Bannerman Road
Present
The foul odor emanating from the burnt crepe in the pan beneath her awoke her from her daydream. He had been hard at work in the garage, attempting to open the locks on the crates with little luck and even less patience, and after nearly an hour of stubborn sulking over his inability to make heads or tails from them, she had decided that making breakfast seemed like a more pleasant task than having to deal with his frustration.
With a stack of successful crepes on a plate, and another few incinerated ones in the bin, it was obvious that even the simple task of making breakfast was too demanding of her attention. How could it not be when the only thing she could think of was the fact that, if not for his intervention, she would have been dead. Even more unsettling, she had died. He had simply made it… undone.
While carefully pouring the batter into the pan, her mind wandered back to that sudden act of affection he had shared with her in the garage. His subtle scent seemed to linger in her nostrils, withstanding even the burnt odor which had taken her entire kitchen hostage. He smelled different to other men. Of course, the Doctor rarely broke a sweat; a result of his low body temperature. He smelled fresher and sweeter. Always exactly the same. Intoxicatingly wonderful and tempting.
Suddenly she shook her head and aimed her focus back onto the pan in front of her.
'Bake!' she ordered herself internally.
She flipped over the thin pancake and reached for the radio. Perhaps some soft early morning music would help her complete this one mundane task. She had to admit to not being a kitchen princess. As a matter of fact, she was a downright terrible housewife and mother where practical things were considered. No doubt the amount of ruined dinners and shrunken clothes she had been responisble for over the years could have covered the entire street.
Her thoughts halted when a familiar tune made itself known from the box beside her. She smiled… happily at first. She hadn't heard Jim Croce on the radio in what seemed like half a lifetime. Before all of this. Before him and his box. Her smile slowly faded as the song played on… reading her mind. Soothing her. Mocking her entire existence since the Doctor had sank his alien feet in it.
'If I had a box just for wishes and dreams that had never came true.
The box would be empty, except for the memory, of how they were answered by you.'
Once again she was stirred back to reality by an overly enthusiastic DJ, who by the sound of his voice, had a perfect life and a perfect wife and perfect happy children.
'Time In A Bottle by Jim Croce, wishing you a very good morning as the clock strikes six. It's the news.'
She huffed contemptuously at the small transistor, as if the poor bloke had been responsible for how these last few days had unfolded. If he had been responsible though, she would have had to kiss him as much as she wanted to slap him. After all, her Doctor was back. The thing that she had hoped and dreamed of for years, had come to pass. The man she had yearned to see again was in her garage, probably muttering at a few inanimate ojects.
As she lifted another successful crepe on top of the small pile, her eyes wandered towards the garage. If she wanted to see him, all she had to do was walk outside, open the door, and there he would be. That was all that mattered. Even knowing what he had done. Knowing that he had abused his powers to alter the course of the universe… for her. He was there. Nothing else mattered.
'…Kraus International have successfully completed private research of Thyrisium B…'
Sarah's eyes snapped back towards the radio, her pupils dilating as she heard Krauss' name mentioned.
'… a renewable greenhouse gas remediating fuel they hope will, in their words, render petrochemistry and distribution of harmful abiotic oils and fossil fuels unnecessary forever. Founder Edmund Krauss was quoted as saying that it's high time for oil companies to evolve as the health of the planet is devolving day to day. More on Thyrisium B and Krauss International later today with ecologist Martin Prashad.'
'Thyrisium B,' Sarah repeated.
As soon as the word had left her mouth, the doorbell rang.
The Global Biota Repository
Days Earlier
'Sarah Jane,' he replied, caressing every letter of her name with his rich tones. The sound sent shivers down her spine. How long had she wanted to hear that voice.
She smiled. Years of hoping, wishing, and dreaming had come to pass in front of her, albeit on a screen. Was this real? Was he really here?
After a brief moment of exaltation, the joy in her eyes made way for concern… terror even, as soon she noticed the blood trickling from his left temple. He was in a misty room, his breath forming steamcircles against the camera.'
He wasted a few seconds as he took in the sight of her. A faint smile spreaded across his lips only to fade away again as subtly as it had arrived.
'Dr. Marianne Holden, is that you?' he asked, suddenly businesslike.
'Yes, that's me,' she replied whilst giving Sarah a questioning look. 'How does he know my name?'
'Hardly matters at the moment, Doctor Holden,' the Doctor answered. 'Sarah, I take it you know what we are up against by now?'
'Krynoid,' she said softly, watching him intently, still not sure whether it was really him.
'Good girl. Now first things first. The water in the facility is highly contaminated. Did either of you drink it during the last few hours?'
'No,' said both women simultaneously while shaking their heads.
'Are you absolutely certain?'
They nodded in unison.
'I didn't even use the water to brush my teeth, I always take bottles everywhere,' Marianne said. 'It's a thing I have.'
Sarah's eyes met the ground as she suddenly remembered brushing her teeth with tap water that very morning.
'Sarah Jane?' he asked.
'I didn't swallow it… I don't think I did.'
The Doctor sighed as he noticed the sudden fear in her eyes.
'It's probably fine. If you were in danger, you'd be experiencing severe pain in your abdomen. The Krynoid would have probably dug its way out already.'
He punctuated the information with a demented grin, as if the thought of something digging its way out of her chest was in any way amusing.
Sarah glanced at what was left of Artie's lifeless body.
'Of course. Why didn't I notice it?'
On his desk, a glass of water stood empty.
'Mister… ermmm,' Marianne began.
'Doctor,' he replied.
'Doctor, people have gone missing. There's a good chance one of them is infected. He was… attacked. We don't know about the others, but we can't locate them and for all we know they're dead.'
'Well,' the Doctor said blankly. 'I met Johan Karlsson upon my arrival here.'
'What did he say?' Marianne asked.
'I'm afraid there was nothing he could say. He was dead and frozen stiff when I got here. Shot through the back of his head… Happened anywhere between four to eight hours ago if you ask me.'
'Someone must have killed him during the night,' Sarah whispered. 'Doctor, I think Karlsson may have brought the pods in here. He was acting very suspicious, carrying around a a black container. Last night Mark and I saw him hide it.'
The Timelord didn't look impressed.
'Never mind that now,' he said. 'Who else is missing, Sarah?'
'Mark is. Mark Turner.'
The frown on his face revealed suspicion.
'Sarah... Whatever happens, we must avoid the Krynoid from spreading beyond this facility. It is absolutely paramount, do you understand? If those things get out of here, all animal life on this planet will fall prey to its appetite. It won't stop.'
'Where are you Doctor?' Sarah repeated.
'You know the old girl. Accuracy is hardly her strong suit. Meant to land right there with you, instead she decided to drop me of in the Greenhouse. Probably thought I'd enjoy a nice stroll through the gardens, which, in a way, I ended up having. Though I suppose one could have described it better as an immediate escape to the nearest safe place. Locked myself in the freezer. Gigantic place I'll have you know, one could stock several lifetimes worth of ice cream in here. Once again, he grinned sardonically.
'How will you get out?!' Sarah fretted, growing impatient with his sense of humour.
'That's not as important, listen… I need you both to help me.'
'But,' she protested.
'Sarah!,' he hissed.
She nodded in silence.
After a moment's pause, he cleared his throat and looks straight at her through the camera.
'Listen, this place is rigged with thermobaric weaponry in case of catastrophes such as virus outbreaks. It's a fairly uncommon safety precaution, but considering our plight, quite lucky for us.'
She suddenly felt sick. Time stood still as he revealed his plan. A feeling in her stomach so powerful she was sure she'd either faint or throw up, or both.
'They run on timers. I need you two to deploy them, you should have plenty of time to get out. 30 minutes to be exact.'
'You mean blow this place up?' Marianne asked incredulously.
'Yes, Dr. Holden. That's exactly what I mean.'
'No.' Sarah snapped sternly. She pressed her lips together and shook her head with conviction.
'I myself would be the first to look for an alternative, Sarah. Explosions are rather dull, I find. They so rarely justify the mess one is left with afterwards.'
Sarah turned away from him as she fought back the onset of tears.
'Why did you come here?' She whispered with her back still turned to the screen.
'Sarah?' Marianne asked carefully before she turned her attention to the Doctor.
'If you know so much about this place then why can't you do it? Marianne demanded accusingly.
'You're trapped, arent you?' Sarah mumbled to herself.
'I'm not leaving any time soon, Dr. Holden. Krynoid have me barricaded in here. I can access the computer files from here but the command for detonation must be inputted into the motherboard. A motherboard which can only be accessed from where you are.'
Now, I need you two to locate a file named 'CLOUD'. That file contains the password and input sequence necessary. Once you have those, you'll have to locate the actual switch which...'
He was silenced by Sarah.
'How dare you ask this of me?' she demanded as she turned to face him again.
He didn't blink.
'I realize this may seem drastic, Sarah.'
'I don't give a damn about this place!' she snapped. 'You're asking me to...' She tried to calm herself but couldn't.
'You're asking me to blow this hellhole up with you in it?'
'Am I?' He asked with a wistful grin and obvious sadness in his eyes.
'I wasn't supposed to come here. I just... I couldn't let you... I really thought I could save both of us.'
Wiping a tear from her cheek, she stepped closer to the screen. How badly she wanted to hold him.
'What do you mean... save both of us?'
They were interrupted by noises behind the wall as the connection distorted. The same rattlesnake-like noises they heard in the elevator.
'Sarah! Sarah do you hear me?!'
'Yes! Yes, I'm here.'
'Both the password and the input sequence are in the CLOUD file. You'll have to locate the actual dead man's switch, it should be somewhere in the Hub.'
'Where?!' Marianne asked loudly as the distortion on the sound grew.
'I Don't know. Could be behind any door or in any cupboard.' He replied. 'You'll have to hurry. Once the Krynoid reaches the main lab it may already be too late. And Sarah… Stay away from Turner.'
Sarah stared at him in utter confusion.
'I'll start locating the file then, shall I?' Marianne said nervously.
The screen started flickering as he addressed Sarah.
'I know you can do this Sarah Jane,' he said as she stared at him.
'Doctor...' she began.
Nothing. As she attempted to speak, the screen went black, leaving her only with her own reflection.
She nearly drowned in her own thought process. How could he ask this of her? He couldn't die. Not here and certainly not now. She'd seen some of his future selves. She would have burst into uncontrollable tears if not for that knowledge. Stay away from Turner? Why didn't he just run for the Tardis? How would they survive out there in the cold if they escaped? Neither of them coud fly a helicopter. What was she supposed to do?
A blizzard of confusion swept her up until' eventually, she wiped her mind clean from all of the questions by way of one simple definite answer. The only answer that made sense.
'This time it's me who saves him. Damn his plan.'
She would take care of the Krynoid and blow the place to oblivion… but she would walk out of here with him or die trying. The knowledge that future regenerations had already proven she would be successful, filled her with a sudden sense of confidence.
Bannerman Road
Present
As she answered the door, she was greeted by the back of a someone's head. A mailman, judging by the look of his attire.
'Can I help you?'
'Personal delivery for Sarah Jane Smith,' the man said as he twirled around to face her.
'Doctor!', she breathed, obviously relieved to see him.
'Shhhhh,' he hissed as he placed his index finger to her mouth like a frightened little boy worried he might be caught by his dad doing something naughty.
'I'm in the garage, remember? he whispered as he straightened his bow tie, which looked utterly ridiculous in combination with the rest of his uniform. 'I might hear.'
'Where did you steal these clothes?' Sarah asked while placing her hands on her hips.
'I didn't steal them,' he protested. 'And stop doing that!'
'Doing what?'
'Standing there like you're my mother,' he said while mimicking her authoritative stance.
His remark surprised her. Was that how he thought of her?
'I wouldn't even want to be,' she snapped.
He smiled back suggestively.
'I knooow,' he whispered, winking as he giggled before quickly clearing his throat in embarrassment.
'Excuse me?'
'Nothing. Yes, I will have a thin dough wipe, thank you,' he said while barging past her without answering.
'How do you know I have…' She stopped and suddenly realized. 'Oh… right. And they're referred to as 'crepes' on planet earth.'
'They're referred to as crepes on planet earth,' he mimicked.
By the time she had closed the door behind him, he had long disappeared into the kitchen. She quickly glanced up the stairs to make sure they hadn't woken the kids, and hurried her way towards him before he had eaten her entire breakfast.
As she entered the kitchen, he was waiting for her. From his mouth hung several thin shreds of dough, like strips of pasta. Pushed between his eye sockets were two pieces of strawberry, and in his hand, an orange.
'Look, I'm an Ood,' he said blankly.
She raised her eyebrows and presented him with a questioning look. Despite not being able to see her, he quickly removed the strawberries from his face and ate the strips of dough dangling from his mouth.
'I suppose you had to be there,' he mumbled.
'What are you doing here, what's wrong?'
He didn't waste time.
'I'm here to tell you to stay away from Krauss,' he ordered while rubbing his hands. 'I'll deal with them, it's too dangerous for him at the moment, he's in no state to tackle it… Besides, he's got more important things to attend to.'
Sarah chuckled.
'You expect me to try and stop him… stop you…'
'Yes,' he urged. That's the way it turned out. That's my past. You kept me here. You're doing fantastic so far, Smith. Everything is going according to plan, but if you and him re-write the next few days, it may take years for him, for me… for us... to realize where the loose end occurred and another several hundred to fix it. Every wrong turn I make has severe consequences. Knots in time that can only be untangled by going back.'
She watched him in silence, shocked to hear how heavy a weight the decision to save her had been.
'How many times have you done this? How many times have you had to go back into your own timeline and tie up yet another loose end you or anyone else caused while trying to fix another loose end? All because of me… 'the knot' in time. Because you refused to just let things run their natural course.'
He sighed and violently grabbed hold of another pancake.
'What's so natural about dying at the hands of a species that doesn't belong here?'
'You're not the judge, Doctor. I told you that earlier in the garage and I'll say it again.'
'Neither is anyone else,' he hissed. 'If The Krynoid killing you and millions of other people is natural then so is my interference. Exactly whose standards of morality are you judging me by?'
She gazed at him in silence, for a moment unsure of who she was talking to… and yet, she couldn't answer his question.
He sighed, well aware she was not to blame. Well aware that her potential lack of trust in him was his own doing. His unwillingness to tell her everything had caused it.
'I can't tell you everything. Not yet. It's too dangerous. But I promise you I will. Someday I will.'
'Can I ask you one thing? Just one thing.'
The Doctor nodded.
'No promises,' he mumbled.
'It's just that. I had a dream right before I woke up this morning… For a moment,' she hesitated.
'Yes?'
'Was it you who brought us both back here from the Vault?'
He smiled victoriously. As if relieved.
'Of course it was me, Smith! Come here.'
He held her tight and rested his chin on her head, violently rubbing her back.
'Perhaps it's just me that's the loose end,' she whispered. 'Perhaps you can't save me and expect everything else to just fall into place.'
He released her and stuffed a whole pancake into his mouth, only to embrace her once more, humming softly to her while he chewed.
'Don't do that,' he whispered. 'I told you. I don't care what it takes if it means the world has you in it. If it means my life has you in it.'
She smiled warmly. He was always good at that… comforting her. So unlike nearly every other man she had ever known. And yet, she also knew she was being manipulated in some sense, even if it was for her own good.
'Well, I suppose it won't be that much of a problem. He doesn't have the Tardis, does he,' she said, obviously burdened by that fact.
For a moment he looked at her suspiciously. As if frightened she would start asking questions about the whole Tardis debacle too. He grabbed another pancake, put it into his jacket, reached into his back pocket, and plopped a letter onto the table.
'Some of us haven't eaten yet!' she deadpanned as he left the kitchen.
'Some of us won't want to eat more than one,' he answered while turning around. 'Thought I'd make up for it now. Well, gotta dash. Read the letter, very important. '
He scooped her off her feet and kissed both her cheeks before quickly leaving.
'Doctor wait,' she called out to him.
'Make it quick, Smith. Important matters to attend to, and younger self on the way here,' he said while trodding towards the door and already opening it.
'Therysium B, what do you know about it?' Sarah managed while attempting to keep up.
'Therysium B,' he repeated.
For a moment, he scanned his own mind, went through the many shelves of his memory, and returned to reality empty handed.
'I've never heard of it,' he decided.
'Krauss International claim it's a viable green substitute for every kind of fuel.'
'Do they now?' he hissed, having obviously made his mind up then and there it didn't seem too kosher.
'Sarah!' a voice from the driveway called out.
The bow-tied Doctor's pupils dilated as he heard the familiar voice behind him.
'Oh, hello,' the curly Timelord said, prompting the older, yet younger looking version of himself to turn around for a brief second, only to quickly face Sarah Jane once more.
'Remember what I said, Smith. Read letter and don't let him wander off the same way you always did.'
As Sarah nodded the Doctors faced one another once more.
'Mr. Smith, I presume,' the older Doctor greeted, causing his instantly embarrassed younger self to quickly put his hands in his pockets as if he were hiding something. As if thinking 'I never touched her. Not like that.'
'Yes, well… Goodbye.'
The older Doctor scattered away like a frightened deer and disappeared behind the tall hedge, leaving Sarah Jane suppressing laughter and his younger self confused.
'What an odd chap,' the Doctor remarked.
'Extremely,' Sarah smiled.
The Global Biota Repository
Two Days Earlier
A million thoughts ran through Sarah's mind as she stared at her own reflection on the screen. A torrent of memories, lost chances, possibilities… all of them screaming for attention until there was nothing left but certainty.
Certainty of one thing. She would get him out of there. He had never been one to give up and she wasn't about to let him fulfill that ambition now. Overwhelmed by confidence, she glared at Marianne and offered her a reassuring nod.
'You heard him,' she said. 'We haven't much time. Better take care of business before…'
The main worry Sarah was about to voice introduced itself with a few loud clangs against the floor. Then… the familiar slithering sound.
The krynoid were approaching.
'They're close,' Sarah breathed as she hurried over toward a holographic display and switched it on. Without delay, several 3D maps of every floor of the facility appeared in front of her.
'Cloud,' Marianne mumbled as she grabbed hold of the nearest swivel chair, gingerly plopped herself down in it, and began searching for the desired files in the computer.
'Cloud, cloud, cloud, where are you?'
'Once you're done with that, access the cameras and see if you can locate Mark.'
For a moment, Marianne looked at Sarah as if she was mad.
'Did you not hear what your friend said? You know he's probably infected just like Ramsey. You saw what I saw, he got that, that… thing's thing… jammed into his chest.'
'Well perhaps we can still help him. Now get on with it.'
Without further hesitation, Sarah returned her attention to the maps and let her eyes wander straight down towards the greenhouse.
'Where are you, Doctor?'
Her eyes quickly focused onto a large room located directly next to the greenhouse.
'That's it,' she hissed as she scanned the immediate surroundings for a possible entrance. A door, just a few feet away from the freezer's, grabbed her attention. If the Krynoid had infested the entire greenhouse it would be near impossible to make it from the one door to the other. She didn't have a choice… it was the only option. She placed her index finger on the door and looked for what would be her entry route as well as, hopefully, their escape route.
Behind the door was what seemed like some kind of square elevator shaft, only much wider. Dozens of staircases ran all the way up the shaft towards…
'The entrance tunnel,' Sarah whispered as she remembered driving past the door upon their arrival. Ramsey had said it led towards the bowels of The Vault. That was it. That's the way she would get to him.
Krrrrrrrrrrrrr Krrrrrrrrrrrrr
A sudden distortion in the map she was looking at caught her attention. Then, something on her arm… on her head… on her boots… like sand falling. As she looked down at the floor, her eyes grew large. Plaster was falling from the ceiling.
'No,' she whispered as she flung her attention upwards.
Yes. Right on cue, the disconcerting sound of something being ripped apart, almost like cardboard being torn, made itself known.
'They're right above us,' Sarah whispered.
As soon as the discovery was made, a blood curdling shriek resounded through the Hub, prompting Sarah's eyes to shoot immediately towards Marianne. Had Mark walked back in?
As she caught sight of something flying near to the ceiling, her heart stopped. Had the Krynoid managed to make themselves airborne?
Upon closer inspection, she sighed a heavy breath of relief.
'Edison!' she chuckled nervously as the bird payed no attention whatsoever to the two women and landed upon the pinball table against the wall.
'That's ten years of my life, right there,' Marianne breathed.
'If we don't find those codes it won't matter much,' Sarah said as she approached the younger woman. 'Look!'
Following Sarah's index finger, her eyes caught sighed of the near to collapsing roof and the recognizable sound of leathery plant tentacles growing louder.
'I simply typed 'cloud' into the search engine,' Marianne informed her nervously while still eyeing the ceiling. 'It's still looking for the file. There must be a billions of folders in there judging by how long it's taking, I wouldn't know where to start.'
'Good,' Sarah nodded as she looked at Edison bopping his head playfully atop the pinball table as if nothing had happened.
Secretly, a part of her hoped the computer would come up short. That a little square saying 'No results found' would pop up, and put a stop to what they were about to do. She was well aware of what the Krynoid would cause were they to escape this prison… She had seen what had happened with just one pod, let alone several. Still, the thought of blowing up this place filled her with revulsion. She couldn't have care less about the place itself. However, what was inside it… locked in its freezer, was of more value to her than anything else in the world. What if she failed?
She was urged back to reality by Edison's screeching. Then the Krynoid sounds stopped.
'Paaaaaaaswoooord,' the bird said casually.
'Right,' Sarah mumbled while shaking off her doubts. 'Now where is that switch?'
'Yes!' Marianne exclaimed. 'Found it!'
Sarah stared at the computer screen as Marianne opened the desire 'Cloud' file.
'Alright,' the younger woman sighed. 'It's a patch system. I have to generate a code and patch it to the switch.'
'What are you waiting for then?'
'Once I patch it…,' Marianne informed as she made sense of the file. '…we only have five minutes to enter the code into the switch…'
'Which we haven't found yet,' Sarah said as she walked back towards the 3D maps, hesitantly looking up at the cracks in the roof before she decided to stand underneath them.
'Paaaaaswoooord,' Edison repeated as he walked across the surface of the pinball table.
'If there's only a five minute time frame, the actual switch has to be close enough in order to get to it within five minutes,' Sarah said as she focused in on map. 'That means it's in this very room most likely.'
'Sarah!' Marianne screamed, her cry mingling with the alien sounds of something above Sarah's head.
She didn't have time to react. Didn't even have time to consider the blatantly obvious. Not until it was too late. Without warning, the green oily tentacles had latched itself around her hips and chest, slowly pulling her up towards the ceiling, nearly crushing her ribs in the process.
Within seconds, more of the snake-like extensions found their way through the ceiling and swung jerkily through the air like a nest of out of control fire hoses, swaying violently from side to side as its eerie sound effects grew louder again.
Without so much as another scream or whimper, Marianne rose to her feet to the best of her abilities and stumbled towards the fire extinguisher by the door with great determination, not in the least concerned by the hysterical slimy tentacles jerking themselves towards her.
As Sarah attempted to grab hold of her lipstick, Marianne pressed and pulled the button on the red canister, and turned back to face the creature…
'Alright!' she screamed as she aimed, ready to wreak havoc on the horrific alien being which was near to surrounding both of them with its 'arms'.
The hissing sound of the extinguisher resounded through the room as they became surrounded by white smoke. The ever thickening cloud merely seemed to awaken the Krynoid's hysteria even further. But then, quick as a flash, the tentacles retreated, dropping Sarah to the floor and disappearing in the now gaping hole in the ceiling. Just like that, they were gone again.
Bannerman Road
Present
As she led him towards the kitchen by the hand, she couldn't help but grin. It had been decades since she had cooked for him, or rather, attempted to. During her twenties, even a soft boiled egg had often presented its problems, and he had often revealed his disgust for her cooking by way of horrified looks and raised eyebrows. He never said a word, and she never dared to ask, knowing he would favour gentlemanly politeness over the truth anyway. At least now, she could offer him an edible dish or two.
'Sarah, I really should be getting back to work,' he protested while being pulled towards the small pile of pancakes.
'Those boxes are extremely important.'
'You can't know that can you?'
He halted next to the table and glared at her, prompting a silence only broken by the soft sounds of the radio.
Then, he noticed the white envelope on the table.
'That's just a bill,' Sarah snapped as she scooped up the letter the Doctor had left, folded it up, and put it in her pocket.
'Yes,' she whispered as if nothing had happened. 'They probably are important. They must be. Still, you haven't eaten properly in what? Days? You need your energy. Please just… sit down with me for fifteen minutes.'
She knew the situation made him uncomfortable. While other of his incarnations had less of a problem briefly giving into to domesticity, her Doctor had a deep rooted aversion to it. He would have more gladly cleaned sewers with a toothbrush for two days than to sit down in the kitchen of a suburban house and share a normal breakfast with her.
Rolling his eyes, he reluctantly caved in to her wishes and plopped into the chair.
'Thank you,' she said while placing a plate in front of him.
'No jelly babies, I'm afraid.'
Suddenly, he shot up from his chair as if having just woken up from a nightmare.
'Oh, I'm sorry,' she said, surprised by his overly dramatic reaction to a lack of candy. 'I have fruit.'
'No, no,' he shook his head, reassuring her that jelly babies hadn't even entered his mind. 'I should help, shouldn't I? What can I do to help?'
Sarah chuckled as she placed two plates and two cups on the table in front of him, endeared by his awkwardness when confronted with the 'normal everyday' Sarah Jane Smith.
'Nothing. Just sit down, you're a guest in my house. Besides, everything is done.'
He stared straight ahead as she poured him a cup of tea and loaded his plate with food. For a moment, she felt like a dangerous predator of some kind. A T-Rex perhaps, causing him to remain motionless in complete and utter fright. Once more, she was amused by how easily these little domestic scenes could knock him off kilter. When she was done distributing the food and drink, she sat down opposite him, suddenly realizing herself how very strange indeed the situation was. She looked up from her plate and noticed him glaring at his plate with great intensity, as if to rid the food upon it of some evil spirit by way of mental force.
She giggled and placed her hand upon his.
'It's fine, trust me. Having kids has taught me a thing or two about cooking rudimentary meals.'
He looked at her with great suspicion.
'I promise your Timelord tummy won't get cross.'
'That's what you said about that chocolate cake you made for Christmas,' he mumbled as he grabbed his fork with a certain amount of trepidation and brought the rolled up piece of crepe to his lips.
'Oh… oh yes,' Sarah giggled as she managed to remember that particular holiday season. 'Such a long time ago,' she whispered as she waited for his eyes to meet with hers.
'That was a good year… wasn't it?'
He looked at her, slowly nodding as he chewed his food and then, smiling a smile that made her entire body feel restless… warm… aching.
'Delicious,' he said softly, the sound of his voice only adding to the myriad of stirring and soothing sensations she was suddenly forced to endure.
'Some sugar or syrup?' she asked after forcefully clearing her throat, grateful the change of subject had so easily presented itself.
The look of disgust on his face provided an immediate reply.
'Syrup on dough?'
He shook his head while reaching for the sugar and covering the entirety of the crepe with it.
'Of course. How silly of me. Syrup on pancakes is endlessly more revolting than an entire cup of it poured over macaroni and cheese or mingled with champagne just to 'take the tartness out a bit.''
He nodded in complete earnest while taking another bite of his food, obviously failing to take note of his friend's gentle sarcasm.
'Strawberries?'
Once again he shook his head.
'I think this particular body of yours might regenerate from diabetes sooner than you ever would from Daleks or Cybermen.'
'Another truly heartbreaking form of human illness Gallifreyans are spared from. Imagine something so lovely and sweet as sugar being detrimental to the health of ones' entire species…' He chuckled at the thought and reached for his cup of tea.
Just then, a slight voice made itself known from the hallway, growing louder and louder until' the enthusiastic chant 'Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes!' finally presented itself at the kitchen door in the form of Sky Smith.
'Morning,' the girl greeted softly and awkwardly upon being confronted by the very tall and imposing, albeit equally awkward Timelord sitting opposite her mum.
'Good morning,' the Doctor replied in an equally soft tone of voice while slowly backing away from the table as far as he could without rising from his chair… almost as if wanting to hide himself.
After observing the Doctor from head to toe, and giggling at the sight of the unruly mop of curls atop his head, she bravely approached the table.
'Sit down and have breakfast, darling,' Sarah said while pulling the chair next to hers from under the table. To little avail as the girl in colorful pajamas and huge fluffy elephant slippers promptly decided she'd rather be seated next to the oddly adorable giant her mother had brought home.
'We were just talking about how Timelords can't get ill from sugar', Sarah attempted, fully aware that it had to be one of the poorest conversation starters she had ever managed to conjure up.
Regardless, Sky gazed back at the Doctor in amazement; impressed by that ability more than any superpower she had ever read or heard about.
'Lucky bugger,' she gasped with utter envy, eliciting a less than subtle look of pride from the Timelord.
'You are such a child,' Sarah mused. The thought being caused not by her young daughter, but by the ancient being sitting at her table.
Nevertheless, she was relieved he hadn't yet attempted to hurl himself through the window in desperation after being presented with her daughter… and for a second, she wondered whether he might just, perhaps, be able to get used to it. She pushed the tiny seed of hope aside and quickly told herself otherwise.
'He doesn't belong here. He doesn't belong to you. He belongs to himself and the infinite and ever expanding universe, not your kitchen.' Then again, he was stuck here… at least for the time being.'
'Morning,' Luke muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he passed the Doctor unaware and casually sat down beside his mother.
'Oh,' he said as he looked up, suddenly presented by the sight of his sister staring at the 'new' Doctor's hair while chewing her breakfast.
'Hello.'
'Hello,' the Doctor once again replied in the exact same manner as the greeting he had been presented with.
'Never thought I'd see you reduced to a parrot by my own children, Doctor. Perhaps you ought to take these monsters with you to do the negotiating.'
Instantly, Sky's eyes and frame grew larger with anticipation.
'Forget I ever said that,' Sarah ordered, instantly realizing her mistake.
'Aww,' the girl whined, sagging back down in her chair while the Doctor cleared his throat and finally rose from his seat, prompting Sarah to kick herself internally when remembering once again he had nowhere to go. Not to mention the little joke at his expense she had insisted upon prior to that.
'Too far,' she told herself.
'I think I've wasted enough time. Plenty of work still left for me in your garage,' he said coolly. 'Thank you very much for breakfast, Sarah Jane.'
'You've hardly eaten,' she protested, knowing all to well it would be in vain. Remembering his older self had already hinted at his refusal to eat.
'I don't really feel like it right now. Thanks all the same.'
He made his way past Sky and headed for the door, leaving Sarah rubbing her forehead in disappointment.
'Good luck,' Luke deadpanned, forcing the Doctor to submit to the conventions of human politeness and turn around. 'Hope you sort out soon what's in them.'
'Thank you, Luke,' The Timelord replied, somewhat feigning gratitude.
'Will you be leaving mum again as soon as you do?'
The Doctor halted, this time refusing to turn around.
'Luke,' Sarah urged.
'I won't let you and Sky get hurt, Mum. Who knows what kind of vile things are after him right now. If he cared anything about our safety, he would leave.'
'He won't let any of us get hurt,' Sky protested. 'He's ten times bigger than you are to start with.'
Finally, the Doctor turned to face the trio of odd squabbling beings in the kitchen. How little control they had over their emotions.
'Your son is a very clever young man, Sarah. Perhaps he's right. I've intruded without asking any of you whether or not you agreed. Terribly inconsiderate of me.'
He turned around and headed out of the door.
'You're mean,' Sky hissed at her brother.
'You're naive,' Luke replied.
'Shut up, you two,' Sarah ordered. 'Luke, I appreciate your concern but it's unwarranted. He's staying right here and that's final. The problems that could arise from him leaving far outnumber those that could happen if he stayed. Trust me.'
She realized that those two last words held little meaning. After all, she herself had her doubts. She herself had no clue about was happening. But if the Doctor said to keep his younger self with her, she would.
'Doctor!' she called out after him.
By the time she caught up with him, he was already entering the garage.
'Doctor…'
'Sarah Jane, I promise I will be out of your hair as soon as possible. Your son is absolutely right. Now, If you'll excuse me, I have matters to attend to. Two days, that's all I ask, I'll never ask for anything else again.'
'But I don't…'
'Sarah, please, I'm wasting time…'
'Yes,' she suddenly huffed. 'You made that quite clear. Any moment spent with us is a waste of your valuable time. Of course me and my children aren't powerful alien queens or presidents. We spend our time eating breakfast, and getting on with our mundane lives. Sorry that's such a disappointment and embarrassment to your high and mighty ambitions.'
She turned around and ran off, slightly embarrassed by the soap opera scene which had unfolded on her own driveway.
'Sarah, I -' he swallowed his plea and simply closed the garage door, determined to open those boxes. Once he found out, he'd be gone… by taxi if required. He had years of untouched pay from UNIT sitting in a bank account. Although considering earth's laughable economic system, it would more than likely amount to little more than peanuts today.
Sarah ran up the stairs and plopped herself atop her bed, ready to have a good cry. As soon as she landed however, she felt the folded up letter from the older Doctor still tucked in her pocket. She retrieved it and rid it of its envelope…
