"You don't need to know who I am, or where I come from. You'll find out soon enough and I don't want to mess with the time-space continuum." The young woman grinned toward him, "It doesn't matter anyway. You're going to attempt to go home now, despite the lack of safety, you'll get there and you'll immediately regenerate. You won't remember me even slightly."
"I'm unsure of how you know the information that you do, but I thank you greatly for your assistance, beautiful stranger." The man's poofy white hair jiggled as he shook his head. Adjusting the buttons of his navy velvet blazer, he salutes her before climbing into his blue box.
"See you later, Dad." The woman mumbled, saluting him back before she made her way back to her own time machine.
"When are we off to this time?" Sarah Jane Smith held onto her husband's arm as he adjusted what he needed to on the TARDIS dashboard, humming with her own amusement at her own joke.
"Eighteen-hundreds London. My favorite time period is recent human years." The Doctor grinned, his grey eyebrows raising slightly with excitement.
"I miss my husband. Can't you drop us off before going there?" Andrea Smith-Langer sits in a comfortable chair her father had on the upper level of the control room, her nearly three-year-old daughter roams around the area as if it's her home away from home.
"No!" He shouts toward her, "You can go back at any time, just not this time. There are methods for-"
"A vortex manipulator would not be safe for Janey and you know that." She motions to the toddler, "Or safe for anyone, really. Especially when traveling through time. Buildings pop up all over the place. You know that."
"Drea, your father finds this important. I know he can be impossible, but I'm sure there's a reason he wants us to meet these people. It will only be a few more days...at least, seem like a few more days." Sarah Jane moves away from the man and climbs the stairs to be near the young woman. "We'll be arriving just a day or two later than when we left."
"It's been nearly two weeks." Drea curves her top lip in a slight snarl, "I know it won't be long for him. I know."
The elder woman gently strokes her daughter's hair from her eyes, "We're going to have fun. Shall we go to the wardrobe and chose some time-appropriate attire?"
"I doubt Dad's going to have anything for Janey."
"You'd be surprised." Sarah Jane smirks, pulling at her daughter's hand to follow her.
"I've solved it!" The Doctor called out, running through the house until finally catching sight of his daughter, "Junior, I know exactly how to-"
"You're able to tell me things without yelling, you know." Drea leaned back against the sofa, laptop in front of her as she typed, "I'm working right now."
"The..." He attempted to calm himself down with a deep breath before continuing, "The brain synapses that are blocking the transmissions of these incredibly important memories, have a way to know that they're safe. Your mind has the ability to forget the things it believes to be...less than happy thoughts."
She paused, slowly closing her laptop before setting it on the table before her and folding her arms, "I'm listening."
"All you need to be able to do is to see your mother, or know her presence is near you. For instance, you know she's currently in the attic, doing the same thing you're doing down here."
"And not paying any attention to you. Tragic." The young woman teases him, knowing he's never satisfied when the woman's mind is elsewhere.
Ignoring her, the Doctor continues, "What if one was able to trick the mind in feeling her presence constantly? For instance, before it started to get worse and you were forgetting the date, saying years in the future or years in the past. Never the right year. You didn't know who Clyde was or even Jane. You do that often, you know." He spoke with his hands, gesturing to absolutely nothing wildly, "We trick the mind into feeling her presence without her needing to be as such."
"And how do you suppose I do that?" Drea raised an eyebrow, watching the man closely.
"With this." He held up a small tube with red liquid inside, seeming incredibly pleased with himself. When the Doctor notices her staring at him, not knowing what he was holding , he continues, "A vial of your mother's blood."
"Okay, um...Ya know, I have to ask, how did you get a vial of Mom's blood?"
"I asked her if I could have it." The Doctor moves over to her, letting a chain dangle from the vial, "Being she's my wife and she loves me unconditionally, she agreed." He gently placed the chain over the young woman's head, "It is only a theory, only something we can solve with trial and error, Junior." Leaning forward, he laid a kiss to the top of her forehead at her hairline, "Do you understand?"
"I'm not thick, Dad." Drea shook her head slowly, "Thank you for thinking of me."
"You're my daughter. There's nothing that could stop me from thinking of you." He offers her a soft smile, "I want to see how well my idea works out, when you're finished, we're going on an excursion."
"Location and time period?" She raised an eyebrow, "Off world or-"
"Ladies' choice." The Doctor reached out his hand to help her get up. "You will remain close, just in case my solution doesn't work."
"So, I'm a science experiment for you at this point." Drea took his hand, rising from the sofa and walking past him.
"Well, I wouldn't call it a science experiment."
"What would you call it?" She smirked, turning quickly to let him know that she was simply teasing him. "Let me get changed, check on the baby, and let Mom know we're going out. She freaked out the last time we simply went off."
"She overreacted!" The Doctor followed behind his daughter.
"I phoned Clyde to make him aware of your plans. He gets the whole...us traveling for a while...thing." Drea nods, attempting to tie her daughter's simple leather shoes, "He and Jenny are keeping things under control, all while making sure Sky goes to school." She smiles softly.
"I was about to ask." Sarah Jane pushes clothes aside, "What do you think, hat or no hat?"
"If you want to wear one, just make sure it matches."
"Hey! I'll have you know that I am ahead of the trends when it comes to fashion." She feigns hurt, "You can ask the Doctor."
"Well, you can't really go wrong with leather boots and a vest now, can you?" Drea slowly pulls on her dress, "Simple. Simplicity is the most important. Make sure Dad changes that shirt he's been wearing. I mean, I know he hates to do things that aren't...him, but we all make sacrifices...like wearing these godawful shoes." She clicks the heels against one another before giggling softly.
Sarah Jane watches her granddaughter as the girl returns to her husband. Jane has always been the apple of her grandfather's eye, but something within him was weary about getting too close to her. She knows exactly why, but her story will be the same as well.
The Doctor lifts the toddler into his arms, "See that one, Jane? Always tell me when the red button blinks. Not that red button, just this one. Or...the cloister bell. You know that one though." When the girl babbles to him, he nods, "Yes, I know. It's very loud. However, it has to be so that we know how to act in whatever situation it warns us of. Besides, it's only happened with you aboard once. Never again...at least, not until you're much older and can help me tend to whatever the issue may be. How does that sound?" When the toddler hugs onto him, he smiles softly.
"She knows how to work you, doesn't she?" Drea files out into the main control room, dressed in proper attire for the time period, "Dad, you've got to get changed."
"No, I do not. I like what I'm wearing. What I'm wearing is no one else's business." He scowls playfully.
"Please, dear." Sarah Jane places her hands on her hips, "You can continue with the trousers, but at least change your shirt. All those holes...you look like a beggar."
"Some of my best friends are beggars!" The Doctor announces before setting the girl down and walking to the room in demand.
Drea giggles, watching as he begrudgingly walks by. She moves closer to the TARDIS console, typing in a few things to make the machine function while her father changes.
"We are moving, but it isn't making the sound!" He jogs out from the room, his new button down shirt open as he appears worrisome.
"Because I took the brakes off." She raises an eyebrow, "This isn't the first ship I've piloted, you know. You finish up."
The Doctor returns to his massive closet, "Velvet. Velvet. Was velvet a thing in 1800s London? Oh how I forget." He knows the answer to this, of course he knows the answer. He continues buttoning his stark white dress shirt up to his neck, waiting to hear the young woman correct him.
"You know it was invented in the 1400s in the middle east, we went together to watch the first textiles weaved. You also know that it's seen as a mark of nobility now. Wear whatever you please, but wear it wisely." Drea shakes her head, "I know what you're going to wear anyway."
"You've never seen me in the blue one before." He steps back out, doing a quick spin.
"Sure I have, you just don't remember it." She winks playfully. "Mom-"
"That's the..." Sarah Jane moves closer toward him, "When I watched you regenerate...Is this the same jacket?" She appears slightly upset, but not terribly. Only teary because of the memories she shared with the man during his Third incarnation.
The Doctor shrugs, looking down toward it, "Possibly."
She leans in, "No regenerating today." Her hand rising to his face to gently caress his cheek, "Promise me."
"Cross my hearts." He offers a soft smile before leaning in and gently placing a kiss against her lips, "Don't you believe velvet jackets are anything other than a fashion statement."
"Can we all get out of here, please?" Drea watches them from the doorway, holding onto her toddler daughter's hand.