Chapter Thirty Four
The Doctor slept in the next morning even though he'd planned for an early day. As a habit Time Lords didn't need much sleep but when his internal clock said it was time to wake, he rolled back over and groaned. When he finally woke up he found it was eleven o'clock. Harry would be here in an hour. He sat on the side of the bed and leaned over scrubbing his head and face attempting to wake up. He felt so groggy…why? Looking back he remembered why, he and the others had a drinking contest last night and he won, or did he considering the way he felt? "I need a shower, that'll pick me up." he said aloud as he headed into the shower. Looking down he found that he'd fallen asleep with all his clothes and boots on. He rolled his eyes. 'Never ever again would he let that happen', he thought as he stripped and entered the shower.
Ten minutes later as he exited the shower, he grabbed his bathrobe and padded barefoot through the Tardis and entered the kitchen. He set about making coffee and reached in the drawer and took some aspirin that Sarah had left there. Usually human medications didn't work on him but he was desperate to feel some sense of normalcy. He poured the coffee in a mug and added double the sugar deciding he would need every bit of energy he could muster. He looked at the clock on the wall and realized that Harry would be arriving in about twenty five minutes. He quickly returned to his bedroom and opened the closet door.
There it hung in all its glory, the tux he wanted to wear to surprise Sarah. He knew she was being completely honest when she said he could wear whatever he wanted, but he wanted everything to be perfect for her. According to Harry and Benton, this was what a groom should wear at an Earth wedding, so he'd bought one. He'd wear the tux and his boots. He quickly polished them till they shined and dressed knowing that time was slipping away. He tied his bow tie as he walked through the Tardis. As he entered the console room he heard knocking at the door. He walked down the metal ramp and opened the door to find Harry Sullivan almost leaning against the Tardis, his face a shade of grey. "Hello Harry." he said brightly.
"Shhh, not so loud." Harry commented as he used his hands to shield his eyes from the sun.
"Are you all right? You look like something a Cyberman has gotten hold of." he commented with a smile. If he remembered correctly the drinking contest was Harry's idea. "Come in." he said as he ushered Harry through the door.
It had been a great number of years since Harry had entered the Tardis and he wasn't prepared for the grandeur of the room. When he'd last been onboard the room had been bright but small. But it appeared that the Doctor wasn't the only one that had changed, his Tardis had changed as well. Harry stumbled as he walked up the grating of the metal ramp.
"Careful Harry." the Doctor said as he watched his old friend take it all in. "Well, what do you think?"
"It's…big." Harry commented as he looked around. He was so stunned by the interior of the console room that he'd momentarily forgotten his headache. "When did all," he waved his arms around, "this happen?"
"A bit back, but to be honest the old girl surprised me as well." He pointed up and continued, "When I brought Sarah in for the first time on Alpha, I found that the Tardis had completely changed her walls to be more in sync with the last time that Sarah was here." He pointed to the location of the prior old torn bench seat. "And that was a new upgrade for Sarah as well." He walked over to the console and patted it. "Just trying to welcome her home, weren't you old girl?"
"It's…so…different." Harry stammered.
"Still the same inside, aren't you?" He patted and rubbed the console again.
Harry shook his head. He'd forgotten about the way the Doctor used to stroke and pat the Tardis. Some things never change, Harry decided. He looked down at his watch. "We should have left about five minutes ago but luckily for you, I know a shortcut."
"Harry…" the Doctor put as much warning as he could in his name.
"Don't worry, it'll be our little secret." he said as he headed down the ramp and out of the Tardis.
"What will be?"
"I'm afraid of getting Sarah Jane angry too." Harry confessed as he climbed into the driver's seat of his car.
The Doctor blew out a long breath. What was the point of arguing? He was right; it was never a good thing to anger Sarah and knowing this he believed that Harry would do everything possible to get them there on time.
When Sarah's alarm went off at nine she couldn't believe it was morning already. She knew that Kate, Helena and Maya were coming over to help her get ready in an hour so she climbed out of bed and much to her chagrin she had a headache. Not a big one but an annoying one. Still, it could have been worse she decided. After what she'd witnessed last night, the men must really be suffering. She smiled when she thought of the singing that could be heard coming from the Land Rover. They would definitely be paying for their behavior today.
Sarah quickly showered and found that once she'd finished much of her headache was gone. She dried off and pulled a robe on and heard her stomach grumbling. This Time Lord blood was going to make her fat if she weren't careful. But it was her wedding day and if she was hungry, so be it. She was going to eat. She went to the kitchen and pulled out some eggs, cheese, ham and bread. On Alpha they called it a breakfast sandwich and it had been okay, but using real ingredients made it great in Sarah's book. She cooked the eggs and ham and toasted the bread. As she assembled the sandwich she looked out the window to find a family of deer staring at her. Sarah smiled and once again said softly, "It's all right." The deer returned to their morning munching, assured that she wouldn't harm them.
Sarah stood at the window and ate as she watched the deer. She missed this part of Elisabeth's life. She thought back to the security she once felt living here. It was no wonder. There were only three houses on the entire road, Benton's, Mike Yate's and hers. Somewhere deep inside she knew they were her friends and would protect her. She must have because she was never in any way concerned she'd be robbed or anything else. She saw her plaid lunch bag that she'd carried every day she taught at the college on the end of the counter. She walked over and picked it up and smiled. Her students now had children of their own more than likely, many possibly students at the college. She worried sometimes that they felt responsible for her predicament. In spite of everything, going to Alpha hadn't been all bad. In a small way she was doing what she used to do. She loved the Earth but she loved to travel with the Doctor. She heard knocking at her door and returned her lunch bag to the counter.
She swiftly moved through the house and unlocked and opened the door to find Kate, Helena and Maya standing on her front porch their arms laden with cosmetics, curlers and everything else they thought she would need to get ready. As she held the door wide for them to enter she said, "You really shouldn't have. You've done so much already."
"Nonsense," Helena said, "we know that you said last night that you were just going to brush your hair as usual and put on a little makeup and that would be it. But Sarah Jane this is your wedding day. If there were ever a day that a woman should look and feel like a princess, this is the day."
Maya was setting up the makeup and the many bottles of nail polish and manicure accessories on Sarah's dining table in her kitchen. "I'm hopeless with hair styles." Maya confessed. "But Helena is great with all that so she'll fix your hair. I have found that I am wonderful with nail polish and makeup. So I would be honored if you would allow me to give you a manicure and do your makeup."
Kate stepped forward and said, "I'm not skilled at any of that but I do know that you love sweets so I stopped at a marvelous bakery and I bought a multitude of every kind of pastry you can think of." she said as she placed four pink boxes tied with twine on her counter top. She opened the cupboard and removed several large plates and began filling them. "Oh and my other super power is direction. I've directed one of my most reliable men to bring a limo here at noon."
"But I can just ride with one of you." Sarah protested. They were going to so much effort to make this day wonderful that she felt guilty.
"Nonsense, you will ride with your matron of honor and your bridesmaid to the wedding and I will meet you at the wedding and make sure everything is going according to plan. Is there anything at all I can get you before I go?" she asked as she headed for the door.
"Kate, I don't know what to say. You've been such a blessing throughout this whole journey back to Earth and now the wedding. I can't begin to thank you enough." Sarah reached out and hugged her.
"I just want you and the Doctor to be happy." Kate said as she reached for the door knob. "See you at the wedding." Kate left before Sarah could see the tears of joy in her eyes. Kate did her best to be tough at all times. It was essential to remain so in front of everyone at Unit and it was difficult to get her to break, but Sarah Jane had the ability to put a chink in her armor and tug at her heart. When Sarah had asked her to be a bridesmaid, Kate was astonished. No one had ever asked her that before. She'd been to many Unit weddings but had never before been invited to participate in any way in one. She knew she could better serve Sarah Jane by facilitating the intricacies of the wedding itself. She'd explained this to Sarah and she'd understood. But it was an honor to be asked. She smiled as she climbed into her SUV.
Inside, Sarah watched her leave through the window. 'God help anyone that got in that woman's way today', Sarah thought with a smile. She turned back to see her two friends waiting for her. "So what's first?" she asked.
Helena answered as she tucked her blonde hair behind her ears. "First we do your hair, then nails and then makeup." She motioned Sarah to sit down in a kitchen chair. Sarah sat down and she asked, "Have you spoken with the Doctor today Sarah Jane?"
"No." she answered.
"I hope he's doing better than John." she commented.
"Tony as well." Maya added. "When I left, Tony was tearing the house apart looking for his sunglasses." Maya smiled thinking of her new house and new life just outside of London. Unit had offered both of them positions and they'd accepted. Unit had set not only she and Tony up in a house but John and Helena as well. It turned out they were neighbors and navigating this new life as they once did, together.
"John was moaning as if he were dying. I warned him not to overdo it." Helena said as she misted Sarah's hair and set it on curlers. "Do you think the Doctor has a high tolerance to alcohol Sarah Jane?"
"He used to be able to drink the Brigadier under the table but I'm sure if he drank as much as the others he'll be feeling it today." she admitted. "I guess time will tell."
"I warned Tony that he better be feeling or at least looking like he was feeling well for your wedding. I really enjoy dancing at weddings as well as the cake." Maya admitted.
"You remember on Alpha we had a few weddings but nothing like a real wedding with real flowers, real food, real cake and live music." Maya has taken to Earth like a fish takes to water with her current favorite thing being weddings."
"Everyone is so happy at weddings. Speaking of weddings, I'm still in shock that Alan is getting married. I bet he's not doing too well this morning either."
Helena had finished rolling Sarah's hair and asked, "Before Maya starts on your nails why don't we get some coffee and some of those wonderful pastries that Kate brought?"
"I'll put a pot of coffee on." Sarah said. "I'm suddenly starved." She was definitely going to have to talk to the Doctor about her new preoccupation with food.
The three women approached the counter and continued to chatter about the men in their lives, life on Alpha, life on Earth and everything else that crossed their minds. Sarah smiled, it was good to have friends help you get ready for special days.
Later Sarah stood staring into the full length mirror in her bedroom and was amazed at her reflection. She truly did look like a princess from a fairy tale. Her hair thanks to Helena, was done up in curls on her head. The tiara with its veil attached sparkled like diamonds which she would never admit to, actually were diamonds thanks to the Doctor. When she told him about the tiara and the trouble she was having finding the right veil to attach to it he asked if he could adjust a few of the stones so that they would sparkle brighter. Never in her wildest dreams did she think he would replace all the stones with actual diamonds. Her eyes traveled down to her hands. She was never big on wearing nail polish but she had to admit that Maya had done an exquisite job. The palest of pink polish was the perfect color.
Her dress was gorgeous in every way. She had chosen a white ball gown with a sheer illusion scoop neckline bodice. Since their wedding day was in the middle of the summer, she'd chosen a sleeveless dress. The very full skirt was sprinkled with exquisite lace appliques and three dimensional flowers with beading that was painstakingly hand stitched. The dress itself had taken close to a year to be finished but thanks to the Doctor and his time machine, hadn't taken long at all. In the span a few days, Sarah had picked it up from the designer. Behind her Helena and Maya were carefully attaching the seven foot long train. It was attached with almost invisible tiny hooks and eyes. When they'd finished that they adjusted the veil again.
"All that's left now are your shoes." Helena commented as she stood back and looked admiringly at Sarah.
"Did you wear them for a bit?" Maya asked. "I didn't listen to Helena and my feet were battered and bruised after our wedding. Tony spent part of our honeymoon rubbing my feet."
"I'm sure he didn't mind a bit." Helena said with a smile.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Maya replied.
Sarah turned to go to the bed to retrieve her shoes but Helena stopped her. "Don't move. I'll get them." Helena brought them over to Sarah and knelt down. "Lean on Maya and we'll get these on." Helena said as she helped Sarah slip into her shoes.
"They are lovely Sarah Jane." Maya commented as Sarah pulled her left leg forward and looked at their reflection in the full length mirror.
"I do like them." Sarah admitted. Maybe like wasn't the truth. Love was closer. Sarah had never owned a more beautiful pair of shoes in her life, especially shoes that would be worn only one day. The white four inch heels were covered in crystals and their straps crossed in the back where there was a beautifully tied bow. Any other time and Sarah would have shamed herself for the amount she'd spent on this ensemble but the money she'd been given for her work as a pilot on Moonbase Alpha had exceeded any amount she'd have thought possible. Her bank account was still flush with funds. She had to laugh as she thought of the way they treated her at the bank. Never before had they treated her so warmly.
The doorbell rang and all three women jumped and then laughed. "I'll get it." Helena said as Maya continued to adjust Sarah's dress.
When Helena opened the door she found it was the florist. He had a very large box. "Sorry I'm running a bit late." the young man with tousled brown hair said. "Want me to put these inside?"
"That would be great. Can you put them on the table?" She directed him to the kitchen table.
"Sure no problem." He set the box on the table and added, "I'll be right back. I have one more arrangement." The young man returned to the truck.
Sarah came out of the bedroom with Maya carrying her train as Helena opened the large box. It contained the bride's bouquet and bouquets for Helena and Maya. "Oh they're lovely!" Sarah exclaimed.
The young man returned with a large arrangement of several dozen pink roses and baby's breath. When he saw Sarah he said, "Wow! You're beautiful." He then blushed and apologized. "Sorry Miss I…"
"That's quite all right. I appreciate the compliment." Sarah found that she too was blushing.
The delivery man sat the vase on the table and added, "Have a wonderful day Miss. Your groom's a lucky man." He turned and started to leave but Helena caught his arm.
"Just a minute." She reached for her purse and pulled out some money. "Thank you and you have a good day too." she said as she handed him a tip.
Maya looked at her watch. "Is the car here yet? It's just about time to go."
Helena looked out the window to see that a black limousine had just pulled up. The driver was leaving the vehicle and walking around. She opened the door again and said to the driver, "We'll be out in just a minute." She turned and looked back at Sarah and Maya. "Okay Sarah Jane, this it. Do you have everything?"
Sarah ran through a quick checklist in her head. "My purse is in the Tardis. My keys?" She looked around to see them sitting on the countertop.
Maya followed her gaze and picked them up. "I can keep them in my purse and give them to you or the Doctor before you leave."
"Thank you Maya. That would be great. My gown has pockets but…oh I have a lace handkerchief on my dresser." Sarah said.
"Stay there, I'll go get it." Maya offered as she left the room and quickly retrieved it. "Here you go." Sarah took it and placed it in her left pocket.
"Can you think of anything else?" Helena asked.
"I'll bring her lipstick and a quick repair kit." Maya volunteered. Since coming to Earth and attending all the Alphan weddings that she and Tony had attended recently, she felt like she was an expert.
"Then we better go." Helena said with a smile. She clearly remembered her wedding day not too long ago and how wonderful it all was. She wanted it to be the same for Sarah Jane and the Doctor.
"Before we go, I just want to tell you both how much I appreciate all that you've done for me. I've not had many girlfriends and certainly not any as devoted as you two. I'm just so grateful…" Sarah said as she started to choke up.
Helena and Maya exchanged knowing glances. The pair stood on each side of her and Helena reached out and squeezed her arm. "We're more than glad to be here for you. Now, take a deep breath and don't cry. You're going to mess up your makeup and make both of us cry. Okay?"
Sarah smiled. "Okay."
The pair helped Sarah gather her train and helped her to the limousine. Standing next to the open door was a Unit soldier in full dress uniform standing at attention. As Sarah started to climb in, he reached out his hand to offer her help. It was then that she met his eyes. He was tall with dark hair and a mustache both peppered with bits of grey. She stopped and asked him, "I know you don't I?"
"Yes Ma'am. Though when you knew me I was only a Private." he explained.
"We worked together in London and Scotland. You're…" Sarah looked over his medals, "Major Jackson."
"That's correct Ma'am. I'm surprised you remember." he admitted. Everyone had warned him that she looked the same, but she looked even younger. He remembered the crush he'd had on her from afar.
"How could I forget Major? How are you?" Sarah smiled sweetly.
"I'm fine Ma'am but if you don't mind me saying, we really need to get you to your destination."
"Right you are Major." Sarah and her attendants climbed into the limousine.
As soon as they were underway Maya commented, "I still can't believe you don't know exactly where you're getting married."
"All I know is that it will be somewhere on the old Unit grounds. The Doctor was taking great pride in keeping it all very hush hush. He swore to me that it would all make sense. Besides I know that Kate is on top of everything and she'll make sure the boys don't do anything crazy." She looked from Maya to Helena. "So John and Tony know nothing?"
"If they do they're not talking." Helena said. She leaned forward and asked Major Jackson, "And if we were to ask you?"
"I know nothing Ma'am." he smiled, knowing he was lying.
"I think it's sweet. I like surprises." Sarah admitted putting an end to their enquiries. Yesterday morning they had a nontraditional rehearsal breakfast which was served in a large private dining room of one of Sarah's favorite restaurants. She wondered at the time why the room was so large, only to find out that they needed the floor space to practice going down the aisle. He certainly was keeping this close to the chest this time. But she didn't really mind, it was nice seeing him excited about his part of the wedding. Sarah sat back and relaxed as she listened to the women talk about their weddings. 'We'll be together soon Doctor', Sarah thought.