Sorry, I know its been ages since I last posted a chapter to this. But I've now finally got the time to post this up.

Hope its good! Please review.

He was shocked. Surely he hadn't been away that long. But the evidence is right in front of him, and there is no point in trying to deny fact. No wonder she doesn't recognise me. Or remember me fully, he thought mournfully.

According to the calendar, the date was: 13th March 2013. It had been years since she last saw him. I wonder, how long has it actually be-

"Are you okay, John?" Sarah asked, a bemused look on her face. His head snapped round to face her.

"Hmm?" he asked, momentarily confused and causing Sarah Jane to frown slightly. "Oh! Oh yes! Yes I'm okay," the words tumbled out of his mouth. Sarah Jane laughed slightly. "What?" he inquired.

"Nothing, nothing," she shook her head, still slightly laughing. "I'm sorry, but you're a terrible liar."

"No I'm not," he said indignantly.

"Whatever you say," she replied. "Here you are."

"Thank you." The Doctor smiled, as he took the cup from her. They both sat down on the sofa and took sips of their tea.

The silence hung over them, making the Doctor slightly nervous. "So Sarah Jane," he started, causing Sarah to look up. "What do you do?"

"I'm a Journalist," she answered shortly. The Doctor frowned slightly, but decided to dismiss it.

"What got you into Journalism then?"

"Well, my Aunt Lavinia actually got me into it. You see, my parents died when I was still just a baby so my Aunt Lavinia raised me. I was always fascinated with what she did. I've been a journalist for at least 35 years now."

"Ah..."

"What about you? What do you do? Or are you just a traveller?"

"Me? Just a traveller really." She nodded at that. But, then she suddenly frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I really don't know."

The Doctor inhaled a shakey breath and put down his cup. "Sarah Jane?" She looked up at him. "Could you tell me more about the John Smith you mentioned earlier?"

"When I was in my twenties, I started travelling with a man who sometimes went by the name John Smith. Well, I think I did. I don't remember much about him. I don't even really remember what he looks like. I never saw him again, so I assumed it was all just dreams. But he took me to these fantastic places..." she whispered.

"Sarah Jane. It wasn't a dream," he murmured. She turned sharply to look at him. Her eyes were misty and tears were prickling at the corners of her eyes.

"No," she said, her voice barely a whisper. She shook her head slowly. "No. No. No. No."

"What? Sarah Jane?" a bewildered and concerned tone to his voice.

"It can't be you. No. No. It just can't be you," her voice was still quiet.

"I'm so sorry Sarah Jane. But it is."

"No! No!" she cried. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. The Doctor looked at her with a mixture of shock, sadness and slight worry. Eventually, she seemed to accept the fact that he really was back.

"Sarah?" he said cautiously.

"My name is Sarah Jane," she replied shortly.

"Sarah Jane, I'm-"

"Sorry. I know, you've said before," she interrupted. She was still crying softly. "37 years, Doctor."

"I know, and again I apologise."
"I thought you were dead! You could have at least sent a letter or visited once! I lived with the knowledge that I could not talk to anybody about our adventures! And I questioned myself every day, wondering whether it all actually happened. Do you know how painful that is?" she cried. The Doctor just stayed silent while she spoke, his eyes fixated on the floor in guilt and every so often glancing up at her face. He just shook his head in answer.

"You were my best friend, Doctor. And I thought that I was yours."

"You were! And still are." He answered quickly. Sarah Jane just shook her head. They both stood up. Sarah Jane crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, I couldn't have been that important to you. I must not have meant much to you."

"You do, Sarah Jane," he denied.

"If you did care that much, then why didn't you visit! I know that today is just a chance encounter! So, why Doctor?" she pressed.

"I-I don't know. There are various reasons why, I guess," he murmured.

"Well, enlighten me then!" Sarah snapped.

"I guess I didn't have time to, there was one adventure after another. One problem after another. I also just didn't feel right, the thought made me nervous. I didn't know what I would say. And I also wasn't sure if you'd be in the same place as before," he answered in a soft voice.

"You could have tried," she retorted. But then her legs buckled and she collapsed to the floor, covering her face. Her shoulders were shaking as she sobbed. The Doctor was by her side in an instant and wrapped his arms around her. He gently rocked her while whispering soothing words. Sarah Jane clinged to his dark brown jacket, as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I-I'm so-rr-ry. I'm s-so s-orr-rry" she wailed.

"Shhh, Sarah, shh. I understand. I deserved it. Don't worry about it," he comforted in a soft voice.

After a little while her sobs died down to soft sniffling. The Doctor thought for a second then suddenly smiled slightly.

"What?" she asked, her voice still slightly shakey from crying. He didn't answer. Instead he fished through his pockets and his smile widened as he found the object he was looking for. All the while, Sarah Jane stared at him, perplexed. He pulled out the white, paper bag, and held it out to her.

"Would you like a Jelly Baby?" he asked, with a wide smile. Sarah Jane chuckled slightly, and a smile lit up her face. She pulled out a purple Jelly Baby and popped it in her mouth. The Doctor popped an orange Jelly Baby in his mouth and grinned down at her. Sarah Jane rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes, snuggling into him and the Doctor put an arm around her shoulder and leaned back into the bottom of the sofa. They both sat there in a comfortable silence, both happy to be back together.