Rating: PG
Pairing: Sarah/Harry
Beta: hhertzof
Spoilers: Dreamland
Summary: Sarah’s pregnant, Harry’s the father, see the title for an idea of what happens next.

Note on Harry’s family: Although Will says he’s Harry’s stepbrother, he also says that when his father’s first wife died he got married and had another family. The only way I can make sense of their relationship is if they share a father, and it was Harry’s mother he was talking about. So that’s the family setup I’ve used here.

~*~*~

Sarah meandered through the Sullivans’ living room, Luke following at her heels. She smiled greetings at various people, but otherwise did not say much. She felt like she had already said all she needed to at Will’s funeral. Not to mention the fact that she was the only non-family member to be at both brothers’ funerals, which was making her feel guilty, even though Harry’s death could not possibly be her fault. Nat was the only person in a similar position, that she knew of, but she had disappeared earlier, she did not know where to.

Eventually she spotted one of the people she really needed to talk to sitting in an armchair, surrounded by cushions and with people on all sides. Sarah was unlikely to get her on her own, though, so now was just as good a time as any other. To keep him occupied, she pointed Luke in the direction of the food.

“Take a plate,” she told him, “and put on it whatever you want to eat. But only fill the plate, don’t stack anything. And don’t touch anything you’re not going to eat. Then you take it over there,” she pointed to a corner where there was space on the floor, all the seats being taken, “and sit down and eat it. Okay?”

He nodded and she hoped she had thought of everything. He had a tendency to take her literally if she was not careful with her words.

She headed over to an elderly, white-haired woman and the others stopped their conversation as she approached.

“Mrs Sullivan,” Sarah said, “I’m sorry for your loss.” She did not know whether Harry had got on with his stepmother at all, but she looked like the best place to start at the moment. And perhaps that bit of distance would be a help. “I’m Sarah Jane Smith, I was a friend of Harry’s.”

“Oh, yes,” Mrs Sullivan said, shaking Sarah’s hand, “he’s mentioned you.”

She glanced up at the other people. She knew they meant well but this was not something she wanted to broadcast to the world. “I don’t suppose we could talk somewhere private?”

“Of course.” She got up. “We can talk in the study.”

Sarah followed her, and as they left she could hear the whispers that followed, as Mrs Sullivan’s friends wondered what was going on. Sarah certainly had no intention of enlightening them. The older woman indicated a chair at the desk and Sarah sat on it. “I wondered,” she began, hedging her bets, “if Harry ever spoke about someone called Elizabeth?”

Mrs Sullivan sat on a stool, leaning on her stick. She was definitely a Sullivan, even if only by marriage. “Hmm,” she said, considering, “I don’t recall…but maybe…”

Sarah waited until she had trailed off, not wanting to sound rude. “Oh, you’d remember. She was his daughter.”

Mrs Sullivan looked straight at her with an expression that made Sarah sink back into her seat. “That’s impossible. He would have said.”

Sarah shook her head. “Not necessarily.” Given that there was never a point at which they were going to keep the baby, and given how unhappy she had been about it at the time, it did not surprise her that Harry never told anyone. “I was her mother,” she added.

“Was?” She frowned.

“We gave her up for adoption when she was born. But I thought you should know.”

Mrs Sullivan nodded slowly. “I think you should talk to my husband. Come.” She got up with difficulty but refused Sarah’s offer of help.

They went to the next room, which was the dining room. The man in there looked much like an older version of Harry. Sarah was surprised to find Nat there too. Their heads were bent over a photo album open on the table and Nat was smiling.

“George,” Mrs Sullivan said, walking around the table and putting one hand on his shoulder. “This is Sarah Jane Smith.”

Sarah stayed at one end of the table, near the doorway and smiled as he looked up at her.

“I remember,” he said. “You’re a friend of Will’s.”

She nodded. “And Harry’s.”

“Sarah has something to tell us,” Mrs Sullivan said, as her husband pulled out a chair for her to sit in.

Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she remembered Harry doing that, no matter, or perhaps because, it annoyed her. She opened her eyes and told herself there was nothing to be nervous of. “It’s about Harry’s daughter,” she began.

“He already knows,” Nat said, quietly.

“Oh, er…” Sarah pulled out the chair in front of her and sat down. “You told him?”

“I wanted to know more about Harry than just the facts that were read out in church.”

Now Sarah really was surprised. Nat had never asked her anything about him. Sarah always assumed that if Nat wanted to, she would ask.

She was distracted from saying anything about this revelation by footsteps behind her. She turned to see Luke standing in the doorway. “Luke. What are you doing here?” And how did you find me, she didn’t ask. He was persistent like that.

He shrugged. “I was bored.”

She smiled; she could not really blame him for that.

“Hey,” Nat said, and Sarah turned to see she was looking at Luke. “Do you want to hear a secret?”

He nodded.

“You know how Sarah’s your mother but she’s not your real mother?”

He looked across at Sarah, but returned his attention to Nat and nodded.

“Well, I have a mother who isn’t my real mother too.”

He frowned. “That’s a secret? Oh,” he added, his eyes going big, “that was a question!”

“It’s okay, you can ask Nat.” He turned back, happy, but probably confused. Sarah was already dreading the questions he would ask once they got home.

When Sarah looked over, Nat was smiling. “No, that’s not a secret. The secret is that Sarah is my real mother.”

He frowned. “So, you’re my sister.”

Sarah had to bite her lip from smiling at the lack of question in his tone.

Nat nodded. “Yes, sort of.”

Luke grinned. “I’ve always wanted a sister.”

Sarah could not tell Nat just how long always was.

“That’s cool,” he said, and Sarah could tell he had been spending time with Kelsey. He went over to Nat. “Will you come over and play with me sometimes?”

“If Sarah agrees.”

“Of course. I’d love for you to come round.”

Sarah sat back and watched as Luke took the opportunity to ask Nat question after question, each of which she answered patiently.

Mr Sullivan slid the photo album over to Sarah and quietly asked her, “Don’t you think Nat looks a little like Harry?”

Sarah looked at the one he pointed at, of Harry wrapped in a sheet, with only his head poking out, and she smiled, not just at the photo, or of the resemblance between them, but also because being friends with Nat again was what she really wanted.

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Fandom: Doctor Who | Type: Character: Luke Smith, Character: Nat Redfern, Character: Sarah Jane Smith, Length: Long story, Pairing: Sarah/Harry, Series: Soap Opera, Type: Het | Link

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