SJA Ficathon fic: Not Just for Christmas
Title: Not Just for Christmas
Author: Paranoidangel
Characters: Sarah, Luke
Word Count: 1650
Rating: G
Beta: hhertzof
Summary: A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.
Written for: ipsissimus_clay who asked for links to K9 & Co continuity and Sarah actually doing some journalism.


Sarah had often thought that the best thing about being a scientific journalist was getting to play with the latest gadgets. Or it had been once upon a time, before she had an attic full of far more advanced technology. However, she could still get excited about similar things being launched into the market on Earth in the present day. It was just that sometimes she hated having to hide her life up in the attic.

This week she had a robot dog to review. Reviews weren't as interesting or as well paid as articles, but now that she had a growing teenage boy to feed she couldn't afford to be too picky. At least, she couldn't when it was quiet. When she was out foiling alien invasions, she could come back afterwards to write an eyewitness account of what happened, much as she hated needing to find alternative explanations for what had gone on, or else risk her articles being sent back as fiction. She still wrote up the real versions, but just filed them on her computer where no one else could see them.

The robot dog yapped pathetically behind her and Sarah swung her chair round to stare at it. On its own it was a fantastic piece of engineering years ahead of previous Japanese releases. However, she'd spent a lot of time with K9 and nothing else could come close any more.

She folded her arms on the back of the chair and rested her chin on them. "I wonder what you're trying to tell me."

It stopped yapping and sat down, its tail wagging the whole time. It didn't resemble K9 at all and was a gleaming white that reminded her of the clinical corridors on Nerva Station.

"What can I write about you?" she asked it. It might be the most exciting new release for Christmas, but it was just a dog and she didn't need another one of those, whether real or robotic.

In reply it came closer, tail wagging madly all the time.

She smiled and shook her head, but knelt on the floor to give it some attention. "You really are just like a dog." Although that was probably supposed to be the point. It was just that she was used to a dog that was a little more like a computer or a person as well.

The sound of footsteps told her Luke was on his way up the stairs to the attic. The dog immediately turned and ran for the door.

"Careful!" Sarah shouted, as Luke nearly hit the dog with the door and then nearly tripped over it. Part of the trouble was that this dog was less than half the size of K9. It had been relegated to the attic after she'd almost tripped over it while making tea because it was just so enthusiastic about spending time with someone. It didn't really care who, but Sarah thought it was particularly fond of Maria whenever she came over.

"Is dinner soon?" Luke asked, bending down to pat the dog.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Do you think of anything other than your stomach?"

"I don't think of it at all. I was just thinking of my homework and before that--"

She held her hand up and he stopped. "It's just a saying, you're not supposed to take it literally." Despite Luke having lived here for six months Sarah still sometimes forgot he had that tendency. He was getting better, but the first time he heard something he could never quite work out how to interpret it. "If you're hungry I'll start dinner." She stood up. "This review isn't going anywhere anyway."

Luke followed her down the stairs, after she carefully shut the dog in the attic. "If you don't like it, why are you doing it?" he asked.

It was a reasonable question and she gave him the truthful answer. "For the money. And because it's my job." Well, usually writing articles was her job, but this time the editor had promised her a trip to a technology conference if she came through with the review. And since that would be something far more exciting to write about, it was something not to be passed up. She sighed. "I wish this dog was more like K9. It's just a pretend pet, not a friend."

He said nothing after that, but looked thoughtful, which she should have recognised as a danger sign.

~*~*~

After she'd seen Luke off to school - from the house, she wasn't repeating the mistake she made on his first day - Sarah intended to write her review whatever happened. It was due in by 9 o'clock the next morning, so she did really need to get it done, and she rather thought she was too professional by now to pull an all-nighter. She could only justify that when she'd been interrupted by something more important. Lack of inspiration didn't really count. However, events conspired against her and she spent the day dealing with a pair of aliens that were lost and in need of tea.

Only too grateful to meet friendly aliens, and ones that didn't require anything complicated, she made enough pots of tea that they could refuel their spaceship, and some for spare before she saw them off. By that time school was over and Luke was home. But as he spent the rest of the afternoon before dinner on his homework, she could be assured of some peace and quiet to get some writing done.

Having not been up to the attic all day, it was a bit of a shock when she opened the door and the dog greeted her with, "Hello, Sarah Jane."

Mouth open, she could only stand staring at it, until she remembered Luke working on some secret project in his room until late last night. She shut the door on the dog and raced downstairs to where Luke had books and papers laid out on the dining room table.

"Luke, what have you done to the dog?"

He looked up. "I made it more like K9 for you."

Despite her misgivings, she couldn't help but smile: his intentions were good at least. She pulled out one of the chairs and sat down next to him. "Thank you, Luke, that was a really sweet gesture, but you shouldn't have done it. I have to give it back and they'll wonder what you did." She was wondering what he did and just what talents he had that she didn't know about.

"Oh." He frowned and put his pen down. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "I know you only thought you were helping." She stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I've talked myself out of worse situations." Although usually it was to explain why things had gone wrong, rather than been improved.

After that, she left him to his homework and to consider what he'd done, while she went back up to the attic. Luke knew the basic difference between right and wrong, but it was the right thing done for the wrong reasons, and the wrong thing done for the right reasons that still confused him. She couldn't blame him, though, it was complicated enough. It probably didn't help that for this she needed to both thank him and tell him off, and she wasn't sure whether she was more grateful or unhappy. She fancied there might be a long discussion on the subject later when they'd both had time to think it through.

"Sarah Jane," the dog began as soon as she shut the door, "do you wish for me to exchange places with K9?" It was sitting looking up at her, but without its tail wagging, which was unusual.

Did the dog's mention of K9 mean Luke had talked to it, or had the two robot dogs been introduced? It was also possible, if not likely, that Mr Smith'd had a hand in it somewhere too. Metaphorically, of course. She frowned down at it. "You don't mean work on the black hole instead of him?"

"Yes, I do." It got up and came closer to her, before sitting down again.

She went down on one knee to see it better. Somehow it looked far more serious than it had before, even though it was a robot dog and couldn't possibly change expression. "I can't ask you to do that." Not only because she had to give it back, but also because she hadn't realised how attached she'd become to the thing in only a few days. "Good dog." She patted it on the head, at which it wagged its tail enthusiastically.

She smiled at it, stood up and opened the door. "All right, you can have the run of the house, just don't get under anyone's feet."

"Thank you, Sarah Jane." It stopped to press its nose against her leg before running down the stairs to be greeted enthusiastically by Luke.

Sarah stood for a while, listening. "Brendan owes me a Christmas present," she muttered to herself. Her aunt's ward was working in Silicon Valley earning plenty of money in computers. She never quite understood exactly what he did, but whenever she needed the latest computing technology, he could get it for her. As long as she gave a dog back to the magazine, it didn't matter if it wasn't the exact one they gave her.

Once she'd emailed Brendan, the review flowed easily. Now all she had to do was find a name for the dog. She never intended to get any more pets, whether real or robotic, but this one had somehow already become part of their lives. Just as she could no longer quite remember what her life was like before it included Luke, she suspected in six months time she would wonder why she ever wanted to give the dog back at all.