Yours Is No Disgrace
Epilogue

Author Notes: This epilogue contains a nod to one of my friend Pearl's stories, in tribute to her being such a great friend and reader. :)

The Universe and all can be,
Showing the fate of the world we know

The TARDIS key shone brightly as Sarah turned it over and over in her hands, watching the still flickering lights from inside the museum glint off its surface. She gazed absently at the outside of the TARDIS, still perpetually stuck in the form of a blue Police box.
A universe without colour, he had said. She brought him colour and light. How could that possibly be true when he was the brightest, most colourful person she had ever met?
Borusa...he had spoken with such arrogance. They were so confident, so assured of their own superiority...so cold...he hadn't even considered if she even wanted to be accepted here...because it was obvious the Doctor wasn't.
Her musings were interrupted by the sound of the Doctor's familiar stride. She smiled warmly as he reached her side, taking the key gently from her fingers and unlocking the door. Inviting her to step inside with a single gesture...but as she looked up at him, she saw his blue eyes twinkling with mischief and...
Desire.
All thoughts of that overheard conversation fled her mind as she stepped quickly into the TARDIS. She tried to even out her breathing as she heard the doors close behind her.
His hands, gentle beyond belief, relived her of her jacket and stuck it absently on a peg. He smiled at her as his hands returned to her shoulders, his fingers whispered just above the cloth of her blouse, not quite making contact...but even though he never quite touched her, she felt a thrill run through her shoulders and down her back, a delicious warmth that seemed to follow the silent ghosting of his long fingers. It called to mind a long ago incident at school, when she had touched a Van de Graf generator and felt the tingle of electricity through her body...but it was his softly spoken words that produced the greatest reaction.
"So," He said with affectionate amusement, "I look 'dishy' do I?"
Sarah felt heat climb her face, and knew she must be blushing like a ripe tomato. The Doctor laughed quietly, his breath brushing against her ear.
"Hmm, I'll have to remember to wear this outfit more often." He mused as his fingers once again took up that marvellous dance over her body, still not quite touching, but still sending those little shivers of pleasure through every part of skin they passed over.
Sarah closed her eyes, just revelling in it. She didn't know how he was doing this, what special Time Lord wizardry he was using to produce this reaction; and frankly, she didn't care...it just felt too good.
"There are so many things I want to show you, Sarah." He said, his demeanour serious now, "All my favourite places in the Universe...you're the only person I've ever wanted to share all this with."
She opened her slightly dazed eyes to look up at him. His gaze was intent, filled with desire and...love.
"Doctor..." She whispered, reaching out with one hand to gently touch his face. He smiled at her, and then with a sudden, smooth movement, he swept her neatly off her feet and carried her out of the console room. Sarah laughed from sheer delight. The slightly melodramatic romance of it had taken her by surprise.
"Why Doctor," She said teasingly, "I didn't know you had it in you."
He chuckled gently, "There are many things I would do for you." He said as they reached the door to his room. Sarah felt a tiny flicker of apprehension. She had never been inside his room. It was the one place in the TARDIS she had always considered inviolate...but things were different now...he had brought her here because he wanted to share himself with her as he had with no one else...Sarah felt honoured beyond words.
He set her down to open the door, his eyes still sparkling with that intoxicating mixture of love and desire. The door swung open, and Sarah peered eagerly inside.
It was a large room, larger than her own. The walls were a soft red colour, the furniture all appeared to be very old, dark wood, much of it scratched and slightly battered from use and age.
She stepped cautiously into the room, taking it all in one bit at a time. There were shelves everywhere, covered in nick-nacks and souvenirs from probably hundreds of different planets, but she recognised several of the items came from Earth.
She almost laughed when she saw the clock above the dresser - A Dalek eyestalk formed the hour hand...it was so very outrageous. But somehow, in this room, it fit.
Then her eyes were drawn to one of the walls - it was almost totally covered in photographs and small portraits. Some of the people in the photos she recognised - Liz Shaw and Jo Grant were there, looking much as they did in their official UNIT profiles. Sarah realised that all these people must have travelled with the Doctor. Here was a picture of a beautiful girl with an oddly elfin face, there a young man in traditional Scottish kilt...and so many others. Many of them young and female...
But the most prominent picture on the wall, even if it wasn't the biggest, was one of her. She had no idea where he could have gotten it from - it was an old photo, taken not long after she had left college. She looked at it for a moment, not realising that the Doctor had softly come up behind her until he spoke.
"My Sarah," He said gently, his deep voice seemed to echo through her body, soothing her. He dipped his head to the crook of her shoulder, kissing her neck. Sarah felt a delicious shiver run through her body as his lips touched that sensitive spot just under her ear. She closed her eyes, knowing that though she had seen the Doctor's past as she looked at the faces of his companions; it was she, Sarah Jane Smith, who was in his future.
"Ah..." She gasped as The Doctor's kissing turned to nibbling, sending a flash of heat through every nerve in her body. She opened her eyes, turning around so she could see the desire and mischief in his brilliant blue eyes as he led her over to the huge four-poster bed that sat in one corner of the room. Then he stopped, looking at her with a now-serious expression.
"Is this what you want, Sarah?" He asked, his eyes almost begging her to say 'yes'. She smiled, flattered as always by his consideration. None of the other men she had been out with had even bothered to ask...they had just assumed. And they had been wrong.
"Of course," She smiled, reaching out to take hold of the back of his neck so she could bring him in for a deep kiss.
The kiss went on for some time as they both fiddling with each other's clothing, exploring each other's mouths, their tongues duelling in and endlessly erotic dance while their fingers sought to touch skin.
"Mmmm..." The Doctor murmured in frustration, pulling back slightly. His usually amazingly nimble fingers were having trouble with the particularly awkward button on the top of Sarah's jeans. Sarah laughed softly - he had had no trouble with the buttons on her blouse, which now hung off her shoulders, but this single button had defeated him.
"I don't find this very funny," He said.
"Well, I do," She giggled, "The man who defeated Wirrn, Cybermen and Daleks, the Doctor...is defeated by the top button of my jeans..." She giggled again as he leaned in close.
"Oh really?" He said softly, his hand quickly snaking around her back. With a mysterious movement of his fingers, her bra suddenly came undone. The Doctor grinned in victory, "I will have you know, Miss Smith, that it takes much more than that to defeat me."
The low, teasing undercurrent of his voice made shivers go up her spine, even as she narrowed her eyes.
"Is that a challenge?" She cooed in a sweet voice, grabbing a handful of his blowsy shirt and pulling it out of his trousers. Pressing her advantage, she reached under the white fabric to touch his skin, silently rejoicing when she heard him gasp as saw him close his eyes.
"How's this?" She asked, cheekily.
"All right," He said, opening his eyes again and smiling at her, "I'll concede defeat, this once."
"Oh, good." Sarah grinned and tugged at his shirt, "Then you won't mind taking this off."
He laughed and did as she asked, pulling it off over his head while she divested herself of her blouse and bra before leaning back onto the pillows to unfasten her jeans. Then she felt the weight of his gaze on her, heavy with desire.
"You're beautiful, Sarah." He said in a soft, reverent whisper. Their eyes locked, and Sarah lost herself in the endless blue depths of his eyes. She could feel the touch of his mind through their strange link, the potency of his desire, the intensity of his love and trust...
His fingers trailed down her body, their touch was cold, but still left that trail of heat flaring across every nerve.
'Fire and ice...' she thought crazily, before coherent though fled as he moved his mouth to her breasts, sending her back arching off the bed.
Sarah was unaware of anything but the pleasure surging everywhere he touched her...his wonderfully deft fingers wandering slowly down her body, dancing teasingly around her thighs while she mewled in protest at the glorious torture he was putting her through, until at last his fingers slipped inside her, causing her to cry out.
"Please..." She whimpered, her eyes pleading.
"Please what, Sarah? Tell me what you want."
"In...inside me...please..." She gasped.
"Anything for you," He said, his resonant voice holding a burning intensity that thrilled and excited her. She looked up at him as he shifted position, moving so he was on top of her, their gaze stayed locked as he slowly, slowly pushed inside her, making both of them cry out. He moved so slowly, so carefully, mindful of her fragile, beautiful humanity. To Sarah, it simply felt...perfect, as though he knew exactly how to move. His voice was a constant in the air, speaking in a peculiar, lilting language Sarah had never heard before, but which she assumed must be his own language. Though the words were meaningless to her, the touch of his fingers to her temple meant everything. It was no longer her pleasure alone she could feel, as his ecstasy joined with hers, mixing together, feeding of each other's pleasure until Sarah felt she was about to drown in it. She could feel the fire building up low in her belly. And the Doctor was...everywhere. So intimate, so close to her...
Sarah's body arched as she cried out, white lights exploding behind her closed eyes. A second later, the Doctor joined her, shuddering with pleasure, his arms still wrapped around her, protectively, lovingly.
Endlessly.

It was sometime later when Sarah spoke again.
The Doctor was spooned up behind her, dozing comfortably in her warmth while she lie thinking. The conversation she had overheard earlier still worried at her, and the curiosity she had developed as a journalist told her that she simply had to ask.
"Doctor?" She said tentatively.
"Hmm?" He replied drowsily.
"Who's Theta Sigma?"
She felt his muscles stiffen. And internally she winced, fearing she had just asked the wrong question. The Doctor rolled onto his back, looking at the ceiling. Sarah quickly turned onto her other side and looked at him anxiously.
"If I asked something I shouldn't have, I'm sorry..."
The Doctor shook his head, "No...it's all right." He took a breath, "I'm Theta Sigma - or at least, I was."
"That's your name?" Sarah asked in surprise. He had never told anyone his real name...and though his lack of a proper name had bothered her at first, by now it had almost ceased to be relevant.
"It isn't a name," He said then, "It's an Academy designation."
Sarah frowned, not understanding.
"When new student enter the academy, they're given a designation based on a mathematic formulae. It means that any tutor or lecturer in the Academy can instantly know what any given student is supposed to learn simply by asking for their designation."
"Supposed to learn? You mean you don't get to choose?" Sarah asked incredulously.
The Doctor shook his head again, "No, you don't get to choose. That decision is made for a Time Lord before he's even created." There was the faintest trace of bitterness in his voice, "One of the reasons I was looked down on while I was on Gallifrey was because I wanted to know more than I was supposed to."
Sarah shook her head, unable to imagine such an upbringing. For someone like the Doctor, it must have been like living in a straightjacket.
"But it doesn't matter now," She said, putting a caressing hand on his chest. "You don't need them."
He smiled as he took her small hand in two his own.
"No," He said, "I don't. I told Borusa as much...I don't think he liked it."
Sarah snuggled up close to him and closed her eyes. The rest of Gallifrey didn't matter - no one there could know the Doctor as she did.
With a smile, Sarah dropped off to sleep.

Together you and I,
We hold the key to all the answers,
Let go.

THE END!