The Darkness – SJAFF

Chapters 16-20

Chapter 16

Back in Bannerman road, the Doctor carried Sarah into the living room, where they found K-9 dusting the table.

"Mistress Sarah Jane! You have returned!" He greeted her.

Sarah Jane looked down from the Doctor's arms with much confusion, what was a talking robot dog doing in her living room?

She looked up at the Doctor, who smiled and gently put her on the sofa.

"K-9," The Doctor started to explain, "Sarah Jane has amnesia. She doesn't remember any of this, barely even me!"

"Master Doctor! I was not expecting your presence in this regeneration." K-9 said.

"Heh. Well, I wasn't particularly expecting this either." The Doctor looked closer at the little robot dog. "Have you changed K-9?"

"Affirmative master! In future generation's you will create K-9 Mark 9!"

Sarah Jane watched the conversation with interest, and barely contained weariness.

The doctor noticed this, and carried the tired woman upstairs. Even against the weak protests of Sarah Jane.

"You know, I think if you tried, that might just about knock over a piece of paper." He told her, as she tried swatting him to put her down.

Chapter 17

Gently, like she was precious china, he put her down on the bed.

And much to Sarah's annoyance, he started rummaging around in her drawers, looking for her night clothes.

She threw the nearest thing she could reach at him.

But being the doctor, he knew what was coming.

Facing Sarah Jane, he walked forward, and picked up the the pair of socks that had fallen just by the end of the bed.

With an amused expression, he came and sat next to Sarah Jane, and tapped her on the nose with the socks. "Naughty."

She took hold of his hand and silently begged him to understand.

She showed him the memories she had of them together, the sweet moments, the scary moments, and a few hours ago in the hospital.

The Doctor laughed, but then became silent as he saw Sarah's serious expression.

She then showed him what was worrying her, in not so many words.

The Doctor saw in Sarah's head, the image of a young girl in her grandmother's clothing, and heard the twenty-something Sarah Jane practising the lines she had rehearsed, impersonating her grandmother. Then Sarah Jane showed him the image she had seen in the mirror not five minutes ago. A haggard, ill-looking woman in her sixties.

The Doctor realised what she was saying.

"Sarah..."

She was sitting on her bed, leaning on him with both hands on one of his, and her eyes portrayed such terror that the Doctor went cold.

"Sarah... I..." He shook his head, and kissed the soft, weak hands he was holding.

Looking into the shy eyes that were hiding behind the dark copper fringe, the Doctor could easily see the young Sarah Jane he once knew.

"You'll always be Sarah Jane to me." He told her telepathically. "Even if you end up looking like this." And he sent her an image of a horrible, grotesque, slimy green monster.

Sarah Jane laughed, but as her vocal chords had not yet healed, it came out garbled, and rather eerie.

The doctor smiled, seeing some familiar light in her eyes, and slowly lowered Sarah down till she was lying.

Leaning over her, he softly kissed her, and gently probed her mind to let her sleep.

He stayed there for a while, sitting there on the edge of the bed, watching her doze, until he decided that he could stay watching her for all eternity, or take a peek around the house, and maybe make some tea.

As tempting as the first option was, he opted for the latter.

Chapter 18

Well, technically it was called a latte, but the Doctor didn't get hung up on things like that.

According to K-9, a few generations in the future, the Doctor would save Sarah Jane from becoming married, would save her from his funeral, when he didn't actually die, and do other daring and amazing things.

At the moment, the Doctor was more worried about the lack of jelly beans in the house.


Sarah Jane woke up, and felt, for the first time in ages, at peace with herself. She couldn't really pin-point why, but felt... contented somewhat.

She took off the covers, and sat up, wincing slightly as her arm brushed her quilt.

Paying more attention to her injury, she realised her arm was in a splint. And that wasn't all, her leg and foot was in a cast, and her neck had a bandage round it. What on Earth had happened?

At least she was in her own bed...

She swung her legs out of bed, wincing slightly as she realised just how heavy casts were. She tried to stand up, but the pain was just too much for her fragile body. She fell, and luckily, missed the chest of drawers by about an inch.


Luke ran into his mothers room, having heard the noise, and found her lying on the floor.

He sat he up, and looked into her eyes.

She looked back, in pain and confused slightly.

He sighed, it still wasn't her. Still wasn't his mum.

"What happened?" He asked, wondering whether she could talk yet.

She exhaled noisily.

'I guess that's a no, then.' He thought.

"Here, let me help you back to bed." He offered, pulling her up, and letting her lean on him.

His stomach was doing back-flips at the sight of his mother, so helpless, so needy, and so not her! She didn't recognise him, and yet he recognised the Doctor..


The boy left the room. Was she still in hospital? Was he one of these 'work-experience' boys?

She could feel herself blushing crimson at the thought of him seeing her in her night clothes. How indecent.

Mind you, she thought, looking down at the pink and purple checked pyjamas, they weren't that bad.

There was a knock at the door, and Sarah could sense the Doctor in her mind.

'Decent?' He asked.

She nodded, then realised he couldn't see her. She looked in the mirror, opposite her bed, and sent back the image of her nodding.

He opened the door, and Sarah smiled as she saw the tray of food, tea, and jelly babies.

"I went shopping with Luke." He admitted.

The name confused her, but she was too hungry to ask.

As she tucked into her last piece of toast and jam, strawberry of course, she tried to send the Doctor a message.

He raised an eyebrow, "I'm receiving some static here." He claimed.

Sarah frowned, and tried again.

"Let me raise the aerial." The Doctor put his hands on Sarah's temples.

She raised an eyebrow and tried again.

"Oh." The Doctor pulled back from Sarah, and ate another jelly baby, considering the question. "Well, I'm not too sure but I think it's because I ... err... that's a good question you know. Maybe because I really didn't want to see you if you weren't ready to see me, I could just... send it. I really don't know how you managed to send back, honestly. And as for why you can't know... I'm not sure."

Sarah nodded, then looked in the mirror, trying to understand what she'd just agreed to.

A haggard woman, bandaged up and with blood on her neck bandage stared back at her. She also had jam round her lips.

Sarah sighed. It was just going to be one of those days, wasn't it?

Chapter 19

Rani and Luke were in the living room, Sarah Jane was in the garden with the Doctor.

Rani muted the TV, and turned to Luke.

"So. What's the deal?" She demanded.

"What? With what?" Luke asked, he had been watching the news.

"With you. You're..." Rani gestured to him.

"What?" He narrowed his eyes.

"All grumpy. Sad. Annoyed."

"I am not annoyed!" He argued.

"And quick to temper." Rani added, smiling slightly.

Luke looked away. He hated it how Rani could do that.

"So? Spill."

"It's nothing really, Rani."

"That's why you're all sad and stuff."

Luke looked at a painting on the wall. "Well, it's mum."

Rani shuffled up to him a bit. "Yes?"

"She doesn't remember me. She looks at me like I'm a stranger. But I'm her son! And this doctor, we've never met him before, and yet she remembers him more than me! Every time I go to talk to her, she gets all scared, and won't listen to me. It's like she doesn't want to talk to me..." Luke wiped away a tear that was threatening to spill.

"Oh Luke..." Rani cooed. "It's nothing personal. It's just her amnesia. And you know how the Doctor's time-line is. It's all messed up. He's been with her for years, this Doctor. Years and years and years. Well maybe not that long, but you get the idea. A while. And ... Luke?"

Luke stood up. "Maybe Mr. Smith could do something."

Rani stood up too. "What?"

"Jolt her memory. So she remember us. And so we can find out what happened to her."

Rani ran after Luke to the attic, this was so not happening!

Chapter 20

It was a warm spring evening, and Sarah Jane and the Doctor were on the swinging crate on her patio.

It was too lazy an afternoon to talk, and so Sarah Jane was resting her head against the Doctor's chest, and he was leaning his chin on her head, as well as stroking it occasionally.

The Doctor was telling her about how much he missed his car 'Bessie'. Apparently it had just been blown up by the master.

Sarah Jane smiled, she could remember the day she got zapped into the zone of death. She had fallen down then, she was always doing that back then.

The Doctor, curious as ever sneaked into her mind to see what Sarah was thinking about.

He too, remembered that day the master almost won. Of course the doctor had stopped him, he always did. And still managed to back in time for some jelly babies!

'I should have listened to K-9.' Sarah commented silently.

The Doctor patted her head, and casually asked, 'Who's K-9?'

Sarah sat up, and looked at him. She put a hand on his leg, and reprimanded him, 'My dog! You gave him to me. Remember?'

The doctor smiled and nodded, and pulled her back to leaning on him.

'Honestly.' She said once she'd snuggled up to him and gotten comfy. 'Anyone would think you'd lost your memory.'

The Doctor sighed, contentedly.