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Chapter 23: Back to the TARDIS

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"Well, I'll leave you two to it, then," said Jamie. "Good bye for now. I'll look forward to seeing you again in a few months!"

"Likewise!" Donna and the Doctor said. The watched as Jamie walked off; when he disappeared into his office, the Doctor placed an arm around Donna's shoulders. Looking at her he said. "Well, shall we head back to Sarah Jane's?"

"Why can't we just go off someplace now?"

"I did promise Luke and his friends a trip in the TARDIS."

"Yeah, ok, space man," Donna grinned.

"So, let me repeat: Shall we head back to Sarah Jane's?" The Doctor grinned.

"All right, Doctor, let's."

With that, Donna and the Doctor headed back to the grove, and piloted the TARDIS once again to Sarah Jane's house.

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Once the TARDIS landed, the Doctor began doing something strange with his mouth. He would stick his tongue out, as though he had tasted something disgusting, and make a noise that sounded something like bleach! Donna looked at him inquiringly and asked what was wrong.

"I have a nasty taste in my mouth," the Doctor replied. "It was that pear I had at lunch. I hate pears! What possessed me to eat it, I have no idea, but…" he gagged. "Blimey, that's disgusting…bleach! Not good!"

The Doctor began rifling through his pockets.

"What are you looking for?" Donna asked.

"Breath freshener," he replied. "I always like to have some on hand, in case I do anything stupid like eat a pear. Aargh, I can't find it! What's the use of having breath freshener if I can't even find it?" The Doctor complained. "Oh well. Let's get moving."

So she and the Doctor exited the TARDIS and into Sarah Jane's attic, where Luke, Clyde, and Rani were gathered.

"What are you three doing, faces pressed up against the TARDIS?" The Doctor asked them, for they had been on the point of entering it.

"We wanted to see how you were doing," said Luke. "We know it hasn't been long since you recovered."

"Really? What for?" the Doctor replied. Donna nudged him. "Oh! That. Well, I'm fine and dandy, as you can see."

"I think that antidote made his mind go a bit wonky," Clyde said to Rani in a carrying whisper.

"Oi! It did not!"

Donna laughed. "He was only kidding, space man."

"Yeah well…" said the Doctor. "Anyway, it's good to be out of bed! I hate being cooped up like some kind of domestic. Even if it was recently. I'll never set foot or body in a bed again."

"Domestic what exactly?" Rani inquired with narrowed eyes.

"No, no! I didn't mean anything negative. Well, I did. But only a little! Blimey," the Doctor said. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"He didn't mean any offense, is what he's trying to say."

"Yes, thank you, Donna," said the Doctor.

"My pleasure," Donna replied.

There was a momentary pause, then the Doctor clapped both his hands together and said, "Anyway, you three… where's Sarah Jane?"

Luke pointed toward the staircase. "She's downstairs. Why?"

"There's something I wanted to ask her. Regarding you," the Doctor replied.

Surprised, Luke said, "About me? What for?"

"All in good time, Luke m'boy," said the Doctor. "Coming, Donna?"

"Way ahead of you."

Donna exited the attic, followed by the Doctor. Luke, Rani, and Clyde came after them and together, the five entered the living room. Sarah Jane was sitting on a sofa adjacent to the window and was reading a magazine. When the Doctor, Donna, and Luke and his friends entered, she looked up. Smiling, Sarah Jane greeted them warmly.

"I bet you're glad to be up and about," she said. "How'd the trip with Jamie go?"

"It went well," said Donna. "We dropped him off at Oxford then came straight back here."

"Good," said Sarah Jane. Then to the Doctor she said, "How have you been feeling? I know it hasn't been long since you regained consciousness."

"I'm good," said the Doctor. "Never been better! Although, I have to ask you… Why did I eat that pear earlier? I hate pears."

Sarah Jane shrugged. Smiling, she said, "I'm afraid I don't know, Doctor. Sorry. Anyway, what is it you wanted?"

"I wanted to ask you something, actually," the Doctor replied.

"Really, what?"

"Well, as you might remember, I recently told Luke and his friends that they could come on a trip, with Donna and I, in the TARDIS," the Doctor began. Cheers erupted from Luke, Rani, and Clyde. The Doctor grinned at them. "And I intend to do just that. But I want them to have parental permission first, because they're so young."

"I'm not young, I'm sixteen," Clyde protested.

"And I'm over nine hundred," countered the Doctor. "So shush." Clyde fell silent, and the Doctor continued. "So, Sarah Jane, dear traveling companion, does Luke have your permission?"

Sarah Jane thought for a moment. "Well, all right, I don't see the harm. Just get them back in time for school on Monday." It was currently Friday afternoon.

"But that only gives us two days!" Luke complained.

"Ah, but my beautiful ship can travel in time!" the Doctor exclaimed. "We can go anywhere, anyplace, spend an eternity exploring the heavens, and we could arrive back here in time for school. Grand, isn't it?" The Doctor stood on the tips of his feet, then back down. "So go on, pack up some clothes! Then the five of us can go to Clyde's house so he can ask his mum, then we'll come back here so Rani can ask her parents."

"I can just ask them right now," said Rani.

"Yeah, true," the Doctor realized. "But let's get the furthest place out of the way first, that way we don't have to go out of our way. Hey, that rhymed! Sort of."

"You can take my car, Doctor," said Sarah Jane. "I don't think you should draw too much attention to yourself."

"And if we took the TARDIS, then my mum would think I was being abducted by aliens," said Clyde.

"Well, you have," Luke said with a shrug.

"We have, you mean," said Clyde.

"When was this?" asked the Doctor.

"A year or so ago," said Clyde. "We were playing laser tag and all the best players got abducted. Some alien wanted to use us to fight in a battle."

"But you got back all right," said Sarah Jane. "Anyway, Doctor, you can use my car, if you want."

"Thank you," said the Doctor. "Luke, go pack up your things now. That way we can leave right when we get back."

Luke nodded. "Okay." He disappeared up the stairs. Five minutes later, he returned.

"All packed?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," Luke replied. "I ran up to the attic and put my bag in the TARDIS."

"Good man," said the Doctor cheerfully.

Soon after, everyone (with the exception of Sarah Jane) piled into the car. The Doctor drove them to Clyde's house well enough, with the exception of one occasion when the Doctor accidentally turned down the wrong street; but, he righted it, and soon arrived at Clyde's front door. Ignoring the Doctor's disapproval, Clyde told his mum that he would be spending the night at Luke's house. His explanation for the Doctor being there was that he (and Donna) were Luke's aunt and uncle. So, Clyde packed a few of his things in a hurry, and went back outside.

Next, the Doctor drove everyone back to Sarah Jane's house. It was decided that only the Doctor, Luke, and Rani would speak to Rani's parents. Donna and Clyde opted to remain at Sarah Jane's for some rest.

"So you want to go on a trip with this…Doctor?"

Rani nodded. "Can I go? Please?"

Rani's dad looked unsure.

"Please, Mr. Chandra?" said Luke. "I know you feel uneasy, since you don't know the Doctor, but he's an old friend of mum's, and I know he's trustworthy."

"Yeah, I'm trustworthy!" the Doctor exclaimed cheerfully. "Jelly baby?"

"Er…no, thank you," said Mr. Chandra, giving the Doctor an odd look. He turned to Rani. "Since he's friends with Sarah, I guess you can go. Just you keep my daughter safe, you hear? I don't want to hear she's turned into some kind of delinquent."

"Oh, of course not," said the Doctor. "I don't stand for that type of thing." He gave Luke and Rani a surreptitious wink.

"Good, good," said Mr. Chandra.

After some more talk, it was decided that Rani could indeed go with the Doctor. So, she hurriedly went to her room to pack up some of her things and then rushed back downstairs to the Doctor and Luke. The three headed back to Sarah Jane's house in a hurry, where they met up with Donna and Clyde. Then, they all said a quick good-bye to Sarah Jane before going upstairs to the attic, where the TARDIS awaited them.

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The End! I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it! I also hope you enjoy the sequel just as much, if not moreso, than this fic. The sequel is called Revelation of the Grove. I've already posted the first chapter, so feel free to check it out!

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