Fic: Until We Meet Again
Title: Until We Meet Again
Rating: All ages
Character: Fourth Doctor
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction, offered freely. Doctor Who and all characters belong to the BBC.
Summary: After "Deadly Assassin," the Doctor considers going back for Sarah.
A/N: Written to fulfill 1976 for dw_50ficathon.
The Doctor gave the knob a particularly strong spin, making sure to leave Gallifrey well behind. Once he was safely in the vortex, he stood back and watched the central column pulse up and down. He felt a little lost. Well, he was a little lost; or rather, he wasn't lost at all, he was in the vortex, which was the exact opposite of being lost. Being in the vortex meant being nowhere in particular, but one couldn't be lost in the vortex, could one? Still, he had to confess that he really didn't know where to go next.
He knew where he wanted to go, of course. He wanted to go to Earth, to South Croydon, to Hillview Road. He wanted to go back for Sarah. Gallifrey was behind him, and he could go back and get her now, and they could travel together again. She was probably waiting for him. He smiled at the thought of it; he would land the TARDIS, and she would come running out to greet him, but then she would complain: she'd complain about how long she'd had to wait for him, she'd complain about his ability to pilot the TARDIS correctly, and she'd complain that she had worried about him while he was gone, because she didn't believe that he could survive if she wasn't there to save him. Perhaps she would even complain that he had left her in the wrong place. Which, he had to concede, was possible, although he was fairly certain that the coordinates for South Croydon had been correct. Reasonably certain. Within a margin of error, certainly. Of course, anyone could make a mistake.
But what if he went back for her? What purpose would that serve? Well, it would make him happy. But was it fair to Sarah? How long could he expect her to stay with him, putting her own life on hold? She had a marvelous life waiting for her, and she deserved to get on with it. There was nothing he could offer her that rivaled the adventure of an ordinary human life, lived right there on Earth.
And then, if he went back for her, someday he would have to say goodbye to her again, and how could he face that? It had been difficult enough the last time. What if she went back to her habit of teasing him about leaving? How could he cope, knowing that it was no longer just a game between them? Knowing that he had actually made her leave? He hadn't had a choice, but did she realize that? Did she understand? Could she know just how much it had hurt him to watch her walk out that door?
No. He couldn't go back. He had to move on and leave Sarah behind, just as he left them all behind eventually, all those whose lives he briefly shared -- Susan, and Barbara, and Jaime, and Jo, and all the rest; and now he would add Sarah to the list. He would go forward, and not look back, and eventually someone else would travel with him, and share their life for a short time before they too had to go. But he would treasure every moment he had with that person, just as he treasured the precious moments he had shared with all of those he left and lost.
He would run, and not look back; but he would remember his Sarah Jane. And if the universe was kind, and he was very lucky, then somewhere, someday, it might turn out that he had kept his promise after all, and they would meet again.
Rating: All ages
Character: Fourth Doctor
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction, offered freely. Doctor Who and all characters belong to the BBC.
Summary: After "Deadly Assassin," the Doctor considers going back for Sarah.
A/N: Written to fulfill 1976 for dw_50ficathon.
The Doctor gave the knob a particularly strong spin, making sure to leave Gallifrey well behind. Once he was safely in the vortex, he stood back and watched the central column pulse up and down. He felt a little lost. Well, he was a little lost; or rather, he wasn't lost at all, he was in the vortex, which was the exact opposite of being lost. Being in the vortex meant being nowhere in particular, but one couldn't be lost in the vortex, could one? Still, he had to confess that he really didn't know where to go next.
He knew where he wanted to go, of course. He wanted to go to Earth, to South Croydon, to Hillview Road. He wanted to go back for Sarah. Gallifrey was behind him, and he could go back and get her now, and they could travel together again. She was probably waiting for him. He smiled at the thought of it; he would land the TARDIS, and she would come running out to greet him, but then she would complain: she'd complain about how long she'd had to wait for him, she'd complain about his ability to pilot the TARDIS correctly, and she'd complain that she had worried about him while he was gone, because she didn't believe that he could survive if she wasn't there to save him. Perhaps she would even complain that he had left her in the wrong place. Which, he had to concede, was possible, although he was fairly certain that the coordinates for South Croydon had been correct. Reasonably certain. Within a margin of error, certainly. Of course, anyone could make a mistake.
But what if he went back for her? What purpose would that serve? Well, it would make him happy. But was it fair to Sarah? How long could he expect her to stay with him, putting her own life on hold? She had a marvelous life waiting for her, and she deserved to get on with it. There was nothing he could offer her that rivaled the adventure of an ordinary human life, lived right there on Earth.
And then, if he went back for her, someday he would have to say goodbye to her again, and how could he face that? It had been difficult enough the last time. What if she went back to her habit of teasing him about leaving? How could he cope, knowing that it was no longer just a game between them? Knowing that he had actually made her leave? He hadn't had a choice, but did she realize that? Did she understand? Could she know just how much it had hurt him to watch her walk out that door?
No. He couldn't go back. He had to move on and leave Sarah behind, just as he left them all behind eventually, all those whose lives he briefly shared -- Susan, and Barbara, and Jaime, and Jo, and all the rest; and now he would add Sarah to the list. He would go forward, and not look back, and eventually someone else would travel with him, and share their life for a short time before they too had to go. But he would treasure every moment he had with that person, just as he treasured the precious moments he had shared with all of those he left and lost.
He would run, and not look back; but he would remember his Sarah Jane. And if the universe was kind, and he was very lucky, then somewhere, someday, it might turn out that he had kept his promise after all, and they would meet again.