Doctor Who: Firework (Part 2)

by: domina tempore (formerly "jewel of athos")

Disclaimer: Doctor Who and all of its characters and locations etc. belong to their respective owners; they just LIVE in my heart. But no copyright infringement intended!

Summary: Everybody knows that everybody dies, and nobody knows it like the Doctor. But I do think that all the skies of all the worlds might just turn dark if he ever, for one moment, accepts it…and he won't for Sarah Jane. A tribute to Elisabeth Sladen.

Author's Note: I'm not quite as happy with this bit as I was with the first part. I have the images in my head, but because of work and the holiday coming up, I've had a lot of trouble finding the TIME to sit down and write it out. As a result, it's not quite what I was originally planning. But I hope that it's still a good tribute to her. She deserves to be remembered as great.

*~_|"|_~*

The Doctor stepped to the side to allow Sarah Jane to exit the TARDIS on the world that he'd chosen. She blinked against the sunlight after just before having stared into space, and a breeze whipped her hair into her face. She turned back to the Doctor questioningly.

"I don't recognize this place," she said. "Where are we?"

"About three thousand years into your future," he explained, a smug smile on her face. "On that star that we just visited."

"What?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? That star became a world, which we are no standing on. And do you know what their chief export is? Bananas! Can you imagine? An entire world devoted to the growing, selling, and eating thereof! Closest thing I've ever found to heaven."

Sarah Jane laughed at him. "Of course, you would think that."

"Well it is!" He pulled a mock-hurt face. "Come on, what can you think of that would be better than a world devoted to bananas?"

"The Fountain of Youth?" she suggested wryly.

The Doctor blushed. "Oops. Sorry."

Sarah Jane sighed, and then brushed it off. "Oh, don't think about tomorrow, right Doctor? Live for the moment." She flashed a grin at him, and once again the Doctor saw that young, starry-eyed woman who had been his companion so long ago. It made it easier for him to take her advice.

"Right! Here and now. Come on, I'll show you the view of this place. We're on top of a hill; and you can see the whole entire valley from the edge. And then at the bottom there's a village that I have to take you to; and can I tell you, they have the most fantastic banana bread that I have ever tasted! And you must try some fresh bananas too, of course. Straight from the bunch! Oh, and let's not forget the banana drinks! They make the most lovely drinks out of bananas…" Still talking at a frantic pace about the world's banana-related attributes, he led her away.

*~_|"|_~*

When the Doctor and Sarah Jane finally returned to the TARDIS, night had fallen. The sky was different on this world; something in the atmosphere messed with the light of the stars, and they shined in the most beautiful shades of yellows and pinks and blues and greens. "A rainbow in the stars," Sarah Jane had called it longingly. The Doctor wondered if she was wishing for more time to explore them. He wished that he could give it to her; but he knew that time was running short now. Quietly, he closed the doors of the TARDIS, blocking out the light.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked softly.

"Is it time?" she asked. He heard fear in her voice, though she tried to hide it. Oh, his poor Sarah Jane.

"Not quite," he assured her. "There are two more things that I want you to see first."

It was less than a minute later that they opened the TARDIS doors, this time to see Earth beyond. He followed Sarah Jane outside.

"Now this place does look familiar," she began slowly.

The Doctor nodded. "Luke told me that the two of you came out to the country a few weeks back. I hope you don't mind that I took you back here…"

"No, of course not." She looked around. "But why did you bring me back here?"

"He said that the two of you went stargazing, just over there on that hill," he pointed, "and that you met a man there. An older man; white hair, a beard, a telescope."

"That's right. Wilf, he said his name was."

"Right. Now, look carefully up there, and tell me what you see."

Sarah Jane squinted, trying to make out what he was pointing at. Then she gasped. "That's us!" she breathed. "That's us, up there on that hill! You brought me back to that night… But why, Doctor?" She turned to him.

"Well, like I said, Luke told me things. And he said that the nice man you met on the hill let you both use his telescope, and you looked at a particular star."

"Well, yes." She spoke slowly, like she was remembering. "It was a new, star, actually; none of us had ever seen it before. Luke decided that it was our star. He said he knew it was silly, but that he was going to file for it, to name it and everything. I don't know if he ever did."

"Oh, he did," the Doctor assured her. "He named it after you. And now, that star is a world; a wonderful world, where all of the people love bananas…" He watched with satisfaction as her eyes widened.

"Doctor…?"

"Oh yes."

"You did all of this for me, just because my son told you that he and I went stargazing?"

"Of course I did. Why not? It certainly meant a lot to him that you knew."

"Did Luke ask you to do this?"

"Not in so many words, really; but the basic wish was there. He was gonna surprise you with it, see; but he didn't' get the confirmation in time. Least I could do was let you see what your son did for you."

There were tears in Sarah Jane's eyes. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Anything for you," he promised quietly. "Alright, are you ready to go?"

"Yes," she began, biting her lip. "But no. Doctor… I don't want this to be the end! I'm not finished yet."

"Oh, believe me, I know the feeling. But everything has to end sometime; you know that. And just because you have an ending here doesn't mean that you're done, by any means. Death is strong; but it's not that strong. And Sarah, you have done so much good!"

"But I'm not done in this life!" she protested, knowing that it was useless but feeling terror creep in. "I wasted too many years stuck and waiting; I've only just been able to start doing some good with myself again. And I've had so little time with my son… I'm scared, Doctor." Tears shone in her eyes as she looked at him.

Feeling his hearts about to break, the Doctor took Sarah Jane's hands. "Sarah, you are such an amazing woman; as a friend, as a mother to Luke, and just as a person. You are someone who I love, and you have done so much good in this life. You have nothing to be afraid of."s

"Oh, please," she scoffed, swiping at her tears. "I've not done that much good; I'm just a journalist."

"Why, Sarah Jane Smith, don't ever let me hear you say that again! Do you understand? 'Just a journalist', indeed! I'll have you know that you have touched more lives in this world than all of my past selves combined!"

Sarah Jane managed to laugh through her tears. "Come on, Doctor. I'm afraid that my circle of influence here on Earth is quite limited compared to yours."

"Nonsense!"

"Well, it's a bit different when you're not traveling around the stars and rescuing entire civilizations. I'm afraid that I'm just a small little figure in the background."

He couldn't let her believe that. He looked down at her and she met his eyes, though he saw her shudder under the intensity of his gaze. "I'm going to prove you wrong," he promised.

*~_|"|_~*

A/N: A bit of an abrupt ending for this part, but I think that the end sort of deserves its own chapter; and it's rather tricky, so I'm working very hard to get it just right. Shouldn't be too much longer, though.