It was a grey day on Bannerman Road – the sky was full of grey clouds, and it was probably going to rain. Sarah Jane looked to the sky and sighed, bored, because she could use a bit more of sunlight.
"Oh, what a pity." She said, opening the door to her house, entering. "And I thought it would be a perfect day for a nice walk."
Sarah Jane went to her living room and sat on the couch, sighing of boredom, cuddling a pillow.
"Mom," said Luke, going downstairs. "Why are you still here?"
"With that sky? I'm not going anywhere!" Sarah Jane answered, pointing to the window. "It's going to rain soon, I don't want to get soaked."
"Do you know what an umbrella is, mom?"
"Oh, really funny." Sarah Jane said, smiling sarcastically. "I just don't want. I feel a bit lazy today."
Luke grinned and left the room, leaving his mother inside. Sarah Jane was about to turn on the tv when someone knocked at her door.
"Well…" Sarah Jane said, getting up quietly, and moving to the door.
As Sarah Jane approached the door, her heart started to beat a bit faster than usual. She didn't know why that happened, but she didn't care about it. She opened the door, and then when she saw the person outside – she was shocked.
"Hello, Sarah Jane." Said a man wearing a bowtie and a brown jacket. He moved towards Sarah Jane and hugged her.
"Doc-Doctor!" Sarah Jane said, shocked. "What… what are you doing here?"
Luke approached the hall and saw the Doctor. "Doctor! Is that you?"
"Of course that's me, Luke. Who else would look this good on a bowtie?" the Doctor said, smiling. "And oh, Sarah Jane. Beautiful as always."
"You didn't answer my question." Sarah Jane pointed out, looking happy.
"I'm here because… I don't know. Just felt like paying you a visit." He said, smiling and looking into Sarah Jane's face. "The last time I've been here it was because of some alien invasion. It doesn't have to be always like that, does it?
Sarah Jane nodded, speechless.
"I'm going to leave you two alone." Luke said, feeling happy for his mother.
The Doctor grabbed Sarah Jane's arm and brought her outside.
"Oh, Sarah Jane. Let's go for a walk, shall we?"
"…Sure, sure!" said Sarah Jane, a bit nervous.
It was true – the last time they met it was about his death, his fake death. Before that, it was about her ruined wedding. And before that, Daleks and planets in the sky. They didn't get a chance to talk properly, to remember the good old days. But it was happening now. The Doctor was there, holding hands with her, walking down a street.
"It was a surprise, Doctor." Sarah Jane said. "You could have called first. I would dress something more appropriate."
"Oh Sarah Jane, don't be silly. You could wear a cat costume and still be perfect." The Doctor said, looking sweetly to her.
"Oh, you." Sarah Jane said, olding his arm, leaning her head to it. "And where is your TARDIS?"
"On another point of London. I left her with Amy and Rory. I didn't want Mr. Smith to inform you that the TARDIS was landed near Bannerman Road."
"So you wanted to make me a surprise?"
"Kind of, yes!" he said, nodding.
Both of them smiled to eachother, and kept on walking down the street. Some giggles, some jokes, everything that could describe that moment as perfect. It was so nostalgic… Sarah Jane almost felt like she was travelling with him again. She was feeling like she did when she was roaming the stars with that mad man.
"This feels like the old good days, Doctor" Sarah Jane said, stopping in front of him. "Just you, me and an awful lot of… in this case, walking."
"Well, it's a quiet walk." He said. "No aliens in sight, no trouble whatsoever."
"Well, grey sky" She pointed to the clouds.
"Who cares? If it rains, let it rain. Rain is cool."
She laughed. "You're willing to get your bowtie soaked?"
"I'm willing to do anything. I'm with you, everything can happen now. As long we're holding hands." He answered, holding her chin.
"You have never changed." Sarah Jane smiled, holding Doctor's hand with both her hands.
"Well, got new hair, new teeth, new clothes, still got legs…" he said, looking all around him, and then he pointed his chest. "And but the heart – or the hearts – are still the same. The memories remain. And you, you didn't change a bit too."
"Oh, stop it. I've grown old. Look at my face, you can see wrinkles. I'm not 20 anymore. I have changed." Sarah Jane said, smiling.
"But you're still my Sarah Jane."
"And you're still my Doctor."
"So we're even, then?" he said, laughing.
"I guess so."
Some time passed and it was already turning a bit dark. The Doctor asked if it was alright if he went with her to her home, making sure she'd make it there safely. She nodded and they started walking back home. The Doctor putted his arm around Sarah Jane's back and kissed her head. Sarah Jane leaned her head to his shoulder and smiled. They both smiled.
"I love your smile." He said.
"Huh, why that now?"
"I just love it. It's so beautiful." He said, stopping from walking, holding her head in her hands, sliding her hair behind her ear.
"Doctor… Something is wrong, isn't it?"
"What? Can't I say how much I love your smile?"
"But… Ok, nevermind."
The Doctor sensed that Sarah Jane was finding it a bit weird, all this talk about how fabulous she is and everything. But the Doctor showed a huge smile on his face.
"What about mine?" he asked.
Sarah Jane looked at him, smiled and looked down and back at him. "It's wonderful. As always."
The Doctor hugged Sarah Jane again.
"We're almost in Bannerman Road." He said.
"Do you want to come in? I bet Luke would love to talk to you." She asked, wondering if he wanted that.
"Oh, some other time." He said, making Sarah Jane's smile vanished for a while. "Like I've said, I've left Rory and Amy inside the TARDIS. They might be lost in the endless corridors and I might be the only one who can help them. They're really nosy sometimes."
"Oh… it's ok." She said, sending a small smile.
"You have a family now, Sarah Jane. You have to take care of them – Oh, what am I saying?" The Doctor said, giving her a huge smile. "You will be the best mother in the world to Luke. I'm sure."
"Doctor…" Sarah Jane called, looking down a bit. The Doctor looked at her worried about what she might be thinking.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"You'll never really find those perfect words, something more than just, goodbye." She said. "It's hard to remember the good times when there was just so much heartache…"
"Those moments will be forever here. The sad ones, the happy ones, the ones where you laughed so much you cried, the ones you cried so much you couldn't smile." He said, looking serious at her. "And they deserve so much more than a single moment of sadness. So remember:" He pointed to her chest. "if there's enough love in our hearts to burst like a supernova, like the ones I showed you, there will be always moments where your smile is going to shine brighter than any star in the universe, my Sarah Jane. We're all going to lose someone in our lives, but don't ever let go, don't even dare, don't even think of losing that smile. Never. Ever. Because that's what make you so wonderful. After all you've been through, you've smiled until the very end. You've always smiled. So smile, my dear. Smile. Don't stop doing that."
Sarah Jane shed a tear after all that she heard the Doctor saying. It was wonderful how he always knew what to say. So wise, so beautiful, so meaningful. He wiped her tear from her face, but then… it started to rain.
It started to rain.
"Oh, my, Rain!" Sarah Jane said, laughing, feeling her body getting all wet and soaked by the water that was pouring down on her. "I knew it… But I'm ok with this. It can rain all the water in the world. As long as you're with me, I don't care."
"I'll be forever with you, Sarah."
He moved towards her, held her body, lifted her head, and kissed her deeply. Sarah Jane couldn't breathe due to the shock she had, but then she let go and warped her arms around him. It was perfect. A kiss under the rain. From him, the one she loved for so many years. When their lips stopped touching each other, their foreheads leaned against each other. They smiled as the rain fell in their bodies.
"Doctor… It's time for me to go." She said, moving away from him. "Goodbye. Until we meet again…"
The Doctor tried to reach over Sarah Jane, trying to not let her go, but he didn't make it.
"Goodbye… My Sarah Jane."
As Sarah Jane walked inside her home, she glanced over the Doctor again and waved, smiled and entered inside. The Doctor stood still, for a moment. His smile vanished, and his eyes started to fill with tears.
Tears fell from his eyes.
Tears that, due to the rain, can be mistaken by raindrops.
"I…" he whispered, quietly, as he watched her house and her life in front of him. "… I just came back from your funeral, Sarah Jane…"
The Doctor walked back, wiped the water on his face and the tears on his eyes and slowly, he stepped forward. Sobbing, trembling, he couldn't let go of that feeling of loneliness he dwelled inside. She was the one, before everyone he met. She was the one and he was with her on her last triumph.
"Mom, look at you! You're all wet!" Luke said, shocked by Sarah Jane's look.
"Oh, Luke. You won't guess what happened, I'll tell you later. Now I'm going to shower and going to dress something for dinner…"
"Ok, but I cook, ok?" Luke said, laughing.
Sarah Jane went upstairs and took a long, warm shower. Drying herself up, she dressed up something comfortable and look at herself on the mirror.
"I'm so happy…" She whispered.
But suddenly… something dark started to grow inside of her. Grief, pain, something she did not know what it was, an enormous sadness started to flow on her body. She couldn't understand it.
Tears fell of her face.
"Why am I crying?" she said, wiping her tears away. "It's not like my song is going to end now."
And she was right. Her song is not over yet, it's not finished, it still haven't ended. Her mind – and our tears of farewell – and her memories will echo through the whole universe. Because she will live on.
This is not our farewell, my Sarah Jane Smith. This is not our farewell.