Author's Notes:

Not mine, nope, none of it! The 4th Doc makes his appearance - to me, those take place between 'Android Invasion' and 'Brain of Morbius'. Reviews would be awesome!

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Luke sat in a comfortable chair in the console room reading a book while the Doctor continued to make adjustments on the console itself. Neither of them was paying attention when the internal door opened and Sarah walked through.

'Aldebarus III. You and I were married the first time on Aldebarus III.'

Luke looked up from his book, and the Doctor looked up from the console. Neither of them made a move towards Sarah. Slowly, she made her way over to the Doctor.

'You were in your fourth incarnation then.'

The Doctor smiled. 'In between all those promises to take you home that I never intended on keeping.'

Sarah returned his smile and gave him a cautious embrace. 'And in the end, you never did get that part right.'

The Doctor enthusiastically returned her embrace. 'No, certainly not even in the way I thought I had.'

'You know what? I was more at home here than anywhere else in that time.'

'And now?'

She looked from the Doctor to Luke. 'Home is where ever you and Luke are, but John, we need to talk.'

Luke stood up, 'I'll go on back to the house and leave you to it.' He gave Sarah a hug. 'I'm glad you're ok, Mum.'

Sarah kissed his forehead, 'We'll all going to be ok, Luke.'

As Luke went out the door, the Doctor extended an arm to Sarah, 'Shall we walk while we talk?'

Sarah looped an arm into the Doctor's and they walked through the TARDIS's interior door. After a few moments of walking in companionable silence, Sarah looked over at the Doctor. 'Our wedding on Aldebarus III was forced.'

'Yes, the Aldebarians were very unhappy that we were travelling together in an improper relationship.'

'There was nothing improper about our relationship. You'd never so much as given me a second look back then.'

'Oh, I'd given you plenty of second looks. Third and fourth looks as well, from the time my old grey model first met you, but I kept it from you pretty well. The Aldebarians picked up on that.'

'If that's so, then yes, you did keep it from me. "Go along with it, Sarah, it's just a formality, don't take it so seriously." That's what you told me. You made it seem like a joke.' She paused for a moment. 'It wasn't until later that I even suspected that you might've meant what you said, and even then I wasn't positive. I'm not sure I ever knew exactly what you thought about that.'

'But you do now?'

'Oh yes,' Sarah replied off-handedly.

'Sarah.' The Doctor stopped walking and took both of Sarah's hands in his. 'It was a bonding ceremony. The only one I've participated in and the only one that would ever matter. While I loved our ceremony sixteen years ago, it was that one on Aldebarus III where I gave my hearts to you. Our wedding here simply allowed me to finally state what I felt back then.'

'Then why did you dump me back on Earth?'

The Doctor started walking again, leaving Sarah standing there. 'I told you, humans weren't allowed on Gallifrey.'

Sarah called after him. 'Borusa didn't seem to have a problem with it when he used the time scoop.'

'Times change, and you should not have remembered that.'

She tapped her temple with her index finger. 'Part of those memories that flooded back. I think I may have gotten some of yours jumbled into that mix.' She rushed to catch up with him. 'You could have come back for me at any one of those points.'

The Doctor looked over at her as they resumed walking. 'I did come back for you, Sarah Jane. When I did, you were married and had a child. I did not plan on letting you see me.'

'I thought I dreamt that,' she said softly. 'You also never told me that the gestation period on my child would be fourteen months either.' This time Sarah stopped walking. 'I had a devil of a time trying to explain that one, fortunately Harry was a big help.'

The Doctor stopped walking, but he didn't turn around to face Sarah. Softly he spoke, 'I always wondered if you knew how those biological changes made after your run in with dystronic toxaemia would affect you. It broke my hearts not to be able to say anything before you left. I watched you walk out those doors that day and figured I'd be back faster than you could say "Rassilon". Unfortunately, it took a bit longer and it appeared that you had moved on.'

'Andrew and I had known each other for a long time. We were even engaged when I was at University. I didn't marry him because I wasn't ready to give up my career and have a family. When he found out that I was back and pregnant, and that the father wasn't around, he treated me very well. However, he had no idea what going on inside me physically.'

'Would it have mattered? You're still the same Sarah Jane you always were.'

'What am I looking at as far as the DNA changes go? How old will I live to be? How old will Luke live to be? Will he regenerate? Christopher didn't when his stepfather killed him. Is that why you've been content to stay here on Earth all this time? Are you sure it's not out of some sense of guilt?'

'I brought Christopher back to the TARDIS to see if there was any way I could force a regeneration. There wasn't. As for your DNA changes, except for a few minor modifications, you're still human.'

Silence hung between them like a curtain for several minutes. Finally, Sarah sniffed as tears threatened to spill over again. 'Not quite, though. That's what caused Andrew to snap that day. He thought I was some sort of alien monstrosity in a human suit. I don't even want to know what he was thinking about Christopher.'

'What caused him to find out the truth?'

'From what I remember, it was some inebriated, loose lipped UNIT soldier he ran into in the pub.' The Doctor didn't respond, but she could see his eyes darkening in anger. 'All of my medical records are kept there because in their eyes, I'm not quite human anymore. Harry was a huge help and made sure that I was taken care of while I was pregnant with Christopher, the same way he did with Luke, but even he still looks at me differently. I don't know who else may have had access to that information back then.'

'What a closed-minded…'

Sarah cut him off quickly. 'Doctor, be realistic. This was twenty years ago, Andrew considered me a freak of nature or something. I lied to him for years about where I'd been and what I'd done while I'd been off with you. He was perfectly justified in feeling that I wasn't who I said I was. I lied because I knew he couldn't deal with the truth. And maybe to some extent because the more I said it, the more I began to believe the lie myself.'

'No matter what he thought, he had no right to take it out on you and Christopher with violence. Violence is never the answer, you know that.'

'And yet look at how violent the world is, look at how violent most of the places we went were.'

'Except for Aldebarus III.'

She smiled, 'Yes, except for Aldebarus III.'

Sarah looked around the tiny room on Aldebarus III. 'They want us both to stay in here tonight? You can stretch out your arms and touch the opposite walls.'

The tall Doctor with wildly curly hair and a huge smile squeezed Sarah's shoulder slightly, 'Well, it is customary. And it is just one night. This time tomorrow, we'll be safely back in the TARDIS. Besides, we've been in smaller jail cells for longer.'

Sarah looked back at him and laughed. 'Yeah, I suppose you're right.' As they walked in, they both heard the door lock behind them. Sarah tried to make light of the situation. 'I guess that's the Aldebarian way of tucking us in.'

'Quaint. No escaping that way then.'

Sarah noticed the temperature drop immediately. 'It's freezing in here. I suppose it's not like any posh hotel where we can control the thermostat.'

The Doctor sniffed the air suspiciously. 'They've introduced a certain chemical element to the air as well.'

'Oh great, trying to gas us to death?'

The Doctor turned around a couple of times surveying the area. 'No, I think they have much different ideas. This is probably the Aldebarian version of an intoxicant.' Just as he finished his sentence, the lights dimmed in the room automatically.

Sarcastically, Sarah quipped, 'Mood lighting and aphrodisiacs, how nice.' She sat on the edge of the bed. 'Well, you say this is just overnight and I'm exhausted. We might as well take advantage of a night's peace and quiet. Although, given how cold it is in here, it's a shame you're not wearing your long coat so that I could steal it from you. This dress is not what I would consider overly warm.'

The Doctor turned and looked at her, not having paid too much attention to what she'd said. 'What? Oh yes, right. Get some sleep, Sarah, tomorrow is a whole new day.'

Sarah curled up on one side of the smallish bed and closed her eyes. After a few minutes, she looked back up at the Doctor. 'Are you going to stand there are night?'

'I don't need sleep like you do, Sarah.'

'I know that, but you still don't have to stand up. I don't mind if you want to sit or lie down on the bed. It's not like there's another chair in here. I won't bite, I promise.' She smiled as she said the last sentence.

The Doctor was unable to resist smiling back. 'Very well.' He sat down beside her and leaned against the wall. 'Good night, Sarah.'

'Good night, Doctor.' She replied sleepily.

It was hard for even the Doctor to remain awake. He knew exactly which chemical the Aldebarians had introduced into the air, and he knew what the desired effect was supposed to be. Fortunately, both his Time Lord and Sarah's human physiology were not as susceptible to the intended effects, instead they both just became very sleepy. He looked over at Sarah and could tell by the even rise and fall of her ribcage that she was indeed sleeping soundly. Not long after, he too drifted into a comfortable sleep.

At some point, he woke up, the temperature of the room affecting even him. He looked over at Sarah, knowing that if he were chilly, she would be positively freezing. Indeed, she had curled up on her side in a ball in an attempt to keep warm, and even in sleep was shivering. He looked around for anything that could be used to help warm her up. He noticed a small blanket folded up by the door. He assumed that it had been put in there while they were both asleep because he knew it had not been there when they first came in.

He picked it up, unfolding it just enough to cover Sarah. He draped it cautiously over her, trying not to wake her. She shifted as he reached over her to make sure she was completely covered up. 'What's wrong?' she asked drowsily.

'Nothing.' He whispered. 'It's just an extra blanket for you to keep warm.'

'What about you?'

'What?'

She reached out clumsily for one of his hands. 'Doctor, you're freezing. You need something too.'

'I'm fine, Sarah, really.'

Sarah sat up and fully unfolded the blanket. 'Don't argue. Now, lay down.'

He did as ordered and couldn't help but smile as she reached across him to make sure they were both adequately covered with the thin blanket. He had to admit it was better than nothing. She patted him lightly on the chest before lying down and curling back up in her ball, but this time much closer and facing him. He watched her features relax as she began to fall back to sleep, and couldn't help but notice the slightest smile on her face.

He reached over and pushed away some stray hair that had fallen across her face. 'My Sarah Jane.' He whispered.

She opened her eyes and was transfixed by the Doctor's eyes staring at her. She started to say something, but the Doctor reached up and gently placed his finger over her lips. He leaned over and kissed her tentatively, then pulled back and looked in her eyes. When she didn't resist or pull back, but instead smiled at him; he returned her smile, then leaned towards her again, this time for a much deeper, intense kiss.

At some point during the night, Sarah stirred slightly. Without opening her eyes, she realised her head was tucked up underneath the Doctor's chin and her arm was draped across his chest, and she could feel his arms wrapped around her.

'Good morning,' the Doctor intoned quietly, but with a smile.

She propped herself up on one elbow and quickly pulled the arm that had been draped across him back to herself. 'Hi.'

Before Sarah could question further, the Doctor continued, 'I'm sorry, Sarah, but you were still shivering. It was the only way to try to keep you warm. We should only be in here a few more hours.'

She gave him a small smile and laid back down, resting her head in the crook of his arm, 'It's ok, I don't mind.'

'Tell me, what went through your head back then?' Sarah asked.

'All I wanted to do that night was hold you and never let go. That ceremony was incredibly important to me, Sarah.' They had reached the door she came out of earlier. The Doctor pushed open the door and motioned for Sarah to go in.

Sarah walked directly over to the closet and pointed at her dress and his trouser/shirt combo. 'When did you get this? The Aldebarians let us change back into our regular clothes before we left, and I don't remember taking it with us.'

'We didn't. I went back to Aldebarus III right after going to Gallifrey. They asked about you and when I told them that I'd taken you home, but that I was going back to get you, they were more than happy to give me the clothes, and the picture.'

'I wish things could've been different when you finally did come back.'

'What would you have done? You were married and Christopher was what, three or four in Earth years? I watched the two of you for over an hour while you had him playing in the park.'

Sarah walked backwards and sank down on the bed. 'I remember that day. I had to get out of the house. Andrew and I had a terrible fight and I was feeling so cooped up. So I took Christopher to the park to play. All was quiet, then I thought I heard someone call my name. When I turned back around, Christopher had taken off at a run, calling "Daddy, Daddy". I caught up with him at the edge of a wooded area. I had no idea what he'd seen. As I picked him up, I tried to follow where he was looking, but I couldn't see anyone.'

'Do you remember what you told him?'

'What I told Christopher? You could hear that?'

The Doctor nodded. 'As you started to walk away, you told him, "No baby, Daddy isn't here." It broke my hearts, because I could hear the pain in your voice. But I also saw your wedding ring and knew I couldn't just step back into your life. Then you saw me.'

Sarah took off at a run after the brown, curly haired little boy, scooping him up in her arms just as they reached the edge of the woods.

The boy looked up at her expectantly, then turned back to the trees. 'Daddy?'

'No baby, Daddy isn't here.' She said sadly, trying to push her hopes to the back of her mind, but there was something, or should she say someone knocking cautiously at the edges of her mind. 'Come on Christopher, it's time to go home.'

As she began to walk away, she heard a twig snap and turned back to the woods. 'Hello, is someone there?'

The voice was unmistakable, even on the unlikely chance that the figure that stepped out from behind the closest tree hadn't been. 'Hello, Sarah.'

Sarah shifted the young boy in her arms. 'Doctor, it is you, I thought so.' A million thoughts went through her mind all at once. She didn't know whether to yell at him, swear, hug him or walk away. She settled for a cool distant tone. 'What are you doing here?'

'I came back for you.'

'I don't remember you being such a bad liar. If you had come back for me, it would've been four years ago, and you wouldn't be watching me secretly from the edge of the woods. You had no intention of telling me you were here, you just wanted to check up on me.' She put Christopher down, but continued to hold his small hand. With her free hand, she touched her temple, 'I can't seem to get you out of here.'

'It'll only be noticeable for you when I'm on Earth, and hopefully only when I'm close by. I didn't come back to interrupt your life, Sarah. You've moved on, obviously.' He motioned to Christopher.

'Oh, don't play that with me, Doctor. You know full well who Christopher is.'

'That shouldn't be possible, Sarah Jane.'

'Please. Christopher has two hearts.'

'What? That really shouldn't be possible.' He knelt down in front of the boy and gently put a hand against his chest, first on one side, and then the other. His eyes got huge as he heard the double heartbeat.

Christopher looked up at the curly haired man with bulging blue eyes and wide smile. 'Daddy?'

'Sarah, he's…' the Doctor had trouble finishing his sentence.

Sarah offered her own closure to the sentence. 'Wonderful, fantastic, the best thing that ever happened to me?'

'Ours was the word I was looking for.'

'Amazing how that happened, but you knew before you sent me away, didn't you?'

The Doctor picked up Christopher easily with one arm and studied the boy almost as much as the boy was studying him. 'I suspected. But I also thought I'd be back faster than you could say "Rassilon". I never expected it would take me this long to get back here.'

'Well, where do we go from here?'

The Doctor took his free arm and reached out towards Sarah, gently cupping her face with his hand. 'I'm not going to ask you to leave your husband, Sarah. I would like to be a part of your and Christopher's life, but that would not be the best for you, I fear.'

'I didn't…I couldn't…Oh Doctor, I'm so sorry.' She looked at the ground, unable to look him in the eyes.