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Description
"EEEK!" It was all she could come up with, rather unoriginal but perfectly logical in the circumstances as she tumbled backwards and slid down the wall behind her in an extremely unflattering and immodest way. Her shoes fell from her grasp and her feet comically assumed a 'ten to two' position.
Giggles erupted from her mouth which she tried to get under control almost immediately but hated herself for the 'almost' and the lame grin that replaced it. She patted her skirt down as best she could and tried not to look like a silly schoolgirl.
"Can I help you in some way?"
This was definitely not her Doctor. In fact a more different-looking individual it would be hard to imagine! His voice was not unpleasant, neither was the expression of amused puzzlement on his well-groomed, tanned and all-in-all not unattractive face.
Sarah panted and tried to get her breathing under control. The fact of his unexpected appearance was not the only reason for her shock, it was the striking 'look' and sheer presence of the figure in front and above her that almost gave her a coronary!
Whereas she had expected an unruly mop of curls, the figure's hair was drawn back from his head like the classic depiction of Dracula! His features had an exotic, Latin look to them with dark, penetrating eyes under a high, lined forehead. Apart from his eyes, the presence of a neat, 'Goatee' beard added to his dramatic appearance.
Sarah Jane Smith tore her eyes away from those fathomless orbs, her gaze falling on his clothes. Whilst not being as outlandish as 'her' Doctor's they were just as striking in their simplicity-a Nehru suit, she hadn't seen one of those in years! Were they back in fashion, now?
On his hands he wore expensive-looking, black leather gloves and strangely, protruding shirt cuffs echoing her first Doctor's extravagant frilled shirts.
"Can I help you in some way?" He repeated.
Sarah was lost for words. This man was impressive and so intense that she imagined receiving an electric shock if he touched her! Then again, he didn't look without humour and even shared a distinctive nose along with her two former Doctors but then, what was a nose? A nose by any other name would smell as sweet! The lack of recognition on his part was galling though so she decided on her opening gambit;
"Not unless you're a doctor!" She quipped. The effect on the man facing her was instantaneous and not agreeable in the slightest. His shoulders visibly tensed as his eyes bore into hers. Not unaware of the adverse effect her apparently innocent question had had on the stranger, Sarah Jane continued hurriedly, "Only I'm feeling a bit dizzy and I think I've twisted my ankle..." It grated with Sarah and her emancipated principles to do this 'little girl lost' act but she definitely seemed to have said the wrong thing there!
The striking-looking man relaxed. There had been almost a hatred in his eyes which now faded as if it had never been there. He tilted his head to one side like a satanic David Niven and expressed his regrets;
"I'm afraid not but I must admit to being extremely upset if one of 'those' ankles was damaged in any way." He grinned, as did she, not used to this sort of elegant flattery in a long time. Sarah's eyes flicked to her feet, embarrassed to see a hole in the toe of her tights from the running.
Although of exotic appearance, his voice was devoid of such an accent and if anything sounded very English to her ears;
"Might I inquire as to the cause of your rush up these stairs?"
Sarah attempted to hoist herself up;
"I'm sorry, I thought you were someone I knew a long time ago, an old friend."
The dapper stranger held a hand out to her and endeavored to lift her;
"If he resembles me in any way he has my deepest condolences!" She grinned, this was the most interesting man she'd met in an age, "Whilst not being an old friend, I hope I at least impress as a pleasant acquaintance."
They were both grinning now as he helped her up. She faked a wince as she stood on her supposedly damaged ankle. It went against the grain but she held-out her hand to him and dutifully hobbled up the next few steps to preserve her ruse although feeling a right Charlie!
Her new companion was extremely charming but she couldn't get the thought out of her head that she'd seen him somewhere else, years ago when she'd just started reporting. Her legs throbbed with their exertions and she felt washed-out. The disappointment she felt at not seeing her friend again had demoralised her and she couldn't wait to sink into a hot bath!
"Tell me," she asked her new-found friend, "...why were you using the stairs?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, er..."
"Sarah."
"Well to tell you the truth Sarah, Iv'e been ordered to climb a flight of stairs a day. I don't get nearly enough exercise so it's... Doctors orders, I'm afraid-bad heart."
There it was again, that hesitation. 'Doctor'. The word seemed to roll off his tongue uneasily or stick in his throat. It left a bad taste in his mouth. She decided to push it again;
"Which side?"
The two figures had now reached the top landing and stood opposite the door that lead into the lobby. Suddenly, Sarah Jane realised that the Nehru-suited gent had stopped and despite her feigned injury she was now leading the way.
"I beg your pardon?"
Once again, Sarah found herself drawn back into those eyes. They glittered as though sparks were issuing forth from them. They seemed to draw her in. She began to gabble;
"Only some people claim its on the left but I always thought it was on the right, a friend of mine swears it's dead-centre..."
She was aware that her speech was speeding-up to gibberish levels-she'd certainly tripped a chord with him but had she gone too far? The man seemed to be exerting some sort of influence over her which she was finding almost impossible to resist!
"That's a very strange question, Miss..."
Sarah Jane tried to think of an alias but their eyes locked and the full impact of that gaze was awesome;
"Smith!" She didn't have any control over what she said anymore, all that existed was those eyes;
"Smith?" He inquired, his voice light. Although there was no malice present in his tone or demeanor his eyes seemed to swallow her up. They looked like they opened-up onto other dark worlds or 'The Dark Places In-between the Stars' as Lovecraft might have put it. Suddenly, for some reason she could hear that ridiculous robot from 'Lost in Space' yelling, "DANGER SMITH, DANGER!" Was she having her mind read or was it just some some sort of very powerful mesmerism?
Sarah could feel her heart hammering as it sped-up. With horror, she felt that she was losing control of her body as well as her will. She felt the blood drain from her face as the eyes beneath that sinister widow's peak drained her of her 'self', becoming everything.
"Your name is Smith?" He asked calmly and she felt lost. The strength was leaving her legs. Eyes wide, she heard a faraway voice say;
"Sarah Jane Smith... my name is Sarah Jane Smith."-and realised it was hers.
Still with no apparent malice in his manner, the man (who looked like Lucifer as styled by Sylvia Anderson!) stated;
"Your name is Sarah Jane Smith? Tell me, Sarah Jane-what are you doing here?"
"Holiday, I'm on holiday..." There was still a spark of 'Sarah' present which screamed at her to do something, to break away but she felt so weak, so drained...
"So tell me, Miss Smith, what do you do when you're not 'on holiday'?"
This was it. She began to weep inside-she was going to tell him everything, what she did, where she stayed, her involvement with Unit, the Doctor-everything!
"I... I... I'm a-"
At that moment her legs finally gave-out, the result of her exertions as well as this mesmerism. As Sarah crumbled her eyes broke away from his and she began to (paradoxically) feel strength returning as the floor rose up to meet her in slow-motion;
"Miss Smith!"
She was caught before she hit the floor and her head swung drunkenly toward the dark man. She hadn't felt this out-of-it since her student days! Some of Sarah's strength had returned but she realised the last thing she wanted was for him to re-establish his hold over her!
"Are you quite alright Sarah?" He inquired in a smug tone as would someone who knew what the in-joke was but preferred to keep it to themselves.
"Er, I... um..." She was lost for words, it was as though she was learning to speak for the first time. She couldn't string a sentence together. Then she became aware that her head was being cradled from behind, being turned back to face him, that gaze...

TO BE CONTINUED

Description
"EEEK!" It was all she could come up with, rather unoriginal but perfectly logical in the circumstances as she tumbled backwards and slid down the wall behind her in an extremely unflattering and immodest way. Her shoes fell from her grasp and her feet comically assumed a 'ten to two' position.
Giggles erupted from her mouth which she tried to get under control almost immediately but hated herself for the 'almost' and the lame grin that replaced it. She patted her skirt down as best she could and tried not to look like a silly schoolgirl.
"Can I help you in some way?"
This was definitely not her Doctor. In fact a more different-looking individual it would be hard to imagine! His voice was not unpleasant, neither was the expression of amused puzzlement on his well-groomed, tanned and all-in-all not unattractive face.
Sarah panted and tried to get her breathing under control. The fact of his unexpected appearance was not the only reason for her shock, it was the striking 'look' and sheer presence of the figure in front and above her that almost gave her a coronary!
Whereas she had expected an unruly mop of curls, the figure's hair was drawn back from his head like the classic depiction of Dracula! His features had an exotic, Latin look to them with dark, penetrating eyes under a high, lined forehead. Apart from his eyes, the presence of a neat, 'Goatee' beard added to his dramatic appearance.
Sarah Jane Smith tore her eyes away from those fathomless orbs, her gaze falling on his clothes. Whilst not being as outlandish as 'her' Doctor's they were just as striking in their simplicity-a Nehru suit, she hadn't seen one of those in years! Were they back in fashion, now?
On his hands he wore expensive-looking, black leather gloves and strangely, protruding shirt cuffs echoing her first Doctor's extravagant frilled shirts.
"Can I help you in some way?" He repeated.
Sarah was lost for words. This man was impressive and so intense that she imagined receiving an electric shock if he touched her! Then again, he didn't look without humour and even shared a distinctive nose along with her two former Doctors but then, what was a nose? A nose by any other name would smell as sweet! The lack of recognition on his part was galling though so she decided on her opening gambit;
"Not unless you're a doctor!" She quipped. The effect on the man facing her was instantaneous and not agreeable in the slightest. His shoulders visibly tensed as his eyes bore into hers. Not unaware of the adverse effect her apparently innocent question had had on the stranger, Sarah Jane continued hurriedly, "Only I'm feeling a bit dizzy and I think I've twisted my ankle..." It grated with Sarah and her emancipated principles to do this 'little girl lost' act but she definitely seemed to have said the wrong thing there!
The striking-looking man relaxed. There had been almost a hatred in his eyes which now faded as if it had never been there. He tilted his head to one side like a satanic David Niven and expressed his regrets;
"I'm afraid not but I must admit to being extremely upset if one of 'those' ankles was damaged in any way." He grinned, as did she, not used to this sort of elegant flattery in a long time. Sarah's eyes flicked to her feet, embarrassed to see a hole in the toe of her tights from the running.
Although of exotic appearance, his voice was devoid of such an accent and if anything sounded very English to her ears;
"Might I inquire as to the cause of your rush up these stairs?"
Sarah attempted to hoist herself up;
"I'm sorry, I thought you were someone I knew a long time ago, an old friend."
The dapper stranger held a hand out to her and endeavored to lift her;
"If he resembles me in any way he has my deepest condolences!" She grinned, this was the most interesting man she'd met in an age, "Whilst not being an old friend, I hope I at least impress as a pleasant acquaintance."
They were both grinning now as he helped her up. She faked a wince as she stood on her supposedly damaged ankle. It went against the grain but she held-out her hand to him and dutifully hobbled up the next few steps to preserve her ruse although feeling a right Charlie!
Her new companion was extremely charming but she couldn't get the thought out of her head that she'd seen him somewhere else, years ago when she'd just started reporting. Her legs throbbed with their exertions and she felt washed-out. The disappointment she felt at not seeing her friend again had demoralised her and she couldn't wait to sink into a hot bath!
"Tell me," she asked her new-found friend, "...why were you using the stairs?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, er..."
"Sarah."
"Well to tell you the truth Sarah, Iv'e been ordered to climb a flight of stairs a day. I don't get nearly enough exercise so it's... Doctors orders, I'm afraid-bad heart."
There it was again, that hesitation. 'Doctor'. The word seemed to roll off his tongue uneasily or stick in his throat. It left a bad taste in his mouth. She decided to push it again;
"Which side?"
The two figures had now reached the top landing and stood opposite the door that lead into the lobby. Suddenly, Sarah Jane realised that the Nehru-suited gent had stopped and despite her feigned injury she was now leading the way.
"I beg your pardon?"
Once again, Sarah found herself drawn back into those eyes. They glittered as though sparks were issuing forth from them. They seemed to draw her in. She began to gabble;
"Only some people claim its on the left but I always thought it was on the right, a friend of mine swears it's dead-centre..."
She was aware that her speech was speeding-up to gibberish levels-she'd certainly tripped a chord with him but had she gone too far? The man seemed to be exerting some sort of influence over her which she was finding almost impossible to resist!
"That's a very strange question, Miss..."
Sarah Jane tried to think of an alias but their eyes locked and the full impact of that gaze was awesome;
"Smith!" She didn't have any control over what she said anymore, all that existed was those eyes;
"Smith?" He inquired, his voice light. Although there was no malice present in his tone or demeanor his eyes seemed to swallow her up. They looked like they opened-up onto other dark worlds or 'The Dark Places In-between the Stars' as Lovecraft might have put it. Suddenly, for some reason she could hear that ridiculous robot from 'Lost in Space' yelling, "DANGER SMITH, DANGER!" Was she having her mind read or was it just some some sort of very powerful mesmerism?
Sarah could feel her heart hammering as it sped-up. With horror, she felt that she was losing control of her body as well as her will. She felt the blood drain from her face as the eyes beneath that sinister widow's peak drained her of her 'self', becoming everything.
"Your name is Smith?" He asked calmly and she felt lost. The strength was leaving her legs. Eyes wide, she heard a faraway voice say;
"Sarah Jane Smith... my name is Sarah Jane Smith."-and realised it was hers.
Still with no apparent malice in his manner, the man (who looked like Lucifer as styled by Sylvia Anderson!) stated;
"Your name is Sarah Jane Smith? Tell me, Sarah Jane-what are you doing here?"
"Holiday, I'm on holiday..." There was still a spark of 'Sarah' present which screamed at her to do something, to break away but she felt so weak, so drained...
"So tell me, Miss Smith, what do you do when you're not 'on holiday'?"
This was it. She began to weep inside-she was going to tell him everything, what she did, where she stayed, her involvement with Unit, the Doctor-everything!
"I... I... I'm a-"
At that moment her legs finally gave-out, the result of her exertions as well as this mesmerism. As Sarah crumbled her eyes broke away from his and she began to (paradoxically) feel strength returning as the floor rose up to meet her in slow-motion;
"Miss Smith!"
She was caught before she hit the floor and her head swung drunkenly toward the dark man. She hadn't felt this out-of-it since her student days! Some of Sarah's strength had returned but she realised the last thing she wanted was for him to re-establish his hold over her!
"Are you quite alright Sarah?" He inquired in a smug tone as would someone who knew what the in-joke was but preferred to keep it to themselves.
"Er, I... um..." She was lost for words, it was as though she was learning to speak for the first time. She couldn't string a sentence together. Then she became aware that her head was being cradled from behind, being turned back to face him, that gaze...

TO BE CONTINUED