Luke Smith took a look at his phone as he waited for his mum to arrive for her wedding. Her fiancé, Peter Dalton, walked up to him. "What have you got there?" he asked.
"A message from our friend Maria," Luke answered. "She couldn't make it. She's got exams, and her dad's tied up at work."
"Mu mum's at another wedding, yeah, because this was too short notice," his other friend, Clyde Langer, a young black boy, added. "It's all been so fast. And the Brigadier's her oldest friend, of course, but he's back in Peru. Have you got any family coming, Peter?"
"I'm afraid I'm the only one left," Peter replied sadly.
There was the sound of another limo coming up the drive, and Luke turned, worried it was his mum a bit early, when a beautiful young blonde woman stepped out, looking bashful, her long blonde hair up in a ponytail, wearing a forest green dress with brown boots. "JN!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. "You look - "
"Beautiful!" Clyde agreed, even though he'd only heard of the woman, he had heard she was gorgeous. One of SHIELD's quickest recruits, always on loan to UNIT and Torchwood.
Jenny Nightshade, or JN as Luke had deemed her, blushed bashfully, walking up. "Thank you, Luke," she said. "Thank you for having your mum provide the ride," she added.
"Are your parents making it today?" Luke asked.
"I don't know," Jenny admitted. "They've been . . . distracted lately."
Luke nodded. "Go on in. Be sure to be up near the front."
Jenny smiled and nodded, going inside. "Who're her parents?" Clyde asked again.
Luke smirked. "You'll meet them some day."
Clyde nodded, shaking his head. "There's still something so weird about all this."
"You didn't have to come, Clyde," Luke reminded him.
"I wouldn't miss this! What if something happens?"
"Just because your dad turned out bad doesn't mean mine will."
"He's not your dad!"
"He's going to be. Don't spoil my mum's day!" He checked his watch, then turned to the guests outside of the hotel. "Hello, everybody. Welcome. It's time, so if you'd like to go in?"
Clyde entered, gesturing everybody inside. Luke stood waiting, and after a few minutes, another limo pulled in. He smiled as his mother stepped out, wearing all white. "Mum," he breathed. Sarah Jane Smith smiled at him as her bridesmaid stepped out behind her. "Rani," he greeted. "You look good."
Rani Chandra grinned. "I look good?" she repeated.
"You look amazing," he corrected. "Both of you." Rani smiled, and Luke held out an arm to Sarah Jane. She took it, and he led her inside. "I thought you might have wanted the Doctor to give you away, with his daughter being here."
"I need somebody reliable, and I'm so very, very glad it's you," Sarah Jane told him. "Besides, where would I send the invite? Metebelis Three?"
"SHIELD?" Luke suggested, and Sarah Jane smiled.
Rani frowned, turning her head when she heard a rattled wheezing noise. She shook her head and entered the hotel after her friends.
***
Jenny sat right behind Clyde, watching as Sarah Jane entered with Luke and Rani. She smiled, watching them go. She'd never been to a wedding before, she'd been on a mission when Steve and Martha had married. She'd jumped at the chance when Sarah Jane had personally invited her. She jumped, though, when Clyde pulled up a tablecloth and Luke and Rani sat down. "K9, scan," the boy ordered.
"All normal, Master Clyde," K9's voice answered.
Clyde huffed, putting down the tablecloth. "Yeah, so far," he grumbled.
"You brought the dog?" Luke demanded.
"Well, what did you think was under there, the wedding cake?" Clyde retorted.
Jenny blinked. "Do they put wedding cakes under tablecloths?" she asked.
Rani smiled at the innocent woman. "No, they don't," she assured her.
"There's something wrong about this," Clyde insisted.
"Good afternoon, everyone," the registrar announced, and everyone turned forward, Peter and Sarah Jane standing side by side. "I'm the Superintendent Registrar. We are here today to witness the marriage of Sarah Jane Smith and Peter Anthony Dalton. In each other's company, they have found happiness, fulfillment, and love, and they wish to affirm their relationship with this marriage." Jenny frowned, her ears perking up at the sound of engines from nearby. Those sounded familiar . . . "Now, I have to ask this question. If any person can show just cause or impediment why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
Jenny's eyes shot wide open when the sound of engines overwhelmed the registrar's voice. She knew those engines! She turned in her chair -
Just when the doors to the room banged open, and a thin man in a blue suit with brown hair that looked like he'd been electrocuted ran in, a blonde woman in a black trench coat with a raven on her shoulder right behind him. "Stop this wedding, now!" her father shouted.
"What?" Sarah Jane gasped.
"What's going on?" Rani's mum asked.
"Who the hell are they?" her father asked.
Luke, however, grinned. "I don't believe it!"
"Who's he?" Rani asked.
Jenny grinned. "Mum! Dad!"
"Master!" K9 called out.
"He said stop this wedding!" the Bad Wolf demanded.
Jenny grinned, standing, about to run over, when a sharp wind nearly blew her off her feet. "Alert!" K9 called, coming out from underneath the table. "Alert! Danger, Mistress!"
"Stop!" the Doctor shouted, pointing at the two at the altar as the Bad Wolf struggled to get a grip on him. As agile as she was, she was still not as tall as her husband and able to balance correctly. "Get away from him!"
"No!" Sarah Jane cried, trying to wrench away from Peter when he kept grabbing onto her. "Peter, no!"
"Don't be afraid, Sarah Jane," he told her. "It's the Angel!"
Jenny's eyes widened when a faceless figure with sharp teeth in white appeared in the corner of the room. "What is that?" she gasped.
"The Trickster!" Rani answered, whether she meant to or not.
"Mum!" Luke cried. "Mum!"
"Sarah!" the Bad Wolf shouted.
"Trickster, let her go!" the Doctor demanded.
"Too late, Time Lords!" the Trickster laughed, floating over to the couple at the altar. "You're mine, Sarah Jane Smith. Mine forever!"
"Sarah!" the Time Lords shouted in unison.
"Doctor!" Sarah Jane screamed. "Bad Wolf!"
Sarah Jane, Peter, and the Trickster vanished without a trace. As soon as they did, the Bad Wolf ran forward, the first to recover, beginning to search around the altar. "Sarah?" she called worriedly, as if trying to find something, the raven on her shoulder hopping off. "Sarah!"
"No!" the Doctor shouted, trying to find her as well, when the room began to shake.
Jenny quickly grabbed onto the kids, wrapping her arms around them. "Dad!" she shouted. "What's going on?"
Energy wrapped around the other guests, leaving Jenny, Luke, Clyde, Rani, K9, her parents, and the raven unscathed, and the others disappeared. "Dad!" Rani cried. "Mum!"
The Doctor looked around quickly. "Everyone, hold on!" he ordered, dropping down and grabbing the altar, the Bad Wolf going with him, hugging the raven close to her.
Jenny obeyed instantly, feeling the children go closer to her as a blinding white light filled the room.
***
"Jenny?" Jessie asked softly, crouching next to her daughter, seeing her start to stir first. "Jenny? Wake up."
Jenny moaned softly, her eyes fluttering open. "Mum?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
"Hey," she greeted with a smile. "How's my little girl?"
"Great," Jenny breathed, giving her a hug.
Jessie smiled, hugging Jenny back. Even if they looked the same age, Jessie was her mother. Jenny would always be her little girl. "Go help the others, yeah?" she suggested.
Jenny nodded and went over to the girl in pink that was lying down. Jessie let Bran hop onto her shoulder before she went to kneel next to the Doctor, who was with Luke. "Luke?" the Doctor asked softly, nudging the boy. "Luke Smith?"
Luke shook his head warily, looking up to see the two Time Lords staring down at him. "Doctor?" he asked. "Bad Wolf?"
"That's us," the Doctor nodded with a grin. "Good to meet you in the flesh."
"What . . . what happened?" Luke asked, eyes wide as he sat up. "Mum, and the Trickster - !"
"Luke, Luke, Luke, Luke," the Doctor told him, stopping him before he asked too many questions. "Listen to me. Everything's going to be all right. We can find Sarah. We can bring her back. I promise. But we need you to be strong for us, just like you were before. I know you can do it."
"They're up," Jenny said.
The black boy was the first to look at them and demand, "Who are you?"
"Hello!" the Doctor exclaimed, bouncing to his feet and running over to help him up. "Clyde! And that will be Rani!"
"I could've told you that!" Jenny pouted.
The Doctor smiled, giving her a hug and kissing the top of her head. "It's great to see you!"
Jenny giggled, hugging him back. "Good to see you, too, Dad."
"Dad?" Rani sputtered.
"How'd you know my name?" was what Clyde was concerned with.
"No judging, Rani," Jessie warned, folding her arms and quirking an eyebrow. "There's an 880 year difference between the two of us, and you can't even tell, can you?"
Rani blinked, as if getting it. "880 . . . ?"
"Uh huh," the Doctor nodded.
She looked between the two of them. "Wait a moment . . . you must be! It's you, isn't it?"
"That's us!"
"The Doctor and the Bad Wolf!"
"That's them," Luke nodded.
Clyde stared at them. So these were Jenny's parents . . . he could see it, that gleam in the Doctor's eyes for adventure, the Bad Wolf's posture and hair. It was all in her. The two women just looked so close to the same age . . . and the two Time Lords had an 880 year gap between them? Blimey! "I hope you're as good as Sarah Jane says you are," he remarked.
"Well, you know journalists," the Doctor shrugged, getting on the ground and listening under the floor. "But, yeah." He grinned, popping up on his feet. "I'm pretty amazing on a good day. Not compared to her, she's fantastic any day," he added, nodding at Jessie. "And that bird is incredible, too."
"The bird has a name!" Jessie protested as Bran gave an almost offended squawk. "He's Bran," she introduced him to Jenny.
Jenny smiled. "Hello, Bran."
"Master, inquiry," K9 said as he rolled out. "Who is the Bad Wolf?"
"K9!" the Doctor exclaimed with a wide grin, crouching down to greet the dog. "Did you miss me? Did you miss me, eh?"
"Repeat. Who is the Bad Wolf?"
The Doctor beckoned her over, and Jessie smiled, crouching down. "Do you remember Jessie Nightshade from the school and the Krillitanes?"
"Affirmative, Master."
"She's a Time Lady now. And my blood bonded."
"Hello, K9," Jessie greeted him with a smile.
For an instant, K9 didn't do anything. Then his ears spun, and his eyes lit up. "Greetings, Mistress!"
She laughed, patting the top of his head. "Back at ya, K9!"
"Master, Mistress, another inquiry. Whereabouts of Sarah Jane? Where is she?"
"Where are we?" Clyde asked, looking out the window.
"There's been a dimensional shift," the Doctor answered, standing and going behind them to look. "Time's moved on, but us and this entire building, we've been left behind."
Rani shook her head as they looked out at the whiteness outside. "There's nothing out there!"
"I said all along, I knew there was something wrong about all of this!" Clyde exclaimed triumphantly as the Time Lords resumed their search, Jenny watching them. "And what exactly is going on?"
"I'll explain later," the Doctor answered.
The kids began babbling all at once, and despite Jenny trying to soothe them, they didn't calm down. Jessie looked down at Bran, who let out a loud squawk, silencing the kids at once, all of them staring at the bird. That small thing had let out such a loud noise? "Good bird," Jessie praised.
"Here's the answer to all your questions," the Doctor told them. "Yes, that was the Trickster. Yes, we're trapped. Yes, the Bad Wolf and I are the only ones who can get us out of the trap. Yes, we're going to bring Sarah Jane, and your mum and dad, and all the others back safe, but we can't do any of it without you."
Clyde looked slightly smug. "You . . . you need us?"
"Just like Sarah Jane needs you," Jessie nodded.
"They can do it," Jenny said firmly.
"My mum and dad, where are they?" Rani asked.
"Just go along with them, Rani," Luke said with a smile. "I saw them save the world!"
"Oi!" Jessie lightly punched him in the shoulder. "You helped us save the world, Luke!"
"Right," the Doctor nodded. "Come on. We can use the TARDIS." He turned to go, but paused, looking back. "I assume everybody knows what the TARDIS is, unless you've really not been paying attention. And - "
"Love from Asgard!" Jessie crowed, running off.
The Doctor grinned, barreling after her. "Allons-y!" he shouted as well, Jenny on his heels with the kids following.
***
Jessie skidded to a halt in the hotel reception, her eyes wide. "No way!" she exclaimed. "We parked her right there!"
"It was there!" the Doctor agreed, halting at her side, staring at where they'd left the TARDIS. "It was right there!"
Jenny frowned, hearing the engines again. "Wait a minute."
Rani's eyes widened as the police box began to materialize. "That noise. I've heard it before!"
"That was us, trying to break through," the Doctor nodded. "Got knocked back by the Trickster."
"Temporal schism is preventing TARDIS materialization," K9 reported.
"Wait a minute, that's the TARDIS?" Clyde asked, sounding surprised. "It's just a wooden box!"
"Don't diss the TARDIS!" Jessie admonished.
"Come on, you can do it," the Doctor urged. "More power, come on!"
But the TARDIS faded away. Jenny sighed. "Oh, well."
"Got no TARDIS," the Doctor sighed, looking around. "It can't materialize here until time moves forward."
"What, so we're trapped here, wherever this is?" Rani asked.
"No," the Doctor shook his head. "Because what have I got? I've got the Bad Wolf - "
"Check," she nodded.
"Her very clever raven named Bran, our daughter Jenny, K9 - "
"Affirmative," K9 spoke.
"And I've got you three!" the Doctor finished, gesturing to the kids. "Any friend of Sarah Jane Smith is a friend of mine."
"Bu where is this?" Clyde asked, looking around. "What's happened to the rest of the world?"
"Our present location," K9 reported. "Nowhere, no when."
"No when?" Luke repeated.
Jessie frowned, looking at her watch and her phone. "The clocks."
Luke checked his watch as well, then the clocks. "Time's stopped!"
"What?" Clyde gasped, checking his watch to see it frozen. "You're joking!"
"No, hang on," Jenny shook her head, looking at a TV nearby, watching as a horse did a jump . . . then repeated it the exact same way. "This second's on a loop. At twenty three seconds and twenty three minutes past three o'clock."
"And we're caught inside it, in this one second," the Doctor nodded, kissing the top of Jenny's head when she figured that out.
"But again, where is Sarah Jane?" Clyde asked.
Jessie looked around. "I think she's right here."
Rani frowned. "So, we've been kept behind in this second - "
"Affirmative, Mistress Rani," K9 answered.
"But the rest of the world, Mum and Dad and everyone else, they've moved on from here, forwards in time. Why has the Trickster trapped us here?"
"Oh, come on, Rani," the Doctor huffed. "You know the answer to that!"
"We're Sarah Jane's friends, all of us. Her best friends."
"Yeah . . . which means?"
"Hostages," Rani realized. "He can use us to get to her."
"We've met the Trickster before, but we've never found out who he is," Clyde said.
"The Trickster is a creature from beyond the universe," the Doctor explained. "Forever trying to break into our reality, manifest himself. He's one of the Pantheon of Discord."
Clyde grinned. "That's a good name for a band."
The Doctor tilted his head side to side. "Yeah, actually, not bad," he admitted, before yelping when Jessie hit him in the back of the head. He looked at her, seeing her smirking with a raised eyebrow, and he winced. Back on topic. "He's an eternal exile who exists to wreak havoc. But we can fight him, the seven - " Bran squawked again. "Eight of us," the Doctor quickly corrected. "And we can win."
Jessie's sonic screwdriver went off, and she blinked, pulling it out. "That's me."
"Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed, looking at it. "Ha! That's it! A time trace. Just a hint of Sarah Jane Smith. Ooh, she's close."
***
Jessie was scanning the chairs nearby when Rani shivered from where she was standing. "Rani?" she asked, standing up straight. "You all right?"
"Felt like someone just walked over my grave," Rani breathed.
Jessie aimed her sonic screwdriver and raised an eyebrow when she got results. "Oh, she's here!" she exclaimed.
"Sarah?" the Doctor called out.
Rani frowned. "Sarah Jane. She doesn't like being called Sarah."
"She doesn't mind when they do," Jenny said.
"K9?" the Doctor said.
"Scanning, Master," the dog answered.
"Doctor?" a faint voice called from nearby. "Bad Wolf?"
"Mum!" Luke gasped. "That was her!"
"K9, isolate the time trace," the Doctor ordered.
"Affirmative, Master."
The Doctor waited patiently (for a grand total of three seconds). "K9?" he prompted.
"Temporal schism divided in two, Master."
"DUH!" Jessie shouted loudly, making the kids jump. "We're here in 3:23:23, and Sarah Jane's in another one!"
"Brilliant!" the Doctor cheered, giving her a hug.
"Hold on," Clyde said, interrupting their moment. "You said you'd explain later. Well, it's later. Please explain."
The Doctor sighed. Humans always had to go interrupting them, didn't they? "The Trickster doesn't want us helping Sarah, so he's separated us, trapped in two different seconds," he explained.
"Doctor! Bad Wolf!" Sarah Jane's voice called.
"She's going upstairs!" Jenny exclaimed.
"Come on," the Doctor said. "Luke, Jenny, K9, watch for the TARDIS. You see it coming back, shout the place down."
"Orders accepted, Master," K9 said while Luke and Jenny just nodded.
"You two, with us," the Doctor told Clyde and Rani. "Spit spot!"
***
Rani blinked when they just ran right back into the wedding hall. "How did we end up here again?" she asked in confusion.
"It's a spatial loop mixed up with a temporal loop," Clyde answered.
Jessie blinked, impressed. "How did you work that one out?" Rani asked.
"Well, we've been doing this for a while now! I have taken notes!"
"Good note taking," Jessie remarked.
"Come on, come on, come on, Sarah," the Doctor muttered, looking around. "Let us find you!"
"Hang on, though," Rani mused. "This is mad! The Trickster, he's this all-powerful immortal who wants to cause chaos throughout the stars, and he wants Sarah Jane to get married. What does he get out of that?"
"She's here," the Doctor said, holding up his sonic screwdriver. "If I can narrow the link ratio - "
"Doctor," the Trickster's voice interrupted.
The Doctor spun, Jessie pulling the kids behind her as the Trickster appeared behind them in a black robe. "Ah," the Doctor nodded. "You look better in black. Or is white the new black?"
"At last, Doctor," the Trickster sneered. "I could feel this moment reverberating back through the ages. The meeting of the Pantheon of Discord and the last of the Time Lords."
"You missed one," Jessie said dryly.
"I've known the legends of the Pantheon since I was a little boy," the Doctor said. "I've fought your shadows and your changelings. I never thought we'd actually meet."
"And I know the legends of the Doctor. The man of ice and fire, who walked among gods, the husband of a goddess incarnate, who once held the Key to Time in his hands and passed it to her." Jessie knitted her eyebrows. Goddess incarnate? Really? That was her? "And of his wife, the woman of fire and storms, the woman twice dead, survivor of wars and battles and never looks back on her own. Now, they are surrounded by children."
"They're our friends," the Doctor corrected. "Which reminds me, you're looking a bit lonely for a Pantheon."
"I embody multitudes. And who are you, the man who has lost everybody, to talk to me of loneliness when the Gate is waiting for you both?"
The Doctor tensed. "What do you mean?"
But the Trickster didn't answer. "Sarah Jane Smith is my prize. Even you, Doctor, didn't realize how wonderful she is."
"What do you want with her?"
"What I always want from any of those I visit. Her agreement. Goodbye, Doctor."
Jessie's eyes widened as the Trickster vanished. "Her agreement. Words have power, we learned that from Shakespeare. And the most powerful of words are spoken in weddings!"
"She says I do!" the Doctor finished. "That's it!"
"That's what?" Clyde asked.
"She promises to love and honor her husband, the wedding ring goes on, and then she's agreed to it," the Doctor explained. "She's totally under the Trickster's power. Marital bliss, but she forgets all about this. She starts living a new life."
"Forgetting about her old life protecting the Earth," Rani realized.
"And the planet's wide open, so aliens can just barge in?" Clyde asked.
"Without Sarah, without you lot saving the world from your attic in Ealing, there'll be chaos and destruction," the Doctor nodded. "Meat and drink to the Trickster."
"As if she's going to say yes," Clyde snorted.
"But she will, won't she?" the Doctor asked. "Because we're here."
Engines started back up, and Jessie brightened. "TARDIS!" she cheered. "Yes!"
"She's homing in on you," the Doctor said. "Once holding the heart of the TARDIS, she can always track you down!"
"What's happening?" Luke asked as he ran in with Jenny.
"Look, that's pure Artron energy," the Doctor said, pointing at the energy crackling around the TARDIS. "TARDIS power. Equal and opposite to the Trickster's power. That's how we can fight him!"
"Run!" Jessie called, opening the doors to the TARDIS.
Bran flew in, and she ran after him, but as the Doctor got in, strong wind blew the children away. "Doctor!" Rani cried.
"Come on, all of you, get in! Come on, now!"
The Doctor managed to grab Clyde's hand, but the force of the wind shoved him back into the TARDIS without Clyde. Jessie managed to get the TARDIS off, but couldn't keep it in the second.
***
"It's just us, then," Rani breathed.
"It's all right," Jenny said. "They'll be back."
"You all right?" Luke asked Clyde as he stood up shakily.
"Yeah," Clyde nodded. "I think. They'll come back for us, won't they?"
"Yes," Jenny said firmly.
"What if they can't?" Rani asked.
"They will," Luke said, supporting Jenny. "We'll wait here for them. You check with K9."
Rani and Clyde nodded and took off for the stairs.
***
The Doctor quickly ran to the TARDIS doors when Jessie managed to pilot it through the temporal schism, and he saw Peter hanging onto Sarah Jane. "Sarah!" he called.
She turned, eyes wide. "Doctor!"
"Got to be quick! The TARDIS can't stabilize. Clyde's keeping the Trickster busy for the moment." He grinned. "Oh, those three are just brilliant!"
"Doctor, what can I do?" Sarah Jane wailed. "If I say no, we're trapped here forever! If I say yes, I condemn the world to the Trickster. Either way, I lose. There's no way out."
"It all rests with you, Sarah," the Doctor said. "Your greatest challenge. The hardest thing you'll ever face in your life."
Jessie poked her head out to give him a glare. "Way to be overdramatic!"
"What is it?" Sarah Jane begged. "Tell me what I've got to do!"
"You've fought the Trickster before," the Doctor told her with a swallow. "You know how he operates, how he can be defeated."
Sarah Jane's eyes widened. "Oh, no," she breathed. "No!"
"I know you're a good man, Peter," the Doctor told him. "And I know all about these kinds of chances. But I'm so sorry."
Abruptly, Clyde and the Trickster appeared, Clyde crackling with Artron energy, and the TARDIS disappeared again.
***
The TARDIS materialized solidly down in the entrance hall, and they burst out. "Come on!" the Doctor shouted to Luke, Rani, Jenny, and K9 as they ran for the wedding hall.
"Mum!" Luke called, running to Sarah Jane, who was holding Clyde, the Trickster and Peter nowhere to be seen.
"Luke," Sarah Jane sobbed. "Doctor, Bad Wolf."
"And Bran," Jessie added, nodding to the raven on her shoulder.
Sarah Jane laughed breathlessly. "Oh, Bad Wolf!"
"My Sarah Jane," the Doctor told her, giving her a hug as the wind sped up. "You did it. The trap's broken. Time's moving forward again. We're going home."
"Hold on!" Luke called, and they all moved forward.
"We're all going home!"
***
Jenny blinked warily when the registrar spoke: "If any person can show just cause or impediment why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
Jenny whipped around, not seeing her parents anywhere . . . but Peter was gone as well. "Where's he gone?" Rani's mother asked. "Sarah's bloke, where's he gone?"
"He was just there!" her father added.
"Where's the Doctor gone?" Luke asked.
"And Mum?" Jenny added.
"That all really happened, didn't it?" Rani asked.
"Yeah," Clyde nodded, looking down at his hands.
"Affirmative," K9 nodded.
Luke stood slowly, seeing Sarah Jane stand absolutely still. "Mum?" he asked.
Sarah Jane took a deep breath and turned, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, everybody. I'm afraid the wedding has been canceled."
***
Jenny sat down by Sarah Jane later in the attic and smiled at her. "If it helps any," she began, "I'm glad you invited me."
Sarah Jane just smiled weakly and looked up at the fireplace. "Mr. Smith? I need you."
The computer activated, coming out of the wall. "Welcome back, Sarah Jane."
"Mum, are you all right?" Luke asked as he, Clyde, and Rani came up.
"I'm going to be fine," Sarah Jane nodded. "I've got you, haven't I?"
"I can't believe they ran off like that," Luke sighed.
"Sudden disappearing acts," Sarah Jane shrugged. "That's him all over."
A faint wheeze echoed through the attic, and Mr. Smith announced, "Sarah Jane, escalation of temporal flux."
Not to be outdone, K9 put in, "Temporal flux escalating!"
They all turned as the TARDIS materialized right inside the attic. "Doctor!" Sarah Jane gasped. "Bad Wolf!"
Jessie poked her head out, grinning widely. "Oh, come on, Sarah Jane!" she laughed. "Did you honestly think I'd let him run out like that?"
"What do you take us for, Sarah?" the Doctor added, coming up behind her. "Just thought we'd go the quick way." He blinked, looking around. "Ooo, I like it in here."
Rani smiled. "Can we have a look?" she asked, trying to stand on her toes and see into the TARDIS.
The Doctor's good mood was instantly gone. "What, in the TARDIS?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Our TARDIS?" he added, sounding angrier.
Rani gulped, but then she saw the Bad Wolf shaking in laughter. She frowned. What was so funny? Then she saw Jenny doing the same thing and pouted.
The Doctor just grinned. "'Course you can, yeah," he nodded, and the two Time Lords parted to let them in.
"Oh, wow!" Clyde gasped, looking around. "It really is, isn't it? It's bigger on the inside!"
"It's beautiful!" Rani added, making the TARDIS hum. Jessie patted the time rotor with a smile.
"Transcendental dimensions," Luke added, looking around.
Jessie blinked. "Blimey, he's good," she remarked to Jenny.
Jenny grinned. "I know."
"Wow, what does this do?" Clyde asked, reaching to touch something.
"Hey, don't touch," Sarah Jane ordered before turning to the Doctor and Jessie, the Doctor reaching out to pull Jessie to him, her back to his front, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You came all that way for me?"
"You're so important, not just to us," the Doctor replied, leaning his head on Jessie's shoulder as Bran hopped over to Jenny, seeming fascinated with her blonde hair. "The Trickster wanted to end your story, but it goes on. The things you've done, Sarah, they're pretty impressive, but oh, the things you're going to do . . . "
"The future," Luke brought up, making Jessie look over her shoulder. "How about we could go for a ride?"
"Or back," Clyde suggested. "To the dinosaurs, yeah?"
"Another planet?" Rani pitched in.
"The dinosaurs never work out," Jessie told Clyde with a smile. "Trust me, last time we tried, we met up with our worst enemies."
"And no way," Sarah Jane added, shaking her head. "For one thing, you're grounded by the Judoon, and your parents would never forgive me."
Jessie blinked. "Grounded by the Judoon?" she repeated with a grin.
Sarah Jane gave her a look before pointing at the kids. "Go on."
They left, Jenny taking Bran with her, as Sarah Jane turned back to the Time Lords. "Is this the last time I'm ever going to see you?"
"I don't know," the Doctor admitted. "I hope not."
Sarah Jane smiled. "Goodbye, Doctor, Bad Wolf. Until next time."
"Don't forget us, Sarah Jane," Jessie told her.
"No one's ever going to forget you," Sarah Jane said, exiting the TARDIS.
Jessie poked her head out to see Bran still with Jenny. "Jenny?" she said with a smile. She looked up, startled. "That raven is very dear to me," she said with a smile. "I got him handed down from Edgar Allan Poe. Keep an eye on him for me, will you?"
Jenny beamed. "Always," she promised.
Jessie winked before shutting the TARDIS doors.
***
Jenny smiled at Bran, even as Rani stared at him in shock. "Edgar Allan Poe?" she repeated.
"Time machine," Luke reminded her.
Jenny giggled, and Clyde watched the TARDIS dematerialize. "You were right. They are amazing," he said.
Sarah Jane smiled proudly. "And so are we," she declared, giving them all a hug.
***
Luke, Clyde, and Rani off to the side. :)
I can say this is not the last time we'll see Bran the raven. :) Jenny will still have him, and she will protect him a lot. ;) Also, I'll be doing "Death of the Doctor" from SJA as well, but I haven't even seen that yet . . . I should probably do that . . .
But you all know what episode comes next. O.O "The Waters of Mars." And then, the two "End of Time" episodes . . . and we're done. O.O Geez . . .
Well, thank goodness those episodes are really long to write! Keep an eye out for "Love and Monsters" for "Apocalypse Rising," and I'll see you for "The Waters of Mars!"