milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Today she's returned for a third time, and that's alright because it doesn't seem as if they're going anywhere anytime soon. Harry is still in disbelief and the Doctor is still trying to figure out the coordinates (at least, that's what Sarah assumes they are) of the best place to show off the Harry, and well, quite frankly, she's bored.

So, when that door in the TARDIS opened up to Milliways again, Sarah Jane was pleasantly pleased. That meant something to do for a while, something that wasn't teasing the Doctor or Harry. And the tea there was simply marvellous after all.

Fifteen minutes later, she now sits by the fireplace, the London Times opened on her lap, and a cup of tea on the table beside her. This is a nice change, indeed.

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His thought process goes like this:

That is Sarah Jane. A young Sarah Jane, around the age she was when she was travelling with me. It would be nice to speak to her again. But she did not recognize me when she saw me in her future. So obviously, we hadn't met, therefore we won't. Then again, human memory is prone to lapses, so it's possible she had just forgotten me. But how could anyone forget me? I'm the Doctor, after all. Oh, stop being such an egotist. There are ways to take care of any possible repercussions, so just go talk to her!

Which is how the Doctor ends up in an armchair by the fireplace, not far from Sarah Jane. He also has tea, but no newspaper. Just a friendly smile when she might happen to look his way.

She has been looking up from her paper every now and then - how could one not in a place like this? The fireplace is simply enchanting (oh, when was the last time she had a chance to sit in front of an actual fireplace like this?) and the people, well, definately something to notice as well.

At some point, she does catch a man sitting in a nearby armchair and nods politely before going back to her paper.

"Nothing like a roaring fire, eh?" he asks. "Perfect weather for it, too."

It takes Sarah a moment to realize that the man's talking to her and she nods, smiling as she folds up the newspaper. A little chat was always appreciated.

"Oh, is it? I'm afraid I haven't been outside here yet. And it's not quite winter where I've come from."

"Really? Where's that, then?" Which is really just a front to figure out where and when this Sarah Jane is coming from, but he asks it pleasantly enough.

"I don't know if you would believe me if I told you," Sarah answers with a laugh, smiling at him.

He just seems so normal; not at all like some of the other people she's met here so far.

"Although a lot of people apparently have. Oh, I suppose after being at a pub at the end of the universe, nothing can surprise you much, can it?"

At the end of the universe, normal is relative.

"Oh, I'm sure there's still one or two things left. Try me," he says with a grin.

Sarah laughs again. His grin is rather infectious.

"Well, then, I'm currently from - oh, I don't know where we are right now, but I'm travelling around in this thing called the TARDIS and we go to all sorts of places and times!" She smiles. "It's wonderful, really."

"TARDIS, eh? So, you'd be one of those wossnames... Time Lords, right?"

"Oh no, not me. I'm just one of your regular old humans," she answers, shaking her head.

Someone else who knows about the TARDIS and Time Lords. There are so many of these people here - and maybe that's one of the strangest parts of Milliways so far.

"The Doctor - he's the Time Lord," Sarah continues, her voice taking on a mocking tone as her eyes twinkle with laughter. "As he so often chooses to remind me: 'Sarah, the Earth isn't my home' and 'Sarah, a Time Lord isn't a laughing matter' and 'I wander the recesses of time' and oh, he gets so ridiculous sometimes. But I wouldn't want him any other way."

"The Doctor, eh? Tall guy, curly hair, giant scarf?"

"That's him exactly!" Sarah answers with another smile. And then looks at him suspiciously. "But I've been told that he, well, that version of him, doesn't come here. How do you know that?"

"Oh, you're right, but he popped through for a little while, a little less than a year ago. That's the last time I ran into him."

All of which is perfectly true, if misleading.

"Anyone mention what he's looking like now?" he asks idly.

"Oh. Hmmph." Sarah frowns and crosses her arms over her chest, looking rather annoyed for a moment. "He could've told me about this place, at the very least."

She sighs again and leans back further in the armchair. "Oh well, I discovered it on my very own instead.

"The Brigadier mentioned his appearance here once. He said he had straight, messy brown hair and wore a pin stripe suit now..." Sarah Jane says, trailing off as she inspects the man's clothing.

Straight but messy brown hair and a suit that she'd assume would look something like that one. Hmm.

"Might have been before he met you?" he offers. (Actually, it was after he'd been recalled to Gallifrey, but there's no need to go there.)

When she starts eyeing him, he casually takes a sip of his tea. "Really? Sounds like a pretty good looking chap, then. Want to be careful if you find him, though. Lot of dopplegangers round this place."

"Might have," Sarah says slowly, still studying him closely.

Pin stripe suit, messy hair, TARDIS and Time Lords...

She continues to stare, her lips pressed into a thin frown as she thinks it over. Maybe she should add a level of arrogance to the list.

"Oh," she suddenly exclaims, breaking the quiet ponderings she had slipped in to. "Oh, where are my manners. All this time we've been talking, and I haven't even properly introduced myself. I'm Sarah Jane Smith."

He grins. "What a coincidence! That's my name, too. Well, Smith is, not Sarah Jane. That'd just be silly. It's John, actually. John Smith. Funny world, huh?"

"I'm afraid I don't believe in coincidences," Sarah Jane replies, trying not to grin herself. "Especially when all the evidence points to the contrary."

The Doctor always uses John Smith in situations when he needs an alias. Always.

Well, apart from the time he used Doctor James MacCrimmon, but that was a very specific circumstance.

"Then you're cleverer than most, Miss Smith."

It comes with being a journalist. You just have to be able to put things together quickly to get the scoop.

It really doesn't take all that long, especially when its your best friend sitting in front of you and...and!

"Oh. Oh don't you Miss Smith me, Doctor!" Sarah Jane responds, standing up quickly and stomping her foot on the ground. "I...oh, that was so...it's you!"

No curly hair not really covered by a hat, no scarf, but she knows it's him. The smile and the knowledge and the description and the name.

"Oh, you! How could you? You just lied to me! Doctor!"

"I never!" he protests with an offended gasp. "Everything I said to you was true!"

"Did too!" Sarah Jane puts her hand on her forehead for a moment, trying to restrain herself from slapping his upper arm.

Oh, oh bullocks!

"Oh, from a certain point of view, perhaps! You mislead me - on purpose, I might add - and next thing...oh, don't think you can just offer me a jelly baby and worm your way out of this one!"

"I did visit here as you knew me about a year ago, and I did run into myself then. And there are dopplegangers here; I've got one myself! And I didn't elaborate because you had to come to the conclusion yourself or you'd never believe it."

Yep, that's his story, and he's sticking to it.

"You forgot that you purposely left out who you were! People told me you're quite possibly from my future and that means you know me," Sarah protests, stamping her foot again.

Apparently some things just dodn't change, no matter how many regenerations the Doctor went through. He is just as infuriating here as he is back on the TARDIS!

"You went on and on while I was sitting here - mocking you, for goodness' sake - and you knew perfectly well who I was!"

She absolutely refuses to fall for his story. Absolutely refuses.

He continues to smile serenely at her.

"Of course I know who you are; that's why I came to talk to you. But I didn't know if you were here from after you'd seen me regenerate. If you hadn't been, and I came up to you and said, 'Hello, Sarah Jane, I'm the Doctor,' you would have gone completely spare. So I had to let you work it out for yourself so you'd believe I'm really me."

No. Oh no. She is so not buying his excuse.

She does, however go and finally sit down again, at an armchair closer to where the Doctor is sitting. She glares at him, grumpy that maybe he has a point with that. His regeneration had been so recent in her time, and he's right. She would've thought it was all barmy.

But that doesn't mean she'll admit it outloud.

His serene smile turns surprisingly gentle.

Softly, "Hello, Sarah Jane. I'm the Doctor."

Sarah Jane remains quiet for a few more seconds as she looks him over, tears in her eyes.

"You look so different, Doctor."

"It's been a very long time," he says, still softly. "An incredibly long time."

She nods slowly, reaching out to place her hand on his forearm. "Has it really?"

"About five hundred years since I last saw you," he finally manages to say.

'You' being a relative term, of course. Otherwise, the answer would be more like 24 hours.

Sarah reflexively squeezes his arm as she tries to blink back tears. "Five hundred years? Twenty-four hours? Oh, oh Doctor."

That is an awfully long time. A horrendously long time, even. And more than anything else she's encountered - more than thinking the Doctor had died back on Peladon or facing those horrible spiders - it makes her cry.

Because five hundred years is a long time. And five hundred years means that she probably isn't travelling with him anymore.

He reaches up and pats her hand. "My Sarah Jane," he says gently. "In case I've forgotten to say it -- in case I forget to say it in the future -- I want you to know that I am so very proud of you. I always was."

"Oh Doctor," Sarah replies in between tears, squeezing his hand tightly. "Oh."

She's at a loss of words right now.

The Doctor offers her a handkerchief from inside his coat pocket, but doesn't sully the moment with words.

Sarah looks at the handkerchief and then up to him. "No jelly babies?"

He shrugs, grinning slightly.

"Always. But you hated them, as I recall."

But the bag is there in his hand, open and offered to her.

"Always, except when you're the one offering them."

The opened bag makes her smile, making her think that maybe this Doctor isn't so different from the one she knows now. It's the little things that can be reassuring. And very reassuring at that.

So, she takes one and pops it into her mouth, forcing a grin on her face as she eats it. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Anytime," he replies with a gentle smile.

Sarah nods and finishes chewing the jelly baby, swallowing hard as she thinks through all the questions in her head. She really doesn't know where to start.

But there's always a starting place somewhere. It's something she knows to well.

So, fixing that grin on her face, she looks him over again. "It's strange to think how different you look when I only saw you moments before on the TARDIS."

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