Misadventures on Serv-what’sitcalled (Classic Doctor Who)

[DaylightStarr]

Title: Misadventures on Serv-what’sitcalled

Fandom: Doctor Who (Fourth Doctor)

Disclaimer: I’m making no money from this and they don’t belong to me.

Summary: A new planet disagrees with Sarah Jane, much to the Doctor’s dismay.

A/N: Okay, so I really wanted to write a fic about the Fourth Doctor but was tempted to write about Sarah Jane instead. I have a huge crush on her, I’ve found. But this is my first Doctor Who fic so please forgive me if it seems a bit out of character. I tried to stick to their personalities as much as I could. Warning, it is a self-indulgent puff piece. I’m not even sorry!

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“Doctor, where are we?” The petite brunette followed the Time Lord out of the TARDIS, setting foot on the most beautiful moor she’d ever seen in her life. There were flowers of all colors blanketing it, and the air was perfumed with the scents of all of them. That was the first thing she noticed about her surroundings. The second thing she noticed was that it was freezing. She shivered and wrapped her rather thin jacket tightly around herself as she glared at the Doctor’s back. “You know, you could have warned me that it was going to be this cold out here.”

“I told you we were going to Servatious Seven, what more did you want?” The Doctor sounded honestly perplexed as he turned around, looking at his chilled companion curiously.

“You know quite well that I don’t know one of these planets from the other, and this Serv-what’sitcalled sounds exactly like the other Serv-what’sitcalled that we went to last week. Only that one was a desert.”

“Don’t be so perfectly ridiculous Sarah. You should know that Servatious Seven is nothing at all like Serverish Ten. Two entirely different planets with two entirely different species inhabiting them. Do keep up, will you? There’s something here you simply must see and it only happens at a very certain time.”

Sarah normally didn’t have any trouble keeping pace with the Doctor, but today she seemed to be lagging quite a bit. She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes as she waded through a tall patch of flowers that looked like very colorful lilies. “I’m trying to keep up, but you’re going too fast. Besides, if we miss it couldn't we just come back a few minutes later and try again? And come back closer, for that matter.” She stopped and took a sharp breath, bringing a hand up under her nose. “Hep-ishhchht! Heh-issh-nxxt!”

This finally gave the Doctor pause and he turned to make his way back to where she had stopped, shrugging out of his coat as he did so. “Oh for heaven’s sake. Not catching cold are you? That would be too inconvenient.” He handed her the coat and grinned while she put it on.

“No I’m not catching cold. You of all people should know that you don’t catch cold simply by being cold. And what are you smiling at?” She rubbed at her nose, frowning in disapproval at his expression.

“You. You look like a little girl playing dress up in her father’s outerwear. Come on then, all cozy now?” He looked her up and down before turning on his heel. “And to answer your question, there certainly is a species that catches cold simply by being cold. A delightful species mind you, perfectly brilliant and millennia ahead of humans as far as space travel and science goes, but a more frail creature I’ve never seen. They hardly travel from their home at all.” His eyebrows twitched as Sarah stopped to sneeze again. “Really, can’t you sneeze and walk? We’ll never get there at this rate.”

“If I… Hek-issh-nnxx! Hep-ishh-nxxt! Heh-hek-isshh-SHHUU!” She sniffled and moved his coat aside to search her pockets for a tissue or something to blow her nose on. “If I sneeze and walk I’m liable to trip over something and fall flat on my face.” She rubbed at her eyes, which were starting to become rather red. “Heh-kissh-nnxxt! Hep-ishh-CHUU!”

Turning back to join Sarah once again, the Doctor reached into his own pocket deftly and pulled out a rather large white handkerchief. He handed it to her with a flourish and smiled at her kindly. “I’ve never used it so you’re safe on that front.” His eyes softened a bit as he took in her honest discomfort. “Sure you’re not catching cold?” His deep voice was slightly lower with what may have been concern as he studied her face.

“No, I’m not. Colds don’t come up on you this fast.” She held up a hand to stop him as he took a breath to interject his knowledge, “unless you’re that creature you just told me about. Honestly, I do listen to you far more than you listen to me.” Her nose twitched and she brought his handkerchief up to her face. “Hep-ishhuu! Hek-ishh-chuu! Heh… heh…” Tears pricked at her eyes as the last sneeze refused to come out, then spilled over as she looked up at the cold sun for help. “Heh-ICCHHUU! Hek-ishh-SHUU!” After blowing her nose, Sarah Jane crumpled the handkerchief up in her hand and sniffled, wiping at her running eyes with the cuff of the large brown coat. “If I had to guess, I’d say I am allergic to… to this place.” Her voice shook as she geared up for another bout of sneezing.

The Doctor waited her out, the idea of watching the second sun rise on the other end of the moor forgotten. After she’d finished, he gently took her by the arm and steered her back in the direction of the TARDIS.

“Doc… Doctor? Are you… Hep-isshh-CHUU! Hek-isshhhuu! Heh-heh-isshnxxt! Are you angry?”

“Angry? Of course not. Why would I be angry? This certainly isn’t something you’re doing just to annoy me. Is it? Because if it was then yes, I believe I would be angry.”

“Of course I’m not doing it to annoy you. If I wanted to annoy you I’d do something less annoying to myself in the process.” She sniffled before continuing. “I just… I know how much you wanted to show me whatever it was you wanted to show me. Hep-isshhchuu! Hek-isshhnxxt! Heh-ishhnxx!”

“I’d rather you not suffer while I show it to you, however, Sarah. Where’s the fun in that, for either of us? Now, if you’ll trust me to lead you back without allowing you to fall on your face, as you so eloquently put it, you can sneeze all you’d like while you walk. We’ll get back quicker.”

Of course she trusted him to get her back to the TARDIS safely, and the very idea of getting out of this cold, allergy-inducing hell was a blissful idea to her; but sneezing while walking was still next to impossible, even with the steady hand guiding her. After what seemed like an hour (when it was really only about ten minutes) The Doctor pushed the door to the TARDIS open and Sarah scurried inside, the handkerchief firmly pressed against her face. “Hep-ishh-SHHUU! Hek-isshh-chuu! Heh-isshuu! Heh-eh-isshhuu! Hek-issh-nxxt!” She blew her nose delicately after the last one and sank into a jumpseat, looking exhausted. The Doctor was fiddling with the controls, ignoring her completely. {So he is annoyed with me, after all.} She thought to herself miserably. {I suppose I can’t say that I blame him, really. It’s not every day he actually gets a whim to really show me something for the sole purpose of showing me something, and I have to go bunging it up.}

She hadn’t expected him to turn back to her, the same manic grin on his face that she’d always known, but she was relieved to see it. “Right then. Open the door.”

Curiously, Sarah obeyed and the Doctor joined her at her side. They were still on the planet, hovering several feet above the ground. And right in front of them was the most glorious sunrise Sarah Jane Smith had ever seen in her whole life. She took a sharp gasp and gripped the side of the TARDIS. “It’s… it’s lovely.”

“Yes, I know. I fixed the force field so that you can watch it without sneezing and I brought us closer, as you suggested. Was it worth it?”

Sarah sniffled and wiped her eyes as tears of a decidedly not allergic variety spang into them. “Oh yes, Doctor. Yes, it was very much worth it.”

End

[Pseudosneeze]

Sarah sure was a cutie back in the day. I really liked this one.

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Ooh, I love it. Absolutely marvellous. I must confess I do not know the Fourth Doctor very well, but from what I've seen it seems very much in character.

Very sweet and lovely and awesome.