Travel Broadens the Mind by dbskyler
Summary: A collection of Sarah Jane ficlets, presented in no particular order and updated on no particular schedule.
Rating: All Ages
Categories: Fourth Doctor
Characters: Sarah Jane Smith, The Doctor (4th)
Genres: Character Study, General, Vignette
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 2012.06.25
Updated: 2022.07.30
Index
Chapter 1: Getting There
Chapter 2: Surety
Chapter 3: Silly Question
Chapter 1: Getting There
Author's Notes: It's not the destination; it's the journey.
She'd lost track of the number of places he'd said he'd take her; all those confident promises made with such enthusiasm. Florana, he would say, or Cassiopeia, and off they would go, only to arrive at Exxilon or Antarctica instead.
This time, the door opened to a scene of volcanic rock lit by three moons in the sky, one of them almost full. "Honestly, Doctor!" she said as she surveyed the beautiful, alien landscape. "Why do you even bother to tell me the destination when we never, ever get to where we were supposed to be going?"
"Hmm?" asked the Doctor, looking up from the controls. "Why, where did I say we were going this time?"
"Piccadilly Circus." Then Sarah pushed the door wider so he could have an unobstructed view of the rocky, lava-pocked, triple-mooned splendor beyond.
The Doctor's expression didn't change. "And that's not Piccadilly Circus?" he asked.
"Let's see," replied Sarah acerbically. She pointedly turned to look out the door. "No cars, no neon signs, no hint of a Tube station . . . yes, I'm fairly certain that wherever this is, it is not Piccadilly Circus."
"Fairly certain?" repeated the Doctor. She stuck out her tongue, but he didn't react. "Well, I suppose you're correct and we didn't get to where we were going then." He jammed his hat on his head, and was it her imagination, or had that been a fleeting smile? She couldn’t tell, and he quickly turned his face away as he swept by her to head out the door.
"I just wish that for once, you would get us to the right place!" she yelled at his retreating back.
He turned around, and yes, that was clearly a smile now in the moonlight. "Are you coming?"
"Of course," she said as she closed the door behind her. She joined him, then reached for his hat and placed it on her own head instead. "Just remember you got it wrong again," she told him brusquely. She started down a path that wended its way through the moonlit rocks, and tried her best to hide her own smile. "Now tell me -- after we've finished up here, where will we be going next?"
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Chapter 2: Surety
Author's Notes: Sometimes he held her hand.
Sometimes he held her hand, leading her as they walked through a forest, down a hill, over a ridge. Sometimes it was a more urgent tug, a pulling towards safety, or towards danger -- towards somewhere he wanted to see, or somewhere he needed to be; somewhere he needed her to be, with him.
Sometimes he didn't touch her. Usually he ran ahead (running towards, running away, curious, impatient, in a hurry), but then he would turn back to take her hand.
Sometimes he grabbed her, or lifted her, or swung her out of the way. Sometimes he carried her, when she needed to be carried.
Sometimes his touch was comfort, and sometimes it was worry; always it was friendship, and security: the feel of his hand in hers, the steady grip, his palm against her flesh, his fingers clasped tightly around her own, not letting go, never letting go, never leaving her behind.
He would come back for her. She just had to wait.
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Chapter 3: Silly Question
Author's Notes: Written for 50ficlets. Prompt: Hand on Heart.
"Doctor?" asked Sarah. "What's it like to have two hearts?"
"Hmm?" The Doctor looked up from the TARDIS console. "That's an odd question. Why do you ask?"
Sarah shrugged. "Just curious. Tell me. What's it like?"
The Doctor pushed his hat back from his face and regarded her. "What's it like to have one heart?"
Sarah laughed. "Normal."
"Exactly." The Doctor pulled his hat back down, then returned to the console. "You humans ask the silliest questions."
"Oy," protested Sarah, following him. "Don't you get all superior on me. I've seen you ask far sillier questions."
"Nonsense," said the Doctor. "Only a human would demand to know what it's like to not be human."
Sarah gave an annoyed tug on his scarf, then placed her hands on his chest to feel the double heartbeat within. "You can't blame me for wondering, though. Sometimes you act very human."
"And sometimes," said the Doctor, "you act very Time Lord."
"I know," said Sarah. "I ask silly questions, don't I?"
And she grinned at him.Back to index