It's Never Over

Part One - One last trip?

"Danger mistress, danger!" K-9 had sensed something familiar, something he hadn't sensed for a very long time. He had to warn Sarah Jane immediately. She was sitting alone reading the newspaper when K-9 whizzed in knocking over the stack of papers next to the door. Sarah Jane dropped everything she was doing and knelt down on the floor. She patted the ground next to her and K-9 moved closer to her, his ears wiggling every time he moved. “What’s the matter with you K-9? the last time you sensed 'danger' it was the postman!" she smiled kindly at him. "It is the TARDIS mistress, I can sense it, it is getting closer as we speak mistress" K-9 whizzed over to the back door wagging his tail, signalling to Sarah Jane that he wanted to go outside. “The TARDIS?!! you can't be serious!" she paced back and forth the colour almost completely drained from her face. "It can't be him, no way". Suddenly, she stopped pacing, she ran past K-9 and tore open the back door, she stood on the patio and took a huge sigh of relief. The distant sound of children playing on the nearby beach was the only thing she could hear on this seemingly normal and tranquil Sunday morning. "See K-9? It's just a perfectly normal morning! Nothing dangerous, no TARDIS, and most definitely no doctor! I was never his first option.. I bet he moved on the moment he left me.." a look of sadness crossed her face. K-9 lifted his head "Mistress, the doctor did not forget, he never forgets mistress”. Sarah Jane scoffed "Yeah..right" she turned towards the back door. Then something made her stop in her tracks. A noise, a noise she hadn’t heard for 10 years. There, in her back garden, groaning and whirring, fading in and out of view, was that familiar old police box, the place she had met her best friend in the whole universe, the place she had once called home. She clasped her hand over her mouth in shock. He had come back for her. Tears flooded her eyes, she froze not knowing what to do or say as the TARDIS fully materialised in the middle of her flower bed. She knelt next to K-9 as the doors swung open. The doctor looked around the side of the TARDIS, taking in his surroundings, throwing his long colourful scarf over his shoulder. "What a beautiful garden! I’m terribly sorry about your flower bed, I can't really control where this old girl decides to park herself, I’m working on it!" he gently patted the side of the TARDIS. He turned to face Sarah Jane, his face lit up with excitement when he locked eyes with her. They stood staring at each other in disbelief, wanting to say so much, but not being able to speak a single word. After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor ran up to Sarah Jane, picking her up and spinning her around, making her laugh uncontrollably. “Hello Sarah" he said gleefully after gently putting her down. K-9 rushed over to the doctor. "Master, master you came back!" a wide grin spread across the doctor's face as he knelt down to K-9's level. “Of course I came back, I always come back". He gently stroked K-9's ears. “How could I ever leave you two? My best friend" he looked up at Sarah "and my tin dog" he looked back at K-9. The doctor stood up and gently took Sarah's hands. "So..I was wondering.. how would you feel about one final trip in the TARDIS?". Sarah's eyes lit up,her chocolate brown hair rippling in the breeze, she quickly nodded. "How can I refuse?". The moment they looked at each other, they burst out laughing. The Doctor led her into the TARDIS, K-9 followed closely behind, secretly overjoyed that Sarah and the doctor were together once more. They needed each other. Sarah walked through the rooms of the TARDIS, her bedroom was still there, unchanged from how she left it the day she said what she thought was her last goodbye to the doctor. There was another two bedrooms along the corridor, both had names on the door, 'Leela' and 'The Doctor', she smiled to herself, glad that the doctor hadn’t been alone since she'd left.The console was still in the centre of the control room, which was still painted a bright white colour, 10 years later and it's still the same old TARDIS. "Anywhere in time and space, it's your choice, where do you want to go?" the doctor played around with the TARDIS controls and looked at Sarah expectantly. She furrowed her brow in concentration "hmm..well..I’ve always wanted to go to 1950s Hollywood..". "Your wish is my  command milady" he did a pretend bow and took her hand as he flipped levers and pushed buttons. "Hold on...off we go!" They laughed and clung tightly to each other as the TARDIS threw them in all directions.