author's note/disclaimer: So, before this story starts, once again thank you for all the reviews on this story!
But, I have been given this repeated in my last chapter with the 'I'm not amused' bit from Donna, and at first I wanted her to have fun, which she was, but I do feel so stupid for including that she played the joke after people have been killed. Donna would not have done that and I am very annoyed with that bit, aggh me! But I have been given wonderful tips from those reviews and thank you again! I apologize for including that bit, but every author makes mistakes. I'm just very annoyed with myself about THAT one.
And I just wanted to say that to my other reviews if you want to review on that!
Alright, here is the next chapter!
Sure as the Stars
Chapter Four
School Reunion
At Deffry Vale High School, outside of the Headmaster's office, Mr. Finch descends a flight of stairs. He is an older man, dressed in a sharp suit and his hair is pushed back, with some slight jell. He rounds a corner and heads for a door labeled 'Headmaster'. There is a small girl sitting outside though, waiting. At first, he walks straight past her, but then he pauses and looks back, "What do you want?"
The young girl, Nina, looks up, her face fallen, "The nurse sent me, sir. I was in English and I got a headache," her short brown hair is straightened on her shoulders, but anyone can tell she looks awful.
"Then don't bother me, go home," his voice is slick.
"I can't."
"Why? Is your mother at work?"
"I live in Ambrose Hall. The children's home."
"No parents. No one to miss you?" Nina shakes her head, "I see why the nurse sent you," he gives her a smile, but she silently thinks to herself that he's trying too hard, but she's too sick to make a run for it. Mr. Finch always gives her a scary feeling, "You poor child. Poor...thin, child. Come inside," he turns to his office, and Nina stands to follow him. He opens the door for her and she enters, "It's nearly time for lunch," he shuts the door, and almost immediately there is screeching and flapping sounds from within, coupled with the sound of Nina screaming.
The school bell rings and the stairways are crowded with children hurrying to get to their next lesson.
.~.
.~.
Inside the Physics lab, a boy, Kenny, heads into a science lab and goes to a bench. The door opens and a familiar pair of scruffy white converses step inside. The Doctor plonks his bag down on the teacher's desk and faces the class. He's in his brown pinstripe suit, no long coat ("your long coat will make you look like a weirdo", Donna had said) and his glasses,"Good morning, class. Are we sitting comfortably?" he grins widely.
After role call, The Doctor scrawls the word 'PHYSICS' in capital letters on the whiteboard and underlines it with a red marker that squeaks on the board. He turns back to his class, "So. Physics," he replaces the cap of the board pen and chucks it back down on the desk, "Physics. Eh? Physics. Phyyyyyyyysics. Physics! Physics. Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics," the class look bemused and if Donna were hear she would tell him he's trying to hard, which he is. He sniffs purposefully, "I hope one of you is getting all this down. Um, okay, let's see what you know," he stuffs his hands in his two pockets, "Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity and hung from a string so they can swing freely. What would happen if they were brought near each other?" A boy, Milo, puts his hand up, "Yes, uh, what's your name?"
"Milo," he answers.
"Milo! Off you go."
"They'd repel each other because they have the same charge."
"Correctamundo!" In the back of his head he can see Donna pull a face and echo right back, 'Correctamundo?' "A word I have never used before and hopefully never will again. Question two, I coil up a thin piece of micro wire and place it in a glass of water. Then I turn on the electricity and measure to see if the water's temperature is affected. My question is this: how do I measure the electrical power going into the coil?" Milo's hand shoots up again, "Someone else," there is absolutely no response from the rest of the class, they all look tired and bored. Bored about physics?! "Nope...?" Maybe he should just pick someone, or would that be too rude? He thinks better, "Okay, Milo, go for it."
"Measure the current and PDs in an ampmeter and a voltmeter," the other pupils look impressed.
"Two to Milo! Right then, Milo, tell me this; true or false: the greater the dampening of the system, the quicker it loses energy to its surroundings."
"False."
"What is a non-coding DNA?"
"DNA that doesn't code for a protein."
"Sixty-five-thousand-nine-hundred-and-eighty-three times five?"
"Three-hundred-and-twenty-nine-thousand-nine-hundred-and-fifteen."
Some of the other pupils look very impressed, others just disturbed. The Doctor keeps in the delighted cry he wants to let out. This child is amazing, but is not that strange? "How do you travel faster than light?"
"By opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of 36.7 recurring."
The Doctor's mouth drops open slightly.
.~.
.~.
It's lunchtime, and Donna wants to slap somebody. Somebody being The Doctor.
She's undercover as a dinner lady! Dinner lady! Out of all the things!
She and the other dinner ladies are spooning food onto people's plates. The Doctor moves along the line with his tray. And Donna, smashes some mashed potatoes onto his plate as soon as she sees him and gives him a filthy look. She goes to raise her hand, but lowers it, and growls. Her hair is in a low bun, and she's wearing the most ridiculous white hat or whatever it is and a matching white outfit and a light blue apron. She has to clean tables, and give out and make food! And these kids are such slobs!
He just smirks at her and heads towards the tables. Donna shakes her head.
He looks over his shoulder and gives another stupid smirk with another stupid raise of his eyebrows. Maybe she can use the fork and throw it at him, maybe it'll jab him right in his shoulder.
At his table, some time later, The Doctor spears a chip on his fork, nibbles it, and stares at it distastefully.
Donna comes over with a dishcloth to wipe his table down, "Two days."
"Sorry, could you just...there's a bit of gravy," he points to it with his fork. Donna wipes the table forcefully, "No, no, just there," she wipes up the gravy up furiously.
"Two days, we've been here," she reminds him, annoyed.
"It was your granddad's idea. He's the one who put us onto this."
She sends him a filthy glare, "Don't go sayin' this is his fault. You made me a flippin' dinner lady."
He gives her a smirk, "Sorry about that."
"No, you're not."
He shrugs his shoulders, "He was right to send us here. Boy in class this morning, got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth."
Donna's eyes slightly widen. A mini Doctor? That's just lovely, "Oh, well, at least he's smart. But that is weird."
He pushes his tray away slightly, "So how about you? Anything interesting?"
She curls her lip, "Almost got in a fight with this skank."
The Doctor's eyes widen and he sweeps his eyes quickly around the room, "Donna! Language! There's children!" she rolls her eyes, "Why did you almost get in a fight?"
"I was ginger."
He almost chokes on the chip he was (was not) going to eat, "What?!"
Donna nods furiously, "Exactly! She got all pissed off because I'm ginger! Ooh, I should have given her a good pop to the mouth!" she pops the 'p'.
The Doctor stares at her, well, her hair mostly, "Your hair is beautiful!" he takes her hat off and moves her bangs out of her face, feeling the smoothness of her hair for a good five seconds before Donna smacks his hands away. He turns bright red. Right. Hands. Friends don't run their fingers through their friend's hair with lovey-dovey eyes.
She puts her hair back in a bun and puts her hat back on. She flicks her eyes down at his tray, "You eatin' those chips?"
He looks up at her, "Yeah, they're a bit...different."
Donna helps herself to one. She chews it and licks her lip, and while she does, The Doctor looks away from the simple action, and guilty looks down at his tray.
"I think they're alright. Wish I had school dinners like this," she sits down.
She watches The Doctor look around the cafeteria, "It's very well behaved, this place."
"Mm," Donna reaches for another chip and the whiff of her lovely Jasmine perform fills his nostrils, "Yeah. No misbehavin' students. Nothin'."
"I thought there'd be happy-slapping hoodies. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs and ringtones," he stares at Donna impressively but she doesn't have any reaction, "Yeah? Yeah? Oh, yeah! Don't tell me I don't fit in."
"You don't fit in."
A dinner lady approaches their table and gives the stink eye to Donna, "You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting."
Donna makes a face back, twice as filthy and twice as threatening. The Doctor assumes this is the one she almost fought. He hopes they don't fight right now. Not in front of the kids. He sees the lady eyeing Donna and he feels himself glaring at her as well.
Donna stands up, "I was just talkin' to this teacher."
The Doctor stops glaring and immediately gives her a smile, "Hello!"
"He doesn't like the chips," Donna acknowledges the other lunch lady.
"The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance," she addresses to The Doctor stiffly. She whirls back to Donna, "Now, get back to work," she leaves.
Donna walks away from the table and stops, turning back to him, "See? This is me," she gestures down at her uniform, "The dinner lady. All your fault! I coulda been a substitute!"
"I'll have the crumble!" he starts to smile.
He thinks she'll hit him or give him the finger or groan, but she doesn't. She just gives him a raise of her eyebrow. A dangerous, threatening raise. Then, she returns to her station.
A teacher, Mr. Wagner, approaches a girl sitting a few tables away, "Melissa. You'll be joining my class for the next period. Milo's failed me...so it's time we moved you up to the top class," The Doctor watches, chewing absently, listening carefully. Failed him? Mr. Wagner looks across at a boy, "Kenny? Not eating the chips?"
"I'm not allowed."
Not allowed?
Mr. Wagner turns serious, "Luke, extra class. Now," he leaves, and several of the children follow him.
Mr. Finch watches the proceedings from a balcony above the canteen like a hawk. He feels a pair of eyes on him. And quickly meets The Doctor's gaze.
.~.
Donna is in the kitchens, drying a tray, grumbling to herself.
But then she hears noises, a few dinner ladies are coming in.
"Careful...keep it steady...don't spill a drop," Donna looks over, hiding herself, (just in case) behind some trolleys. A few of the dinner ladies are very, very carefully wheeling in a barrel of oil. They have masks, goggles and gloves on. It's huge! She watches them carefully, "I said keep it steady. Careful...that's it...easy now...steady..." Donna feels her mobile vibrating in the pocket of her apron, "Right, second barrel, quickly now."
"What is it?" Donna whispers.
She hears The Doctor shifting around, "Well, I can only be in here for so long. Kinda snuck in without permission. Anyways, your granddad wanted conformation. So, I got into army records."
"Isn't that illegal or somethin'?" she smirks, hearing him sigh at the obvious.
"Three months ago, massive UFO activity," he tells her and the word 'UFO' sounds to weird coming from his lips, "They logged over forty sightings, lights in the sky, all of that. I can't get any photos, 'cause then it gets all classified and secret. Keeps locking me out."
"Try that stupid screwdriver."
He gasps, offended, "It is not stupid, Donna Noble!"
She rolls her eyes, urging him on, "Yeah, whatever. Have you tried it?"
"Of course I have," Donna has the words 'smartarse' on her lips but doesn't say them, "Still not working. Very, very strange."
"Tell you what, though," Donna lowers her voice, "three months ago, turns out all the kitchen staff were replaced, now that's strange," she watches the dinner ladies wheel another barrel of oil into the kitchen with what seems to be unnecessary caution, "And this lot are weird. They're carryin' some weird container."
"Definitely something going on. Wilf was right to call you home. Great man, he is!"
Donna can't help but smile, mostly because his whole sentence was true, "Alright, genius, I gotta go. I have to see what's going on."
"Bye. Be careful!"
"Yeah, uh-uh. Totally. Bye, Spaceman."
"Watch it!" The dinner lady shouts, Donna moves in closer to get a better view. Then, the barrel of oil topples over and spills onto one of the dinner ladies, who screams in agony and starts smoking. Donna swallows her gasp, and the urge to go run and help her, the oil was green! And smoking the woman! "Get her up, get her up!" the dinner lady is hoisted to her feet, still whimpering in pain.
The dinner lady covered in the oil is steered into an office, still wailing with pain. Donna tries to see through the partition but the blinds are swiftly drawn.
She needs to do something. She quickly dials 999 as the head dinner lady emerges from the office. She pulls her goggles down and leans against the doorframe, eyeing the redhead suspiciously, "What're you doing?"
Donna stares at her like she's mad, "Callin' an ambulance!"
"No need."
"No need?!" Donna exclaims right back in shock.
"She's quite alright."
Before Donna can do anything else she jumps at the sudden sound of something bursting into flames, followed by the sound of something smashing, and a billow of smoke from the office. The dinner lady doesn't flinch. Yeah, uh-huh, it's fiiiinnnee.
"It's fine," she assures Donna terribly, "She does that," she goes back into the office, leaving Donna completely confused.
When she makes sure no one is watching her, Donna moves closer to the barrel of oil for a closer look.
.~.
In the computer lab, Mr. Wagner makes his way to the front of an IT Suite, the children are already at their computer terminals.
He faces the class, "I'd like you all to put your headphones on now, please," the children oblige, "Now, children...the things you will see..." he presses a key on his own computer at the front of the class.
The children raise their hands to the keyboards and start to type unnaturally fast, eyes locked onto the screens, not blinking. There's some sort of green code scrolling down the monitor.
Mr. Wagner watches the students, smiling slightly.
.~.
Mr. Finch and a woman descend a flight of stairs, talking. The woman is beautiful, she has lovely blue eyes and brown hair that stops at her shoulders and kind smiles and a soft voice, "My improvements aren't confined to the classroom," Mr. Finch smiles, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no. We've introduced a new policy. School dinners are absolutely free. But compulsory. Do try the chips."
The woman, Sarah Jane Smith smiles brightly, "Oh, I'd love to, thank you! And it's got to be said, the transformation you've brought about is amazing. I mean, maybe you're working the children a little bit too hard now and then..."
"Hmm?"
"But I think good results, they're more important than anything," she finishes.
"Exactly. You're a woman of vision, Miss Smith," Mr. Finch's smile grew again.
"Oh, I can see everything, Mr. Finch. Quite clearly."
.~.
Inside the staff room, The Doctor is sitting on a desk, nibbling on a biscuit. A teacher pacing up and down in front of him, continuing his rants, "But yesterday, I had a twelve year old girl give me the exact height of the Walls of Troy...in cubits."
"And, it's ever since the new headmaster arrived?" The Doctor asks.
"Finch arrived three months ago. Next day, half the staff got flu. Finch replaced them with that lot," he nods over to where a group of smart looking teachers are standing. The Doctor looks over his shoulder at them, "Except for the teacher you replaced, and that was just plain weird, her winning the lottery like that."
"How's that weird?"
"She never played," The Doctor hides his smile, "Said the ticket was posted through her door at midnight."
The Doctor pops another biscuit into his mouth, "Hmm! The world is very strange," as he chews on the biscuit, he thinks that they're not as good as the ones Donna always makes him get.
"Excuse me, colleagues," Mr. Finch calls, "a moment of your time."
The Doctor turns. His now wide eyes are instantly drawn to the woman who had just entered the room with him. He stands frozen, just staring.
"May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith," Mr. Finch introduces her fondly, "Miss Smith is a journalist, who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Times."
Sarah Jane smiles around at them all. The Doctor's face lights up, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards into a smile. He can't help but stare, it's Sarah Jane Smith. His lovely Sarah Jane Smith! Alive and well and she looks...she looks incredible. She's still smiling, that radiant, bright smile.
"I thought it might be useful for her to get 'a view from the trenches', so to speak. Don't spare my blushes," Mr. Finch says, but The Doctor doesn't really listen. Mr. Finch leaves.
Sarah Jane catches The Doctor's eye and approaches him with a hop in her step and smile, "Hello!"
His hearts pound and this overwhelming feeling of joy washes over him, "Oh, I should think so!" he agrees, his face hurts from smiling.
"And, you are...?"
He wants to look away, he thinks he's being rude for staring, but he can't take his eyes off her. Oh, she just asked a question! "Hmm?" his eyes go wide, "Uh, Smith. John Smith."
She looks a bit taken back in old memories before nodding to herself, "John Smith? I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name."
"Well, it's a very common name!"
"He was a very uncommon man," she lets out a small sigh before shaking away the memories and adventures they had together. She holds out her hand, "Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you!" he gushes, shaking her hand quickly, only growing more excited, "Yes! Very nice! More than nice, brilliant!"
"Um...so, um, have you worked here long?" she wonders, striking up a conversation for small talk.
"No! Um, it's only my second day," he swallows, feeling his hearts pounding and shaking.
She nods, "Oh, you're new, then? So, what do you think of the school? I mean, this new curriculum?" The Doctor still can't tear his eyes away from her, and he's smiling at her, but she doesn't seem to notice, "So many children getting ill, doesn't that strike you as odd?"
The Doctor grins widely, "You don't sound like someone just doing a profile," he says quietly, and still smiling. He can't stop. She's here and investigating and brilliant!
"Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here," she smiles back.
"No. Good for you," she walks away after sending him a nod to go meet some of the other teachers. The Doctor's eyes follow her, pride in his eyes and his eyes are sparkling, "Good for you. Oh, good for you, Sarah Jane Smith."
The bell rings, pulling him out of his trance. He walks off into the corridors, which are crowded with students. The Doctor takes slow steps with a vague smile and a faraway expression on his face, just remembering. Remembering his adventures with Sarah Jane Smith. He just wanted to cry out, 'It's me! It's The Doctor!' and hug her so tightly and never let go for a while, but he couldn't. He wanted to, it's better to think of the times they had.
.~.
On the stairwells, Kenny watches a couple of his fellow pupils go up the stairs, wondering why they're so eager to get to class.
He hears a flapping sound and strange noises coming from a nearby classroom. He follows the sound cautiously until he reaches the IT Suite.
Inside the computer lab, Kenny crouches to peer under one of the desks and sees a horrible bat-like creature who screeches angrily at him. Kenny gasps in fright but the next thing he knows, Mr. Wagner has just straightened up from behind the desk, his neck clicking and his eyes glowing dangerously.
"This isn't your classroom, Kenny," he says to the boy, unnerving and deadly calm, "Now run along."
Kenny turns on his heel and runs without a second thought.
Mr. Wagner watches him go, eyes narrowed.
.~.
The day comes to an end and night falls over the school. Inside one of the classrooms, the corridors are dark and empty, the chairs up on the desks. A torch shines into a classroom, and Sarah Jane is at the window.
She undoes the latch and peers inside. When she is sure the coast is clear, she hoists herself inside.
.~.
By one of the corridors, The Doctor, now with his long coat, opens a fire door and comes through it into a dark corridor, followed by Donna.
They enter in, The Doctor's hand intertwined in Donna's. She's dressed in a pair of running shoes, some dark jeans, and a grey hoodie that he thinks looks very cute on her. But if he were to admit that he's just get a 'Wot?!'
Her nails are painted bright blue, "When I was little, I tried to have a sleepover at the school. My friends, well not really friends, were too scared to come with me. So I went, ran around the school until I passed out. Got in sooo much trouble, let me tell you!"
He smiles to himself at the image of little Donna running around her school at night, "When you say 'not really friends' what do you mean? Call them your team. Oh no, I hate people who say 'team'. 'Alright, team.' Um...'gang.' Um...'comrades'. Uh...anyway, go to the kitchen and get a sample of that oil. I'm gonna look in Finch's office. One of us will also check the Maths department if we're finished. Be back here in ten minutes," he takes off up the stairs and calls over his shoulder, "Be care - "
Donna's already walking away, waving him off, "Don't start. I'm not twelve! I can handle myself!"
"I'm just making sure!"
"You don't need to!"
"I was just - "
"Maybe we shouldn't be yelling from the ends of the hallways, hmm?"
"Okay, yeah, brilliant idea! See you in ten minutes!"
.~.
The Doctor heads down a dark corridor, brow furrowed as he hears screeches and flaps in the distance.
He pauses for a moment and then strides to find the source of the noise.
.~.
Sarah Jane begins to pick the lock to Mr. Finch's office.
She hears a bang followed by a screech, and spins around, eyes wide. The sounds become even louder and closer and she gives a sharp intake of breath and backs away down the corridor.
.~.
Back at the kitchens, Donna takes the lid off the barrel of oil and spoons some into a small jar, wearing gloves.
A shadow passes over her followed by a screech.
She looks up sharply, brows furrowed. What the hell was that?
.~.
Taking deep breaths, Sarah Jane backs into the maintenance closet and slams the door behind her.
She turns slowly and almost screams.
There, looming in front of her, is the TARDIS. Her eyes widen in shock and she stumbles of the room, not believing it...
She stares at the closed door, and then turns slowly around. The Doctor is standing there in the darkness, watching her, "Hello, Sarah Jane," he says quietly.
"It's you," she whispers in realization, "Oh...Doctor..." a smile starts to spread across her face as she edges towards him, "Oh my God, it's you, it's...it's...you've regenerated," she laces her hands in front of herself.
"Half a dozen times since we last met," he smiles back.
"You look...incredible."
"So do you."
"I got old," she shrugs and moves around him, staring at him, "What're you doing here?"
"Well...UFO sightings, school gets record results, I couldn't resist. What about you?"
"Same," they laugh and it feels so good to laugh with her again. But Sarah Jane's smile falters and his does too. She sounds close to tears when she speaks again, "I thought you'd died. I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must've died."
"I lived. Everyone else died."
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone died, Sarah," he says hoarsely, quiet pain filling his hearts.
Sarah Jane shakes her head, whispering in disbelief, "I can't believe it's you," the moment is broken by the sound of screeching, "Now I can!" they grin at each other and run from the gym to find the source of the screech. They almost skid into Donna who runs from a converging corridor.
"Did you hear that?" she asks but then she notices Sarah Jane and blinks, "Who're you?"
The Doctor smiles, "Donna Noble, Sarah Jane Smith! Sarah Jane Smith, Donna Noble!"
Donna looks pleasantly surprised and offers her hand, "Oh," Sarah Jane blinks at the kindness, she didn't think...well, she figured he would have a new 'companion', but she figured they would dislike her, she gives Donna Noble a smile, "Hi, it's nice to meet you."
"You're an old friend?" Donna asks, looking at the two of them.
The Doctor scratches his ear, he doesn't know what to think, what they'll do to each other. It seems to be going well.
"Yes, I am, actually. It's nice to meet you, Donna."
Before Donna can say anymore The Doctor speeds off and they quickly follow them. What they see surprises them all, especially Donna.
They find Wilfred Mott in one of the classrooms, surrounded by a load of vacum-packed rats.
"Sorry!" Wilf apologizes, spinning around to face them all, "Sorry, it was only me. I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell out of them."
"Wilfred?!" The Doctor yells, taken aback.
Donna has a completely different reaction.
"GRAMPS?!" Donna screeches on top of her lungs.
Sarah Jane gasps, covering her ears and so does The Doctor.
When they look over at Donna, her face is red and her eyes are wide, "WHAT - WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she rushes up to him and embraces him tightly and he returns the embrace.
"Well, I wanted to come investigate, the doors were opened. I thought I would be alone but apparently not," he looks over Donna's shoulder and smiles, "Hello, Doctor!"
The Doctor twiddles his fingers at Wilf, "Hello!"
Sarah Jane leans over to The Doctor, "Gramps?"
The Doctor leans over as well, "Wilfred Mott, good, quiet man. Much quieter than his granddaughter."
Donna glares over Wilf's shoulder, "I heard that, Timeboy!"
The Doctor scratches his ear and Sarah Jane giggles behind her hand.
Wilf then notices Sarah Jane after he lets go of Donna, "Who's that?"
"Sarah Jane Smith," Donna introduces, no venom or disgust dripping from her voice.
The Doctor bends down and picks a few of the packed rats to examine them.
Donna peers over his shoulder, "Oh my God, they're rats. Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats!" The Doctor keeps examining it and Donna waits for him to question something but she groans, throwing her granddad and Sarah Jane a look of exhaustion, "Um, Doctor? Are you gonna mention that there's something very strange about this? Rats in school?"
"Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons. They dissect them," Sarah Jane states.
Donna looks over her shoulder at Sarah Jane, "No one dissects rats in school anymore."
Sarah Jane gives a 'hmm' and Donna does the same.
The Doctor quietly sighs in relief. Thanks to everything he knows that these two weren't fighting. Who knows the insults they would give each other? "Everything started when Mr. Finch arrived," he gets back to the point, "We should go and check his office," he chucks the rat he is holding back to Donna, who drops it.
She lets out a breath through her nose, tapping her foot angrily on the floor. Sarah Jane giggles from next to her, already aware of Donna's temper. They all follow The Doctor when he leaves the room.
Donna catches up with Sarah Jane, "So, you used to travel with The Doctor?"
Sarah Jane nods her head, "Yes, oh, we had so much fun!" they walk next to each other, quiet for a few moments.
"Did you have to deal with what I deal with?" Donna wonders suddenly.
The older woman shakes her head, "Hmm? Oh, my Doctors weren't as young. How would you describe him?"
"Spaceman? Annoyin'. Know-it-all. Scrawny. Did I say annoying? Loves the touching, big fan of holdin' hands and huggin'."
Sarah Jane breaks into a smile, "I didn't call him 'Spaceman', clever nickname," Donna smirks, "Annoying? Well..."
"Pfft, you know it's true. You're too good to admit it, aren't you, Sarah Jane?"
"Oh, fine. More like irritating. Sometimes. That's where the know-it-all part fits in, too."
"Were yours skinny?"
"Hmm. No."
"Buff?"
Sarah Jane chuckles, "Average? Oh, I don't know."
"Well, at least you don't get a bloody paper cut from huggin' him then."
"Well, I had to deal with two Doctors."
"So did I."
Sarah Jane bursts into another round of chuckles, as does Donna. She wants to pause though, grab The Doctor by his stupid tie and smack his stupid face silly for not mentioning Sarah Jane. Did he just forget her? No, that's not possible. He couldn't have. Did he just decide to ignore her? She'll have to ask him later. She doesn't want tell Sarah Jane that The Doctor never told her about her, she knows the feeling of that, of feeling suddenly unimportant by the person you loved the most. She continues walking and enters the Headmaster's office.
Wilfred pats The Doctor on the shoulder, "Ho! Ho! Ohh, I don't know what's worse for you, the missus and the ex fighting or the missus and the ex teasing you!" he gives a jolly laugh and carries on. The Doctor swallows several times before moving forward.
Outside of the Headmaster's office, The Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver to unlock the door of Mr. Finch's office.
"Maybe those rats were food," he guesses.
Donna shrugs. It's possible, "Food for what though?"
The Doctor opens the door, softly and slowly, and peers inside.
There are some incredibly strange noises coming from there. The Doctor's eyes are fixed on the ceiling. Bat-like creatures are hanging upside down from the ceiling. They're about as big as them, bigger though. They're red, and monstrous. The four of them stare at the creatures with wide eyes.
Wilfred shakes his head, "No way!"
Sarah Jane and Donna quickly back away with Wilf. The Doctor goes last, shutting the door behind him, trying to be quiet.
But at the sound of the door shutting, one of the bats wakes up and screeches.
.~.
Donna, Sarah Jane, Wilf, and The Doctor hurry out of the front doors of the school.
"I am not going back in there!" Wilf gasps out.
"Definitely not!" Donna rests a hand on his back and turns to The Doctor, eyes wide, "Those were teachers!"
"Yes, Donna."
"They're bat-people!"
"Finch brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies and a nurse. Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people. Come on," he begins to walk back inside.
Sarah Jane shakes her head, "What are you doing?"
He looks over at her, "I need the TARDIS. I've got to analyze that oil from the kitchen."
She shakes her head again, but with a smile this time, "I might be able to help you, there. I've got something to show you!" she pulls him excitedly in the direction of the car park.
When they get to the car park, Sarah Jane opens the boot of her car. Inside is something covered with a green blanket. The Doctor pulls the blanket off to reveal K9!
"K9!" The Doctor squeals, delighted at the sight of the old, robotic dog, "Donna Noble, Wilfred Mott, allow me to introduce K9...well, K9 Mark III to be precise."
Wilfred smiles and gushes about the tin dog. Donna tries to hide her smile, tries to say one of the insults that is running through her head but she can't because this was his old 'dog' and Sarah Jane's, she can't make him sad with a comment about K9. She eyes the dog, smiling, "He's rather...disco."
The Doctor rounds on her, "Oi! Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge!"
Donna raises her hands up, "Watch how you're speakin'! I wasn't bein' mean!"
The Doctor jumps on his feet, "Come on, pet him!"
Donna blinks, he wants her to pet a tin dog? He must have read her mind because then he starts saying how great K9 is. Sarah Jane and Wilf watch in amusement. The Doctor then takes Donna's hand and rests it on K9's head, "See? Just like that!"
"I know how to pet a dog!" Donna snaps, still petting the robotic dog.
The Doctor chuckles, cheeks turning slightly pink. Sarah Jane notices that his hand had reached to hold Donna's other hand.
The Doctor looks back down at the dog after Donna stopped petting, "What's happened to him?"
"Oh, one day, he just...nothing!" Sarah Jane tells him.
"Well, didn't you try and get him repaired?"
Wilfred shakes his head at The Doctor's reaction. Donna knows he loves K9, she can see right through him.
"Well, it's not like getting parts for a mini-metro!" Sarah Jane argues, "Beside, the technology inside him could rewrite human science. I couldn't show him to anyone!"
"Ooh, what's the nasty lady done to you? Eh?" The Doctor coos. They all watch as The Doctor strokes K9 and makes more coo-ing noises.
All four of them are being observed.
"Look, no offense but could you two just stop pettin' for a minute?" Donna asks over her shoulder as she heads towards the car.
The Doctor grins down at K9 before closing the boot of the car.
The bat-like creature flies past the moon, screeching.
.~.
Inside the chip shop, The Doctor and Sarah Jane are sitting at a table by the window, chatting and laughing whilst the Doctor tries to fix K9, who has been placed on the table-top. Wilfred and Donna are by the counter.
Donna hands her granddad the chips for two quid she had just bought him and he kisses her forehead at the action. They both sit at the table, smiling over at Sarah Jane and The Doctor.
"It's a tin dog, though," Donna mutters in amusement, taking another sip of her drink.
Wilf nods, "I think he's cool, sweetheart," he takes a bit of his chip.
.~.
Mr. Finch stands on top of a building on the other side of the road, "Come to me...come to me..."
At his command, one of the bat-like creatures swoops down towards him. It lands on the building beside him, and together they watch The Doctor through the window of the chip shop.
.~.
"I thought of you on Christmas Day," Sarah Jane mentions, "This Christmas just gone? Great big spaceship overhead, I thought, 'Oh, yeah. Bet he's up there'."
The Doctor looks over at her and smiles, "Right on top of it, yeah."
"And Donna?"
He nods, his eyes brightening at the mention of her. Sarah Jane can't help but notice, but at his reaction her smile only widens, "She was there too."
They both pause while Sarah Jane looks at him and The Doctor continues to fiddle with K9's wires, "Did I do something wrong?" she suddenly asks, "Because you never came back for me. You just...dumped me."
"I told you," his smile falls, "I was called back home and in those days humans weren't allowed."
She frowns, "I waited for you. I missed you."
He tries to brush it off with a smile, "Oh, you didn't need me! You were getting on with your life."
"You were my life," The Doctor looks up at her seriously, taking her statement to hearts. He watches her face fall and her eyes fill with sadness and memories, "You know what the most difficult thing was? Coping with what happens next, and with what doesn't happen next. You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles and then you just dropped me back on Earth. How could anything compare to that?"
He furrows his brows, "All those things you saw, do you want me to apologize for that?"
"No, but we get a taste of that splendor...and then we have to go back."
He smiles again, eyes shining with that pride again, "But look at you, you're investigating! You found that school, you're doing what we always did."
"You could've come back."
He smile falls once again, "I couldn't."
"Why not?" she whispers.
The Doctor doesn't answer. Sarah Jane gives a small shake of her head while The Doctor switches his sonic screwdriver back on and returns to repairing K9. But she's still not done, she scoffs, "It wasn't Croydon, where you dropped me off, it wasn't Croydon!"
It wasn't? He frowns, "Where was it?"
"Aberdeen!" she bites out, irritated.
The realization draws in, "Right," he pauses, "That's next to Croydon, isn't it?" Sarah Jane smiles and shakes her head, not being able to help herself. At that moment, K9 springs to life, "Ohhhh, hey!" he drums his hands on the table loudly, "Now we're in business!" he praises and he leaps to his feet and stands in front of K9.
"Master!" K9 greets.
Donna gasps, "He talks!"
The Doctor is absolutely ecstatic, "He recognizes me!"
"Affirmative."
"Donna, give us the oil," he says, holding out his hand.
From the roof, Finch and the creature still watch. Finch crouches and the bat-like creature follows suit...
The Doctor takes off the lid of the jar with the oil inside and is just about to dip his finger in it.
"I wouldn't touch it mate, that dinner lady got all...scalged," Donna warns him quickly.
"I'm no dinner lady. And I don't often say that," with that stupid remark, he dips his finger into the oil and K9 puts out a sensor for The Doctor to smear it onto, which he does, "Here we go. Come on, boy. Here we go."
"Oil," K9 reads, "Ex - ex - ex - extract ana - an...analyzing..."
Wilf grins, delighted, "Listen to it! That's a voice!"
"Careful!" Sarah Jane warns him, of course teasing, "That's my dog!"
"Confirmation of analysis: substance is Krillitane Oil," K9 finishes.
"They're Krillitanes," The Doctor says in shock.
Donna peers over his shoulder, "That's bad, right?"
"Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad."
Sarah Jane narrows her eye brows, "And what are...Krillitanes?"
The Doctor looks between the four of them, explaining, "They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from all sorts of countries, people you've invaded or have been invaded by, you've got bits, bits of Viking, bits of France, bits of whatever...the Krillitanes are the same. An amalgam of the races they've conquered. But they take physical aspects as well. They cherry-pick the best bits from the people they destroy. That's why I didn't recognize them. The last time I saw Krillitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks."
Donna places her hands on her hips, "What're they doing here?"
The horrible realization sinks in for The Doctor, "It's the children."
Donna's eyes widen, hands dropping from her hips, "Oh my God."
"They're doing something to the children."
From the roof, Mr. Finch and the other Krillitane glance at one another. The Krillitane screeches, spreading its wings out.
.~.
Outside of the chip shop, Wilf and Sarah Jane hoist K9 into the boot of the car, "So, what's with the tin dog?"
Sarah Jane leans back against the car with him, "The Doctor likes traveling with an entourage," she clarifies for him, "Sometimes they're humans, sometimes they're aliens, and sometimes...they're tin dogs," Wilf smiles and gives a small laugh, "What about you? Where do you fit in the picture?"
"Me? I'm just Donna's granddad. I love her though, she always wanted to have a good adventure."
Sarah Jane nods, "Have you ever traveled with him yet?"
Wilf shakes his head, "No. I don't want to barge in on their fun."
She shakes her head, "The Doctor is very kind, as you can tell. And from what I've seen, so's Donna. If they both love you they'll bring you along. You should go on at least one trip, it's worth it, I promise you. He can take you anywhere."
Back on the roof top, The Krillitane on the rooftop screeches, but Finch puts his finger to his lips to silence it, "On my command."
The Doctor leaves the chip shop followed by Donna, "Oi!" she calls. He stops immediately and whirls around. She storms up to him. Oh, what had he done? He didn't annoy her in any way, had he? This wasn't about Sarah Jane, was it? "Why haven't you mentioned her?" Oh, it is about her, "We're best mates, why wouldn't you tell me about her? Did you think I would get mad?" she seems mad, but she only grows madder, and her shoulders start to tremble, "You two seem so close - probably even closer back then - did you just decide to ignore her? Forget about her? You dropped her off, at the wrong place for one, and didn't come back. Didn't reassure her that you were okay, didn't make sure she was okay, how could you do that to her? Why would you just keep her wonderin'?"
He blinks. She's talking about Sarah Jane for a different reason than he thought. She's asking about her, defending her. Oh, Donna Noble.
His face falls. Donna always thinks he looks older when he does that, he doesn't look young and happy, he looks old, so very, very old and lost and as if the weight of his world is on his shoulders, "I don't age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you - " he stops, when he realizes what he was about to say.
Donna frowns, glancing over at Sarah Jane, "Did the old you love her?"
He doesn't answer. Doesn't want to answer. What's the point? His sentence wasn't just about Sarah Jane anyways.
He stares at her intensely, "Donna..."
"We tell each other a lot. This is one of 'em."
"I did."
She feels her stomach drop at the crack in his voice. She's not jealous, she's not angry, she know that she's not the first. She's just heartbroken by the sound of his voice. She knows he's lived for hundreds of years. He didn't expect her to think that she was the only one, did he? She knows he had friends come and go, and she knows that he could have fell in love with them along the way.
"So how could you do that? How could you abandon her, Doctor?"
He feels like he's being choked all of a sudden, but he's not. Donna's hands are still on her side. He wants to tell her, wants to spill out his guilt about Sarah Jane and the love that he had for her, and he knows Donna will let him, but he can't. He can't bring himself to.
"You can spend the rest of your life with me. I won't abandon you."
"This isn't about me."
He opens his mouth, trying to think of words to say. Now he wonders if she'll lay awake at night, thinking if he'll live her, if he'll remember her, if he'll think about her. But he will, of course he will. The pain of the same thought of Sarah Jane runs through his mind. He promises himself he will not to shut them away. The guilt that he had only increases at Donna's concern and wonder and anger. He still wonders how he could have done that.
"You can spend the rest of your life with me," he repeats, "But I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That's the curse of the Time Lords."
"Time Lord," a voice hisses out in realizes shock.
The Doctor and Donna notice Mr. Finch and the other Krillitane on the roof. The creature screeches and swoops down towards them. They duck, but then it just flies away.
"Was that a Krillitane?" Sarah Jane gasps.
"But it didn't even touch her!" Donna shakes her head, "It just flew off! What did it do that for?"
They all look up, watching with shocked eyes as the Krillitane fly off into the night, screeching.
.~.
The next morning, the school bell rings and the children flock towards the building. The Doctor, Wilf, Donna, and Sarah Jane get out of Sarah Jane's car and stride towards the school. The Doctor pauses for a moment to give instructions, "Donna and Sarah, you go to the Maths room. Crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside. Here, you might need this," The Doctor's takes Donna's hand and places the screwdriver in her hand. He turns to Wilfred, "Wilf, surveillance. I want you outside."
Donna crosses her arms, "Is he gonna be okay? Just standin' outside?"
Wilf nods, "I'll be fine, sweetheart."
Sarah Jane chucks him her car keys, "Here, take these, you can keep K9 company."
Donna sends a glance to The Doctor's way, "What're you gonna do?"
"It's time I had a word with Mr. Finch."
.~.
A pair of shiny black shoes walk down a crowded corridor. They pause a moment.
Mr. Finch looks up and sees The Doctor leaning over the stairwell, looking down at him and making no attempt to disguise the fact. After giving him a hard stare, Mr. Finch goes on his way and The Doctor continues on up the stairs.
The Doctor opens the door to the swimming pool room, where Mr. Finch waits for him on the opposite side of the water, leaning against one of the walls, "Who are you?"
"My name is Brother Lassa," he answers, "And you?"
"The Doctor. Since when did Krillitanes have wings?"
"It's been our form for nearly ten generations, now," Mr. Finch walks forward, hands behind his back, "Our ancestors invaded Bessan. The people there had some rather lovely wings. They made a million widows in one day, just imagine."
"And now you're shaped human."
"A personal favorite, that's all."
"And the others?"
"My brothers remain bat form. What you see is a simple morphic illusion," The Doctor nods his head, mouthing 'Ah', "Scratch the surface and the true Krillitane lies beneath," they begin to walk slowly towards the same side of the pool, as if it was predator vs prey, "And what of the Time Lords? I always thought of you as such a pompous race. Ancient, dusty senators, so frightened of change and...chaos. And of course, they're all but extinct. Only you. The last."
"This plan of yours, what is it?"
"You don't know."
"That's why I'm asking."
They're facing each other now, rivals. The tension is rising.
"Well, show me how clever you are. Work it out."
"If I don't like it...then it will stop."
"Fascinating," Mr. Finch muses, as if he's studying him, and tilts his head, "Your people were peaceful to the point of indolence. You seem to be something new. Would you declare war on us, Doctor?"
"I'm so old now," The Doctor says quietly, in that calm but threatening voice, "I used to have so much mercy," he stares at him a moment longer, "You get one warning. That was it," and he turns his back on Finch and begins to walk away.
"But we're not even enemies," Mr. Finch calls out, "Soon...you will embrace us," The Doctor turns back, "The next time we meet, you will join with me. I promise you," Mr. Finch walks past him with a knowing smile on his face and leaves. The Doctor watches him go suspiciously, brow furrowed.
.~.
In the computer lab, Sarah Jane crouches beneath one of the computer desks and trying to switch on the sonic screwdriver. She comes out, smacks the keyboard and stares at the sonic screwdriver, "It's not working!"
With a soft roll of her eyes Donna holds her hand out, "Give it to me," Sarah Jane hands her the sonic screwdriver and ducks underneath the desk.
"How come it's not working like I remember?" Sarah Jane frowns.
"New sonic, maybe? I dunno," Donna turns the sonic screwdriver on and it whirrs and buzzes as she holds it to the back of the computer, "This thing is such crap," she grumbles.
Sarah Jane shifts and crouches down next to the ginger, "Donna, can I give you a bit of advice?"
"I've a feelin' you're about to, so go right ahead."
"Well, I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can be and - " Donna jolts up, smacking her head against the desk in process, " - are you alright?"
Donna lets out a string of cusses before she crawls from out underneath the desk, glaring, "WE'RE NOT IN A RELATIONSHIP!" she aims the screwdriver (which she would never use) at Sarah Jane.
Sarah Jane holds her hands up, "Oh! Okay, okay!"
"We are just mates! Buddies! FRIENDS!"
"Yes, yes, you've made that quite clear!"
Donna lowers the screwdriver and sighs, rubbing her head, "Why does everyone assume that?"
She doesn't hope fro an answer, and Sarah Jane opens her mouth to answer, but she sees the look on Donna's face, so she doesn't reply. She averts her eyes, smiling down at her lap.
Donna leans against one of the computers, arms crossed, "With you, does The Doctor do that thing where he'd explain something at ninety-miles-per-hour, and you'd never understand so he just stares at you like you'd just dribbled on your shirt?"
Sarah Jane brightens up, "All the time!" they erupt into giggles, "Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?"
Donna nods frantically, holding her stomach, "All the bloody time! I walked into him doin' it once and asked, 'Do you two wanna be alone'? Never seen his face get any redder!"
They laugh madly, sharing stories about where they went and stories of The Doctor, of the amazing and ridiculous things he can do.
" - Jelly babies?!" Donna laughed at one point.
Sarah Jane had agreed at some point, " - Pinstripe suits and long coats and converse!"
"Oddly suits good ol' Spaceman!"
" - You met the emperor of the Daleks?!"
" - Charles Dickens! Ha!"
"Oh, how could you have missed that skinny lump?" Donna scoffs, making grand gestures with her hands, "He has the attention span like Daffy Duck!"
Sarah Jane gasps, laughing, "Now that you mention it, he does!"
"See?"
"Sometimes, I'd be talking and he'll just zone out!"
Donna nods, "Exactly! He's so rude!"
The two of them laugh loudly with one another and at that moment The Doctor decides to walk in, he pops his head in, "How's it going?" the sight of him makes them laugh even harder, "What?" he squeaks, oblivious, "Listen, I need to find out what's programmed inside these," they take no notice of him and fall about laughing hysterically, Donna pointing the sonic screwdriver at him, "What? What is it?! Stop it!"
.~.
Mr. Finch enters his office, where the rest of the Krillitanes disguised as school staff are sat around at table, "Brothers, we must initiate the final phase," he begins to smile, "Get the children inside and seal the school. Our time has come, my brothers. Today we shall become Gods."
.~.
The children are in the playground, playing football, and laughing. The buzzer goes off and they stop.
"All pupils to class immediately. And would all members of staff congregate in the staff room," the voice on the loud speaker says.
The pupils begin to move indoors without hesitation, except for Kenny.
A young girl, Melissa, pauses for a moment as she passes him, "Breaktime's finished early. Isn't that fantastic?!" she moves off again.
Kenny waits until the last possible moment before he relucantly follows the crowd.
.~.
The children clamber to get inside the IT Suite occupied by The Doctor, Donna, and Sarah Jane who turn around to see them scrambling in.
Donna shoos them away, standing in front of the door, "No, no, this classroom's out of bound! You've all gotta go to the South Hall. Off you go, South Hall! Go!"
The children move away and Donna shuts the door with a relieved sigh.
.~.
Mr. Finch and his brothers enter the staff room.
Mr. Parsons stands, not happy, "What is it now, Mr. Finch?"
"Slight change in the timetable. We're having an early lunch," Mr. Finch smiles.
Mr. Wagner closes the door to the staff room, and changes his shape immediately.
And there are screeches and screams as the teachers inside get devoured.
.~.
Back inside the computer lab, The Doctor, sonic screwdriver clenched between his teeth, rips a handful of wires out of a computer and hangs them around his neck as runs the sonic screwdriver along the back of the computer. Sarah Jane watches him, looking slightly anxious.
"I can't shift it," he grunts out.
"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!" Sarah Jane exclaims.
"Anything except a deadlock seal, apparently!" Donna looks at the computer, "There's gotta be something inside here, right?"
The Doctor looks over at her, "And what're they teaching those kids?"
.~.
Mr. Wagner holds a door open for the children, who bundle inside the classroom.
Kenny is left outside. He hesitates, taking a few steps backwards, not trusting the eagerness of the other children.
.~.
Mr. Finch walks into his office and sits behind the desk, "Close the school," he taps a few keys on the keyboard, and the screen flashes with the text: 'SECURITY OVERRIDE'.
He sits back in his chair and burps quietly into his hand.
Every exit to the school slams shut.
.~.
Mr. Wagner once again brings the code up onto the computer screens.
The children's heads snap forwards and they type furiously as the code scrolls down the screen.
.~.
Sarah Jane looks around, before seeing that every computer in their IT Suite is displaying the code, "You wanted the program, there it is."
"Some sort of code..." he mutters, getting up to get a better look.
.~.
Kenny runs down the corridors, looking through every window and seeing the same thing, hordes of children engrossed in the computers. Terrified, he runs back in the direction he came from and down the stairs. He tries the main doors at the front of the school, but they are sealed shut. He rattles them.
Lucky for him, Wilfred notices him and immediately gets out of the car.
.~.
The Doctor stills stares at the code, eyes wide and his mouth slightly hanging open, "No...no, they can't be..."
.~.
"They've taken them all!" Kenny cries to Wilf through closed doors.
Wilf shakes his head, "What?"
"They've taken all the children!"
As fast as he can, Wilfred heads back to the car and rips the blanket off K9. He presses random buttons frantically, "Oh, come on, I need some help!" he whacks K9 on the head, then looks away helplessly, but then...
"System restarting," the robotic dog says, "All primary drives functioning."
Wilf cheers, "You're working! No time to explain, we need to get inside that school. Do you...er, have a lock picking device?"
"We are in a car."
"...Maybe a drill attachment?"
"We are in a car."
"Fat lot of good, you are," Wilf sighs, shaking his head.
"We are in a car."
Wilf then looks back up, realizing what the dog had met, "We're in a car!" he looks over and shouts to Kenny, "Get back!"
Kenny squints through the window.
.~.
"The Skasis Paradigm," The Doctor breathes, "They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm."
"Wot's that?" Donna asks. At the same time Sarah Jane asks, "The Skasis what?"
"The...God-maker," he starts explaining quickly, "The universal theory. Crack that equation and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter, yours to control."
"So the kids, are like a giant computer?" Donna guesses.
The Doctor nods, "Yes," he paces around, "And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil! That oil from the kitchens, it works as a...as a...conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer."
"But that oil's on the chips," Donna realizes, had she been infected to? "I've been eatin' them."
"What's fifty-nine times thirty-five?" The Doctor rounds on her, leaning close.
"Two thousand and sixty five," she says without missing a bit, "Oh my God..."
The Doctor nods, "That says it all."
Donna shakes her head, "But why use children?"
"Can't they use adults?" Sarah Jane asks.
"No, it's gotta be children," The Doctor shakes his head, "The God-maker needs imagination to crack it. They're not just using the children's brains to break the code... they're using their souls."
Behind him, Mr. Finch walks into the room, "Let the lesson begin."
The Doctor turns to face him.
Mr. Finch approaches him slowly, "Think of it, Doctor, with the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it."
"Oh yeah?" Donna challenges.
The Doctor takes a step forward, "The whole of creation with the face of Mr. Finch. Call me old fashioned, but I like things as they are."
"You act like such a radical," Mr. Finch grinned, "and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order. Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for good."
"What, by someone like you?" The Doctor scoffs skeptically.
"No...someone like you," The Doctor falls silent, not prepared for that answer, "The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom. Become a God. At my side. Imagine what you could do, think of the civilizations you could save. Perganon, Assinta...your own people, Doctor. Standing tall. The Time Lords...reborn."
The Doctor still says nothing, staring into Mr. Finch's eyes and not looking away.
"Doctor, don't listen to him," Sarah Jane says quietly.
"It's not right, Doctor," Donna glances at him with uncertainly. Surely he wouldn't take this offer, would he?
Mr. Finch turns to Donna and Sarah Jane, stepping towards them, but The Doctor lets out a threatening grunt that makes him stop, but Mr. Finch continues, "...And you could be with him throughout eternity. Young...fresh...never wither, never age...never die. Their lives are so fleeting," he turns back to The Doctor, frowning, "So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor. Join us."
The Doctor has a faraway look in his eyes...he's so terribly tempted, "I could save everyone..."
"Yes."
"I could stop the war..." The Doctor whispers.
A small smile graces Finch's lips.
"No!" Sarah Jane tries to plead with him, desperate, "The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love," Mr Finch closes his eyes.
Donna grasps his arms, he looks down at her bright blue nails digging into his sleeve, "This isn't right. You know it's not. It's...a fixed point in time, Spaceman," she's tempted to help him to, tempted to go along with him. He took her to Pompeii. She remembers how she begged him to say someone, but now she knows, "You can't save everyone," she repeats.
Sarah Jane steps up, "Whether it's a world, or a relationship...everything has its time. And everything ends."
The Doctor stares for a few more seconds, Sarah Jane's words strengthening his resolve. He grits his teeth suddenly and Donna pulls back when he gets out of her hold, picks up a chair, and hurls it through the screen displaying the code, which smashes, "Out!" he shouts, running past Finch with Sarah Jane and Donna.
.~.
Wilf starts the car and starts driving it straight towards the school, right through the front doors, smashing the windows. Sylvia is gonna kill him.
He leaps out and looks down at Kenny, "Come on!"
.~.
Mr. Finch, on the stairs, lets out a screech that echoes through the whole school.
Mr. Wagner and two other Krillitanes pause and morph into their true, bat form.
.~.
Kenny and Wilf meet The Doctor, Donna, and Sarah Jane at the bottom of the stairs.
"What's going on?" Wilf asks them, looking frantically at the three of them.
Suddenly, the three Krillitanes half fly, half grope their way along the corridor to them. The Doctor and the others turn on their heels and run in the opposite direction. The Krillitanes separate at the end of the corridor, and only one pursues them. They run into the canteen hall and try the doors on the other side, but they're locked. The Doctor reaches inside his coat for the sonic screwdriver, just as Mr. Finch bursts through the doors followed by several of the Krillitanes.
"Are they my teachers?" Kenny cries out.
"Yeah," The Doctor nods, "Sorry."
Mr. Finch turns to his brothers, "Leave The Doctor alive. As for the others...you can feast."
The Krillitanes swoop down on them. The Doctor tries to beat them off with a chair. Donna does, too. The others scream and try to duck out of the way. Donna even manages to smack one across the face, but they still manage to get attacked.
Suddenly, one of the Krillitanes is hit with a beam of red light and falls to the floor, dead.
They all turn into where the direction of the blast came from. K9 to the rescue.
Mr. Finch roars with rage.
"K9!" Sarah Jane exclaims.
"Suggest you engage running mode, mistress," K9 begins.
"Come on!" The Doctor shouts, he and the others run off as K9 shoots at the Krillitanes again and again, "K9, hold them back!"
"Affirmative, master. Maximum defense mode!"
The Doctor reaches a door, he ushers the others through it, "Come on!" he slams it shut behind them and locks it with his sonic screwdriver.
"Power supply failing," K9 still fights, shooting.
"Forget the shooty dog thing," Mr. Finch shakes his head in quiet exasperation.
"Power supply failing..." K9 reaches the end of his power supply and switches off.
.~.
The five of them all enter a Physics lab where The Doctor suddenly gets an idea, "It's the oil. Krillitane life forms can't handle the oil! That's it! They've changed the physiology so often, even their own oil is toxic to them," he spins around, facing Donna, "Donna, how much was there in the kitchens?"
"Barrels of it," she answers, still confused, "Why?"
They jump as the Krillitanes start to pound on the locked door, their claws ripping holes in it.
The Doctor begins again, "Okay, we need to get to the kitchens. Wilfred and Donna, get all the children unplugged and out of the school," he quickly changes to the big question, "Now then, bats, bats, bats, how do we fight bats?"
To answer his question, Kenny strides over to a fire alarm, breaks the glass with his elbow and sets it off. The Krillitanes immediately wince and quail at the shrill sound. The Doctor beams and flings open the door, seeing that the Krillitanes are in too much distress to hurt them. He and the others quickly run past. Finch, gritting his teeth, punches through a wall and rips out a bundle of wires which cuts off the alarm.
"Get after them," he orders. He strides down the staircase, and the other three Krillitanes, having recovered, follow him.
.~.
As they run down a corridor, K9 emerges from a doorway, "Master!"
"Come on, boy!" The Doctor coos, "Good boy," K9 trundles along with them.
.~.
Wilfred and Donna burst into one of the IT Suites.
Donna clears her throat, "Alright! Listen everyone, we've gotta get out of here," no one takes a blind bit of notice of her. The children are all 'plugged into' the computers. Bewildered, Wilfred stares at a monitor, then waves his hand in front of Melissa's face which elicits no response whatsoever.
"Uh, Donna?"
"Yeah, I see."
Now, they just need to find a way to help the kids out of the computers. Simple enough, right?
.~.
The Doctor, Sarah Jane, K9, and Kenny reach the kitchens. The Doctor immediately holds his sonic screwdriver to one of the oil barrels, "They've been deadlock sealed!" he tries another, "Finch must've done that. I can't open them."
"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser," K9 says, "But my batteries are failing."
The Doctor nods, "Right. You two, go out the back door. K9, stay with me."
Sarah Jane and Kenny run to the backdoor, leaving the Doctor crouched before K9.
.~.
Donna and Wilf are at the head computer trying to stop the code, without much luck.
They're very confused, and then Donna notices the protective casing covering the wires, winding around the walls of the room. They both follow it and realize that all the cables lead into one plug socket.
So they pull it out.
All the computers go dead and the socket explodes with sparks, "Now, we've got their attention, sweetheart!"
"Everyone get out, now!" Donna orders. The trance broken, the children immediately get to their feet and move towards the door
"Come on, move!" Wilf joins in.
Donna claps her hands, "Let's go, let's go!"
.~.
The Krillitanes bound down the stairs. They take a turn and quickly morph back into human form. Mr. Finch, Wagner, the dinner ladies and other other teachers are hurry down the remainder of the stairs.
.~.
In the kitchens, The Doctor moves the vats of oil, moving them into the same area to give K9 a maximum shot, "Capacity for only one shot, Master," K9 announces, "For maximum impact, I must be placed directly beside the vat."
The Doctor rushes over to him, "But you'll be trapped inside."
"That is correct."
"I can't let you do that."
"No alternative possible, Master."
The Doctor looks over his shoulder as he hears the screeching of the Krillitanes in the background. He looks back at K9, realizing that this is what must be done, "Goodbye, old friend."
"Goodbye Master."
The Doctor rests a hand on the dog, "You good dog."
"Affirmative," he waggles his mechanical ears and tail. The Doctor places his hand briefly on K9's head, petting him once more, and then dashes off.
K9 trundles off towards the vat.
The Doctor emerges outside and slams the door behind him, locking it with the sonic screwdriver.
.~.
As soon as Sarah Jane saw The Doctor she rushes towards him, asking him urgently, "Where's K9?"
"We need to run," he tells her, turning around and starting to run.
"Where is he?!" she demands, making no move to move forward, "What've you done?"
The Doctor grabs her and pulls her away.
.~.
Mr. Finch and his brothers enter the kitchen.
He snarls out, "When you find him...eat him if you must, but bring me his brain."
.~.
The Doctor grabs Sarah Jane's hand as they run for their lives, just like they used to.
.~.
K9 raises his head as the Krillitanes look down at him.
"The little dog with a nasty bite," he says mockingly. He bends slightly and whispers, "Not so powerful now, are you?"
K9 shoots his laser at the vat of oil causing it to explode all over the Krillitanes, who scream.
.~.
Wilfred and Donna are caught up in the crowd of children running out of the school.
They still urge to the children to leave, "Come on, guys! Let's go, let's go!"
.~.
The Krillitanes are wailing and writhing with agony.
"Burning!" The dinner lady wails in pain.
Mr. Finch growls at K9, "You bad dog."
"Affirmative."
And the school explodes.
The children assembled outside all burst into cheer and applause, Donna and Wilfred join in, hugging each other and grinning manically.
"Yes!" Kenny cheers.
Melissa turns to him, "Did you have something to do with it?"
"Yeah, I did."
Melissa's mouth drops open, "Oh my God," she turns around and shouts to the others, "Kenny blew up the school! It was Kenny!"
The children cheer even harder and start chanting, "Kenny! Kenny! Kenny!" and pat him on the back.
Only the Doctor and Sarah Jane stand separate from the merriment, "I'm sorry," The Doctor apologizes sincerely at Sarah Jane's distraught face.
"It's alright," she quickly assures, "He was just a...daft metal dog. Fine, really," but even as hard as she tries, she can't help it, she bursts into tears.
The Doctor puts his arm around her comfortingly.
Donna pulls away from her granddad and looks over at the two old friends. The realization of what happened to K9 sets in.
.~.
It's a beautiful day, in what looks like a park. Sarah Jane walks up to the TARDIS. The Doctor steps outside the doors and faces her, smiling broadly, "Cuppa tea?" he steps aside to let Sarah Jane walk through the doors.
She takes in the interior, wide-eyed. The Doctor follows her through and shuts the door behind her, bouncing with happiness at her reaction.
She turns to him and cries out, "You've redecorated!"
"Do you like it?" he grins at her, glancing at Donna, who's leaning against the console.
Sarah Jane looks around once again, "Oh, I, I do. Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but uh...yeah. It'll do!"
Donna nods, "Meh. It's okay."
The Doctor gasps in outrage, "Oi! You! What's forty seven times three hundred and sixty nine?"
Donna shakes her head, "I've no idea. It's gone now, the oil's faded."
"But you're still clever," Sarah Jane sends her a smile. The Doctor smiles, she's more than clever, "More than a match for him."
Donna smiles right back, "You and me both, Sarah Jane," the two nod at each other. Donna looks over at The Doctor, who is fiddling with the computer, as though prompting him to say something.
"Doctor...?" she presses.
He looks up at her, knowing what she wants. His face both pales and turns pink at the same time, "Um...we're about to head off, but...you could come with us."
Donna looks over at Sarah Jane, smiling expectantly, "It'll be lovely to have another woman teasin' Spaceman with me."
Sarah Jane looks from happy face to happy face, but then shakes her head, "No...I can't do this anymore," The Doctor's and Donna's smiles fade slightly, "Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead! Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own," she adds on happily.
"Can I come?" Wilf peeks his head out of the TARDIS.
Sarah Jane looks surprised, "Hmm?"
"No, not with you, I mean...with you," he gestures to The Doctor, "'Cos I wanna see what's out there."
Donna smiles brightly and mouths 'Yes please!' to The Doctor.
Sarah Jane laughs, "Oh, go on, Doctor!" she encourages, "You can't say no to Donna's Noble granddad!"
The Doctor pretends to think for a moment, "Of course!"
Sarah Jane sends them all smiles, "Well, I'd better go," she takes Donna aside and The Doctor returns his attention to the computer, "If something ever happens...whenever you think you'll need me...find me, if you need to, one day. Find me."
Donna gives her a small smile, "'Course I will."
Sarah Jane smiles right back, "It was lovely to meet you, Donna Noble."
"Right back at you, Sarah Jane Smith."
When Sarah Jane steps away, The Doctor holds open the doors for her, who steps out of the TARDIS for the last time. The Doctor follows her and they stand outside for their final goodbyes, "It's daft. But I haven't ever thanked you for that time, and like I said, I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
"Something to tell the grandkids," The Doctor beams.
"Oh, I think it'll be someone else's grandkids now."
He makes an awkward expression that Sarah Jane can't help but laugh to, "Right. Yes, sorry, I didn't get a chance to ask. You haven't...there hasn't been anyone...? You know...?"
She shrugs sheepishly, "Well...there was this one guy. I traveled with him for a while. But he was a tough act to follow," she laughs slightly at The Doctor's expression, but he breaks into a small smile. She looks up at him, light in her eyes and unshed tears, "Goodbye, Doctor."
"Oh, it's not goodbye..."
"Say it, please. This time. Say it."
And he looks her straight in the eyes, "Goodbye. My Sarah Jane," he throws his arms around her and lifts her right off the ground in a final embrace. One of those loving, warm, big, Doctor embraces. He gives her one last smile before heading back into the TARDIS and closing the door behind him, leaving Sarah Jane standing alone outside. The engines start up and she walks slowly away, not looking back until it has almost gone, her eyes sparkling with tears. The leaves billow in the breeze created by the TARDIS, and K9 is revealed where he must've been sitting just out of sight behind it.
"K9!" she cries out, overjoyed.
K9 trundles over to her, "Mistress!"
She crouches down to him, "But... you were blown up!"
"Master rebuilt me. My systems are much improved with new undetectable hyperlink facilities."
She beams, "Oh...! He replaced you with a brand new model!"
"Affirmative."
"Yep. He does that. Come on, you. Home. We've got work to do," she stands up.
"Affirmative."
Sarah Jane and K9 walk off into the sunset.
.~.
.~.
The Doctor had stopped at Chiswick so Wilfred could go get himself ready, Donna says he likes to look presentable before he goes somewhere he loves. The two of them wait in the TARDIS, Donna wonders where Gramps would want to go, maybe Italy? She doesn't have a clue, maybe a planet? Or a star? Gramps does love space, maybe he won't pick something from the past. But she'll never know, there's endless possibilities. She'll never get over his happiness to finally travel with them, she loves it when Gramps is happy.
She emerges from the kitchen, with three cups of hot tea. She sets one down for Gramps and leans against the console where The Doctor finally looks up, "Tea? Ooh, lovely!" he grabs the tea from her hands, raising himself away from the computer and they both enter the kitchen and sit at the table.
They sit in a comfortable silence before Donna pips up, "Name them?"
And it's not a demand, it's a question.
He looks up, eyes narrowed, though he has a feeling she knows who he's talking about.
"The others. Before me."
He only gets more confused when she pulls out a piece of paper and a pencil.
"Don't stare at me like I've got three heads, dumbo. Just name them."
"What are you doing?" he asks, still not naming them. Not yet. He thinks he might bring back painful memories, how they left, all the adventures they had.
"I'm gonna get annoyed soon."
So he doesn't press on. After a moment of hesitation, he names them, in order. Not just first names or last names. Their full names. And as he does, his eyes follow the movement of her pencil. She's writing their names down too.
When he's finished, he looks at her with a soft, adoring expression. She brings the paper closer to her, looks at all the names she had just written down and mumbling quietly to herself.
"Donna," he reaches out and takes on of her hands that's on the table. She doesn't jump, of course. She doesn't stop reading either.
"Hmm?"
"How come you wrote down all their names?"
She finally looks up at him, a small smile on her face. She moves her beautiful ginger hair from her face, "Someone besides you should remember them, right? I'm gonna memorize them like you. And you can tell me about them, if you want."
He can't help but smile back at his Donna.
ending disclaimer: I cried three times in this episode. First, was when The Doctor saw Sarah Jane again. Second, was when K9 got blown up, and third was when Sarah Jane and The Doctor said goodbye. This episode gave me lots of character emotions.
Ahh, yes! Wilfred Mott is back and bein' a lil bean!
I'm sorry there wasn't a lot of DoctorDonna moments, but they're was some Donna and Sarah Jane bonding moments. I don't see them hating each other immediately, because they're just lovely women who love to tease The Doctor.
I reeeeaallly love Sarah Jane a lot.
"MY SARAH JANE"
The idea of Donna defending her/wondering why The Doctor never mentioned her makes me very happy. I was inspired by the scene where Donna says, 'Her name is Martha and she's not collateral damage!'
Also I made 'The Fires of Pompeii' sooner in my series instead during season four. :)
I'm very proud of the scene at the end of this chapter. I couldn't really do anything with this episode since it wasn't really a huggeee episode, but boi, do I have sooo much ideas for the next chapter!
Speaking of the next chapter, of course, the next chapter is The Girl in the Fireplace!
Oh my, you don't understand how much I love that episode. It's one of my top ten.
I'm really bad at ending these, so, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
