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Opening the doors of the TARDIS, Luke Smith felt the warm blanket of the planet's two suns. Against his bare chest and arms, it was a welcome change to the coolness of the TARDIS. However, they seared his turquoise eyes. Lifting on hand, he shaded his gaze to see beyond the intense, morning glow.
The world outside was a picturesque beach. A smooth, nearly untouched beach lay sprawled out before him. At the bottom of the incline, crystal blue waters spread out far past the expansive horizon. Glancing left, he noticed a line of palm-like trees, signalling the beginning of a thick tropical forest. The sound of birds high above and the splashing of waves on the shore almost drawned out the sound of bubbly laughter.
His face burst into a huge grin when he saw them, his family.
How did I get to be so lucky?
Luke leaned in the doorway, watching as his family leisurely strolled across the sun-kissed, sandy-white shore. Only their footprints marked their winding path. He, Jenny and their daughter were the first beings to be able to appreciate this natural beauty. No humanoids would set foot on this world for another five hundred years. He was glad about that.
After everything they had been through, they deserved this time, this moment of innocence and beauty. Drawing in a deep breath salty sea air, he focused on the two most important people in his life. As he did, he couldn’t help but notice the beautiful glow surrounding Jenny. He always thought she was gorgeous. She could be dressed in her military fatigues with her face and hair caked in mud and grime, and the ‘oncoming storm’ anger radiating off her. She could be in that low-cut, flowing dress Donna bought her with her hair and face done up and a suggestive glint in her deep blue eyes. She could be dressed in nothing but a pair of knickers and his white dress shirt with her hair loose and cascading over her shoulders as she was now. It didn’t matter to him. Nothing was more beautiful or so he thought. When Sarah came into their lives, he found a new definition for that word.
Shifting his gaze to their three year old daughter, Luke marvelled at her. She was a spitting-image of Jenny, except she had his eyes, and according to Jenny, his smile. Since the day she was born, there was something of both of them as well as her grandparents in her. He saw the same curiosity, enthusiasm for travelling, and thirst for adventure. Luke’s mum said the combination was the perfect mix of Time Lord and human. She called Sarah a “Little Miracle.”
Even though the Doctor knew his mum wasn’t a suggesting that for a name, Jenny’s father took it on himself to come up with a better descriptive name. He played with Sarah’s full name, Sarah Donna Smith, and called her ‘Sardonamith’. Luke and Jenny both turned it down politely as possible. However, that didn’t stop the Doctor from referring to her as ‘Sardona’.
As Sarah held on to her mum’s left thumb, she giggled and steadily tottered closer and closer to the water’s edge. A smile beamed across her flushed cheeks, matching the radiant glow on Jenny’s face. Luke couldn’t imagine being happier.
Sarah playfully kicked at the lapping waves with one of her tiny feet, while Jenny watched over her. When Sarah realised her kicking and stomping had no effect on the water’s movement, she strained to reach down into it. Jenny knelt beside her, saying something to her. Sarah looked up with a wide-eyed inquisitive look that quickly transformed into a brilliant smile. She giggled loudly, before gazing once more down into the lapping waves, kneeling in them. He couldn’t help but echo the joyous laughter.
Jenny must have heard him, because the next second, she looked up in his direction. Past a few loose, golden strands waving in front of her face, she flashed a broad, joyful smile. His breath caught in his throat.
When Sarah beamed in his direction too, his heart skipped two beats. “Daddy!” she called out excitedly, pointing into the water. “We found fish!”
“Coming!” he called back, before completely exiting the TARDIS. Shutting the doors, he joined his family out on the white sands near the waters’ edge.
Jenny watched his approach with a smirk on her face, while she held on to one of Sarah’s arms. She raised a single eyebrow as he got closer. “I see you’re awake at last, Wonder Boy.”
Luke smirked down at her. Chuckling slightly, he knelt beside her and the distracted Sarah. He winked at Jenny, greeting, “Hello to you too, Beautiful.”
Her response was an even bigger grin. Then, she leaned towards him, pressing her lips to his. The kiss was quick but firm and loving. After she drew back a bit from him, she said softly, “How did I get to be so lucky?”
Luke chuckled, looking lovingly at Jenny. “Funny,” he said back. “That’s just what I was what I was just thinking”
They both smiled at one another, until Sarah's laughter drew their attention to her. She was splashing in the shallow of water of a small whirlpool. Inside the tiny pool were a small group of pink fish, two of them larger than the rest. "Look, Daddy!" she said excitedly. "Fish family!"
"Yes, I see," he replied, while placing hand on Sarah's tiny head. "Quite a lovely little family."
"Beautiful, Daddy," she said, giving him a serious look as if she was correcting him.
Luke beamed at her, before leaning forward and kissing her forehead. "Yes, Sarah. Beautiful."
"Just what I was saying," Jenny added with a wink in his direction.
He shared a silent chuckle with Jenny. Then, they both watched their little girl. She explored the wonders and mysteries of the the small universe held upon the white sands with innocence and an open mind. Luke hoped Sarah remained that way for a long time to come.