A FRESH START
Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart sighed, and gazed at the woman seated opposite him. Long auburn hair framed a stern face, and he had come to regard her opinion highly. Not that it made her request any easier to accept. "Miss Shaw, have you really thought this through?"
"I've done nothing but think it through," Liz Shaw told him. "We both knew that this would only be a temporary arrangement, and…"
"Yes, I know." The Brigadier agreed. "And you've been a welcome asset to us – the Doctor especially. I know that I, for one, would be sad to see you go."
"That's as maybe," she said quickly, "but you must understand my position. If I stay here then opportunities will pass me by. I've already lost one post at Cambridge. And as for the Doctor – oh, he is so…"
He smiled. "Well, I know he can be a little awkward at times…"
"Alistair, you have no idea!" It was rare for Liz to be so informal. "That man can be so infuriating. I know he doesn't really mean it, but I always feel as if I'm in the way these days." She was warming to her theme. "I don't know what he does in that Police Box of his, but he spends hours in there, and I feel like… like a spare part!"
The Brigadier sympathised. The Doctor could be impossible to deal with. He tried again. "Miss Shaw, you have proved to be of invaluable help to the Doctor – he's said so himself."
"In the beginning, perhaps," she admitted. "But ever since that business with the Inferno project I feel as if I'm being shut out more and more. And to be truthful he doesn't need another scientist. All the Doctor needs is someone to tell him how wonderful he is, and that's not me." Liz lowered her eyes, not wanting to meet the Brigadier's gaze. "You know I really can't stay on. I need my life back."
Abruptly she rose from her seat and was out of the office before the Brigadier could say another word.
Later, when the knock came at her door Liz did not answer. Instead she continued with her packing. She did not even turn around when the door opened. "Liz?"
"Leave me alone, please," she said. "Just leave me alone."
"You know I can't do that."
She heard him walk toward her, felt his hands on her shoulders, gently turning her around to face him. Saw the hurt on his face. "Alistair, please…"
He was insistent. "Liz, we can't leave it like this. I need you."
"You can find another scientist."
"You know that's not what I mean." He kissed her then, and she did not resist. When she did pull away after a moment, she let her head rest on his shoulder as he held her. "Liz, I can't stop you from leaving, but we can't let this end here."
She looked at him. "I never meant for us to fall in love."
"And I never planned for it to happen." They sat down on the bed. They were in a billet that had been specially set up for Liz once she had accepted her UNIT posting. It had been a useful place to stay if work went on late into the night. And it now served as a quiet place for two people to talk freely.
He spoke, not looking at her. "When Fiona left me, it hit me very hard. I decided then not to involve myself with anyone for a long time. So I let the job carry me through the worst of the pain. And then I saw you properly, Liz, for the first time."
She shook her head. "Alistair, don't…"
"You helped to give my life a purpose again. Something I didn't think was possible." He took her hands in his. "Good Lord, Liz. I can't let you go now."
"Alistair, I don't want to go, but you know that I have to. Besides," she added, "I doubt you could commute daily to Cambridge." She noted his confusion. "There's a university posting there. I've applied for it."
He seemed surprised at this. "Teaching?"
"Oh, I know how many beans make five, Alistair." She stood up from the bed and looked down at him. "You and me, it's happened all too quickly. I need to get my bearings, get my life back in order, before I can think about anything else."
He nodded. "And in the meantime?"
"In the meantime, you have a job to do." She resumed her packing. "What was it you said when we first met? 'We deal with the odd, the unexplained.' If the last few months are anything to go by, you'll have a busy time of it after I'm gone. No time to sit idly by, if I know you. And no time for anything - or anyone else."
Alistair watched as Liz folded the last of her clothes, and zipped up her overnight bag. Once she was out of that door, he realised that Liz would be out of his life. He also saw that she was letting him down gently. "You think it's for the best then?"
She met his gaze. "Don't you?"
The folder sat on his desk, unread. It had been two weeks since Liz Shaw had left for Cambridge, and there had been no communication from her in that time. She had been right, of course. Given the nature of his work, it would have been impossible to continue a long-distance relationship. She might as well have been on the other side of the world. But her leaving had been on the cards for some time, and Alistair did understand her reasons. He had recognised Liz's need for a clean break from UNIT – away from him. At least she understood about his work. Fiona had never really known what his job entailed. And for perhaps the first time he realised how his wife had felt, and why she had had no other option but to divorce him.
The Brigadier at last turned his attention to the folder. Inside was an application for a UNIT posting. He read the details. Normally the application wouldn't have got this far, but it seemed a high-ranking government official had pulled some strings for his niece. Nevertheless she was fully qualified, but with a distinct lack of experience. All she needed was a chance.
He would study the application more closely a little later. Right now, there were a mass of reports to sift through, all needing his approval and signature. Lethbridge Stewart allowed himself a rueful smile. All things considered, it was time for a fresh start.