His eyes dart over the controls but there's no point, he can barely see them by the light of his phone and he doesn't know what any of them do -

- please don't let him have killed her -

hey

He freezes.

He felt - something.  He's pretty sure.  He's hoping it's not just wishful thinking.

sorry

to scare you

Please please let whatever he's feeling from her be real

A few lights flick on.  A quiet little hum starts up, something he hadn't realized he couldn't hear anymore.

He gasps in relief, something like a laugh, and almost-smiles, and feels himself tearing up again.

'sokay

you did good

He wipes his eyes and pats the terminal again.  "I'm sorry."

'sokay

rest now

"All right.  I'm gonna - wait a couple minutes - then go see if Sarah Jane's outside.  You don't have to say anything, just keeping you in the loop."

<3

Grin.  Tiny little grin.

He sits down, in the actual seat next to the six o'clock terminal this time, and closes his eyes.

A few more lights will come back on, a few unknowable hums hum to life, in the time that he waits.

He pats the console.

Stands up, stretches.

"I'm gonna take a look outside."

A distant sense of warm acknowledgment.

He likes this box.  She's a good box.

He heads for the door.

The door to the TARDIS creeeaaaks open.

It's night, which it wasn't when they left, so that's probably a good sign.  Come to think of it it looked pretty dark in Sarah Jane's video.

He's pretty sure the TARDIS is in the same spot it was when they left, just seven or so months earlier.  There's the red door, connecting the garage to the reception area.

He walks toward it.

As he opens that door, he sees -

Sarah Jane, sitting on the floor, face illuminated by the faint bluish light of a little portable video player, on whose screen her eyes are fixed.

And he hears his own voice, tinny from the recording, coming from it.

"...see if Sarah Jane's outside.  You don't have to say anything, just keeping you in the loop."

He turns red.

She looks up and sees him, and shuts off the player.

"I'm sorry," she says.  "That wasn't for me, I shouldn't have watched.  I - was worried about you, and about the TARDIS.  ..and a little nosy, I suppose," she adds a bit sheepishly.

Bryce doesn't really know what to do about people apologizing to him.  It feels like it's usually the other way around.  "It's okay," he says quietly.

She stands and approaches the door.  "You hear her so clearly," she says softly, almost wonderingly.

He looks down bashfully and fidgety with the hem of his shirt.  "...the Doctor says he thinks she likes me."

She smiles a bit ruefully.  "I don't think I made a very good impression, when we first met.  I was a stowaway."