The Coriolis Explosion (Ten/SJ)

He could be very serious for such a young looking man.  She realized what was odd. There in his eyes, in the corners of his mouth, were all the wisdoms and more she'd seen in him when he'd looked much older than he did now.  He was getting younger in his face, but his mind was older.

And he'd been hurt.  In some way they had not had time to speak of, something had cut him to the core.  His face did not light up as she'd expected when she mentioned Flora. There had been all that time he kept promising and she had not wanted to talk of it because it rarely worked out. And she'd wound up running through caves in her swimsuit.  

"Everything seems fine" he declared, after they'd landed.  The trip hadn't taken a day or an hour, just moments.  It was never predictable.

"I'm not so sure about that." she said, giving him a look that included not a smile, but one of calm compassion. She wasn't talking about Florana, but about him.  Her eyes wanted to pry his gaze open, but she tore away and looked through the viewer. She came up smiling, seriousness forgotten in their unexpected sucess.

"Thats it! Isn't it? It's really Florana!"

She looked again.  Hawaii had nothing on Florana.

She looked to him, huge grin on her face now,  his problems be damned.  "I want to see the water, and the sunset!"

"Alright alright, not so fast. You need to change into something more suitable, there's bathing suits on the second floor..first door on your left i believe..unless i've changed it again" The Doctor replied to Sarah, turning away from the controls and strode over to the spiral stair case, "Last one out has to lock the TARDIS" he called back behind him.

Rushing down the staircase, The Doctor hopped into the bathing suit section of the wardrobe level and was immediately taken back from the selection the TARDIS was giving him. "Blimey" He mumbled, shifting through the spiral racks of seemingly endless bathing suits, stopping as he spotted one multi-colored trunks, "Oh definitely not". Tossing that pair over his shoulder, The Doctor stopped once more as he pulled out a hanger of bathing suit trunks that matched his blue pin stripped suit he was wearing.

Immediately a grin engulfed his face and he dashed behind the racks to change, a part of his mind pondering where he had put the scarf of his former incarnation. That was until he nearly tripped over it on the way out. Flipping it on, The Doctor came out from the wall of racks wearing the scarf, a brown blue pin striped bathing suit and a pair of sun glasses shielding his eyes, "Allons-y!" he proclaimed, rushing back up the staircase, "Ow ow ow ow" he mumbled at each step, quickly realizing how hard the steps were without shoes.

Would he ever know?  About the Wardrobe? About their special relationship?  She had no doubt that others who had come through those doors had experienced their own sort of welcome as well, but she and the TARDIS . . .well  . .they had a thing.

Magic Wardrobe.  Thoughtful Wardrobe.  Abundant Wardrobe that often seemed quite opinionated about what she wore. The good thing was, they were in accord, though the TARDIS often showed her the styles of her future instead of those of the present.  Who she would be.  It had been a comforting wisdom when the TARDIS had sent her back to Earth dressed as a child those few years ago.  To see her home with fresh ideas and an open mind.

And now here she was again, and it felt . . . normal.

"Race you~!" She had challenged the Doctor, hoping the TARDIS was busy doing it's knowing-thing in the Wardrobe.  Each had raced off, and when she'd reached the changing room, there on the front racks were the suits.  A glance told her these would be the ones that fit. She'd already worn one or two of them.  The others seemed pristine new.  She found one that seemed made of an amazing stretchy TARDIS blue satin-like that made her oo and ahh, but it was mighty plain other than the fabric itself.  There was a little pink number that wasn't much more than a series of triangles, but it didn't look like it would stand up to much romping.  And romping she intended.  Last but not least, she took a look at the suit the TARDIS had put up front and center for her.  Sarah Jane had avoided looking too closely first off.  She had to at least pretend to have an opinion.  But the TARDIS was just never wrong.

It was a sunny color of yellow, and made of a sturdy double stitched fabric.  The bottoms fit as straight across and clinging as a boys brief, but the top was more like a halter.  There were large macrame white daisies.  it fit her absolutely to a tee.  She grabbed hold of a sheer white kaftan, and dropped a loosely woven white, wide brimmed hat on her head.  White towel.  Grass green mules.  

She didn't bother to look in the mirror. She knew they were nice things.  In less than five minutes, she was clattering back down the stairs looking for the Doctor, the only sign of the struggle they'd been through earlier a bruise that wrapped around her upper arm, looking as if it were of mechanical origin. Well, that was what the kaftan was for, if they went somewhere for lunch.

The Doctor looked up, peering through his sunglasses as he heard the footsteps of Sarah approaching him from the top of the staircase. Realizing he had lost the race, The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Yes yes, i'll lock the TARDIS" he mumbled, shooing Sarah back up the staircase as he took a step towards her. Once she had made her way back up, The Doctor followed her, shaking his head as he quickly figured out that the TARDIS had helped her pick out an outfit.

"Don't think i don't know what you did" The Doctor commented, pointing his index finger at the main control console, "She's only in here half the time but what do i get to flying and traveling with you all over the place?". The TARDIS released a groaning noise, one that The Doctor immediately took a step back upon hearing, "Alright alright, sorry. You know i love you" he reassured his time machine, rubbing the edge of the controls before turning his attention to Sarah.

Grinning, he quickly bolted down the ramp and thrust open the doors, his feet reaching and hitting sand after immediately walking out. Night time. It was the first immediate mental response before he turned to his left hand side. In front of him lay a vast endless crystal clear ocean, the color reflecting a magnificent purple and orange nebula, with hints of blue towards the center, that hovered overhead. To his left stood an island, various trees spotted across its surface, a small fire a beacon of warmth to passers who needed it. But The Doctor was too distracted, distracted by the water and the colors. Never before had he managed to land on Florana when it was this beautiful, it only felt right that this time he did. "Sarah Jane" He called back, already guessing Sarah had exited the TARDIS, "Welcome to Florana".

"Well, look what the cat dragged in." Harsh as her words were, it was clear she was quite pleased to see him.  To see that long scarf in all fall colors and intense memories.  He looked quite trim in his blue trunks.   His hair looked excited to be traveling. "I win." she said smugly.

He went, per their bet, to bank the TARDIS like an ember for their return.  

"Come on!" She complained jovially as he stopped to chat with his pet time machine , and he came galloping out the doors like a school boy on holiday.   She'd looked down to step over the threshold, but looked up once her feet were in the sand.

It wasn't sunset.  it was nightset.  Stormset. For all the billow and broil in the sky, the night breeze was light, the air perfectly warm, and all finely scented like flowers and spice and salt.  It wasn't clouds in the atmosphere, but clouds out in space that made for such a breathtaking view.  

"Welcome to Florana."  He said with a triumph she understood. He'd been promising her Florana for along time.  She dropped all her gear there at the door of the TARDIS and hurried over to her friend.  She reached and took not his hand, but one long end of that very familiar scarf. She knew it so well as she held it, soft and strong all at once.  A devilish look in her eye, Sarah Jane started walking backwards toward the water, luring him  along with a gentle pull to his scarf.

"Come on! I want to swim."  The water was so clear so as to be near invisible.  She wanted to feel it.

The Doctor grinned, the emotions exhibited by Sarah now flowing into his own, the reasons why he allowed Sarah to travel with him before now becoming more prominent than ever. For a moment his mind fell back to questioning why he ever let her go, but then the memory of the older Sarah hit him. Looking over to the young Sarah standing beside him, The Doctor's grin fell to a warm smile, "Come on" he finally told her, gesturing to the water with his head, "You go first. I need to lock up the TARDIS".

Turning away from Sarah, The Doctor flipped out his key from a pocket in his trunks, locking the door with a click before turning back around to the oceans shore. "Allons-y!!" He proclaimed happily, bolting to the water as he unwrapped his scarf and let it fall onto the white sand. Falling into the water, The Doctor smiled as the feeling engulfed him as his hair fell down from it's previous sticking up position upon rising up from the water. "You should be here in August..it's like a sauna" He commented, "And in winter, the gravity of the planet decreases just enough to allow the snow flakes to hover above the lake. Quite a sight if i do say so myself".

The Doctor was busy being responsible so she freed him and ran into the water alone. The water and the air seemed to be almost the exact same temperature. It was perfect. After letting the water kick up past her knees, she dove into the rippling clear waters.

The water was so clear it was like flying. She turned back just in time to see the Doctor fall into the water and laughed to find herself splashed. She stood up and splashed him in return as he rose. They faced each other streaming water as he touted the wonders of Florana year round.

His grin was fierce and the water was warm. Why had she ever left him? Her complaints seemed thin indeed compared with the trouble she'd found on her own. The easy, loony smiles they shared now made everything else seem trivial. The Universe was painting the outline of his frame and lean muscle in rich purples and oranges. She started walking down the shoreline, water surging against her thighs.

"Can we visit winter after breakfast? And I don't want to eat in the TARDIS." On some planet less populated, they might have pulled their breakfast right out of the sea, but she was suddenly wondering if they might actually eat a vacationer. There were enough different sorts of Aliens around, she knew she'd have to be careful winnowing out the sentient creatures from the other sort. She is skipping a little in the high water, making a bit of splash.