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It was easy to forget all of the ridiculous, amazing things that her wife had seen and done when they were tied up in the mundanity of daily life. Their quiet days would pass in paperwork, pots and parents evenings, and their loud ones didn’t tend to leave much room for admiration amongst the adrenaline. Then nights like this came along, when their boys were asleep, and Kate could see her illuminated by a thousand diamond pinpricks in the dark, looking as though this was how she was always meant to be seen.
“Which have you been to?” She asked, breaking the comfortable silence which had settled over them since they sat down. She set the bench seat beneath off swinging just slightly as she moved, shifting just a tad closer to Sarah. They were long since out of that honeymoon phase of craving one another’s touch at all times, but lacing their fingers together still felt like the natural move.
“Which of these ones?” Sarah asked, glancing up into the night sky. She’d have needed a map if she wanted a more accurate picture of which she’d seen up close, and which were still a mystery to her. “Oh, I don’t know. It all looks very different form up there. I think we must have gotten close to most of them, over the years.”
Knowing how difficult this could be for her to talk about, Kate glanced over, wary of any signs of sadness she might see in Sarah Jane’s eyes, though she didn’t catch any. She looked a little wistful, but more in that familiar nostalgic way than one which suggested the conversation was causing pain.
“Do you remember any of them?” She asked, emboldened to ask for specifics now it seemed clear enough that her questions weren’t entirely unwelcome.
“You saved the world six hours ago.” Sarah Jane reminded, nudging her gently in the side, “Why do you want to hear about stories from forever ago?”
“Because,” She said matter of factly, “You went to space, and you’re brilliant, so I know you did brilliant things there, so tell me stories.”
“That promotion is treating you well, I see.” Sarah Jane responded, giving her an amused look.
“Am I being bossy?” Kate asked, though she didn’t look a bit sorry about it.
“Hm. Just a bit.”
“Good.”
That drew a proper laugh out of Sarah Jane.
“You’re lucky it suits you.”
Kate leant over slightly, tucking her feet up underneath her and leaning her head onto her wife’s shoulder. Her hair fell into her eyes as she did so, and almost without thinking about it Sarah leaned over to tuck it behind her ear.
It’d evidently been a more tiring day than she was willing to admit.
“Why are you always asking about ancient history?”
It was a simple enough question, but almost as soon as it’d been voiced Sarah found herself wondering if, perhaps, it should have been one for another day.
“You went to see ancient history too?” She asked dryly. It could not have been more plain that she was deflecting.
Sarah rolled her eyes, well used to her wife’s antics by now.
“You know what I meant.” She said.
Kate hesitated for a long moment, but seemed to realise that she wasn’t about to get away with not answering.
“…You scare the life out of me when you take the kids out.”
All at once the light mood was goe, and an uncomfortable type of silence fell over them for a moment or so. It was one of those things which they could never fully agree on.
“You’re living proof that trying to keep them away from it wouldn’t work.” Sarah Jane pointed out after a moment or so. Despite the budding tension of the conversation, neither one seemed particularly inclined to move away from the other.
“I know.” She sighed, as they rehashed a conversation they’d had a million times. “And I trust you to keep them safe, I do but—”
But she’d seen some of the worst the Universe had to offer.
“Kate…”
“You’re amazing.” The words came out a little too quickly, as though she’d been holding them back. “I mean, you’re brilliant. I know you are, I know how much you’ve done it’s just—”
Kate had pulled back slightly, her composure gone for that brief moment, at least.
“I worry about them too.”
That admission, simple as it was, did seem to help.
“I never understood why dad kept me away from it all until I heard them going on about Sontarans. I get it now.”
To her surprise, Sarah Jane laughed at that, and it was such a shift from the sudden melancholy mood that she actually relaxed, if only slightly.
“And, once again, how well did that turn out?” she asked, wrapping an arm loosely around her wife despite the awkward angle, “They’d be running head first into this either way.”
“Oh I know.” Kate sighed, pushing her fingers through her hair and tugging lightly on the roots. As soon as she dropped her hand back down into her lap a few strands fell back into her eyes.
Leaning over slightly, Sarah Jane brushed them away again.
“You don’t have to worry about everything, you know?” She said, “You can leave the world saving to me when you’re off work.”
Kate smiled just a bit, tilting her head back so she could look at Sarah Jane without having to move further away.
“Can’t do that, I’m afraid. You three are my whole world.” Almost as soon as she’d said it, she pulled a face, and Sarah Jane snorted. “That sounded a little less hallmark in my head.”
“I think you need some sleep.”
“I think I need some sleep too.” Kate agreed, though she made no move to get up. The silence dragged on a few seconds too long, before she finally broke it. “You never answered my question.”
“Didn’t I?”
“Which have you been to?”
It seemed as much as sleep was needed, it would have to wait until her wife’s curiosity had been sated.
“Pick one.” Sarah Jane eventually said. “I’ll tell you the story.”