A Soldier's Farewell

By Michael Weyer

It is said that when one passes away, there are few places better to wait for eternity than an English cemetery. The weather was perfect for it, nice and cool, the sun shining, a lovely late spring day in the United Kingdom. The people gathered in the small church weren't paying too much attention to the weather, however. The gathering was smaller than the official funeral which had been filled with various Army officers, four former Prime Ministers and even a few heads of state. That had been the funeral for the public. The second gathering in the small church was the one that, to the people gathered, truly mattered.

They were the ones who had known Brigadier General Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart the best.

Sarah Jane Smith had been through her share of funerals in the past but this was different. Like many, the loss of an old friend was a reminder of how age was catching up to her, something she never enjoyed. True, she'd lived a far longer and better life than she should have given all she'd been through but it was still jarring to face death like this. It wasn't herself so much as someone like this, someone who seemed to have far more a right to live than she could hope for.

She brushed at her black dress, making sure she looked proper. She didn't wear it that often but hoped that it would be a long time before she had to again. She felt a shadow fall over her and looked up at a smiling face framed by white hair. "Nice to see you again."
Sarah Jane smiled as she stood up and hugged Jo Grant. The other woman was also dressed in black but it looked good on her. "We keep meeting at funerals," Sarah couldn't help noting as they sat down.

Jo looked over toward the coffin standing at the front of the church, a Union Jack draped over it and her smile faded. "Too much to hope that this one is a fake too?"

Sarah nodded. "I thought the same. But games like that were never his style."

"No," Jo agreed, smiling. "No, they weren't. He was always direct with you. Always pushing you right in the face, never hiding what he felt."
"He was at that," Sarah smiled. "Of course, you had the backing of being the Doctor's assistant. I was the outsider, the reporter of all things. The grief he gave me when I started…"

"He was like that with everyone actually, miss," a strong voice announced. Sarah and Jo looked up to see a pair of men standing before them. Each was clad in an old-styled uniform as polished as it could be. One's hair was white, the other more silver, each with warm smiles as they took in the two women, who matched them with equal smiles as they rose.

"John Benton," Jo smiled as she hugged the first man. "Back in uniform?"

"Ah, dragged it out for this," the former sergeant said. "The car dealership doesn't give me much excuse to dress up."

Sarah Jane noted that Mike Yates appeared a bit uncomfortable in his uniform. "Mike," she said softly. "It's been years since you were fooled like that. He never blamed you for it, you know that."

"I know," the man said with a sigh. "It just…some days…" He quickly shook his head. "You're right, better to let it go for today." He smiled at her. "It's good to see you again, Sarah Jane. How long has it been?"

"Harry Sullivan's funeral," she noted with a sad smile in remembrance of her old friend. Mike nodded in sympathy as he rubbed her arm gently.

Seeking to change the mood quickly, Jo looked to Benton. "I don't suppose you heard from Liz Shaw?"

"Sadly, still stuck on the moon base," he answered. "She would have really liked to be here but hard to get a fast transport out." He looked over to the coffin and sighed. "It's hard to believe. All those adventures, all those threats and somehow, he ends up dying at an old age of the flu."

"He must have hated it," Mike said, chuckling. "He always figured he'd go out on a battlefield somehow."

"He had his unique ways," Sarah smiled. She giggled suddenly. "I'm sorry. I just remembered when we met him in Scotland and he was wearing that ridiculous kilt…"

"Oh, Lord, I missed that," Mike laughed with her. Jo was smiling as well at the very thought.

Sarah was looking over her shoulder when she saw a woman entering the church. She was attractive with short brown hair that had a few touches of grey, clad in a dark suit with heels. Sarah frowned as she came forward. "Tegan Jovanka?"

The woman looked to her and smiled. "It's been a while," she said in her Australian accent as she and Sarah quickly embraced.

"I had no idea you were coming," Sarah said.

"I was in town already for a meeting with some human rights groups," Tegan explained. "When I read about it in the paper, I had to come."

It took only a few moments for Sarah to make the introductions to the others. Tegan was glancing around with curiosity and Sarah Jane made a small smile. "He's not here. Not yet at least."

Tegan took that in and sighed. "I don't know what I'll say to him. Last time I saw him it…well, it didn't end well."

"That happens," Jo noted. "He can't be tied down, we all know that."

"I'm assuming he's changed his appearance again?" Benton asked.

Sarah and Jo nodded. "We ran into him a bit back," Jo said. "He was on his 11th body."

Tegan raised her eyebrows. "That far along, eh?" Her eyes grew sad. "Damn. That means he only has two left."

"Maybe not," Sarah Jane said. "He'd hinted things might have changed with that."

Yates was looking about. "Hang on. You mean that whole thing with him able to change faces was true?"

Tegan nodded. "Yep. I was with his fifth persona when he got into an adventure with three of his kind."

"The old man and the one dressed like a hobo?" Jo asked. At Tegan's confirming nod, Jo smirked. "At least his dress sense has improved…"

The doors made a loud sound opening as everyone turned to look toward the entrance. A trio of people were emerging. Two were young, a handsome man with brown hair and a petite woman with bright red hair, both dressed in matching orange and red jumpsuits and matching annoyed expressions as they took in the surroundings. "Galactic Olympics, eh?" the woman grumbled in a Scottish brogue. "Why am I not surprised?"

The man in the lead ignored her. He was clad in a pair of brown trousers and black boots with a tweed jacket over a light shirt and a bright red bow tie. He appeared quite young, his brown hair tousled back and his blue eyes gleaming brightly. His lips seemed to carry an ever-present tug upward as if used to smiling a lot. "It's a quick stop," he told them in a strong voice. "Something I have to do."

"Is that…" Tegan began, staring at him.

"It is," Sarah Jane smiled brightly.

"Good Lord, he really is bloody Merlin, gets younger as he ages."

The Doctor saw the group in front and broke into a wide grin. "Hello, Sarah Jane," he said in that wonderful warm tone that always gave her a thrill. "And Jo! Looking much better this time around, not quite as baked over." His eyes fell on the two men. "Well, well, Benton and Yates! Sounds like a bad law firm, really hope you haven't gone that route quite yet." He turned to see Tegan and was obviously thrown a bit before forcing a smile. "Hello, Tegan. It's been…quite a long time."

"Doctor," she said carefully. "You look…well."

"Ah, half dozen regenerations since," he waved off. "You should consider yourself lucky, wouldn't believe some of the bad luck I've had." He paused, his smile fading. "I….I just wanted…well, you know, to say that…That is…"

Tegan smirked. "I see your speaking skills haven't changed much." She rubbed his arm. "This isn't for me, Doctor."

"Right," he agreed, looking forward. "Right, it's not."

Sarah Jane paused before stepping forward. "I admit, I wasn't sure which of you was going to come. Or maybe more than one."

"No, can't do that," the Doctor said, still looking forward. "Too much strain for that sort of thing, couldn't do it for weddings, certainly not this." He looked to her and she saw the pain deep in his eyes. "If you can excuse me." He moved toward the coffin.

"He's actually asking a pardon?" Tegan noted. "He has changed in this version."

"So…." They turned to the two young people who had come with the Doctor. "You've all known him before?"

"He worked with us in a military force back in the 1970's," Benton explained. "Of course, he was different then."

"Yeah, he explained the whole face-changing thing," the man said. "Oh, I'm Rory, by the way, this is my wife, Amy Pond."

The others seemed surprised at this. "Husband and wife?" Jo asked. "Damn, that's a bit different for him."

"How'd you meet him?" Mike asked.

"Oh, he crashed into my home when I was a little girl," Amy said. "Offered me the chance to see the universe, said he'd be back in five minutes which to me turned out to be twelve years. You?"

Tegan grinned, liking this woman instantly. "About to start my first day as a flight attendant, car breaks down and I head into what appears to be a phone booth to call a tow truck, next thing I know I'm on another planet."

"He does like to drag you about like that," Rory notes. He peered at her. "What was the over-under on how often he actually got you where he said he intended to go?"

"Three out of ten on a good day."

Rory smirked at his wife. "Told you."

"We were supposed to be heading to some grand space sports event," Amy said, motioning to their outfits. "But then he gets some message and decides to land here." She frowned at where the Doctor stood. "I've never seen him like this."

"You didn't know the Brig," Benton said sadly. "He was…someone special. Even the Doctor knew that."

Before the coffin, the Doctor stood, staring down at the flag-draped box. He bit his lip before speaking softly. "I've…never been good at this sort of thing. I never was when you knew me, certainly not now." His fingers drifted over the flag. "It's easy for me to forget that being a Time Lord doesn't mean time stops for everyone. I've been to the far future, times when you, Sarah Jane, everyone I know are long, long gone. Yet, to me, in my…present…you were still there, still around. I had a chance to check on you when I was dying…This last time, I mean…But….well, as I said, time passes by faster than even I can imagine." He paused as he looked up. "Course, chances are I might see you again, you know, wibbly-wobbly and all that. But…it won't be the same. I'll know how it ends for you. I'll know that when I say goodbye to you…it'll be the final goodbye in person."

He looked down, his face somber. "I know we clashed so much, Alistair. I always felt there were better ways than violence to solve problems and thought you went to the guns too often. I guess it's irony then that I ended up causing more mass death than any of those creatures we fought." He was silent before a tiny smile crossed his lips. "If you were here, you'd be delivering one of those fine lectures right now, wouldn't you? Telling me it wasn't my fault, telling me that I can't let that pain get to me, that I didn't choose to let so many die in my place." He gazed down with moist eyes. "I was in a hard place when I met you, Brigadier. It would have been easy to just shove me aside as a lunatic or even lock me up. But you…you trusted me. You gave me a chance to grow and learn. And I learned, Brigadier. I may not have shown it but I learned a whole lot about humanity from my time here. And a lot of that was thanks to you."

He took a deep breath. "I know in my head I'll outlive everyone I meet. That doesn't make it any easier when it happens. They say a person doesn't truly die until everyone they know does. So just think how many people I'm keeping alive." That smile returned to his face. "Ah, words were never quite my strong suit. I think deep down you always understood me better than you let on. You knew I had my duty, just as you had yours. And while I'm sure you would have preferred going out in some blaze of glory…I rather enjoy the idea of someone I know passing away in peace." He backed up and gave a sharp nod. "Good-bye Alistair. And thank you."

The Doctor turned to walk up the aisle, making his face turn to a smile. "Well, I suppose we should be going. Promised these two front-row to a magna-ball competition, can't miss that…"

"Oh, no, you don't," Sarah Jane said, holding up a hand. "You're not just popping up and then leaving, Doctor."

"Sarah Jane…"

"There's a post-memorial gathering later on," Yates said. "And I know a few people who will want to talk to you."
"Martha Jones and Mickey will be here soon," Sarah Jane added. "They had a late flight but you know they'll want to meet you

The Doctor's face brightened at that as Tegan stepped in. "And if you think I'm letting you leave without hashing out what I've been thinking for two decades, you have another idea, buster."

Amy smiled as she stepped forward. "I have to admit, hearing what you used to be like is something I've been dying to do for quite a while." She looked to Tegan. "Was he as good a kisser then?"

Tegan's eyes went wide as she looked at the Doctor. "You kissed her?"

"She kissed me, not married then, influenced by evil events, you know it doesn't count!" he defended himself. He made a show of being exasperated. "Fine, fine, just for a few hours then."

"Now about this kissing," Tegan began as she took his arm and pulled him away. The others fell in with Rory and Amy shrugging before moving to join them. The Doctor spared one more glance over his shoulder as he gave a final farewell to the finest soldier he'd ever met in all his travels.

In memory of Nicholas Courtney.