AUTHORS' NOTE:

Well, we are finally here: the very last story of this arc, in which we have just one rule: it's all canon. If you've just joined us, this series begins with "The Long Road Home," in which Sarah Jane finds a man with no memory bleeding on her doorstep. The following stories, "Be Careful What You Wish For," "Five Doctors and a Baby," and "A Complicated Space-Time Event" chronicle their adventures, and now we are ready to wrap things up.

As we said, the rule is that ultimately, everything in this series will fit with canon, as far as what has appeared ONSCREEN IN DOCTOR WHO. Please note that while we WILL be conforming to Torchwood onscreen canon, we specifically said that we are NOT conforming to The Sarah Jane Adventures, so please don't try and figure out how we're going to get Luke to the Bubble Shock factory. :) (Everything else is fair game, though!)

At any rate, we've been promising you that the 10th Doctor would show up at some point, if he wasn't around already, and this is the story. The question is … when? Is John Tinker really the 10th Doctor? Is he the duplicate? Is he someone else entirely? We already know how it's going to end, but we're interested in what you think will happen, and what you hope will happen.

We'd like to think that this story stands on its own, but we do encourage you to at least go back and read "The Long Road Home" and "Be Careful What You Wish For" before you start, as they do lay a LOT of groundwork.

Finally, by popular request we are returning to our regular Wednesday/Saturday posting schedule, so this one should just move along pretty quickly.

Thanks for sticking with us, and your reviews and comments are always appreciated!

London, 1997

John Tinker looked at his watch for what seemed like the hundredth time as he sat in the hallway outside Brigadier Bambera's office. Sarah Jane was almost an hour late.

He was starting to worry. She knew how important this meeting was; there must be a good reason she wasn't here yet, and that could only mean one thing: trouble.

Sarah Jane came hurrying down the corridor. "I'm so sorry, John, I just lost track of time." She ran up and hugged him tightly. This was the third time in the past two years that an investigation had gotten out of hand, and she was sure he was going to try and put his foot down.

He hugged her back. "Lost track of time? You didn't answer your mobile, and I was worried sick! What happened?"

"Nothing too serious, John, a couple of thugs tried to stop me, that's all. I was about to escape when Jack showed up. It's a good thing he was in town."

"Sarah Jane," he said, ignoring her comment about Jack, "the phrases 'nothing too serious' and 'a couple of thugs' don't belong in the same sentence. This is getting out of hand. You've had so many phones confiscated I'm beginning to think we should buy stock in Motorola. We can't keep on like this."

There it is, she thought. "It's alright," she insisted. "I just left my mobile in the car." She girded her loins; she loved her work as an investigative journalist, and as much as she loved John, he was just going to have to understand that.

He paused. "You do still have the car, right? It hasn't been pushed off a cliff, or blown up, or flattened in a car crusher or anything?"

She laughed. "No, it's fine, everything is alright."

John hugged her again. "I'm just glad you're alright." He was quiet for a moment. "Here I was sitting here thinking about how ironic it would be to lose you just when I was retiring to spend more time with you."

She enjoyed his embrace. Had he seemed so … frail when she'd left that morning? Or had it been the stress of worrying about her? She held him out at arm's length to look at him. She was so used to seeing him, day in and day out, that in her head he was still the relatively young man she'd met two decades ago. Now, in his worry, she saw what everyone else saw: a man approaching his mid-sixties and in ill health.

'Ill health,' she repeated to herself. 'Talk about an understatement.'

Sarah Jane looked in his eyes and saw all of the love that was there. She knew he was unhappy with her putting herself in danger - again. Yet he still loved her, and he wanted her to be happy. And there was only one way to do that.

"Well, then," she said, "I'll just have to retire with you."

He did a double-take. "Wait, what?"

"If you're going to retire, I'm going to retire. I still have the books, and if you're going to be home to spend more time with me, then I suppose I'd better be there."

He didn't say anything, a relieved smile crossing his face as he kissed her and held her tight. "I love you, Sarah Jane Tinker. And I love my life."

Until her adventure in Cadbury with the Doctor and the recently un-retired Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart several months ago, Brigadier Winifred Bambera had tried to keep UNIT's business in Britain to mostly typical United Nations-type business, leaving the more extraordinary events to other organizations. Since then, however, she'd taken Lethbridge-Stewart's advice and made more use of her "Xenotechnology Expert" and unofficial scientific advisor, allowing UNIT's British division to become involved in cases she'd never before contemplated. "I'll tell you the truth, Mr. Tinker," she said, looking at the collection of objects on her desk, "I have absolutely no idea how this collection of rubbish was supposed to destroy the Earth, but I'm willing to take your word for it."

John Tinker nodded. "Thank you, ma'am."

Bambera sighed. "I can see why Lethbridge-Stewart and Crichton put such faith in you. There aren't too many people who can say they've had such a direct role in saving the world so many times, particularly staying off to the sidelines as you manage to do. Are you sure I can't tempt you to come back to work full-time?"

John smiled. "I'm afraid that I'm not the one you need to convince."

Sarah Jane lovingly squeezed his shoulder. "Sorry Brigadier, but you'll simply have to settle for John working part time. We really can't go against his doctor's orders to get more rest. So that means that I've got first dibs on John's time from now on. We're planning to spend more time with each other and our family."

"We've got teenagers now, and that's enough work for anybody," John smiled. "Though I admit sometimes it's easier to save the world."

"I'll have to take your word for that, Mr. Tinker." Bambera looked over a file on her desk. "In the meantime, I suppose we'll have to settle for your services on an 'on call' basis." She stood up and held out a hand to him. "Enjoy your retirement."

He shook her hand, "Thank you, ma'am, I am very much looking forward to it."

She shook Sarah Jane's hand too, and then both Mr. and Mrs. Tinker said their goodbyes and headed out the door.

Harry Sullivan walked up to them, smiling. "Ah, my favorite couple. I say, John old man, since I'm in town for a visit, can I trouble you one last time before you walk out the door? I promise it'll just take a moment or so."

"Harry!" John said, shaking his hand. "I didn't know you were coming into town! Of course, of course, whatever you like."

"I have everything set up in this room," Harry said as he motioned for John to follow him.

As soon as John walked into the room he could see a huge sign saying "Good Luck, John, We'll Miss You." He looked around to see party decorations all over the room as dozens of old friends and co-workers suddenly shouted out, "Surprise!"

John jumped, startled. "My goodness!" he said. "I'm just retiring, I'm not leaving town," he joked. Still, he found himself a bit overwhelmed, and looked for a chair.

Harry rushed to his side. "Are you all right, old boy? Do you need your medication, or to go to sick bay?"

"Harry," John said, catching his breath, "you haven't been gone SO long that a little surprise like this is going to kill me." He laughed. "I'm just … it's wonderful to see everyone," he said. He looked sidelong at Harry. "Heavens, Harry, do I look THAT bad?"

"Not at all buddy, in fact, I think you look great," Jack Harkness said as he walked up to them. He looked over at Harry. "Wouldn't you say he looks great for his age? But then who wouldn't look great if they had the radiantly beautiful Sarah Jane Tinker standing by their side. Hello, gorgeous," Jack said as he leaned over to kiss Sarah's cheek.

Sarah was holding John's hand and didn't let go of it as she kissed Jack's cheek in return.

Jack could see that she was quietly taking John's pulse without arousing his suspicion.

"Of course you're doing well, darling. And after today, you haven't a care in the world," Sarah said, smiling at her husband. Then she looked over at Harry and smiled nervously to let him know John's pulse had slowed down to a reasonable rate. Suddenly she was grateful that she'd decided to retire and spend more time with him.

"Oh, for goodness' sake," John said, standing up and heading for the punch bowl, "one near heart attack and everyone treats you like you're sick or something. I'm just going down to on-call, I'm not disappearing." He turned to face Sarah Jane directly, and smiled. "Now is this a surprise party or a funeral?"

"A surprise party, my love," answered Sarah Jane as she headed over to the punch bowl with him.

"Let's have some music, and bring on the dancing girls," smiled Jack.

"You better be joking," said Sarah over her shoulder at their old friend.

"I, for one, am hoping he isn't," smiled Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart as he entered the room. His wife Doris playfully slapped him, then walked over to John and Sarah to give them both a hug.

"Brigadier!" John shouted. "Goodness, it really is old home week."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," the Brig said.

"Did someone say dancing girls," asked John and Sarah's son Sid as he walked in behind the Brig.

"You're too young to drive here on your own, you're too young for dancing girls," John said, giving his 15-year old a hug. "Where are your siblings?"

"In the hall talking with Brigadier Bambera," he sighed. He spotted Jack and headed over to him, smiling. "How's it going, Uncle Jack," he asked in his best "fellow man of the world" voice.

"Hey, Sid," Jack smiled. "Pretty good, have some punch, the dancing girls are later."

Luke and Lisa Ann came in and walked over to their parents to give them a hug.

"Right, there's Sid and Uncle Jack," said Lisa Ann as she rolled her eyes. "They're probably talking about the fast life. You know, fast cars, fast music and fast women."

"Lisa Ann," Sarah scolded her. "You're far too precocious for your age. Kindly speak like a polite young lady and keep your opinions of your brother to yourself.

"Sorry mother, but he's such an annoying git at times," Lisa Ann said. "Don't worry, I'll be on my best behavior for you and daddy, but really you need to put a leash on Sid, mum.

Sarah Jane turned her head to look at what her daughter was talking about. There was Sid with a glass of punch in his hand, trying to look very grown up as he chatted up one of the secretaries.

She sighed. "John, go get him away from that poor girl and have a word with him, please." She thought about asking Jack to talk to him, but knew that Jack would end up trying to pick up the secretary as well. She shook her head as she wondered what the next few years would be like with a house full of teenagers. She could swear she felt grey hair trying to push it's way out onto her head.

She and John knew they were good kids, but they were growing up and with that came all the worries, stress and the emotional growing pains of all teens. Sid fancied himself a ladies man, Lisa Ann of course, saw herself as chic and sophisticated, and Luke, well, he was still trying to find himself and where he fit in to the grand scheme of life.

Sarah was his mother, of course, but his biological father's DNA had turned out over the years to be completely dominant, and Luke was 100% Time Lord, as though he'd been cloned from the Doctor instead of fathered by him. That meant he'd aged only half as fast as his human siblings.

Looking as if he were ten when he was actually twenty made life especially difficult for Luke. He was handling it as best he could, but it was far from easy. Luke hated being treated like a child by people who didn't know him, and rightfully so. There were days when he would become sullen and quiet. Those were the days he spent in the attic, his private area where he could throw himself into his computer until he felt he could face the world again. His parents had learned that it was best to let him work things out for himself unless he came to them for guidance.

On the whole, Luke wasn't an unhappy person, he was just on his own level and not many people were his equal. He loved talking to his computer friends in something he called a chat room. It was only then that he felt as if he was just like everyone else and his outward appearance didn't mean a thing.

But still, here, in an environment where most people knew him - and had all his life - he felt comfortable, and he was smiling when Brigadier Bambera entered the room and began tapping a spoon on a glass.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" she asked, standing on a chair so that the assembled crowd could see her.

John looked over, curious.

"I have an announcement to make. Mister Tinker, could you please come here?"

John looked at her and then at Sarah Jane.

"Don't ask me," she shrugged. "I honestly have know idea what this is all about."

John headed towards Bambera.

Sarah Jane decided that she should be with him and quickly caught up with him. "Well, we're in this together, aren't we," she said with a sheepish smile.

"Always," he said, squeezing her arm. He smiled at Bambera. "You can't fire me, I'm already retired."

Everyone, including Bambera, laughed. "Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, could you please come here as well? I'd like you to take a hand in this with me."

The Brig approached skeptically. "You can't fire me either, I outrank you."

"Fire you? On the contrary, I want to beg you to come back and take this lot off my hands," answered Bambera.

"Oh no," the Brig said, "I have quite enough on my plate in Geneva, and now Peru seems to be heating up. I'm afraid you're stuck with this batch of miscreants." He wondered silently if he would even have been able to force himself to get away for this occasion, had he not already been on his way into London for the funeral of a friend.

When everyone had finished laughing, Bambera put her hand on John's shoulder. "As I'm sure your family and friends here know, Mr. Tinker, you are an amazing man. You have worked quietly and behind the scenes here at UNIT for many years, and yet, you have managed to make many significant and amazing changes both for UNIT and the world. You could have made a huge amount of money for yourself in your time here, but you chose instead to selflessly serve your country and your fellow man.

"You may have thought that your many good deeds have gone unnoticed," she continued, "but I can assure you, they have not. You have earned the regard and respect of everyone here who has had the privilege of working with you. Your many innovations have also come to the attention of Her Majesty the Queen, and she has asked me to give you this reward with her most grateful thanks to you." She opened a silk box with a ribbon inside it, then turned to Lethbridge-Stewart. "Sir, would you kindly share this happy task with me?"

Outwardly, the Brig smiled as he approached. Inwardly, he groaned. He'd worked hard to make sure that Crichton had known to keep the Tinker family "under the radar"; apparently, since Bambera had been initially uninterested in the type of mission where it mattered, Crichton hadn't felt it important to pass on that particular bit of advice to his protege. It was something the Brig would have the deal with later. "If anyone deserves it," he told John, "it's you."

For a moment, John didn't say anything, just staring at the box and its contents. "I … I don't know what to say," he finally squeaked.

"Well you gotta give some kind of speech," Jack said. "I think it's the law."

"Well, I …" John sat back down, still staring at the box. "When I first came here," he said quietly, "I had no idea who I was. I was literally a man with no past. I could have been anyone. I could have been a … psychotic axe murderer, or a spy, or an evil alien or something. But you all -" he squeezed Sarah Jane's hand "- all of you, you took me into your hearts and you gave me a future. You gave me a life, and a purpose, and I can't thank you all enough."

Sarah Jane squeezed John's hand in return and she leaned into her husband. He supported everything she did - even when he didn't agree that she should be doing it - and now it was his turn. She was so proud of him.

She looked around the room. They were surrounded by family and friends. If only John knew how much he had given her the day he came into her life. His love was everything to her. Because of him, she had an amazing husband, children and security. Her house had become a home, a place she loved to be instead of just a place to retreat from the world. He had brought out the best in her; she only hoped she had done as much for him. He deserved the best.

Jack started clapping and the room erupted in applause.

The party didn't run too late; most everyone there still had work to do, the kids had school the next day, and Harry finally sent John home to get some rest. That left Harry, Jack, and the Brigadier sitting amongst the confetti, each nursing a glass of freshly spiked punch.