They watched as the TARDIS disappeared, the familiar wheezing noise echoing in their mind long after it disappeared.

"Well, I'm feeling a bit peckish, why don't we go to the kitchen and make some tea." Alan offered. "Maybe some toast too. After that, I think I'll run down to the shops and pick up some stuff."

"Dad, do you even have your wallet?"

"I think so," Alan fumbled in his pockets. "There, see. Told you so. Don't even have my passport, though. I could have someone mail it over, but it'd be difficult to explain."

"Mr. Smith can help with that." Clyde suggested.

"Great, faking my own passport."

"Well, how else are we going to explain it. And we can't stay with Mum; she's got Irvin now."

"Is it still Irvin?" Alan shrugged. "And what about you guys, won't your parents have questions?"

"Mum got an extra shift." Clyde explained. "As long as I get home before she does—" He turned to Rani. "Is it just me, or is it really dark out?"

"Sarah Jane says the TARDIS has trouble with timing—oh, Mum's going to kill me! Be back in a moment!" Rani ran downstairs, across the street, and in the front door. "Mum, Dad, I'm home."

"Where have you been?" Gita ran out of the kitchen, squeezing Rani to her chest. "I've been calling and calling you."

"I was over at Sarah Jane's, remember? I told you Sky wanted my help with something."

"That was Tuesday morning!" Gita's flushed cheeks were wet with tears. "It's Friday night!"

Rani stepped backwards. "He didn't. No, he didn't. It was just a short trip, Mum, I swear, it was just a short trip."

"Where were you? Off gallivanting with Luke and Clyde—I tried calling all three of you, no answer, nobody came to the door at Sarah Jane's place. You even left the sink running, good job I stopped by."

"Mum!" Rani snapped. "You don't—you can't…I didn't—" She backed out the door. "I'm sorry, I really am, but—" She backed out the door and ran back across the street. "Clyde, Clyde," She opened the door and galloped the stairs. "Clyde, we're in trouble. Big trouble."

"How big? Failing a test or attacking Slitheen?"

"Clyde, it's been three days."

"What are you babbling on about?" Maria asked.

"Three days. We've been gone for three days. My mum wants to know where we've been."

"What? That's impossible." Clyde stammered.

"The TARDIS is a time machine." Sky pointed out.

Maria's phone buzzed. She flipped it open and looked at the datestamp. "April 22. Three days."

They all stared at each other.

"We're dead meat."

"How are we supposed to talk our way out of this one?"

"I bet Luke could think of something."

"Well, he's not here, is he?" Clyde snapped.

"And what about Maria and Mr. Jackson?"

"We just stopped by for a visit," Marie answered.

"And the luggage?"

"It got lost. Stupid airlines."

Alan rubbed his forehead. "We need to think about this logically. What do we need to explain?"

"Where we were for three days without telling anyone?"

"Why Luke isn't here."

"What we're doing here." Maria added.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Sky whispered.

"What?"

"My mum's dead."

The only sound in the room was Mr. Smith's engines. K9 rolled forward and stopped beside Sky,

Finally, Alan spoke. "Why don't' we tell them the truth?"

"What?"

"Are you crazy?

"They'll never believe us."

"Dad?"

"No, listen. I've been on the other side of this, I know that there were things you aren't telling me. Our best bet is to tell the truth. Well, as much of it as makes sense."

"Which is what?" Maria asked.

"That Sarah Jane died, a friend of hers came by for the funeral, and took you all on a short trip. Luke stayed with him, he needed to get out of Oxford and clear his head for a while."

"And why we didn't call?"

"Out of range?" Maria suggested

"Not going to satisfy my mom," Rani mumbled. "Sky, I'm sorry about this, but once we tell my mum Sarah Jane's dead, she'll want to ask all sorts of questions. For example, where were we for the last three days?"

"Well, she knows about UNIT," Clyde pointed out. "Probably thinks Sarah Jane is—was- some sort of secret agent or something."

"We couldn't call anyone from Snowdon either, security reasons. But we'd still have to get our facts straight."

"Military funeral, top-secret, Luke off with a secret agent of sorts. Why do I feel that's a rubbish story, but Gita won't notice anyway?" Clyde sighed.

Rani peeked out the window. "Better get downstairs, she's coming over."

Gita burst into the kitchen. "Rani, where on earth were you? I couldn't get a hold of you—hello, who's this?"

"Alan Jackson and this is my daughter Maria. We used to live on Bannerman Road. "

"Really? Which house?"

"Number 36,"

"Really? That's ours! So, why did you move?"

"Work. I had some time off this month, so I thought we could come by for a visit." Alan could only distract her for so long. Might as well get it over with. "I only wish it could be under better circumstances."

"Why, what's wrong?"

"Sarah Jane passed away on Tuesday."

Gita's eyes turned big as scones. "No! Not Sarah Jane? What from?"

"Cancer," Rani answered. "She left a note—she hadn't even told Luke."

"Where is Luke? Shouldn't he know? Is that why you were all gone?

"It's complicated." You were always a bad liar, Alan, echoed in his mind, but Alan continued. "Some of her old friends from UNIT-"

"Those chaps in olive uniforms with spiffy red berets?"

"Mum!"

"Sorry."

"They planned a proper military funeral, but I had to drive the kids up."

"And they confiscated our mobiles. Sorry, I meant to call." Rani blushed. "I'm sure you must have been worried sick."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't have a clue. Would you like some tea? A nice cuppa would do you a world of good. And Luke, where is he?"

"One of his mum's old friends was there, offered to take him on a trip."

"I wanted to come, but he said it as too dangerous." Sky added, staying close to Rani.

"And he left you hear all alone?" Gita exclaimed. "Why don't you come over and stay at our place for a while?"

Sky shot a look of panic at Rani.

"Actually, I was planning to stay for a while—have quite a few holidays saved up."

"Just let me know if you need anything. Rani,I better call your dad, let him know you're safe. Suppose you'll be staying over here tonight."

"Yeah, I'll just pop over and get some clothes first. Why don't you go, I'll be along in a minute."

"Right you are. Deepest sympathies, Sky. Maybe I'll go pick up some flowers from the shop." Gita's babble continued until the door shut behind her on the way out.

Maria sighed. "Well…"

Alan exhaled softly. "Is she always like that?"

"Unfortunately, yes. She'll be over tomorrow with burnt casseroles and bouquets if Dad doesn't talk her out of it."

Clyde stared at his mobile. "I suppose I ought to call Mum and explain things. I'll be in the parlor, so don't come in, okay?"

Rani nodded. "I'll go pick up some clothes and then come back. Might take a while, Dad will probably want a more detailed version of the story."

"Do your parents know about this—"Alan waved his hands. "What you do?"

"No, and hopefully I can keep it that way." Rani shuffled out of the room. "I'll be back."

"Sky, are you hungry?" Maria pulled two slices of bread out of the box, dropped them in the toaster, and turned to rummage in the cupboard.

"I guess I'll just pop down to the shops and pick up some essentials. Pajamas, toothbrushes, that sort of stuff." Alan's voice trailed off. "That could wait, if you'd rather."

Sky bit her lip.

"I think that can wait, Dad." Maria answered.

"I'm going home," Clyde called from the hall. "Mum wants an explanation, but I'll come back tomorrow, okay?"

"I'll tell Rani when she comes back."

"Oh no, that's fine, I'll stop over there for a bit. Tell her myself—anyway, I should be off." Clyde stammered.

"…The pendant reversed the Gorgon's effects on my dad. We even tried it on Bea. Didn't bring her memories back, but it did make her peaceful. That's something, I guess." Maria tucked Sky into bed, pulling the blankets tight. Sky tightened her hold on a scruffy owl, twitching for a moment before stretching out again.

"I guess I'm just talking to myself now. Daft thing to do, but it's better than crying. I was going to tell you a Trickster story, but maybe that would be too sad. It started out with an ordinary day at the skate park—Dad was showing off his moves to Clyde and Luke. Next morning, I woke up and she was just gone. Both her and Luke had vanished, and her house was owned by a stranger, Andrea Yates-well, a stranger to everyone but me. Everyone acted like Andrea had always lived there, and Clyde didn't know me. I thought I was going mad. I'd lost my best friend, but nobody else remembered her. All the adventures we had, gone, only left in my memories." Maria looked down at Sky's sleeping face. "It's going to be like that, but worse. Because you can't tell anyone besides us about what really happened—about the Doctor and the TARDIS or Luke and where he really is now. "

Alan knocked on the door. "Can I come in, or is it all girl talk in there?"

"She's sleeping." Maria opened the door. "I was just talking to myself."

"Well, would you like to have a talk with someone who will talk to you back?"

"Maybe," Maria stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. "How long are we going to stay?"

"I don't know. I have my work; you have school," he sighed. "And Luke's off exploring. When do you think he'll come back?"

"It's the TARDIS, it could be tomorrow afternoon or ten years from now."

"Not very reliable, is it? "

"Sarah Jane says it goes where it's needed, but the definition of 'needed' varies."

"How's Sky doing?"

"She's exhausted. I don't think it's sunk in yet, and what happens when it does is anyone's guess."

"I suppose," Alan stared past her. "I know she's an alien, but Sarah Jane filled out the proper paperwork and everything, right?"

"I suppose so?"

"Does she legally exist? I suppose we could check with Mr. Smith, he'd probably know. He probably has Sarah Jane's will somewhere too, assuming she made one."

"Dad, what are you thinking about?"

"If there's no legal guardian, the state would put her into foster care."

"But she's got Luke."

"-who is currently exploring time and space. And who will eventually want to go back to Oxford. Besides, Luke's not that old himself. What did you say, five and a half?"

"Only technically!"

"Can you imagine Luke trying to raise his sister? He'd feed her fish and chip from the pub every day and have Mr. Smith teach her historic Star Wars battles." Alan's eyebrows twitched. "Mind, Luke didn't turn off half bad."