetings, master!" K-9 said, wagging his tail jerkily.
"Hello K-9," the Doctor said cheerfully, despite the situation. "Sarah Jane, how are you feeling?"
"Not good, I'm afraid," she wheezed. "Is everything..." She lapsed into another coughing bout.
"Relax," the Doctor said soothingly. "Everything is taken care of. Except for a bit of housekeeping for the Owens, but we'll manage. The important thing is I have custody over the children now."
"Good."
"Mr. Smith," Luke said. "Please calculate how much longer we have."
"Calculating..."
"Please let it be good news," Sky whispered.
"Oh darling," Sarah Jane said. "I don't think there can be any more good news."
"Result: Sarah Jane has twenty minutes left of life span."
It was Sarah Jane who finally broke the heartbroken silence. "You know what I'd really like right now?"
"What?" all three asked.
"Some of that tea we had on Florana that one time. I don't remember which visit it was…"
"One of the successful visits, probably," the Doctor said. "Would you like go again?"
"Oh, I don't know," Sarah Jane protested.
"You can manage a lot in twenty minutes. One last hurrah, eh Sarah?"
Sarah Jane finally consented and a moment later she was wheeled into the Tardis. "You've changed it."
"More times than I've regenerated since we last met," the Doctor said as he fiddled with the screen. "You can see the time vortex from here. Sky, press these buttons over here, don't let go. Luke, pull that lever...that's it. Come on, Sexy, be gentle."
"Sexy?" Sarah Jane asked, confused.
"That's her name, apparently. Don't laugh," he commanded. "She won't like it."
"Sorry," Luke said, still grinning. Sky kept giggling.
"Shut up, Sky!" the Doctor said, exasperated.
They hurtled through time and space, landing in Florana seconds later. The Doctor scanned the area, determined it safe, and discovered that they had landed right next to a souvenir shop, where they happened to sell tea.
"Right, lets buy some tea," Luke said, pushing his mother out the door.
Sky stepped out of the blue box and looked around in awe. She took a deep breath and spun around in a circle, trying to take it all in. The very air smelled sweet and peaceful.
"Oh right. New planet," the Doctor said blandly. "Pardon my unenthusiasm, but I've already been here several times."
"Can't I look around while you buy the tea?" Sky pleaded. "I think we're in a garden, it should be quite safe."
"You never know around me," the Doctor said. "Even though this is one of the universe's most peaceful planets."
"Please? Earth is the only planet I remember and this place looks lovely."
"Doctor," Sarah Jane pleaded. "One more adventure."
The Doctor sighed. "Five minutes, be back at the Tardis."
"You're coming too," Sarah Jane said, grabbing his hand.
Reluctantly, he followed them up the gentle sloping path. "You do realize we look like an old couple out for a stroll with our grandchildren," he commented.
"I don't care," Sarah Jane whispered.
Sky giggled happily and skipped off ahead of them, admiring strange plants. At the top of the hill she saw that she was not in a garden. For as far as she could see, which was quite far, the ground was carpeted in flowers, broken only with sandy footpaths. On her left a river, with water so clear that she could see the beautiful fish swimming in the deep, wound its way through the flowery planet. Off to her right, waves energetically bubbled and crashed upon golden shores, and the salty tang mixed delightfully with the flower's sweet fragrance. Glancing back, she saw a sprawling city, and a little Tardis on the outskirts.
"It's beautiful!" the girl exclaimed.
"Is it like you remembered, mum?" Luke asked.
"Yes, even better. It brings back lots of old memories. Look! A black rose!" The Doctor reached over and picked it for her. She smelt it gratefully.
"We'd better be going back if you want that tea."
"Alright."
In the shop, she sipped some of Florana's drinking water from the fountain as the Doctor bought the tea.
"Look, they sell sea water," Luke said, handling a bottle.
"Do they really? Go give it to the Doctor so he can buy that too."
"Why would you buy sea water?" Sky asked. "It's salty. Right?"
"Not Florana's water. It tastes like warm milk."
"Yum!"
"Do you get the senior citizen discount?" the cashier inquired sweetly.
"I'm over 2,000 years old," the Doctor replied blandly. "I'm pretty sure that counts as senior citizen."
"Ah..."
Sarah Jane repressed a smile. "Come on, children, let's get back to 'Sexy.'"
The return trip was just as smooth as before, for the Tardis loved Sarah Jane just as much as her Time Lord. When they arrived home, the Doctor carried the ingredients to the kitchen as Luke helped Sarah Jane into bed.
"Mr. Smith, scan her," Sky said.
"Don't do that, it'll only make you cry and we can't have that," the Doctor said. "Help me make this."
"Warning," Mr. Smith said. "Sarah Jane has five minutes in life span."
K-9 shifted nervously. Sky gave the bottle of milk sea to the Doctor. In a minute, the tea was ready, and he brought it to Sarah Jane. As she drank it, a peaceful expression melted across her whole wrinkly old face.
"Thank you, Doctor. I still wish I could travel more, but right now, I'm content. No, happy is more like it. I'm surrounded by the three people I love most in the world. And the three greatest sentient machines there will ever be."
"Thank you, Sarah Jane," Mr. Smith said. "Two minutes."
"I'm sorry," the Doctor said, tears now openly streaming down his face. "I'm sorry I can't help you."
"Oh Doctor…" She put a cold hand on his face comfortingly. "Everybody has to die sometime. There comes a point when no one can help them live longer. But you're helping me by taking care of the children, and Mr. Smith and K-9."
"Goodbye, mummy," Sky sobbed.
"Goodbye my dears," Sarah Jane said, hugging them both her children. "I'm so glad I found you."
"Me too," Luke said, his voice thick with emotion.
"One minute," Mr. Smith said. "Goodbye, Sarah Jane."
Sarah Jane turned to the Doctor, something close to panic in her eyes, and uttered the words that had passed between them more than once.
"Don't forget me."
"Forget you? My wonderful Sarah Jane, I have never forgotten you. I never forget any of my companions." He snapped his fingers and the Tardis opened her doors to reveal the consul. "See those silver spinning things? They have Gallifreyian written all over it, and you know what they say? They're the names of all my companions."
"Really?"
"Really. There's Susan, Ian, Barbara, Adric, Mel, K-9, Romana, Rose, Donna, even Donna's granddad Wilf. And you're up there too."
"But you left me." The Doctor grabbed her hand and held it firmly between his own.
"I know, and I'm sorry. I don't like watching my companions die. Especially you. You've seen more of my regenerations than anyone. You've always been there for me. Don't worry, Sarah Jane. If there's one person I could never, ever forget, it's you. You'll be in heart, always and forever."
Sarah Jane looked at him and smiled weakly. "Thank you, Doctor. My Doctor…"
"Goodbye...mis...tress," K-9 said, realizing faster than Mr. Smith what was happening.
Sarah Jane Smith's beautiful brown eyes closed forever, and the Doctor nearly exploded with grief. Sarah Jane's hand slipped out as he crumpled against the bed in silence. Luke was concerned that he had just died as well. After a moment, the Doctor realized Sky was also sobbing, and beckoned her over. He pulled the girl into his lap and held her, rocking back and forth as they cried together. Eventually, Luke came and sat next to them, and though he couldn't sit in the Doctor's lap, he did find a consoling arm wrapped around his shoulders.
That was how Mr. Wood found the three of them half an hour later.
Nobody remembered much of what happened after that. Sarah Jane's body was taken away, and her belongings were packed and sent off to whomever she had willed them to. At the end of the day, when only Mr. Smith, K-9, the children's belongings and a few other of Sarah Jane's treasures remained, the house was so empty nobody wanted to sleep there. So the Doctor took them to the Owens.
Craig and Sophie, already having returned, were surprised to see them, but when the Doctor told them what had happened they gladly welcomed them in. So Sky got her wish and slept in "her" bedroom after all. But she was not happy about it. They stayed with the Owens for a few more days, while the rest of the Smiths' possessions were moved into the Tardis, and Sophie got her house back to normal.
Finally came the funeral. There were at least two hundred people, all of whom Sarah Jane's gracious life had touched. Some of them the Doctor knew, like Clyde and Rani, some of them he didn't know. He was pleased to see Captain Jack Harkness, Martha, and Mickey, albeit a little older than he remembered them, had come to show their respects. He went up to say hello and introduce Luke and Sky, who were shadowing him like the Vashta Nerada. Martha, when she found out who he was, threw her arms around him in a sympathetic hug.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
The Doctor said nothing, simply hugging her back. Martha didn't know how significant this was for him. Mickey opted to pat him on the back instead. Just then, a young girl, nearly 4, ran up to them.
"Rose, there you are," Martha said. "Don't run off like that."
"Rose?" the Doctor asked.
"What else would we name our daughter?" Mickey asked.
"And...you don't mind having your daughter named after your husband's ex-girlfriend?" the Doctor asked.
Martha smiled. "We simply named her after our friend."
"You must be the Doctor," the girl said, awed. She held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you."
"And you," the Doctor said, returning the handshake.
At last came the difficult part of the funeral. Just before the coffin was going to be lowered down, the Doctor mounted a little wooden platform in front of everybody. While looking over the will the other day, Sarah Jane had asked if he was going to speak at the funeral. And he decided he would, even though sentiment wasn't exactly second nature to him anymore.
"Sarah Jane Smith was a great friend of mine. One of my best and closest friends. I don't know what I would have done without her sometimes. She was always with me, through many times of my life. To those who knew her, you know this to be true: she was funny and smart and she listened. She was always so gracious, so kind, and so loving. Even though she was well into middle age, although she didn't look like it, she adopted and raised two teenagers, Luke and Sky. To lose such a figure is a painful, tragic loss to us all.
"But instead of mourning her loss, let us honor her. Today, and every day, be more like my Sarah Jane. Be adventurous, bold, and compassionate. Never forget her."
As he stepped down from the little platform to thunderous applause (and many tears), the Doctor knelt by the coffin and whispered,
"I love you, Sarah Jane."