Starlight

Sarah Jane’s mind ran rampant as she walked down the halls of Deffry Vale with the school's headmaster, Mr. Finch. The Doctor was coming, she could hardly believe it. She wondered what he looked like. What face would he be wearing? How much has his personality changed? Would she even recognize him? She’d known for years that the Doctor had regenerated and taken on new companions from both the Advisor and her own investigations. She’d even met with a few companions, both from before and after her time with the Doctor. It hurt at first, thinking about how he had basically abandoned her after all those adventures they’d been on, the things they’d seen. Only for him to continue on with someone else, having adventures of their own. 

It still hurt at times but talking with the Advisor and other ex-companions, people who knew what it was like to experience the Doctor and all that comes with him, helped heal a wound in her that she hadn’t even known existed. But now that she knew that she would be running into him soon enough all these old feelings started rising up to the surface. Not just the hurt, but the hope and yearning she had that he would come back for her. The excitement and fear of what this adventure would bring. And then there was the newer sense of almost dread. She knew that the Doctor wouldn't be staying for long, and when he inevitably left he would take the Advisor with him.

The Advisor had become something of a familial figure to her over the years. The alien even went as far as to ask to use her last name for their current alias despite how common it was. And they made it perfectly clear that they wanted to use it because it was her last name, not because of the Doctor’s commonly used alias, not to be inconspicuous, but because it belonged to her. Sarah Jane had cried and the Advisor simply took her into their arms and held her. And that was all that she needed, someone to hold her. 

But now that is all coming to the end; when the Doctor leaves, so will the Advisor. Now Sarah Jane doesn’t doubt that the Advisor will keep in contact with her as well as all the other ex-companions they had befriended. Unlike their husband, the Advisor was excellent at communicating properly and maintaining long distance relationships. Most likely due to experience from their marriage with said husband. But Sarah Jane couldn’t help but prematurely mourn her relationship with the Advisor as it is now. Even when they were off traveling they were at least on the same planet, and the same point in the time stream. Neither of those will be a guarantee once they leave. But Sarah Jane knows deep in her heart that the Advisor had to go with the Doctor, their husband, their love, the last remaining member of their species. She also knows that she cannot go with them. That chapter of her life is closed, and she is quite happy with the current chapter she is living.

She slowly comes back out of her mind to focus on Mr. Finch as he led her through the school. “My improvements aren’t just confined to the classroom.”, he was saying as they walked out of a stairwell, “No, no, no. We’ve introduced a new policy here. School dinners are absolutely free, but compulsory.” Sarah Jane took the time to look around, mapping out where they were, as the headmaster spoke. “Do try the chips,” he suggested with a polite smile.

Sarah Jane easily slipped fully back into her role as a reporter as she replied, enthusiastically, “Oh, I’d love to, thank you.” Her face and body language revealed none of her inner turmoil, nor her suspicions that had led her to investigating the school in the first place. “And it's got to be said,” she continued, “the transformation you’ve brought about, it's amazing.”

“I mean, maybe you’re working the children a little bit too hard now and then,” she started as she peeked through open classroom doors, “but I think good results are more important than anything.” Turning back to face Mr. Finch with an earnest expression on her face. She could tell that the headmaster was a prideful man, but deeply intelligent as well. That made him all the more dangerous, so she had to make sure to maintain the right balance of flattery without seeming too pandering. 

Mr. Finch ate it up, “Exactly. You’re a woman of vision, Miss Smith.” He said, his polite smile now carrying a hint of smug satisfaction. 

“Oh, I can see everything, Mr. Finch. Quite clearly.” Sarah Jane’s own smile held a sharpness to it that had fooled many a creature into thinking it soft.

Mr. Finch was no different.

“Yesterday I had a 12-year-old girl give me the exact height of the walls of Troy in cubits.” One of the school's history teachers, Mr. Parsons, was telling the Doctor in the faculty lounge. 

“And it's ever since the new headmaster arrived?” the Doctor asked in a low tone, leaning forward slightly. His ever so busy mind raced, trying to solve this mystery that had been brought to his attention by Rose’s boyfriend, Mickey. As much as the Doctor likes to poke fun at the boy for being an idiot, it's becoming more and more apparent that he made the right choice calling them in to investigate. Suspicious new staff, mysterious disappearances, and children with intelligence beyond what it should have been at this time on Earth. Something was happening, something that was targeting children. Just the mere thought fanned the flames of anger nestled deep in between the Doctor’s hearts.

The Doctor quickly tucked that anger away and tuned back in on what his temporary coworker was saying. “Finch arrived three months ago, next day half the staff got flu.” Mr. Parsons deadpanned, “Finch replaced them with that lot.” He gestured with his head to a trio of staff members conversing across the room. The Doctor turned his head to observe them before his conversation partner’s next words had him turning back to the discussion at hand. “Except for the teacher you replaced, and that was just plain weird,” the history teacher continued on, baffled confusion coating his voice, “her winning the lottery like that.”

“How’s that weird?” Asked the Doctor trying to keep a straight face.

“She never played.” Mr. Parson explained as he walked away, “Said the ticket was posted through her door at midnight.”

“Hmm?” the Doctor hummed mildly as he popped a biscuit in his mouth, “The world is very strange.” he continued in a bland tone of voice, hidden laughter in his eyes.

“Excuse me, colleagues.” The Headmaster’s voice grabbed the Doctor’s attention, turning to look he couldn’t help but straighten up when he saw who was standing next to Finch, “A moment of your time.”

The soft wonder that made its way onto the Doctor’s face was nothing compared to the absolute euphoria he felt at seeing that familiar face. Finch’s voice faded into the background as all of the Doctor’s thoughts honed in on his former companion. Sarah Jane looked around the room with that beautiful clever smile of hers as Finch introduced her, “May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith. Miss Smith is a journalist who’s writing a profile about me for TheSundayTimes.”

“I thought it might be useful for her to get a view from the trenches, so to speak.” As Mr. Finch spoke Sarah Jane looked about the room trying to see who might be more likely to reveal something that could aid in her investigation. She made sure to keep an open expression and a sweet smile on face as she did so. She knew from experience that not only did you catch more flies with honey, but that being underestimated as a sweet naive girl could be your greatest weapon if you knew how to wield it. And Sarah Jane was taught by the best, the Advisor. Mr. Finch had certainly fallen victim to it as he soon left saying, “Don’t spare my blushes.”

As soon as the headmaster left Sarah Jane made eye contact with a young male teacher with a bit of a goofy grin on his face. He seemed the perfect sort of person to question so she quickly approached him with a bright smile to match his grin, “Hello.” she said kindly.

“Oh, I should think so.” he replied with breathless enthusiasm. Her smile faltered a bit in confusion at his words and the almost giddy excitement he seemed to be exuding. ‘Perhaps a fan of my journalism work’, she thought as she shook off her hesitation and focused back on the case, if he was a fan it may work out to her advantage. “And you are?”, she asked pleasantly, some of her confusion slipping into her voice.

The question, at the very least, seemed to bring him back to himself as he stuttered out an answer, “Mmm? Uh, Smith. John Smith.” 

That name, that silly, little, common name, brought a wave of nostalgia, but, surprisingly, no pain, as her mind once again went back to the Doctor. This time focusing on the fun times full of laughter and adventure and cleverness. Her smile now carried those memories in it and she couldn’t help but reminisce aloud, her voice a bit more genuine as she thought back to those beautiful times, “John Smith? I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name.”

“Well, it's a very common name.” Mr. Smith replied brightly.

“He was a very uncommon man.” Sarah Jane couldn’t help but hug herself a bit as her eyes looked off at days gone by. She quickly brought herself back to the present and held out her hand, “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you! Yes. Very nice. More than nice. Brilliant.” Well, it seemed Mr. Smith’s excitement had remained despite her emotional detour to the past.

“So, have you worked here long?” She asked hesitantly, still taken aback by such enthusiasm. A small thought niggled at the back of her mind but she set it aside in favor of focusing on her investigation. 

Mr. Smith finally seemed to calm down a bit at the question, “No, it's only my second day.”

“Oh, you’re new, then?” She would have preferred a staff member who would have witnessed the change in the school, but perhaps a fresh pair of eyes would have some valuable insight as well. And this being his second day would mean that he wouldn't have much staff loyalty to hold his tongue.

“So what do you think of the school?” She moved closer to him, shedding quite a few layers of subtlety. She decided to take a small leap of faith and got down to business. “I mean, this new curriculum, so many children getting ill. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

Mr. Smith’s smile was bright and mischievous as he replied in a low voice, “You don’t sound like someone just doing a profile.”

“Well, no harm in a little investigation while I’m here.” She excused. She was a well known investigative journalist, it would be more suspicious of her to truly be more focused on doing a puff piece on some headmaster. Besides, all the best secrets are hidden in plain sight.

Mr. Smith seemed to agree, replying as she walked away, "No, good for you. Good for you.” She made her way to another staff member to interview. Her mind now completely focused on the case, pushing all other thoughts to the back of her mind to review later.

That night, the Advisor kept watch as Sarah Jane jimmied open the window to one of Deffry Vale’s classrooms. Once she got it open they helped her in before she turned to do the same. Finally, with both of them successfully inside the Advisor took a deep breath as they felt something tentatively brush up against their mind, they turned to Sarah Jane, “You go along dear. Don’t let me get in the way of your investigation. I’m going to seek out the T.A.R.D.I.S, I can already sense her from here. At the very least, she can update me on what trouble my husband has gotten himself into.”

And how much damage control I’ll have to do, they thought to themselves.

Sarah Jane hesitated slightly before nodding and making her way out of the classroom on quiet feet. The Advisor sighed a bit in worry as they stared after her. They were well aware of Sarah Jane’s worries about them leaving, but all they could do is prove to her that leaving doesn’t have to be synonymous with abandonment. And that is something that can only be done with time, not even the T.A.R.D.I.S. can speed things up. So, the Advisor set those feelings of worry to the side and set about their self-appointed mission. 

They followed the T.A.R.D.I.S. 's mental nudging, amusement filling their chest as they felt the sentient ship’s excitement grow the closer they got. Along with a hint of impatience that had the Advisor chuckling as they neared the door to a cupboard space that the T.A.R.D.I.S. had led them to. “You, my dear, are far too like your pilot.” they said as they opened the door with their sonic pen and was greeted with the sight of the T.A.R.D.I.S. ‘s beautiful blue exterior. 

“How is my Renegade husband, by the way?” the Advisor asked softly, laying a hand near reverently on those familiar wooden doors. “I hope he hasn’t been giving you too much trouble. Or vise-versa.” They gave the ship a Look at the ‘innocent’ hum they got in response.

“You may fool the Doctor, but I know very well that some of those adventures of his were your doing.” the Advisor reprimanded, but they couldn’t help the smile that overcame their lips as the T.A.R.D.I.S. ‘s presence shrouded them like a familiar weighted blanket. 

They were brought back to themself at the sound of rushing footsteps not long before Sarah Jane rushed into the cupboard and proceeded to quickly turn and quietly closing the door. The Advisor watched as she started to slowly back away from the door before making their presence known, “Ahem.” 

Sarah Jane whirled around with a sharp gasp that turned into a sigh of relief as she registered who it was. She went to say something when her eyes finally caught on to the magnificent ship the Advisor stood in front of. “You found her.” was what came out instead, her whispering voice was filled with nostalgic awe.

“I did.” The Advisor replied gently, their smile audible in their voice. But they could see that Sarah Jane was getting overwhelmed, so they went and laid a tender but firm arm around her guiding her out of the cupboard. Though once the two of them had exited, the Advisor took notice of a muted presence in the hall. They looked up and locked eyes with a brown eyed stare much like their own in that they too held many a lifetime more than appearances would lead you to believe.

Sarah Jane followed their gaze when she felt them step away, eyes still wide and slightly overwhelmed. The familiar presence spoke in a strained whisper, eyes still locked with the Advisor, “Who are you?”

The Advisor smiled back a small, but genuine, smile, “I think you know.”, their voice tinged with the beginnings of tears. The Doctor’s own eyes shined as he walked forward and reached out hesitantly as though the Advisor would disappear at his touch. His hand made contact, gently cupping the Advisor’s cheek when they stayed there with no signs of disappearing. “Advisor?” He asked in disbelief, his voice cracked under the emotions rushing through his body.

“Hello, my starlight. It’s been far too long.” The use of the Advisor’s favorite pet-name seemed to be the breaking point for the Doctor. He surged forward, wrapping his arms around the spouse he thought dead even before he ended the Time War. The Advisor clung to their husband just as tightly. 

Sarah Jane stood back, unable to divert her eyes as these strong ancient beings broke down into tears in each other's arms. A few stray tears of her own slipped down her face at the breathtaking reunion. 

The Advisor leaned back slightly, soothing the Doctor’s whine of discontent by lightly squeezing the slightly taller Gallifreyan’s waist where their arms still lay wrapped around him. “I knew I’d find you where the trouble was.” they chuckled wetly.

The Doctor, finally remembering what brought him here, stepped out his spouse’s arm, sniffing loudly, but kept hold of one of the Advisor’s hands in a desperate grip. “Right, yeah,” he said wetly, wiping the tears from his face, before slightly frowning in confusion when he remembered who else was in the hall with them, “What are you doing here with Sarah Jane?”

“They were visiting me.” Sarah Jane finally spoke as she stepped towards the two aliens. “They visit all of your old companions, ever since they were stranded. They visited us while waiting for you.” An old sadness tainted her last words but she quickly moved on before either could comment on it, “You look incredible, by the way.”

The Doctor looked down at himself in confusion before he realized what she was getting at, “Right, regenerated about half a dozen times we last met. You look incredible as well.” Sarah Jane just gave a slight laugh of weak derision, “I got old.” She rebuked, making the Advisor frown at the self-deprecation in her voice, but they stayed silent and let the Doctor handle it. This was between the two of them, and it was something Sarah Jane dearly needed.

Before anything more could be said, a shrill scream rang through the school. The Time-Lords turned towards the noise, Sarah Jane’s eyes widened and she couldn’t help but quip, “Well, this brings back memories.” she turned to the couple with a smile, “Like old times.” The Doctor grinned back as they ran off to investigate. The Advisor couldn’t help but roll their eyes as the Doctor almost dragged them from their still clasped hands, ‘Adrenaline junkies, the lot of them.’

The trio soon ran into, almost literally, a young woman with blonde hair. She and the Doctor seemed to recognize each other. “Did you hear that?” she asked, breathless from running, she didn’t wait for an answer before noticing the two strangers with the alien, “Who’re they?” her eyes lingered on the Doctor and Advisor’s joint hands, confusion crossing over her face before dismissing them and focusing on the Doctor’s answer.

“Rose, Sarah Jane and the Advisor. Sarah Jane, Advisor, Rose.” He said, nodding to each of them respectively as he introduced them. He could help his slight hesitation in introducing the Advisor, he still couldn’t believe fae were alive and here , with Sarah Jane! His hand tightened slightly where it was wrapped around the Advisor’s, fae responded by rubbing faer thumb gently over the back of his hand.

“Hi. Nice to meet you.” Sarah Jane’s smile was strained as she stretched out a hand to shake Rose’s. She turned back to the Doctor, unable to resist teasing him, “You can tell you’re getting older, your assistants are getting younger.” The Advisor tutted in mocking disapproval and lightly tapped her arm as punishment. Rose, however, did not find this at all humorous, “I’m not his assistant.” she rebuked, offended.

The Advisor decided to step in so as to not let this rise out of hand, “Sarah Jane meant no offense to you. She only meant to poke fun at the Doctor. I believe the correct term would be ‘companion’. It's what I’ve always called those dragged into the Doctor’s adventures.” Their voice was calm throughout their explanation but it only served to turn Rose’s attention to them.

“Who are you again? What type of name is the Advisor?” She asked rapidly as she took in the strange man still holding hands with the Doctor. Her eyes lingered on his white hair and outdated suit, and once again on the pair of joint hands, before looking between him and the Doctor for an explanation.

“I’d imagine that it would be the same type of name as ‘The Doctor’.” he replied patiently with a raised brow. Rose’s own eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as her eye moved rapidly between the (two?) aliens. “But that would mean…But that’s not possible! The Doctor told me they were all gone!”

“Well, I suppose he would have. Considering he thought I had died in the War." The Advisor couldn’t help but be short with the young human when the Doctor’s grip on their hand had tightened almost painfully. His hurt and grief was so strong that it echoed through the Advisor’s mind. They took a deep breath and brought everyone back to focusing on why they were together in the first place, “Now, I believe someone screamed, perhaps we should get back to finding out who and why.” The Doctor, eager to leave the conversation, nodded and quickly walked away with the Advisor leaving Sarah Jane and Rose to follow slightly shamefaced.

The source of the scream turned out to be a young man around Rose’s age. They found him scrambling to pick up packages of what appeared to be yellow rats scattered across the floor. He quickly noticed them as they approached and started apologizing, “Sorry! Sorry, it was only me.” The four of them moved closer, taking in the scene as he continued rambling, “You told me to investigate so I started looking through these cupboards and all these fell out on me.”

“Oh, my God, they’re rats.” Rose realized in disgusted disbelief as the Doctor knelt down to inspect them, “Dozens of rats. Vacuum-packed rats!”

“And you decided to scream?” The Doctor asked, unimpressed, as he stood back up still holding one of the rats. “It took me by surprise.” the young man defended. “And it was perfectly reasonable to react that way.” the Advisor soothed before turning to their husband who immediately adopted a face of dread once he saw the Advisor’s unimpressed expression, “And if you think that he should be embarrassed for it then I have plenty of stories I’m sure you wouldn’t want to come to light.”

“Thanks.” the young man in question said, surprised and impressed by the stranger’s defense of him, he held out a hand, “I’m Mickey, by the way. Mickey Smith.” The stranger smiled politely as he shook Mickey’s hand, “The Advisor, and, yes, I am a Timelord. And this is Sarah Jane Smith.” he replied, gesturing to the woman next to him. Mickey nodded to her, still distracted by finding out that the kind strange man was the same species as the Doctor.

“Hello, can we focus?” Rose cut in, making them all turn to her, “Has anyone noticed anything strange about this? Rats in school?”

“Well, obviously, they use them in biology lessons, they dissect them.” Sarah Jane explained, which caused the Advisor to gently correct her, “Actually, dear, I remember Kate mentioning that animal dissection was no longer in practice once when we were discussing how her son’s education was going.” Sarah Jane nodded in realization and looked back at the rats with a more calculating look in her eye.

“Anyway! Moving on…” The Doctor spoke up, capturing everyone’s attention, “Everything started when Mr. Finch arrived. We should go and check his office.” With that he tossed the sealed rat he was holding to Mickey, startling the poor boy, and strutted off grabbing the Advisor’s hand again on his way out.

The five of them walked through the dark hallways of the school, the Doctor and the Advisor hand in hand with Sarah Jane walking alongside the Advisor and Rose doing the same next to the Doctor. Mickey decided to hang back looking around the shadowed halls suspiciously. Leaning across the two aliens, Rose decided to resume her earlier interrogation, this time focusing more on Sarah Jane, “I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you?”

The two women left the married couple’s sides to walk in front of them as they talked. “Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor.” the older woman replied, nodding her head back at said Timelord. “Oh! Well, he’s never mentioned ya.” Rose said ‘innocently’.

“Oh, I must’ve done.” The Doctor quickly tried cutting in, making the Advisor shake faer head in disappointment at faer disaster of a husband, “Sarah Jane, I mention her all the time.” The Advisor tugged the Doctor back before he dug an even deeper hole for himself. Mickey joined them on the Advisor’s side as they watched Sarah Jane and Rose interact.

“Hold on,” Rose pretended to think, “sorry…never.” The Advisor couldn’t help but frown at how Rose was acting but fae knew that Sarah Jane had it handled, but that wouldn’t stop fae from offering support and advice.

“Well,” Sarah Jane’s voice let some of her pain slip through even as she pushed it aside, “I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised. Based on my talks with other past companions of his, he doesn’t really talk about us with others. Excluding the Advisor, of course.” That last part caught Rose’s attention, wiping the smugness she failed to hide from her face, “What does that mean, ‘of course’? Why would he tell the Advisor but not other companions?” she asked, incredulous.

Sarah Jane looked at her confused before realizing the Doctor had thought the Advisor was dead, Rose didn’t know. “Well, because they’re married.” she explained gently as she looked at Rose almost pityingly.

“What?!” Rose and Mickey chorused, whipping their heads around to stare at said couple in disbelief.

The Doctor startled before shushing them, “Shh, shh. Yes, we’re married. Is that really so surprising?” he asked, offended.

“But, I thought you liked women?” Mickey blurted out before blushing. The Advisor simply chuckled lightly, “He does, or rather he doesn’t have a preference towards any particular gender. I believe the human English term that best fits is ‘pansexual’. Besides, I myself don’t identify as any particular gender at the moment. I don’t mind the use of masculine or feminine pronouns though. Sarah Jane tends to use the more gender-neutral ‘they/them’, which is perfectly fine as well.” Fae explained patiently. 

The two young humans nodded slowly though fae could tell that they were confused at some of the terminology fae used, especially regarding pronouns. Rose in particular appeared to be struggling with coming to terms with the Doctor’s apparent marriage. She turned her heel and walked ahead of the group, her thoughts and emotions racing wildly.

Once the group arrived at the Headmaster’s office the Doctor reluctantly let go of the Advisor’s hand to kneel down and try to use his sonic screwdriver on the lock. “Maybe those rats were food.” he theorized aloud as he worked. 

“Food for what?” Rose asked just as the door unlocked.

The Doctor immediately opened it and looked inside the dark office. A subtle hissing sound made him look up, “Rose.” he started casually in a low voice, not taking his eyes away from the sight, “You know how you used to think all the teachers slept in the school?” The Doctor slowly crept into the room allowing the other to follow and see what caught his attention as the Doctor continued in a bare whisper, “Well, they do.”

The three humans stared up in absolute shock while the Advisor had a look of calculating interest. Hanging upside down from the ceiling were at least a dozen giant bat-like creatures, seemingly asleep with their thin leathery wings wrapped around their large, bony bodies. “No way!” Mickey barely kept from shouting as he immediately turned and ran. 

The rest of the group quickly followed, but the Doctor and the Advisor took one last assessing look as they closed the door. As the couple made their way back to their companions they heard an echoing screech coming from the office.

“I am not going back there. No way!” Mickey exclaimed as he ran out of the school doors with Rose, the rest of the group not far behind. Rose was panting from adrenaline as she asked, perplexed, “Those were teachers?”

“When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers,” The Doctor expounded as he, the Advisor, and Sarah Jane approached Mickey and Rose, “four dinner ladies and a nurse, 13. Thirteen big bat people. Come on.” He turned to head back into the school with Rose and Sarah Jane automatically moving to follow. The Advisor and Mickey, however, stayed back with Mickey exclaiming, “You’ve got to be kidding.”

The Doctor looked at the only two beings in their group that had any sense of self-preservation, “I need the T.A.R.D.I.S.” he said impatiently, “I’ve got to analyse that oil from the kitchen.” The Advisor and Sarah Jane shared a look at that. Sarah Jane turned back to the Doctor, excited, “We might be able to help you there. We’ve got something to show you.” She smiled as took the Advisor and the Doctor’s hands leaving Rose and Mickey to follow.

She led the group to where her car was parked and popped open the boot. Inside was a mass of flannel blankets that the Doctor moved aside to reveal a beaten up robot that vaguely resembled a dog. Despite the poor condition of the machine, the Doctor lit up at the sight, “K9!” he crowed in delight. Sarah Jane and the Advisor couldn’t help but smile at his joy while Rose and Mickey stared in unimpressed confusion. Excited, the Doctor turned to the baffled humans, “Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, allow me to introduce K9. Well,” he backtracked, “K9 Mark 3 to be precise.”

Rose stared down at the robot dog, flummoxed, “Why does he look so…disco?” she asked. The Doctor turned to her with an offended expression, “Oi! Listen, in the year 5000 this was cutting edge.” He went back to looking over his old robotic friend as he posed his next question to Sarah Jane and the Advisor, “What’s happened to him?”

“One day, just…” Sarah Jane shrugged helplessly with a scoff, “nothing.” The Doctor looked to the Advisor more information. Fae shrugged as well, “When you left him here he wasn’t in the best condition. I could only do so much with my sonic pen when he was missing parts that hadn’t yet been developed. Not even your friend, Sir Alistair’s, resources could help. And it's not like I’m an expert at this type of technology.” Fae explained.

“You met the Brigadier?” The Doctor couldn’t help but ask in surprise. The Advisor shot a light reprimanding look response, “Yes, I believe Sarah Jane had mentioned that I kept in contact with your old companions. Unlike some people. Now can we please focus. I know you always keep parts from various time periods on you. Can you think of anything you have that might help?”

The Doctor made a face at the jab but nodded his assent, “Yeah, I can think of a few things.” he said before crouching down to coo at K9, “Ooh, what’s the nasty people done to you, eh?” The Advisor rolled faer eyes fondly along with Sarah Jane as the Doctor stroked the robot's head. Meanwhile, Mickey also crouched down looking at the odd scene, absolutely baffled, and Rose couldn’t help but glare to the side in annoyance.

“Look, no offence, but you just stop petting for a minute?” Rose finally spoke up, snapping, “Nevermind the tin dog, we’re busy.” With that the group piled into Sarah Jane’s car and drove off.

The group decided to stop at a chip shop, the Doctor, the Advisor, and Sarah Jane setting up K9 at one of the tables while Rose and Mickey ordered some food. As the Advisor observed the Doctor’s work fae glanced up to meet Sarah Jane’s eyes. When fae saw her hesitant expression, fae smiled encouragingly and nodded faer head to the Doctor.

Sarah Jane spoke up, “I thought of you on Christmas Day, this Christmas just gone. The Advisor did too.” she started, “Great big spaceship overhead, I thought, ‘Oh, yeah! Bet he’s up there.’ The Advisor was out of the country but they called me asking for me to ‘keep them updated on what their idiot husband had gotten himself into now!’” She chuckled, which turned into a laugh when the Doctor aimed an offended “Oi!” at the Advisor. Fae just smiled serenely, a mischievous glimmer in faer eyes.

The Doctor grumbled about his mean spouse before deciding to just ignore faer and turned his attention back to Sarah Jane, “Yeah, was right on top of it.” he said. Sarah Jane hesitated, “And Rose?” she asked. “She was there, too.” he replied half focused on the conversation as he soniced one of K9’s wires. Sarah Jane looked down as she asked the question that’s been plaguing her all these years, “Why did you never come back for me?”

The Doctor turned to her, “I told you, I was called back home and in those days humans weren’t allowed.” he excused. But Sarah Jane wouldn’t let him off that easy, “No, I understand that. But that doesn’t explain why you couldn’t find me afterwards. You didn’t stop travelling. I’ve met some of the companions you travelled with, after me. But why did you never come back? Not even to visit? I waited for you. I missed you.” Despite the emotions coursing through her, Sarah Jane kept her voice soft and calm as she spoke.

“Oh, you didn’t need me.” The Doctor looked down at the wires he was fiddling with, and weakly tried brushing off with a smile, “You were getting on with your life.” Sarah Jane wasn’t quite ready to let it go, not without some last words, “ You’re right. I didn’t need you, now matter how long I thought I did. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t want you in my life. I loved you, you were my best friend.” He reached out and gently gripped her hand, squeezing it softly in acknowledgement of her pain. He looked up into her eyes, finally acknowledging the pain and grief and love in them. No more words were said, no words could be said, just two old friends finally getting some closure.

They broke eye contact, the Doctor going back to fixing up K9 and Sarah Jane turned to the Advisor to smile gratefully for all they’ve done to help get her to this point. She decided to lighten the mood a bit, “It wasn’t Croydon.” she remarked lightly, “Where you dropped me off, it wasn’t Croydon.” The Doctor arched a brow in confusion, “Where was it?”

“Aberdeen.” Sarah Jane deadpanned in false annoyance. “Right.” the Doctor took that information in, “That’s next to Croydon, isn’t it?” The Advisor and Sarah Jane shared a Look that filled the Doctor with dread. The last thing he needs is those two conspiring against him. To his dismay, he was proved right when the Advisor spoke up, “I did tell you, dear. There’s a reason he never got his licence.”

“Oi!” the Doctor complained, “What else have you been telling her about me?!” The Advisor chuckled knowingly as fae patted his hand, “Only the truth, Starlight.” they ‘soothed’, “Only the truth.” The Doctor half-heartedly grumbled but gently grabbed the Advisor’s hand just as K9 whirred to life. The Doctor’s mood did a 180° at the sound, “Oh, hey!” he exclaimed, beaming as he slapped the table in excitement, “Now we’re in business!”