'Farewell, Sarah Jane' Epilogue Shorts

Rani

“I honestly think, in my heart and soul, that he came back for her.” Rani said, with a tear in her eye “Right at the end, the Doctor came back for his Sarah Jane, and he said: ‘Shall we go? Out into the stars? One last trip?’ And she said, ‘oh yes please.’ And I think they’re out there now. Sarah Jane and the Doctor, in the Tardis, travelling through space and time forever. In a story that never ends… That’s what I think. What about you?”
“Yes Rani, I think so too,” Mr. Smith replied.
“Goodbye Mr. Smith,” Rani said, as the supercomputer shut down. Then she closed the door and walked downstairs, went outside, and locked the front door.

As she turned around to walk away, she saw a woman at the end of the driveway. A somewhat young-looking woman (though still older than Rani) with blonde hair, a peculiar fashion sense, and tears falling down her face.
Rani looked at the woman, who smiled back at her through the tears. The woman cleared her throat and spoke. “It’s over then?” she asked, in a thick Yorkshire accent. “She… she’s gone?”
She didn’t know who the woman was, but she knew exactly who she was talking about. “Yeah,” Rani responded, her own tears threatening to fall. “You knew her?”
“Oh, yeah…” the woman said. She looked at Rani. “She wanted you to have it, you know.” She nodded towards the house. “She trusted that you could carry on when she was gone.” The woman sobbed, then wiped at her eyes. “I told myself I wouldn’t cry,” she said to Rani, then continued to herself, “I told her I wouldn’t cry.”

Rani looked at the woman, then walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her.

They stood in their embrace for a few minutes, though it felt like hours, until Rani pulled away. “I’d love to… carry on from her, I mean. But… I’m not ready… not yet.”

The woman wiped her eyes then said, “When you are… the house will be waiting for you.” She smiled at Rani and pulled away. “I… I’ve got to go now, I’ve got a few more stops to make Rani” She wiped her eyes one last time and said goodbye before walking out of the drive and around the corner.
Rani shook her head slightly, somewhat confused, then she crossed the road and a thought struck her. “Wait!” she said, turning round towards where the woman had headed, “How did you know who I-”

She stopped halfway through her sentence. Shocked into silence by what she saw. The woman was stood, looking at her. Stood, in front of a large blue Police Box, one that hadn’t been there when Rani had arrived with Luke and Clyde. Rani asked a question in one word. “Doctor?”
The woman nodded once with a sad smile on her face, then waved, and opened the box, stepping inside.

And the box disappeared.

And when it was gone, Rani cried again.