Sarah Jane dropped to the ground as a spurt of what looked like white flames shot overhead, missing her head by millimeters. No heat emanated from it, though, despite its appearance. In fact, it felt almost as if it was drawing away every little bit of warmth it could find. She glanced behind her, following the not-fire with her eyes. The cold flare a nearby bush, turning it instantly into ice.

Two seconds later, the bush shattered into thousands of tiny pieces.

"Don't let it hit you!" she yelled, eyes widening.

Alan hit the ground beside her. "Really?" he asked dryly. He sounded a bit breathless. "I never would have figured that out on my own. Thank you for the advice."

Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, she reached out to pat his hand. Then she propped herself up on her arms, ignoring her protesting back, and started crawling forward. She was careful not to raise herself too high. For the time being, they were hidden behind some shrubbery and she didn't want that to change quite yet.

Another burst of not-fire rushed over them. This time it hit a nearby tree, freezing and shattering it almost simultaneously.

Alan quickly caught up with her, a worried look on his face as he glanced at where the tree had been standing just seconds earlier. "Does this happen often?"

"What?" Sarah Jane asked, glancing over at him. "Aliens that freeze things with their breath?"

He shot her a tired smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I was thinking more along the lines of 'life-threatening situations,' actually."

Looking away, she didn't reply. She peered around the edges of the bush in front of them and focused her gaze on the alien that was shooting at them. Or, at least, she tried. It was almost invisible, nothing but a vague outline and a shadow on the ground.

Beside her, Alan sighed. "That's what I thought."

"I don't purposely put the children in danger," she said, still not looking at him. "In fact, the first time that I met Maria I told her to stay away from me. Just ask her if you don't believe me."

Alan reached over and put his hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him. For just a second, his face was overlaid with everyone else who'd done that over the years: the Doctor and his constantly changing faces, Harry, Josh. Then she blinked and it was merely Alan again.

He shook his head, his eyes suddenly looking much older than they should. "I believe you," he said quietly. "Maria told me as much when I first found out about . . . all of this."

Sarah Jane couldn't help herself. Despite their awkward position, she reached up and gently patted him on the shoulder. "The Doctor used to tell me that some people were just predisposed to be in the right place at the right time." She paused for just a moment. "Or was it the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Alan chuckled. He looked a little startled at his reaction, but his face looked much lighter.

Without thinking, she leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips. She'd meant it to be friendly, perhaps reassuring, and it surprised her when it lasted just a second or two longer than expected. They both stared as they pulled away, startled looks on their faces. Neither of them said a word.

After what felt like hours, though she knew it was only seconds, Alan cleared his throat. "We should probably find a way to get out of here," he said. Sarah Jane knew that she wasn't imagining the slight flush on his face. "I'm getting too old to crawl around on the ground like this."

"You're getting too old?" she asked lightly. The tense moment was broken, and everything felt normal again. "If that's true, then how do you think I feel?"

Another jet of not-fire flew over them. Part of it caught the brush they were hiding behind, and it exploded in their faces in a shower of ice crystals.

The alien stared at them.

"Run?" Alan asked tensely.

She nodded. "Run."

He was on his feet almost instantly, pulling her up with him. Then they were running, his hand still gripping hers. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad the kids got in trouble at school and had to stay after."

"Don't tell them," Sarah Jane said, grimacing as the tree they had been heading toward turned to ice, "but so am I."

Another wave of not-fire went past them, hitting the nearby ground. As it froze and shattered, a nice-sized hole appeared in the otherwise smooth landscape. Alan's grip on her hand tightened.

"Isn't this the point where some type of diversion draws the alien away before it can kill us?" Alan asked, glancing back at the alien that was following them.

"You've been watching too many mov. . ."

Sarah Jane was cut off as something exploded. Without thinking, she froze and dropped Alan's hand. Spinning around, she looked about wildly until she saw thick black smoke billowing in the distance

The alien let out a shriek. Its invisibility had disappeared, revealing a vaguely humanoid life form. Light blue skin and icy white hair reminded her of Jack Frost, or perhaps the Snow Miser, from those movies that had been so popular when she was younger.

As she watched in surprise, it turned and ran in the direction of the explosion without giving them a second thought. Alan stepped up behind her.

"You know," she said slowly, "it's eerie just how often that happens."

When he didn't reply, she looked at him. He was frowning, his eyes focused on the flames that were barely visible in the distance. "Isn't the school in that direction?"

Sarah Jane's eyes snapped back toward the smoke. "You don't think. . . ?" They shared a look and, without saying a word, took off at a sprint.

After a few seconds, her hand slipped into his. For some reason, it felt natural.