This is the prologue for another episode length fic starring the fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith. The conversation in the TARDIS refers back to a comment made by the Doctor in my previous story 'The Wolves of Beddhafn'. This isn't a sequel as such, but it may refer back to other events within that story. You don't need to read it to enjoy this one, but it would be cool if you did. :)

I don't own Doctor Who. Sadly.

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Sarah Jane Smith groaned and stretched; at this point of wakefulness she was aware of two things - one, she had not slept for nearly long enough, and two, whatever she had done yesterday had made her muscles ache in a way they hadn't since she'd had the flu as a girl. Rolling onto her side, she felt her hip bone make contact painfully with the surface below her and she registered that she was lying on a hard unyielding floor that was cold to the touch where it hadn't been warmed by her body. As she woke up more fully, she noticed the faint glow of bright light leeching through her eyelids; squinting in preparation, she opened them a crack to take in her surroundings. She was on the floor of a cottage. Up on her left, sunlight streamed in through a small four paned window, filtering through a bunch of daffodils on the windowsill to create a shimmering yellow pattern on the floor. Sarah turned her head to look around to have a look at the rest of the room, seeing earthen walls and very little in the way of furniture. A sturdy pine table covered with a spotted tablecloth stood against the wall to her right, flanked by two chairs. Beyond her feet was an old fashioned stove with a flue leading up through the thatched roof. To the left of the stove was a bed, and heaped upon the bed, one leg hanging off onto the floor, was a large figure draped in a multicoloured scarf, his face hidden by a floppy hat. Judging by the volume of his snoring, it appeared he was both unhurt and fast asleep.

"Doctor!" exclaimed Sarah Jane in relief, clambering painfully to her feet. Steadying herself against the wall as a wave of dizziness threatened to pull her back to the floor again, she paused and took several deep breathes. As the room stopped spinning she made her way over to the bed and pulled the Doctor's hat away from his face. He frowned and without opening his eyes, held out a bag of jellybabies, prodding Sarah on the arm in a wordless invitation to take one. Sarah rolled her eyes and gave him a shove in the chest. He opened his eyes wide and grinned at her.

"Good morning, Sarah," he said happily.

"For you, maybe," she grumbled, "you didn't sleep on the floor!"

"Good point," he agreed. He sat up and gave her arm a squeeze. "Now, first things first. Where are we?"

Sarah gazed out of the window at an impossibly blue sky filled with an early morning sun shining down on the greenest field she had ever seen.

"I've no idea," she murmured.

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12 Earth hours earlier – in the Doctor and Sarah's personal timeline…..

"Doctor?" Sarah Jane Smith asked hesitantly as he danced around the console, pulling levers and pressing buttons in his customary mad, flapping style.

"Yes, Sarah?"

"What you said about werewolves…how every myth has some basis in fact. Is that really true?"

The Doctor adjusted some settings and answered without looking up, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, of course it's true."

"But, really? Everything? Werewolves and vampires and, and," Sarah struggled to come up with something else, "unicorns?"

"Mmmm," the Doctor agreed vaguely.

"Doctor?" Sarah said sharply, bringing his attention fully back to her, "I'm having a rather odd moment here, you can't just expect me to accept that all these creatures exist."

The Doctor suddenly grinned at her, his eyes lighting up with what Sarah had come to recognise as the kind of idea that would more than likely land them in hot water. In spite of her herself she found she could not help but indulge him and smile back.

"What?"

"I can do better than expect you to believe, Sarah. I can show you."

With that he turned back to the console with new purpose, Sarah joining him to stand at his elbow. To be frank, she wasn't expecting him to actually get them to their destination, the TARDIS of course being notoriously unreliable. Even the Doctor couldn't keep a tinge of surprise from his voice as he looked up to the scanner and murmured,

"We're here."

He opened the door with a flourish and gestured for Sarah to step out in front of him. The Tardis stood at the edge of a huge, lush field, stretching as far as the eye could see. In the very distance, on the horizon, something green glittered and sparkled in the sun. Sarah took it all in, turning slowly on the spot and then letting her eyes drift downwards.

"Doctor," she said in wonder, "Are we standing on the yellow brick road?"

The Doctor simply grinned and held out an elbow for her to take.

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So what do we think? Comments are always welcome.