Ficathon: Cuckoo in the Nest (Gen)
This is a ficathon response to the prompt "30. A situation based on some plot element from series 5." Spoilers for Sky.
Summary: Luke finds out about his mother's latest adventure. Unfortunately, he finds out in the worst way possible.
Gen.
Thanks katie_9918 for the beta!
Cuckoo in the Nest
*Major weirdness here. Call us!*
Luke frowned, thumbing through to the next message.
*Luke, call us. Big things. Hurry up!*
*Seriously, man, call us!*
*Nothing's wrong, but call us.*
*How many classes do you have? Call us!*
Sanjay was watching him. "Something wrong?"
"Don't know." Luke dialled rapidly.
Clyde's phone went to voicemail. So did Rani's, and - worryingly - so did Sarah Jane's. Grimacing, he dialled the house, waited through the answering machine message and called "Mr Smith, are you there?"
"Luke," Mr Smith said after a moment. "What's wrong?"
"I dunno, I've got all these messages on my phone, everyone wants me to call but none of them are picking up!"
"Everyone's fine," Mr Smith assured him. Luke gritted his teeth, aware that Sanjay was watching him worriedly. "I shall have Sarah Jane call you as soon as she gets home."
"Where is she?"
"Battersea."
"Bat -! Alright. Thanks, Mr Smith."
He hung up, glancing at his watch. "Sanjay, I've got to go."
"Is something wrong?"
"I don't think so. I just have to go."
"You've got that project due tomorrow."
"Yeah, I know. Can you hand it in? It's on my desk, it's ready."
"Your dog's not going to bite me, is he?"
"K9 can't bite you, Sanjay, he doesn't have a mouth. Look, I'll call you, alright? I have to go."
"Yeah. Let me know if I can help."
"I will." He shouldered his bag, jogging away across the green.
**
Sarah Jane's car was in the drive when he got there. That was worrying, because Mr Smith had promised to have her call.
Luke let himself in, glancing around to make sure no one was on the ground floor before slipping noiselessly up the stairs. He ducked into his own room to drop his bag, stopping dead.
"Who are you?"
The girl sitting on his bed looked up. "I'm Sky. Sky Smith. You're Luke."
"Yeah," he agreed slowly. "Who are you, Sky?"
"I'm Sarah Jane's new daughter."
It took almost thirty seconds for Luke to remember how to breathe. He could hear the Nightmare Man laughing in the back of his mind.
"Where's Sarah Jane?" he managed, voice tight.
Sky frowned, rising to her feet. "Aren't you well?"
"Where?"
"In the attic."
Luke turned on his heel, striding for the stairs. Sky was pattering along behind him; he ignored her, bursting through the door.
"Luke!" Sarah Jane said in surprise, stepping forward to hug him. "I wasn't expecting you home!"
Luke stood stiffly, not returning the hug, and she backed up, holding his shoulders. "What's wrong?"
"Sky?"
"What? How did..." She glanced at the door, seeing Sky peering around it. "Oh! Come in, Sky."
She slipped in, gripping Sarah Jane's hand. "Is he sad, Sarah Jane?"
Sarah Jane frowned, studying Luke. "I hope not. Are you sad, Luke?"
"This isn't funny."
"No one's laughing." She studied him for a moment longer. "Sky, run downstairs, ok? We'll be down."
"Ok." She smiled at Luke. "Don't be sad." Luke didn't react and her smile dropped as she turned away.
"Luke, really. Did you have to be rude?"
"To your new daughter?"
Sarah Jane blinked. "Are you jealous, Luke?"
"Who is she?"
She sat on the couch. Luke stayed standing exactly where he was, arms folded tightly across his chest. "Do you remember us telling you about the Captain and the shopkeeper?"
"Yeah."
"They brought her here. Sky was created as a weapon and her mother was searching for her. She was supposed to sacrifice herself to end a war. We found a way around that. She doesn't have anywhere else to go, Luke."
"Created."
"Yes. She was a baby yesterday. When she came into the presence of one of her mother's enemies, she aged up."
"So she doesn't know anything about the world. She's like a newborn."
"Yes," Sarah Jane agreed happily.
"Just like me."
"No. What? Luke..."
She stood, reaching towards him, but Luke shook his head, backing away and hurrying out of the attic.
Rani was coming up the drive when he left the house. "Thought I saw your car!" she said cheerfully. "I thought you weren't coming home until...Luke?!"
He pushed past her, hurrying down the path without stopping. Rani stared after him for a moment before hurrying to the front door. Sky was standing in the hall, hopping from one foot to the other uncertainly. "Sky, what's going on?"
"He got upset."
"I can see that. Why?"
She shrugged. "I wasn't supposed to listen."
Rani eyed her. "And did you?"
Sky held up her hand, finger and thumb an inch apart. "A little bit?"
"And what did you hear?"
"He said I was like him. Newborn. And then he ran out."
"He thinks I replaced him," Sarah Jane said from the landing.
"What?" Rani straightened away from Sky, staring up at her.
"Child created by aliens to destroy the world."
Rani glanced down at Sky before turning away. "I'll go after him."
**
Clyde glanced up when his mother opened his door. "Night, Mum."
She shook her head, stepping in and pushing the door almost closed behind her. "Luke's downstairs, Clyde."
"Luke? I didn't think he was coming home yet."
"He looks very upset. Nothing's happened, has it?"
"Don't think so." He frowned, pushing away from his desk and following his mother downstairs.
Luke was pacing in the sitting room, muttering to himself. He looked up when they came in, practically launching himself at Clyde. "This is real, isn't it?"
"Luke..."
"It's not a nightmare?"
"No, mate, this is real. What's wrong?" He took in the tear streaks on Luke's face and felt a chill of fear. Luke was never overly emotional, not unless something was wrong with Sarah Jane.
"It's my nightmare."
Clyde frowned, glancing back at his mother. "Think I need to handle this, Mum."
"I could call Sarah Jane..."
"No!" Luke jerked back, away from Clyde.
"Maybe not. Let me talk to him first." He forced a smile. "Go on, Mum. It's alright."
She went, reluctantly, and he looked back at Luke. "Luke, listen. Is anyone hurt?"
"No." Luke shook his head tightly.
"Ok. Then can we sit?" He guided Luke to the couch, sitting carefully. Luke was tense, almost vibrating in place. "Ok. Tell me what's going on."
"It's my nightmare, Clyde."
"Are you dreaming again?"
"No. My nightmare."
"Luke." Clyde touched his shoulder; Luke jumped, almost throwing himself off the couch. "I'm trying to help you out here, man, but you need to talk really slowly, ok? Remember, I'm the slow one, you're the genius. Try and keep it on my level."
Over Luke's shoulder, through the window, he saw Rani watching. He gestured her to wait for a moment. "Rani's outside. Can she come in?"
"I...yeah."
"Go wash your face. I'll let her in. Go on." He pushed gently until Luke headed for the toilet.
Rani was on the phone when Clyde opened the door. "...sure, I couldn't see him properly." Lowering the phone, she demanded "Is he ok?"
"That Sarah Jane? Tell her not to come over. Luke's really upset about something."
"He's upset because he thinks she's replaced him with Sky."
Clyde whistled softly. "That'd probably do it. Come on."
Rani nodded, murmuring briefly into the phone and hanging up. "Where is he?"
"Washing his face."
Luke wandered back into the room, glancing vaguely in Rani's direction before slumping into the couch.
"Oh, Luke." Rani dropped to crouch beside him. "It's not what you're thinking."
Clyde caught her eye, shaking his head. "Tell us your nightmare, Luke."
"A new..."
"No. An old nightmare. Tell us, Luke."
Luke swallowed. "There was...in the attic, a boy called Josh. Her new son. And you threw out everything, pictures of us, things I'd given you. Because you had Josh now. I didn't matter."
"Luke, that was a nightmare. That was the Nightmare Man trying to scare you. You know that. Your mum hasn't replaced you."
"She's adopted a kid grown by aliens to destroy the world. How is that not replacing me?"
"Because it's not either/or," Clyde told him. "Your mum, she's pretty fantastic, Luke. Biggest heart I've ever seen. She has room for both of you. Sky's not taking your place, mate."
"She's sleeping in my room."
"She's not taking your metaphorical place."
"Luke." Rani pushed to her feet, sitting carefully beside him. "Listen. Sarah Jane couldn't have taken Sky if she hadn't taken you first. You showed her how to do it. You showed her she could do it."
"Oh, good. I taught her how to replace me."
"She loves you so much," Rani continued doggedly. "No one can ever take your place. You know that, you're just not thinking straight."
"That must be a new one on you," Clyde said cheerfully. "Want to kip here tonight? Things always look better after sleep."
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Sure. Come on, I'll get you set up. Rani, we'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
"Yeah." She leaned in to hug Luke; he returned the hug, burying his face in her shoulder for a moment.
"Alright, enough mushy stuff. Come on." Clyde disentangled them, pushing her gently towards the door. "Night. Come on, Luke."
His mother 'happened' to be crossing the landing when they got upstairs and she paused to look at them. "Everything alright, boys?"
"Luke's staying the night. We weren't expecting him home for another couple of days and with Sky..." Clyde deliberately trailed off, shrugging. "That's alright, isn't it?"
"Of course it is." She touched Luke's arm, waiting until he looked up to continue firmly, "You are always welcome here, Luke. Stay as long as you like."
"Thanks, Mrs Langer," he murmured, looking away again.
She frowned, catching Clyde's eye, and he gave the barest of shrugs, steering Luke into his room. "I've got sheets and stuff, Luke. Just let me dig out the mattress, yeah? Kick that stuff out the way to make room." He carefully closed the door against his mother, gesturing her to silence as he did.
Luke pushed a couple of things aside and then stood stock still while Clyde dug out the mattress, threw sheets and blankets at it, and added something for him to wear. "Alright? You get sorted out, I'm going to make sure my mum isn't calling yours. You want something to drink?"
"Thanks," Luke murmured, reaching for the pile.
Carla glanced up as Clyde came into the kitchen. "Got some soup on, thought he might like it. Is he ok?"
"Yeah." Clyde dug through the cupboard, pulling out two glasses. "Or - he will be, anyway. He's over-reacting to something right now. We're hoping sleep will help."
"Something you can't tell me?"
He winced. "It's not really - it's all about him and Sarah Jane. I can't really pass it on."
"Alright," she agreed. "You'll tell me if I can help, though, will you?"
"I will." He turned abruptly, throwing his arms around her. Surprised, she returned the hug.
"Alright, go on," she said after a moment, pushing gently. "You'll make me blush. Listen, does Sarah Jane know he's safe at least? I have to tell her that much."
"Yeah, Rani will have told her." He carefully lifted the tray of soup and drinks, edging out the door with it.
Luke was sitting on the edge of his bed, listlessly flicking through one of Clyde's sketchbooks. "This her mum?" he asked, holding up a sketch of Mrs Myers.
"Yeah, that's her. Creepy woman." Clyde offered him a bowl. "Here, my mum cooked it special."
"Cooked it."
"Well, she opened the can and heated it. Same thing. Come on."
Luke ate obediently and curled up when he was finished. Clyde stacked the dirty dishes to one side and flicked the light off, settling down. "Hey, Luke, where's K9?"
"I left him in Oxford. All those messages, and I couldn't get anyone on the phone. I was worried."
"Yeah, the whole power station thing, our phones were all a bit weird."
"Tell me?"
Clyde ran through the whole thing as best he knew it. Luke listened in silence; when Clyde finished up, he curled onto his side with a murmured, "Good night, Clyde."
"Night, Luke. Sweet dreams."
Luke didn't answer, and Clyde grimaced.
They lay in silence for a long time. Clyde was just starting to drift off when he heard Luke's breathing shift, getting heavier. Frowning, he sat up, listening carefully.
"No," Luke murmured, and there was fear in his voice. Clyde cursed, rolling off the bed and catching at one shoulder.
"Luke, you're dreaming. Wake up."
"No!" Luke startled awake, snatching at his arms. Clyde let him tug him in for a hug, shaking.
Carla cracked the door, peering around. "Everything's fine," Clyde said quickly. "Just a nightmare. It's all good." She nodded, satisfied, and withdrew, and he kept talking until Luke let go and sat back.
"Sorry," he murmured, scrubbing at his face. "I didn't think that was possible."
"He's not back, is he?"
"Can't tell."
"Same as before?"
"Sky instead of Josh, but - yeah." When Clyde opened his mouth he hurried on, "I'm sorry I woke you. I could go sleep on the couch."
"Nah, what's a little disturbed sleep between friends?"
"You have school tomorrow."
"I don't, actually, it's an inservice day. No worries. You want to try again, or you want to sit up, read something? We could watch a movie."
"No, it's alright." He shifted, ready to lie down.
"Alright. If you're sure."
"Yeah, 'course."
Clyde made it all the way to sleep before Luke woke him again. They ended up sprawled on the couch in the sitting room, watching bad movies with the volume down until Luke finally dropped off from sheer exhaustion. When Carla came past the next morning both were fast asleep.
Rani was perched on the garden wall outside, kicking her heels, when Carla slipped out. "The boys are asleep," she said, offering her a cup of tea.
"You're a lifesaver, Mrs Langer."
"Carla. What's going on, Rani?"
Rani winced, taking a sip to try and hide it. "It's complicated - it has to do with Luke and Sarah Jane. It's hard to explain."
"No one's in serious trouble, I hope?"
"No one's sick or dying or anything, if that's what you mean. And no one's done any crimes."
"Those are the important ones, I suppose." She glanced back at the house. "Rani, I know I'm not Luke's mother. But I am a mother. That boy's had his heart broken, and I don't think it's romantic problems."
"It's a misunderstanding. I promise. We can sort it out."
"I hope so. You can come in, if you want."
Rani shook her head, quickly gulping the rest of the tea and handing the cup back. "I'm on guard. Make sure they're not interrupted before he's ready."
"If you're sure. Door's open anyway."
"Thanks, Mrs Langer."
"It's Carla, Rani. One of these days you'll get it."
**
Clyde was awake when Luke finally stirred, doodling idly and watching the TV with the sound off. Luke watched for a while before shifting, sitting up. "Morning," he said croakily.
"Morning." Clyde pushed a glass of water towards him. "Need a painkiller? You must have a wicked headache."
"No." Luke glanced around the room. "Where's your mum?"
"Gone out. She said to say, stay for as long as you want, cos you're a good influence on me."
"Yeah. I'm a great influence, kung fu movies at three in the morning."
Clyde shrugged. "Hungry?"
"No. I should go talk to Sarah Jane."
"You don't have to," Clyde said seriously. "Not until you're ready. You know that."
"I do have to. She's not beating the door down to talk to me, is she?"
"We told her not to. Rani's been sitting outside since half eight this morning to make sure she didn't come near you."
Luke blinked rapidly. "Why?"
"Because you're our mate, Luke. You need time and space to get your head on straight, we can do that. You need someone to yell at, that's why I'm here. You wanna yell and throw stuff, I've got a room full of crap upstairs. You want me to walk away from Sarah Jane and never talk to her again, it's done."
"You can't avoid her. You can't ignore what she fights."
"I could try. If I thought that was what you wanted."
Luke shook his head, looking away. "It's not what I want."
"Eat something," Clyde said gently. "Then we'll go and you can talk to her."
Luke nodded. "Do me a favour? Another one, I mean."
"Anything."
"You and Rani take Sky out somewhere. This isn't her fault and she shouldn't have to listen to it."
Clyde grinned. "See? You're going to be a great big brother. You've already got the instincts. Now. Breakfast."
**
Clyde let himself into Sarah Jane's, glancing around the hall. "Sky!"
She clattered downstairs; Sarah Jane appeared from the kitchen, watching quietly as Clyde hunkered to talk to the girl. "Wanna come into town with me? I'll buy you an ice cream in McDonalds."
"It's morning," Sky said uncertainly.
"Ice cream for breakfast. You've never tried it? Sarah Jane's neglecting your education." He grinned at her look. "Good thing you've got me to take care of it. Run and get your shoes and your coat."
She glanced at Sarah Jane; when she got a nod, she hurried back upstairs.
Clyde straightened out of his hunker. "Morning, Sarah Jane."
"Good morning," she murmured.
"Luke'll be along. He doesn't want Sky to hear you two talking."
"I didn't mean..."
"I know," he cut her off. "He knows. Just let him explain." Sky reappeared and he grinned brightly. "Ready? Good. Sarah Jane, Rani's coming with me and we both have our mobiles, yeah?"
"Thank you, Clyde."
He nodded, holding out a hand to Sky and leading her out. Luke was lurking down the road; Sky waved cheerfully at him before heading off with Clyde and Rani, chattering brightly.
Luke sat in the garden for almost an hour before he could bring himself to walk into the house. He knew he was being ridiculous; the only thing he'd never in his life doubted was how much his mother loved him. But his worst nightmare had literally come to life in front of him and he was having difficulty seeing past it.
He found Sarah Jane in the box room; it was mostly used to store old research and articles she'd needed at one point or another. She was methodically sorting through some of the papers, piling them into 'toss' or 'keep'.
Luke folded himself onto the floor near the door. "Morning."
"I meant to have this done before you came home. This is Sky's room. She's only sleeping in yours until this is finished."
"It's not really about the room."
She nodded. "Luke, you know I never..."
"Me first."
Sarah Jane bit her lip. "Yes."
Luke took a deep breath, absently fiddling with some of the sheets of paper. "When I was getting ready for Oxford, there was the Nightmare Man. One of the things he showed me - a nightmare, my nightmare - was you replacing me when I was gone. A new boy on the team, friends with my friends, your son. You loved him, not me. It was a nightmare, and I knew it was a nightmare. It was never going to happen."
"Luke..."
"Still my turn," he said gently. He was still staring fixedly at the sheets of paper, avoiding her eyes. "See, the things he showed me, he didn't make them up. They're things I was really afraid of. He made them worse, blew them out of proportion, but they were my fears. Up until last night I had four nightmares in my life, and they were his.
"And then I got all these messages. 'Call us, Luke, it's important.' But no one picked up when I tried, and Mr Smith wouldn't tell me anything. So I drove here, and there was a girl. In my room. And when I asked, she told me she was Sarah Jane's new daughter."
"Luke," Sarah Jane breathed.
"Clyde says she was built by Mrs Myers. To wipe out the Metalkind."
"Yes. She was built as a weapon, but she's been - defused."
"And you adopted her."
Sarah Jane nodded. "She's a little girl, Luke. She needs a home."
"And a mum."
"And a mum. The shopkeeper said that he'd looked all over the universe, and he couldn't find anywhere better."
"Course he couldn't," Luke said automatically.
Sarah Jane smiled. Taking the papers from him, she caught his hands and waited until he looked at her. "He couldn't because you taught me how to be a mum, Luke. I love you so much. Sky is not taking your place. She never could. I swear it."
Luke swallowed. "Clyde said - there's room for all of us."
"There's room for everyone," she agreed. "Luke, you come first. You know that. You're more important to me than anyone, Clyde and Rani and Maria, the Doctor, Sky."
Luke winced. "Sky's just a kid."
"You're my kid," Sarah Jane said fiercely. "You're first, you're always first."
"Mum," Luke breathed, folding into her arms. Sarah Jane hung on as he shook, crying.
They sat for long enough that both were stiff when they finally moved. Clyde was banging around downstairs, teasing Sky, laughing loudly and slamming doors. Luke smiled as he listened.
"Clyde is many things, but not subtle." Sarah Jane levered herself to her feet, using Luke's shoulder as a prop.
"He's the best."
"One of the things he is, yes." She smiled, touching Luke's cheek. "I love you."
"I know."
"I just wanted to say it."
Luke grinned, ducking around her and heading for the stairs. "Sky! Have you figured out where Mum keeps the treats yet?"
"No!"
"Luke Smith, don't you dare corrupt her!"
He hesitated at the top of the stairs. "Isn't that my job? I'm the big brother, yes?"
"Yes!" Sky skipped upstairs, catching his hand and tugging. "Come and show me!"
"Sorry, Mum, you're outvoted."
"No respect," she told no one in particular, following them down.
Luke grinned at Clyde as he passed, hugging Rani. "Mum won't have told you this," he told Sky, "but she has a sweet tooth. 'Specially when she's on a deadline. Has she had a deadline since you moved in?"
"No. That was yesterday."
"A day's plenty enough time. Now, she usually hides something behind the muesli, because no one eats muesli..."
"Yuck," Sky said obligingly, clapping as he fished out a packet of chocolate biscuits. She was perched on the table, swinging her legs; he passed her the packet and a plate and she began arranging the biscuits neatly.
"And there's often something behind the towels, because who replaces towels that often." He frowned, digging through the drawer, and finally came up with a packet of treat size bars. "Perfect."
"Are you giving away all my secrets, Luke?" Sarah Jane demanded from the door.
"Not all of them." He crouched in front of Sky. "See, Sky, the thing about our Mum? Sometimes she forgets about eating. Not for us, she always makes sure we have food, but if she's on a deadline or she's really busy she won't eat. And when that happens, you have to dig out the snacks and make some tea and trick her into eating, alright?"
"How do I trick her?" Sky asked, utterly absorbed.
"Mostly putting the tray near her hand works. She won't even realise she's eating it. If that doesn't work try saying, 'Oh, biscuits! Can I have some?' That's a good one, too."
Rani, in the hall, was laughing so hard she was almost crying. Clyde was holding her up, grinning widely. Even Sarah Jane had given up on frowning and was chuckling softly.
"It's a very important job," Luke continued solemnly. "If you can't get her to eat, you must call Rani or Clyde, or just tell them if they're here. But only if it's been a full day and she hasn't eaten, alright?"
"Can't I call you?" Sky protested.
"Any time you want to. But I won't be much help to you from Oxford."
Sky lunged forward, throwing her arms around his neck. Taken by surprise, Luke overbalanced, landing on the floor with a lapful of Sky. Clyde took a step forward, uncertain, but Luke shook his head. "Sky?"
"I didn't want you to be angry," she mumbled into his shirt.
"I'm not angry. I was never angry at you. I promise. I'm happy you get to share my Mum. She's the best."
"She is," Sky agreed.
"Stand up," Luke murmured. "Did you have breakfast?"
"Clyde bought me ice cream!"
"For breakfast? Well, I haven't had any, and I don't think Mum has."
"Oi, you did!" Clyde protested. "I cooked for you!"
"No, I played with it till you weren't looking and then threw it away."
"Wasting food is bad," Sky informed him solemnly.
"Yes, it is. So I should probably have something now, yeah?"
"Yes!" Sky caught Sarah Jane's hand, tugging her into the room. "And you," she ordered. Luke cleared his throat, tilting his head dramatically towards the door, and she added hastily, "And Rani and Clyde."
"Thanks," Rani said solemnly, joining them. Clyde pushed off the wall, bouncing up to sit on the counter.
"What's for breakfast, then, Sky?" he asked brightly.
Sky hesitated for a moment before picking up the plate and offering it to him, smiling brightly. "Biscuit?"
Summary: Luke finds out about his mother's latest adventure. Unfortunately, he finds out in the worst way possible.
Gen.
Thanks katie_9918 for the beta!
Cuckoo in the Nest
*Major weirdness here. Call us!*
Luke frowned, thumbing through to the next message.
*Luke, call us. Big things. Hurry up!*
*Seriously, man, call us!*
*Nothing's wrong, but call us.*
*How many classes do you have? Call us!*
Sanjay was watching him. "Something wrong?"
"Don't know." Luke dialled rapidly.
Clyde's phone went to voicemail. So did Rani's, and - worryingly - so did Sarah Jane's. Grimacing, he dialled the house, waited through the answering machine message and called "Mr Smith, are you there?"
"Luke," Mr Smith said after a moment. "What's wrong?"
"I dunno, I've got all these messages on my phone, everyone wants me to call but none of them are picking up!"
"Everyone's fine," Mr Smith assured him. Luke gritted his teeth, aware that Sanjay was watching him worriedly. "I shall have Sarah Jane call you as soon as she gets home."
"Where is she?"
"Battersea."
"Bat -! Alright. Thanks, Mr Smith."
He hung up, glancing at his watch. "Sanjay, I've got to go."
"Is something wrong?"
"I don't think so. I just have to go."
"You've got that project due tomorrow."
"Yeah, I know. Can you hand it in? It's on my desk, it's ready."
"Your dog's not going to bite me, is he?"
"K9 can't bite you, Sanjay, he doesn't have a mouth. Look, I'll call you, alright? I have to go."
"Yeah. Let me know if I can help."
"I will." He shouldered his bag, jogging away across the green.
**
Sarah Jane's car was in the drive when he got there. That was worrying, because Mr Smith had promised to have her call.
Luke let himself in, glancing around to make sure no one was on the ground floor before slipping noiselessly up the stairs. He ducked into his own room to drop his bag, stopping dead.
"Who are you?"
The girl sitting on his bed looked up. "I'm Sky. Sky Smith. You're Luke."
"Yeah," he agreed slowly. "Who are you, Sky?"
"I'm Sarah Jane's new daughter."
It took almost thirty seconds for Luke to remember how to breathe. He could hear the Nightmare Man laughing in the back of his mind.
"Where's Sarah Jane?" he managed, voice tight.
Sky frowned, rising to her feet. "Aren't you well?"
"Where?"
"In the attic."
Luke turned on his heel, striding for the stairs. Sky was pattering along behind him; he ignored her, bursting through the door.
"Luke!" Sarah Jane said in surprise, stepping forward to hug him. "I wasn't expecting you home!"
Luke stood stiffly, not returning the hug, and she backed up, holding his shoulders. "What's wrong?"
"Sky?"
"What? How did..." She glanced at the door, seeing Sky peering around it. "Oh! Come in, Sky."
She slipped in, gripping Sarah Jane's hand. "Is he sad, Sarah Jane?"
Sarah Jane frowned, studying Luke. "I hope not. Are you sad, Luke?"
"This isn't funny."
"No one's laughing." She studied him for a moment longer. "Sky, run downstairs, ok? We'll be down."
"Ok." She smiled at Luke. "Don't be sad." Luke didn't react and her smile dropped as she turned away.
"Luke, really. Did you have to be rude?"
"To your new daughter?"
Sarah Jane blinked. "Are you jealous, Luke?"
"Who is she?"
She sat on the couch. Luke stayed standing exactly where he was, arms folded tightly across his chest. "Do you remember us telling you about the Captain and the shopkeeper?"
"Yeah."
"They brought her here. Sky was created as a weapon and her mother was searching for her. She was supposed to sacrifice herself to end a war. We found a way around that. She doesn't have anywhere else to go, Luke."
"Created."
"Yes. She was a baby yesterday. When she came into the presence of one of her mother's enemies, she aged up."
"So she doesn't know anything about the world. She's like a newborn."
"Yes," Sarah Jane agreed happily.
"Just like me."
"No. What? Luke..."
She stood, reaching towards him, but Luke shook his head, backing away and hurrying out of the attic.
Rani was coming up the drive when he left the house. "Thought I saw your car!" she said cheerfully. "I thought you weren't coming home until...Luke?!"
He pushed past her, hurrying down the path without stopping. Rani stared after him for a moment before hurrying to the front door. Sky was standing in the hall, hopping from one foot to the other uncertainly. "Sky, what's going on?"
"He got upset."
"I can see that. Why?"
She shrugged. "I wasn't supposed to listen."
Rani eyed her. "And did you?"
Sky held up her hand, finger and thumb an inch apart. "A little bit?"
"And what did you hear?"
"He said I was like him. Newborn. And then he ran out."
"He thinks I replaced him," Sarah Jane said from the landing.
"What?" Rani straightened away from Sky, staring up at her.
"Child created by aliens to destroy the world."
Rani glanced down at Sky before turning away. "I'll go after him."
**
Clyde glanced up when his mother opened his door. "Night, Mum."
She shook her head, stepping in and pushing the door almost closed behind her. "Luke's downstairs, Clyde."
"Luke? I didn't think he was coming home yet."
"He looks very upset. Nothing's happened, has it?"
"Don't think so." He frowned, pushing away from his desk and following his mother downstairs.
Luke was pacing in the sitting room, muttering to himself. He looked up when they came in, practically launching himself at Clyde. "This is real, isn't it?"
"Luke..."
"It's not a nightmare?"
"No, mate, this is real. What's wrong?" He took in the tear streaks on Luke's face and felt a chill of fear. Luke was never overly emotional, not unless something was wrong with Sarah Jane.
"It's my nightmare."
Clyde frowned, glancing back at his mother. "Think I need to handle this, Mum."
"I could call Sarah Jane..."
"No!" Luke jerked back, away from Clyde.
"Maybe not. Let me talk to him first." He forced a smile. "Go on, Mum. It's alright."
She went, reluctantly, and he looked back at Luke. "Luke, listen. Is anyone hurt?"
"No." Luke shook his head tightly.
"Ok. Then can we sit?" He guided Luke to the couch, sitting carefully. Luke was tense, almost vibrating in place. "Ok. Tell me what's going on."
"It's my nightmare, Clyde."
"Are you dreaming again?"
"No. My nightmare."
"Luke." Clyde touched his shoulder; Luke jumped, almost throwing himself off the couch. "I'm trying to help you out here, man, but you need to talk really slowly, ok? Remember, I'm the slow one, you're the genius. Try and keep it on my level."
Over Luke's shoulder, through the window, he saw Rani watching. He gestured her to wait for a moment. "Rani's outside. Can she come in?"
"I...yeah."
"Go wash your face. I'll let her in. Go on." He pushed gently until Luke headed for the toilet.
Rani was on the phone when Clyde opened the door. "...sure, I couldn't see him properly." Lowering the phone, she demanded "Is he ok?"
"That Sarah Jane? Tell her not to come over. Luke's really upset about something."
"He's upset because he thinks she's replaced him with Sky."
Clyde whistled softly. "That'd probably do it. Come on."
Rani nodded, murmuring briefly into the phone and hanging up. "Where is he?"
"Washing his face."
Luke wandered back into the room, glancing vaguely in Rani's direction before slumping into the couch.
"Oh, Luke." Rani dropped to crouch beside him. "It's not what you're thinking."
Clyde caught her eye, shaking his head. "Tell us your nightmare, Luke."
"A new..."
"No. An old nightmare. Tell us, Luke."
Luke swallowed. "There was...in the attic, a boy called Josh. Her new son. And you threw out everything, pictures of us, things I'd given you. Because you had Josh now. I didn't matter."
"Luke, that was a nightmare. That was the Nightmare Man trying to scare you. You know that. Your mum hasn't replaced you."
"She's adopted a kid grown by aliens to destroy the world. How is that not replacing me?"
"Because it's not either/or," Clyde told him. "Your mum, she's pretty fantastic, Luke. Biggest heart I've ever seen. She has room for both of you. Sky's not taking your place, mate."
"She's sleeping in my room."
"She's not taking your metaphorical place."
"Luke." Rani pushed to her feet, sitting carefully beside him. "Listen. Sarah Jane couldn't have taken Sky if she hadn't taken you first. You showed her how to do it. You showed her she could do it."
"Oh, good. I taught her how to replace me."
"She loves you so much," Rani continued doggedly. "No one can ever take your place. You know that, you're just not thinking straight."
"That must be a new one on you," Clyde said cheerfully. "Want to kip here tonight? Things always look better after sleep."
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Sure. Come on, I'll get you set up. Rani, we'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
"Yeah." She leaned in to hug Luke; he returned the hug, burying his face in her shoulder for a moment.
"Alright, enough mushy stuff. Come on." Clyde disentangled them, pushing her gently towards the door. "Night. Come on, Luke."
His mother 'happened' to be crossing the landing when they got upstairs and she paused to look at them. "Everything alright, boys?"
"Luke's staying the night. We weren't expecting him home for another couple of days and with Sky..." Clyde deliberately trailed off, shrugging. "That's alright, isn't it?"
"Of course it is." She touched Luke's arm, waiting until he looked up to continue firmly, "You are always welcome here, Luke. Stay as long as you like."
"Thanks, Mrs Langer," he murmured, looking away again.
She frowned, catching Clyde's eye, and he gave the barest of shrugs, steering Luke into his room. "I've got sheets and stuff, Luke. Just let me dig out the mattress, yeah? Kick that stuff out the way to make room." He carefully closed the door against his mother, gesturing her to silence as he did.
Luke pushed a couple of things aside and then stood stock still while Clyde dug out the mattress, threw sheets and blankets at it, and added something for him to wear. "Alright? You get sorted out, I'm going to make sure my mum isn't calling yours. You want something to drink?"
"Thanks," Luke murmured, reaching for the pile.
Carla glanced up as Clyde came into the kitchen. "Got some soup on, thought he might like it. Is he ok?"
"Yeah." Clyde dug through the cupboard, pulling out two glasses. "Or - he will be, anyway. He's over-reacting to something right now. We're hoping sleep will help."
"Something you can't tell me?"
He winced. "It's not really - it's all about him and Sarah Jane. I can't really pass it on."
"Alright," she agreed. "You'll tell me if I can help, though, will you?"
"I will." He turned abruptly, throwing his arms around her. Surprised, she returned the hug.
"Alright, go on," she said after a moment, pushing gently. "You'll make me blush. Listen, does Sarah Jane know he's safe at least? I have to tell her that much."
"Yeah, Rani will have told her." He carefully lifted the tray of soup and drinks, edging out the door with it.
Luke was sitting on the edge of his bed, listlessly flicking through one of Clyde's sketchbooks. "This her mum?" he asked, holding up a sketch of Mrs Myers.
"Yeah, that's her. Creepy woman." Clyde offered him a bowl. "Here, my mum cooked it special."
"Cooked it."
"Well, she opened the can and heated it. Same thing. Come on."
Luke ate obediently and curled up when he was finished. Clyde stacked the dirty dishes to one side and flicked the light off, settling down. "Hey, Luke, where's K9?"
"I left him in Oxford. All those messages, and I couldn't get anyone on the phone. I was worried."
"Yeah, the whole power station thing, our phones were all a bit weird."
"Tell me?"
Clyde ran through the whole thing as best he knew it. Luke listened in silence; when Clyde finished up, he curled onto his side with a murmured, "Good night, Clyde."
"Night, Luke. Sweet dreams."
Luke didn't answer, and Clyde grimaced.
They lay in silence for a long time. Clyde was just starting to drift off when he heard Luke's breathing shift, getting heavier. Frowning, he sat up, listening carefully.
"No," Luke murmured, and there was fear in his voice. Clyde cursed, rolling off the bed and catching at one shoulder.
"Luke, you're dreaming. Wake up."
"No!" Luke startled awake, snatching at his arms. Clyde let him tug him in for a hug, shaking.
Carla cracked the door, peering around. "Everything's fine," Clyde said quickly. "Just a nightmare. It's all good." She nodded, satisfied, and withdrew, and he kept talking until Luke let go and sat back.
"Sorry," he murmured, scrubbing at his face. "I didn't think that was possible."
"He's not back, is he?"
"Can't tell."
"Same as before?"
"Sky instead of Josh, but - yeah." When Clyde opened his mouth he hurried on, "I'm sorry I woke you. I could go sleep on the couch."
"Nah, what's a little disturbed sleep between friends?"
"You have school tomorrow."
"I don't, actually, it's an inservice day. No worries. You want to try again, or you want to sit up, read something? We could watch a movie."
"No, it's alright." He shifted, ready to lie down.
"Alright. If you're sure."
"Yeah, 'course."
Clyde made it all the way to sleep before Luke woke him again. They ended up sprawled on the couch in the sitting room, watching bad movies with the volume down until Luke finally dropped off from sheer exhaustion. When Carla came past the next morning both were fast asleep.
Rani was perched on the garden wall outside, kicking her heels, when Carla slipped out. "The boys are asleep," she said, offering her a cup of tea.
"You're a lifesaver, Mrs Langer."
"Carla. What's going on, Rani?"
Rani winced, taking a sip to try and hide it. "It's complicated - it has to do with Luke and Sarah Jane. It's hard to explain."
"No one's in serious trouble, I hope?"
"No one's sick or dying or anything, if that's what you mean. And no one's done any crimes."
"Those are the important ones, I suppose." She glanced back at the house. "Rani, I know I'm not Luke's mother. But I am a mother. That boy's had his heart broken, and I don't think it's romantic problems."
"It's a misunderstanding. I promise. We can sort it out."
"I hope so. You can come in, if you want."
Rani shook her head, quickly gulping the rest of the tea and handing the cup back. "I'm on guard. Make sure they're not interrupted before he's ready."
"If you're sure. Door's open anyway."
"Thanks, Mrs Langer."
"It's Carla, Rani. One of these days you'll get it."
**
Clyde was awake when Luke finally stirred, doodling idly and watching the TV with the sound off. Luke watched for a while before shifting, sitting up. "Morning," he said croakily.
"Morning." Clyde pushed a glass of water towards him. "Need a painkiller? You must have a wicked headache."
"No." Luke glanced around the room. "Where's your mum?"
"Gone out. She said to say, stay for as long as you want, cos you're a good influence on me."
"Yeah. I'm a great influence, kung fu movies at three in the morning."
Clyde shrugged. "Hungry?"
"No. I should go talk to Sarah Jane."
"You don't have to," Clyde said seriously. "Not until you're ready. You know that."
"I do have to. She's not beating the door down to talk to me, is she?"
"We told her not to. Rani's been sitting outside since half eight this morning to make sure she didn't come near you."
Luke blinked rapidly. "Why?"
"Because you're our mate, Luke. You need time and space to get your head on straight, we can do that. You need someone to yell at, that's why I'm here. You wanna yell and throw stuff, I've got a room full of crap upstairs. You want me to walk away from Sarah Jane and never talk to her again, it's done."
"You can't avoid her. You can't ignore what she fights."
"I could try. If I thought that was what you wanted."
Luke shook his head, looking away. "It's not what I want."
"Eat something," Clyde said gently. "Then we'll go and you can talk to her."
Luke nodded. "Do me a favour? Another one, I mean."
"Anything."
"You and Rani take Sky out somewhere. This isn't her fault and she shouldn't have to listen to it."
Clyde grinned. "See? You're going to be a great big brother. You've already got the instincts. Now. Breakfast."
**
Clyde let himself into Sarah Jane's, glancing around the hall. "Sky!"
She clattered downstairs; Sarah Jane appeared from the kitchen, watching quietly as Clyde hunkered to talk to the girl. "Wanna come into town with me? I'll buy you an ice cream in McDonalds."
"It's morning," Sky said uncertainly.
"Ice cream for breakfast. You've never tried it? Sarah Jane's neglecting your education." He grinned at her look. "Good thing you've got me to take care of it. Run and get your shoes and your coat."
She glanced at Sarah Jane; when she got a nod, she hurried back upstairs.
Clyde straightened out of his hunker. "Morning, Sarah Jane."
"Good morning," she murmured.
"Luke'll be along. He doesn't want Sky to hear you two talking."
"I didn't mean..."
"I know," he cut her off. "He knows. Just let him explain." Sky reappeared and he grinned brightly. "Ready? Good. Sarah Jane, Rani's coming with me and we both have our mobiles, yeah?"
"Thank you, Clyde."
He nodded, holding out a hand to Sky and leading her out. Luke was lurking down the road; Sky waved cheerfully at him before heading off with Clyde and Rani, chattering brightly.
Luke sat in the garden for almost an hour before he could bring himself to walk into the house. He knew he was being ridiculous; the only thing he'd never in his life doubted was how much his mother loved him. But his worst nightmare had literally come to life in front of him and he was having difficulty seeing past it.
He found Sarah Jane in the box room; it was mostly used to store old research and articles she'd needed at one point or another. She was methodically sorting through some of the papers, piling them into 'toss' or 'keep'.
Luke folded himself onto the floor near the door. "Morning."
"I meant to have this done before you came home. This is Sky's room. She's only sleeping in yours until this is finished."
"It's not really about the room."
She nodded. "Luke, you know I never..."
"Me first."
Sarah Jane bit her lip. "Yes."
Luke took a deep breath, absently fiddling with some of the sheets of paper. "When I was getting ready for Oxford, there was the Nightmare Man. One of the things he showed me - a nightmare, my nightmare - was you replacing me when I was gone. A new boy on the team, friends with my friends, your son. You loved him, not me. It was a nightmare, and I knew it was a nightmare. It was never going to happen."
"Luke..."
"Still my turn," he said gently. He was still staring fixedly at the sheets of paper, avoiding her eyes. "See, the things he showed me, he didn't make them up. They're things I was really afraid of. He made them worse, blew them out of proportion, but they were my fears. Up until last night I had four nightmares in my life, and they were his.
"And then I got all these messages. 'Call us, Luke, it's important.' But no one picked up when I tried, and Mr Smith wouldn't tell me anything. So I drove here, and there was a girl. In my room. And when I asked, she told me she was Sarah Jane's new daughter."
"Luke," Sarah Jane breathed.
"Clyde says she was built by Mrs Myers. To wipe out the Metalkind."
"Yes. She was built as a weapon, but she's been - defused."
"And you adopted her."
Sarah Jane nodded. "She's a little girl, Luke. She needs a home."
"And a mum."
"And a mum. The shopkeeper said that he'd looked all over the universe, and he couldn't find anywhere better."
"Course he couldn't," Luke said automatically.
Sarah Jane smiled. Taking the papers from him, she caught his hands and waited until he looked at her. "He couldn't because you taught me how to be a mum, Luke. I love you so much. Sky is not taking your place. She never could. I swear it."
Luke swallowed. "Clyde said - there's room for all of us."
"There's room for everyone," she agreed. "Luke, you come first. You know that. You're more important to me than anyone, Clyde and Rani and Maria, the Doctor, Sky."
Luke winced. "Sky's just a kid."
"You're my kid," Sarah Jane said fiercely. "You're first, you're always first."
"Mum," Luke breathed, folding into her arms. Sarah Jane hung on as he shook, crying.
They sat for long enough that both were stiff when they finally moved. Clyde was banging around downstairs, teasing Sky, laughing loudly and slamming doors. Luke smiled as he listened.
"Clyde is many things, but not subtle." Sarah Jane levered herself to her feet, using Luke's shoulder as a prop.
"He's the best."
"One of the things he is, yes." She smiled, touching Luke's cheek. "I love you."
"I know."
"I just wanted to say it."
Luke grinned, ducking around her and heading for the stairs. "Sky! Have you figured out where Mum keeps the treats yet?"
"No!"
"Luke Smith, don't you dare corrupt her!"
He hesitated at the top of the stairs. "Isn't that my job? I'm the big brother, yes?"
"Yes!" Sky skipped upstairs, catching his hand and tugging. "Come and show me!"
"Sorry, Mum, you're outvoted."
"No respect," she told no one in particular, following them down.
Luke grinned at Clyde as he passed, hugging Rani. "Mum won't have told you this," he told Sky, "but she has a sweet tooth. 'Specially when she's on a deadline. Has she had a deadline since you moved in?"
"No. That was yesterday."
"A day's plenty enough time. Now, she usually hides something behind the muesli, because no one eats muesli..."
"Yuck," Sky said obligingly, clapping as he fished out a packet of chocolate biscuits. She was perched on the table, swinging her legs; he passed her the packet and a plate and she began arranging the biscuits neatly.
"And there's often something behind the towels, because who replaces towels that often." He frowned, digging through the drawer, and finally came up with a packet of treat size bars. "Perfect."
"Are you giving away all my secrets, Luke?" Sarah Jane demanded from the door.
"Not all of them." He crouched in front of Sky. "See, Sky, the thing about our Mum? Sometimes she forgets about eating. Not for us, she always makes sure we have food, but if she's on a deadline or she's really busy she won't eat. And when that happens, you have to dig out the snacks and make some tea and trick her into eating, alright?"
"How do I trick her?" Sky asked, utterly absorbed.
"Mostly putting the tray near her hand works. She won't even realise she's eating it. If that doesn't work try saying, 'Oh, biscuits! Can I have some?' That's a good one, too."
Rani, in the hall, was laughing so hard she was almost crying. Clyde was holding her up, grinning widely. Even Sarah Jane had given up on frowning and was chuckling softly.
"It's a very important job," Luke continued solemnly. "If you can't get her to eat, you must call Rani or Clyde, or just tell them if they're here. But only if it's been a full day and she hasn't eaten, alright?"
"Can't I call you?" Sky protested.
"Any time you want to. But I won't be much help to you from Oxford."
Sky lunged forward, throwing her arms around his neck. Taken by surprise, Luke overbalanced, landing on the floor with a lapful of Sky. Clyde took a step forward, uncertain, but Luke shook his head. "Sky?"
"I didn't want you to be angry," she mumbled into his shirt.
"I'm not angry. I was never angry at you. I promise. I'm happy you get to share my Mum. She's the best."
"She is," Sky agreed.
"Stand up," Luke murmured. "Did you have breakfast?"
"Clyde bought me ice cream!"
"For breakfast? Well, I haven't had any, and I don't think Mum has."
"Oi, you did!" Clyde protested. "I cooked for you!"
"No, I played with it till you weren't looking and then threw it away."
"Wasting food is bad," Sky informed him solemnly.
"Yes, it is. So I should probably have something now, yeah?"
"Yes!" Sky caught Sarah Jane's hand, tugging her into the room. "And you," she ordered. Luke cleared his throat, tilting his head dramatically towards the door, and she added hastily, "And Rani and Clyde."
"Thanks," Rani said solemnly, joining them. Clyde pushed off the wall, bouncing up to sit on the counter.
"What's for breakfast, then, Sky?" he asked brightly.
Sky hesitated for a moment before picking up the plate and offering it to him, smiling brightly. "Biscuit?"