for rude_not_ginger

[skateboard_dad]

Sarah Jane Smith was a grand master of many, many things and he was sure there were many things of which he wasn't even aware. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that, because his daughter was caught up in the middle of many of those things. Sarah Jane had started being far more open and honest with him about exactly how actively both Maria and Clyde were involved with some of her... less believable activities, and so he had started being more accepting of them. After all, all he had to do when he started to doubt his own sanity was walk right up to Sarah Jane's attic and have a chat with Mr. Smith, or allow himself to think about the parallel timeline he had running through his head, once Sarah Jane had talked him through it and he realized that he would always remember the separate timeline. 

He wasn't sure there was anything Sarah Jane couldn't talk him through, and whatever she couldn't talk him through, he'd managed to talk her through it. 

He was going to have to start talking her through routine maintenance through weeding, and the sooner the better. Her garden deserved every bit as much of her expertise as her other activities did, priorities be damned. 

"Poor things," he murmured as he set to work in his friend's garden. "You do realize that she does care. You've seen the professionals in here every few weeks." He made quick work on the weeds surrounding the flowers. "She just doesn't realize there are things she can do to help you along between those times. And, yes, she might not attach enough importance, but I suppose that's why I'm here."

He had to smirk, recalling the look on Sarah Jane's face when he had asked about the garden after she had asked him to look in Mr. Smith while she and Luke were off on their short holiday. She had actually cocked an eyebrow and sighed, realizing she had walked right into yet another one of his gentle lectures about garden care. 

She knew very well that he enjoyed jerking her around a bit. She had such enormous responsibility and he took every opportunity he could to bring her back down to earth every once in a while. It had helped him cope in the beginning, when he had been unprepared in every way possible for the wider universe she and Maria had opened his eyes and mind to, and now it was just routine. 

"You're the touchstone, Dad," Maria had informed him once, following a bit of a debate on the merits of picking up his car from the shop in the middle of what could have turned into one of the special crises surrounding Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane had thought his priorities were just a bit skewed at the time, but she had still driven him down to the shop for his car. Which had then helped immeasurably when they'd had to separate and floor it to two different places. 

He hadn't discussed Maria's opinion with Sarah Jane, but he could tell that, while Maria was undoubtedly overstating whatever contribution he was able to make, Sarah Jane was glad to have him around, even with his somewhat irreverent attitude. He took her seriously when it counted, after all, which was probably all that really mattered. 

He was more than a little put out, however, when he realized just how dry the soil was and how parched the poor things had to be. Quickly straightening up from the headway he'd already been able to make, he headed into Sarah Jane's kitchen to fill up her watering can. 

Comments

Sorry for the delay! Life got hectic on my end!

[rude_not_ginger]

It was a disaster and the TARDIS was about to crash-land.

Normally, the TARDIS could easily be piloted by the Doctor. Technically it was supposed to have more pilots but it only needed him. As it was, right now it needed two pilots, one to run the console, and one to battle the extreme rotopsychic virus battling the TARDIS for control.

It was suffice to say that the Doctor's attempt to journey into E-Space was not successful and he got what he deserved. He should never have thought that going there as a good thing, but he had just thought that maybe, just maybe there could be something there for him to see, something to explore. Instead, no. No, he ended up infecting the TARDIS with a horrific mental virus that could only be eliminated by driving her past a dying star while someone fought it off.

"Sarah!" he shouted, as he jammed the controls. She knew the console, she could take instruction. He could crash-land near her house, get her to fly it around a bit while he fought off the virus. It would only take a moment to land there...

That's not a problem!! :)

[skateboard_dad]

Three trips between Sarah Jane's kitchen sink and the desert conditions in her poor garden and he was only halfway through the procedure that would restore a more healthy bloom to the flowers he was tending. Oh, the flowers looked healthy enough to the untrained eye, and it wouldn't take more than a day for a full revitalization, but he was really going to have to insist on being permitted to give as much attention to Sarah Jane's garden as he was permitted to give to Mr. Smith.

After all, he knew as much about gardening as he did about computers.

After carefully deploying the fourth can of water, he straightened up to survey his work, but his attention was suddenly diverted by a most curious spectacle in the sky. He probably wouldn't have noticed it straight off but for the noise, a wheezing, groaning sound, punctuated by what could only be described as screams.

Rushing out through the gate to the street, he watched with growing horror as the UFO (though as it got closer, he realized that he knew exactly what it had to be, what off earth else COULD it be?) jerkily crash-landed straight into his own garden.