InsaneJournal

Who: Big Mac and Sarah Jane
Where: Her house
What: Big Mac helps Sarah Jane cook a pie
When: 01/05
Warnings/Rating: PG for mild flirting, cooking talk, and randomness
Status Complete!


Big Mac stepped out of his truck, a basket over one arm. The basket contained diced apples, sliced apples, homemade makings for pie crust, cool whip, and all the ingredients for a prize winning pie, in plenty of quantities for several tries. He figured they could give it a couple of goes and see what happened.

he walked to her door, dressed in for fitting jeans and shirt, and working sneakers, and knocked.

Inside Sarah Jane’s house, everything was bustling. The kids were running up and down, playing video games and some were even doing their homework. They were all teenagers, and in high school. Of course they knew that someone was coming over to help their mother bake, but they hadn’t quite realized until there was a knock at the door. One set of steps came to the door and opened it up. It was Clyde. “Hey,” he greeted. “You’re here to see mum, right? About um.. cooking or something?”

“Yes. I’m going to work with her on making a homemade apple pie.” he nodded. “Using my grannie’s recipe.” He canted his head. “What’s your name?” Big Mac looked him in the eyes, despite his height, and nodded. He liked kids! A lot.

“I’m Clyde,” he answered, letting Big Mac inside. Sarah was there thankfully to take over. “Well hello. Come on in. Clyde, get his coat.” Which her son did, putting it up on the coat rack. Sarah waved Big Mac back inside towards the kitchen. They passed by the living room where the rest of the kids were. “Since you already met Clyde. This is Luke, Rani, and Maria.” They were all about 16 years old. Ah the fun.

Once in the kitchen, she gestured for him to make himself comfortable. “Can I get you a drink?”

Letting Clude take his coat, Big Mac waved to all of them, smiling, then followed her and nodded. Seemed like a good bunch. And Sarah Jane seemed nice too.

“Water would be good, please.” He liked water, and the simple cool taste was perfect for working in the kitchen. he looked around, setting the bag down on a counter, taking things out, as he watched her and the room.

Most people found it odd that a woman her age had four teenagers in the house, instead of grown kids, but she preferred it that way. Sarah went to the fridge and grabbed water and then filled it up and handed it to him. “All right. You’re going to have to tell me what you need so I can get it all ready.” There were already bowls and things out and ready to be used. The kids had gone back in the living room to play games.

Big Mac liked it. He was pretty sure it would drive him mad. “I think you must be a strong person to raise those kids.” He nodded. he respected that, a lot.

He sipped the water, then smiled at her and started giving instructions. He pulled out all the ingredients and all they had to do was mix things, start the oven, cook things, and and then wait. It would take time, but Big Mac had a feeling cooking with Sarah Jane could be fun. Two bowls were needed to start and he asked he to bring them, so he could explain which ingredients went in which. One would be the crust and one the pie filling.

“Well, I understand the need to be in a family and have people looking after you. Honestly I didn’t think about having children until later in life. Luke there is my first.. and.. well biological son. Then I adopted the others. I just.. adore them all so much.” They were her family. She didn’t need Harry, or anyone else. Just Sarah and her kids.

Oh boy. Time to get cooking. Or baking. Sarah was going to burn something. She just knew it. She helped get everything onto the counters and then turned back to him. “All right. I’m all ready for you to try and show me how to do this. I’m warning you though. I’m awful.”

Big Mac smiled at her. “Well, then we can figure it out together.” and he started in with her. He had a patient, quiet, and gentle way of him, despite his size, and he wanted nothing more than to make her smile and make this a good experience.

Let’s hope he was quite patient, because when it came to cooking, she really was just god awful. “All right. Well you show me and tell me what to do.” Or however he wanted to do this teaching thing. She would listen and try to remember it all and not mess something up.

He was, rather. And he nodded as he showed her. “Now, follow what I do, and you mirror it.” He set up two sets of ingredients and started to lead her through making things,slowly.

Sarah watched him stir things together and listened when he pointed things out. She wasn’t quite sure that she could do most of those things, but she would try. Slow was always good.

Working with her slowly, he showed her how to built a pie crust and pie filling from scratch. it might have been slow and him showing her what to do, but he interjected asking questions. “What do you like to do in the kitchen? what are your favorite foods? What is it you want to learn? If anything?”

Who had time to make things from scratch? She didn’t actually ask it out loud, but she wondered. Ah well, beggars couldn’t be choosers when it came to making food. “Oh I have no idea. Honestly, you’re better off asking them what they want me to make. Though I think they’d just say they like it when I order pizza, so it doesn’t matter.”

Big Mac would simply tell her that one could prepare the basics and then make things from there. Life was complicated and full, but it was worth a lot more when making things. he was a bit of a purist.

“Heh. Someday soon, I can show you how to save money and make them pizza they will like, and that will be good for them.”

If she could make refrigerated dough and not worry about it, so much the better. She didn’t really have time to do anything between four teenagers and her job. It was a wonder she had time for him to come over and teach her all of this stuff.

“If you say so, but they’re teenagers. I don’t think they’re going to listen.” She laughed a little.

“Maybe not. But food they like, that is pre-made and fast to cook? And that they can have anytime? Might sway them. Maybe not.” He paused. “Dunno much about teenagers.”

He paused again, then just continued showing her things. “Do you like it, raising so many kids?”

Sarah grinned slightly. “They’re a handful. We’ll see. They might appreciate a home cooked meal.” If it didn’t taste awful. Hopefully it wouldn’t.

“I love it. Didn’t think I’d ever be a mum. Didn’t want to for most of my life. Then it just happened and I couldn’t give it up even if I wanted to. They’re my family.”

Big Mac nodded. He helped direct her even as he worked, their efforts slowly creating the filling and the crust. The oven pre-heated and he turned to her. “Good. Family is important. I have a small one, but good.” He nodded. he loved his Granny, and his sisters.

She was still keeping notes, in her head and on a piece of paper. “That it is.” Sarah always believed that. “It certainly looks good. I hope it tastes good and smells good too. “Almost time to bake?”

“Eeeyup.” Big Mac nodded, and eyed what they had done, then with her help, slide the apple finish into the crust, and then laid the cross-hatching crust on top. “All ready now.” Then together, they could put the two pies into the oven, and set the timer, to wait.

Sarah went over to the oven and then opened it up so that he could put the pie in. Then she shut the door and stood back. “I suppose that didn’t seem too hard. Half the time I forget the timer though. That’s mostly my problem.”

Big Mac hmmed, then pulled out a few sheets of paper and offered them to her. “What if you work off of a recipe each time and that is on the recipe?” He just wanted to help.

“I’ll give it a try,” she said sincerely. She took the sheets and smiled. “Thank you. I hope this works.” Sarah was just sure that some people just weren’t going to be good at cooking. It happened. “Did you start early? Learning how to cook, I mean.”

“You’re welcome. I hope so too.” He smiled to her. He believed anyone could learn how to cook. And he nodded to her question. “Yes. When I was just a toddler. My Granny taught me much. She loves to cook. She’s amazing.”

“Oh that’s lovely. My parents cooked.. I mean they sort of taught me. Honestly, after I became an adult and living on my own, I didn’t think much of it. Mostly because I was always in hotel rooms. No cooking there.” Or at least they highly frowned upon cooking in hotels, Sarah thought.

“Why? Why in hotel rooms?” He was curious now. “What do you do?” He didn’t know much about her, really. She seemed nice, and took care of the kids, which added to her in his estimation.

“I’m an investigative journalist. Mostly on the road, doing stories and such. No real time at home,” she told him. Sarah also just liked to travel. “Lately I’ve been staying at home, now that I’ve got the children. I still do my job, but I’m not away like I once was.”

Big Mac nodded. “Huhn. Lots of moving. I’m not much of a mover.” he ducked his head. “Crossing the country to see and be around little sister was the most I’ve done.”

“It’s nice, if you like that sort of thing. Of course, I wish I had been lying on a beach and not working on a story, but maybe one day.” She said with a small smile. Just then the oven went ding. “Oh I think that’s time.”

Big Mac grinned. “wouldn’t mind sitting on a beach and watching you lay here.” There wasn’t a leer or a smirk there, just a nod at the fact that she was pretty. When it dinged, he turned to it and opened the oven door, peering at it, smiling. “Looks ready.” With some oven mitts, he pulled out the pie and set it aside to cool. “Cool of for five, then it will be done!”

Sarah’s cheeks blushed brightly. “Ah..thank you.” It wasn’t weird. Well unless her kids heard him flirting. Though she wasn’t wearing a bathing suit anymore. She’d be under an umbrella with a giant hat. The pie smelled good, but she still wasn’t sure about it. Only time would tell. “All right. I will. Thank you very much for coming to teach me.”

“You’re welcome. And anytime you want to talk, or do kitchen things, let me know.” he tipped his imaginary hat to her and turned to go, smiling. She had been an excellent host, and he hoped she had learned.

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.” Sarah showed him to the door, thanking him again for his generosity. “You have a very good day.”
FIN.