locker_monster (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
locker_monster) wrote2014-11-30 08:38 pm
locker_monster) wrote2014-11-30 08:38 pm
Doctor Who/The Sarah Jane Adventures fic: Gentleman Caller (1/1)
Title: Gentleman Caller (1/1)
Rating: G
Word Count: 3,824
Characters: Gita Chandra, Haresh Chandra, Sarah Jane, Twelve, Sky, Clara
Timeline: Post-"Mummy on the Orient Express" for Doctor Who and post-"The Man Who Never Was" for The Sarah Jane Adventures. No spoilers.
Summary: Who's the grey-haired Scottish man the Chandras keep seeing at Sarah Jane's house? Does she have a new boyfriend?
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the BBC.
A/N: Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
who_at_50's 51st anniversary fanwork-a-thon. A huge thank you goes to the awesome ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dbskyler for the wonderful beta. This fic would be ten times worse without your help.
Spring was always good for business. Gita found that once the flowers outside started to bloom, people wanted those flowers inside, too, but without the hassle of having to water and maintain the plants. She catered to temporary whims, but she was fine with that. Flowers were still a thing of beauty even if they only lasted a week.
She closed the doors to the back of her van, ready to head to her flower shop, Bloomin' Lovely, for the day. She spent more time there these days, now that Rani was off at university. Haresh said she would adjust to the empty room, but it was still difficult.
Before Gita could get behind the wheel, she saw her neighbour Sarah leave her house. She was about to wave when she noticed that Sarah wasn't alone. A tall, older man with neatly trimmed grey hair was with her. He said something, and Sarah smiled.
They didn't notice Gita when they drove off, but she didn't mind. She was still trying to process what she saw as she got into her van. Sarah and a handsome stranger. Did she have a new man in her life? The thought stayed with Gita all the way to the flower shop.
Haresh returned home from the school to find his wife staring out the front windows. He didn't think this was odd until he noticed the numerous mugs of tea occupying the window sill. "Something wrong, Gita?" he asked. For the first few weeks after their daughter's departure to Cambridge, he had often found Gita just staring out the window, as if lost in her memories.
But not today. She stared intently at Sarah Jane's house across the street. "Gita?"
"Did you have a good day at school, my darling?" She didn't turn to address him.
"Yes, it was fine." Haresh put his briefcase aside and loosened his tie. "Do you need Sarah Jane for something?"
"Just waiting for her to come back. Oh, there she is now."
Unable to help himself, Haresh joined his wife at the window. He saw Sarah Jane's car pull into her driveway, and then noticed that she had a passenger. It was a fleeting glimpse, but he saw enough to see that it was a man.
"Gita." Haresh knew his wife too well. "I don't think Sarah Jane would appreciate you spying on her."
"He was with her this morning, too. They left the house together." It was like she hadn't heard him. "Do you think he's a new boyfriend?"
While he knew Gita was asking out of concern for their friend -- they both still remembered Sarah Jane's short-lived engagement from a few years ago -- this was a bit more snooping than Haresh was comfortable with. "Leave it be, Gita. If Sarah Jane has a boyfriend, she'll introduce him when she wants to."
He tried to move Gita away from the window, but she slipped past him and picked up a vase of tiger lilies from the coffee table. "Do you think they're too much? I considered pink carnations, but I think orange suits Sarah better."
Haresh tried not to sigh. "You're going to deliver a vase of flowers just to catch a glimpse of Sarah Jane's mystery man?"
"No. I thought Sarah would like some flowers to spruce up her living room. Her Japanese peace lily could use some company. If I happen to bump into any guests while I'm there, it'll just be a coincidence." Gita headed for the front door, confident in her reasoning.
Under normal circumstances, Haresh wouldn't have intervened, but he stepped forward now. He could easily picture Gita pushing too hard for answers and overstaying her welcome. "Here, let me." He took the vase from his wife before she could protest. "I need to talk to Sarah Jane about that welcome home party." At least this way he could satisfy Gita's curiosity while still giving Sarah Jane some privacy.
Haresh dashed across the road, seeing that now seemed like a good time to bring up the idea of throwing a welcome home party for Rani, Luke, and Clyde when they returned at the winter break. It was something that Haresh had had at the back of his mind for a few weeks, and he really had been meaning to discuss it with Sarah Jane. Gita's curiosity was just extra motivation to have that conversation.
He rang the bell and a few seconds later, the door opened and he was greeted by Sarah Jane's daughter, Sky. "Hi, Mr. Chandra." She immediately noticed the vase. "Why are you carrying flowers?"
"Hi, Sky. Is your mum home? The flowers are for her." Sky raised an eyebrow. "They're from Gita."
Sky invited him in. "I'll go get her." She turned and ran up the stairs.
Haresh glanced back over the road and glimpsed Gita standing outside of their house. She smiled hopefully at him and from her hand gestures he gathered that she was asking if she should go over. He quickly shook his head and stepped into the Smith household, closing the door behind him.
Knowing Gita would ask him for details, he wandered into the living room. Nothing looked different or suggested that Sarah Jane had a houseguest. He didn't see a suitcase or a man's coat thrown over the sofa. It seemed more likely that Sarah Jane's friend had arrived in the morning, and Gita had missed seeing him stop by.
"Haresh." A jolt went down his spine; he suddenly knew what his students felt when he caught them doing something they shouldn't have. He turned, giving Sarah Jane her first look at the vase of flowers. She seemed surprised, but slightly amused, too. "What a pleasant surprise."
"From Gita." Recalling what his wife had said earlier, he added, "To spruce up the house. She thought your peace lily might be lonely." He wasn't sure how a plant could get lonely, and he felt slightly ridiculous saying it.
If Sarah Jane shared his sentiment, she decided not to make a comment. "My thanks to Gita then." She took the vase from him and placed it on a side table where the flowers would get plenty of sunlight.
"I also wanted to ask you about throwing a welcome home party for Rani, Luke, and Clyde when their semesters are over." Haresh started to edge his way towards the kitchen. It wasn't strange if he went in there, but he didn't feel comfortable enough to fib his way upstairs.
"Oh, that's a lovely idea, Haresh. It'd be good to see everyone together again."
"Do you have some time to talk about it? I-" Sky came barrelling into the room before Haresh could continue. She seemed on the verge of saying something, but stopped when she laid eyes on her headmaster. She looked surprised that he was still there.
"What is it, Sky?" asked Sarah Jane.
"Um, I need your help upstairs. With an English assignment," added Sky as an obvious afterthought.
Taking advantage of the brief exchange, Haresh discreetly tilted his head back, but he didn't see or hear anyone in the kitchen. "Well, I can't argue with that," he said, before anyone could notice his manoeuvre. Gita would have to settle for his assessment of the ground floor. "We can talk about the party at another time."
"I look forward to it."
He said his good-byes and headed back across the road. Gita was on him the second he entered the house. "Well?"
"I didn't see anyone. Sarah Jane says thank you for the flowers, though." Haresh went to the kitchen, intent on making a cup of tea to settle his nerves.
"Nothing at all? Are you sure you looked hard enough?" Gita gazed thoughtfully towards the door. "Maybe I should pop over."
Haresh took her by the hand and guided her into the kitchen. "I think we've done enough snooping for one day."
Gita hurried out of the house, eager to get a jumpstart on her orders for the day. "Good-bye, my darling. I'll see you at dinner." She was about to get into her van when she caught some movement across the road from the corner of her eye. She turned and saw a man with grey hair. It was Sarah's friend. She hadn't seen him since the other day when she sent Haresh over with the flowers.
Gita instantly recognized an opportunity to finally learn more about Sarah's new friend. "Hello!" she called. "Lovely day, isn't it?"
The man was putting something in the boot of Sarah's car. He looked up and turned. He wore a long black coat, and when he spun around, it revealed a vibrant red lining inside. For a second, he eyed Gita, and she couldn't help but notice his prominent eyebrows. "Hello." He had a Scottish accent, but deep and cultured.
"I'm Gita. I live across the street."
"Ah, the lady of the flowers." He gestured to Gita's van. "Preparing for another day of delivering temporary cheer?"
Gita frowned. "I'm sorry?"
"Cut flowers don't last very long. Why give a gift of something that decays before your eyes? People should give each other potted plants." Gita laughed, and it was the man's turn to frown. "What?"
"Oh, I was thinking something similar the other day. About flowers and temporary whims. I should carry more potted plants at my shop. Thank you for the suggestion."
The man's brow remained furrowed, as if he didn't understand what she was talking about. "Right, well, good luck with that." He shut the boot of Sarah's car and headed back inside. "Good-bye, Gita."
"Good-bye." She watched him leave. He was tall, she noticed, and the grey hair was very distinguished on him. Was he the same age as Sarah? Gita couldn't tell. Locking her van, she hurried back into the house. She found Haresh in the kitchen, getting his lunch ready. "I saw him again!"
"Who?"
"Sarah's friend."
"So he stopped by to visit. That's not unusual."
"When we were dating you dropped by all the time," she said meaningfully.
Haresh laughed. "Yes, but that doesn't mean Sarah Jane is dating him."
"But wouldn't it be wonderful if she had a boyfriend? You know how she brushes off the notion whenever I've brought it up? That's just because she's been too scared to enter into a relationship. But it would be lovely if she's finally in one now. She deserves some happiness."
"I do agree with you on that," admitted Haresh. "But you shouldn't rush her. They might have only just met. They should get to know each other before Sarah Jane introduces him to her friends."
Gita couldn't argue with her husband, but her curiosity was too strong to ignore. "Or maybe we could invite them over for dinner? That would help to break the ice."
Haresh shook his head good-naturedly. "Well, it can't be tonight. Rani promised to Skype us."
"I remember." Gita noticed the time on the oven clock. "Oh, I better get going. Have a good day at school, my darling." She kissed Haresh on the cheek before dashing back to her van.
Perhaps dinner was too forward, she thought as she drove off for Bloomin' Lovely. Maybe inviting them for tea was better...
Haresh glanced at his mobile phone, but there was still no signal. He had tried to call Gita earlier, but the reception had been spotty at best. Even the land line in his office was on the blink. He would have thought that with all the money they paid for phone services, the things would be more reliable.
He looked out his window, wanting to see how his students were faring without their mobiles. It was the lunch hour, and most of the students were intent on eating their lunches, but he noticed a few who stared at their devices in frustration. If only he could get them to care that much about their studies.
Wait, there was a single bar on his mobile. He tried Gita's mobile one more time. To his surprise, the call went through, and he heard Gita answer. "Yes, my darling?"
Haresh frowned. The reception was still bad, he could barely hear Gita over the bursts of static, but it was better than nothing. "Are you busy at the shop?"
There was a slight pause, hinting Gita was having an equally hard time hearing him. "No, I'm at home. I closed up early today. Oh, that's odd."
Haresh barely heard Gita. "Did you just say 'That's odd'?" It was hard to tell over the weak mobile signal, but his wife sounded very concerned.
"Sarah's house. The roof is... glowing."
"Glowing? Gita, what are you talking about?"
"Haresh, this doesn't look ri-"
The signal just died. There was no dial tone.
Haresh tried Gita's number again, but his mobile had lost its reception. He tried calling the number with his office phone, but he got no response. He then tried to call their home land line, but once more there was nothing. In one last effort, he tried calling Sarah Jane, but he got the same result. He started to imagine the worst.
Grabbing his car keys, Haresh hurried out of the school and into the courtyard. He easily spotted Sky by her mass of brown curls. Her friends all stopped talking when they found themselves under the headmaster's scrutiny.
"Mr. Chandra, what's wrong?" Sky asked.
"Something's wrong at home, your mum's house, too, maybe. Can you reach Sarah Jane on your mobile? I didn't have any luck."
Sky pulled out her mobile but she quickly shook her head. "I don't have a signal."
Haresh felt his pulse quicken. "I need to head home."
Sky grabbed her bag and got to her feet. "I want to come, too."
There was no time to argue. Sky easily kept pace with his longer stride, and they were inside his car in no time. Haresh tore out of the car park, never gladder that the school was so close to where he lived.
The trip to Bannerman Road was a blur. When he pulled onto the street, he thought he might see the houses in ruin, but much to his relief, everything looked fine. His anxiety quickly evaporated when he saw Gita standing on the pavement with Sarah Jane and her supposed boyfriend, all three looking perfectly well.
"Mum!" Sky burst out of the car the second Haresh put it into park. The girl ran over to her mother and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Haresh hurried over to Gita, and he followed Sky's example. He expected Gita to return his hug, but she quickly pulled back. She had a big smile on her face. "Haresh, this is John." She directed him to the man at Sarah Jane's side.
"Hi," Haresh said, but it was an automatic response. "What happened?"
"Sorry, that was my fault," answered Sarah Jane. "We had a slight... incident." Her gaze drifted to the top of her house.
Haresh followed her sight line. His eyebrows shot up his forehead. A large patch of the roof was black and smouldering, like it had been struck by lightning. He could actually see into the attic. "Did something explode?" There were no flames. The damage was remarkably isolated.
"Um, John here was trying to modify my computer."
"And he blew a fuse?"
"You could say that," the man admitted. He didn't seem overly concerned that his actions had formed a gaping hole in Sarah Jane's roof.
It didn't look like a blown fuse to Haresh. His innate lie detector told him Sarah Jane and John weren't telling the whole truth, but he stopped himself from asking more questions. Bizarre things happened on this street, with Sarah Jane's house the epicentre. Haresh had learned to accept it. He suspected he was better off not knowing.
"I made a call to emergency services," said Sarah Jane. "I imagine they'll want to assess the structural integrity of the attic."
"Is that a good idea?" asked Sky. "I mean, it's really messy up there." She added this bit in a louder voice, as though everyone else was hard of hearing.
"It's fine," Sarah Jane assured her, and that was apparently enough to settle Sky's worry.
"Why don't we wait inside our house?" suggested Gita. She was already heading in that direction. "I'll put the kettle on."
No one could come up with a reason to say no. They all followed Gita to the Chandra household. "So, John," said Gita, turning to Sarah Jane's friend, "tell me more about yourself."
"He's a doctor!" supplied Sky.
Later that night, after most on Bannerman Road had gone to bed, an odd whooshing noise was heard from Sarah Jane's back garden. The Chandras, fast asleep, didn't notice.
They had been waiting in the back garden for hours when the TARDIS finally appeared. There was a sizeable rut in the grass from where the Doctor had been pacing back and forth, but now he stilled as his ship was finally returned to him.
When Sarah Jane had opened her front door to find the Doctor on her doorstep, with a new face no less, she hadn't expected to have him as a houseguest for the week, but she had been more than happy to put him up while they found a way to rescue the TARDIS and his friend Clara from the aliens who had kidnapped her.
It had only been a few years since Sarah Jane had last seen the TARDIS, but she never grew tired of seeing it materialize. This particular instance was even more noteworthy because it was Sky's first encounter with the time machine. Her daughter watched, wide-eyed, as the ghostly outline of the TARDIS became more solid with each swell of the engines.
A low clang heralded the end of the materialization sequence, and the doors of the blue box immediately opened. A young woman, looking to be in her late twenties, stepped out. Her gaze swept around the garden before zeroing in on the Doctor.
This undoubtedly was Clara Oswald, whom the Doctor had mentioned in passing during the week. He didn't rush over to her, but the worry that had weighed upon him quickly disappeared as he crossed the short distance between them. Sarah Jane thought the Doctor might hug Clara, but he made no move to do so.
Sky stood up from the garden bench where they sat and slowly crept towards the TARDIS. Clara had left the doors open, allowing for a glimpse of the interior. Just from the slice that Sarah Jane could see, she noted that the console room had gone through a redesign since she had last seen it.
"Can we go on a trip?" asked Sky. She stared hungrily into the impossible depths of the time machine.
They were so Earth-bound, out of necessity, of course, but Sarah Jane wouldn't have minded showing her daughter some of the universe beyond their home planet. "It's up to the Doctor."
Curiosity drew Sky closer and closer to the TARDIS, until finally she was right next to the Time Lord. He glanced over at her, halting his conversation with Clara.
"Can we go into space?" she asked him.
"Why should I invite you on board?"
"Because you almost blew up Mr. Smith and you blew a hole in our roof. You owe us."
Clara's attention went up to the top of the house and the gaping hole there. "Doctor!" she scolded. "What did you do?"
"Why are you criticizing? It was all to get you and the TARDIS back. Or were you happy being stuck behind a force field?"
Clara couldn't complain about her liberation, but she still shook her head at him. "You are the worst houseguest ever." She gestured to Sky. "Come on, I can show you around."
Sky eagerly accepted the invitation and followed Clara into the time machine. Even from where she was sitting, Sarah Jane heard her daughter's exclamation. "Wow, Mum wasn't kidding!"
"Don't touch anything!" the Doctor shouted after them.
"I guess you're off then," said Sarah Jane. She got up from the bench and walked over to him before he could charge after Sky. He was such a contrast from the last two Doctors she had met, both of whom had been quick to smile. He was far from uncaring, though, as evidenced by his steadfast determination to track down Clara.
His look of discontent mellowed as he turned to address her. "I need to get Clara back home. We're slightly in her past."
Sarah Jane hadn't thought he would hang around. After being stuck on Earth in the same time period for a week, she knew he was keen to head back to the stars. "Of course. I won't keep you."
He took one step into the TARDIS, but then he quickly stepped out again. "I could come back." The Doctor hesitated slightly over the words, as if he wasn't entirely sure what to say. "Take you and Sky somewhere, to make up for your roof."
It was the last thing that Sarah Jane had expected. Random chance always brought the Doctor back to her. To have him purposely come back was very different, but it was not an unwelcome prospect, and she found herself smiling. "All right. Just one trip, though. If you keep showing up, Gita is going to get the wrong idea."
The Doctor frowned. "What wrong idea?"
She shook her head at him, holding back a laugh. "Never mind." She nudged him back into the TARDIS. "Sky, the Doctor's leaving now!"
"Now?" Sarah Jane gave an emphatic yes and Sky heaved a huge sigh. "Fine." Reluctantly, she dragged herself away from the console, but not before saying good-bye to Clara.
"I'm making a return trip, since you were being so insistent." The Doctor pushed Sky towards the doors, encouraging her to pick up her feet. He deposited Sky by Sarah Jane and then made a shooing motion with his hands. "Five minutes," he assured them.
They only just managed to wave good-bye to Clara before the Doctor closed the doors. Sarah Jane led Sky away, putting a few steps between them and the TARDIS. She had no desire to hitch a ride on the outside of the time machine as it dematerialized.
A moment later, the light atop the blue box began to flash on and off in time with the cosmic groan of the TARDIS' engines. A gentle maelstrom was stirred up in the back garden, and within a few seconds, the TARDIS was gone.
Sarah Jane wrapped her arm around Sky's shoulders and led them back to the house. She had a feeling they would be waiting longer than five minutes and they would be more comfortable inside. "So, all of time and space. Where do you want to go?" she asked.
Rating: G
Word Count: 3,824
Characters: Gita Chandra, Haresh Chandra, Sarah Jane, Twelve, Sky, Clara
Timeline: Post-"Mummy on the Orient Express" for Doctor Who and post-"The Man Who Never Was" for The Sarah Jane Adventures. No spoilers.
Summary: Who's the grey-haired Scottish man the Chandras keep seeing at Sarah Jane's house? Does she have a new boyfriend?
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the BBC.
A/N: Written for
who_at_50's 51st anniversary fanwork-a-thon. A huge thank you goes to the awesome dbskyler for the wonderful beta. This fic would be ten times worse without your help.Spring was always good for business. Gita found that once the flowers outside started to bloom, people wanted those flowers inside, too, but without the hassle of having to water and maintain the plants. She catered to temporary whims, but she was fine with that. Flowers were still a thing of beauty even if they only lasted a week.
She closed the doors to the back of her van, ready to head to her flower shop, Bloomin' Lovely, for the day. She spent more time there these days, now that Rani was off at university. Haresh said she would adjust to the empty room, but it was still difficult.
Before Gita could get behind the wheel, she saw her neighbour Sarah leave her house. She was about to wave when she noticed that Sarah wasn't alone. A tall, older man with neatly trimmed grey hair was with her. He said something, and Sarah smiled.
They didn't notice Gita when they drove off, but she didn't mind. She was still trying to process what she saw as she got into her van. Sarah and a handsome stranger. Did she have a new man in her life? The thought stayed with Gita all the way to the flower shop.
* * *
Haresh returned home from the school to find his wife staring out the front windows. He didn't think this was odd until he noticed the numerous mugs of tea occupying the window sill. "Something wrong, Gita?" he asked. For the first few weeks after their daughter's departure to Cambridge, he had often found Gita just staring out the window, as if lost in her memories.
But not today. She stared intently at Sarah Jane's house across the street. "Gita?"
"Did you have a good day at school, my darling?" She didn't turn to address him.
"Yes, it was fine." Haresh put his briefcase aside and loosened his tie. "Do you need Sarah Jane for something?"
"Just waiting for her to come back. Oh, there she is now."
Unable to help himself, Haresh joined his wife at the window. He saw Sarah Jane's car pull into her driveway, and then noticed that she had a passenger. It was a fleeting glimpse, but he saw enough to see that it was a man.
"Gita." Haresh knew his wife too well. "I don't think Sarah Jane would appreciate you spying on her."
"He was with her this morning, too. They left the house together." It was like she hadn't heard him. "Do you think he's a new boyfriend?"
While he knew Gita was asking out of concern for their friend -- they both still remembered Sarah Jane's short-lived engagement from a few years ago -- this was a bit more snooping than Haresh was comfortable with. "Leave it be, Gita. If Sarah Jane has a boyfriend, she'll introduce him when she wants to."
He tried to move Gita away from the window, but she slipped past him and picked up a vase of tiger lilies from the coffee table. "Do you think they're too much? I considered pink carnations, but I think orange suits Sarah better."
Haresh tried not to sigh. "You're going to deliver a vase of flowers just to catch a glimpse of Sarah Jane's mystery man?"
"No. I thought Sarah would like some flowers to spruce up her living room. Her Japanese peace lily could use some company. If I happen to bump into any guests while I'm there, it'll just be a coincidence." Gita headed for the front door, confident in her reasoning.
Under normal circumstances, Haresh wouldn't have intervened, but he stepped forward now. He could easily picture Gita pushing too hard for answers and overstaying her welcome. "Here, let me." He took the vase from his wife before she could protest. "I need to talk to Sarah Jane about that welcome home party." At least this way he could satisfy Gita's curiosity while still giving Sarah Jane some privacy.
Haresh dashed across the road, seeing that now seemed like a good time to bring up the idea of throwing a welcome home party for Rani, Luke, and Clyde when they returned at the winter break. It was something that Haresh had had at the back of his mind for a few weeks, and he really had been meaning to discuss it with Sarah Jane. Gita's curiosity was just extra motivation to have that conversation.
He rang the bell and a few seconds later, the door opened and he was greeted by Sarah Jane's daughter, Sky. "Hi, Mr. Chandra." She immediately noticed the vase. "Why are you carrying flowers?"
"Hi, Sky. Is your mum home? The flowers are for her." Sky raised an eyebrow. "They're from Gita."
Sky invited him in. "I'll go get her." She turned and ran up the stairs.
Haresh glanced back over the road and glimpsed Gita standing outside of their house. She smiled hopefully at him and from her hand gestures he gathered that she was asking if she should go over. He quickly shook his head and stepped into the Smith household, closing the door behind him.
Knowing Gita would ask him for details, he wandered into the living room. Nothing looked different or suggested that Sarah Jane had a houseguest. He didn't see a suitcase or a man's coat thrown over the sofa. It seemed more likely that Sarah Jane's friend had arrived in the morning, and Gita had missed seeing him stop by.
"Haresh." A jolt went down his spine; he suddenly knew what his students felt when he caught them doing something they shouldn't have. He turned, giving Sarah Jane her first look at the vase of flowers. She seemed surprised, but slightly amused, too. "What a pleasant surprise."
"From Gita." Recalling what his wife had said earlier, he added, "To spruce up the house. She thought your peace lily might be lonely." He wasn't sure how a plant could get lonely, and he felt slightly ridiculous saying it.
If Sarah Jane shared his sentiment, she decided not to make a comment. "My thanks to Gita then." She took the vase from him and placed it on a side table where the flowers would get plenty of sunlight.
"I also wanted to ask you about throwing a welcome home party for Rani, Luke, and Clyde when their semesters are over." Haresh started to edge his way towards the kitchen. It wasn't strange if he went in there, but he didn't feel comfortable enough to fib his way upstairs.
"Oh, that's a lovely idea, Haresh. It'd be good to see everyone together again."
"Do you have some time to talk about it? I-" Sky came barrelling into the room before Haresh could continue. She seemed on the verge of saying something, but stopped when she laid eyes on her headmaster. She looked surprised that he was still there.
"What is it, Sky?" asked Sarah Jane.
"Um, I need your help upstairs. With an English assignment," added Sky as an obvious afterthought.
Taking advantage of the brief exchange, Haresh discreetly tilted his head back, but he didn't see or hear anyone in the kitchen. "Well, I can't argue with that," he said, before anyone could notice his manoeuvre. Gita would have to settle for his assessment of the ground floor. "We can talk about the party at another time."
"I look forward to it."
He said his good-byes and headed back across the road. Gita was on him the second he entered the house. "Well?"
"I didn't see anyone. Sarah Jane says thank you for the flowers, though." Haresh went to the kitchen, intent on making a cup of tea to settle his nerves.
"Nothing at all? Are you sure you looked hard enough?" Gita gazed thoughtfully towards the door. "Maybe I should pop over."
Haresh took her by the hand and guided her into the kitchen. "I think we've done enough snooping for one day."
* * *
Gita hurried out of the house, eager to get a jumpstart on her orders for the day. "Good-bye, my darling. I'll see you at dinner." She was about to get into her van when she caught some movement across the road from the corner of her eye. She turned and saw a man with grey hair. It was Sarah's friend. She hadn't seen him since the other day when she sent Haresh over with the flowers.
Gita instantly recognized an opportunity to finally learn more about Sarah's new friend. "Hello!" she called. "Lovely day, isn't it?"
The man was putting something in the boot of Sarah's car. He looked up and turned. He wore a long black coat, and when he spun around, it revealed a vibrant red lining inside. For a second, he eyed Gita, and she couldn't help but notice his prominent eyebrows. "Hello." He had a Scottish accent, but deep and cultured.
"I'm Gita. I live across the street."
"Ah, the lady of the flowers." He gestured to Gita's van. "Preparing for another day of delivering temporary cheer?"
Gita frowned. "I'm sorry?"
"Cut flowers don't last very long. Why give a gift of something that decays before your eyes? People should give each other potted plants." Gita laughed, and it was the man's turn to frown. "What?"
"Oh, I was thinking something similar the other day. About flowers and temporary whims. I should carry more potted plants at my shop. Thank you for the suggestion."
The man's brow remained furrowed, as if he didn't understand what she was talking about. "Right, well, good luck with that." He shut the boot of Sarah's car and headed back inside. "Good-bye, Gita."
"Good-bye." She watched him leave. He was tall, she noticed, and the grey hair was very distinguished on him. Was he the same age as Sarah? Gita couldn't tell. Locking her van, she hurried back into the house. She found Haresh in the kitchen, getting his lunch ready. "I saw him again!"
"Who?"
"Sarah's friend."
"So he stopped by to visit. That's not unusual."
"When we were dating you dropped by all the time," she said meaningfully.
Haresh laughed. "Yes, but that doesn't mean Sarah Jane is dating him."
"But wouldn't it be wonderful if she had a boyfriend? You know how she brushes off the notion whenever I've brought it up? That's just because she's been too scared to enter into a relationship. But it would be lovely if she's finally in one now. She deserves some happiness."
"I do agree with you on that," admitted Haresh. "But you shouldn't rush her. They might have only just met. They should get to know each other before Sarah Jane introduces him to her friends."
Gita couldn't argue with her husband, but her curiosity was too strong to ignore. "Or maybe we could invite them over for dinner? That would help to break the ice."
Haresh shook his head good-naturedly. "Well, it can't be tonight. Rani promised to Skype us."
"I remember." Gita noticed the time on the oven clock. "Oh, I better get going. Have a good day at school, my darling." She kissed Haresh on the cheek before dashing back to her van.
Perhaps dinner was too forward, she thought as she drove off for Bloomin' Lovely. Maybe inviting them for tea was better...
* * *
Haresh glanced at his mobile phone, but there was still no signal. He had tried to call Gita earlier, but the reception had been spotty at best. Even the land line in his office was on the blink. He would have thought that with all the money they paid for phone services, the things would be more reliable.
He looked out his window, wanting to see how his students were faring without their mobiles. It was the lunch hour, and most of the students were intent on eating their lunches, but he noticed a few who stared at their devices in frustration. If only he could get them to care that much about their studies.
Wait, there was a single bar on his mobile. He tried Gita's mobile one more time. To his surprise, the call went through, and he heard Gita answer. "Yes, my darling?"
Haresh frowned. The reception was still bad, he could barely hear Gita over the bursts of static, but it was better than nothing. "Are you busy at the shop?"
There was a slight pause, hinting Gita was having an equally hard time hearing him. "No, I'm at home. I closed up early today. Oh, that's odd."
Haresh barely heard Gita. "Did you just say 'That's odd'?" It was hard to tell over the weak mobile signal, but his wife sounded very concerned.
"Sarah's house. The roof is... glowing."
"Glowing? Gita, what are you talking about?"
"Haresh, this doesn't look ri-"
The signal just died. There was no dial tone.
Haresh tried Gita's number again, but his mobile had lost its reception. He tried calling the number with his office phone, but he got no response. He then tried to call their home land line, but once more there was nothing. In one last effort, he tried calling Sarah Jane, but he got the same result. He started to imagine the worst.
Grabbing his car keys, Haresh hurried out of the school and into the courtyard. He easily spotted Sky by her mass of brown curls. Her friends all stopped talking when they found themselves under the headmaster's scrutiny.
"Mr. Chandra, what's wrong?" Sky asked.
"Something's wrong at home, your mum's house, too, maybe. Can you reach Sarah Jane on your mobile? I didn't have any luck."
Sky pulled out her mobile but she quickly shook her head. "I don't have a signal."
Haresh felt his pulse quicken. "I need to head home."
Sky grabbed her bag and got to her feet. "I want to come, too."
There was no time to argue. Sky easily kept pace with his longer stride, and they were inside his car in no time. Haresh tore out of the car park, never gladder that the school was so close to where he lived.
The trip to Bannerman Road was a blur. When he pulled onto the street, he thought he might see the houses in ruin, but much to his relief, everything looked fine. His anxiety quickly evaporated when he saw Gita standing on the pavement with Sarah Jane and her supposed boyfriend, all three looking perfectly well.
"Mum!" Sky burst out of the car the second Haresh put it into park. The girl ran over to her mother and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Haresh hurried over to Gita, and he followed Sky's example. He expected Gita to return his hug, but she quickly pulled back. She had a big smile on her face. "Haresh, this is John." She directed him to the man at Sarah Jane's side.
"Hi," Haresh said, but it was an automatic response. "What happened?"
"Sorry, that was my fault," answered Sarah Jane. "We had a slight... incident." Her gaze drifted to the top of her house.
Haresh followed her sight line. His eyebrows shot up his forehead. A large patch of the roof was black and smouldering, like it had been struck by lightning. He could actually see into the attic. "Did something explode?" There were no flames. The damage was remarkably isolated.
"Um, John here was trying to modify my computer."
"And he blew a fuse?"
"You could say that," the man admitted. He didn't seem overly concerned that his actions had formed a gaping hole in Sarah Jane's roof.
It didn't look like a blown fuse to Haresh. His innate lie detector told him Sarah Jane and John weren't telling the whole truth, but he stopped himself from asking more questions. Bizarre things happened on this street, with Sarah Jane's house the epicentre. Haresh had learned to accept it. He suspected he was better off not knowing.
"I made a call to emergency services," said Sarah Jane. "I imagine they'll want to assess the structural integrity of the attic."
"Is that a good idea?" asked Sky. "I mean, it's really messy up there." She added this bit in a louder voice, as though everyone else was hard of hearing.
"It's fine," Sarah Jane assured her, and that was apparently enough to settle Sky's worry.
"Why don't we wait inside our house?" suggested Gita. She was already heading in that direction. "I'll put the kettle on."
No one could come up with a reason to say no. They all followed Gita to the Chandra household. "So, John," said Gita, turning to Sarah Jane's friend, "tell me more about yourself."
"He's a doctor!" supplied Sky.
* * *
Later that night, after most on Bannerman Road had gone to bed, an odd whooshing noise was heard from Sarah Jane's back garden. The Chandras, fast asleep, didn't notice.
* * *
They had been waiting in the back garden for hours when the TARDIS finally appeared. There was a sizeable rut in the grass from where the Doctor had been pacing back and forth, but now he stilled as his ship was finally returned to him.
When Sarah Jane had opened her front door to find the Doctor on her doorstep, with a new face no less, she hadn't expected to have him as a houseguest for the week, but she had been more than happy to put him up while they found a way to rescue the TARDIS and his friend Clara from the aliens who had kidnapped her.
It had only been a few years since Sarah Jane had last seen the TARDIS, but she never grew tired of seeing it materialize. This particular instance was even more noteworthy because it was Sky's first encounter with the time machine. Her daughter watched, wide-eyed, as the ghostly outline of the TARDIS became more solid with each swell of the engines.
A low clang heralded the end of the materialization sequence, and the doors of the blue box immediately opened. A young woman, looking to be in her late twenties, stepped out. Her gaze swept around the garden before zeroing in on the Doctor.
This undoubtedly was Clara Oswald, whom the Doctor had mentioned in passing during the week. He didn't rush over to her, but the worry that had weighed upon him quickly disappeared as he crossed the short distance between them. Sarah Jane thought the Doctor might hug Clara, but he made no move to do so.
Sky stood up from the garden bench where they sat and slowly crept towards the TARDIS. Clara had left the doors open, allowing for a glimpse of the interior. Just from the slice that Sarah Jane could see, she noted that the console room had gone through a redesign since she had last seen it.
"Can we go on a trip?" asked Sky. She stared hungrily into the impossible depths of the time machine.
They were so Earth-bound, out of necessity, of course, but Sarah Jane wouldn't have minded showing her daughter some of the universe beyond their home planet. "It's up to the Doctor."
Curiosity drew Sky closer and closer to the TARDIS, until finally she was right next to the Time Lord. He glanced over at her, halting his conversation with Clara.
"Can we go into space?" she asked him.
"Why should I invite you on board?"
"Because you almost blew up Mr. Smith and you blew a hole in our roof. You owe us."
Clara's attention went up to the top of the house and the gaping hole there. "Doctor!" she scolded. "What did you do?"
"Why are you criticizing? It was all to get you and the TARDIS back. Or were you happy being stuck behind a force field?"
Clara couldn't complain about her liberation, but she still shook her head at him. "You are the worst houseguest ever." She gestured to Sky. "Come on, I can show you around."
Sky eagerly accepted the invitation and followed Clara into the time machine. Even from where she was sitting, Sarah Jane heard her daughter's exclamation. "Wow, Mum wasn't kidding!"
"Don't touch anything!" the Doctor shouted after them.
"I guess you're off then," said Sarah Jane. She got up from the bench and walked over to him before he could charge after Sky. He was such a contrast from the last two Doctors she had met, both of whom had been quick to smile. He was far from uncaring, though, as evidenced by his steadfast determination to track down Clara.
His look of discontent mellowed as he turned to address her. "I need to get Clara back home. We're slightly in her past."
Sarah Jane hadn't thought he would hang around. After being stuck on Earth in the same time period for a week, she knew he was keen to head back to the stars. "Of course. I won't keep you."
He took one step into the TARDIS, but then he quickly stepped out again. "I could come back." The Doctor hesitated slightly over the words, as if he wasn't entirely sure what to say. "Take you and Sky somewhere, to make up for your roof."
It was the last thing that Sarah Jane had expected. Random chance always brought the Doctor back to her. To have him purposely come back was very different, but it was not an unwelcome prospect, and she found herself smiling. "All right. Just one trip, though. If you keep showing up, Gita is going to get the wrong idea."
The Doctor frowned. "What wrong idea?"
She shook her head at him, holding back a laugh. "Never mind." She nudged him back into the TARDIS. "Sky, the Doctor's leaving now!"
"Now?" Sarah Jane gave an emphatic yes and Sky heaved a huge sigh. "Fine." Reluctantly, she dragged herself away from the console, but not before saying good-bye to Clara.
"I'm making a return trip, since you were being so insistent." The Doctor pushed Sky towards the doors, encouraging her to pick up her feet. He deposited Sky by Sarah Jane and then made a shooing motion with his hands. "Five minutes," he assured them.
They only just managed to wave good-bye to Clara before the Doctor closed the doors. Sarah Jane led Sky away, putting a few steps between them and the TARDIS. She had no desire to hitch a ride on the outside of the time machine as it dematerialized.
A moment later, the light atop the blue box began to flash on and off in time with the cosmic groan of the TARDIS' engines. A gentle maelstrom was stirred up in the back garden, and within a few seconds, the TARDIS was gone.
Sarah Jane wrapped her arm around Sky's shoulders and led them back to the house. She had a feeling they would be waiting longer than five minutes and they would be more comfortable inside. "So, all of time and space. Where do you want to go?" she asked.
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Haresh and Gita are definitely a riot. Gita means well and thankful Haresh is there to curb her more enthusiastic schemes. :-)