Thea paced as she shifted though a load of junk, separating into a large pule of junk junk and a small pile of useful junk. It wasn't exactly how the day was supposed to go.
The TARDIS had picked up a beacon, an old battle on the Wasteland of Crimson Heart and the Doctor desperately wanted to explore it.
They had already dropped Amy and Rory off on their honeymoon, well, another one seeing as how the first one they were on a crashing ship and didn't really get to enjoy it.
Thea had been torn between wanting to go and check it out, or going to see the gang as they'd agree on once they'd dropped Amy and Rory on their honeymoon. They had brilliant and important information to tell them. But the Doctor kept assuring her they'd go after a quick visit, and it did sound like fun, but she wanted to see her friends too much to make a detour. The Doctor didnt listen, eagerly pulling her out the TARDIS despite her complaints of a bad feeling, as soon as they got 5 feet away from the TARDIS she disappeared, teleported away by the Shaneeth.
Thea had gone on a small rant about how he was always telling her to follow her senses but yet half the time he never even listened to them when she did.
Then a few minutes later Thea had a call from Luke, the boy fretting that UNIT got in contact with Sarah Jane and claimed the Doctor was dead and with no contact from her, he was worried. She tried to reassure him that she was fine and she had not yet killed the Doctor but she didn't have universal roaming in her phone, just in the TARDIS when she usually rang them and so it was a terrible connection trying to use the space junk to keep the line steady before it cut off.
The day could not get worse.
"Thea, stop pacing I'm sure they're fine." The Doctor tried to reassure her as he built a teleported from scratch from the junk on the planet. He wasn't sure how it would work, if it would but Thea kept handing him random objects to add to it and so he kept building with what she gave him. She would have built it herself, but she really was stressing about the gang and Sarah Jane and what trouble they could possibly be in.
"Don't make me full name you." He warned her.
"Just because I gave you my name does not to you the right to use it. That is my old name, I do not use it. My name is Thea, and as my dad, you should respect that."
She grinned at that, calling him dad, it came so naturally so quickly. It didn't feel weird like it had done for Sarah Jane. At first Sarah Jane didn't have much of a choice having no idea what to do with the alien and alien born boy who had suddenly appeared into her life. It got easier the more she knew the woman. As far as she was concerned the Doctor and Sarah Jane were her parents. Blimey, was the Doctor going to adopt Luke as well?
"I just..." she stopped pacing, flopping down next to him, "I'd feel a lot better if I felt something," she really did hate that, how the harder she tried to see something, get a sense of the future she never could. It was so irritating. What was the point of having these abilities if they only came when they wanted to and not when she wanted them. She had no control over them. She readjusted a small dial on the side of their device, "is it working?"
"Not sure, any feelings if its functioning?" He joked.
She rolled her eyes, nudging him to get him to move as she tinkered with the makeshift teleported, connecting it through to Clyde with the left over Artron energy in his hand from when he fought the Trickster.
She had yelled at him for that, at how stupid he had been thinking he could take on the Trickster alone but she had still been thankful he hadn't died and now even more so to know it helped them get in contact.
"Okay," she nodded slowly, giving it a final tweak, "we should be able to hear them."
"Excellent!" He grinned, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead as he pushed a button on the device.
"Sarah Jane!" Clyde's voice echoed from the device, "its the Shaneeth...they're lying through their teeth. They want you and Jo. This whole thing's a trap!"
"I knew it!"
"Sarah," the Doctor smiled at the voice of his old friend. Of course she would have been the easiest person to contact if he ever did die and obviously she would have been suspicious. They all knew when he did eventually die Thea wouldn't hesitate to run back to Bannerman Road. Sarah Jane would be the first of his old companions to know because Thea would tell her first. It made sense she was suspicious as she hadn't heard anything from Thea.
"Sarah Jane." Thea corrected lightly.
"Hold on. If they're lying, that means the Doctor's still alive." another womans voice called, "Yes!"
"Jo!" The Doctors eyes widened, hearing the voice of another old companion, "Jo is there too?"
"What? Jo Grant?" Thea shook her head, recalling the stories of an old companions from his third body, "With a bit of..." she fiddled with a wire, "might be able too...push that and speak to them." Poor Clyde will be used as a receiver but, eh, she'd apologise and buy him a new pair of trainers, he'd forgive her.
"You are brilliant." He grinned, leaning closer and pushing the button, speaking to his old companions through Clyde, "Of course I'm still alive, Jo. I thought that was obvious. Catch up."
"...I beg your pardon?" Jos voice replied.
"Clyde, is that you?" Sarah Jane questioned.
"Course it's not. It's me!" he stressed.
"They don't know what you sound like now." Thea reminded him, "they haven't seen you since you regenerated."
Even though she had been back round a couple of times, the Doctor stayed in the TARDIS or went off for another little trip with Amy and so while she had told them about the regeneration none of them knew what he looked or sounded like, right now it was just a random voice speaking through Clyde.
"I'm using Clyde as a receiver." the Doctor continued, ''Thea keyed into his residual artron energy so I can organise a very complicated biological swap across 10,000 light years. Hold on..."
Thea reached out as he moved to stop him before he activated the teleport, "maybe I should go." she suggested lightly.
"Traveling 10,000 light years with only a make shift teleport made from old junk?" the Doctor shook his head, "alone? Absolutely not."
"Hmm, teleport to the family and have them see for themselves that I'm fine despite the rumours that the man I've been travelling with is dead or stay here alone on an old battlefield?" she tilted her head, "what would dear old dad prefer?"
He pulled his hand back with a sigh, wagging a finger at her, "you are..." he poked her side, "very much a little Slytherin."
"I know! Also I see myself there, not you," She beamed, reaching out to active the teleport, jolting from the electrical verge before she was suddenly standing in a hallway, "sorry, Clyde," She jolted back to the wastleland, "I'm borrowing your space," and back to the hallway, "sorry!" And back to the wasteland, "sorry!" And back to the hallway where she panted, resting her hands on her knees, "that was not nice." She shook her head, "makeshift teleport 10,000 light years away, all limbs still attached," She checked, "yeah, I'm good." she grinned, straightening and holding her thumbs up, "dad's not dead."
"Thea?" Rani blinked, not expecting to see her after just hearing the random man using Clyde as a receiver. Sure her name had been mentioned but she never wanted to assume, for all she knew that voice could have just said her name to try and earn their trust, "where's Clyde?"
"Well, we swapped places," she explained, "so he's where I was and I'm where he was..."
~.~
Clyde stumbled back, his eyes widening seeing he was no longer in the hallway with the others but a reddish planet with dirt and rocks and random junk scattered about.
"Clyde Langer!"
He turned to see a young-looking man, with brown floppy hair and wearing a bowtie and tweed jacket, sitting before an off looking device.
"Doctor?" He guessed. Thea had said he had regenerated and something about bowties and fezes.
"Correctamundo!" He cheered only to grimace at the word and turn back to the device before him.
"What is that thing?" He eyed it as it hummed, "where are we?"
"A teleporter Thea and I made so you and her could swap places." He threw his arms wide, "welcome to the Wasteland of the Crimson Heart."
His eyes widened as he took it all in, "I'm on a different planet." He breathed in awe.
~.~
"Where is he?" Rani repeated, not about to let Thea ramble on but not actually tell her where he was.
"With the Doctor," she said. Rani raised her eyebrows and she continued, "on an old battlefield, on another planet. I wonder if the Judoon will notice he's off world." She frowned, serious, before shrugging and hugging the girl, "you get the first hug for once."
"Oh, I've missed you!" Rani laughed, hugging her back. Her concern for Clyde fading as Thea didn't seem overly concerned, which she hoped meant Clyde was safe, at least safe as it gets with them and with the Doctor.
"Thea," Sarah Jane called softly, pulling the girl into a motherly embrace, "is everything alright?"
"I'm fine," she smiled at the woman's concern, "hes not dead yet," she blinked, "why did I say yet?" She noticed the older blonde woman standing aside with another young boy, "and you're Jo," She moved to hug the rather confused woman who had no idea who the young girl was, "I love your work, singing nursery rhythms to the Master." she laughed, "brilliant!"
"I'm sorry?" Jo frowned, "who are you?"
She pulled back, grinning at the woman, "Thea Smith," Sarah Jane smiled at her still using the surname as her way of introducing herself to people, "I've heard so much about you! The Doctor always talks about you!"
"What Doctor?" her eyes widened "The Doctor? My Doctor?"
She nodded, turning to the other young boy, "who's the new kid?"
"Oh, my grandson, Santiago."
Thea grinned, hugging him as well, "we're best of friends now, Santiago."
Santiago, for what it was worth, simply blinked, "okay," he nodded.
"You get used to this." Rani told him.
"Meanwhile..." He muttered, looking back down the hall as three large vulture like creatures in black robes, stalking towards them.
"Right," Thea stalked down to meet them before they reached the humans, "The Claw Shansheeth of the 15th Funeral Fleet. I've been looking for you and I'm mad. Have you been telling people my dad is dead?" she crossed her arms.
"I apologise," the Shansheeth in the middle bowed its head, "The death notice was released a little too soon."
"A little?" She scoffed, "try 200 years too soon," she turned back to the humans, "is that quite a short time?"
"Um, Thea..." Santiago called, pointing back to the Shansheeth.
She turned to it to see the one in the middle raising its hand and sending a bolt of red energy only for Thea to jump to the side, the humans behind quickly ducking themselves to avoid being hit.
"Hey! No fair!" she glared.
~.~
"I know Thea said you'd changed your face..." Clyde began as he eyed the Doctor, the man crouched before the makeshift device. It was so weird knowing that the man, while completely different to the man with sticky upper hair and pin striped suit, was still the same man before him. "Even your eyes are different. It's weird, cos I thought the eyes would stay the same. Thea said her last face had grey eyes, but she still had red hair, just a bit different...can you change colour or are you always white?"
"I could be anything." the Doctor replied, his focus locked on the teleport, ensure the connection was stable.
"And is there a limit? How many times can you change?"
"507." he replied, if just to get Clyde to stop with the questions. and people said he had a gob that didn't stop.
Clyde narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms, "Thea said you could do it only 12 times. 13 bodies."
"Yeah. 507= 12."
"Oh." he blinked.
~.~
"Never mind!" Sarah Jane rushed forwards and took her hand, "run!"
"Yeah, I'm coming!" Thea replied as they took off running down the corridor after the others, "room on the left!" Rani quickly pushed open the door, leading the rest of them in.
"I'm sorry," a woman in UNIT uniform with brown hair approached, "is there a problem?"
Thea just slammed the door on her, "sonic," she held her hand out, "use the sonic lipstick and lock the door."
Sarah Jane quickly flashed her sonic lipstick on the door, "why didn't you bring the sonic screwdriver?" She asked her.
"Someone, I won't say names, left it in the TARDIS. I did complain about that, but we were surprisingly on our way to see you guys and then got distracted by a pretty battlefield."
"They do sonic lipsticks now?" Jo asked seeing the sonic in Sarah Jane's hand.
"And I'm not allowed one." Thea huffed, "now you two, the Doctor really can't wait to see you." She linked arms with both women, "and you lot try and stay out of trouble and give Clyde a hug from me."
With that, the three of them teleported away again, leaving Clyde in their place.
"Oh, I'm getting space sick." He groaned.
Rani just laughed and hugged him for Thea.
~.~
Thea spread her arms wide, gesturing to the humans she had brought with her, "family reunion."
"Doctor," Sarah Jane laughed, not needing an introduction to know the man with them was the Doctor, having regenerated himself. Thea had mentioned it, radiation or something last Christmas. The girl had taken off randomly and she hadn't known what to do seeing the large red planet in the sky and then Luke had come running, shouting that Thea was alright and going with the Doctor. While she had been a bit annoyed that the girl had just taken off like that without a proper goodbye, she was glad the girl had been OK. She knew something must have happened to them (which she couldnt for the life of her remember) that made Thea run and find the Doctor. But she had come home, not really explaining what happened at Christmas, just that she was safe with the Doctor, asking permission to stay travelling with the man.
"You're the Doctor?" Jo gaped, "my Doctor."
"Well, as you saw they can change their faces."
"I know but into a baby's."
"Oi!" Both Time Lords cried out at that.
"Think of it from my point of view, Jo Grant, last time I saw you, you were 21? 22?" The Doctor huffed, "its like someone's baked you."
"Where are we?" Sarah Jane asked, looking around.
"The Wasteland of the Crimson Heart." The Doctor replied, "Planet Earth's that way." he gestured vaguely on the direction of Earth.
"Bit of a long walk." Thea commented, "hence the makeshift teleport."
"Sonic, please." the Doctor held out his hand as Sarah Jane handed it over.
"It's so many years since I was on another planet." Jo breathed, taking a moment to stare in awe.
"Me too." Sarah Jane smiled.
~.~
Thea wandered around the area, her fingers flying over the buttons on her phone, now able to reach Earth thanks to a small zap from the sonic lipstick, trying to get a reply from someone. She didn't even need to be psychic to know those three would have gotten themselves into some sort of danger.
Sarah Jane knelt besides the Doctor before the device, helping him with her sonic.
"There..." he held up a wire for Sarah Jane to connect, "and there..."
"Did it hurt?" Sarah Jane eyed asked quietly.
"And there..." He continued as if she hadn't spoken.
"I mean, the regeneration. That last body of yours, was he okay in the end?"
She knew last she saw him, standing solemn by the TARDIS that he was about to regenerate, there was just something about his expression and how Thea had gone running off with him. She knew it would be the last time she saw him, the last him.
She had seen it, how sad he had looked, she thought maybe that was why Thea had gone with him then. She kept putting it off, saying she would call and go, but she never called him, used the excuse she knew he wouldn't answer so what was the point.
She could see it now though, the two got along more. They looked like that had a good relationship, less awkward than at her almost wedding, she could see the familar bond theyd made weather by choice or purely accidental.
"It always hurts." The Doctor murmured, "And there."
She shook her head, knowing that was about as much as he would say, "So how did you end up in this place?"
"The Shansheeth lured me. A mighty old battlefield, just begging to be explored."
"I said I didn't want too." Thea called, "it sounded too good to be true."
"But you didn't say that." he countered.
"I had a feeling." she defended.
"You're following them now?" Sarah Jane asked gently.
Oh, she knew of the girls psychic abilities they all did, but Thea never really let on just how strong they were. She had seen how she would stare at someone who turned out to be the bad guy, or sometimes she would say something and then later that day someone else would say the same thing. Sometime she saw how annoyed Thea seemed to get when the gang got into trouble, like she was annoyed she didn't prevent it. How could she? No one could see everything happening all at once. That would drive you mad.
"Because we're travelling with Amy now." The Doctor explained.
"And Rory." Thea added.
"They got married." The Doctor nodded, "I dropped them off at a honeymoon planet, which isn't what you'd think. It's not a planet for a honeymoon, it's a planet on a honeymoon. It married an asteroid."
"We watched the ceremony." Thea smiled, "love a good wedding."
"Then they nicked TARDIS."
"The Shansheeth nicked the TARDIS," Thea quickly corrected, knowing how the Doctors words sounded, "not the Ponds."
"Fortunately, we had all this wreckage to build a space swapping doo-dah thingummy wotsit." The Doctor beamed.
"So, you've a married couple in the TARDIS?" Jo asked.
"Mr and Mrs Pond."
"I only left you because I got married." She remarked, "Did you think I was stupid?"
He stopped his work and looked over at her, "Why do you say that?"
"I was a bit dumb. Still am, I suppose."
The Doctor moved to sit besides her, on her left with Thea to her right, hating hearing his old companions talk about herself like that, "Now what in the world would make you think that, ever, ever, ever?"
"We'd been travelling down the Amazon for months, and we reached a village in Cristalino, and it was the only place in thousands of miles that had a telephone, so I called you. I just wanted to say hello. And they told me that you'd left, left UNIT, never came back. So I waited and waited, because you said you'd see me again. You did, I asked you and you said yes. You promised. So I thought, one day, I'd hear that sound, Deep in the jungle, I'd hear that funny wheezing noise, and a big blue box right in the middle of the rainforest. You see, he wouldn't just leave. Not forever. Not me. I've waited my whole silly life..."
"But you're an idiot." He laughed.
"Well, there we have it." She sniffed.
"No, but don't you see? How could I ever find you? You've spent the past 40 years living in huts, climbing up trees, tearing down barricades. You've done everything from flying kites on Kilimanjaro to sailing down the Yangtze in a tea chest. Not even the TARDIS could pin you down..."
"Hold on." Jo cut in, "I did sail down the Yangtze in a tea chest. How did you know?"
"And that family, 7 children, 12 grandchildren, 13th on his way." He gave her a knowing look, "He's dyslexic but that'll be fine. Great swimmer."
"Gold medallist." Thea winked, a finger to her lips, "don't tell anyone."
"So you've been watching me all this time?" Jo breathed.
"No." He sighed, "Because you're right, I don't look back. I can't but Thea insists," he glanced at her as she was still typing away on her phone, likely trying to contact one of the kids, "the last time I was dying, I looked back on all of you. Every single one. And I was so proud."
"It really is you, isn't it?"
"Hello!" he waved.
"As lovely as this moment is," Thea began, standing up, "no one's answering their phones, and I told them to stay out trouble, which, obviously means they went looking for trouble."
"Yes, yes." The Doctor agreed moving back to the device, "And I still need you, Jo. Now, that bag of yours, I can smell blackcurrant. Is it buchu oil?"
"Hand-picked in Mozambique." She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small pouch.
"Brilliant!" Thea beamed.
"Oh, perfect." the Doctor nodded, dropping the oil on the top of the device, "These circuits need connectivity. Wonderful. Little tiddly drop. That's it. What a team! There. That should work. Intergalactic molecular streaming, with just a hint of blackcurrant?"
"No, but what's happen to Clyde?" Sarah Jane wondered, not wanting to risk him and Thea swapping again and leaving him stuck here alone before they came with the TARDIS.
"No, no, no, I've fixed it." the Doctor quickly reassured her, "All I needed was you two. Oil and sonic. Now we can go back and Clyde can stay where he is."
"And I get to hug him!" Thea added, linking her arm through Sarah Jane's.
"Hold tight." The Doctor warned, taking Sarah Jane's and Jos hand in his own and with a crackling of Artron energy, they disappeared...
~.~
...back to the hallway they'd been before, Clyde's voices shouting through the vents.
"Then again," the Doctor winced, as Thea ran to a nearby vent in the wall, trying to pry it off with her fingers, "maybe leaving Clyde in the same place wasn't such a good idea."
"Look out," Sarah Jane called, "stand back." Thea moved aside as Sarah Jane flashed her sonic on the vent and it fell to the floor.
"Hello," Thea called, her voice echoing down the shaft.
"Ah! Ventilation shafts." The Doctor smiled, "That takes me back. Or even forwards."
"Hurry up!" Clyde shouted, "We're getting boiled alive."
"Alright," Thea huffed, climbing into the shaft, "keep you're hair on...before its singed off."
"We're coming." The Doctor assured them, climbing in after Thea, the girl crawling ahead.
"Don't worry, Santiago, I'm here." Jos voice followed them down the shaft before falling quiet before Sarah Jane cried out back in the corridors.
"Doctor!"
"Jo?" the Doctor looked back, seeing they hadn't followed, "Sarah?"
"They're roasting us!" Clyde shouted.
"Let us out!" Rani begged.
"I said I was coming!" Thea snapped.
The Doctor glanced back, struggling whether to go after his old companions or follow Thea and help get the kids out. He nodded, continuing on knowing both women would want him to help the kids.
"Give us a moment of silence, please," She turned to the small red light on the side of the vent, fiddling with it as the Doctor caught up, her tongue poking out as she concentrated on crossing the wires to release the children and not accidently blow the base up. "There we go!" She grinned, the light turning green and the vent opened revealing the three children...and a Groske.
"Hello!" She grinned.
"Hi!" Clyde grinned back.
"Oi, we're still cooking back here." Rani glared.
"Sorry." Thea winced, "is that pizza?"
"Not now." She huffed.
"Sorry, I'm starving." She hadn't eaten all day, what with being trapped in the wastelands.
"Where's my gran?" Santiago asked, having heard from both Rani and Clyde that Thea tended to get easily distracted, he just didn't believe quite this distracted.
"Right, yes, sorry," the Doctor called behind Thea, "she's in danger, so, we'd better er..." he shifted looking for a way to turn around, "Can't turn round."
"Shuffle backwards then." Thea suggested.
"Oh, yes, okay." beginning to do just that as Thea followed, allowing Clyde, Rani, Santiago and the Groske to crawl in after them, "Thank you."
They crawled back through the vents and out into the corridor.
"Right, come here you!" Thea, despite the danger Jo and Sarah Jane were likely in, took a moment to pull Clyde into a tight hug.
"Oh I've missed you!" He laughed only for them all to hear a low rumbling noise, like something starting up, "what's that?"
"They've started." The Doctor realised.
"This way." Thea called, grabbing Santiagos hand and leading them down the corridors to the room where the noise seemed to be coming from.
The Doctor pulled on the steel doors despite knowing it would be useless as the Shansheeth would clearly lock them to prevent them getting in. "They've sealed it off. Jo, Sarah, can you hear me?"
"They want the key." Sarah Jane shouted, "They've got the TARDIS, and a Memory Weave."
"Try to find a way in." the Doctor instructed the kids.
"There's nothing." Santiago told him, "We need a bulldozer."
Thea pounded on the doors, "I'll trade my key for Sarah Jane and Jo, listen," she tapped her key on the doors, "its a genuine TARDIS key."
Clyde grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall, bashing it against the doors as Thea heaved her weight against them, trying to force them open, "It's not shifting! What do we do, Doctor? Thea, what do we do?"
Thea frowned, resting against the doors, "the Shansheeth are making them remember." She said slowly.
"I know!" He huffed.
"What if we did the same?"
"What?"
"Do you think that would that work?" the Doctor frowned at her.
"Yeah," She nodded slowly before growing more determined, "it would."
"Right then," the Doctor grinned, running to the control panel to the side, "opening comms. Sarah, Jo, can you hear me? Listen to me, both of you. I want you to remember."
"We are doing." Jo responded, "That's the problem!"
"No, no, no, no. I want you to remember everything. Every single day with me. Every single second. Because your memories are more powerful than anything else on this planet. Just think of it. Remember it. But properly. Properly. Give the Memory Weave everything. Every planet, every face, every madman, every loss, every sunset, every scent, every terror, every joy, every Doctor. Every me."
"I remember!" Sarah Jane gasped.
"No!" The UNIT woman yelled.
"Memory Weave overloading." The computer warned.
"I remember!" Jo laughed.
"Remember Maria and Alan." Thea added, giving Sarah Jane more memories of their own adventures.
"And all the stuff we did," Clyde joined in, "like the Gorgon."
"And the clowns," Rani grinned, recalling the day she moved into Bannerman Road and her life changed forever, "and the zodiac. And the Mona Lisa."
"The Bane!" Thea shouted, "remember how you found Luke, Maria and myself hiding in the girls toilets in the Bubbleshock factory!"
"Yes!" Sarah Jane cried, "yes!"
"Just think, Gran." Santiago called, "All the countries you've been to."
"Every country in the world." she laughed.
"Weave starting to self-destruct." The computer announced.
"It's blown a circuit!" Sarah Jane cheered.
Thea pulled on the doors but they still wouldn't budge, "they won't open!" She exclaimed, still trying to force them open.
"Now we're in trouble." The Doctor sighed, "The Weave's going to blow up and we can't get them out."
"What?" Rani gaped.
"Can't escape."
They heard the faint buzz of the sonic lipstick before it fizzled out, "we've drained it." Sarah Jane breathed, "Doctor? Doctor, We can't get out."
"We can't open it." The Doctor murmured resting his head against the door as Thea slid to the floor, her back to the doors, eyes closed as she rested her head against it.
"No sonic screwdriver." Sarah Jane realised.
"It's inside the TARDIS."
"And we can't get in, because guess what? We stopped ourselves getting the key. Oh, that was clever."
"Key," Thea murmured.
"I just want to say," Jo sniffled, "I'm so glad I saw you again. I waited all this time, and it was worth it. Every second. Funny thing is though, your funeral turns out to be ours instead."
"Doctor," Sarah Jane all of you, you'll look after Luke for me, please. As you do for Thea. Doctor, please look after them both."
Thea snapped her head up, today was not the day Sarah Jane Smith nor Jo Jones died. She outright refused. None of her family were going to die now, especially not because of stupid idea to make them remember. "Above the 'P,'" she mumbled before jumping up and pounding on the door, "on the 'P' above the doors, there's a spare key."
"What?" Sarah Jane asked.
"There's a spare key above the 'P.' Ooh, that rhythms," she shook her head, "spare key above the 'P.'"
"Got it!" Jo cheered.
"How much time have they got?" The Doctor asked the Groske hoping the women had enough time to get to safety in the TARDIS.
"Big bang, 10 seconds." He shrugged.
"Come on." the Doctor ushered them round the corner as the Groske counted down.
The small alien hiding seconds before the door exploded off its hinges. They slowly stepped back out.
"What do you mean, the Mona Lisa?" The Doctor asked.
"Mona Lisa came alive looking for her lost brother." Clyde shrugged, "thought Thea might have mentioned that."
"We met Vincent Van Gogh!" Thea countered.
"Smells like roast chicken." The Groske commented.
The Doctor headed to the TARDIS, "Now then. Smith and Jones." He unlocked the doors to see the two women huddled under the console.
"You two alright?" Thea asked.
The two women burst out laughing, hugging each other tightly, overjoyed at having survived.
~.~
The TARDIS materialised in Sarah Jane's attic and Clyde was the first to step out with his overnight bag, Mr Smith already out.
"Whoa." He stopped dead, "It's Bannerman Road. It's like everything moved. I'm never getting used to that..."
"Mr Smith," Rani walked over to him, "you're in big trouble. Those Shansheeth were bad."
"It transpires that you encountered a rogue element," Mr Smith replied, "and the Wide Wing of the High Shansheeth Nest sends apologies."
"No way." Santiago laughed, "On top of everything else, you've got a talking computer? That is it. I'm giving up."
"Would it help that I'm psychic?" Thea smirked.
"No way!" He gaped.
"How've you been Mr Smith. Missed me?"
"...its good to see you, Thea." He said after a moment.
"Yeah, you've missed me."
~.~
Jo smiled as she strolled around the console, admiring the new look, "Still the same old TARDIS. It doesn't matter what's changed, it still smells the same." she breathed deeply, "No. I've got to say goodbye, or else I'd stay with you forever. Besides, I probably couldn't keep up anymore. Get you into trouble with the Time Lords."
The Doctor looked down at that. It wasn't her fault she didn't know what happened, but he still didn't want to mention it, "Hmm." He cleared his throat, thankful Sarah Jane remained silent, "Yeah, I'd probably better go. You know me, stuff to do."
"It's daft, though," Sarah Jane began, "because we were both saying, we had this theory that if you ever died, we'd feel it, somehow we'd just know. But that's just silly, isn't it?"
"I don't know. Maybe not. Because between you and me, if that day ever comes. I think the whole universe might just shiver."
"Boo!" Thea took the chance to jump in the TARDIS at that moment, startling them all from their silence, "sorry!" She laughed, "saw the chance and I had to take it!"
Sarah Jane shook her head fondly, pulling her into a hug, "look at you, piloting the TARDIS all by yourself."
"I learnt from the best."
"Yeah, well..." the Doctor started smiling.
"Even though he kept trying to throw the manual in a supernova."
"Oi!"
"We'll let you get off." Sarah Jane smiled.
"Oh, come here." Jo laughed, hugging Thea who grinned at the older woman's attention, "you are gorgeous! You absolutely are!" She kissed her on both cheeks, "just wonderful!"
"I love you!" Thea exclaimed, "could we stay for a bit?" she turned to the Doctor, "we were coming over anyway."
"I suppose we could leave the Ponds on the Honeymoon a while longer." The Doctor agreed.
~.~
Sarah Jane smiled to herself as she stood in the kitchen, making tea as the Doctor brought out a selection of biscuits from the cupboards for them all to snack on. Jo and Santiago had already gone, having needed to get to the airport and with knowing the Doctors driving, Jo had turned down the Doctors offer to take them. The last thing she needed was for her and Santiago to end up on the other side of the universe and end up on Earth again years later.
"I hope Theas been listening to you, Doctor." Sarah Jane told him, "sometimes she likes to think she knows best."
"She usually does." the Doctor chuckled.
"I dont know how much shes told you." Sarah Jane began slowly, "but she didnt have the most caring parents on Gallifrey."
He closed his eyes, havi g hated listening to her tell him her childhood. How lonely it sounded. "Im aware."
"I just..." she sighed, "I dont want her to get too close to get hurt."
"Neither do I." The Doctor frowned. "I feel like youre trying to tell me something."
Sarah Jane sighed, "you have to understand, Doctor, Thea is my daughter. The fact shes centuries older than myself doesnt change that. I will not let her get hurt, even by a friend." She looked at him, "she called you dad. A couple of times actually." The Doctor started to laugh, "what?"
"I adopted her, Sarah." He told her, smiling wifely, "and she excepted. Thats why we were coming to see you lot. To tell you the news." He paused a moment, suddenly remember that Sarah Jane was also the girls mother, maybe he should had spoken to her about it first, "thats alright with you, isnt it?"
Sarah Jane shook her head with a laugh, pulling him into a tight embrace, "I think you're exactly what she needs."
"Are you two alright?" Thea asked as she appeared in the doorway, frowning with concern, "it doesnt take this long to make tea, I thought the Doctor might have exploded it but i didnt hear anything."
"Oi, im not that bad!" The Doctor pointed at her. She raised her eyebrows and he lowered his finger.
"Dont talk to your father like that, Thea." Sarah Jane told her.
She rolled her eyes, now knowing what was taking so long. They were talking about her. "Sorry, mum."
"And dont roll your eyes at your mother." The Doctor said sternly.
She turned and head back up to the attic, "yes dad."
And once sure they coukdnt see her or here he she squealed. So delighted to finally have parents who actually gave a damn about her.
All she ever wanted was a family who cared about her. She finally got it.
She wasnt going to loose it anytime soon.
