Fic : Second Chance (PG) | Sarah Jane/Peter Dalton | 9/?
Title : Second Chance
Author : Jen
Rating : PG at the moment, possibly higher in later parts.
Summary : Sarah would give anything to see Peter one last time. With a little help from the Universe and the Doctor, she may just get her wish.
Spoilers : fair game for everything up to and including "The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith" from S3.
Notes : thanks to everyone for their feedback and kind words - got me through one hell of a week!
Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Part 7 ~ Part 8
~~
In that half moment between sleep and awake, Sarah put her hands to her face to shield herself from the outside world that little bit longer. If this had all ended then she would accept it, but not for a little bit. The contact of skin on skin was refreshing, but there was the slight coolness of metal as well. Opening her eyes and lifting her hand she saw her engagement and wedding rings, still in place.
"No, it wasn't a dream," Peter whispered beside her as he caught her staring at them.
"Just checking."
"First day of the rest of our lives together," he said, reaching out under the covers for her body.
Sarah rolled onto her side so she was facing him, and placed the palm of her hand on his cheek. "I don't think I realised how much I wanted this until now," she whispered. "Everything I've done..."
"And what have you done?" he asked as she trailed off.
"There's something I need to tell you," she said, taking a deep breath. "You know I used to do work for the government? Well it was a special branch of it called UNIT. It's a group of people who investigate threats of a paranormal and extraterrestrial nature."
"Like... aliens?" he asked, trying to shake off the feeling he was still dreaming.
"Exactly like that. And I'm sorry to spring this on you now, but... well, there's things that have happened in my life that might have an impact on our future, and you deserve to know what you've let yourself in for."
Peter thought about it for a moment then smiled. "I guess you should start at the beginning."
"In the 70s I got a tip off about some weird things happening at a research facility. I managed to get in..."
~~
Sarah kissed Harry on the cheek before they took their seats at the table.
"So how's married life treating you, old girl?"
"Absolutely fine," she smiled at him.
"Must be; you didn't tell me off."
"Still in the honeymoon period I guess."
"After nearly six months?"
"Must be."
"Never imagined you'd be the settling down type," Harry said, glancing over the menu and trying to decide what to order.
"Time was I didn't either," she admitted, "but with Peter..."
"I spoke to the Brigadier the other day - he sends his love by the way - and he mentioned that you'd told Peter..."
"Not everything," she said quickly. "I told him about UNIT, about what kinds of things UNIT were involved in. Those years with the Doctor, he thinks I was working with them. Kind of a research, PR girl."
"How did he cope with the idea of aliens?"
"It… took some getting used to!" she laughed. "But I think he's coping because he's telling himself that we didn't actually find anything, like we were some UFO hunters."
"But..."
Sarah dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "You know the truth, I know the truth, Peter knows it... but he pretends not to. It keeps him happy and if he's happy, I'm happy."
"Look at you," Harry grinned. "You are loving this domestic stuff far too much. Be kids next." He caught the fleeting look across her face and gave a short laugh. "You're not...?"
"No I am not!" she said a little too loudly than she'd planned.
"Oh you will be, old girl. I have a hunch."
"You are out of line." Her tone reinforced her words, but there was a slight glint in her eye that told Harry he was not that far off the mark. "Have you...?"
"Not a word."
"Right."
"Do you miss him, Sarah?"
"No. Yes. Maybe just a bit?"
"You don't sound so sure."
"I guess I just thought..."
"...that he would come back for you?" Harry guessed.
Sarah pretended to study her menu and let him assume that he was right. In truth she was constantly expecting him to turn up and give her a lecture on changing time. It was now 1983, nearly two years since she "returned" and changed things. She was conscious of being very careful about what she did or said so she didn't change anything major.
She was living a very quiet, happy life in London with her lawyer husband, establishing herself as a journalist (OK, so maybe having decades of practice at writing good articles meant that she was making progress a bit faster than she had done the first time) and doing up the old house she and Peter had bought just after their wedding. In a relatively short space of time they had finished almost every room in the house; all but one bedroom. That final bedroom was empty, bare, no features at all.
Spare room? Or nursery?
It was a conversation they'd tactfully avoided but it was bound to come up soon enough and Sarah was slightly worried about how he was going to react. They'd never talked about kids before (the first time) because obviously at that age it was a moot point. Peter had never expressed any regrets at not being a father, but this was different. There was a part of her that had always regretted not having kids. Of course she'd never found the man she would have wanted kids with before, but now she had that chance.
She wanted to be a mum.
And then suddenly, without warning or hesitation, she was overwhelmed with just how much she was missing Luke. She had tried to put him to the back of her mind, focus on the fact that he wasn't gone, he just wasn’t here yet. But for years her every waking thought and unconscious action had revolved around him and Luke not being here had left a gap in her heart that was not being filled - and wouldn't be for over twenty years.
Maybe that was why she wanted kids now; someone she could love and mother and take care of until that day.
"You OK?" Harry asked, breaking into her thoughts.
"Yeah, I just... I'll be back in a minute," she said, pushing her chair back and getting to her feet.
Once excused she made her way quickly to the ladies' and, placing her hands on the marble sink unit, stared at her reflection. Today's date hadn't passed her by, and she'd wanted to spend time with Harry in order to avoid having the children conversation with Peter.
Today, in 25 years' time, she would be in the Bubbleshock factory, on the run from Mrs Wormwood, and discovering her neighbour and the Archetype hiding in the ladies' toilets - not unlike what she was doing now she realised with a wry smile.
"I miss you," she whispered to no one in particular, "and I will see you again. I promise, Luke." Closing her eyes as the tears finally escaped she added a silent I love you before taking a deep breath.
~~
"How was lunch?" Peter called from upstairs as he heard the front door shut.
He waited for her response but there was none, only the sound of her footsteps on the stairs. Putting down his papers he turned in the chair to look at the office door, which opened seconds later.
"I want kids," Sarah blurted out.
"What kind of lunch did you have?" Peter quipped, getting to his feet. As he got closer he noticed her eyes and was immediately concerned. "Have you been crying?"
"No. Yes. I want kids, Peter, and I need to know if you want them or not."
"Is this what you discussed over lunch? Because as much as I like Harry I'm not sure..."
"Just answer the question," she interrupted. "Do you want kids or not?"
Peter smiled and took her hands in his. He led her back to the chair where he sat, pulling her down into his lap. "First tell me where this has come from. No mentions of this until now…"
"I just..." she began, then quickly tried to think of how she could finish that sentence with her marriage intact. "Harry said something about kids being next and I realised that I want them, Peter. Lots of them."
"Badly by the look of it," he said, crooking his index finger and running it down her tear-stained cheek.
"If I'm honest then this is something I've known for a while, and I know I should have said something sooner..."
"Sarah..."
"You don't want kids do you," she muttered.
"Sarah..."
"It's fine..." She tried to get up but he held her in his lap. "Peter..."
"I love you, Sarah Jane," he said. "I have loved you pretty much from the moment you threw wine all over me. I am completely happy with my life as it is. You, me... the issue of what to do with the spare room?"
"Spare room," she whispered. His choice of words seemed to confirm to her what he wanted.
"Yeah. You want kids?"
"I want you," she said. "I have only ever wanted you and anything else above that... It doesn't matter."
"It doesn't matter? You've been in floods of tears over this, you came up here and blurted out that you want kids, but it doesn't matter?"
Sarah gave a small shrug and sighed. She leant over, resting her head on his. "I don't know," she laughed softly.
"I love you," he whispered in her ear.
"I love you too."
"And I would love to have a family with you," he breathed.
tbc...
Author : Jen
Rating : PG at the moment, possibly higher in later parts.
Summary : Sarah would give anything to see Peter one last time. With a little help from the Universe and the Doctor, she may just get her wish.
Spoilers : fair game for everything up to and including "The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith" from S3.
Notes : thanks to everyone for their feedback and kind words - got me through one hell of a week!
Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Part 7 ~ Part 8
~~
In that half moment between sleep and awake, Sarah put her hands to her face to shield herself from the outside world that little bit longer. If this had all ended then she would accept it, but not for a little bit. The contact of skin on skin was refreshing, but there was the slight coolness of metal as well. Opening her eyes and lifting her hand she saw her engagement and wedding rings, still in place.
"No, it wasn't a dream," Peter whispered beside her as he caught her staring at them.
"Just checking."
"First day of the rest of our lives together," he said, reaching out under the covers for her body.
Sarah rolled onto her side so she was facing him, and placed the palm of her hand on his cheek. "I don't think I realised how much I wanted this until now," she whispered. "Everything I've done..."
"And what have you done?" he asked as she trailed off.
"There's something I need to tell you," she said, taking a deep breath. "You know I used to do work for the government? Well it was a special branch of it called UNIT. It's a group of people who investigate threats of a paranormal and extraterrestrial nature."
"Like... aliens?" he asked, trying to shake off the feeling he was still dreaming.
"Exactly like that. And I'm sorry to spring this on you now, but... well, there's things that have happened in my life that might have an impact on our future, and you deserve to know what you've let yourself in for."
Peter thought about it for a moment then smiled. "I guess you should start at the beginning."
"In the 70s I got a tip off about some weird things happening at a research facility. I managed to get in..."
~~
Sarah kissed Harry on the cheek before they took their seats at the table.
"So how's married life treating you, old girl?"
"Absolutely fine," she smiled at him.
"Must be; you didn't tell me off."
"Still in the honeymoon period I guess."
"After nearly six months?"
"Must be."
"Never imagined you'd be the settling down type," Harry said, glancing over the menu and trying to decide what to order.
"Time was I didn't either," she admitted, "but with Peter..."
"I spoke to the Brigadier the other day - he sends his love by the way - and he mentioned that you'd told Peter..."
"Not everything," she said quickly. "I told him about UNIT, about what kinds of things UNIT were involved in. Those years with the Doctor, he thinks I was working with them. Kind of a research, PR girl."
"How did he cope with the idea of aliens?"
"It… took some getting used to!" she laughed. "But I think he's coping because he's telling himself that we didn't actually find anything, like we were some UFO hunters."
"But..."
Sarah dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "You know the truth, I know the truth, Peter knows it... but he pretends not to. It keeps him happy and if he's happy, I'm happy."
"Look at you," Harry grinned. "You are loving this domestic stuff far too much. Be kids next." He caught the fleeting look across her face and gave a short laugh. "You're not...?"
"No I am not!" she said a little too loudly than she'd planned.
"Oh you will be, old girl. I have a hunch."
"You are out of line." Her tone reinforced her words, but there was a slight glint in her eye that told Harry he was not that far off the mark. "Have you...?"
"Not a word."
"Right."
"Do you miss him, Sarah?"
"No. Yes. Maybe just a bit?"
"You don't sound so sure."
"I guess I just thought..."
"...that he would come back for you?" Harry guessed.
Sarah pretended to study her menu and let him assume that he was right. In truth she was constantly expecting him to turn up and give her a lecture on changing time. It was now 1983, nearly two years since she "returned" and changed things. She was conscious of being very careful about what she did or said so she didn't change anything major.
She was living a very quiet, happy life in London with her lawyer husband, establishing herself as a journalist (OK, so maybe having decades of practice at writing good articles meant that she was making progress a bit faster than she had done the first time) and doing up the old house she and Peter had bought just after their wedding. In a relatively short space of time they had finished almost every room in the house; all but one bedroom. That final bedroom was empty, bare, no features at all.
Spare room? Or nursery?
It was a conversation they'd tactfully avoided but it was bound to come up soon enough and Sarah was slightly worried about how he was going to react. They'd never talked about kids before (the first time) because obviously at that age it was a moot point. Peter had never expressed any regrets at not being a father, but this was different. There was a part of her that had always regretted not having kids. Of course she'd never found the man she would have wanted kids with before, but now she had that chance.
She wanted to be a mum.
And then suddenly, without warning or hesitation, she was overwhelmed with just how much she was missing Luke. She had tried to put him to the back of her mind, focus on the fact that he wasn't gone, he just wasn’t here yet. But for years her every waking thought and unconscious action had revolved around him and Luke not being here had left a gap in her heart that was not being filled - and wouldn't be for over twenty years.
Maybe that was why she wanted kids now; someone she could love and mother and take care of until that day.
"You OK?" Harry asked, breaking into her thoughts.
"Yeah, I just... I'll be back in a minute," she said, pushing her chair back and getting to her feet.
Once excused she made her way quickly to the ladies' and, placing her hands on the marble sink unit, stared at her reflection. Today's date hadn't passed her by, and she'd wanted to spend time with Harry in order to avoid having the children conversation with Peter.
Today, in 25 years' time, she would be in the Bubbleshock factory, on the run from Mrs Wormwood, and discovering her neighbour and the Archetype hiding in the ladies' toilets - not unlike what she was doing now she realised with a wry smile.
"I miss you," she whispered to no one in particular, "and I will see you again. I promise, Luke." Closing her eyes as the tears finally escaped she added a silent I love you before taking a deep breath.
~~
"How was lunch?" Peter called from upstairs as he heard the front door shut.
He waited for her response but there was none, only the sound of her footsteps on the stairs. Putting down his papers he turned in the chair to look at the office door, which opened seconds later.
"I want kids," Sarah blurted out.
"What kind of lunch did you have?" Peter quipped, getting to his feet. As he got closer he noticed her eyes and was immediately concerned. "Have you been crying?"
"No. Yes. I want kids, Peter, and I need to know if you want them or not."
"Is this what you discussed over lunch? Because as much as I like Harry I'm not sure..."
"Just answer the question," she interrupted. "Do you want kids or not?"
Peter smiled and took her hands in his. He led her back to the chair where he sat, pulling her down into his lap. "First tell me where this has come from. No mentions of this until now…"
"I just..." she began, then quickly tried to think of how she could finish that sentence with her marriage intact. "Harry said something about kids being next and I realised that I want them, Peter. Lots of them."
"Badly by the look of it," he said, crooking his index finger and running it down her tear-stained cheek.
"If I'm honest then this is something I've known for a while, and I know I should have said something sooner..."
"Sarah..."
"You don't want kids do you," she muttered.
"Sarah..."
"It's fine..." She tried to get up but he held her in his lap. "Peter..."
"I love you, Sarah Jane," he said. "I have loved you pretty much from the moment you threw wine all over me. I am completely happy with my life as it is. You, me... the issue of what to do with the spare room?"
"Spare room," she whispered. His choice of words seemed to confirm to her what he wanted.
"Yeah. You want kids?"
"I want you," she said. "I have only ever wanted you and anything else above that... It doesn't matter."
"It doesn't matter? You've been in floods of tears over this, you came up here and blurted out that you want kids, but it doesn't matter?"
Sarah gave a small shrug and sighed. She leant over, resting her head on his. "I don't know," she laughed softly.
"I love you," he whispered in her ear.
"I love you too."
"And I would love to have a family with you," he breathed.
tbc...