From the Journal of Sarah Jane

"I'm not a girl."

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"Oh, you know what I meant," Sarah answers with a chuckle. "He should, at the very least, understand the concept of a relationship. I hope."

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He ducks his head, kisses her. "Hopefully," he says softly, once he's pulled away.

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"He's an intelligent boy, despite his true age," Sarah murmurs, resting her forehead against his. "But when it comes to societal situations, he just doesn't know."

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"He does have a valid excuse."

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"And he does have some very good friends to help him with it."

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"And a good mum."

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Sarah laughs, leaning upward to kiss him quickly. "Flatterer."

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"It is part of my job."

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Luke is home just a couple minutes late, not that it has anything to do with his actions. "I'm back," he announces and begins poking his head into rooms to find her location. "Mum?"

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Sarah Jane kisses Simon quickly before walking out of the dining room to find Luke. She smiles when she finally sees him, trying her hardest not to look nervous.

"Hullo, Luke. Did you have a good day at school?"

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"Good," he says, setting down a backpack. "And Clyde was teaching me about slang and jokes." Beat. Rather hopefully, "Knock-knock."

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Sarah Jane resists the urge to laugh.

"Who's there?"

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"Orange."

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"Orange who?"

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"Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"

:D?

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Oh Luke.

Sarah Jane laughs for the sake of her son, placing an arm over his shoulder. "Oh, absolutely brilliant, Luke. Now, come on. I have a friend here I would like you to meet."

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He glows a bit under the laughter and lets her guide him to the dining room. She hasn't had him meet any of her friends before, and he can't help but feel curious and a little bit excited about it.

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Simon, meanwhile, is back in the dining room, looking towards the ground, shuffling his feet. He's a little too distracted with nervousness to notice anyone's joined him in the room.

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Sarah smiles warmly at Simon as she enters with an arm still wrapped around Luke. She nods in his direction, feeling rather nervous all over again.

"Simon?" she says once to get his attention. "Simon, this is my son, Luke. Luke? This is Simon Skinner. We've been, ah, seeing each other recently."

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Luke doesn't understand the intricacies of simple phrases like 'seeing each other recently'. He takes it at face value, with nothing to infer.

"Hello," he says to Simon, holding out his hand.

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"Hi," he replies, taking Luke's hand in his for a handshake. In another life his grip would've been painfully tight. In this life, it's a rather timid grip. "It's very good to meet you."

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He's read about people learning a lot about men because of their handshake, but he doesn't understand what there is to be learned except how firmly they can grip. "Are you from UNIT?" he asks, somewhat hopefully. He's always wanted to meet people from UNIT.

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