[Role Play] handysparehand, Parallel Earth

[his_sarah_jane]

Sarah had to admit: Brittany, France was a change of scenery for them. The seaside town she and John had found themselves sent to was awfully quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of London. It was, in fact, a little too quiet for Sarah Evans' taste. A little too slow. Certainly not the holiday she would have chosen.

But, then again, they weren't exactly here on holiday, were they? It was something much more than that. Rumors of mermaids and sea monsters from off the coast. Something, it seemed, that Torchwood and the French government both wanted to hide.

Which meant, of course, that Mr Chapman wanted to know everything.

So here she was, groaning as the early morning sun trickled in through the window of the inn room they were sharing. The alarm clock by the bed was going off loudly. Only 4:00 a.m. but screaming at the pair to awake.

Bloody fish and their bloody dawn feedings.

Comments

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

"You're a tabloid reporter," Sarah reminded him as she followed him to the door. She grabbed his hand and pushed it open, double checking on the 'do not disturb' sign as she pulled him out. "You're not any sort of properly journalist and you know it."

She laughed, ignoring the self deprecation in her joke. Being a tabloid reporter was no glamorous career in her opinion. But she still loved it.

[handysparehand.livejournal.com]

"I'm hurt." He pulled his hand away from Sarah and put it to his chest, in mock outrage and shock, "I'll let you know I take my journalistic responsibilities very seriously."

He grabbed her hand again as they continued walking. "Well, I say seriously, but maybe seriously is too strong a word. I don't know, do I take it seriously?"

He might make a joke of it as well, but he couldn't think of anything he would rather be doing then chasing aliens and mythical creatures. It was the most fun he could remember in a long time.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

She smiled politely at the receptionist as they walked out of the inn hand in hand and started to make their way to the beach. Sarah glanced up at him, almost looking doubtful.

"Do you honestly take anything seriously, John?"

Some days, Sarah highly doubted it. Today, it seemed, was one of those days.

[handysparehand.livejournal.com]

"I take loads of things seriously. I can't think of any at the moment, but trust me, there are loads. Add that to the list of lists. Yeah I've got a whole list of things I take seriously. A list!"

Finishing his speech, he looked at Sarah, his eyes twinkling, as he began to run for the beach, pulling Sarah along behind him.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

For a moment, she thought to protest. But he was off before she had a chance to and she began to run, laughing brightly as she did.

"You have lists for everything!" Sarah shouted, taking a deep breath and beaming at the smell of the salty sea air. "Everything, John!"

[handysparehand.livejournal.com]

"You have no idea. If you saw the list of lists, your mind would be blown."

He gives her a wink as he takes in their surroundings, keeping his eyes peeled for anything that appear to be of the mermaid persuasion.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah rolled her eyes again, letting go of his hand to wander away towards the surf. Now that they were on proper sand rather than concrete, she bent down to undo her boots.

Easier to investigate with them off, obviously.

"I think we should probably move a little further from town," Sarah said. "Unless you remember any sightings around here?"

[handysparehand.livejournal.com]

"Good idea," he says, following Sarah's lead and pulling off his trainers.

"All the sightings I found were out by the rocks."

He stood on his tip toes, trying to get a look at how far the beach stretched.

"I think it's this way."

He turned on his bare heels, pointing down the beach and began to walk.

"Allons-y!"

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah laughed, picking up her discarded boots and carrying them in one arm. She looked up at the early morning sun, shaking her head at how dismally early it was.

Bloody fish.

"Then let's go. If we see anything remarkable, I'll get the camera out."

[handysparehand.livejournal.com]

"If we see anything. Don't you mean when we see something?"

He slowed his pace so that he and Sarah were walking side by side. He caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eyes.

"Hold on!" He stopped in his tracks, and looked to a point ahead.

He watched the spot for a moment, and caught a glimpse. Water splashing, a flash of what looked like yellow hair, and a tail sending water into the air.

"Right there," he shouted, as he began to run at full speed.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah dropped her boots on to the ground, kicking in to full reporter mode (as she called it) as she ran after him. She slung her rucksack to her front, digging in there for her digital camera.

She pulled it out quickly enough, grabbing the recorder and letting the rest of the bag fall to the sand as well.

"Where?" she shouted after him, never fully able to keep up. "What, John?"

[handysparehand.livejournal.com]

He didn't stop to answer Sarah. He was intent on finding that fish.

He stopped as he reached the edge and was looking into the water.

"Where are you, fishy," he said, getting onto his knees so he could get a better look into the water.

He reached his hand in, skimming the water, and jumped in suprise when a hand reached out and grabbed his arm. A girl emerged from the water, with long strawberry blonde hair.

She looked into his eyes, and offered a huge smile that spread from ear to ear.

"Hello!" she said. His eyes traveled down her body until he spotted the tail. He quickly looked back up at the mermaid.

"Oh, you are brilliant!"

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah caught up with him in time to hear him call the fish brilliant, using the same sort of tone he usually reserved for Bigfoot and talking gargoyles.

She laughed in triumph, taking a picture that seemed to startle the mermaid back under the waves, pulling on John's arm as she did.

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry!"

[handysparehand.livejournal.com]

It happened so quickly he didn't have time to react. One second he was on the rocks, the next he was in the water.

He tried to hold his breath, but he panicked as he remembered his biology completely off. Only one heart. Oxygen pumping all wrong.

He opened his eyes, panic written all over his features. The mermaid was staring at him, a beatific look on her face. He inadvertently stopped holding his breath and watched as air bubbles began to escape. She gave him a toothy grin, before she began to pull him up to the surface.

As soon as his head was out of the water he began gasping for air. The mermaid calmly pulled him to a rock and laid him out on top of it. He laid flat on his back staring at the sky, as he tried to collect himself and remember how to breath.

He didn't notice that the mermaid dropped him off about 15 meters from where Sarah was waiting.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah gasped when they surfaced, having spent the last few seconds more worried than she had ever felt before. If something had happened to him, if it was her fault...

"Oh! Oh, John!"

This was absolutely horrible. But he looked alive. She hoped he was alive.

Quickly, she stripped out of her shirt and skirt. The camera and microphone fell to the ground as she ran towards the waves. Sarah dived in head first, ignoring the cold as she swam towards the rock John washed up upon.

[handysparehand.livejournal.com]

He had finally caught his breath. He looked over to see the mermaid watching him curiously. She poked nudged one of his legs to the side with a giggle.

He gave her a gentle push with his foot. She looked at him, completely shocked until he broke out in a grin that she couldn't help but mirror.

He pulled himself up so that he was sitting. He and the mermaid began to inspect each other with a mixture of curiosity and awe.

"Oh no way!" he breathed. He imagined Donna was there beside him. She would have loved this.

"This is brilliant, isn't it Sar-" he looked around and realized Sarah wasn't there.

"Sarah!" he yelled. He looked out towards the water, and saw a figure swimming towards them.

"Sarah!" He began waving his arms towards her as she approached.

He would have tried to make a move to go out and get her, or at least send the mermaid out, but before he had a chance to do anything, Sarah was nearly within arms reach. He offers her a hand to pull her out of the water.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

It was a bit of a swim, but she was in decent enough shape. The current pushed against her and, for the briefest of moments, Sarah wished she was a mermaid too. It would make this trip far easier.

But at last she made it to the rock. More specifically, to a hand helping to pull her out. It was when she was seated on the rock near the dazzling beauty of a mermaid (who, with no scary camera in sight, didn't swim away yet) that self consciousness feeling hit her. What was she thinking, swimming out here in knickers and a bra?

"Oh." It wasn't the most eloquent thing she had ever said, but sure enough, there was a real live mermaid on the rock. "Oh!"

[handysparehand.livejournal.com]

He looked at Sarah and gave her the look. The, no way, I can't believe it, how amazing is this look. His eyes swept over Sarah's body in her knickers and bra....but there would be plenty of time for that later.

"Oh is right," he nodded at Sarah. He took off his wet jacket, leaving it next to Sarah in case she wanted to cover up.

He quickly turned his attention back to the mermaid. "Look at you!"

"Look at me?" the mermaid asked, studying John with wide eyes.

"Oh she speaks, and English too!"

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah accepted the jacket gratefully, using it to cover up her body best she can. All the while, her eyes never left the mermaid's face. She watched as the mermaid reached out to touch John's hair, giggling as her slightly-webbed fingers moved around the strands.

It was a little too friendly for Sarah's tastes. She frowned.

"Are you actually real?"

"Are you real?" the mermaid countered, turning her pretty gaze towards Sarah for a moment. But apparently Sarah held little interest. The mermaid giggled and turned attention back to John. "Look at you!"

[handysparehand.livejournal.com]

"Look at me!" he repeated.

He turned and looked at Sarah, processing her question.

He realized that the mermaid had only been repeating what she heard. His excitement dropped a bit, as he studied the mermaid more closely.

"Do you have a name then?"

She looked at him, tilting her head at the same angle as him, almost like a mirror.

"Do you have a name, then?" she smiled. Her hands traveled to his legs, as she played with the fabric of his trousers completely fascinated.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

At the slightest movement of her hand up his leg, Sarah shifted closer to John on the rock. She leaned her head against his shoulder in a possessive sort of manner, one arm wrapping around his waist.

It wasn't like her to feel this jealous, but something about the mermaid, that smile that reminded Sarah of John's ex, had put her on guard. The romantic aspect of their friendship was still too new and too precious to Sarah to take any chances. John had quickly become her best friend and, a year or so after they had met, the best boyfriend she could ever remember having.

"His name is John," Sarah answered coldly. "And I'm Sarah. His girlfriend."

The mermaid looked confused. She giggled and ran a hand over his chest now, ignoring Sarah's looks. "Girlfriend!"

[handysparehand.livejournal.com]

He instinctively put his arm right around Sarah's shoulder in return.

Sarah had become such a huge part of his life for so long now, he couldn't imagine this world without her. She was the first person to make him feel whole. To make him feel like maybe he could have a life in this world after all.

John being John did not see anything overly forward about the way the mermaid was acting. He let her hands move around him, figuring this was how she learned. It would never occur to him that the mermaid might actually fancy him. He also did not pick up on the coldness or jealousy in Sarah's voice.

"I don't think she understands," he said, whispering in Sarah's ear.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah raised an eyebrow at him, looking back at the mermaid. Her interest had now returned to John's leg, exploring the inner thigh.

Honestly, he could be the most oblivious man she knew.

"Understands what exactly?"

[handysparehand.livejournal.com]

He couldn't be concerned with the mermaids hand. It really didn't seem that unusual of an action. Like a kitten crawling into your lap. Harmless.

"Us? She doesn't understand us," he whispered to Sarah. He watched the mermaid's tail flip back and forth. "She isn't saying anything. She just repeats."

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

"Understand! Girlfriend!" The mermaid laughed, sounding very much like a musical instrument as she did. "Repeats. John. Actually real!"

Her hand continued to explore his legs, moving closer and closer to his crouch until Sarah could not take it anymore. She reached her own hand in, placing it as in position as a buffer.

"You're right. She clearly doesn't understand."