COVER STORY
It was strange, being back after all this time. She hadn't really wanted to return, but the decision had been taken out of her hands. Still, she had to admit it felt good to be home – even though she hadn't the faintest idea where she was.
She stood in the middle of the street, trying to get her bearings. There was nothing familiar, no landmarks that she recognised. Sighing, she elected to walk down to the nearest main road and hopefully get some sense of direction.
A car unexpectedly pulled up beside her. "Hello, old thing. Welcome home."
She turned in surprise, recognising the driver. "Harry?"
"At your service, Sarah." He opened the passenger door. "The Doctor told me I'd find you here."
Sarah got into the car. "The Doctor? But he's only just left. How…?"
"Well, he turned up at UNIT HQ just a couple of days ago," Harry explained, driving on. "Said he'd realised his mistake straight away, but had some business to take care of first. So he told me where you were likely to be, and hey presto, here I am."
Her head was buzzing with questions, but for now Sarah was content to settle back in her seat and let someone else take charge. "So how long have I been away, Harry?"
"Almost two years, on and off," he replied. "The Brigadier managed to arrange a cover story, to avoid any embarrassing questions. As a matter of fact, we're on our way to see him now." Harry hesitated before continuing. "Although I thought we might stop off in town to get you a change of clothes, just in case."
Sarah eyed her friend suspiciously. "Harry, what are you getting at?"
"Well, I'm no fashion expert," he shrugged, "and I'm sure the Andy Pandy look is fine, but UNIT is supposed to be a top secret organisation."
Sarah looked down at her outfit and managed a weak smile. "Ah."
"Well, Miss Smith, it's good to see you again."
"And you, Brigadier." UNIT HQ hadn't changed much since Sarah had last been there during that business with Think Tank, not long after the Doctor's regeneration. Now dressed in a beige trouser suit and white shirt, she sipped at her mug of tea, sweet and strong. One of those simple things she realised she'd missed during her travels. "Harry tells me you've been busy."
The Brigadier smiled. "Nothing we couldn't handle. UNIT has been known to function perfectly well without the Doctor, you know."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Sarah said quickly. "I didn't mean…" Then she caught a twitch of a smile, and knew her leg was being gently pulled. She smiled back. "What's all this about a cover story, anyway? Was that really necessary?"
"Absolutely," the Brigadier told her. "You did literally vanish off the face of the Earth, Miss Smith. And while you have no immediate family, you would have been missed. Once you'd gone off with the Doctor in that TARDIS of his, we made sure that certain precautions were implemented. For one thing, I had someone take over the lease on your flat, so that milk and newspapers would be collected each day."
Sarah munched thoughtfully on a biscuit. "It's all a bit cloak and dagger though, isn't it?"
"Not if you want to avoid awkward questions, no." The Brigadier leant forward in his chair. "We had a similar situation with Josephine Grant. She was a UNIT operative, and was the Doctor's assistant while he was stuck here on Earth."
"The Doctor told me about her," Sarah remembered. "Didn't she marry Professor Jones before heading up the Amazon with him?"
"That's right," Lethbridge Stewart replied. "But before all that happened, she followed the Doctor into that TARDIS of his. When they didn't immediately return, we had to set up a cover story pretty quickly. Wouldn't do to have her parents ringing up, asking where their daughter was."
"So, how did you explain her absence."
"Well, her UNIT background helped. The standard reply was that she was on a top-secret mission, and couldn't be contacted – which, I suppose, was true in its own way." They both smiled at the irony. How could you tell someone that their nearest and dearest was out in the far reaches of the universe, accompanied by a man with two hearts?
"So, what happens now, Brigadier," Sarah asked. "Is this some sort of debriefing?"
He chuckled. "Hardly. I doubt much of it would be believed, anyway. No, you're here so that we can, in effect, bring you up to date on world affairs and current issues." He handed Sarah a file containing items of news from around the world, as well as closer to home. "It's all there; politics, sport, celebrities – not that I know half of them myself," he added.
Sarah leafed through the bulging file. "Oh, come on! I can't be expected to remember all of this!"
"I'm not sure that I could," Lethbridge Stewart admitted. "But then not many people have total recall. As long as you can recall bits and pieces, a working knowledge is all that you'll need to get by."
"I suppose so." A thought occurred. "I suppose I'll have to get myself a new job first."
The Brigadier shook his head. "Your job at the Metropolitan is still there, if you want it. As far as they are concerned you've been working on an undercover assignment abroad. You'll need these," he added, handing Sarah another folder. Less bulky, this time.
She opened the folder and studied the photographs before reading the accompanying papers. "UNIT uncovered - An exclusive from Geneva." Sarah looked questioningly at the Brigadier. "You can't be serious."
"It should be convincing enough." The Brigadier seemed pleased with himself. "Your earlier visits to UNIT could be seen as an eager reporter looking for a story. So this 'expose' seemed the next obvious step. The information is all fake, of course," he admitted, "but it should help explain your extended absence, and keep other members of the press out of our hair for a while." He paused before adding, "I'm sure I can rely on your discretion."
Sarah nodded, impressed. "My, you have been thorough." She finished her tea, and stood up to leave, thanking Lethbridge Stewart for his help. But a question nagged at the back of her mind. "Why, Brigadier? Why do all of this for me? I'm just a humble reporter for a glossy magazine."
"You're far more than that, Miss Smith," the Brigadier explained. "While you may not be a member of this organisation, your time with the Doctor marks you out as a special case. And UNIT looks after its own." He shook her hand. "I'm sure we'll meet again before too long, Sarah."
"I'll look forward to it." As she left the Brigadier's office, Sarah felt herself blushing.
She was back in her flat in Hillview Road. Fresh milk was in the fridge, and that day's newspaper lay unread on the kitchen table. Even her clothes had been dry cleaned in readiness for her eventual return.
After a long soak in a hot bath, and having brewed herself a cup of coffee, Sarah sat down in her favourite armchair and began sifting through the contents of the file. She had three clear days before her return to work after two years, and she wanted to be up to speed with current events.
She paused for a moment, thinking of the Doctor. She wondered what he was up to, what planet he was saving today. Then she turned her attention back to the file. She had her own life to get back on track.
"Hello, Sarah Jane," she murmured. "Welcome back to the real world."