A/N: Hi, so.. it's be a while hasn't it? A few years have passed since I last updated this story (2018 was the last update). The past few years have been awful, not just because of the global pandemic which has impacted the world, but in my own personal life as well. I don't want to bore you with my personal life and problems, you're here for the story. So here it is, a little late, but here we go! Enjoy.
He was staring at the sleeping form that was currently occupying his bed. Their bed. Golden hair was flayed out around the pillow and dried tears stained her cheeks. With a heavy sigh, the Doctor sat down on the bed next to Kari and gently ran his hands through her hair, knowing that it was time to wake her up. The Time Lord was preparing himself for the consequences of his actions, of sending her to sleep so she didn't have to worry.
With his fingers entwined in her hair, he reached down and gently kissed her on the forehead. "Time to wake up now, Kari," he whispered, before his hands carefully left her head and hair, gently moving down her arms and towards her hands.
The form on the bed let out a slight groan before her eyes slowly opened. Kari blinked a few times as her eyes tried to focus. Then she saw the Doctor sitting beside her, a small smile on his face. Suddenly she was filled with anger, anger at what he had done, and she went to raise her hand to slap him. Only she found that she couldn't. She discovered the Doctor's fingers entwined with her own, stopping her from giving him the slap she so desperately felt he deserved. "Why? Why did you do that?" Kari asked him quietly, knowing that there was no point whatsoever in struggling with him.
"Because you were terrified," he replied, keeping a tight hold of her hands and pulling her so she was sitting up. "Something had you so scared back then, it was worrying me. The only way to deal with the whole situation was to let you sleep while I got on with the job." The Doctor had to admit, he hated having to do that to her. It wasn't just because he knew he would have to face her fury after, it was because he was doing something that he himself did not like.
Kari just sat there gazing at him. "Did anyone…?"
"No. Baby saved, humans saved, the base… not so much. No lives were lost." Everyone made it out alive, but at times it was a bit close. Not that the Doctor was going to tell Kari that, it would just make her scream and shout and worry even more. "Okay?"
"Okay," she replied, nodding her head slightly. She wasn't happy with what the Doctor had done to her, and it was clear that he knew that as well. However, she wasn't going to keep a hold of it. Everyone had survived, the Doctor was safe. That was all that mattered to her, he was back and he was safe. Kari ended up letting out a rather long sigh as she closed her eyes.
The Doctor was watching her closely, watching and waiting. This was the part where she usually exploded at him, with the screaming and the shouting followed by the tears. He had managed to stop her from hitting him, but he couldn't stop her from giving him an earful. He waited. Kari didn't say a word. A slight frown formed on his face, "Kari?" Now it was his turn to be worried.
"I hate it when you do that, Doctor." She told him quietly. "Do you have any idea how it actually feels when you do that? Has anyone ever actually done that to you before?"
The answer was simple. No. He had never experienced it, and no one had ever told him what it felt like before either. The Doctor had simply imagined it was like being given a drug that made you a little sleepy, that was all. Like when you're about to have an operation and you are knocked out so that you have no idea what is going on. At least, that was what he had assumed, until now.
"Your mind starts racing, Doctor. It's like all your thoughts are hitting you all at once. I don't mean one hits you, then another, then another. All of them, all at once. And your head starts spinning, then you can't control your own thoughts." Kari was more than happy to tell him exactly what he did to her every time he decided she needed to take a little nap, which seemed to happen more times than she cared to admit. "Then, for those last few moments before I totally black out, I can hear the thoughts of every living creature around me. They bombard me, and I can't keep them out anymore because you've broken my shield."
All at once the Doctor's face fell and both his hearts skipped out of rhythm. Guilt flooded him as Kari's words sank in. "Kari, I'm sorry, I didn't know." And he hadn't known, and he was sorry. If he had know that was what it did to her then he would have just dragged her back to the TARDIS and locked her in there. He wouldn't have decided to knock her out.
"I know you were worried about me, I know that you thought it was best for me if I slept through it all so that I didn't have to worry. I also know that you are sorry for doing it." That last second before she went, she had heard it, heard his thoughts about how sorry he was what he was doing. "Please, stop doing it. Maybe there will be a time in the future where I ask you to do it, or maybe for you I already have, but right now, please, just say you won't do it again."
"Kari, I can't promise I won't do it again," he wished he could, but he knew better than to make false promises and to lie to her. "I'm sorry, I just can't."
She nodded at him slightly, fully understanding why he couldn't make that promise to her. She already knew that there were times in his future that he was going to do it again, and he was only going to do it because either she wasn't going to listen to him or she was in danger. Kari could accept that, she knew just how stubborn she could be at times. "I understand. But just remember, I don't like it. Okay?" That was all that she needed him to remember. That she didn't like it, that it wasn't a very pleasant experience.
Before the Doctor answered, he let go of Kari's hands and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll remember, that I can promise. I'll try to only do it when I think it is absolutely necessary. But I promise I will always remember that you one hundred percent do not like it," he whispered to her, holding her tightly.
Kari nodded as she wrapped her arms back around him, trying her utmost best to hold back the flood that was forming in her eyes. "I hate it, Doctor. I really, really hate it. But I trust you. I know that if you ever have to do that then it is to keep me safe. Just remember, if I get mad at you because of it, it's only because of how it makes me feel. It is not because of you."
"I know, Kari, I know." He couldn't help but hold her just a little bit tighter, just to reassure her, to let her know that he really did understand now.
"You… you're a great big idiot." Kari managed to mumble, before the flood barrier finally broke and the tears fell. "But you're my great big idiot." It was at that moment that the Doctor held her closer, his arms wrapping more tightly around her as he tried to protect her and comfort her all at once.
The Doctor couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Oh, of course. Great big idiot with great big ears as well, yeah?" He didn't realise it, but what he said quickly grabbed Kari's attention and she pushed him away a little.
Gazing into his eyes she asked him a question, "who said you had big ears?" There was only one person she could think of that would ever call him that.
"You, of course. Who else, in the whole of this universe and the next, would call me big ears?" There was a curious expression on his face, kind of like he couldn't believe what she was asking him, or why.
Kari didn't really know how to answer him and so her face flushed slightly as she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Have you looked in a mirror recently?" She wanted to hide her embarrassment, but she knew it was going to be very hard to do that when he knew exactly what was running through her mind.
Instead of saying anything the Doctor simply chuckled. "Why would I need to look in a mirror when I have you to tell me how handsome I am every day?" He knew what he was doing, and so did Kari. That Time Lord of hers was trying to make her smile. "You love these ears, and you know it."
It didn't matter how much she wanted to keep it in, or how upset she was, the Doctor always knew how to break her down, to make her laugh and smile. "Hey, I don't just love the ears, okay? The rest of the Time Lord that comes with them isn't so bad either."
"Sorry, what? I don't think these big old ears heard you."
Kari couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly. "I said, it's not just the ears I love, okay? It's all of you. I love all of you, you great big idiot of a Time Lord." For some reason she couldn't help but think back to the first time she had met him in that regeneration, his big eared leather jacket wearing Doctor. "And you can be so jealous as well. Can't blame that on the ears though, that's just you."
"Well of course I can be jealous. Doesn't matter where we go, plenty of men try hitting on you." He replied, his face full of seriousness. "But I do enjoy it when you turn them down."
"I find it hard to believe that plenty of men try hitting on me." For some reason, Kari just couldn't believe it, it just didn't make sense. "I find it hard to believe that they even get a chance to with you around, especially when you are ever so jealous and protective." She gave him a little nudge, knowing that she was teasing him a little.
He couldn't help but chuckle slightly. She was right, of course she was. The Doctor could get very protective of his Kari, and he would always be very protective of her. "Yup, I get jealous. You know that, I know that, the whole of the universe knows that. Instead of talking about me, why don't you tell me where you want to go next?"
There were so many places that Kari wanted to go to still with him, so many things that she wanted to do. The problem was, the pounding in her head was telling her it was time to leave him already. "I guess I'm going wherever I'm needed." Kari replied, letting out a slight sigh. "I missed out spending all that time with you because you decided to knock me out."
The guilt flooded the Doctor even more now. "Kari, I'm sorry. I missed spending time with you as well. Wasn't the same without you there with me." He told her honestly. Of course, he had gotten on with what needed doing, but the whole time it just felt wrong. Empty. So many times he had reached out to grab her hand, only to find that she wasn't even there. It was a strange experience for him.
"Guess I'll be seeing you later then." The pain had worsened, the golden glow having already started to take her over. "Behave, Doctor. Please, just behave."
"You behave as well." He replied softly, reaching down and placing a light kiss on her head before she was fully engulfed in a golden glow.
Just moments later, Kari was doing her best to calm her breathing. No matter how many times she was pulled from one place to another, she always panicked and found it difficult to breathe. Not knowing where she would end up was always another big worry for her. She wished that she would always arrive in the TARDIS, that the Doctor would always be there in the TARDIS, but that didn't always happen.
Somehow Kari seemed to know that this time she was not going to find herself in the TARDIS when she opened her eyes. There was a cool breeze around her and the sounds of birds chirping. She didn't often hear the birds when they were inside of the magical ship. "At least let me be on Earth," she muttered to herself, realising she was leaning against something.
After a few more deep breaths she finally opened her eyes and was pleased to see that she was in fact on Earth. "Lovely, Earth. That's something at least." Kari told herself, using the wall that was behind her to help get herself up. "But not Doctor. No TARDIS. So, where am I?" A quick glance down the street she was in and familiarity hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh, Bannerman Road. Why am I here?" There was confusion on her face. Why would she be needed there?
Kari turned around and saw that the wall she was by was actually next to the home of Sarah Jane Smith. The very distinctive car that the woman drove wasn't on the drive and there didn't seem to be anyone else about, including Luke, Rani and Clyde. With a shrug of her shoulders, Kari headed towards the front door, reaching deep into her pocket as she did so. It wasn't her first trip there, and she knew it probably wasn't going to be her last, which was why Sarah-Jane had given her a key. Kari was actually grateful for having the key as it meant she didn't need to hang around on the streets until she returned.
She let herself into the house and headed straight into the kitchen, deciding to make herself a mug of tea before heading up into the attic. "Mr Smith, I need you." Kari called, looking at a blank wall. Within seconds, the wall began to split and move, revealing a super computer. A smile crept across Kari's face as Mr Smith revealed himself for her. She wasn't sure it was going to work at first, but was happy that he knew who she was and recognised her.
"Hello, Kari. It's nice to see you." Mr Smith called to her, having finished with his fan fair entrance. "I am afraid Sarah Jane is not here at the moment."
"Yeah, I noticed. That's okay, I'll just wait up here until she gets back. And you can fill me in on everything that has been going on around here recently." Kari needed to get an idea of how far along the timeline she was. There were things that happened, such as the wedding which turned into an absolute disaster, and she really needed to work out if she had arrived before or after that time. There were also little things around the place that concerned her, things just seemed a little off, but she couldn't explain why.
It was a couple of hours later when Kari finally heard the street door open and close, swiftly followed by some footsteps rushing up the stairs and towards the attic. Kari simply sat there, a fresh mug of tea in her hands. She could only hear one set, so she assumed it was Sarah Jane, plus she had heard the car pull up just moments earlier.
The door flew open and a voice flooded into the room. "Mr Smith, I…" The voice faltered when they realised that he was already out.
"What's the rush, Sarah?" Kari asked, a grin on her face as she took a sip of her tea.
The eyes of the older woman widened. "Kari!" She cried, before rushing over to her. Kari quickly put the mug down and stood up. "What are you doing here?" Sarah Jane asked, hugging her tightly with a smile on her face.
"Oh, just popped in for a visit. Sorry, I let myself in and have been sitting up here catching up with Mr Smith." Kari told her, very glad to see the woman and know that she was happy and doing well. After talking to Mr Smith she had found out that Luke didn't exist yet, and that Sarah Jane was here with just a supercomputer and metal dog to keep her company. "Sounds like you have been rather busy recently."
Sarah Jane just could not stop smiling. "Oh, I'm so glad that you're here. It's been so long since you've popped in." It was easy for Kari to see that the woman had genuinely missed her, and seemed rather lonely as well. Knowing that she was on her own, that she did have her little band of helpers yet, it made Kari sad.
Kari made sure to keep a smile plastered across her face as she looked back at Sarah Jane. "Well, you know me, always popping in and popping out." She said, laughing a little. "Now tell me, what have you been up to? I was kind of disappointed when I got here and no one was home. You must be up to something?"
Soon enough, Kari and Sarah Jane were both sitting with a hot mug of tea in their hands. "And all since this new headteacher showed up. What do you think?" Kari had sat there and listened to Sarah Jane tell her all about this school she had been investigating. It was odd how so many children had been getting ill, how half the staff had gotten flu and been replaced in the blink of an eye. Now Kari knew exactly where they were up to.
"Yeah, it does sound a little off." Kari told her, letting out a sigh. She wanted to make it look as if she knew nothing about what was going on. "I don't know, it could just be that he is a passionate teacher and has really turned the school around." Sarah Jane looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "Alright, fine. It sounds way off. No one can turn things around that quickly. I mean, three months? Nope. Something dodgy is definitely going on there."
A huge grin spread across Sarah Jane's face. "Exactly! Now, I know this isn't the kind of thing you go around investigating. Normal human problems, no aliens or spaceships involved, but do you want to help?"
There was just so much excitement in the woman's eyes and on her face, there was no possible way that Kari was going to turn her down. Even if she didn't know exactly what was going on, she would never let Sarah Jane down. "Of course!" Kari responded, her own voice full of excitement. "I say we go and sneak around the school tonight. See what secrets they are hiding. Who needs aliens and spaceships!"
It was dark when the duo made it to the school. Both Kari and Sarah Jane were brimming with excitement. This was actually her first real adventure with Sarah Jane, out and investigating with her, seeing the older woman in her element. It really did make her happy to see that she was doing okay, that she had a good life after travelling with her and the Doctor.
"Oh, I have missed this so much." Kari whispered. She really had missed all the adventures on Earth, a real adventure, with proper running and excitement. She was also just so glad to be spending some more time with the amazing Sarah Jane Smith.
"Well, come on!" Sarah Jane called, having managed to force open one of the windows into a classroom. Kari had to admit that she was rather impressed with that, knowing that she didn't need other people to help her and to know that she was more than capable of saving the planet all on her own. "I want to check out the headteacher's office first." She said, looking around the classroom while Kari pulled herself in.
The pair were standing outside the office of Mr Finch, the headteacher, when they heard a horrible screeching sound. Kari quickly glanced at the woman beside her. "Now, I'm no expert, but that didn't sound human to me." Before Sarah Jane could answer her there was more screeching. "Nope, not human. Might I make a suggestion?" Kari said, taking a few steps back and looking around carefully. "Um, run?"
Sarah Jane nodded at her, and the both moved as quickly as they could. "Quickly, in here." Sarah Jane whispered, pulling open a door and slipping inside. Kari hesitated for a moment, already knowing what the woman was about to see in that cupboard in the sports hall. In her head, she could see it, the blue box and the expression on the woman's face.
Kari didn't flinch when she felt someone slip their hand into hers, she had already heard him coming, and she could feel him as well. No words were said as they both just stood there, watching and waiting for the woman to return from the cupboard.
They didn't have to wait long for Sarah Jane to slowly back out of the tiny room she had rushed into. She was so stunned that she hadn't even realised that Kari hadn't followed her. Once she closed the door, the dark haired woman slowly turned around, a look of pure shock on her face.
"Hello, Sarah Jane." The man standing beside Kari said. He was wearing his suit and converse, like he always did, along with his long brown coat. However, there was a sad look on his face.
Sarah Jane couldn't really believe what she was seeing. "It's you." She breathed. "Doctor." She took a step closer to where the Doctor and Kari were standing. "Oh, my God, it's you, isn't it?" She let out a small chuckle. "Of course it is." Sarah Jane had noticed how his hand was tightly entwined with Kari's now. "You've regenerated."
Finally, a smile crept onto the Doctor's face. "Yeah, half a dozen times since we last met."
"You look… incredible." It was clear to see that Sarah Jane was having a little trouble to believe who was standing right there in front of her. Seeing Kari was one thing, she knew her timeline was a complete and utter mess, but seeing the Doctor, that was something she had never expected to happen again in her lifetime. "What are you doing here?"
Kari couldn't help but smile. She was happy to have spent some time with Sarah Jane, and to be able to witness this reunion with the Doctor. She was also glad that the Doctor was finally there, and that she knew exactly where the TARDIS was. The moment she had stepped foot inside of the school she had felt her.
"Well, UFO sightings, a school gets record results. I couldn't resist." The Doctor told her, acting his normal self now. "What about you?"
"Same." They both chuckled a little, both smiling away. Then the mood drastically changed. "I thought you'd died." Sarah Jane said, sadness and anger tinged her voice as she spoke. "I waited for you both and you didn't come back, and I thought you must have died."
Kari knew exactly what she was talking about, even though she had never been there. "We lived, but everyone else died." She replied, giving the Doctor's hand a squeeze.
Sarah Jane didn't question it. She had seen the sad look in his eyes and the way Kari held his hand just a little tighter. "I can't believe it's you." Suddenly, there was a very loud, and very girlish scream. "Okay, now I can!"
Now a massive grin spread across Kari's face. "Well, come on then." She said, grabbing Sarah Jane's hand and dragging her and the Doctor along as they went to find the source of the noise. They didn't get very far before they ran into a young, blonde haired woman.
"Did you hear that?" She asked, before looking at who was with the Doctor. "Kari!" Suddenly she saw the other woman there as well. "Who's she?"
Kari simply rolled her eyes. "Rose, Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane, Rose." She said, introducing the pair and knowing exactly how it was all going to go.
Sarah Jane put on a big, but rather fake smile. "Hi, nice to meet you." She said, before looking back at the Doctor and Kari. "You can tell you're getting older. Your assistants are getting younger."
Rose seemed to take offence to this. "I'm not their assistant." She scoffed, clearly unimpressed with this new addition.
"No? Get you, tiger." Sarah Jane responded, which only resulted in Kari rolling her eyes some more and letting out an audible sigh. The Doctor seemed to be just as uncomfortable with the meeting as she was and he quickly tugged on his hand as they both headed towards where the scream came from.
The Doctor was still gripping onto Kari's hand as they rushed down the corridor. "So, how long have you been hanging around here for then?" He whispered to her, wondering if she had been on Earth for a while or had just arrived.
"I arrived at Bannerman Road earlier today. Went to see Sarah and she told me all about this wonderful school." Kari replied, a smile on her face. For some reason she seemed to be in such a happy mood. "I couldn't resist investigating it with her."
The Doctor was beaming away at her, and that smile didn't fade when they made it to a storage cupboard where Mickey was standing, surrounded by vacuum packets. "Sorry! Sorry, it was only me. You told me to investigate, so I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell on me." He was still in a bit of a panic, then he noticed Kari. "Alright, Kari."
Before she could say hello to him, Rose was there. "Oh, my God. They're rats. Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats." The blonde said, while the Doctor bent down to look at them.
"And you decided to scream?" The Doctor asked Mickey, having looked at all the bags.
The look on Mickey's face clearly showed that he was not happy. "It took me by surprise!" He cried in defence.
"Like a little girl." The Doctor then retorted.
Kari knew that it was her time to jump in, to stop them from arguing and things getting a little out of hand. "Doctor, stop. Leave Mickey alone." She said, knowing that he was just going to keep digging at him if she didn't. "Look, the rats are odd, I'll give you that. They haven't dissected them in schools here for years now. So yeah, a bit odd. But all this started when Mr Finch arrived. Now, instead of bickering and acting like children, maybe we should go and have a look in his office." The moment she had stopped talking she started walking. It didn't take very long for the rest to catch up with her.
The Doctor slipped his hand into hers once more as they began heading towards the headteacher's office. "Hello, by the way." He managed to say to her as they walked.
"Hi, have you been having fun without me?" She asked him, but not in a very serious way.
"Of course not. I was actually wondering how long it would be until you showed up. I was hoping it would have been two days ago when we started investigating this place. But it doesn't matter, you're here now." It was plain for her to tell from the tone of his voice that he really was glad that she was there.
As the pair of them walked ahead, they could still hear the bickering from Rose and Sarah Jane. "Guys, we are meant to be sneaking around the school, do you mind leaving all of this until we are outside?" Kari ended up hissing at them. She knew what was coming next, and the vision she had in her head was already giving her goosebumps.
Finally they made it to Mr Finch's office, where the Doctor quickly used his sonic screwdriver to unlock the door. "Maybe those rats were food." The Doctor said, before Rose asked what they would be food for. He poked his head inside the room, having a quick glance around.
Kari cleared her throat, having had a glance at what lay behind the door and was hanging from the ceiling. "Rose, you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school?"
Rose looked at her quizzically before the Doctor finished what Kari was saying. "Well, they do." He took a few steps into the office with Kari, giving everyone else a chance to see exactly what they had.
There was a horrified look on all their faces, but Mickey looked particularly freaked out. "No way!" He exclaimed, before quickly turning around and moving as quickly as he could to get out of the school.
Kari and the Doctor were the last to follow. Walking calmly and not rushing. "That was not nice." Kari said, shivering a little as she thought about what she had just seen. "When a kid thinks that the teachers live in the school, I don't think many of them imagine that they turn into bats and sleep hanging upside down."
The Doctor gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Ah, but what are they really?" He asked, giving her a curious glance. "Are they bats or are they people?"
She knew exactly what he was doing, he was trying to see what she knew. He had done it many times before and she knew he would do it many times in the future as well. "I don't know. What species do you know of that can appear human but transform into bats? Or are they using perception filters?" Kari made sure to make it seem as if she didn't actually know and was just giving out her own thoughts and ideas on the matter. "I've never seen a creature like that before."
"Well, I guess we had better go and work it out then, hadn't we?" He said to her. He wasn't going to question her, he knew that even if she did know something else there was nor was she going to tell him anything, The Doctor was actually just glad that she was there. The past few days without her there hadn't been the best for him, he just really missed her. He always missed his Kari when she wasn't there.
A/N: Again, I know how long it has been since I posted and updated this story. I just want to say a big thank you to all the reviews and comments over the years, I have still be getting notifications for this story even with the lack of updates.
While I want to update again soon, I can't promise when that will be. I remember the times when I was updating every week, but that isn't an option now I'm afraid. Life has change, things are different. Even still, I do hope to update again soon, hopefully this year!
Love to you all,
Pippa.