Meetings

by Type 40 Tardis

After meeting Sarah Jane the Doctor's life is forever changed. Alternate universe and timeline.

8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Miss. Acrims pulled her red leather coat tightly around her. Mr. Tase wouldn't be happy. She planted the finger as he asked. Everything was on schedule. That little bitch Sarah Jane Smith would be in jail right this minute if the Doctor and the Brigadier hadn't intervened. Mr. Tase was right, all they had to do was get that common tramp, Sarah Jane Smith out of the way and the Doctor would come to his senses and choose her.

Looking back, she was so lucky to have met him. She had met him right here, on this cliff top. It was an adjoining piece of property that butted up against the property that UNIT was located on. She had seen quite a few people up here, mostly couples. She came here to dream of what it must be like to be here with that special someone, 'her' Doctor. She came here on the day that little tramp Sarah had wrapped the Doctor around her fingers once again, going out onto the ice. She had come here after being rejected by the Doctor to cry, and had met him.

He had offered her a handkerchief and introduced himself as Mr. Tase. He had asked her what it was that made her cry and she had told him everything. How that little common tramp, nothing but a street urchin, Sarah Jane Smith had stolen the Doctor away from her. He had been very kind, listening to everything she had to say and at the end offered his help. He told her he had been in a similar situation and regretted not pursuing it. He said it would be his honor to help her get the Doctor back. He said he knew how to get rid of Sarah Jane Smith, but she would have to follow his instructions to the letter. She was so very grateful for his help, and it had been working. Mr. Tase's plan was executed perfectly.

They had been lucky enough to have Mrs. Elliot drop dead and one of her last visitors was none other than Sarah Jane Smith. A well planted business card in Mrs. Elliot's hand and a planted finger in the little tramp's purse and it was bye bye Sarah Jane Smith. But things hadn't went as planned, and she was 'still' with the Doctor. She hoped that Mr. Tase had another idea. Where was he anyway? The wind was starting to pick up and she was cold. She heard a sound, that quickly died down. Or was it just the wind?

"Miss. Acrims, I'm so sorry I'm late. Have you been waiting long?" he said waiting to see if she would tell him that their little ploy failed.

"No, not really. Listen, I have to tell you something that's going to disappoint you. Please know that I did everything you asked, exactly as you asked. But it still failed. I'm really sorry. Please tell me you're not ready to give up. Tell me what I can do now. I love him so much and I know if she were out of the way he would come back to me." she pleaded. Mr. Tase always looked so well dressed and well groomed, so in charge, Nancy thought.

"Of course I'm not ready to give up. The two of you belong together and I'll do everything in my power to make sure that the two of you get just what you deserve. Just remember that the two of you belong together and you have a friend and a confidant in me. I'll make sure that the two of you spend your remaining time together. Now, did I hear you say something before about a dance coming up?" he asked with a smile. He could afford to be generous with his emotions considering what he had planned.

"Yes I did. You're such a good friend. You really pay attention to everything I say don't you?" she said taking his hand and caressing it against her cheek.

"I'm only giving you the amount of attention you deserve. The attention that the Doctor will give you in spades once we get rid of that little troll he's taking care of. Now, I want you to go and find yourself the most beautiful dress possible. On the night of the dance I guarantee you will be spending time with the Doctor. And his little pet won't be attending any more dances with him. He will be thinking of you, and appreciating all you have given up for him. Now I have things to prepare and you have a dress to buy. I'll see you the night of the dance." he said as he turned to leave.

"But Mr. Tase, the dance is only for UNIT employees. Security will be very tight. How will you get in?" she asked anxiously.

Don't you worry your pretty little head about that. It won't be a problem, you'll see. Goodnight Miss. Acrims." he said as he walked into the property line that was dense with trees.

Nancy Acrims watched him walk away. She turned to look over the edge of the cliff and caught a flash of light from the corner of her eye. She must be seeing things, probably because of all the tears she'd shed over that bitch, Sarah Jane Smith. Mr. Tase wouldn't let her down. She smiled at the thought of dancing with the Doctor at the UNIT event. All the other nurses would be madly jealous. Well let them! All she cared about was the Doctor. He would be hers once again, this time she was sure. She dried her tears with Mr. Tase's handkerchief. Oh no, she had forgotten to give it back to him! She would make sure to bring it to the dance and return it then. She left the cliff top dreaming of the dress she would buy tomorrow in preparation for the dance.

The Doctor was finishing the connection to the small monitor. He heard footsteps and turned to see the Brigadier and Harry coming through the door. "Good morning gentlemen." the Doctor said.

"Doctor, how is Miss. Smith?" the Brigadier asked.

"You know, I'm not sure." he said looking back toward the Tardis. "Would you take a walk with me?" he asked hoping to find solace from his friends and if not that, then an opinion.

"Sure Doctor." said Harry speaking for the pair. "What's going on?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. Let's get away from UNIT, I don't feel comfortable talking about it here." he said as he passed the two men and left the room. Both men looked at each other and without a word caught up with the Doctor and left the UNIT grounds.

Once inside the outcrop of trees that lined the western border of UNIT, the Doctor stopped and turned to the two men. "I discovered something last night. Martin hit Sarah right across the face." the Doctor said with a downturned head.

"Did she tell you this?" Harry asked in shock.

"No, apparently she has no memory of it."

The Brigadier looked as if he could kill. "How bad does she look?" he asked. He knew that if Sarah were hit, it would be blatantly evident this morning.

"You can see each of his fingers on her face. She has a black eye and a cut on her lip. I can't believe I didn't see that last night." the Doctor said chastising himself.

"He's a professional. He knew how to hit her in a way that it wouldn't be evident right away. The monster probably hits his girlfriend. The question is, what do we do about it?" said the Brigadier as he placed his clenched left fist into his right hand unconsciously.

"I say we find him and kick his ass. It's only right." Harry said as he started to walk away from the group.

The Doctor grabbed his arm and spun him around. "Harry I'm with you, only I want to take it a step further and kill him."

"It can be done." the Brigadier offered.

"Don't worry, he will be taken care of. If it's the last thing I do, I will take care of him. But right now I need to find out what happened to Sarah."

"There's more?" the Brigadier asked.

"Something happened this morning. After I saw her I was livid, but I realized I needed to take care of Sarah first. She was begging me not to hurt him. I went to the Tardis' Infirmary to get some ointment for her face. When I returned, it was as if she were a different person. She let me apply the ointment and then basically dismissed me. The light was gone from her eyes. They were cold and detached. You know Sarah, cold and unfeeling are not words to describe her." he said as he paced back and forth in front of the Brigadier and Harry.

"Miss. Smith is one of the most opinionated and passionate people I know. Do you think it has something to do with the injury?" asked the Brigadier now understanding why he didn't want to have this discussion at UNIT.

"I considered that, but I believe something or someone has tinkered with her psyche. Think about it. It would be the perfect time. She had none of us around to protect her. She was stressed to the point that she shut down. If someone knew what they were doing, it would simply be a matter of manipulating the right reaction. And setting up that reaction to correspond with a response that would set everything in motion." said the Doctor. The more he talked, the more he was sure that Sarah was being manipulated. Now he needed to find out how and why.

"Are you saying Martin…?" asked Harry.

"No, that idiot is barely capable of walking upright. He doesn't have the knowledge he would need to manipulate someone's mind. Someone would need an extensive knowledge of the inner workings of the human brain and an understanding of the human psyche." There was an incessant buzzing coming from the Doctor's coat pocket. "Let's see what she's up to." the Doctor said as he pulled the small monitor from his pocket. Harry and the Brigadier were on each side of the Doctor as he watched the screen.

Sarah was dressed and in the console room. She was starting to press buttons on the console. She knew this was wrong, she was sabotaging the Doctor's Tardis. Deep in the recesses of Sarah's mind, she was screaming. Screaming for the force that was holding her back to let her go. Every time she fought her way back to her own consciousness, the pain in her head would push her away. It was so bad that she couldn't stay at the forefront of her own mind. She tried again and again, failing each time. Where was the Doctor? Why didn't he stop her?

Once the Doctor saw the switches being flipped he and the others raced back to UNIT in record time. When the Doctor reached the lab, the Tardis was starting to leave. Whatever had a hold on Sarah also wanted his Tardis. He knew it was dangerous, but he had no choice. He pushed his Tardis key in the lock, hoping the Tardis would override the dematerialization circuit on recognition of the Doctor's key. Luckily, it worked. The three men entered to find Sarah lying on the floor in a fetal position holding her head and screaming at the top of her lungs.

The Doctor entered the cancellation code and locked down the console so that it would respond to only him.

Sarah was still screaming in agony. "You can't have it, you can't have him! I won't let you!" She let out a blood curdling scream and then there was silence.

The Doctor picked her up and ran with her to the Infirmary. Once there he placed her on the scanner. He checked her vitals and then began the scan. Other than a few new bruises, it showed nothing. Sarah was stirring.

"Sarah, Sarah can you hear me?" he asked as she struggled to open her eyes.

"Who is it Doctor? I can't see his face. Who is it Doctor?" Sarah asked struggling to understand.

"I'm sorry Sarah, I don't know. What do you see? Describe everything to me Sarah." he said while holding her hand, willing her the strength to get through this.

"It's dark, so dark. He's in front of me. I can hear his voice. But I can't see him." Sarah said in such a desperate way it broke the Doctor's hearts.

"What is he saying Sarah?"

"He's telling me the order of the switches I need to pull. I told him no, I won't do it. He said the pain in my head will guarantee that I do as he asks. He said that once I look in the mirror that I won't have a choice. I told him no, I won't do it. Ohhhh, someone hit me. It scared me, I can't hear him anymore." Sarah started to cry.

The Doctor helped Sarah up and sat down beside her, holding her in his lap. He held her tightly, rubbing her back trying to calm her. "We now know what happened gentlemen." he said as he made calming sounds to Sarah to try and sooth her.

"We do?" asked Harry.

"I'm afraid I'm also at a loss Doctor." said the Brigadier.

"When Sarah was taken to the police station last night, her only interrogator wasn't Martin. Someone else was there. That someone programmed Sarah to attempt to take over and possibly destroy the Tardis. It would have worked too, if Martin hadn't wanted so badly to hit Sarah that is." He looked up to find both men confused. "Don't you see? If Martin hadn't hit Sarah, the programmer would have been able to control the session. But after Martin hit Sarah, Sarah's psyche shut down even further than it initially did. That must have been about the time the solicitor showed up and interrupted their proceedings."

"But who and why?" asked the Brigadier. It continually shocked him, that a man in this day and age would hit a woman. But Sarah's poor face was living proof that it still happened. "So will she try again?"

"She won't try again, not with the programming interrupted. As for who, that I don't know. But I will find out." he said looking down at Sarah. "I have too much at stake to let it pass." he said as he kissed the top of Sarah's dozing head. "Do you think we could discuss this later? I want to get Sarah settled. Isn't it Saturday? I know why you're here Harry. You don't have anything else to do." he said as Harry rolled his eyes. "But why are you here Alistair?" he asked looking at the Brigadier.

"My three girls are in the states right now, they said they can't leave their jobs at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. And yes I know that Thanksgiving is an American holiday, but our girls have convinced their mother that it's a wonderful holiday that everyone should celebrate. And Doris agreed that a holiday dedicated to giving thanks for all our blessings should become a part of our traditions as well. So after some discussion with their mother, they decided to come home for Christmas." the Brigadier said looking forward to Christmas with his entire family.

Then remembering why he had brought this up, "I almost forgot. Doris and I were talking last night about everything you and Miss. Smith had been through recently. We both want to help. Doris and I thought that maybe the two of you would like to come to our first annual Thanksgiving dinner this Thursday. Dr. Sullivan has agreed to come as well as Sergeant Benton. Doris is a wonderful cook and I think you'll have a great time. Doris is anxious to meet Miss. Smith. So what do you say Doctor?" he said with hopes of having his closest friends around him on a day dedicated to giving thanks. Considering everything, they had much to be thankful for.

"I'd love to come and I'm sure the same goes for Sarah. But are you sure Alistair? Won't you be overflowing with family?" he said remembering the last meal he shared with the Brigadier and his wife.

Sarah stirred in the Doctor's arms. "Shhh, go back to sleep." he told her in what he hoped was a comforting way. "Can you let yourselves out? I really need to get her to bed. And Alistair, I need to check with Sarah first, but I'm sure we'll both be there, thank you for inviting us." the Doctor whispered.

"Doctor let us know is there's anything we can do." Harry whispered back. He couldn't get over the handprint on Sarah's face, the same handprint that had blackened one of her eyes. Whatever the Doctor had planned for Martin, he wanted to be part of it.

The Doctor smiled and turned to return Sarah to her room. The Brigadier and Harry followed until they reached the console room, where they turned to leave.

Once outside the Tardis, the Brigadier turned to Harry saying, "Men like that can't stand up to a real man, that's why they hit women. It make them feel like they have some sort of power. Did you see her face? I can't believe that bastard did that to her. I'd like to have just two minutes with him.".

"I hope we get the opportunity. Sarah has been through so much lately. They both have. I just wish there was something we could do for them." Harry replied.

"We can. We'll be there for them. I've been meaning to tell you Sullivan. After the way you found Mr. Bracken for Miss. Smith last night…well, I'd like to thank you. You are fast becoming an indispensable member of UNIT and someone I'm proud to say I know. Thank you." The Brigadier finished with an outstretched hand.

"I don't know what to say Brigadier, except you're most welcome." Harry replied, blushing as he returned the Brigadier's handshake. He finally felt like a member of the UNIT 'family' as he and the Brigadier left the Doctor's lab.

Once the Doctor had reached Sarah's room, Sarah was fighting to wake up. She needed to tell him how sorry she was. But he wasn't hearing any of it.

"Sarah, he said as he sat down on the edge of the bed, "none of this was your fault. Do you hear me, none of it." he said as he placed his hand under her chin forcing her to look into his eyes. "You did everything you could to resist. If you hadn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation now. You did it. You bought me enough time to get back to the Tardis and stop you. You did that, not me, you! I'm very proud of you and you should be proud of yourself." The Doctor reached forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"Who was it Doctor? Do you know?" Sarah asked with a shaky voice.

"No, I'm afraid I don't. But we'll find out, we will." he said, trying to reassure her. "Listen," he said as he pulled Sarah back to look into her eyes, "I just accepted an invitation on our part. Our part. I like the sound of that, don't you?" he asked eliciting a small smile from Sarah.

"I love the sound of that." Sarah replied in a weak voice. "So what's the invitation?"

The Doctor realized she had been through it, but he could still see the sparkle of 'his' Sarah coming through. "The Brigadier and his wife have invited us to celebrate their family's version of Thanksgiving dinner. Harry and Benton will be there too. Have you had your eyes on the Brigadier's car? This could be your chance, a no holds barred poker game." he said smiling at Sarah with a smile that he reserved only for her.

"You really have no idea what goes on during Thanksgiving do you?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"Well…no. So no poker, strip or otherwise? You know, I've found that a good game of strip poker is a real ice breaker." he said joking with Sarah. This was perfect, the Doctor thought. Just to sit with Sarah and talk. He wouldn't give this up, not without the fight of his life.

"Oh, you have. And how many times have you played strip poker?" she asked, jealous of anyone who was lucky enough to play with him.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders and threw his hands up in the air, being mysterious. "So what happens on Thanksgiving?" the Doctor asked, trying to get the conversation back to a subject in question.

"Well, I have never personally been to one myself. But from conversations by others, this is the scenario. The day is all about being with family and friends. You know, to be thankful for all we have. This year I personally have so much to be grateful for." Sarah said leaning forward and kissing the Doctor gently on the lips. He gave her a huge smile as she continued, "There will be a huge meal that will center around a big turkey."

"This turkey, it runs around while we eat?" the Doctor asked confused.

"No, no, no. The turkey will be prepared, you know…cooked," she continued, and seeing he still wasn't getting it added, "baked, stuffed and served on a platter.".

"Ohhhh, we eat it? That makes more sense then, doesn't it?" he said innocently. "What else will there be to eat?" he said hoping to understand more about this mysterious holiday.

"Well, some people make bread stuffing in the turkey, an assortment of vegetables, breads and desserts. After dinner, that's something we'll have to wait and see. Different families have different traditions." Sarah finished, noticing her body giving in to her exhaustion. Was the room getting darker? She felt her body relaxing and the Doctor kissing her forehead, then she was asleep.

The Doctor looked down at Sarah's sleeping form. He also had much to be grateful for. He removed Sarah's shoes and covered her with a blanket. He kissed her forehead again and quietly left the room.

The closer he came to the console room, the more certain he was that somehow a Time Lord was involved with all of this. But why? It was no secret that he wasn't well liked on his home planet. Many fought him his entire life, trying to mold him into a carbon copy of all the other Time Lords. But to do this…how could someone hate him so much? And Sarah…to go to such great depths to hurt her so badly. He had to find the answers he was looking for. Should he contact Gallifrey again? Could he even trust them? So many questions. He 'had' to find the answers, before something happened that he couldn't stop.

In the heart of London, Martin was just waking up and finding himself on the floor of his apartment. "What in the hell?" Oh, no. Was that his voice? Okay, he would never speak out loud again. His head felt as if it had been hit by a sledgehammer. It was all coming back to him. They threw him out, just like the trash. And it was all because of that bitch, Sarah Jane Smith. That whole bunch at UNIT were closing ranks around her. Going back on his own promise, he said aloud, "Sarah Jane Smith will rot in jail if it's the last thing I do!"

"My dear Mr. Martin, I thought we had an arrangement." a man dressed in black said, stepping from the shadows.

"Mr. Tase, I didn't know you were here. I'm sorry about last night. She just sat there so defiant. She's only a woman, they're only good for one thing after all! You know what I mean, you're a man like me after all." he said trying to kiss up to Mr. Tase. He didn't look happy and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of his vengeance.

"Mr. Martin it is safe to say we are nothing alike. I can control myself as well as my emotions, and apparently that is something you cannot do. When I came forward to help you, all I asked was that you secure Miss. Smith's attention for just a few moments. I gave you everything you needed to prosecute her. And what did you do for me? You couldn't do the one small thing I asked of you. You couldn't control your own actions."

"Mr. Tase I can still help you. Just…" Martin stammered.

"Mr. Martin you were indeed correct about one thing." Mr. Tase said with a smile as he approached the now smiling Martin.

"What's that Mr. Tase?" he said. Maybe he could come out of this ahead after all.

"Sarah Jane Smith 'will' rot in jail. And…it 'will' be the last thing you ever do." Mr. Tase finished with a smile and silently moved forward so quickly that Martin never saw the knife go in.

The knife was inserted just below Martin's heart and withdrew in less than a second. Martin looked down seeing his blood pouring down the front of his wrinkled shirt. He placed his hands over the hole and looked up into Mr. Tase's eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He fell to the floor as he watched Mr. Tase walk away. He took the last bit of strength he had, pulling his right arm forward and wrote with his own blood, M R T A S E. He took one last breath and died.

Outside the apartment Mr. Tase looked around. Humans, how predictable, always killing one another. He removed a plastic bag and inserted the knife. Mr. Tase removed a small vial from his pocket. He had the foresight to retrieve several drops of blood from poor Miss. Smith's injured lip. He carefully opened the vial depositing several drops on the floor in front of Martin's door. There, that should do it. Even the most ignorant human should spot that. He turned with the knife in hand and rounded the corner in the hallway. There was a flash and Mr. Tase was gone.

The Doctor decided to send a message to Gallifrey, an abbreviated message. He reported another unidentified Tardis had appeared and disappeared a number of times. He didn't really expect a reply or help, he just wanted to dot all his i's. This was not the time for Gallifrey to pull him out. He had made too many friends and too many promises. Regardless of Gallifrey's wishes he wouldn't leave them in the lurch. Still…it never hurt to let them think they had control of him.

In the last several hours he had checked on Sarah four times. He realized he was being excessive, but with recent events as they were, he didn't think anyone would fault him. He had always thought of the Tardis as a place of safety and comfort. Feelings he wished to pass on to Sarah. This was not the stable existence she needed.

The Doctor had decided against hypnotizing Sarah for more information. It was obvious the hypnotist was disturbed and unable to finish what he had started. It was also obvious he had gone to great lengths to separate Sarah from anyone who could protect her. Maybe it was time to pay the one person who held at least some of the answers, Martin a visit. He was a coward, the Doctor knew that. Only a coward would hit a defenseless woman. With the right motivation, the Doctor 'knew' he could communicate to him the connection between staying alive and telling the Doctor what he knew. He would wait till Monday. If he went over in the next few days, he knew 'talking' would be the least of the ex policeman's problems. He decided it was time to check on Sarah again as he left the console room.

The dark figure stood at the edge of the woods on UNIT's outer boundaries. He wondered if the Doctor had figured it out yet. Probably not. He always had a soft spot for this tired little planet and its inhabitants. And now, he thought he had found love. Love! How can you be in love with a creature that is so beneath you? It was fitting really. The Doctor has been a thorn in my side for far too long. It's time to repay the favor. He decided to reactivate the cloaking shield, allowing his Tardis to come and go as he pleased without the Doctor's knowledge. Just one more thing for the Doctor to take into consideration. By the time he figures it out, it will be too late. Poor Mr. Martin, he was clueless. Still, they all have a part to play in this opera. It's time for Mr. Martin to return to the stage for one last curtain call. Mr. Tase moved his Tardis to an alley in the back of Martin's apartment building.

He walked to the end of the alley looking around, seeing exactly what he needed. "Perfect!" he said as he walked over to the pay phone. "This must be my lucky day." he said retrieving some coins from the shelf in the booth. He dialed the number. Disguising his voice as that of an elderly man, he said into the receiver, "I need to report a murder. No I don't want to give you my name. I don't want to get involved. I think she saw me and I don't want to end up dead too! I was in the hallway at 612 Darcy Road on the second floor. I heard a ruckus and then I heard a man scream. I hid around the corner. A woman with brown hair came out of Apartment 212. She had a knife in her hand. It was covered in blood. It was horrible. I think she killed someone. What? About an hour ago. I wanted to be sure she didn't follow me. No, I don't want to leave my name!" he smiled as he slammed down the phone.

"Time for yet another chapter in your murder mystery Doctor!" he said laughing aloud as he walked back down the alley. A moment later a passerby could have sworn she saw a flash of light.

Inside the Tardis the Doctor had succeeded in cheering Sarah up a bit. "So what do you want to do tonight?" asked the Doctor as they walked hand in hand through the Tardis' hallways.

"I don't know, what do you want to do?" she asked looking up at the Doctor with a smile on her face.

"I," he said stopping and pinning Sarah between himself and the wall, "just want to be with you." the Doctor said kissing Sarah gently on the lips, moving across her face, ever mindful of her injury and down her neck raining small kisses across her.

"I don't want to share you with anyone, so let's stick close to home." Sarah said eliciting a look of surprise and a big smile from the Doctor. "What, what is it?" Sarah asked after seeing his expression.

"Home. You said home. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. How overjoyed that makes me!" he said, picking up Sarah and swinging her around. "How about taking a walk outside and then coming back and have steak and baked potatoes?" he asked placing her back on the ground.

"Sounds wonderful. Anyplace special you want to walk?" Sarah asked holding the Doctor's hand as they headed back toward their bedrooms.

"Oh, everyplace is special if you're there. Last I looked it was 25° out, so dress warm. I'll be back in five minutes. Oh, do you need anything? The Tardis' Wardrobe Room has everything." he asked, pulling her back against him, taking the opportunity to kiss her again.

"I think I have everything I need, everything." she said reaching up and kissing him once again. "Five minutes." she said slipping away and into her room.

The Doctor stood there for several minutes looking at Sarah's closed door with a smile on his face. How did he get so lucky? Someone must truly be looking out for him. He decided it was time to get dressed, he wouldn't want to keep Sarah waiting.

"You were right, it is cold out here." Sarah said facing the Doctor, each with the other's arm wrapped around their waist.

"Want to go back?" he asked realizing that anywhere they were together was perfect, no matter what the temperature.

"No, not yet anyway. Isn't the snow beautiful Doctor?" she said looking around, enjoying her surroundings. Not too long ago she wouldn't have been able to appreciate the snow's beauty. It was hard to see the magic when you were wearing two coats, two pairs of pants, two sweaters, two pairs of socks, a pair of gloves and a pair of mittens as well as two hats just to keep one degree above freezing. Living in a car in the winter was hard, but not as hard as it would have been if she had remained with her parents. Now she could appreciate the wonder of the glittery snow. She was discovering lots of things that were better now, not because of having a roof over her head per se but because of her love for the Doctor.

"It really is beautiful." he started and noticed Sarah's mind was elsewhere. "And the best part is, Harry won't have any trouble skinny dipping in the Brigadier's tub." he said to see if she was listening.

"You're right. Hey, wait a minute. What?" she said now looking thoroughly confused.

"Where did you go a moment ago?" he asked pulling her closer.

"I was just thinking about you, about us and about how very lucky I am to have you in my life." she said wrapping her arms around him and squeezing with all her strength.

The Doctor returned the hug, holding her as tightly as he dared. "Sarah Jane Smith, I love you!" he said pulling her back to have better access to her lips. "I can't imagine my life without you." he said, with one of the biggest smiles Sarah had ever seen.

"I love you with all my heart. I don't know how I became so lucky. My life before you, was so empty and alone. You fill my heart with so much love and joy, sometimes I think it will burst. I'll love you forever." Sarah finished with tears now flowing freely from her eyes.

"Let's promise each other here and now to do everything in our power to stay together." he said, a single tear falling from each eye. The Doctor fished for and found a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the tears on Sarah's face.

"I promise, always." Sarah said as she leaned into the Doctor for a passionate kiss that neither would soon forget.

"Always Sarah, always." he said holding her tightly and stroking her back. "Let's get back, the snow's coming down harder. It looks like we could be in for a buzzard." he said taking her arm and threading it through his, carefully holding her so she wouldn't fall in the ever increasingly deep snow.

"A buzzard? Not a buzzard, a blizzard." Sarah corrected him.

"Are you sure?" he asked, turning his head away so she wouldn't see him smile.

"I know you know that." Sarah said as caught a glimpse of his upturned mouth.

He looked back at her with a face of complete innocence, before laughing out loud.

The closer to UNIT they came, it became evident something was going on. He could see the Brigadier's Range Rover parked in the circular driveway in the front of the main reception area. Behind him was Harry's Jeep as well as Benton's Jeep. "What's going on?" Sarah asked, looking to the Doctor for an answer.

"I don't have a clue. But I bet they heard we were having steaks and couldn't stay away." he said smiling down at Sarah. With everything else that had gone wrong lately, he knew this couldn't be good news.

When the Doctor and Sarah entered the Lab they were met by the Brigadier, Harry and Sergeant Benton. All three looked worried. "Well gentlemen, to what do we owe the honor? Is this a social call? You've come to play cards, is that it?" he said with a smile, still trying to convince himself that they weren't the bearers of bad news. He could see Sarah frowning as she looked at each man in turn.

"Doctor," the Brigadier began, "I have some news. I know you don't watch television so I wanted to tell you in person before you heard about it another way."

The Doctor didn't like the way the Brigadier phrased 'another way'.

"The police found Captain Martin's body in his apartment. He had been stabbed." said the Brigadier, allowing them time to absorb that much of the information before continuing. He tried to read their expressions. Sarah looked as if she were going to be sick. The Doctor wasn't as easy to read. He had as close to a blank, uninterested expression as any the Brigadier had ever seen.

The Doctor looked over to Sarah. "Sarah," he said as he turned her, "are you all right?". She looked horrified.

"I, I don't know. I'll be back in a minute." she said as she covered her mouth and took off in a run for the Tardis door. The Doctor started to follow her but was stopped by the Brigadier as he grabbed his upper arm.

"We need to talk. I want to get a few things out of the way before Miss. Smith returns. First does anyone here know anything, anything at all about Martin's death? I know what the three of us discussed earlier, killing him or at the very least hurting him badly. What I need to know is, did anyone act on their feelings?" he said looking behind him watching for Sarah's return.

Harry started. "No, I wanted to, but I didn't. After I left you, I went to the gym here on the base. I was there till about two, then I went back to my office and played catch up with my reports." Harry answered the Brigadier.

The Brigadier looked at Sergeant Benton next. "I spoke with Dr. Sullivan on the phone early this afternoon and he filled me in Sir. I couldn't believe it. I wanted to teach him a lesson, but my sister went into labor and I was left in charge of her three year old son. I thought I would discuss some 'options' with the Doctor on Monday Sir."

"And you Doctor?" asked the Brigadier, he more than anyone wanted revenge for Sarah. They had all discussed the prospect of doing away with Martin. He was hoping if the Doctor 'had' taken care of Martin, he had been careful enough to leave no clues behind.

"You want to know if I killed him Alistair? No I didn't kill him. It made sense that he knew the person that was behind all of this. Granted I was planning on doing what I had to, in order to get the information from him. But no, I didn't kill him. You say he was stabbed. Do you know anything else about the murder or the investigation?" he asked noticing the Brigadier signaling him that Sarah had returned.

He turned to see Sarah walking toward the group. She walked over to stand beside the Doctor. The Doctor could see she'd been crying and more than likely had become ill. Her face was looking worse, and as he reached out and held her left hand, he could feel her shaking. "You didn't miss anything." he said looking down into her eyes. "The police don't know anything yet." he said rubbing her arm with his free hand.

"Is there anything to know?" she asked as she turned to each man.

"No Miss. Smith. No one here did anything to harm Mr. Martin, even though we all wanted to. How are you feeling?" he asked as he looked at her once perfect face, now painfully bruised.

"I'm fine." she replied. The Doctor reached forward pulling her back against his body and wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"Good, we were all worried about you." he smiled at Sarah, hoping to convey his support. The Brigadier addressed the others, "I have a contact on the inside who can keep us up to date on the evidence the police collect and the test results. I've all ready spoken to him about this. He's very good and anything he finds out will be kept between us. He'll find out everything he can when he arrives at work tomorrow." the Brigadier said, grateful to be able to contribute what he hoped would eventually be good news. "Sergeant, will you check the weather report please?" the Brigadier asked Benton who turned and picked up the phone.

After a brief conversation, Sergeant Benton returned to the group. "I called the Guard Shack and they said most of the roads are now impassable and the local police are asking everyone to stay off the roads. Currently, ten inches of snow is on the ground and it's coming down fast and heavy." Sergeant Benton added, "I think we're stuck here." Benton said, looking around wondering where he would sleep.

"I told Doris I would more than likely be spending the weekend here. I'm going to my office and grab some sleep on the sofa. If you'll excuse me gentlemen, Miss. Smith." the Brigadier said starting to leave.

"Alistair wait. Please, you, Harry and Benton stay with us in the Tardis. There's plenty of room. You know I've been told it's much larger on the inside than the outside." he said smiling at the others.

"Please Brigadier, Harry, Sergeant stay with us. I know I would be honored to spend time with you." Sarah said as she looked from one to the other, her newfound protectors.

The Doctor knew they wouldn't be able to say no to her any more than he could. "Gentleman, this way." the Doctor said leading them to the Tardis as he held Sarah's hand pulling her along.

Thirty minutes later everyone had been given a room and were settling in. One by one they left their rooms and were gathered in the hallway talking. The Doctor was returning from the console room after giving the console his nightly check over as well as to check for any messages from the Time Lords. He almost bumped into the group. "Is this a private meeting or can anyone join?" the Doctor asked with a smile.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked as she stepped from her room. "You can't sleep either?" she asked looking from one to the other.

"You know, Sarah and I haven't had dinner yet, I completely forgot. Are you hungry?" he asked rubbing his palms together.

"Well, now that you mention it, I could go for a bite." Harry said hoping they couldn't hear his stomach growling.

"We don't want to impose Doctor." said the Brigadier.

"Impose! Never, you're our best friends! Benton, what about you? Are you hungry?" the Doctor asked putting his arm around Benton's shoulders.

"I could eat a horse Doctor."

"Well, I think we can do better than a horse. How do all of you feel about steak and baked potatoes, maybe a salad, bread and I'll even throw in some ice cream for dessert. Now how does that sound?" he asked everyone.

"It sounds like we are very lucky to be with you tonight. I was afraid I would have to rely on some stale crackers." said the Brigadier and then added, "Put us to work and tell us what to do."

"That's very kind of you Brigadier, but the Tardis will take care of everything. Let's go to the dining room. This way." he said reaching out and taking Sarah's hand as he led the group to the dining room. "You're awfully quiet." he said in a low voice that only Sarah could hear. "Are you okay?" he asked squeezing her hand gently.

"I'm fine, just a bit rattled." she said in an equally low voice. "We're here." she said seeing the door ahead.

The Doctor opened the door, standing aside as Sarah entered, to be followed by the others. Sarah went to the end of the table to her usual seat. The Doctor held the chair for her. She was too quiet. Hopefully she would feel better after eating. By the time the Doctor reached the end of the table, the Tardis had sent out five salads from the food delivery door.

"Thank you for having us all Doctor. This is very nice, I'm sure the Queen herself doesn't have a nicer dining room." the Brigadier stated to be followed by a chorus of agreements.

"We like it, don't we Sarah?" he said looking into Sarah's eyes at the other end of the table. It broke his hearts to see her face bruised. He had to be sure to put more of the healing ointment on it tonight.

"Yes, we do. I said much the same thing the first time I saw it. Brigadier, I can't tell you how honored I feel to be invited for your Thanksgiving dinner. I'm really looking forward to it."

"Benton and I were saying the same thing earlier. This is wonderful Doctor." Harry commented, attacking his salad.

"It is delicious Doctor. I can't believe the Tardis can do all of this. It's truly amazing. The steaks smell wonderful." Benton said eating his salad. Everyone laughed watching Benton eating so quickly. "What? I was hungry!" he said defending himself.

One hour later everyone had stuffed themselves. After quietly asking Sarah if she minded staying up a bit longer as he took her plate, the Doctor asked, "How would everyone feel about seeing a movie?"

"Sounds great to me." Benton said. This had to be the best evening he had spent in a long time, in spite of the occasion that had brought them together he thought.

"I'm always up for a movie." Harry said.

"Well, Brigadier can we make it a unanimous decision?" the Doctor asked lacing his fingers together.

"I'd be delighted, on one condition." he said looking very serious. "We all agree not to tell my wife about any of this. I don't think she would appreciate my deserting her to have such a nice evening." he said with a smile.

"Agreed." everyone said together and then laughed.

Four hours later, movie number three, Star Trek III The Search For Spock was starting. Everyone had laughed and talked through the previous two movies in the series and now were wearing down. In the entertainment room, Sarah and the Doctor were on the left facing couch, with the Brigadier on the center couch and Harry and Benton on the right facing couch. Harry had been asleep about ten minutes and Sergeant Benton was having a difficult time holding his eyes open as well. The Brigadier appeared to be wide awake. Sarah excused herself to go to the bathroom leaving the Doctor and the Brigadier alone.

"Is Miss. Smith all right?" the Brigadier asked. "She seems awfully quiet."

"Yes she does, doesn't she? I thought it was my imagination. Thank you Alistair." the Doctor said, glad to know he was still objective where Sarah was concerned. "I'll be back in a minute. I need to check on her." he said quietly, trying not to disturb the others.

The dark figure stood in front of a dilapidated multilevel building. Humans, most live and exist as animals. What do you do with animals? You give them little treats, little toys. It was a shame I didn't stay to oversee them. It was as if they couldn't control themselves. The results were disastrous for them, laughable for me. They had taken the little gifts they were given and used them all at once. What a shame. No self control. But what did I expect, they were after all merely animals.

Just then a scream emanated from the building. The dark figure smiled. Ah Doctor, this will be another long night for you and Miss. Smith. How sad he thought and laughed as he turned the corner down a seemingly vacant snow covered street. There was a flash of light and he was gone.

The Doctor assumed Sarah would want to use her own bathroom, so he headed for her bedroom. She was sitting on her bed with her back to the door. Sarah had her cell phone in her left hand and reading her body language it didn't appear to be good news. He took a step silently inside the door frame.

"Yes, I understand. I have two days to decide. I really have no idea what to do. No they never carried any life insurance. Thank you for all your help. Yes of course. I need to contact who when I make my decision? Mr. Thakshire. He's at 697-375-1900. Yes I have it. No I don't know their landlord's name. You do? Mr. Beelmeyer. His number is 697-224-1188. Yes, I believe I have everything now. I don't know how to thank you for all your help and for getting all the information for me. No, I was an only child. Are the police involved? They're treating them as accidental overdoses. Yes I understand the toxicology reports from the medical examiner have to come back first. Will that take…forty eight hours. I will and thank you again. Goodbye." Sarah punched a button and laid the phone on the bed. She turned to get up and upon seeing the Doctor attempted to smile but couldn't quite do it. When she tried again, tears fell down her face uncontrollably.

"Sarah, I'm sorry for eavesdropping. Please forgive me." he said wondering what had happened.

"It's all right. There's nothing to forgive." Sarah said as she tried to step around him after grabbing her coat from the bed.

"Sarah, stop." the Doctor said taking the coat from her hands and pulling her back into the room. "I want you to stop and tell me what happened. Sarah what happened?" he said as he turned her face towards his.

"Please don't make me. I can't take anymore. Please don't ask me." she said as she sidestepped him again and walked out of her room and walked through the main hallway.

"Sarah who died? I gathered that much from your side of the conversation. We can get through this together. I'll be there for you. Tell me what happened." he said as he turned Sarah around to face him.

"My, my parents. They're dead. The two of them and four of their friends. The toxicology reports won't be in for forty eight hours but the medical examiner thinks they overdosed. They found prescription pills, crystal meth and a small amount of cocaine. I have two days to tell them what I want to do with their bodies." Sarah felt sick. She knew this day would come and she knew it would be just like this. But knowing didn't make it any easier to handle.

"Sarah, I don't know what to say." he said taking her in his arms and holding her while rubbing her back. "When did it happen?" he said as he kissed the top of her head.

"They believe sometime today. I'm sorry…" she said as she pushed away from the Doctor, placed her hands over her mouth and ran to the bathroom.

The Doctor stood in the hallway dumbfounded with the Brigadier, Harry and Benton who had slipped out of the entertainment room immediately after Sarah had started her explanation. The three men looked as shocked as he felt. "I need to take care of Sarah. We'll talk in the morning." he said as he turned and ran after Sarah.

Sarah was leaving the bathroom when the Doctor entered her room. She was walking unsteadily across the room and seemed to be looking for something. "Have you seen my hat and gloves?" she asked continuing to scan her bedroom.

"You don't need your hat and gloves right now Sarah. Come on, I want you to sit down and let me take care of you." he said, hoping to avoid a fight.

"I'm fine, I'm just…I'm feeling a little stuffy so I just want to take a little walk. I always think better after a walk." she said as she reached the bed, and bent to pick up her gloves that had fallen on the floor. As she stood back up, she swayed on her feet. The Doctor closed the distance between them in a second and caught her before she hit the floor. He set Sarah on her bed.

"Okay, that's enough. Sweetheart I don't think you're thinking clearly right now, so I want you to listen to me." he said placing both of his hands on each side of her face and turned her so that she would have to focus on him. The Doctor saw Harry pass by Sarah's open bedroom door. "Harry!" the Doctor yelled.

"Yes Doctor?" Harry said as he stopped outside of Sarah's bedroom door.

"I need your help. I need to go to the Tardis' infirmary. And I need you to stay right here and not take your eyes off her. Understand?" he asked as he turned to look into Harry's eyes to impress upon him the seriousness of the situation.

"Yes Doctor, whatever you say." Harry said stepping into the room and approaching Sarah.

"Sarah?" Harry asked as he placed his left hand on the back of her head and caressed it lightly.

"Harry, I need to take a walk. I can't think. I told the Doctor, but he won't let me." she said as she started to stand. Harry put his hands on her shoulders, sitting her down again.

Harry noticed sweat forming on her forehead and cheeks. Just as he was going to check her temperature the Doctor returned with his medical bag. "I'm going to go to the bathroom and get some cold towels."

"There's a shallow basin under the sink and clean towels under there too." he said while removing the things he would need. "Sarah, I'm going to need to take some blood." The Doctor knew her white cell count was more than likely extremely high considering her behavior. If she could just have a bit of quiet, undisturbed time her infection would heal completely and her immune system could return to normal, well just about anyway.

Sarah tried again. "Doctor, you don't understand. I told them I would take care of things. I need to go." The perspiration was falling into her eyes.

"Sarah it's the middle of the night. No one is expecting you to take care of anything tonight. I'm positive your white cell count is very high. That's why you're having trouble thinking. Once we get it under control, I'll be glad to help you with anything you need to do. But right now I need you to let me take care of you." he said looking at Harry to convey that he might need his help. Harry answered the Doctor's unspoken question with a nod as he placed the basin and towels down on the table.

"Sarah," he started, as he took her cardigan off and placed it on the floor, "I'm going to take just a little blood, so we can find out what's going on." the Doctor said trying to look into her eyes, hoping to get through the fever and shock of the recent news. Sarah tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't support her and the Doctor lowered her to the floor.

Harry rushed to Sarah's side and quickly sat down on the floor behind her cutting off her retreat. "It's okay Sarah, we're here to help you. You know we're your friends, don't you?" he said placing his hands around her waist to control her movements.

"Harry, I'm so tired." she said as she laid her head back against his shoulder.

"I know Sarah." Harry replied meeting the Doctor's eyes. "Just two more little stings." Harry said as the Doctor withdrew a blood sample and quickly injected her with the Gallifreyan antibiotic her body so desperately needed. He looked down to see Sarah had given in to her overworked immune system and was asleep.

The Doctor stood and turned back the bed covers. He returned to Harry and picked Sarah up and placed her in the bed.

"Go ahead Doctor, I know you need to see the results of the blood work. I'll take care of her and stay with her till you come back." Harry said removing Sarah's shoes and pulling the covers over her.

"Thank you Harry." he said as he grabbed the vial and ran from the room. Having them here tonight was very fortunate, the Doctor thought as he arrived at the Infirmary. His mind continued to think along those lines as he allowed the Tardis to analyze the blood sample. It's strange, he thought to not have a single friend on your own home planet and yet have so many on a planet light years away. He considered himself very fortunate to have these people in his life, now 'their' lives. With that thought he smiled. He would get Sarah through this and give her the life she deserved. With the help of his friends he knew he could do virtually anything.

A buzzing sound alerted him that the Tardis had finished its analysis. As he read the report, it was just as he suspected. She was still fighting the strain of infection from her contact with the Averian fluid. Her white cell count had gone through the roof, as he had heard exclaimed on Earth. In twelve hours he would start a more aggressive antibiotic that had a little more kick than what he had previously given her. He hated to give her this antibiotic because of the side effects he knew she would suffer. But this was the best for her, that's what he kept reminding himself. As long as she was on this drug, she would have to be carefully monitored. Her heart was at the greatest risk. She would be the first human being to ever have this drug. But there were no Earth based equivalents that could even come close to the results that this could produce. Hopefully she would just be on it a few days. A few days in which he would have to keep Sarah in bed and quiet. This would be a long weekend he thought as he gathered the supplies he would need for Sarah.

Harry was sitting at Sarah's bedside, wiping Sarah's face with cool towels. He heard a buzzing sound and immediately realized it was Sarah's phone. He quickly located it on the floor near his feet where it had fallen when Sarah had collapsed. He quickly answered it to stop the ringing. "Just one moment please.", he whispered into the cell phone as he slipped from the room. The Brigadier was passing through the hallway fortuitously at the same time. "Brigadier, I'll explain in a minute. But could you stay with Sarah for just a few minutes?", he said with a look of near panic on his face.

"Of course." he said as Harry held the door to Sarah's room open for him.

Harry could hear whoever was on Sarah's phone screaming, "Hello? Hello?" As soon as the door to her room was shut he said, "Hello, I'm terribly sorry about that. How can I help you?"

"I'm trying to reach a Sarah Jane Smith. I was given this number." a man said with a gruff voice and from the way he was speaking, an even shorter fuse.

"Yes, this is Sarah's phone. However, she's not able to come to the phone right now. May I take a message?" Harry said anxious to get back to Sarah. He looked up seeing the Doctor walking towards him. Harry pointed to the phone and shrugged his shoulders.

"This is Detective Shreeves. I need to talk to Miss. Smith, now!"

"Detective Shreeves," Harry said aloud for the benefit of the Doctor, "Miss. Smith was given some terrible news tonight and unfortunately had to be sedated." Harry said in what he hoped sounded like a plausible explanation, "I would be happy to have her give you a call when she is able." Harry finished as he looked at the Doctor. The Doctor didn't look too happy. Just one more thing to go wrong, Harry thought.

"Is she in a hospital?" Shreeves asked.

"Hospital?" Harry repeated as he looked at the Doctor who was motioning yes, and if he understood him right he meant here at UNIT. "Yes she is. She's in our Sick Bay at UNIT. She's been fighting a virus for quite some time now and with the bad news about her parents, it sent her over the edge. She's now on life saving medicine and can't be disturbed." he said as he read from a pad the Doctor was furiously writing on.

"Who am I speaking to?" Shreeves asked.

"My name is Dr. Harry Sullivan, I am UNIT's Medical Chief Of Staff. If there's nothing else Detective, I need to get back to my patient." Harry said trying to get off the phone.

"I need to interview Miss. Smith. I'll be there first thing in the morning. I expect…" Shreeves said.

"Frankly, I don't care what you expect Detective. I said that Miss. Smith is seriously ill. She won't be seen or interviewed by anyone until she's better. She is a member of UNIT and protected by the rules and regulations that govern UNIT as set up by the Prime Minister. So unless you have specific charges to name, I suggest you stay away from her. Regardless of any charges that you may think you can bring up against her, she is not capable of answering your questions. As I stated before she is unconscious. Do you have any other questions or have I made myself clear?" Harry finished, now out of breath and adrenalin. When a moment of silence passed, he finished. "Goodnight Detective!" and closed the phone. He slumped against the hallway wall and let out a breath. He heard someone clapping, and then several people clapping and looked up. In the hallway with him was not only the Doctor, but Sergeant Benton and the Brigadier himself.

"Good work Sullivan!" said the Brigadier as he reached forward to take the unsteady physician's hand and shake it.

"I didn't know you had it in you Harry, well done." said the Doctor who was now shaking his hand.

"That was great Harry!" Sergeant Benton said from behind him, as he slapped him on the back.

"I think I'm going to be sick." said Harry, the flow of adrenaline now gone from his body.

"Nonsense Harry. Sergeant, why don't you take him to get something to drink? Do you remember the way to the entertainment room?" said the Doctor stepping back so the two could pass.

"Sounds like a great idea Doctor. Come on Harry." he said as the two walked down the hallway. "I didn't know you had it in you Harry, really I didn't." the others heard Benton say as they walked away.

The Brigadier opened Sarah's door for the Doctor. She was as they left her, sleeping. "Doctor, would you like me to sit with her for a while?" the Brigadier asked.

"No that's all right. I appreciate your offer though. Can you believe Harry?" the Doctor asked unbelievably?

"He's protective of Miss. Smith. We all are." he said as he looked down at Sarah's sleeping form.

"Thank you for that. I never realized till now, that was something else Sarah and I had in common."

"What's that Doctor?" the Brigadier asked as he looked to the Doctor.

"We both never really had friends till we came here. I know you've got to be tired Alistair. Get some rest. It sounds as if we're all going to need it." the Doctor said as he placed the syringes and drugs that he brought into a drawer.

"Goodnight Doctor. If you need anything…" he said turning back.

"Thank you Alistair, I will." he replied watching the Brigadier close the door. He checked Sarah's temperature, 102.5°. Good, it was down some. He picked up towel, wetting it in the basin and wiped Sarah's face hoping to give her a little relief. "Oh Sarah, it will get better. It has to." he whispered as he walked back to the chair and settled in to wait till he could start her on the new antibiotic.

Sunday went by relatively quiet with the Doctor focusing all his attention on Sarah's recovery and the others stepping in to help where they could. The only real excitement for the day involved Detective Shreeves trying to bluff his way passed the Guard Shack. But the UNIT guards were well trained and knew without a warrant he had no legal right to be on UNIT property. The Brigadier had tried to give the local police the benefit of the doubt in the past and it had come back to bite all of them. He had a meeting with all the pertinent members and stressed to them that for now, this would be a base open to invitation only.

The Doctor was surprised to see his friends rally so closely around them. Benton had arose early and physically prepared a big breakfast for the entire group. Harry had prepared lunch with the Brigadier jumping in to prepare dinner. Sarah was in and out of consciousness the entire night and day. She was now fitted with a heart monitor and on the new Gallifreyan antibiotic, Treilen. It was almost a blessing to see her sleep. When she was conscious, the Treilen caused extreme nausea and dizziness. Sarah was becoming dehydrated and he was dreading having to put her on IV fluids. Her bruising from her previous hospital stints were just starting to disappear.

The Brigadier, Harry and Benton were checking in with the Doctor before they retired for the night. "Doctor, could I see you for a moment?" the Brigadier asked the Doctor as he stepped back into the hallway. "I just wanted to let you know that my contact inside the police department called and said that he would fax me everything the police had about Martin's death in the morning. He can't do it before then for fear of being caught. I knew you would want to know. I'll contact you as soon as I get the report tomorrow. Is there anything you need?" he asked.

"No and thank you for the information Alistair. Goodnight." he said and watched the Brigadier walk away.

"Goodnight Doctor. If you need anything, please let me know." said Benton as he walked by.

"I will thank you." He turned to find Harry staring at him. He went back inside the room and Harry followed him.

"Doctor, why don't you let me sit with her for a while so you can go take a shower and a nap." Harry asked.

"Why Harry are you trying to tell me something about my body? Do I stink?" he said trying to put a little joviality into the night.

"No, you don't stink!" Harry replied. "I just thought that you might need a break. Go on, you can trust me. I'll take good care of her." Harry tried again.

"All right. If you're sure. Come and get me the second she needs anything! I mean it Harry." he said pointing his finger in Harry's direction. "I'm sorry. Sarah's always trying to break me of pointing my finger in people's faces."

"I never thought you really listened." Sarah said in a weak voice.

The Doctor was by her side in a second. "Sarah, how do you feel?" he asked taking her limp hand in the both of his. Her hand was so cold.

"I'm just tired. Do what Harry says. Go get a shower and take a nap. I'm not likely to go anywhere am I? Now go. Don't make me get out of this bed." she threatened with a small smile.

"All right. Just to please you though. Can I get you anything before I go?" he said as he kissed her hand.

"No. I'm good. Now get out of here. I'm going to take a little nap." she said as she closed her eyes.

The Doctor knew he had just witnessed yet another act for his benefit. She didn't want him to know how sick she really was. He decided to do as she asked, if just to let her think she had a little control over him. If she only knew, she had 'complete' control over him he thought. He placed Sarah's hand underneath the blanket and kissed her forehead before smiling at Harry and slipping from the room.

He checked the console room for a message from Gallifrey. Of course there wasn't one. This was up to him to figure out. He went through the few things that he knew for sure. The individual after them was definitely a Time Lord. A Time Lord that knew how to manipulate his Tardis so that it could disappear and reappear, only being detected when he desired it to be. A Time Lord that could manipulate humans as easily as chess pieces. He knew the individual was behind the murders of Mr. and Mrs. Elliot. Was he behind Martin's death too? And was he being paranoid to think that Sarah's parents' death was also connected to this? Once again, he was back to the original question. Who was behind all of this? And where would he strike next?

This was making him crazy. He decided to go to his room and take a shower and possibly nap for an hour. As he was drying off after his shower, he heard a phone ringing, Sarah's phone. After Harry had closed the line on the Detective last night, the Doctor had put the phone in his bedroom so it wouldn't disturb Sarah. And now at almost ten in the evening it was ringing.

The Doctor picked up the phone and said, "Hello?".

"Hello this is Mrs. Phillips, I was hoping to reach Sarah Jane Smith." the woman replied.

"I'm sorry, Sarah isn't well now and is unable to come to the phone. Is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm the manager of the building her parents were living in. The place is a real pig sty, you know? Anyway, do you know if Miss. Smith will be retrieving any of their belongings? The owner wants to clear it out as soon as possible so that he can rent it out. I knew the minute I saw them that they were nothing but a problem. I say good riddens to bad rub…."

The Doctor cut her off with, "Mrs. Phillips, I will see that Sarah gets your message."

"They were always coming and go…." she started again.

"Goodnight Mrs. Phillips." he said as he closed the phone and ended the call. He hoped Sarah wouldn't ever have to go there again. And she certainly didn't need to be lectured by some busybody. He was hoping Sarah would be up to a small discussion about her parents bodies, that is, once the police released them. He would wait till then, putting off the emotional act as long as possible, giving Sarah as much time to heal as he could. Till then, he would field the calls.

He was exhausted, but thankfully Time Lords didn't require as much sleep as humans. He would give himself a hour and then go back to Sarah.

Monday came and went quietly. Sarah continued to receive the Treilen. She was aware of the side effects and was doing everything she could to stay asleep, trying to avoid them. The Doctor was taking advantage of the situation and catching up on some sleep in the comfortable overstuffed chair in Sarah's room. He was really concerned with Sarah's now second round of weight loss. He was thinking along those lines when the phone the Brigadier had given him rang. "Hello?"

"Doctor…I realize it's late but I was wondering, how is Miss. Smith?" the Brigadier stammered.

The Doctor was worried. The Brigadier didn't rattle easily and from his manner of speech, something was wrong. "You know you can call anytime Alistair. Sarah's much the same, but I'm hoping to see some improvement soon." the Doctor said as he slipped out of Sarah's room, fearing she might overhear something she shouldn't. He wanted her to be as stress free as possible. The drug she was on was taking everything from her. Its success was dependent on keeping Sarah quiet.

"Doctor, Detective Shreeves has gotten permission from the Prime Minister's office for a visit to UNIT. I did everything in my power to stop it." the Brigadier explained.

"I understand. So where do we stand? It's not as if Sarah is even capable of giving anyone a statement." the Doctor said, exasperated at the government and its rules.

"I said the same thing, but it was taken out of my hands. I'm calling to let you know that we need to move Miss. Smith to UNIT's Sick Bay first thing in the morning."

"Wait a minute!" the Doctor started.

"I know Doctor. Listen to me and think about this. Detective Shreeves can't exactly come in the Tardis to see for himself that Miss. Smith is unable to tell him anything. I know that your knowledge of medicine and science as well as quite a few other areas are beyond anyone on Earth. But that's not information we want to be public knowledge. I need you to go along with this Doctor. We have to make it seem like she's been interned in UNIT's Sick Bay since Saturday night. And we need to make it seem that Dr. Sullivan is her physician." he finished dreading the Doctor's response.

The Doctor stopped and didn't say anything for a few seconds, just taking everything in that he was told. He knew he could fight about this, but it would accomplish nothing but make a bad situation worse. He knew what he would have to do.

"Doctor, are you there?" the Brigadier asked.

"Yes Alistair I'm here. What time will this Shreeves arrive tomorrow?" asked the Doctor as he did some mental calculations on Sarah's medication schedule and its place in this 'move'.

"He's due to arrive at ten. That was the longest delay I could arrange. You can count on the fact that he will arrive early, trying to catch us off guard. Dr. Sullivan will arrive at six. What time can I tell Dr. Sullivan you and Miss. Smith will be there?"

"Tell Harry I'll bring her in a little before eight. Her antibiotic is due at eight. I'll get everything ready tonight. You do realize I'm just going along with this while Shreeves is here don't you? I like Harry but I'm not turning Sarah's care over to him." the Doctor explained, making sure everything was out in the open before he moved Sarah an inch out of the Tardis.

"Of course Doctor. Dr. Sullivan will not be treating Miss. Smith. I've already discussed this with Sullivan and he understands. Do you think she'll need much more of the medication?" the Brigadier asked, remembering how terribly ill it made her. His heart went out to her, and he desperately hating making things worse. But it was out of his hands now.

"I'm hoping she'll only need three more doses. I'm afraid of giving her more than that." He heard Sarah call his name. "I'm sorry Alistair, Sarah's calling for me I have to go." he said already on his way back to her as he closed the phone. "Sarah?" he said as he walked through the door. He wasn't ready for the sight that met him.

"Sarah!" he exclaimed as he ran to her side. It appeared she had tried to get up and go to the bathroom to be ill, but hadn't made it . She had been so ill, so many times, her body was trying to expel the only thing that was left, blood. It was all over the front of her pajamas, hands, face and her bed. She took in the sight of so much of her own blood and did the only thing her weak body allowed her to, cry.

"It's all right Sarah. It's going to be okay. Let's get you in a nice warm bath. Would you like that?" he asked. Sarah shook her head yes through the tears. "Lay back for just a minute okay?" he said lifted her from the floor and eased her back on her pillow. "Just close your eyes and relax. I'm going to get your bath ready then I'll be right back. Just try to clear your mind." he said as he smoothed the now blood splattered hair from her face.

It didn't occur to him till he had her bath ready for her, how he would bathe her. She was too weak to be on her own and he doubted she was strong enough to even wash her own hair. He placed her bathrobe and several towels near the tub and then went back into the room and removed some pajamas and socks from the wardrobe. The Doctor placed them in the bathroom and rolled his sleeves up as high as he could. He would just have to do it, he decided. He walked over to the bed to find Sarah as he left her. "Sarah?" he said in a low voice. "I have your bath ready, let's go." he said as she opened her eyes and he helped her into a sitting position.

"I can't." she said in a voice so low he almost didn't hear it.

"Why Sarah?" he asked, wondering if the dizziness was getting worse.

"I can't do it myself. I'm too weak." she explained as she looked down, embarrassed.

"I'm going to help you. I know this isn't how either of us planned it, but sometimes we just have to do what needs to be done. I know this is an uncomfortable subject for you, and I'm sorry it has to be this way. I really am." he said taking her chin in his hand and raised her head so she could see that he was sincere. "I love you Sarah, and I will do anything I can to help you. And you would do the exact same for me. Wouldn't you?" he said never taking his eyes from hers. She shook her head yes. "Right, now you need a nice warm bath. And that's something I can do for you, okay?" he said with a smile. Sarah smiled and shook her head yes. "Okay, let's go." he said as he pulled the covers back and picked her up.

When they reached the bathroom, the Doctor set her down on the upholstered stool that was near the tub. He carefully removed Sarah's pajamas and socks. He was shocked to see that he could easily distinguish each of her ribs. He was careful not to react. That was the last thing she needed to see. "Okay?" he asked as he looked up into her face from his spot, crouching on the floor after removing her socks.

"Yes. Doctor…I'm really sorry about this." Sarah said in a weak voice.

"Don't be. I feel privileged that you would allow me to be the one to take care of you. Okay, let's get in." he said as he stood and lifted her up, carefully setting her in the warm tub. "I'm going to wash your hair first." the Doctor said as he removed some shampoo from the bottle on the small table by the tub. He carefully washed her hair, reclining her body as he rinsed it. He could see Sarah was fading fast, her body trying to claim sleep before the nausea and dizziness claimed her tortured body again. He quickly washed the rest of the blood off Sarah and lifted her from the tub. He set her on the stool again, he put her bathrobe on her and wrapped a towel around her hair. After drying her, he put her pajama top on, and with a small amount of awkwardness, he put her pajama bottoms on her. She was more asleep than awake at this point.

He returned Sarah to the bedroom only to realize her bed still had blood on it. He carefully set her down in the overstuffed chair and quickly changed the sheets. He gently placed Sarah back in her bed tucking the covers tightly around her. "Goodnight Sarah." he whispered as he kissed her forehead. He hoped she was conscious enough in the morning to understand his explanation of her move back to UNIT's Sick Bay. He picked up the bloody sheets and put them in a chute in the hallway. The Tardis would clean them and they would reappear in the storage room. Stepping back into Sarah's room he decided to get some sleep before Sarah's migration to Sick Bay started. He didn't feel good about this Detective Shreeves and his demands. That was his last thought before he drifted off to sleep.

Seven in the morning came quickly, or so it seemed to the Doctor. He looked over to find Sarah still sleeping. Her next dose of Treilen was due at eight. He slipped from Sarah's room and hit the button on the cell phone that would connect him with the phone that Harry had.

"Hello?" Harry said, thrown off that the Doctor would be calling this early.

"Harry, the Brigadier called last night and told me everything. Sarah's next dose of Treilen is due in a hour. I'd like to get her settled before then. It hits her almost immediately, so I want her to remain as quiet as possible." the Doctor explained.

"I know and I'm really sorry about everything. You know if there were any other way…." Harry replied sadly.

"I know this isn't anyone's fault. That still doesn't make it any easier. I better get back to Sarah. I still haven't told her yet. Where do you want me to bring her?"

"I'll be waiting in the same room as before. Do you need any help? I'd be happy to help in any way I can."

"No, I'll bring her there. Harry, I…thank you." he stammered.

"Anytime Doctor. We'll get her through this. You'll see. I'll be waiting for you. Goodbye." Harry said, then closed the phone.

The Doctor walked over and sat on the side of Sarah's bed. He was dreading this. So much of her life had been out of her control. Control she had regained till getting sick and meeting him. If all of this pointed back to him and he couldn't stop it, what would he do? He couldn't imagine his life without Sarah in it. But at the same time, he couldn't sentence her to the uncertainty of always having to look over her shoulder either. He needed to put a stop to all of this, before it was too late.

"Hey, are you all right?" Sarah weakly asked as she took his hand in hers.

"Oh, me? I'm fine. We need to do something and I know you're going to fight me on it. But just try to understand, we've all tried everything possible and this is something we have to do." he said taking a firmer grip of Sarah's hand.

"What is it we have to do?" Sarah asked with fear in her voice.

"I'm sorry Sarah, it's nothing terrible, really. It's just terribly inconvenient. That's all." he said looking deeply into her green eyes trying to calm the fear he saw in them. "Saturday night a Detective Shreeves tried to contact you for questioning."

"Questioning about what?" Sarah asked.

"He had some questions about your parents." he said as he watched her face change to panic.

"Oh no! I have to make arrangements for them. I'd completely forgotten about them. I've got to get up." she said as she attempted to sit up. The Doctor decided it was better that she realize on her own what a futile effort trying to move would be. He could tell her, but until she herself realized it wasn't possible it was a waste of breath.

"I can't can I?" she sadly asked as she realized she couldn't even raise herself into a sitting position, much less walk.

"No Sarah, I'm sorry you can't." he said taking her hand in his and gently kissing it. "First, I will take care of any calls that need to be made. So you don't need to worry about that. Secondly, because Detective Shreeves has called the Prime Minister and gotten special permission to enter UNIT, we have to get you into UNIT's Sick Bay. As the Brigadier so eloquently put it, 'We can't have him in the Tardis now can we?', so that means you have to go to Harry's little world to make it seem as if you've been there, since taking ill. And as far as Shreeves is concerned, Harry is your physician. And sadly enough we have to move you now, before your next dose of Treilen is due. I'm sorry to have to do this, but there's nothing else we can do." he said taking her hands to his lips.

"I understand. There's something else though isn't there? You're hiding something." she asked.

"You know me too well. Exactly how is it you 'do' know me so well?" he asked looking into what he believe were the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen.

"I just know. Come on, out with it. You're stalling." she said trying to convey the gravity of her question.

"Really, it's nothing. You know me. Always trying to connect two and two and coming up with C." he said with a smile. Sarah didn't need to know his assumptions about the two deaths being connected. But she wasn't buying it. Not from the look of the frown on her face. "I guess I'm just worried about your parents deaths and the effects it will have on you." he lied, well, partly in any case.

"I still think there's more to it than that. But we already have enough going on now, so I'll let it slide. For now." she said. She would have argued further but felt her strength and her stomach starting to protest.

"Do you want some ginger ale? It might help with the nausea." he could see her face becoming paler as they talked.

"No, let's get this move over with. What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing, I have everything under control. Let's get you into your robe." he said as he pulled it from the bench at the foot of her bed and helped her to sit. "There, are you warm enough?" he asked as he finished getting the robe on her, as he supported her weight.

"Yes, I'm fine." she said as she smiled at him, trying her best to put on a brave face for the Doctor. 'Fine' was something she didn't feel.

"Okay, let's go." he said as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her through the Tardis and to UNIT's Sick Bay. When they reached her room they were greeted by Harry.

"Good morning Sarah, Doctor." Harry said as he pulled back the covers on Sarah's bed and removed her slippers while the Doctor removed her robe.

As soon as Sarah was settled in her bed, the Doctor removed the Treilen injection from his pocket. "I'm sorry Sarah." he said as he rechecked the dosage and Harry pulled one of her pajama sleeves up. "Just a little stick." he said as he injected her with the medication. After attaching the heart monitor, they quickly reclined the bed and made sure she was comfortable since the medication would take effect quickly. And from the look of Sarah's face, very quickly. "Sarah, just take deep cleansing breaths and try to relax. Try to fight the nausea. Just try to relax enough to sleep." he said as he took one of her hands in his and kissed it. He looked over to see Harry returning with a basin of cold water and two towels. The Doctor held one of the cold cloths at the back of her neck and Harry took the other and wiped her face. "Just relax Sarah." He could tell from her even measured breathing that she was able to fight off the nausea this time and sleep. He carefully laid her hand back down and tucked in the blankets around her. He met Harry's eyes and motioned for him to step out of the room for a bit.

Once both were outside the Doctor brought Harry up to date on Sarah's condition and the effects of the drug last night. "I'm hoping that the dose I just gave her will be her last. About an hour before her next dose is due I'll take some blood, run it by the Tardis. With any luck at all, the infection will be at a level that I can give her a less toxic antibiotic." the Doctor said. Both looked at each other when they heard Sergeant Benton telling who they suspected was Detective Shreeves, that they should have called ahead.

"In my line of work Sergeant, I've found it's better not to give anyone warning I'm coming. Now where is Miss. Smith's room?" he said as he came in sight of the Doctor and Harry. "Dr. Sullivan?" Shreeves said as he put his hand forward to shake Harry's hand.

"Yes Detective Shreeves, I presume." Harry said returning his handshake. "Detective Shreeves this is the Doctor." he said, hoping this wouldn't be the beginning of a war between the two men.

"How do you do Detective?" said the Doctor as he placed forth his hand. He would do whatever it took to protect Sarah. Unlike Captain Martin, Detective Shreeves wasn't looking at them as if they were something to be dissected and paraded in Piccadilly Circus.

"I've heard great things about you Doctor. According to the Prime Minister, you and UNIT have saved all of our lives on several occasions, though he wouldn't go into details of how. I'd like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind. Don't worry, I'm not Captain Martin. As a matter of fact I'd like to apologize for Captain Martin." Shreeves said trying to appeal to the Doctor's sense of civility.

"I know it's not considered good manners to talk ill of the dead, but did you know that he hit Sarah, in the face?" the Doctor asked gauging his reaction.

"No," he said as he took a step back, "I wasn't aware of…I'm so sorry. Is she all right?". He looked as if he would be sick. He hated men that abused women. His own father had enjoyed slapping his mother around on occasion. When he was a boy of ten, his father was arguing with his mother at the top of a flight of stairs. He slapped her so hard that she actually flew over the stairs before landing and fatally breaking her neck. His father killed himself, leaving Sam to explain to the police. He decided at that point in his life to become a police officer and put an end to violence wherever he found it.

"It depends. She has a bruise the shape of his hand across her face, a black eye and a busted lip. But to be honest with you, I wish that was all that was wrong with her." the Doctor explained feeling that this man may not be the devil incarnate that Martin was.

"You said she was ill. After reading Martin's reports on the subject of Miss. Smith, I'm sorry to say I just assumed that UNIT was trying to protect her." he said, feeling he owed them an explanation after all that Martin had put them through. He had heard stories about Martin, but had done his best to ignore them and give him the benefit of the doubt. Now, maybe he did deserve to die. Regardless, he was murdered and it was his job to find the killer.

"We 'are' trying to protect her Detective Shreeves. She's ill, very ill. I don't know how you think you're going to question her. She's on some very strong antibiotics and…" Suddenly the sound of glass breaking inside Sarah's room was heard.

"Sarah!" the Doctor exclaimed as he ran inside the room, followed by Harry and Shreeves.

When they entered the room they found Sarah hanging onto the side of her bed and a broken glass on the floor. Her body was once again expelling the only thing it could find, blood. "Sarah, I'm so sorry. I never should have left you." the Doctor said as he took the emesis basin that Harry had handed him and held it for Sarah. She was white as a sheet and shaking uncontrollably. The Doctor circled the bed and wrapped one arm around her shaking form while holding the basin, and the other held her head. "It's going to be all right Sarah. I promise." the Doctor said as he tried to calm her.

Harry had returned with a basin of water and towels and had started trying to clean Sarah's now blood stained hands and arms. "Finished?" he asked Sarah as he wiped her tear stained face. She weakly shook her head yes. He took the basin from the Doctor and took it to the sink.

The Doctor slowly laid Sarah back on the bed as he helped Harry who had returned with more clean towels to settle Sarah down again. "Sarah, I know I'm asking a lot right now, but I want you to try and relax. It will help with the shaking and help control the nausea. We're right here Sarah. Harry and I won't let it happen again. We won't leave you alone again." he said as he smoothed the damp hair from her eyes. Sarah closed her eyes and did as the Doctor asked. She was on autopilot now, doing as she was asked and nothing more.

"Let's get her blankets changed." Harry said as he handed two blankets to the Doctor. They exchanged the blankets quickly without disturbing Sarah. The Doctor was checking the heart monitor as he took Sarah's temperature.

"Believe it or not after all that, her temperature is down." said the Doctor with a smile on his face as he approached Harry showing him the thermometer. "I'm going to step down the antibiotics. Can you stay with her? I need to check the readings before deciding on the next antibiotic to try." he said to Harry and then remembered they weren't alone. Both looked over to see Detective Shreeves standing by the door. He looked as though he couldn't decide whether to faint or be sick himself. "Are you all right Detective?" the Doctor asked as he and Harry approached.

"I, I didn't realize she was so sick. You have to understand that 99.9% of the time when someone tells me they're sick, they're not actually sick. What's wrong with her?" he said, feeling sorry for the girl with the bruised face. A bruise his predecessor had given her. No wonder they wanted to protect her. Looking at her small bruised frame, he wanted to protect her too. Still, he had a job to do.

"I could make everything abundantly clear to you, but the question is, can I trust you?" he said attempting to size up the Detective. "You see Detective there are two levels of reality at work here. One is the level that 'you' base your reality on. Your knowledge of the way life is, and the way things work. The other level is 'our' base of reality, the real reality. For you see Detective, we know the way things really work." the Doctor explained as he saw Harry shaking his head no emphatically as he stood behind the Detective. "I think we need to pay a visit to the Brigadier to help me make the decision, don't you?" he said as he held open the door to Sarah's room as the Detective walked shakily out. The Doctor looked back at Harry who was still using his head and now hands to tell him no. "I'll be back as soon as I can Harry. If there's any change in Sarah's condition, call me at once." he said with a smile as he closed the door.

"Oh Doctor, what are you doing?" he said as he approached Sarah's bed to record her current readings.

"What's the Doctor doing now?" Sarah asked weakly.

"Oh you know the Doctor. He always wants to do everything the unconventional way. It's nothing for you to worry about though. Is there anything I can get you, anything you want?" he asked as he wrung a cool towel out from the basin and gently wiped her face.

"No, I'm just going to go back to sleep. Harry?"

"What?" he asked taking her hand in his.

"Thank you for everything." she said as a single tear slipped from her eye.

"You're more than welcome." he said taking the towel and blotting the tear. "Who would have thought the Doctor would have trusted me with you? When you first came here, he didn't even want you in the same building with me, and now here I am holding your hand." he said gently squeezing her hand.

"I know. He's protective of me. I've never had that before." she said with a small smile. "I've also never had friends that were protective of me. Thank you Harry."

"You're most welcome. Now, close your eyes and go to sleep. If the Doctor comes back and finds you awake, I'll be in deep trouble." he finished with a smile. He watched as Sarah closed her eyes and slipped into sleep. He sat down in the chair the Doctor had dragged in what seemed a lifetime ago, and prepared to wait for the Doctor.