Author's Notes: Sorry for the horrid delay, college is getting to me.
Finally got round to trying to do the next chapter. Oh yeah, I don't own
the Doctor or Sarah Jane, cause if I did yall'd definitely know about it!
Why: Chapter 3- Final Destination Unknown
The Doctor took shorter steps to allow for a meandering walk through the TARDIS. Sarah Jane made no effort to move at any set pace. The two were perfectly side by side.
"Sooooooo, how did you sleep?"
"Very well, thank you."
A long pause.
"Doctor.. When you said you could help me. How.?"
"Oh that's easy Sarah Jane!" He scoffed and put an arm around her shoulders, not missing a beat. "I simply show you the support you've so desperately needed, we talk. a lot you understand, and I find out where this all began, and what's truly troubling you. After that, recovery should be a cinch."
"With you by my side all the time?" Sarah Jane hesitantly asked.
"Of course! I'll be here. But not stifling you understand, I wouldn't get too close." This time he missed a step and glanced at the side of her face. "Unless you wanted me to."
She skipped a step and the two fell in line again. "I."
"You set the tone of our relationship Sarah Jane, I could never. Not enough experience with humans, even after all this time traveling with them. I misunderstand too easily. Before I've let it throw me off." The Doctor turned her face around to him, and looked at her levelly. "I won't let it throw me off this time. I won't let you go so easily."
Sarah Jane blinked and looked down, pulling her hands inside the pullover she was wearing, beginning to walk again. Perplexed, the Doctor followed, tugging at his hat and grimacing.
oO What has gotten into her? I would have thought that would be a relief, to know that she was in control of this situation. Could be in control.. Oo
The Doctor caught up quickly. "Sarah Jane, what's wrong? You can tell me anything you know!" A quick grin. "I'm not fragile, nothing you say will put me off of taking care of you."
Her breath caught in her throat, and she began to walk faster. Confidence was one thing she didn't have at this point. These promises, were they a means to an end? Were they genuine? So confused, she couldn't tell.
Yet again the Doctor lengthened his stride to catch up to her. "Sarah! Please tell me something! Anything!"
Taking a deep breath, she stopped and looked at him as he jauntily came to a full halt as well. "How can I know that what you say is true, that you won't run off again. Before. Before the planet of the spiders, you said just that. That you would take care of everything. Look what happened! You come back, stumble out of the TARDIS a week or so later, and then change, in front of my eyes. Break away from Harry, then the trouble with that Robot, then the Ark and you spoke so harshly."
"I didn't mean it Sarah Jane, I was only making you more determined---"
"I know, I know! But it fell so freely from you, as though it belonged." She constantly agitatedly threw her fists about.
Serious now, the Doctor posed a question. "What do you *want* me to do Sarah?"
"Make a promise. Show me you mean it. Then keep it. Just once, get us where we want to go, in one piece."
"Oh now, now that's the TARDIS's fault, not mine! Using her faults against me, now that's not right."
She took a few steps away from him and crossed her arms over her stomach. That knot had come back. Cold, in the bottom of her gut. He instantly relented. "How do you feel?"
"Cold. So cold."
"Here, have my jacket." As he crossed to her, she shied away again, and it made his hearts sadden. Yet again he had failed to get through to her. He held out his jacket at arms length. "Here you go."
"Thanks." Sarah Jane took the jacket and put it on. The sleeves came down far beyond her hands, and it nearly grazed the floor on her shorter form. Looking down, she smiled fleetingly, seeing exactly how strange she appeared with it on.
"Mmmmmm yes, it looks good on you," he commented, standing still for the time being. "Where to now?"
"Do you mean for right now, walking, or the TARDIS as a whole?"
"Either.. Both.. You tell me."
She crossed her arms and smelled his coat's collar. If he wore cologne it was surely very light, but he had a natural scent.
oO Comforting.. How? Why? Oo Her mind battled to wonder if she should ask those questions. oO Who is he to me? Oo
"Sarah Jane? .. " The Doctor came round to stand in front of her. "Please talk to me Sarah Jane, don't retreat now. What is it you're thinking about?"
Startled, she looked up at him. Sarah Jane bit her lip, then answered. "You. I'm thinking about you."
The Time Lord grinned, then it faded to a smirk, then that faded to a pursing of lips. "Wha..?"
"Left."
He stopped. "What?"
"And someplace peaceful. Quiet, serene, and sparsely populated."
"What do you mean?"
Sarah Jane turned left at the intersection and continued walking, calling back to her confused mentor. "I mean, we turn left. I was never very fond of right. And we take the TARDIS to someplace peaceful."
"Oh.." The Doctor trailed off, rubbing the side of his mouth thoughtfully. "If that's what you like, then I'll do it."
He walked in his usually long strides to catch up to Sarah Jane, outpacing her, and reaching out to take her hand in his. The Doctor twirled her round and pulled her closer to him. Again a little bit of the cold melted away, and she enjoyed the warmth and comfort he created. They walked like this for some time. She sighed lightly and he looked down from the corner of his eye, a playful smile lighting his face.
"Yes, when we get back to the console room, I'll set course for a wonderful planet I know. It's a bit primitive, but the beauty is unrivaled. Fields and forests and flowers galore, all the colors of the rainbow, and then some! No dangerous animals or space-alien threats. Just you, me, and the scenery."
"Sounds.. Good. Sounds good."
The Doctor silently mused. oO I will prove to her, that I will hold her trust, that I will help her through. Oo He stole a glance at the top of her head. oO I can't afford not to. Oo Another grave thought occurred to him, and he thought of several disorders: post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, and the human practice of suicide. oO Neither can she.. Oo
"Doctor..?"
"Yes, Sarah Jane?" He loosened his grip on her, as he realized he had been tightening his hold on her hand steadily.
"What are *you* thinking about?"
The Doctor took a deep breath and blew it out his lips, turning the pair of them round the corner and coming back up on the mainly used portion of the TARDIS. Her room was nearby to the right. The console room wasn't far ahead, straight on.
"So.."
They continued walking, and he turned and led her back to her room. Once there, he turned to face her, and held her at arms length.
"You. I'm thinking about you."
She looked shocked for a moment. Sarah Jane turned away and slowly took off his jacket, and instantly the Doctor regretted his honesty. "Not like that Sarah Jane, I was just---"
He was stopped by the miraculous. She turned and hugged him, resting her face against his vest-clad chest.
"Oh."
The Doctor gently returned the hug.
"This is going to be hard, isn't it," she murmured.
He responded, pitching his voice lower, and much softer than normal. "Yeeeesssss, I'm afraid so Sarah Jane." He slowly rubbed her back with one hand. "But we'll make it through. I won't lose you quite so easily."
His determinated tone made her look up. "Yes, you. I don't take defeat well. Time Lords are rather stubborn when it comes to things like this."
She pushed away from his grasp and smiled, the last of the knot in her stomach coming undone, the last of the cold melting away. "Oh, I thought that stubborn streak was just you." Before he could reply, she gave him a good poke in the stomach, making him jump back in surprise. Sarah Jane slipped into her room and shut the door before he could recover.
After the door closed, the Doctor stood there, laying his hand on the door almost reverently. A pause, a moment passed. A breath later, he strode purposefully to the console room and set the course for the planet Samora IV.
Why: Chapter 3- Final Destination Unknown
The Doctor took shorter steps to allow for a meandering walk through the TARDIS. Sarah Jane made no effort to move at any set pace. The two were perfectly side by side.
"Sooooooo, how did you sleep?"
"Very well, thank you."
A long pause.
"Doctor.. When you said you could help me. How.?"
"Oh that's easy Sarah Jane!" He scoffed and put an arm around her shoulders, not missing a beat. "I simply show you the support you've so desperately needed, we talk. a lot you understand, and I find out where this all began, and what's truly troubling you. After that, recovery should be a cinch."
"With you by my side all the time?" Sarah Jane hesitantly asked.
"Of course! I'll be here. But not stifling you understand, I wouldn't get too close." This time he missed a step and glanced at the side of her face. "Unless you wanted me to."
She skipped a step and the two fell in line again. "I."
"You set the tone of our relationship Sarah Jane, I could never. Not enough experience with humans, even after all this time traveling with them. I misunderstand too easily. Before I've let it throw me off." The Doctor turned her face around to him, and looked at her levelly. "I won't let it throw me off this time. I won't let you go so easily."
Sarah Jane blinked and looked down, pulling her hands inside the pullover she was wearing, beginning to walk again. Perplexed, the Doctor followed, tugging at his hat and grimacing.
oO What has gotten into her? I would have thought that would be a relief, to know that she was in control of this situation. Could be in control.. Oo
The Doctor caught up quickly. "Sarah Jane, what's wrong? You can tell me anything you know!" A quick grin. "I'm not fragile, nothing you say will put me off of taking care of you."
Her breath caught in her throat, and she began to walk faster. Confidence was one thing she didn't have at this point. These promises, were they a means to an end? Were they genuine? So confused, she couldn't tell.
Yet again the Doctor lengthened his stride to catch up to her. "Sarah! Please tell me something! Anything!"
Taking a deep breath, she stopped and looked at him as he jauntily came to a full halt as well. "How can I know that what you say is true, that you won't run off again. Before. Before the planet of the spiders, you said just that. That you would take care of everything. Look what happened! You come back, stumble out of the TARDIS a week or so later, and then change, in front of my eyes. Break away from Harry, then the trouble with that Robot, then the Ark and you spoke so harshly."
"I didn't mean it Sarah Jane, I was only making you more determined---"
"I know, I know! But it fell so freely from you, as though it belonged." She constantly agitatedly threw her fists about.
Serious now, the Doctor posed a question. "What do you *want* me to do Sarah?"
"Make a promise. Show me you mean it. Then keep it. Just once, get us where we want to go, in one piece."
"Oh now, now that's the TARDIS's fault, not mine! Using her faults against me, now that's not right."
She took a few steps away from him and crossed her arms over her stomach. That knot had come back. Cold, in the bottom of her gut. He instantly relented. "How do you feel?"
"Cold. So cold."
"Here, have my jacket." As he crossed to her, she shied away again, and it made his hearts sadden. Yet again he had failed to get through to her. He held out his jacket at arms length. "Here you go."
"Thanks." Sarah Jane took the jacket and put it on. The sleeves came down far beyond her hands, and it nearly grazed the floor on her shorter form. Looking down, she smiled fleetingly, seeing exactly how strange she appeared with it on.
"Mmmmmm yes, it looks good on you," he commented, standing still for the time being. "Where to now?"
"Do you mean for right now, walking, or the TARDIS as a whole?"
"Either.. Both.. You tell me."
She crossed her arms and smelled his coat's collar. If he wore cologne it was surely very light, but he had a natural scent.
oO Comforting.. How? Why? Oo Her mind battled to wonder if she should ask those questions. oO Who is he to me? Oo
"Sarah Jane? .. " The Doctor came round to stand in front of her. "Please talk to me Sarah Jane, don't retreat now. What is it you're thinking about?"
Startled, she looked up at him. Sarah Jane bit her lip, then answered. "You. I'm thinking about you."
The Time Lord grinned, then it faded to a smirk, then that faded to a pursing of lips. "Wha..?"
"Left."
He stopped. "What?"
"And someplace peaceful. Quiet, serene, and sparsely populated."
"What do you mean?"
Sarah Jane turned left at the intersection and continued walking, calling back to her confused mentor. "I mean, we turn left. I was never very fond of right. And we take the TARDIS to someplace peaceful."
"Oh.." The Doctor trailed off, rubbing the side of his mouth thoughtfully. "If that's what you like, then I'll do it."
He walked in his usually long strides to catch up to Sarah Jane, outpacing her, and reaching out to take her hand in his. The Doctor twirled her round and pulled her closer to him. Again a little bit of the cold melted away, and she enjoyed the warmth and comfort he created. They walked like this for some time. She sighed lightly and he looked down from the corner of his eye, a playful smile lighting his face.
"Yes, when we get back to the console room, I'll set course for a wonderful planet I know. It's a bit primitive, but the beauty is unrivaled. Fields and forests and flowers galore, all the colors of the rainbow, and then some! No dangerous animals or space-alien threats. Just you, me, and the scenery."
"Sounds.. Good. Sounds good."
The Doctor silently mused. oO I will prove to her, that I will hold her trust, that I will help her through. Oo He stole a glance at the top of her head. oO I can't afford not to. Oo Another grave thought occurred to him, and he thought of several disorders: post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, and the human practice of suicide. oO Neither can she.. Oo
"Doctor..?"
"Yes, Sarah Jane?" He loosened his grip on her, as he realized he had been tightening his hold on her hand steadily.
"What are *you* thinking about?"
The Doctor took a deep breath and blew it out his lips, turning the pair of them round the corner and coming back up on the mainly used portion of the TARDIS. Her room was nearby to the right. The console room wasn't far ahead, straight on.
"So.."
They continued walking, and he turned and led her back to her room. Once there, he turned to face her, and held her at arms length.
"You. I'm thinking about you."
She looked shocked for a moment. Sarah Jane turned away and slowly took off his jacket, and instantly the Doctor regretted his honesty. "Not like that Sarah Jane, I was just---"
He was stopped by the miraculous. She turned and hugged him, resting her face against his vest-clad chest.
"Oh."
The Doctor gently returned the hug.
"This is going to be hard, isn't it," she murmured.
He responded, pitching his voice lower, and much softer than normal. "Yeeeesssss, I'm afraid so Sarah Jane." He slowly rubbed her back with one hand. "But we'll make it through. I won't lose you quite so easily."
His determinated tone made her look up. "Yes, you. I don't take defeat well. Time Lords are rather stubborn when it comes to things like this."
She pushed away from his grasp and smiled, the last of the knot in her stomach coming undone, the last of the cold melting away. "Oh, I thought that stubborn streak was just you." Before he could reply, she gave him a good poke in the stomach, making him jump back in surprise. Sarah Jane slipped into her room and shut the door before he could recover.
After the door closed, the Doctor stood there, laying his hand on the door almost reverently. A pause, a moment passed. A breath later, he strode purposefully to the console room and set the course for the planet Samora IV.