This one took me a while because frankly, I found it an absolute struggle to decide how to end the very last bit. Rewrote the thing several times because I couldn't decide. Happy or bad... you'll find out soon... Hope some of you are still up for it :)

Bannerman Road

Six months later...

Sarah Jane Smith watched as drops of water roll downward across the white tiles of the shower, some of them intent upon consuming as many of their fellow drops as possible, only to become one. For some reason it reminded her of a game of Pac-man. A game which had been all the rage shortly upon her return to earth. After he had left her in Aberdeen. She could remember sitting on the train to London without a care in the world. She remembered overhearing a conversation between two women who took their petty problems quite serious indeed. They're mouths ran over with commonplaces she simply couldn't relate to… the unavailability of one particular set of curtains the big haired one had set her mind to came to mind. She had sat there wondering how they would have reacted were she to divulge some of the problems she had faced during her very recent travels with an alien from outer space.

She shook her head at her own haughtiness.

No, that wasn't fair. They had been the normal ones probably. They had been the ones capable of finding some sort of value in the mundane, no matter how silly it had seemed to her… They had adapted to the life that they had… something she had always had trouble with.

She closed her eyes and let her head fall backwards, allowing the water to gush down her face. Perhaps it would wash away the memories.

Since his recent departure, there was still a part of her that hoped he would return. A part that wished he wouldn't have the strength to stay away after what they had shared. Many a night her mind had wandered off to relive the moments they spent together, all the while wondering whether he would be doing the same. Whether he would stand in the console room thinking of her and everything about her from time to time.

She turned the tap, immediately retreating her hand as it scolded her palm. (The bloody plumber hadn't returned any of her calls. Meanwhile every hot water tap in the house had grown accustomed to emanating an almost unnatural heat as soon as they were turned on.)

'Ah!' she cried, quickly grabbing her towel and using it to twist the knob counter clock-wise.

She stepped out of the shower and entered her bedroom, almost instinctively throwing a quick glance at the shirt which had been draped over the chair standing in the corner… untouched for several months now. Once or twice she had had to fight back the urge to pick it up and touch it. Smell it. Sleep in it.

She hadn't. She was worried that, should she do it once, she'd be doing it for the rest of her life.

Downstairs, she heard Luke and Sky bickering loudly. Probably the telly. It was the one thing that they argued about. Still, she thought it better than each one having their own and never leaving their rooms because of it. Never mind that they quite simply seemed to enjoy their verbal stand offs, which quickly turned into great debates wherein logical fallacies were immediately pointed out. Sometimes she wondered whether perhaps they did it just to annoy their mother.

She hurried down the stairs to be faced with the familiar scene of Sky beating up Luke with a cushion while K9 stood idly by in front of the screen. Almost as if the robot had decided that if they couldn't get along, neither one would get to watch any telly.

'We're watching the news!' the girl hissed, determined to settle the matter by contorting the young man's arm into an angle that made Sarah wince.

'You watched the news yesterday, why do you have to see it again?!'

'Things change, you moron! Don't they teach you that at Oxford?!'

At that moment, the light directly abover her began to flicker. No doubt her daughter's rage was causing it.

'Sky!' Sarah ordered sternly while the girl still frantically attempted to pry the remote control loose from her brother's grip.

'Both of you! Bed! Now!

As the girl shot to her feet, her brother froze in his position, the remote still locked in his right hand.

'It's five past seven, mum,' Sky informed Sarah innocently.

'Then just… go calm down and come back when this psychotic entr'acte is out of your systems. An hour should do it.'

'Blimey,' Luke mumbled as he rose to his feet, grabbed Sky by the wrist, and guided her out of the living room.

'What did we do?' the girl whispered, prompting Luke to shrug his shoulders as they headed for the staircase in confused silence.

Sarah winced again as soon as the sound of her children's footsteps decreased. They were good at that. Making her feel like the worst possible witch whenever she reprimanded them for behaving like human youngsters.

She had always wanted both of them fit in on this planet. Behave like their peers. Yet whenever those less appealing sides of human teenagers began transferring onto them, she wanted to stop it from happening. Every fight or sign of rebellion worried her for some reason… perhaps because she knew what they were both capable of should they take a wrong turn. Luke had a mind that could one day rival the Doctor's if his sponge-like cognitive prowess continued on its present path. She had seen enough genius madmen in her life.

With Sky there was always the added danger she would turn into a loose canon. Every parent she had ever talked to wanted their children to do well at school. One by one they wanted their offspring to be intelligent; even the ones who didn't even know what the word meant or had their own definitions for it. She had smart children. Genius children even… and as they were growing older, it worried her just as much than if they had been useless at everything.

'Calm down, Smith,' she whispered to herself.

'Admirable passing of judgement, mistress,' K9 remarked.

Had it been? They hadn't done anything out of order, had they? Nothing perverse or disturbing. Just something slightly obnoxious and noisy. As she plopped down with a shameless groan and reached for the remote, she already knew how events would unfold. In ten minutes time, she would waive off the punishment, call for them, and pretend like nothing had happened.

'Thank you,' she said as she pointed the remote at the screen, prompting K9 to move towards her.

She flipped channels and glanced at her watch, waiting for the minutes to pass. The news was business as usual. Even as a journalist she had become slightly disillusioned by the media and was suddenly in a position where she found herself having trouble understanding why Sky had developed into such a rabid newshound.

'Same old same old, is it?'

'Your species is a highly illogical one, mistress. Your repetition of previously made mistakes especially, is a common theme.'

She smiled lazily.

'I suppose you're going to tell me that therefore, to still be disappointed is an illogical reaction too?'

'Naive perhaps, mistress, but logical nevertheless. Their mistakes are not yours to accept. Therefore disappointment is acceptable.'

K9 was right though. Often it felt as though the world could exchange any number of random days throughout the last thirty years, and it would still display the same news bulletins as the ones unfolding on the screen before her. Trouble in the middle east. Blatant racism, sexism, and double standards she was convinced she had seen a thousand time before. Protest she was sure she had seen in the sixties. An England that reminded her of the eighties. An England that reminded her of ten years ago. Worldwide marches against corruption and corporate greed fronted by people in Guy Fawkes masks, all for a six pound profit each. She couldn't make heads or tails from any of it any longer or so it seemed. So it felt.

And then there were the deaths. Thousands of them during the last few months. They had started in Scandinavia. Some odd and frightening condition which caused the lungs to deteriorate so quickly and severely, that there was hardly anything to be done. Patients went from having respiratory issues to death within days, and Doctors were at a loss. They didn't admit as much of course, but her experience as a journalist had raised the question and her connections at UNIT had confirmed it. The world was in trouble and the more its citizens were killed and found out about the 'virus' , the more she grew convinced the Yaxwinnik were responsible.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell.

'Fabulous,' she thought as she stood up and reluctantly headed towards the front door, contemplating whether or not to actually open it at least three times before arriving there and grabbing hold of the handle. She wasn't in the mood to see anyone.

As she threw a glance over her shoulder, she saw K9 wheeling towards the living room door behind her. The robot had been extremely protective of her ever since the incident with Veronica Krauss had taken place, and as soon as the Doctor had left even more so. He remained his polite distance, but was ready to zap anyone who should dare lay a violent finger on his mistress.

'Delivery for Smith,' she heard a muted voice inform her from outside. The voice mingled with the sound of heavy downpour.

'When did it start raining?' she wondered.

'Smith, Sarah Jane? My apologies for–'

As she opened the door, a tall middle-aged man in brown overalls and baseball cap suddenly went silent as he extended a grey cardboard box towards her. A cardboard box riddled with perfectly circular holes on both sides. Warning notices were taped all over it.

'My apologies for the hour, ma'am,' he began. 'Suffered a puncture on my way here, I'm afraid. Not the most mechanical person so it took me a good while to fix it. Sign here, please. On the dotted line…'

Sarah Jane shook her head in confusion.

'I don't remember ordering anything,' she informed the delivery man, who's face went from relieved that he had finally made it to his last delivery of the day, to utter despair.

She couldn't read much of the words on the box without her glasses but… Oh, her eyes were getting worse by the day…

'Live animal?!,' Sarah blurted out in amused disbelief. Well, clearly this is a mistake.'

'I see,' the delivery man replied.

She scratched her ear, pressed her lips together, and put on her best apologetic face available.

'You see I've learned by now that my profession doesn't really allow me to have pets, Mr…'

She read out the name on his tag.

'Mr. Forman. Well, at least not in the conventional sense.'

She quickly averted her eyes from his while considering the multitude of ways in which he might have been able to interpret that last sentence. Ranging from the innocent to the macabre to the perverted.

'Quite,' the man said before clacking his teeth a few times. 'I see you have on of them Japanese robot things already.'

He pointed at K9 with his pen, prompting the dog to retreat before random strangers found out things they had no business finding out.

'What do you call them Gizmos? Asimovs?'

'Asimo,' a voice interjected from up the stairs. 'They only come in humanoid shape as of yet.'

Sky's voice.

'Who are you?' the girl asked.

'Delivery,' Sarah informed her daughter. 'Go back to your room, what did I tell you?'

The man looked curiously up the staircase and waved at the girl, prompting her to raise an eyebrow in return and smile back at him hesitantly before disappearing again.

'What exactly is in that box, Mr. Forman?'

'I don't know miss. Smith. But I can tell you right now that we do not handle returns. Should you wish to send this back, then you'll have to sort it out with the dealer, not me. Sign here.'

She didn't bother to protest.

'Fine. That's understandable, I suppose.'

He pushed the box into her arms and politely tipped his cap before he turned around and left.

'Right,' Sarah deadpanned.

As she closed the door, it took no more than a few seconds before Luke and Sky came racing down, the stairs, looking curious and curiouser at the box in her arms.

'I don't know what it is, don't start,' Sarah informed them in advance while gently placing the box onto the coffee table. 'Just that it's supposed to be alive.'

'Alive?' Luke repeated suspiciously.

'Sit down,' Sarah said calmly.

'This won't be like last time, will it?' Sky asked.

'Last time?'

'When UNIT sent us that baby Fodar whose planet Mr. Smith had to track down?'

'What was wrong with the baby Fodar, she was adorable,' Luke protested. 'I would have kept her if mum hadn't insisted we sent her back.'

'Too little oxygen on this planet, Luke. She would have suffered brain damage eventually. But I agree, she was beautiful.'

'In a Gremlin kind of way,' Sky mumbled.

As she lowered herself onto the edge of the couch next to her daughter, Sarah took the box and placed it carefully atop her lap before pulling away at the red tape which kept the cardboard lid in its place.

'Let's have a look then, shall we?' Sarah whispered, prompting her children as well as K9 to lean forward in anticipation.

As soon as she opened the box, Sarah's mouth fell open. The expression which had manifested itself on her face was particularly difficult to decipher this time.

'It can't be,' she breathed before a reassuring smile settled on her face.

'What is it?' Luke asked gently.

'A parrot,' Sky deadpanned with a 'meh' tone which immediately revealed her apathy towards the bird.

'From where?'

'From earth, blunt tool,' she mumbled in her brother's direction.

Sarah didn't respond to her daughter's remark, even despite the fact that the girl had already turned her head towards her, as if she was waiting to be reprimanded for her behavior.

Instead, Sarah dipped into the box and soon withdrew a sealed envelope. She petted the calm bird on the forehead. It responded by closing its eyes in grateful affection.

'I…,' she began as she looked at the back of the envelope, changed her mind and kept her mouth shut.

Timothy Andrews, Ripley Drive, Inverness, Scotland. She immediately understood what was going on.

'Why would anyone send us a parrot?' Luke interrupted while his mother folded up the envelope and put it in her trouser pocket.

'Pigeon post,' Sky suggested with a grin.

'Do your mother a favor, will you… Mind Edison for me while I… while I go upstairs for a sec.'

'Edison?' Luke asked

She arose from the couch and placed the box upon the coffee table. Without so much as another word, Sarah turned around and headed for the door. A few moments later, she closed the attic one behind her. She wiped her eyes. They were dry, yet she felt like she was crying, or had been crying.

'Why do you keep doing this to me?'

As she slid down against the wall and allowed her backside to hit the wooden floor, she released the breath which had been lodged in her throat since she had stood up from the couch.

Yet another letter. From him.

Yet another formal pleasantry he clearly felt was his duty to provide. It was always the same. Some made up name and invented street combined with a town and country that would look entirely familiar to the average English Postman should he take a closer look at the address on the back. But they all formed the same acronym. She hadn't even noticed it the first two times.

The first one had arrived a few days after he had left. It was old. Written sometime during the nineteenth century on a piece of stationary belonging to one Dr. Litefoot. How he had managed to get it to her she had no way of knowing. The letter was personal. Lighthearted. Loving. Him.

Soon, more letters followed. One from Fetchborough, in which he enthusiastically raved on about how cows can lower the blood pressure and how much snakes managed to increased his. Letters from Boscombe Moor, Cambridge, and Paris. The latter having made her shake for a few brief seconds as she had read the date. September 29th, 1979.

A mere few days after that exact date, she herself had been in Paris with her aunt, where many a moment had been spent thinking about him more vividly than she had in over a year. She remembered very clearly how she thought she had seen him when crossing a street, and how her heart had sunk when she realized it hadn't been him after all. Still it hadn't stopped her from feeling like he was there somehow. Turns out she hadn't been that mistaken after all. He had been there, only just a few days prior… and perhaps he had still been there when she was.

When reading the letters, she had wondered why he hadn't come to visit her back then on those occasions when he had been in contemporary England, all too soon realizing that her life then had already been preceded by her current self from his end of things. He couldn't. If he visited her the, she would have remembered it, and her life would have been altered, thereby making it impossible for them to spent a few days of bliss together.

There had been one more from London before it all changed. Before his handwriting went from big and clear to much smaller and quite dislodged, almost like an actual practitioner's scribble.

The letters were distant at first. Like a professor keeping a student noted; but as the handwriting changed again and again, so did the tone of the letters. They evolved from distant to rude to something she almost recognized as him again, and into something that frightened her somehow. The knowledge that her Doctor was gone… had died and been re-born many times somewhere far off at some unknown time made her want to punch something. She had already dealt with that feeling, hadn't she? More than once even. Yet this time it truly felt final. It was final. The letters had stopped coming.

Until now…

She dug the envelope from her pocket, for a moment wondering whether perhaps she should toss it with the rest of them. Leave it unopened forever. Claim her life back as her own instead of one that was occasionally disrupted by the now painful-to-read words of an alien who hadn't seen her in decades or perhaps centuries, yet she had said goodbye to just six months earlier. Yes, perhaps that was exactly what she ought to do. Ignore it. Should she?

She nodded as she tore open the paper, disregarding every contradicting thought that leapt up in her mind, and stood up.

'Sarah Jane,' she read. 'Hyde Park. Tomorrow. Noon.'

She turned over the page, fully expecting more.

Nothing.

Nothing more.

'Mister Smith, I need you,' Sarah ordered after a brief moment of contemplation.

The Xylok was at her service in no time, having once again adopted his usual introductory fanfare.

'Sarah Jane?' he replied.

'I need you to trace this paper for me if possible. When and where it could have been sent from.'

She placed the paper in the scanner tray, crossed her arms, and took a step backwards.

'Certainly.'

Hyde Park? Tomorrow? Noon? Who did he think he was to order her around like that?

'It seems as though the paper is from Earth, Sarah Jane. Made at Klippan AB Paper in Sweden as a matter of fact. They export to Great Britain.'

'So it is perfectly possible it was purchased nearby? London perhaps?'

'Perhaps,' the computer replied dryly. 'By my estimation it is no older than a few months. The ink belongs to a standard bic ballpoint.'

She nodded as if the information had convinced her of something.

'Thank you, mister Smith… That will be all.'

'You are most welcome, Sarah Jane.'

The computer shut itself down for a few seconds, but soon re-booted itself as Sarah turned towards the door?

'Is something the matter, Sarah Jane?' he inquired with a great deal more empathy than she was accustomed to, prompting her to halt and turn back.

'The letter,' she said softly. 'It's from the Doctor.'

'I see.'

'He wants me to meet him.'

She gazed at the floor as she uttered the words.

'But I'm not quite sure I should.'

She feigned a smile before a heavy sigh escaped her throat.

'Never thought I'd ever say that. My past self would have kicked me. Literally, if my thirty year old self could hear me saying that, she'd kick me in the shins and start crying. Perhaps spit in my eye for good measure.'

She was lost.

'Perhaps it is of some importance,' Mr. Smith suggested. 'The Doctor is not one to make appointments for social purposes.'

A look of what could have been regret or annoyance, or perhaps even contempt settled firmly upon her features. She knew all too well that, whatever the reason for his request may have been, it wouldn't be rooted in friendship or love. It would be business as usual, and she didn't know if she could cope with it anymore.

Truth was she had had enough of being his accomplice. His intergalactic colleague soldiering against evil powers. If anything, she wanted to curl up next to him with a cup of tea and watch a box set.

She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing. She was angry. That was it. She needed to settle down and accept, as well as cherish and appreciate everything he was and stood for. Not just what she wanted. The universe needed him.

She retrieved the letter from the tray and looked at it again.

The handwriting didn't bare any resemblance to any of the ones from previous letters. Neither did it belong to the models she had met or travelled with or even made love to. This was once again a new Doctor. A brand new personality.

'If I may speak freely?'

'Of course,' Sarah whispered.

'I have often found that human doubt is extremely limited in its lifespan. Uncertainty on the whole seems to be a rather shortlived emotion… whereas regret seems to have a very unsettling ability to pick up momentum as time goes by. Therefore logic dictates that, should you wish to prevent long lasting damage to your happiness or peace of mind, you should go to Hyde Park tomorrow.'

'Logic?' Sarah asked. 'Honestly, between you and K9. Both of you would like me more if I were a calculator, wouldn't you? You're applying logic to my emotions? Here's a quick fact, Mister Smith… human emotion is messy. Often it's a pile of contradictions we can't reationalize our way out of. Certain parts of our mind may long or hope for things other parts of that same mind won't allow our bodies to pursue. We take the easy way out of things when we logically understand it's probably cowardice. We feel overwhelmed for years by things we know we can't change. We're stubborn and we rarely accept the facts. We-, '

'It was merely an attempt to persuade you, Sarah Jane,' the computer interrupted.

She remained temporarily silent, smiled and nodded.

'Thank you, Mr. Smith. I appreciate that. And I'll think about it, really.'

She walked towards the door, letter in hand, and sighed as she pulled open the door.

'Sarah Jane?'

She turned around once more.

'Mister Smith?'

'Neither K9 or myself would like you more if you were a mathematical appliance of any kind.'

She chuckled and bowed, meanwhile suppressing tears which had been brought on by a mixture of things. Some days were more emotional than others, even though the days themselves might have been exactly the same. Another illogical human trait, she supposed.

'Well thank you.'

'Contrary to what you may believe, we understand that it is your species' emotional nature which has enabled you to care for others, even when you have nothing to gain from it. I can't speak for others, but Luke, Sky, K9, and myself have a home here with you, and we are most grateful.'

'Thank you,' she breathed.

'Except perhaps K9. I doubt he has any ability to develop those feelings.'

She rolled her eyes, smiled, and closed the door behind her.

The car ride towards London had been surprisingly relaxing. Following a hectic morning of convincing Sky to attend school rather than join her, quickly picking up some basic supplies for Edison who had taken a quick liking to her children and especially K9, and once again grappling with whether or not to meet the Doctor at all, she had managed to empty her mind of all other things long enough to decide.

As she had grabbed her purse and car keys, it had no longer been an issue. Of course she was going to go. Slowly but surely her doubts were replaced with excitement. She was going to see him at noon.

Her peace of mind was terminated however as she passed Royal Crescent Gardens…

'Good morning,' a rather hoarse female voice proclaimed in queu with the last note of the BBC's familiar news tune. 'Earlier this morning, the president of Kraus International, Edmund Krauss, was detained by Swiss authorities while on holiday in Lucerne with his family. The cause for this sudden arrest is yet to be confirmed. World Health Organization spokeswoman Barbara McHale has stated that disconcerting evidence against the multi-national's Therysium B has come to light during the last few days and further information will be released during an official international statement later today.'

Upon stopping in front of a red light, she stared at the radio as if it were alive. As if somehow it was supposed to share its political opinions with her. The fact that Therysium B hadn't turned out to be the altruistic energy source Krauss had proclaimed it to be hadn't exactly revealed itself as a surprise, but what was to happen now? And how had the whole thing been revealed? In an effort to make it easier, she decided the Doctor had been responsible. Yes, who else could have…

'Aaaaaaht – Aaaaaaaaaaaaht!'

She was jolted from her thoughts by an impatient driver behind her, punching down on the horn of his grey BMW as if his manhood depended on how much noise he managed to make. Within a few seconds, he stuck his head out of the window and launched an abusive rant towards her. It left her thoroughly unimpressed.

As she calmly drove off, she reached inside her pocket, pulled out her sonic lipstick, and adjusted the rear view mirror ever so slightly before pointing the gadget over her shoulder. Within seconds, the grey BMW slowed down. It swerved left, it swerved right, it slowed down further, and eventually came to a standstill between two empty parking spaces on the side of the sreet, allowing the cars behind him to drive on without too much of a hassle.

She couldn't help but allow a slight smirk to reveal her inner satisfaction. She had been more patient with these types when she was younger. She would have shrugged it off, hoping his macho behavior wouldn't eventually hurt someone, and leave it at that. These days however, she found herself being less patient with those types of mindless anarchy. Especially in traffic, it was easy to recognize faux rebellion with no backbone whatsoever.

'Serves you right, dear,' she deadpanned while making the turn right towards the park.

Hyde Park, London

She stared across the pond, wondering whether he would actually show, when a a fiftysomething man tapped his cane against the side of the bench and sat down beside her.

It was a lovely day, and suddenly she was glad she ad made the decision to turn up. Even if she had had no other reason to be here other than to soak up the beauty of the day, it would have been a good call.

After a brief moment of complete silence, she allowed herself to glance at the man beside her. He had very well defined features, topped off with a mess of fairly short yet stubborn grey hair that, for some reason she couldn't quite explain, made her fingers ache.

'Lovely day, isn't it?' he remarked in a gentle but thick and somewhat hoarse Scottish accent. 'I said to myself it would be a crime to stay in on such a glorious day.'

He cocked his head, adjusted his dark glasses, and then turned his head in her direction. As soon as she noticed how he didn't quite look AT her, she decided that the man was indeed blind.

Sarah nodded in silence, suddenly aware that he wouldn't be able to see her silent affirmation of his words.

'It is,' she added.

In all honesty, she hadn't much to say otherwise. Random conversation like this had never been her strong suit. Odd considering her line of work.

She glanced at her watch and sighed. He should have been here by now. True, he hadn't told her where in the park they would meet, but then he had always managed to find her regardless, so she didn't much worry about that particular detail.

'So what brings you here, Miss?' the man inquired as he let his head wander around slowly and aimlessly, like he was a periscope dead set on detecting something.

She looked at him once more, and seeing nothing but her own image reflected in his black spectacles, her eyes were drawn to his hair once more.

'I'm waiting for someone,' she admitted. 'But… well, I suppose he's running late.'

The man nodded slightly.

'He does that,' she added while rubbing her forehead.

'I'm sure he'll be here,' the man replied in a reassuring tone that actually managed to do just that.

Sarah smiled, and for a moment, she somehow felt lighter than she had in a long time.

'Have we met before?' She asked.

The man tilted his head back, allowing his face to bathe in the sun before he replied.

'I'm not sure,' he said as he launched both corners of his mouth into a wide grin. 'I'm not so good with faces.'

He paused.

'But I hope so.'

She smiled. The sound of his voice and accent pleased her immensely, and calmed her right down.

'You do, do you? Be careful what you wish for.'

'Ha!' he exclaimed rather amused.

'People always seem to say that about wishes that require no reservations, or indeed carefulness whatsoever.'

She smiled at him, this time looking at his hands. His fingers were dancing across his knee, like he was playing an imaginary instrument.

'I suppose they do.'

'The do though, don't they? No one should be afraid of wishing for good things… the very notion is preposterous. I mean, how many people include bad side effects in their wishes? 'I wish to win the lottery, and then to catch a tropical disease as a result of it!'

She chuckled.

'No one does,' he added softly.

'But then you don't know me so you have no way of knowing what knowing me would actually entail, do you?'

He had no reply.

'You made me lose my confidence there,' he admitted with a smile. 'I'm quite convinced the cons would outweigh the pros, Sarah.'

He crossed one leg over the other and looked at her, genuinely this time, as if he could see her. As if he could see right through her in fact. As she grew more and more uncomfortable, he finally rose to his feet and extended his hand.

She didn't remember telling him her name.

'Lovely to meet you.'

'You too,' she said while gently pressing her hand against his.

Before she could say anything else, he turned and walked away. She watched how he put one hand in his trouser pocket, and surveyed the ground in front of him with the tip of his cane; slowly but surely shuffling forward. Her attention was quickly drawn to the left hand pocket of his long coat, out of which a white piece of string with a loop at the end swung from side to side.

'Miss! Excuse me, Miss!'

With great reluctance, she diverted her attention from the man and onto a flock of kids, fast approaching, and desperately trying to get her attention. It didn't take long to notice the source of their effrontery as she noticed the white football underneath the bench.

She stood up, tipped the ball ahead, and then kicked it towards the group of kids with unexpected velocity, prompting some of them to clap their hands.

She had been in the park for over an hour, and still no sign of him.

'Miss! Wait!'

She turned and was surprised to find that one of the boys was still heading towards her. In his hands, a small slip of paper, which he duly delivered to her.

'From the Doctor, Miss,' he informed her. 'She told me to deliver it the moment that bloke you were talking to up and left.'

Without another word, he turned around and raced back towards his friends.

'Wait! Who is she?' Sarah asked as soon as her brain had made sense of what the boy had told her, prompting the youngster to turn and reply while running backwards.

'I don't know,' he shouted. 'She said her name was the Doctor. Odd woman, I'd be careful if I were you.'

She arrived at the terrace, hopeful he… or she, would stop hiding from her. After all, these theatrics were merely consuming valuable time which could have been spent talking.

Save about a dozen people, the place was mostly empty, which was odd considering the fine weather. Any other time she had been there, accompanied by a certain amount of sun at least, the place had been swamped. Not today.

Again she looked at the piece of paper still in her hand.

'Lido Terrace. I'm waiting.'

She couldn't be certain, and she wanted to kick herself for not bringing the letter which had told her to come here, but she was convinced that the handwriting matched.

She picked a table nearest to the water and approached it with some caution, careful to keep an eye out for the alien she was supposed to meet. In as subtle a manner as her very presence allowed for, she surveyed the terrace for timelord life.

Alas, there wasn't a bowtie, Converse shoe, woolen scarf, or frilly shirt in sight. In fact there was no one there who could even remotely pass for him.

She dropped her bag into a chair and lowered herself into the next one with a drawn out yawn.

'What'll it be, madam?' a voice inquired from behind her almost as soon as her bum hit the cushion seat of the wicker chair.

'Oh,' she breathed while looking out over the water. 'Just a coffee for now, I'm waiting for someone.'

The waiter, who looked little more than a boy, nodded politely and turned away, leaving her once again with the pleasant murmurs of the people around her as well as the magnificent view.

She had always enjoyed coming here. It seemed as though the surroundings had an immediate soothing effect upon its visitors, urging them to talk more quietly. A park terrace was rarely the scene for a drunken fight or the stage for football supporters to go crackers. As much as she had always been able to appreciate the hustle and bustle of London, the years spent in Ealing, as well as her own maturity, the children, and the return of the Doctor, had seriously dampened her ability to cope with the noise and hysteria of thousands of complete strangers on a daily basis.

Perhaps the Doctor had been right, she mused as she peered across the glistening pond. Perhaps earthly parking lots, traffic jams, and human stress were all scarier things than being face to dome with a Dalek in the end. The daily grind of human life didn't sneak up on its prey, screeching 'exterminate!' The damage done by it was subtle, temporarily barricaded out by ambition, love, money, sex, television… but in the long run could be just as fatal.

She allowed her head to fall back slightly. The combination of the occasional breeze and the warmth of the sun caused her spine to tingle with pleasure. Such a lovely day. The man she met had been right… Having stayed in the house today would have been a crime against herself.

Moments like these required a world of effort not to think about him however; or the few blissful days they had shared. She realized of course, that telling herself not to think about him, was in fact, thinking about him. She would think of how his blue eyes would have seemed like liquid in this particular light. Like fresh pools of water. His voice would have been a symphony to her ears right now. Better than any of those relaxation tapes money could buy. A few heads would have turned in his direction… not because of how he looked or how he was dressed, but simply because of that sound emanating from his throat.

'Her we are, ma'am,' the waiter said as he placed her order in front of her.

'Thank you,' she replied kindly, soon looking at the lumps of sugar. Even lumps of sugar reminded her of him and his sweet tooth.

She held her breath until the boy had left. The sudden release of air from her lungs causing her sight to muddle up for the briefest moment. She cursed internally. She had to stop. None of these nostalgic thoughts of him had ever left her feeling better, and they wouldn't today either.

It was in that moment, when she had resolved to stop thinking of him, that a man pulled back the chair opposite her, and sat down in it.

She would have gasped if he had been any less imposing to look at. He wasn't physically intimidating as much as he was a combination of tallness and effortless grace. His hair was a silvery grey, but had an obvious ginger glow still around it. Sixty? Seventy? It was difficult to say. His pale green eyes exuded every extremity at once. Authority, kindness, strictness, mischief. Whatever it was, he was in charge.

He leaned back slowly and took her in.

'Sarah Jane Smith' he said ceremoniously.

Once again, she was taken aback. The voice of a king, the voice of a murderer, it was up for debate. The sound was low, and depending on how this would turn out, a source of either deep pleasure or bone chilling fear.

She looked into his eyes, which were already glued to hers. Piercing.

His well defined features remained motionless for a while, as if he too was speechless. He was so… typical, she thought. One could have typecast him as a prince's evil uncle… Yet there was something else there. Something so charismatics he was certain he was still… him.

'Doctor?' she whispered.

The corners of his mouth moved upwards into a lazy smile then and there, putting her doubts to rest forever.

He shook his head slowly, as if in subtle disbelief. As if he hadn't seen her in hundreds of years.

'My goodness, it is wonderful to see you, my dear.'

He pulled his black velvet coat into place and swung one leg over the other before resting his chin upon his fist. His arm in turn, rested upon the arm of the chair.

'You too,' she replied, once again whispering.

'I wondered if I would ever see again. It's been… well, since you –'

He nodded.

'I know.'

'How long ago has it been for you?'

He looked down at the table.

'I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound selfish,' she said. 'I realize it's different for you.'

His sudden glare upwards towards her eyes caused her to swallow hard.

'A while,' he replied, stretching out his words, almost as if he wanted to make sure she realized on her own just how long.

Once again, the waiter reappeared. Even he seemed to approach the man opposite her with a certain amount of trepidation.

'What can I get you, sir? If you wish to order something that is...'

The boy cleared his throat, as if he was sitting an aural exam with a professor infamous for his lack of empathy or forgiveness.

'Ah wonderful, the Doctor replied. 'Do you have tea? Any kind will do, I'm not fussy when it comes tea, not on earth. Well, not during this era, the future is another matter.'

He grinned at the boy, who was growing both more at ease and more confused with every word the Timelord uttered.

'Yes, we have tea,' he said as his eyes darted from side to side before eventually settling on Sarah's and as if to ask 'Is he allowed out on his own? Why wouldn't we have tea?'

She smiled politely in an attempt to neutralize the sudden awkwardness.

'Then I shall have tea,' the Doctor said matter-of-factly.

The boy nodded extensively and escaped. A soon as he had gone, silence overtook them, leaving her feeling more lonely than she had when she had sat there all by herself.

'Why did you ask me to come here?' she finally asked.

As soon as she had, she brought the cup to her lips. Not because she was thirsty, but because his gaze was bringing on a cold sweat.

Once again, silence fell.

'This is the last step,' he said quietly. 'The last thing I have to do to fix it.'

She looked at him, expecting a more thorough explanation, but it didn't come.

'Fix what?' she asked.

'The timeline. You being here… alive. Us together back then. Me intervening when I shouldn't have. You know what I mean, Sarah.'

Again, silence.

Did he blame her? He hadn't then, but then things change. People promise never to hld grudges, and then they do, even when they have no reason to.

'I don't regret it,' he reassured her rather coldly. 'I never have and I never will.'

'How long?' she asked. 'How long has that one decision haunted you?'

He looked at her blankly, once again leaving her guessing whether or not she had said something wrong.

'Does it matter?' he asked.

'Of course it matters,' she protested while an alarm went off in her head simultaneously. He didn't seem like the type to talk back at.

'Forgive me if I feel slightly guilty about causing so much fuss all because-'

'It's hardly your doing,' he interrupted.

'I know,' she spat back louder than she had intended, prompting some of the other people on the terrace to look at her suspiciously. One or two of them seemed genuinely curious…

'I know,' she continued, softer this time.

She sipped her coffee and leaned back in her chair, clearly uncertain of how to approach the sensitive matter.

He grinned widely, putting a small portion of her doubts to rest. Was he toying with her?

The waiter returned and placed the tray with tea in front of the alien, who didn't bother with pleasantries this time. He very quickly dug a twenty pound note from his trousers, raised his hand as Sarah's mouth opened in annoyance, and told the waiter to keep the change.

'No time to stay for seconds,' he told her softly as the boy disappeared out of sight.

'I have to be on my way again soon, I'm in the middle of something.'

'Of course. When are you not?'

He once again grinned at her sudden mood swing, almost taking pleasure. His bright green eyes glimmered in the sunlight, giving him a near evil appearance.

After another pause, he once again leaned forward to look at her more closely.

'It's like someone you used to be obsessed with. Someone who you thought you'd never get over.'

Sarah listened closely. Had he read her mind? Why had he suddenly said that? For months now she had wondered how his post teeth and curls incarnations had felt about her. Had they forgotten those days he had spent in her home? Did they still feel the same as he had? Or had they, and this what she feared the most, simply gotten over her? She knew it was the most likely explanation. After all, for him, centuries had probably passed since those few days of bliss. For her, it had been a mere six months.

He continued…

'A best friend who was a closer friend than all of the other best friends you'd ever had before. How could that feeling or that person possibly be topped by anything else… You would think it can't be… But still, it withers.'

She attempted to seem confused…

'What?'

…but she knew all too well what he was trying to tell her.

He smiled a knowing smile.

'Have you been reading my mind, Doctor?'

He shook his head.

'You've never been very good at hiding what you feel, Sarah. Much less at hiding what you're desperate to find out. Not an admirable trait when you're a journalist. Didn't anyone ever tell you to make people think you don't care about that which you're after?'

'So sue me for thinking honesty is admirable,' she sneered. 'Never mind me being a journalist, i'm still human being.'

He drank his tea without batting an eyelash and glanced at his watch.

'Let's take a stroll, shall we?'

They sauntered through the park en route back to her car.

'As I recollect, Kate Stewart and the rest of Unit will have taken command of the Krauss arrest right about…'

He looked at his watch

'…now.'

Grinning rather sardonically, he retrieved a Twizzler from his coat pocket and swung it around like a lasso.

'Can I offer you one?'

She shook her head.

'In a few days time the whole world will know what kind of people they are, Sarah. Therysium B will be a thing of the past, and so will Krauss international.'

'People?'

He chuckled.

'Would you rather the seven o'clock news revealed an alien invasion? You know as well as I do the human race is not ready for that.'

'In fairness, I think a good deal of the human race has had suspicions for a while now. All of the strange things that have been going these last few years… I mean, we're not that daft. Earth being pulled from its orbit by the Daleks, those cubes falling from the sky last year, oh and not to mention –'

'I get it,' he snapped.

This time it was Sarah's turn to giggle.

'You're not as good at keeping these things hidden as you once were, Doctor.'

She allowed her hand to graze his. He looked at her and entwined his fingers with hers. He was him after all.

'What will happen to them? The Yaxwinnik I mean.'

'I took care of it. I mean I will take care of it from your end of things. Don't worry…'

'And the Vault?' she asked.

'Classified,' he replied. 'No one will ever know.'

Suddenly, he stopped. Turning his attention to a bench overlooking the pond, Sarah watched him as a melancholy smile crept over his features.

'I was sat there earlier,' she whispered.

He nodded in silence and carried on walking.

She grew restless as they approached the gate. With most of the park behind them, she was aware that once again, their time together was drawing to a close. For awhile, they walked in silence, with nothing other than the rustling trees and excited voices somewhere off in the distance.

'Will you ever tell me the whole story?' she asked.

He turned to her and smiled.

'I'd be very surprised if you haven't figured out at least some of it by now.'

She looked at him sternly. How was she supposed to have had any clue?

'I understand now why you told me you couldn't come back for me when I met you at Deffrey Vale, yes. But that's all.'

He sighed deeply. One that revealed a certain reluctance to share the truth with her.

'Do you remember the first time you and I met?'

'At Unit? Of course I do, I refused to make you coffee,' she replied.

Her answer was followed by the sound of the Timelord clearing his throat.

'Oh come on, Doctor. Don't tell me that actually bothered you.'

'That wasn't the first time I met you, Sarah.'

She didn't look surprised. By now, after all of the confusion, after having died in a timeline he had decided to mess with, after all of the letters, the coincidences. she was quite ready for anything.

'When I was in my third incarnation, before you met me…'

He raked his already perfectly sleeked grey hair back, obviously contemplating on whether or not to continue.

'I was sitting in my old office at Unit when I heard it.'

'Heard what?'

'The Cloister bell. As soon as I stepped into the Tardis, the doors had closed behind me and the old girl just took off. By the time I had rushed to the console to try and make sense of the situation, the destination had already appeared upon the screen beneath the flight systems.'

He stopped and turned towards her.

'Earth. 2013. Global Biota Repository.'

'He was there as well? I mean, your third incarnation?'

The Doctor nodded solemnly.

'I arrived in a place which was clearly hostile. I saw the Tardis being torn to shreds by this monstrous looking thing which I had never seen before. I couldn't make heads or tails from it… And then I saw a woman… a beautiful woman, as well as some odd looking fellow. Both uncoscious.'

'It was you.'

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

'Are you alright?'

'I dreamt about it,' she said. 'After we returned from the Vault. I dreamed one night I had heard your voice. Your third incarnation's voice… and I could have sworn I had felt the texture of velvet of my face. I thought it was just a dream. You mean to tell me it was a memory?'

He nodded once again.

'Why didn't you tell me this before?'

'I'm telling you now, aren't I?'

She released a heavy sigh and smiled.

'I think I'll have that Twizzler now if you don't mind.'

He once again dug into his pocket and handed her the piece of bright red candy, which she gratefully accepted.

'Beats drinking,' he remarked with a wink as he too bit the edge off of another liquorish string.

'As soon as I had lifted the pair of you… or you and myself rather… aboard of the Tardis, she once again took off without my help. I arrived in a dark room. A room similar to a basement or an attic, but I couldn't be sure. As the doors opened, a young man in what I thought then was a rather fetching bowtie had clearly been awaiting our arrival. He told me he was the butler, helped the pair of you out of the Tardis and told me to leave. Before I could ask anything, he had locked me into the Tardis and the old girl once again took off. A few minutes later I was back in my office at Unit HQ.'

He threw his arm around her shoulder and smiled.

'Later, when I stayed at your house in my fourth incarnation, that same bowtied fellow showed up once again. Only this time he didn't pretend to be the butler.'

Sarah smiled as she too grew a little wiser.

'No,' she said. 'Postman.'

'Exactly. Mind you, I wasn't sure whether it was the same man I had met in the dark room when I saw him in your driveway, but later that day I grew more and more convinced.'

As she chewed the candy, she turned on her right heel and halted in front of him.

'What about the boxes? Was it your eleventh incarnation who delivered them?'

He peered at her with a certain amount of doubt but quickly caved in.

'One or two of them. It's not easy to come by those parts, Sarah. It took me years to find them all. In fact, it's not that long ago from my end of things that I found the last but most important thing I need to rebuild a Tardis from nothing but its consciousness.'

'The TT Capsule Womb?' she inquired with genuine curiosity.

He smiled.

'And I was just about to say 'Remind me of why I like you so much'. But there you go and remind me.'

'Good to know it was always my mind that you were drawn to,' she jested.

They walked for awhile in silence. In the distance, Sarah's car revealed itself.

'How long?' she asked.

'How long what?'

'How long did it take you to collect those parts? You began looking fort hem in your eleventh self… So how long? How many incarnations?'

'It's not important, Sarah.'

She stopped him and placed a hand on his chest.

'No,' she said. 'It's important to me.'

The Timelord raised his eyes and looked into hers.

'Almost two hundred years,' he revealed in a tone which revealed a great deal of caution.

Her open mouth remained frozen in its place for several seconds while her eyes stared off into the distance as she attempted to wrap her mind around not only the revelation, but the amount of time as well. She couldn't even imagine living that long. All of that… for her. Because he was unable to face what time would take care of anyway. Her death. Two hundred years. And that was just the search for Tardis parts. All that time fixing a decision which would result in her being able to live a litte longer, yes… but nowhere near as long as the time it had taken him to deal with the consequences.'

'How long ago is it for you now? Since you left me… Since you told Sky to be silly, kissed me and left… how long?'

'Oh, that would be about…'

He pressed his lips together while doing the math.

'Anywhere between seven hundred and a thousand, look I've lost count, Sarah.'

She suddenly felt queasy.

'It's not that bad. Seems like only yesterday in fact.'

She remained silent.

'Come on, let's get you to your car…'

'This is for you,' he whispered while she opened her door. He took her hand and placed an envelope in it.

Yet another letter.

'Read it when you get home.'

She feigned a smile before shaking her head with cautious refusal.

'Doctor, I'm tired of these. If you want to tell me something, tell me now instead.'

'Sarah, please –' he protested.

'No. There's no difference whatsoever between me reading it as soon as I get home or you telling me right here. No difference other than the fact that it would make me feel like less of an accessory in the little timeline pickle you created and more like an actual person you care about.'

'A lot of things can happen in very little time, Smith.'

He took her hands and kissed them both.

'And I care about you,' he said solemnly. 'Always.'

'Well then?'

He didn't wait. He spat it out as soon as she stopped talking.

'This was the last time you and I will meet.'

She couldn't speak. The words had registered immediately. There was no point in asking for further explanation. No point in feigning confusion or asking him to repeat himself. It was already a done deal and she knew it. She could see it in his eyes. He meant it.

'Why,' she asked tremulously, trying to hold back the sudden rush of tears attempting to break free.

He smiled calmly and reassuringly.

'It's fine, Sarah. It's all as it should be. Trust me.'

He kissed her cheek and nodded towards the driver's seat.

'Drive safely.. and send my warmest regards to Sky and Luke.'

'I would have…'

'Go home, Sarah Jane,' he said softly.

She climbed into the car and turned the key without further protest. Perhaps his tone was making her angry. Perhaps she knew it would be better just to go and not look back. Perhaps she had no idea what to do.

As the engine started running, he knocked on the window, prompting her to roll it down immediately.

'Remember I once told you that the Tardis was capable of things humans wouldn't approve of?'

She nodded.

'I hope you'll realize one day I did this for both of us.'

'Did what?'

He gazed into her eyes with a determination that managed to frighten her a little.

'Permit me to tell you that you'll find out.'

He nodded, brought his fingers to his lips, placed them onto hers, and then… simply walked away.

Sarah Jane Smith stepped out of her emerald green Nissan Figaro. Her legs felt heavy as she walked towards her front door. She felt dazed. Like someone had plucked her from her own reality and dropped her into another one. She looked up briefly at the sky. The fine weather from earlier had been wiped away by a collection of grey heavy clouds.

'Story of my day,' she mumbled as she shut the door of her car behind her.

She swung her purse over her shoulders, and placed her keys in her coat pocket.

There, in the middle of the driveway of 13 Bannerman Road, she stopped in her tracks and looked ahead. As she retrieved her hand from her pocket, a wheat colored envelope was clutched between her fingers.

He must have slipped the thing in while they had embraced.

She didn't hesitate. She quickly opened the front door, stepped into the hallway and called for her kids.

'Luke! Sky! I'm home, what do you kids want for dinner?! Anything goes!'

She entered her living room, undid her boots, and kicked them into the corner.

'Because old Smith is not cooking tonight, no way no how,' she mumbled as she noticed a note on the coffeetable.

Mum,

Went to shop for cage for Edison with Clyde and Rani. Be back before dinner, promise.

Edison is in the attic with K9 and Mr. Smith who are teaching him new vocabulary.

Kisses,

Luke and Sky

'What am I, a post office? Everyone sends me notes and letters instead of just telling me their plans.'

She left the room with the Doctor's letter in hand and climbed up the stairs.

As she entered her room, she had already rid it of its envelope and was quick to drop herself onto her bed with a great sigh of relief.

'Here we go again,' she whispered to herself.

Dear Sarah,

Here we are yet again.

'No kidding,' she mumbled.

Believe me when I say that writing this letter is one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. And believe me again, when I say that I wish you all the happiness in the world. Happiness you should have always had. And where I recognize very well that you've never been the type of person to let her sense of self be dependant upon others, I also know that true love, in those rare cases when it happens, should be allowed to flourish, no matter how impossible the obstacles at hand may seem.

I know who I am, Smith. And part of that is recognizing how much I care for you now, but mostly, how much I loved you then, and how much he meant to you. It was always him. I know that.

I won't include an owner's manual like I did with K9 because frankly, what would be the point…

The Tardis and her memory bank sends her regards.

Don't forget me, Sarah Jane.

The Doctor

She stared at the words for several minutes, allowing them to soak in.

So that was it then. The biggest chapter of her life… over.

Once again she wanted to cry… and this time, she gave in. As hot tears rolled down her cheeks, she eased back her head and closed her eyes. As soon as she had done so, she saw him.

She hadn't allowed him access into her mind for weeks, but now she simply enjoyed the sight of him looking back at her in her imagination. Smiling that smile. A smile she would never see again.

'Sarah?' he said.

'Hmmm. Yes?'

He cleared his throat.

'Sarah.'

The images disappeared. Suddenly, there was only blackness. Just the inside of her eyelids as she felt another hot tear trickle down her left cheek. By the time it had reached her neck, it had cooled down so much it prompted a most unpleasant shiver to roll down her spine.

She swallowed hard and decided to get up. Except her body wouldn't allow it.

'Sarah,' he said once again.

Her eyes shot open.

That voice. She hadn't imagined that voice. Not this time.

She glanced sideways. Her eyes met with a tall figure. Her heart stopped.

In the door frame stood a man… And despite his slightly altered appearance, she recognized him immediately. He looked older than when she had last seen him. Several touches of grey had made their introduction to a pile of hair which was, though still unruly, noticeably shorter and less curly.

He seemed thinner. He seemed wearier. Like a slightly over the hill yet ever charismatic professor. He looked… almost her age actually. Even though she knew his mind wasn't.

He looked at her and smiled. It was all he had to do to convince her he was him. He had his memories, and he loved her.

'I see you've got yourself a new friend,' he said. 'Don't suppose there's room for one more?'

She wanted to stand up, run towards him, and kiss him 'till the world ended, but her legs would have none of it. She was frozen.

Instead, he was the one to make the first move. He eased his way over towards the bed and sat down beside her.

'H-h-how…' she stammered.

'All-in good time, Sarah.'

She smiled as more tears fell.

'Do we have it?'

He nodded and brought his lips to hers.

'All the time in the world.'

There you have it. Turns out I couldn't give it an unhappy (or realistic) ending after all. In sight of what happened in real life with Lis, I decided to end the fic with a happy Sarah Jane rather than angst. Figured there's plenty of that already.

Know there's a few things which are maybe a bit unclear, but I'm thinking of writing a few follow up stories. Mind you, they'll be shorter if I do that.

Thank you for your patience if you stuck it out till' the end.

I apologize for the grammatical errors or wonky sentences here and there. English is not my first language. Tried to keep it to a minimum but no doubt there's plenty of them.

Also, thank you very much once again for the kind reviews. Appreciate each and every one of them so much.