Chapter Twenty Six
Some fifteen minutes later, the Doctor and Alan could be heard going through the hallway just outside the console room. "How do you ever find your way around Doctor? If you hadn't been with me I would have never found my way out." Alan exclaimed as he pulled the flatbed cart laden with twelve cases of champagne.
"Alan this is my home. I know where every nook and cranny leads." the Doctor replied. 'At least until she gets mad at me and changes everything' he thought.
"Do you normally keep this much booze on hand? Not that I'm complaining. It's been a long dry spell, if you know what I mean." Alan said as he continued pulling the flatbed carefully up the rear ramp in the console room while the Doctor attempted to steady the wooden boxes.
"Alan you never know when you're going to be invited to a party so I always keep a supply on hand. And if anyone ever deserved a party it's your lot. Now I…" he stopped as he reached the central console. Asleep on the newly fashioned bench was Sarah, with his old scarf held to her chest.
"If you want to let her sleep…" Alan whispered.
"I'd like to but she'd never forgive me. Hopefully I can get her out of the party early and get her to bed. But trust me Alan, it's just not worth it to make her mad." the Doctor said while looking up at the ceiling. He quietly approached her and gently stroked her cheek. "Sarah? Sarah do you want to stay here and sleep or go to the party?"
Her eyes fluttered open. "I was just resting my eyes. I want to go to the party." she said as she sat up and carefully laid the scarf to her side. "Besides, you know I love a good party."
"Yes I remember. Let's hope it's not another party like the masque the Duke Giuliano threw."
"That one almost got us both killed." Sarah admitted.
"Masque, Duke Giuliano?" Alan queried.
"A little party we went to in Italy in the fifteenth century." the Doctor answered simply.
"Fifteenth century? You're kidding me." Alan said as he tried to guide the flatbed as carefully as he could down the metal ramp and through the door Sarah was holding open.
"We were there Alan. Oh, we were there." Sarah admitted as she used her own Tardis key and locked the door behind her.
The Doctor looked down at the stacks of wooden crates and said, "Now we go to the party." He allowed Alan to pull the load as he wrapped his arm around Sarah's waist as they walked behind.
Several perilous travel tube rides later and the trio were approaching the entrance to the cafeteria. They could hear the din inside settle to silence. Alan pulled the cart to the side and suggested, "Why don't you two go in first?" The smile on his face was ear to ear.
The Doctor squeezed Sarah's waist and asked, "Ready?"
She looked up and met the Doctor's eyes. "Sure. You ready?"
The Doctor was once again lost in her beauty. She was beautiful before the regeneration and she's even more beautiful now, he decided. Not because she'd transformed as a younger version of herself but because he could see her soul shining. If it had been left to him, he'd have loaded everyone on the Tardis and taken them back to Earth right away with no muss and no fuss. But these people had been very good to his Sarah and after everything they as well as Sarah had been through, they deserved a party. In his eyes Sarah alone deserved a hero's welcome and if that's what they wanted to do, who was he to argue the point? "Let's go."
The pair rounded the corner to a scene unimaginable on the Moon of past. The Alphans had made makeshift streamers and paper flowers and put them all over the walls and lights of the cafeteria. When they entered everyone began cheering, with the command staff in the lead rushing forward.
Tony pushed his way to the front of the group with a beaker and glasses. "In honor of this day of celebration on Moonbase Alpha may I offer you a taste of my latest brew?" The Alphans and Sarah each exchanged an almost horrified look which the Doctor seemed to miss.
Before anyone could stop him, the Doctor took a glass and downed its contents in one gulp. For a few seconds he seemed speechless. Then he said, "You know Tony, I can show you how to fix that."
Tony was used to people either refusing to even try his homemade beer or almost spitting it out after trying a drink. So in Tony's mind, this was a plus. "Well then, let me show you my hops." Tony started to lead him away when the Doctor turned and said quietly to Sarah, "Do not drink that beer." He made a face of disgust. "I won't be long. I'm just going to set him down the right path before he kills somebody with that stuff. Tell Alan to start handing out the good stuff, will you?" He leaned forward and warmly kissed Sarah before following Tony.
Sarah smiled. "If anyone can help Tony fix his beer, it's the Doctor."
"Sarah Jane at this point I think there's very little the Doctor can't do. What was he talking about when he said the good stuff?" John Koenig asked.
"He was talking about that." Sarah pointed to Alan Carter pulling the flatbed through the doorway. "The Doctor thought we might need some champagne to celebrate with."
Victor Bergman had approached the cart and was running his hand along the boxes reading the labels. He read aloud "Dom Perignon Champagne 1961." With a crowbar Alan opened up one of the boxes and handed a magnum to the Professor. "John this isn't just any champagne, it's some of the best in the world. These are worth a fortune."
Helena appeared over his shoulder and said, "It's been so long Victor, I can't wait to have some." She and everyone around her produced a glass.
Alan laughed. "Sarah Jane do we wait on the Doctor?"
"The Doctor wanted us to get started." Sarah said as she too produced a glass.
As Alan was pouring his second bottle he asked Sarah, "Where's the Doctor gone off to?"
Sarah moved closer to Alan, it was getting hard to hear over the festivities playing out around them. "He's with Tony trying to improve on his brewing techniques."
"Good luck with that. Tony's brew is less than…"
"Palatable?" Sarah finished the thought.
"That's a nice way to put it. Helena says it isn't fit for human consumption. Listen, while I have the chance I just wanted to say what an honor it's been to teach you to fly Sarah Jane. It was like watching myself, though don't tell Frazer I said that." In the distance they could hear Frazer singing 'Happy Days Are Here Again'.
"If I hadn't had such a good teacher…" Sarah complimented him.
"You're a natural. And it's not just that, you're a natural at being in space. Looking back now, I can clearly see it. Very little would jar you. You took everything in stride, better than most of us. I guess that's why I was confused at that last meeting before you went to Skaro. You were distracted but I wasn't sure why." He finished pouring from one bottle and began to open another, continuing to hand out champagne while they talked.
Sarah bowed her head. "It was Skaro. The second I saw the planet on the screen something deep down inside of me screamed. Everything in me wanted to tell the Commander to stay away from that planet but I had no proof and I knew my panicked feelings weren't enough to stop a reconnaissance mission from going there, not when Alpha needed so much."
"You were very brave to go through with the assignment when you were so frightened." Alan said while continuing to pour drinks.
"Looking back I can't believe I did it either. Maybe something in me knew I was destined to return there and finish what we'd started." Sarah took a sip of her champagne.
"In the cavern when you stepped in front of that laser beam and took the shot that was meant for the Professor my heart skipped a beat." Alan confessed.
"So did mine, literally." Sarah laughed. "I couldn't have let the Dalek kill Professor Bergman. I would have done it for any of you. I may be Sarah Jane Smith but I'm also an Alphan. We protect each other." Sarah raised her glass and tapped it to Alan's.
"Amen." He took a sip and added, "Admit it; you're going to miss your uniform aren't you?"
Sarah looked around conspiratorially and whispered, "I just might, but it'll be our little secret."
"I'll never tell." He smiled and looked over her shoulder and announced, "Here comes the Doctor."
Sarah looked back and smiled at the Doctor. "So fix Tony's little problem?"
"All this time he thought he was using wort but he was actually using a type of weed. Didn't he ask any of the botanists here for help?" the Doctor asked as Alan handed him a glass of champagne.
Alan laughed. "Tony, accept help? The one time he asked a botanist for help all he let her do was stand around and watch him and he claimed she couldn't do that right! He said it was all part of his secret recipe."
The Doctor took a quick sip of his drink and commented, "His secret could have poisoned someone."
"I was just telling Sarah Jane that Helena used to say it wasn't fit for human consumption." Alan laughed as he felt the effects of the drink begin to take hold.
"Alan, thank you for keeping Sarah company but I know for fact she hasn't eaten in quite a while so I'm going to get her something to eat."
"Not a problem Doctor. Have a good time." Alan started swaying to the music that was now playing over the loudspeaker.
"You know, we could go to the Tardis and I could get you some real food." he whispered in Sarah's ear as he took in the spread before them.
"No, this is fine. Besides it wouldn't be fair to get real food before the Alphans had a chance." she whispered back.
They each took a plate and went down the buffet line. As they were looking for a seat, the Commander, Helena, Maya and Victor waved them over to their table. "Please join us." the Commander said as he stood and motioned to two seats across from himself and Helena.
As everyone settled Helena said, "Doctor we can't thank you enough for the champagne. It is delicious."
"It was given to me by the vigneron. I was able to save his crops that year by stopping the Sontarans." He looked over at Sarah. "You remember, 'I claim this land in the name of the Sontaran army'." he said with mock superiority.
Maya commented, "I met one of them once, nasty creature. I've never had champagne before. It is very good."
"I'm glad you like it." the Doctor said as he tried some of the food on his plate.
"Doctor, I know you just got back but I was wondering about…" the Commander began.
"You were wondering about going home. Yes, I thought you might." He smiled a toothy grin. "I need to contact Earth and see if they want me to bring the Moon home as well."
"You can do that? Bring home the Moon too?" Helena asked.
"How?" Victor asked, his scientific curiosity spiraling almost out of control.
"Well it's a matter of…" he looked around at the faces and Sarah squeezed the top of his leg. "Let's just say I can. But right now Earth's scientists have been able to compensate for the lack of the Moon, though I didn't bother to find out how." He looked over at Sarah and admitted, "Once I found out you were stuck here, I tuned everything else they were saying out. I grabbed all the information they thought I'd need and took off in the Tardis looking for you."
Sarah smiled. In her mind's eye she could see how that conversation must have gone. She hadn't been with this regeneration long but knew he must have been in a panic when he found out she was no longer on Earth.
"I'll tell you what. I'll contact Unit tonight…" the Doctor began.
"Unit?" John asked.
"United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, a sort of secret agency. I used to or still do depending on how you look at it and who you ask, kind of work for them as their scientific advisor. Anyway long story short, I'll contact them after the party and find out whether they want the Moon back or not. Why don't we meet tomorrow and I'll fill you in?"
"Great, we'll have a command conference at say twelve hundred hours tomorrow. That will give you time to hear back from them and…" he looked around the table at the less than sober faces, "allows everyone to be back to their usual selves." He kissed Helena on the cheek and asked, "Care to dance?"
"I'd love to." Helena slightly slurred. The pair disappeared into the crowd.
"If you'll excuse me, I want to go run some calculations." Victor said as he too disappeared into the crowd.
"Doctor," Maya began, "I need an honest opinion."
"Sure, fire away." the Doctor said smiling.
"The Alphans took me in when my planet was destroyed. They are good people. But they are used to seeing aliens at this point. Will I fit in on Earth? Will they accept me?" Maya asked concerned. She was very happy the Alphans were going home but she couldn't help but be concerned about herself.
"You will be fine. I plan on talking to the head of Unit about you. With your brilliance, I'm sure they'll be offering you a position. Unit is a great deal like the Alphans, they take care of their own." the Doctor tried to alleviate Maya's fears.
"He's right. I'm not even a member of Unit. I just traveled around with this one," Sarah pointed to the left at the Doctor with her thumb, "and they treated me as if I were a member of Unit. It was Unit that watched over me while I was on Earth and was in the guise of Elisabeth Baker. They'll do the same for you. I have to believe they'll be offering a large number of the Alphans careers with Unit. You'll be fine," Sarah reached out and patted Maya's hand, "really."
"Thank you both. I feel so much better. Do you know where Tony is?" she asked as her eyes scanned the room.
"I left him with his, hops." The Doctor smiled, thinking back to their conversation and the look on the Italian's face when he learned of his mistake.
"Tony and his hops, sometimes I think if I hear him talk about those hops again I'll…" Maya said as she left the table and went to find Tony.
"That just leaves us," the Doctor said to Sarah, "and I know I've had a tiring day, so with the regeneration I can only imagine how tired you must be."
"Let's go to my quarters." Sarah stated tiredly. He was right; it had been an exhausting day.
"Don't you want to go to the Tardis?" the Doctor asked as he pulled back Sarah's chair for her.
"I live alone and I thought that maybe, just maybe you'd like to see how I've been living." Sarah smiled and winked.
"Oh…" he said as the penny dropped. "I'd love to see how you've been living. Let's go." As he directed her through the room, they both waved to Bettan and several of the refugees from Skaro. He grabbed an unopened bottle as he passed the multitude of open wooden crates.
"What are you going to do about them?" Sarah asked as they walked through the cafeteria doorway.
"I figured I'd have the Commander gather everyone up and I'd pop them back down on Skaro. They can rebuild their planet. Should be safe now." the Doctor stated as the pair took a travel tube to Sarah's quarters.
The couple walked in companionable silence, arms wrapped around one another. After a few minutes Sarah announced, "Here we are." She punched in the security code and the door slid effortlessly open. She looked back at the Doctor and smiled slyly.
He entered the quarters and the door slid shut behind them. After a few minutes, hysterical laughing could be heard before fading out to silence. The Doctor knew he was truly home.