AN: This chapter is very long – almost 5,000 words - which is perhaps why I kept struggling with it. Honestly, grab a cup of tea and a brownie because this chapter is the same length as the last three combine.
I've put Harry straight into the plot as an extra part of the 'gang' during the events of Revenge of the Slitheen, meaning the bulk of this chapter is a re-write of the episode. I hope it at least acts as a refresh for anyone who hasn't re-watched that episode in a while. If nothing else, writing this chapter has showed me that I'll need to think of a way to cover what happens in the episodes without doing a blow-by-blow account again.
Going forward, I don't imagine there being any chapters that are as in-depth (or close to the original episode) as this until The Lost Boy. I'm sorry for leaving it so long to update this, but I promise I'll always come back to it.
Chapter 4 - Ships In The Night
The next morning Harry had offered to drop Luke off to school to let Sarah Jane go and do some investigating of her own.
"Don't go ruffling too many feathers, old girl," Harry called, his briefcase under his arm as he led Luke towards his parked Range Rover. Thankfully, there was enough space in the driveway for both his UNIT-issued car and Sarah Jane's little green Nissan.
Sarah Jane rolled her eyes, travel mug in hand as she munched on the granola bar that Harry had insisted that she eat. "I'll be fine, Harry," she said, surprised that the man wasn't insisting on coming with her.
"I've lined up a few meetings in town – and I'm going to make my way through Kate's stuff – but I'm only a phone call away, Sarah," Harry insisted, looking over as Luke jumped into the passenger seat, waving at his adoptive mother as he shut the door.
Sarah Jane walked towards the Range Rover, folding her arms. "Make sure he gets to school on time, no taking a de-tour for a coffee run," she said, earning a chuckle from Harry as he shook his head. "Wouldn't dream of it, Sarah," he said, dropping a kiss on her cheek before getting into the driver's seat.
As the car pulled away, Sarah Jane headed across the road to speak to Alan. Perhaps her new neighbour might be helpful after all.
The journey to Park Vale was relatively quiet with Classic FM providing the backing track to their journey.
"So, you and Sarah Jane travelled with The Doctor?" Luke asked, fidgeting with the buttons on his blazer as he sat in the passenger's seat of Harry's car. While he didn't understand much about human relationships, he knew that Harry was important to Sarah Jane.
If she trusted Harry, then he could trust him as well.
"It's how we met – through UNIT – I used to feel like a third wheel with those two though," Harry explained with a chuckle, though he could still remember vividly the uneasy feeling – perhaps even of jealous – that came from seeing Sarah Jane being so close to the Doctor.
They were like two peas in a pod. Over time, Harry had come to accept the fact that he would never be able to fill the space left by the Doctor.
Harry had thought for a time that he might be able to – but how could a human man compare to someone like The Doctor?
"What's a third wheel?" Luke asked, his face scorching up in his tell-tale sign of curiosity. Harry tightened his grip on the stirring wheel as he thought of what to say, "Being a third wheel is when you feel like you shouldn't really be there, you know, as though you're a spare part," he said, thinking of how he had often felt as though he was living in the Doctor's shadow – even now.
Luke shook his head, sensing that there was more to the situation than Harry was saying. "I don't think so, you're her best friend," he said, knowing how Sarah Jane seemed to light-up when Harry would walk into the room.
There was something there. Even Luke – in all his infancy - could see that.
"I think your mum would call The Doctor her best friend," Harry said, putting the indicator one as his car pulled into the school. Catching sight of Maria standing by the gates, he stopped the car before turning to Luke.
Grabbing his backpack, Luke called goodbye over his shoulder as he jumped out of the car, jogging up to Maria before leading the way into the school building.
Driving away, Harry wondered what it was like to see the world through Luke's eyes. Perhaps he saw it more simply – without all the baggage and emotional turmoil that comes from the trials and tribulations of life.
The afternoon had been relatively uneventful.
Harry found himself knee deep in UNIT reports as he sat in a coffee shop between meetings. He normally wouldn't have such reports out in public but a middle-aged man working in a coffee shop wasn't going to raise any eyebrows. Sarah Jane had texted him to say she was going to Coldfire Construction, so he made himself comfortable in the coffee shop.
He was just about to order another americano when his phone started to ring. A photo of him and Sarah Jane at a U.N.I.T gala dinner appeared on the screen with her name flashing.
"Hello, Sarah, how's it going?" He asked, holding his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he covered up his paperwork and picked up his coffee cup.
"I was wrong, it is aliens and they're at the school" Sarah Jane shouted, putting her foot down as her little green car headed down the road, hovering just at the speed limit. "Luke and Maria are there – I'm on my way to them now" she said, hoping that the pair had followed her instructions about making a smell to fight off the aliens.
Harry almost choked on his coffee. What else could it have been but aliens? He was starting to think Sarah Jane was a magnet, attracting every alien lifeforce that found its way to Earth.
"Give me 20 minutes and I'll be there," he said, already gathering up his things as he downed the last sips of his coffee. "Meet us at the house, I'm grabbing the kids," Sarah Jane said before disconnecting the call.
Harry's car came to a halt in front of the house as Sarah Jane's pulled in. Jumping out with his briefcase, Harry made a beeline for Sarah Jane's car, opening her door as the teenagers got out of the passenger door.
"What happened?" He asked, moving out of the way as Sarah pushed back the front seat to let Luke and another boy out of the back. Sarah Jane shook her head as Maria rounded the car, her backpack flung over her shoulder.
"I need to get to the attic," Sarah Jane replied, leading the way into the house with Luke as Maria hung back with the other boy.
"I want answers, I've just been chased by aliens, and you aren't even freaking out, why?" The boy asked, and Harry lingered for a moment at the door as he shared a knowing look with Maria. "Go home!" Maria said, walking towards the door that Harry was holding open before the boy grabbed her arm.
"No, I'm part of this now. I want to find out the truth, what's in there? And who's that woman?" He asked, before turning his attention to Harry, who shook his head and sighed. "You best come up," Harry said, knowing that Sarah Jane was going to give him an earful, but it was clear that they had no other choice.
As the door to the attic opened, Sarah Jane turned around, expecting to see Harry and Maria. Expect there was three people staring back at her.
"Right, what's going on here?" Clyde asked, stepping further into the room, his eyes wide as he took in the random assortment of trinkets and gadget thrown around the room. "Why don't you bring all your friends around, the whole school?" Sarah Jane asked Maria, stepping forward as Harry came to a stop beside her.
"If he tells anyone, who's going to believe him?" Maria asked, reminding Harry of the days when a young investigative reporter would try to reason with The Doctor.
"Wait, wait, wait. I've just had monsters from outer space on my back and no-one's telling me what's going…" Clyde started, before Sarah Jane cut him off by raising her hand. "Just shut up for a minute, would you? I'm busy – and right now, you're not important. Even if it is getting like Clapham Junction up here" She protested, heading down the steps of the attic.
Harry glanced over at the boy before he headed down the steps after Sarah Jane, leaning against the wall as he watched her pace around the floor.
"The Slitheen must have taken over Coldfire Construction, put up buildings all around the world. Why?" She asked, before Luke spoke up. "There's a hidden room in the school, I saw inside," He announced, as Maria joined them in the bottom part of the attic.
"What's in there?" Maria asked, dropping her school bag under one of the tables. "I've got a theory, maybe Mr. Smith could help," Luke suggested, earning an eye roll from Clyde. "Who's that, your dad?" Clyde asked, nodding his head to Harry as he leaned against the wall next to the grandfather clock.
"He's not my dad," Luke said, glancing over at Harry as the man shuffled awkwardly, digging his hands into his pockets. Sarah Jane tried to brush off the comment as she turned around to face the wall.
"Mr. Smith, I need you," She announced, before the supercomputer revealed itself from the wall with its typical fanfare. "I see it's still a fan of theatrics," Harry muttered, glancing out of the corner of his eye as Clyde realised what was happening. He watched as Mr. Smith brought up a map of locations across London before Clyde joined up the dots and pointed out that they were the end of tube lines.
As Clyde paced around the top of the attic, talking away to himself about aliens, Harry moved towards the other three. The map changed as Mr. Smith showed the location of all the buildings Coldfire Construction has developed in the last 18 months.
"They've all got underground railways, Luke's friend was right," Harry offered, watching as everywhere from Sydney to California popped up on the screen. He stood beside Luke, watching the screen as Sarah Jane and the other two moved across the attic.
Luke tugged on Harry's arm. "I've messed up," He whispered, before raising his voice. "Sarah Jane, I've done something really stupid. A really bad social mistake. I told the Slitheen how to destroy the world," Luke revealed, turning to look at Sarah Jane as Harry felt a sense of dread come over him.
He really was a genius after all.
Stepping forward, Harry put his hand on Luke's shoulder. "Listen to me Luke, we'll figure this out. Now, start from the beginning," he said, handing over a notebook and pen to the teenager who began to draw out the plans that he had seen before.
It took Harry a few minutes to wrap his head around what Luke was explaining, but it was becoming clearer by the second.
"The underground railways act as a cooling system," Harry explained, standing at one side of Luke as Sarah Jane stood at the other. "And the food going off, people getting ill, that's the effect of living or working next to one of the capacitors," Sarah Jane theorised, moving towards Mr. Smith as the supercomputer confirmed her suspicions.
"With this system they can drain every last drop of energy from the Earth. Our school's the last link in the chain," Luke said, shaking his head as he thought of his role in putting the system online. Harry patted the boy's shoulder, knowing this was hardly how they expected his first week of school to go.
"If we can get in there, can you destroy the system safely?" Sarah Jane asked, knowing that there had to be a way of getting the system offline.
"I'll help you, Luke," Harry offered, watching as Luke gave him a weak smile before nodding. "I'll need a cutting tool," Luke explained, before Sarah Jane flashed her sonic lipstick. "Yeah, and how do we get past the Slitheen?" Maria asked, crossing her arms as she stood behind Sarah Jane.
Mr. Smith's screen changed as it flashed up a live feed of a U.S. news station reporting on a loss of power across the West Coast. Leaning against the door, Harry watched as the trio of teenagers talked amongst themselves while the supercomputer tried to find anything it could on the Slitheen.
As the information popped up on the screen, Harry stepped forward before the screen went black.
"Oh, boy," he said, turning to look at Sarah Jane as Luke put his head in his hands, dropping down onto the steps. Sarah Jane sighed heavily as she sat herself down next to her adopted son as Maria told Clyde off for once again blaming Luke for the fiasco.
"No, Mr. Smith. No sonic lipstick. No Plan B – but we're the only people in the world who can stop it," Sarah Jane said, turning to look at Harry as he stood over her. "I think it's time to go back to school, Sarah," he said, holding his hand out to her to help her up.
As they headed down the staircase, going two at a time, Harry trailed behind Sarah Jane and Luke, their two younger companions behind them. When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Clyde called out to them as Harry helped Sarah Jane into her trench coat.
"Wait this morning, Jeffrey, the Slitheen, he went mental when he nicked my bag," He offered, stopping them all in their tracks. "So, why's a Slitheen going to care about that?" Maria asked, unimpressed as she folded her arms. "You saw him, he sniffed it. He was scared!" Clyde recalled as Luke nodded his head.
"What was in that bag?" Sarah Jane asked, stepping forward towards Clyde. "My books, some Tangfastics, and my lunch," He replied, before Sarah Jane pursed her lips. "What was in your lunch?" She asked, getting more impatient by the moment. "Cold chip sandwich. I made it this morning," Clyde said, causing Maria to turn to them as she started to think aloud. 'What? The Slitheen are allergic to potato? Bread? Butter?" She asked, as though brainstorming would help them find their answer.
Sarah Jane shook her head as she recalled the woman at the office eating a sandwich. "What was on those chips?" She asked Clyde, before the teenager revealed that he had put salt and vinegar on it.
"Salt! Must be it!" Maria exclaimed, before Luke nodded his head. "The Slitheen are made mostly from water, it would dehydrate them, like slugs," He offered, but Harry reached over to tap the boy's shoulder.
"There's extra salt in everything – including butter – it's got to be vinegar," Harry insisted, watching as Sarah Jane's eyes widened, as though a plan was taking shape. It seemed to have been a eureka moment for Luke as well.
"Vinegar is an acetic acid, it reacts with calcium," He explained, before Sarah Jane sat off running towards the kitchen.
Patting Luke on the back, Harry headed down the hallway after her. "After this, remind me to give you some of my science books, Luke," he said, walking into the kitchen as Sarah Jane lifted out an assortment of bottles and containers, throwing them onto the table as Maria and Luke divided the vinegar products into spray bottles.
"Just how do you suppose we get to the school, Sarah, neither of the cars are going to be working?" Harry asked, taking one of the spray bottles that Luke was holding out to him. "We run!" Sarah Jane announced, leaving Harry wondering how he had found himself once again running towards aliens with Sarah Jane Smith.
By the time they got to the school, Sarah Jane was regretting having cancelled her gym membership.
As Luke led them towards the secret room, Harry was getting the feeling that all wasn't well. It was the same feeling he would get while travelling in the Tardis, usually before Sarah Jane would get herself hypnotised or worse.
"Ah, human children, the stench of Haribo and chicken nuggets," A voice said from the shadows of the corridor.
That sixth sense was clearly still working.
Harry and Sarah Jane stepped forward in unison, moving in front of the three teenagers. "It's time to hunt," The Slitheen said, stomping towards them as Harry put his arm out in front of Sarah Jane to keep her back.
"The hunt is an instinct with us. The only way to keep our food safe in the days when the Barraddelshekllium beasts wandered the plains of Raxacoricofallapatorius," The green creature said, before explaining that their enemies had been killed centuries ago.
"But the hunting instinct remains!" The Slitheen cried, before Maria and Clyde jumped forward with their spray bottles of vinegar. "Sarah Jane, Harry, this way!" Luke shouted, pulling on both their arms before leading the way down the hallway towards the secret room.
Harry didn't need to be told twice before he set off after Luke and Sarah Jane, jogging to keep up with the two of them. "I haven't run this much since the last time we were with The Doctor," he said, turning to look at Sarah Jane as they came to the door that Luke opened by touching his hand.
Perhaps that sixth sense wasn't working as well as it once had.
No sooner were they inside the room than the three of them found themselves behind held back by the Slitheen.
As the Slitheen told them their plans, the three of them were moved to different parts of the room. Harry found himself looking around at the different electric currents, trying to see any way that they could take out the capacitor. Glancing across the room, he saw Luke watching him, clearly having the same thought.
His train of thought was broken as one of the Slitheen shouted at Sarah Jane, "they were our family!" The green creature exclaimed. "And Luke and Harry are mine!" Sarah Jane shouted back, her words leaving her lips before she understood the weight of them.
Harry stopped fighting against the Slitheen holding him as he heard Sarah Jane's words. After decades of working for U.N.I.T and NATO, Sarah Jane was one of the few people he had left. His parents were long gone, he had no siblings, and he never stuck around long enough to put down roots.
Yes. Sarah Jane – and now Luke – were his family.
"This will give us a new beginning. My son won't have to live like I've had to - cringing in the darkness" The Slitheen explained, as Sarah Jane's eyes lowered to the smaller green creature that was clinging to his father.
"And we want Luke to live, to grow up. We want what's best for him!" Harry insisted, once again fighting against the Slitheen that was holding him. The main Slitheen shook his head, "Your son gave us what we needed," The alien insisted before Luke cried out, "I didn't!".
Sarah Jane and Harry caught each other's eye, saying a silent prayer that Luke knew what he was doing. 'I thought I did, but I didn't, you made the mistake," Luke explained, as Sarah Jane stared at her son.
Was he fibbing or had the boy worked something out?
"When you showed me the diagram, you didn't tell me that you were going to steal power from the sun!" He protested, struggling against the Slitheen holding him. "It's a bluff," The woman holding Sarah Jane insisted.
The capacitor started to spark, the smell of burning metal filling the room. "It's happening. Turn it off, for crying out loud!" Harry shouted, before Clyde jumped through the door, vinegar container in hand.
The Slitheen holding Sarah Jane threw her forward to grab Clyde. "Sarah!" Harry called, trying to free himself from the Slitheen as another one appeared holding Maria.
"If I reset the system, you can cancel the overload, make it safe?" The Slitheen asked Luke as the capacitor continued to spark behind them, but Harry couldn't bring his eyes away from the grip the alien had around Sarah Jane's neck. "Yes!" Luke said, before the youngest Slitheen turned off the system.
Luke looked over at Sarah Jane, a moment of self-doubt coming over him as the Slitheen let him go. "You know what you have to do Luke - to fix it," Harry said, before Sarah Jane flashed the boy a weak smile as she nodded her head.
Moving towards the control panel, Luke took a moment to reset the system. "Now, I'll just have to synchronise the mega-wattage," He explained, as Sarah Jane used her free hand to fish her sonic lipstick out of her pocket.
Ah, so that was Luke's plan.
Harry waited for Luke to shout "Now!" before he slipped out of the Slitheen's hold. "Sarah!" He shouted, turning around to see two of the Slitheen moving towards her. "Mum!" Luke called, watching as Sarah Jane started to back away.
As she threw her sonic lipstick into the air, Luke jumped up to grab it as his friends and Harry stepped forward to block the Slitheen's path. Harry reached out to grab Sarah Jane as one of the Slitheen pushed her back with enough force to make her lose her balance.
Grabbing Sarah Jane by the waist, Harry's eyes darted around as he tried to find where Luke had gone. His eyes settled on the boy as Luke pointed the sonic lipstick at the capacitor, causing sparks to light up the room.
"Luke, get back!" He called, reaching his arm out to pull Luke back and towards them as the boy jumped forward to avoid the flying sparks. Sarah Jane wrapped her arms around Luke before shouting for them all to leave.
Heading out of the room, Harry thought they were finally out of danger until he turned around and saw two of the Slitheen caught in the sliding door. "Use your sonic device, open the door!" The older one demanded, clawing his hand at the door.
Turning to look at Sarah Jane, he could see the internal battle going on in her head. It was the same look he had seen on the face of The Doctor more than once. Do you save your enemy when you know they will take their revenge one way or another? "I'm only 12!" The younger Slitheen said, as Harry placed his hand on Sarah Jane's arm as she reached over to take the sonic lipstick from Luke. She couldn't do it – no matter what her heart was telling her.
"You can't let them out!" Clyde protested, before the two Slitheen let out a chilling scream as the electric currents surrounded them. "Sarah…" Harry said softly, taking the hand that was holding the sonic lipstick as the younger Slitheen disappeared in a flash of white, while the older one combusted.
As the lights switched back on, Harry felt himself breathe a sigh of relief. "It's burnt itself out," Luke explained, as Sarah Jane walked ahead of them down the hallway.
"He was a child, 12 years old," she said, shaking her head as her hands curled around her sonic lipstick under her knuckles went white. Moving around the teenagers, Harry found himself falling into step with her. "There was nothing you could do, old girl," He reminded her, watching as she shook her head before looking away as she tried to calm her racing heartbeat.
By the time they made it back to Bannerman Road, Harry had called the Brigadier to oversee the clean-up operation. Of course, their old friend was only too happy to help – and to hear that Harry was with Sarah Jane.
After dropping Maria off with her parents, Sarah Jane wrapped one arm around Luke's shoulder and the other around Harry's before she turned to look at her old friend. "Do you fancy feeding us?" She asked, looking up at him with those pleading brown eyes.
"Well, seeing as you asked so nicely," Harry said, shaking his head as Clyde said goodbye, promising to pick Luke up the next morning to go to school.
That's how Harry found himself once again standing over the oven in Sarah Jane's kitchen, taking a Shepard's pie out as the timer dinged from across the room.
"You were amazing, Luke – again," Sarah Jane said as she appeared in the kitchen with a bottle of wine and a Diet Coke for Luke. "I nearly destroyed everything, I messed up," Luke said with a sigh as he set down the placemats onto the table.
"I messed up," Sarah Jane insisted, putting down the drinks as she placed her hands on Luke's shoulders. "New block, the strangeness of it all, of all people, I should have seen it. Instead, I sent you and Maria right in there – and that was nearly the end of you," she said, dropping her arms to her side as she suddenly realised how close she had come to losing Luke.
Harry felt as though he was eavesdropping in on the pair, but he couldn't ignore that this gave him a unique insight into their relationship. A chance to see the bond between Luke and Sarah Jane growing as they fell into their roles as mother and son.
"But I'm still here, always will be, Mum," Luke said, stepping forward to hug the older woman. It took Sarah Jane a moment to process what he said before she wrapped her arms around him, laughing softly as she felt him rest his head on her shoulder.
Harry looked back at the pair with a smile, wishing he could save the memory in his mind for the rest of time.
"Right, you two. Dinner's getting cold," He announced, watching as they broke apart to take their seat at the table as he dished up their food.
After a day of saving the planet and running after aliens, the trio had worked up an appetite. They ate in silence, refuelling themselves after the stress of the day, as though eating together was the most natural part of their daily routine.
"You know, I could get used to this," Sarah Jane said, sighing contently into her wine glass as she looked across the table at Harry. While she enjoyed being able to eat a homecooked meal that wasn't burnt around the edges, it was Harry's – and Luke's - company that was the icing on the cake.
Harry smiled back at her, taking a sip of his wine as he tucked into his Shepard's pie. He had to admit that he wasn't sure when the last time was that he indulged in his culinary skills. It was likely before he ever joined U.N.I.T – and even then, he was only cooking for himself.
"Your food is amazing, Harry," Luke said, before scooping another fork full of food into his mouth.
It was then that Harry's phone started to ring on the counter, vibrating against the container of leftovers.
Sarah Jane looked at the phone, a sense of dread coming over her, knowing that their peace had been shattered.
Harry looked down the table at Sarah Jane, knowing what was waiting for him on the other end of the line. "If you'll excuse me," he said, standing from the table and reaching for his phone before stepping out into the hallway.
It only took a few minutes for him to return, the mood disappearing as he dropped his now re-packed duffle bag onto his seat at the table.
At least – for once – he had almost finished his food.
"I've got to head back right away, something urgent has come up in the office," Harry explained, watching as Sarah Jane tried to put on a brave face – but he knew her well enough to know when she was disappointed.
"Don't be a stranger, Harry," Sarah Jane said, forcing a smile from behind her wine glass as she took another sip. "I promise I'll call the first chance I get," Harry said, knowing that for once, this was a promise he intended to stick to.
Their semi-annual dinners out weren't enough – not now.
"Try not to starve off your mother's cooking until I get back," Harry said, patting the Luke on the back as he walked past him. "I'll try, Harry," Luke said, sensing the shift in the room as he smiled up at the man. "Let me walk you out," Sarah Jane offered, standing from the table, giving Luke a reassuring smile as she walked past him.
Once they stepped outside, Harry turned to look at Sarah Jane, a playful smirk dancing on his lips.
"Some traditions never die, Sarah," he said, retrieving a book from within his duffle bag. Sarah Jane chuckled to herself, reaching out to take the hardcover copy of Hamlet. "I'll let you know how I find it," She promised, hugging the book to her chest, as though seeking comfort from its well-read pages.
Holding his car keys in one hand, Harry stepped forward to drop a kiss on her cheek. "Stay safe, Sarah," he said, before getting into his car, trying his best not to look back.
Standing at the end of her driveway, Sarah Jane watched as the Range Rover disappeared around the corner.
Something twinged in the back of her mind, like a pang of loss.
Perhaps next time, Harry could stay for more than a passing visit. Or perhaps they were destined to always be like ships in the night.
