Chapter Two / Welcome to Bannerman Road
"Sorry, say that again Harry," Sarah Jane said, wondering if her hearing was starting to go. Surely, she hadn't heard Harry say that he was coming to visit. The last time Harry had taken 'shore leave' was...well, Sarah Jane wasn't exactly sure when it was. She only tended to see him between assignments when UNIT would force him to take a few weeks off to reacclimatise to the real world.
"I'm taking some of my leave and heading up to London," Harry repeated, balancing the phone between his ear and shoulder as he continued typing on his computer. "Thought I would come and meet your Luke...that is if you don't mind?" He asked, conscious of how his friend was someone who led an independent life, rarely able to stay still for long.
Placing the kettle back down, Sarah Jane turned to lean against the kitchen counter. "Harry I would love to see," she said, having not expected to have the chance for at least another six months. They had a standing dinner date with each other at least once a year, but she couldn't think of the last time they had spent more than a few hours together.
"You can come for a few days if you like, use one of the guest rooms," She suggested, knowing that Harry rented out his Chelsea flat for most of the year when he was on assignment. "Are you sure I wouldn't be putting you out? I'm more than happy to book somewhere – give you and the boy a little space," Harry insisted, sending off his email before setting up his 'out of office' message.
Did an out of office really work if you were a UNIT officer?
It used to at NATO, at least to some degree.
Why had he let the Brig talk him into coming back? Harry was pulled out of his thoughts by Sarah Jane.
"Harry, we have more than enough space for you and most of your department in this house," She chuckled, knowing that Harry would never want to make her feel put out. "I insist," Sarah Jane added, not prepared to take no for an answer.
Harry knew there was no point arguing with her.
"I can be there by teatime; do you want me to pick up some food on the way? My treat," Harry said, powering down his computer as he searched the drawer of his desk for his car keys. "I'll get something from that Italian place we went to last time," He suggested, knowing he could look up the details on his phone on the way out. "Anything the boy doesn't eat?" He asked, a glance at the clock telling him that if he left now, he'd likely not run into anyone in the office.
"He's a teenage boy, he'll eat just about anything you put in front of him," Sarah chuckled, realising that she would have to explain the boy's origins to her friend. Luke was experiencing everything for the first time, with a new-born's eyes. She thought of how Maria had to explain the concept of pizza to him.
Harry threw his duffle bag over his shoulder, slipping his laptop under his arm as he headed to the door. "Got it, I'll be there as soon as I can," he said, glancing out his door before heading down the hallway.
"Drive safe," Sarah Jane added, hearing her front door opening. "See you soon, old girl," Harry said, hanging up the phone as he made his way towards the car park.
Putting down her mobile, Sarah Jane looked up as Maria and Luke appeared, several shopping bags under each arm. "Did you buy the entire shop?" She asked, having let the pair go off on their own to buy their school things. After all, what did she know about buying school uniforms?
"We need to have options, Sarah Jane," Maria joked, putting the bags in the hallway. "And Luke may have bought just about every colour of notebook under the sun," She added with a roll of her eyes as she followed Sarah Jane and Luke into the lounge.
"We need to have options, Maria," Luke teased, dropping himself down on the sofa as Sarah Jane stood next to the TV. She folded and unfolded her hands, fidgeting as she tried to think of how to tell the pair about Harry – before deciding it was best to just come out with it.
"We have a visitor on the way," Sarah Jane revealed, watching as Maria raised an eyebrow. "My friend Harry is coming to stay for a few days," She explained, finding herself fidgeting with her watch as she watched the two teenagers. It would be the first time either of them would meet any of her friends, especially one who was connected to her time with the doctor. "He used to travel with me and The Doctor," She added, knowing that would grab both of their attention.
"Really, when should he be here?" Maria asked, questions already forming in her head. She had spent the previous week listening to Sarah Jane's stories about her travels with The Doctor. "He's on his way now," Sarah Jane answered, glancing over at Luke as he shifted uncomfortably on his seat.
It seemed Maria noticed as well.
"Well, I better go and unpack everything," Maria said, realising that clearly Sarah Jane and Luke had to talk before their guest arrived. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, Luke," She added, waving goodbye as she headed out of the lounge, grabbing her shopping bags on her way out.
As the door closed behind Maria, Sarah Jane sat herself down next to Luke on the sofa.
"Harry is the man in the photos in the attic, isn't he?" Luke asked, having seen the same man in several of the photos on the woman's desk. There was a random assortment of them, mainly from get-togethers and events with Harry and the Brig. Clearly, he was one of Sarah Jane's closest friends.
"In the one with the Brigadier and I that's on my desk," Sarah said, mindful of the fact that Harry would be the first person in her life that Luke would meet. "You two will get along like a house on fire, he's a doctor," She smiled, watching as Luke perked up at the idea.
"He used to work UNIT, then NATO, until a few months ago when he went back to UNIT again,"
Sarah Jane explained, having been surprised when her friend ended up back at UNIT, but it was clear that the Brigadier had twisted his arm. "I'm not sure how much he can tell you about his work, but I think you two will get on like two peas in a pod," She added, bumping her shoulder against his.
Luke's brow frowned. "Two peas in a pod?" He asked, earning a chuckle from his adoptive mother. "It's a saying. Why don't you go and unpack all your new school things? Get them out of the way before Harry arrives," Sarah Jane suggested, getting up from the sofa to go and check the guest room to make sure it was ready to his arrival.
Harry shut the door of his car; his leather duffle bag slung over his shoulder while he carried the two paper takeout bags in his hand.
He hadn't been back to Ealing in almost two years, not since he had switched back from NATO to UNIT. When Sarah Jane had moved into the Victorian townhouse after her Aunt Lavina's death, he had helped her go around the antique shops to find furniture to fill the vacant rooms.
"Sarah!" He called, opening the front door that he knew she never locked. Some things never change. "Are you there, old girl?" Harry asked, setting his bag down by the door before walking through the hallway.
"Harry!"
Sarah's voice echoed down the hallway before she appeared from the kitchen.
Harry was relieved that he had put his bag down before he saw her. Somehow, Sarah Jane seemed to defy the laws of ageing.
"You're a sight for sore eyes, Sarah," He chuckled, finding his arms full of the short brunette. "You can say that again, Harry," she said, getting off her tiptoes as she stepped back to get a proper look at the man.
Harry had always had a refined look about him, even when they were younger. He reminded her of a character you would find in an Austen or Bronte novel. His signature look had hardly changed over the years - still a fitted blazer with his classic brown long coat on top. It reminded her
somewhat of the version of the Doctor she had ran into at Deffry Vale.
"Hello?"
Luke's voice came from the top of the staircase as he looked down at the adults below.
Although he knew the boy was adopted, Harry found himself looking for signs of Sarah Jane in the boy. Like a flicker of what could have been.
"Luke, come down and meet Harry," Sarah Jane said, stepping towards the staircase as she waved the boy down. The teenager shuffled down the steps, never breaking eye contact with the well- dressed man who stood in the hallway. Luke, already fiercely protective of his adoptive mother, was clearly weighing the man up.
From the duffle bag, he could tell that Harry was intending to stay for at least a few days. "I'm Luke Smith, nice to meet you," he said, holding his hand out for the older man to shake.
Sarah Jane smiled softly, knowing that it would take her adoptive son a little while longer to understand social norms.
"Pleased to meet you, young man," Harry smiled, shaking the boy's hand as his eyes shifted over to Sarah Jane. He was right, the two of them looked like any normal mother and son.
Stepping forward, Sarah Jane took the bags of food from him. "Let's get this out on the table," She suggested, leading the way into the kitchen. Luke rummaged around in the cabinets to find them plates and glasses while Sarah Janes started to unpack the bags. "Take a seat, Harry," She insisted, glancing over her shoulder at the man as she started to plate up the food.
"How are you finding the place, Luke?" Harry asked, keen to break the ice with the teenage boy.
Luke headed towards the table with a stack of plates in one hand and three glasses in the other. "I really like it here, Sarah Jane's got hundreds of books," he said, setting the table as he spoke.
Harry nodded his head, making a mental note that the boy was calling Sarah by her given name.
"Are you ready for school to start tomorrow?" He asked, suspecting that the boy was likely nervous about his first day. Sarah Jane had filled him in about the boy's origins, or at least the abridge version of the story. He suspected he was going to get the rest of the story this evening.
"I think so – Maria and I went to get my stuff earlier," Luke explained, before he remembered how Sarah Jane had said the man was a doctor. "I'm looking forward to science class though, I've already checked out the syllabus. Sarah Jane said you were a doctor, what kind of medicine do you do?" Luke asked, glad to have someone in front of him who might be able to answer his science questions with a little more enthusiasm than Mr Smith.
By the time Sarah Jane returned with the plates of food, the pair were already deep in conversation about Harry's work on vaccines.
Yep, two peas in a pod.
She placed a plate in front of each of them, before handing Luke a soft drink and pouring a large glass of wine for both her and Harry. Placing the wine in front of him, she gave Harry's shoulder a squeeze as he stopped his conversation with Luke to thank her before turning back to the boy.
Sitting down at the head of the table, Sarah Jane forced her mind to think of anything but the domesticity of the moment. It was like a flicker of a life that could have been.
No point dwelling on 'what if's', old girl.
