"Are you looking for Sarah?" Across the road a woman closed the door of a van with "Bloomin' Lovely" printed on the side.

Jo waited until she'd reached the pavement on this side before answering. "I am. Do you know where she is?"

"She went out. Took my daughter with her. Rani wants to be a journalist and Sarah's so good to her, showing her the ropes."

Given what she'd heard, chances were that Sarah Jane had gone to investigate something alien and could be gone a while. But Jo couldn't wait.

"Can I help?" the woman asked, while Jo was thinking about what to do next.

"I just came to give her this." Jo pulled a grey object the size of a mobile phone out of her pocket. Given all the alien activity in the area, this woman was bound to know what to do with it while Sarah Jane was out.

"Oh, what is it?" Before Jo could protest the woman took the object from her hand, at which point it turned into a spidery-like thing. Surprised, the woman screamed and dropped it. The spider ran off down the road, clicking as it went.

"We have to catch it!" Jo started after it.

"It's just a spider," the woman complained, but at least she was running too.

"It's not just a spider," Jo replied. "It's designed to send signals into space to let invaders know where to land."

"We don't want the French over here."

Jo supposed that was a code word for aliens. They were in the middle of Ealing after all and should probably be careful about what they said. "There it is!" She managed to put on a burst of speed and caught one of its legs with the tip of her boot.

"Well done," the woman said, panting beside her.

Their victory was short-lived because the spider just detached that leg and carried on.

"Oh, no, you don't." The woman took off her shoe and threw it at the spider. Jo couldn't tell if it was luck or a good aim, but she hit it and the spider went still.

Jo picked it up. It looked like a dead, grey, robotic spider now.

"Don't let it fall into enemy hands," the woman said.

"I think it's dead." It should have folded up back into its original shape, but it just lay there, lifeless. Jo stroked it, to no effect.

"Well, we won't be invaded, will we? Got to look on the bright side."

Jo smiled. There was no point in explaining where it had come from and that the aliens who'd left it were threatening violence unless they got it back. She hadn't even meant to take it in the first place. But all she said was, "Thank you for your help." It would have been worse if she hadn't got the spider back.

"You're welcome, my darling." The woman smiled at her and walked back up to the van she'd come from.

Jo put the spider in her pocket and left a message on Sarah Jane's voice mail. Which, she reflected, she should have done in the first place.

Sarah gave Harry a look for the 'old girl'. "I'd hardly call two a collection."

"For someone who didn't want any..." He left the sentence unfinished, but they both remembered that she'd often said she wasn't interested in getting married and having babies.

She sighed and leaned back against the counter. "I know." She gave him a chance to remind her of the time during their brief relationship when he'd wanted one thing and she the other, but he stayed quiet, which she was glad about. "It was easier to decide to adopt the second one." After all, she knew what to expect this time. And what to do too, she hoped.

The front door slamming announced Sky's arrival home from school, just as the kettle boiled and switched itself off. Sarah pushed herself off the counter to stand up straight again. "Tea, Sky?" she called, letting her know they were in the kitchen and not up in the attic.

"Yes, please," Sky shouted back. A moment later she arrived in the kitchen and flung her school bag on a chair. She stopped when she noticed Harry. "What are you doing here?"

It was just as well Sarah had chosen that moment to attend to the tea because neither of the other two occupants would see her try and contain her laughter. Although she didn't make a sound she had to put the kettle down, otherwise she'd end up pouring boiling water all over the place. As much as she longed to see Harry's reaction to Sky's question, she didn't turn round.

However, Harry leaned down and whispered, "Sounds like something you'd say." She couldn't answer that with her hand over her mouth and he didn't give her time to. Out loud, he said, "I'm Harry. I'm a friend of your mother's." He didn't sound offended by Sky's attitude at all. Maybe he'd got used to her, although she was never quite as blunt as Sky tended to be.

"I call her Sarah Jane." Sky's tone was matter-of-fact, as it was about most things.

"You're a lot like Luke," Harry said thoughtfully.

"No, I'm not. He's a boy and he's older than me."

The tea made, Sarah pressed a mug into Harry's hand. "Sky doesn't have much experience of this world. One minute she was a baby, the next..." She waved a hand in Sky's direction. Sky was still looking confused at Harry's comparison. "What Harry means," she said to Sky, "is that your reactions remind him of how Luke was when I first adopted him."

"Oh." She thought about that, while Sarah passed her a mug of tea. "I like Luke, so that's all right. Of course, I've only seen him on screen."

"Don't worry, you'll meet him soon enough." Sarah was sure the two of them would be friends.

"I'm not worried." Sky smiled to prove she wasn't. "But I have homework." She took her mug with her, out of the kitchen. The thumps on the stairs suggested she was intending to ask Mr Smith to help with it. Fortunately, he was clever enough to know not to do it all for her.

"I suppose we're too boring for children," Harry said, sitting down at the table.

Sarah joined him. "Speak for yourself!"

"I don't think anyone could ever say you were boring."

She smiled, taking it as a compliment. "So what do you think of her?"

He turned serious at her question. "Are you asking my personal or professional opinion?"

She put her mug down. "Both. She was a bomb. She can still sense electricity. I'm just worried that..."

He put a hand over hers. "She'll need to be scanned to be sure. I'll sort something out and give you a call."

"Thank you." She smiled. "I knew I could reply on you."

Harry smiled at the compliment. "And I like her. If only you were alien too, that would explain you."

She punched him on the arm, but grinned as she did so, glad that Harry was the one thing in her life that never changed.

Despite K9 being up and about, Luke was still in bed, judging by the lump topped with dark hair. Harry took the opportunity to look around the room. It was quite small, but neat and tidy and above all, clean. At least if Sarah asked, he could reassure her that her son wasn't living in squalor.

The question remained: why was Luke still in bed and hadn't woken at Harry's entrance? He knew students were famed for their ability to sleep late, but as far as he knew Luke wasn't a typical teenager. So he went over to Luke's bed, put a hand on what he hoped was his shoulder and called Luke's name.

The covers shifted and Luke's head peered out from under them, looking bleary-eyed.

"Is everything all right?" Harry asked, frowning.

"I think this must be a hangover." Luke sounded sorry for himself.

Harry fought the urge to smile. Luke's first hangover. Which was quite a feat given that he'd been at university three weeks already. "I'll get you some water."

There was no one in the kitchen down the hall. He couldn't tell whose dishes were whose, so he just picked a glass off the draining board at random and ran the tap. When he returned Luke was sitting up in bed. Harry passed the glass of water to him.

"Did mum send you?" Luke asked once he'd finished the water.

Harry pulled out the chair by the desk and sat on it. He didn't quite like to admit that she had because he didn't want Luke to complain that Sarah was checking up on him. Besides, if Sarah hadn't asked he'd have happily come. His silence answered the question for him.

"You won't tell her I got drunk will you?"

Luke sounded so vulnerable that Harry couldn't bring himself to say that he would. Although he didn't think telling her would be that bad. "She might not be that upset." It was hard to tell how Sarah would react to things, but on the whole it was probably best to be vague about it. "What was so special about last night?"

"Sanjay thought it was criminal that I was seventeen and had never tried alcohol." Luke put the empty glass on the bedside table, pushing the alarm clock over to make room.

Harry remembered being sixteen himself, so he could hardly complain about that. "So what did you try?"

"Everything."

Harry raised his eyebrows.

Luke answered the question Harry hadn't voiced. "First there was a pint of beer, then I had vodka and coke, then whisky. I remember the aftershock, a pint of cider and a bottle of something orange." He frowned. "I don't remember anything after that."

Harry wasn't surprised if he'd been working his way through the bar. "I was going to offer to take you to lunch." Luke looked a distinct shade of green at the mention of food. "But perhaps I'll come back this evening when you're feeling better and take you to dinner instead." There were some people he was planning to visit while he was in Oxford and he could arrive earlier than he'd planned.

"Thank you," Luke said, smiling.

"But next time you go out drinking," Harry said, as he stood up, "pick one thing and stick to it."

"I will." Looking pale now, Luke huddled back under the covers and Harry left him to it.

Except when he reached for her, she sighed.

"Sorry, Harry. I'm just not in the mood."

He leaned away again. It wasn't as if every dinner had to result in them going to bed together, which was what they told themselves to make it seem less sordid, but generally they at least tried. "You were when you invited me over."

She shrugged. "Maybe it's just too easy now Luke's at university. There's no excitement in it."

Harry tried not to take offence at the insinuation that their sex life was boring. But given how it had been since she'd adopted Luke, he'd live with boring over non-existent. Somehow Sarah always had something on, and when he did come over other people being around would spoil the mood. He was glad she had Luke but he was nostalgic for the old days. "You weren't like this before you adopted Luke."

She gave him an apologetic look.

"So we have to come up with something to make it exciting." Whether Sarah agreed or not, he felt that the onus was on him. Not least because she'd not come up with anything herself. Although he thought his previous attempts with blindfolds and handcuffs had been good ideas, they had failed in their execution, so he would have to think of something different. Maybe if adding things didn't work, changing the location would. "How about the sofa? No one else has a key, do they?"

"No," she said slowly, and not sounding very confident about it.

He sighed. "You still keep a key under the plant pot, don't you?"

She didn't have to answer, he could tell by her guilty look.

"I've told you that isn't safe."

"Harry, having an argument isn't going to help."

She was right. He would wait until he left before telling her again. She might have Mr Smith, but he wouldn't be much use against someone breaking in to steal her valuables. "Are you going to throw me out, or do I get to stay the night?"

"Of course you can stay, Harry. I need a man to deal with any burglars," she said in an innocent tone that didn't match her grin.

"I think you'd be more than a match for any burglar." He knew she didn't always have a very high opinion of his usefulness, but then he didn't have a very high opinion of her regard for her own safety. They just had to stay off those subjects and they would be fine.

She smiled at him, but the effect was spoilt by a yawn.

"Bed?" he suggested and she nodded. "I'd ask what you've been up to, but I prefer living in blissful ignorance." He stood and offered her a hand up, which she took. And then didn't let go as they went upstairs to her bedroom.

They could almost be an old married couple, he thought, as they cleaned their teeth and put their pyjamas on. When she cuddled up to him in bed, he wondered if she'd changed her mind, until she said, "Perhaps I should just get a vibrator. It would always be there when I wanted it."

"If that was what you wanted you'd have got one years ago. Or married me." That wouldn't have just made their sex life simpler, it would have meant he could keep more of an eye on her and her dangerous activities. It was, he suspected, at least part of the reason why she'd never wanted to.

"I'm not marrying you, Harry."

He smiled. "I wasn't going to ask." He'd tried once and had been far too scared by her response to ever attempt it again. Besides, he wasn't in love with her any more. "Maybe I should come round for dinner every week while Luke's away. You're bound to be in the right mood at one of them."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being understanding."

"With you, I don't have a choice."

She rested her head on his shoulder and he held her tight until he fell asleep.

He nodded. "I think so. I don't have much to pack."

That was true. Having only been around for four years, Luke hadn't had the chance to accumulate too much. "If you've forgotten anything I can always post it. And if you need warmer clothes you can buy some more."

"I know how to shop," he pointed out.

She smiled. "I'm going overboard with the mothering again, aren't I?"

Luke smiled too. "A bit."

But he allowed her to pull him into a hug anyway. "You can do what you want while you're away. That's what going away to university's all about. Having fun."

"And doing work?"

"That too." She pulled back and looked at him. "But make sure you have fun." He was always so conscientious about doing his homework that she knew she didn't have to worry about that.

"I will."

She smiled as she watched Luke go, thinking how much he'd grown up and looking forward to hearing stories of what he'd got up to at Oxford.

"We'll be safe in here." Sarah Jane put her arms around Jo.

Jo buried her face against Sarah Jane's shoulder as they heard the explosion around them. When she realised they were safe, she smiled. It was an impulse she didn't think about when she kissed Sarah Jane in relief.

There was a scary moment when Sarah Jane didn't move, but then she started laughing and Jo, laughing along with her, knew that everything was going to be alright.

"You'll be fine," he said, with a wave of his hand.

It wasn't her safety she was worried about, but she knew it wasn't worth running after him, so with a sigh she turned to face the house. And discovered a woman was standing in the doorway, watching her. She put a smile on her face and went up the drive to meet her. "Hi, I'm Ace."

"Sarah Jane Smith," the woman replied. "Was that the Doctor I just heard?"

"Er, yeah. You know him then?"

Sarah Jane smiled. "I used to. Why don't you come in? There's a group of aliens digging a hole in my back garden and I could use the help."

Ace blinked. "Alright then."

The aliens, she found, were small, blue and looked a lot like Smurfs in brightly coloured hats. They were digging a big hole and simultaneously managing to avoid the three teenagers chasing them.

"Now we're even," Sarah Jane said. "Everyone choose a Smurf and don't stop until you've caught it."

Ace was sure this wouldn't be hard, and she chose the one in the red hat. She reached down for it, but it run between her legs. When she turned round it dug its spade into her shoe. "Ow. You little bugger." Since that hadn't worked, she decided to change tactics. This time she waited until it had got away from her and started digging again, then launched herself at it. She managed to get a hand round it and it wriggled in her grasp.

"Keep still," she told it.

"No." It hit her over the hand with its spade.

Ace gritted her teeth and held on. "What do I do with it?" she asked, looking up to see the others still running after theirs, with the exception of Sarah Jane, who held a yellow-hatted one in both hands.

"In here," Sarah Jane said, indicating the cat carrier on the bench.

Both Sarah Jane and Ace threw their Smurfs in and slammed the door, just before they could escape.

"Are they really called Smurfs?" Ace asked.

"Where do you think the idea came from?" Sarah Jane smiled.

Ace grinned and went back into the fray to help the others with the remaining Smurfs.

~*~

Afterwards, Sarah Jane made them all tea and brought out a packet of bourbon biscuits.

"Do you do this a lot?" Ace asked the other four, dipping her bourbon into her tea.

They nodded. "Last week, we met the Blathereen," Luke said.

"And the week before that, the Mona Lisa," Clyde added.

"And before that we went to a house with a ghost living in it," Rani said.

"It wasn't really a ghost, though," Sarah Jane corrected.

Ace didn't care what it was. "Wicked."

"And the next day we go to school like nothing ever happened."

That sounded like a good way to live, except for the going to school part. Ace looked over at the clock, then at her watch and finished her tea. "I should go. It's past the time the Doctor said he'd meet me and that probably means he's got into trouble. You know what he's like."

Sarah Jane smiled. "Oh, I do."

"So I'll have to go and rescue him."

"Come back and visit, any time." Sarah Jane hugged her. Ace didn't have the heart to tell her this was her future and she'd probably never remember the address, or the date in twenty-odd years time. "And give my love to the Doctor." That Ace could do. Just as soon as he explained why he'd sent her to a old friend of his to round up Smurfs in her garden.

"You knew the Doctor?" she asked them.

"We did, back in the sixties." Barbara smiled.

"You really haven't aged much."

They were both going grey and did look older than they must have been in the sixties - the rumours were unclear about exactly what age they had been. But they looked at least twenty years younger than they should be.

"I have a theory about that," Ian said. "I'm sure it's something to do with the Doctor's Ship."

Sarah considered how often she was told that she looked good for her age and Jo hadn't had the demeanour of someone in their fifties. "Tell me more." They were happy to oblige and the three of them spent a fun afternoon exchanging stories of their adventures in the TARDIS.

"I couldn't remember how long it had been since you left on your hush-hush mission, I had to check my diary. And not a word from you since." She'd found it had been longer than she cared to remember. "I should stop coming here. It only reminds me how much I miss you when I have dinner alone." She sighed. "But there's no one else I can talk to and it's not as if you have a grave I can go to."

Her glass was already half-empty and she didn't remember drinking any of it. Harry would tell her she shouldn't be drinking so much, but he wasn't here. She put the glass back down on the table all the same. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a woman at a nearby table giving her a funny look. Sarah turned away and caught sight of herself in the mirror that was set along one wall. Then she saw herself as others must have seen her: a sad, lonely, old woman having dinner on her own and talking to herself.

"They must all think I'm mad," she said to herself and smiled at the joke, however terrible it was. "Maybe I am, but I don't care." She poured out some of the water Harry always insisted they had and some of it sloshed onto the table. "Maybe I just miss my friends and my old life." She had a sip of the water. She would blame the wine for her melancholy, but the real cause was the occasion and the Christmas not long past that she'd spent on her own, watching the spaceship in the sky and wondering if the Doctor was alive.

"Now I'm just malingering." Since Harry wasn't there she had to imagine what he'd say to her. "Now then, old girl," she said, in a terrible imitation of Harry's voice, "things aren't all that bad. You still have your health." She shook her head. "As if that ever got anyone anywhere."

At the table opposite there were enough strange looks that she could see them without making an effort. She signalled the waiter to bring the bill. "I should stop coming here." But she knew she wouldn't, not until Harry was either found or dead.

***

Back home, she kicked off her shoes and lay back on the sofa. Despite the warm weather, her flat felt cold and empty. She'd never felt the need to get married and she didn't desperately want a husband, but it would be nice to return home and have someone there who was pleased to see you. Someone to talk to. But she'd either made enemies of all her friends or nearly got them killed. She was much better on her own and they were much better off without her.

Before she left for dinner she'd put her laptop on the floor, so she didn't have to reach far to pick it up now. She'd been running late, as usual, so she hadn't bothered shutting it down before she left. When she brought it back to life it showed her the article she'd been writing. It was about the vaccine Harry had created that had saved so many lives. Now he wasn't around she wanted people to know what he'd done. He should get recognition for it. But only a few people knew what the vaccine was really for and she couldn't publish that. Without that knowledge, he hadn't done anything that special.

She sighed, closed the document and turned back to her news searches. It was amazing how many UFO sightings there were, once you looked. Most of them were hoaxes, of course, but Sarah had been doing this long enough to spot the real ones. It helped that the Brigadier had sent her a few things about the forty UFO sightings there had been in one borough of London. If UNIT thought it worth keeping an eye on, it was definitely worth investigating. She really ought to make more of an effort to see the Brigadier, she thought. They communicated by email a few times a year, but that was usually work-related. The last Christmas party she'd been to at his house had been the year after Harry disappeared.

A few minutes cross-searching and she found that all those UFO sightings were in the same borough as a school that had record results and they began about the same time. There were no coincidences, and this certainly wasn't one. As she read about the headmaster she knew what angle to take to get access to information. A bit of flattery, the name of a good newspaper and she would find out just what was going on at Deffrey Vale.

"Tomorrow, we're going back to school," she said to K9, who was silent. He sat in a corner, dark and dead. And he'd likely stay that way until he was invented in three thousand years time. But she stood up and patted him anyway. She really ought to break this habit of talking to friends who weren't there any more.

*****

After the TARDIS had taken the Doctor away from the attic, Rani and Clyde were keen to show Santiago everything, so Sarah Jane brought Jo to the kitchen for a cup of tea while they waited for the taxi to arrive.

"It makes you think, doesn't it?" Jo said as she sat at the kitchen table. "Hearing that an old friend of yours is dead, even if he isn't really, makes you glad that everyone else who is still alive is still alive."

"I never believed he was dead." Having poured the tea out, Sarah Jane sat beside her and put a mug down in front of each of them. "But all the same, it did make me wonder what would happen if the Doctor really died."

"I'm sure it's not going to happen for a long time." Jo raised her mug. "To the Doctor."

Sarah Jane smiled and chinked her mug against Jo's. "To the Doctor."

After a sip, Jo smiled. "I'm so glad to see him again. I gave up ever thinking I would."

"I did too. I thought he was dead." Now, though, she could laugh about it, having met two regenerations of the Doctor since then. "But then I saw him again and he changed my life again."

"Did it need changing the second time?"

Sarah Jane nodded. "I'd had so many friends die or disappear that I got used to being alone. The Doctor gave me back two of them. Then I adopted Luke and now I have to struggle to get enough peace and quiet to do any work."

Jo laughed. "Children are like that." Then she sobered. "I wish I saw mine more often. It's good to have Santiago around but sometimes I wish that all of us could stay together all the time."

"They grow up and leave home." Sarah Jane couldn't quite smile about that, because she still missed Luke.

Jo nodded. "Oh, I wouldn't change their lives for anything. I only think that when I haven't seen Cliff for a while. He reminds me about all the great things they're doing in the world."

Sarah Jane thought about what Jo had said about where her husband was and where she'd been and she wondered just how often Jo saw him. At least Luke wasn't far away and she still had Rani and Clyde just round the corner. She wondered if, despite all those children and adventures Jo had had, if she was really better off. But then she realised she'd recognised a name. "Your husband isn't Cliff Jones, is he?" she asked, putting her mug down.

"He is. You've heard of him?"

Of course she had. It was a subject she was interested in after all. But it wasn't one she'd pursued for a long time. "There was a big piece in the paper about him at the climate conference."

"Well, I'm glad someone saw it." Jo grinned widely. "We're trying to educate more people about global warming."

"If it's articles you want, I'm still a journalist. Saving the world from aliens doesn't pay the bills."

Jo put a hand on Sarah Jane's arm. "That would be marvellous, if you could."

"I'd love to help. Call me next time you're in London, and I'm sure we'll be able to work something out."

Jo's smile broadened, if that was possible. She smiled so much it was infectious. "I will. I'm so glad I met you, Sarah Jane. We must make sure to keep in touch."

"We will." What with Harry being missing she welcomed an adult friend she could talk to about the Doctor. "I'll give your love to the Doctor, next time I see him."

"You see him that often?" There was a hint of jealousy in Jo's voice.

Sarah Jane shook her head. She hadn't meant to imply that and she could understand just how Jo was feeling. "The first time I left I thought I'd see him again soon. The second time I was sure it was the last. But now I think maybe I will. But if I don't, that's fine. I've had more than my fair share."

"You know, I am jealous of that," Jo admitted. "But I wouldn't give my life up for yours."

"I wouldn't change mine either."

They smiled at each other before they were interrupted by three teenagers.

"Gran, the taxi's here."

Jo finished her tea in one go. "I'm sorry. Here I am, nattering away and not paying enough attention. This is why I don't go anywhere alone," she said to Sarah Jane. "I'd never be where I was supposed to. I'd be forever missing boats and trains and going the wrong way."

"That's Gran all right," Santiago muttered fondly just loud enough for Sarah Jane to hear, as Clyde and Rani took him outside to see the street.

"It's been so good to meet someone else who knew the Doctor," Sarah Jane said, as she finished her tea and she and Jo followed them out.

As Jo enthusiastically said goodbye to Clyde and Rani, Sarah Jane could see what the Doctor saw in her because it was the same thing she saw in Clyde, Rani, Luke and Maria. All you needed was enthusiasm and friendship and you could do anything you put your mind to.

***

Sarah Jane smiled at the waiter who took her plate, and then pulled her wine glass closer. "I keep thinking I should bring Luke to meet you, but you're never here for him to meet. He's at Oxford University now. I don't know if it's the same college as you went to. You never told me which one it was." Given that Harry rarely spoke about anything personal, it was amazing that she even knew which university he'd gone to. She swilled the wine around in the glass. She was drinking it slowly, so she could justify not having bought a whole bottle.

"I almost asked the Doctor about you. He took me to another planet, after all this time." She smiled, remembering what it had been like to see a sky that was another, alien colour. "He said that last time he regenerated, he looked back on everyone. I wonder if he visited you, if he knows where you are." She sighed and had a sip of wine. "But I didn't want him to tell me if it was bad news. I think I'd rather live in hope that you're alive than believe you're dead." It was probably crazy, but she mostly confined her hopes to their annual dinner, these days. Before he disappeared she sometimes didn't see Harry between dinners, so it wasn't much different now.

"But I did meet Jo Grant. She's Jo Jones, these days. Did you ever know her, when you worked at UNIT?" She hadn't thought to ask Jo, given everything else that had been going on. Their reminiscences had stuck to the places the Doctor had taken them.

The waiter came round with the bill, keen for her to leave, she supposed, given how busy the restaurant was this evening. Another change of management, not to mention menu, had made the place more popular. "Everything changes," she said, as she left enough money for the meal and a tip before finishing the wine. "But if you ever come back, Harry, I'll be here, still saving the world from aliens." She smiled, enjoying the memories of Harry their annual dinners brought back to here. Even if he was dead, she would never stop coming to them.

"Ow!" she exclaimed as he reached her. She'd tried turning round and the thorns had caught on her short skirt, trapping her. It was perhaps just as well that her skirt wasn't longer, for she would have been worse off. Yet he was shocked to see a skirt like it, even though her legs were covered.

"Do not move," he commanded, and she stood still, her eyes wide as he approached. Taking care not to get his own clothing entangled, he found only three thorns in her skirt and it took but a minute to free her.

"Thank you," she said, taking his proffered hand as he led her to the safety of the lawn. "Where am I?"

He was not surprised at the question, for Imladris was well-hidden, although it meant not many stumbled upon it with no knowledge of where they were. "This is Rivendell and I am Master Elrond."

She frowned and looked around. "Maria." Despite her distraction, it was clear that was her name. "I've never heard of anywhere called Rivendell."

This he was not sure he believed her, yet he was careful not to show that in his face or his voice. "Nevertheless, it exists."

"Oh, I didn't mean that." She looked up at him apologetically. "I just meant I don't know where Imladris is."

"As should be the case." Given what she had said, he did not enlighten her as to its location. Although she looked fair, he knew that not all that was beautiful was also good, so he couldn't trust her yet.

"How did I get here?" She started off across the garden and Elrond followed her, an amused look on his face despite himself. He guessed she was still a child and there had been few children in Imladris recently.

"I was just in the attic and..." She stopped and held her hand up, examining it. "This ring." She turned back to face him. "Sarah Jane told me not to touch it."

"Sarah Jane is a wise person. Rings you know not the origin of are often best left alone."

"It must have brought me here," she said thoughtfully. "So all I have to do to get home is to take it off." She did so and her shoulders slumped when nothing happened. "I don't want to be stuck here," she said in a small voice.

He gave her a reassuring smile. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that does not happen."

His words were rewarded by a smile.

"May I see?" He would be far more cautious of this ring than she and perhaps he could divine something of its purpose without leaving Imladris.

Maria held the ring out and Elrond reached out his hand to take it. But it stung him as his fingers touched it and he gasped, pulling his hand back. The ring fell to the ground. She bent down to pick it up and he grabbed her wrist before she could do so. "No," he said. "We don't know what it will do." Given the way Vilya was warming his finger, it was nothing good. Unwilling to leave it out here where anyone could come across it, he took a corner of his robe and used that to pick the ring up. The cloth between his hand and the ring reduced the stinging sensation to something bearable. "Come," he said, and took the ring into the house. Maria followed him.

Inside, he placed the ring on a table and bent down to study it. Maria's face came into his line of sight as she did the same thing. "There is writing on it, but those are not letters I have seen before." He looked up at her, hoping she knew.

"It's probably alien."

He frowned. "I have not heard of that race." If they had made this ring, then he would definitely like to know more about them.

Maria gave him a look he couldn't interpret. "No, aliens. You know, not human."

He did not know Men had such names for races that unlike them. But he would check on the origin of such a word later, it was not important now. "It is not the writing of any race I know. And I have seen the writings of all races in Middle-earth." All races that he knew of - it was possible this was from further in the east, but Maria didn't look as if she'd come that far.

"Middle-earth?" She seemed surprised at the name of the world. "I mean, yes, it's from a race on another planet, I think." She shrugged. "It must be."

He frowned - planet was another word he did not know.

"Somewhere that's not on Middle-earth," she clarified.

He returned to studying the ring. "I am not a master of languages." Even if he were it was impossible to translate such a short piece of writing with no context. Yet Vilya had clearly been trying to tell him something. That it was dangerous he understood, given what it had done to Maria, but he hoped for something more. He held the finger Vilya was on over the ring. He gasped and pulled it back as he heard a hum in his mind.

"What is it?" Maria asked.

Elrond shook his head for he didn't know. But now he was prepared for what would happen, he tried again. It was not a soothing hum, but it was one that spoke of home, albeit not Elrond's home. It was, perhaps, Maria's.

"Touch the ring," he told her, and his words sounded muffled through the hum. Elrond was glad to see Maria was well-trained for she did as she was told. Now the hum changed to images he could not interpret. But now he could understand the people he saw as friends.

He removed his hand and put the other to his head, for it had given him a headache.

"Are you all right?"

Maria sounded concerned, so he dropped his arm and smiled for her benefit. "I will be fine." He would find a soothing drink and a quiet room later. But he couldn't leave a young girl and a source of great power unattended in his house. "Does the name Mister Smith mean anything to you?" It had come into his head along with an image of something that shone.

Her eyes lit up and she smiled. "Oh, yes. He's Sarah Jane's computer."

Elrond had not heard of a computer, but if it was related to Sarah Jane, then this ring did speak of home. However, he could not tell if it spoke truly.

"Then the ring will take me home?" she asked. She reached out for it, and once again Elrond stopped her.

"The ring may trick you," he cautioned.

She considered that. "Do you have any other ideas as to how I can get home?"

He had to admit that he had none. But he did not want to hurt an innocent girl, if that was what she was. If she was a spy then she had seen nothing that she would be able to report back to Sauron. "No," he admitted. "But you are welcome to stay until I can discover more about it."

Her face fell at his answer. "I do this sort of thing all the time. I really don't want to be trapped in a strange place and I'm willing to try."

Elrond took a deep breath and considered it. He was unsure of the best thing to do. But if Maria was right and she had some knowledge of what had happened to bring her here, he may have to trust her. And trust himself and Vilya to guide her destination. "You may try it if you wish. But think hard on it, for it may take you elsewhere. Or take your life."

"I don't want to die, but the ring wants me to do it. It did the same thing to me in the attic." She looked young and unsure and despite his reservations about her possible intentions, her wanted to keep her here, safe.

"The ring may take you to other strange places that will not be so kind," he warned.

"I know." She stood up straighter. "I want to try."

"Then I will help you," he said, smiling at the memory of his daughter she had conjured up for him. For a moment he wished to keep her here, then at least she would be safe.

Maria picked up the ring and put it on. Elrond held his hand close to hers and put his thought into Vilya. The hum in his mind stopped suddenly and Maria disappeared in front of his eyes. He waited, but she never reappeared. With no knowledge of what had happened to her, he could only hope she was home.

~*~*~

Maria let out a cry as she landed on a hard floor. When she looked up all hurt was forgotten as she saw she was back in the attic with Sarah Jane, Luke and Clyde staring down at her. She jumped up, a smile on her face and hugged Sarah Jane. "It worked!" she said.

Then she hugged Luke and Clyde too and when she turned back around, Sarah Jane was no longer smiling. Maria knew why. "I'm sorry, Sarah Jane," she said. "I know you told me not to touch it, but it felt like it was calling out to me and I couldn't resist."

Sarah Jane's face softened. "Oh, Maria, it's my fault. I knew it might do that and I should have locked it away somewhere safe."

"I've learnt my lesson," Maria said, smiling now. "Next time a piece of jewellery asks me to put it on, I'll just say no."

At that, Sarah Jane laughed and hugged her again.

"Where did you go?" Clyde asked.

"You'd never believe me," Maria replied, grinning.

Clyde folded his arms. "Try me."

Maria managed to keep an almost-straight face for a few seconds and then burst into laughter. Of course she would tell them where she'd been and what had happened to her, but right now, while all four of them were laughing, she was just glad to be home.

"Why didn't women always have the vote?"

At this question, Sarah smiled. The treatment of women throughout history was something she knew about and it was comforting to know that Luke couldn't understand why women weren't treated as the equals of men.

All she could do was to walk away, the back of her hand to her mouth, blinking back tears. Just that effort blocked out everything else and she didn't hear the car pulling up beside her until the driver called out her name.

"Sarah?"

Before she could turn round she took a deep breath, all ready to tell whoever it was to leave her alone, but when she did turn it wasn't someone she expected. Had she been in a better state of mind she would have realised he hadn't called her 'Sarah Jane' and she would have recognised the voice. As it was she cried out a small, "Oh!" at the sight of Harry Sullivan.

He hadn't changed a bit. She hadn't seen or heard from him for years and now he turned up at her wedding as if nothing had happened.

"Are you all right, old girl?" he asked, frowning.

She shook her head, not even being able to muster up the energy to complain at his use of 'old girl'. She took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat so that when she spoke her voice was steady. "Can you give me a lift home, Harry?"

"If that's what you want."

He was still frowning at her - his expression the confused one she'd seen on him often that day they first met at UNIT. But it meant she managed to get in the passenger side before he could make a move to get out of the car and go around it to hold the door open for her. Ordinarily she'd have been victorious about it, but now she said nothing. As Harry drove she ignored him and stared out of the passenger window, although she took no notice of the passing scenery.

She only turned to face him when she realised they'd stopped for longer than could possibly be necessary for a red light. He looked worried, but she ignored that. "Why have we stopped?"

"I can't take you home without knowing where you live."

She did smile at that, if only briefly. "Bannerman Road, in Ealing."

He nodded, and pulled out back into the traffic. "I can get you to Ealing but you'll have to direct me from there."

She nodded. She could tell he was dying to ask what was going on, but she really didn't want to talk about herself at the moment. To deflect his attention she asked, "So what have you been up to, Harry?"

"Oh, you know," he replied but before she could point out that of course she didn't, he added, "Hush-hush stuff I can't talk about."

Usually she could get him to say something at least, but this time she didn't even try and just quietly said, "Left at the roundabout".

After that they both kept silent, except when she offered directions. It was only when they pulled up to her house, he said, "I heard you were getting married, so I had to come back and see what the poor man was getting himself into."

She very nearly let out a sob at that, but managed to bury it with a hand to her mouth and got out of the car as fast as she could. She didn't mind the neighbours thinking she was crazy, but that didn't mean she wanted them to know her business too.

Harry followed her which didn't surprise her. She waited until they were both inside and she'd shut the door before she let him take her in his arms and she cried on his shoulder. She was very glad he didn't ask any questions because she wasn't capable of talking just yet.

When she'd managed to stop the tears she took him by the hand and led him upstairs. He resisted a little and she almost smiled, imagining where he could be thinking she was taking him. She didn't trust her voice just yet, so she gave his arm a tug and he followed her up to the attic.

She sank down on the sofa, head in her hands as she thought about what she'd nearly done and imagined the attic empty of everything alien. Harry put an arm around her shoulders and she was about to say something when she heard the front door and started at the sound. As she sat stiffly, listening, she heard voices. Clyde and Rani had obviously come back with Luke.

The voices went away from the hall and into the lounge and she relaxed. She wasn't ready to talk to them yet. "I don't know where to start." Harry probably didn't even know who the Trickster was, and she didn't really want to go into detail.

"You were going to get married and now you're not."

She nodded. "It was all a trick to..." She bit her lip. "I loved him." Her voice cracked as she said it. "But now he doesn't even exist."

Harry rubbed her back. "I thought you were never going to get married."

"Stranger things have happened." She smiled at him. "My life hasn't turned out how I thought it would at all."

He smiled back. "Nor mine. I had it all planned out and then I met the Doctor."

She gazed at the floor at the mention of the Doctor. She wished he'd stayed. She would have liked to have talked to him. She thought that maybe he'd understand what had happened in a way that Harry never could. And at least she wouldn't have to explain the day's events to the Doctor.

Her gloves, she noticed, weren't as white as when she'd put them on. "I should get changed." And then get rid of the dress. She had no need for it now, and likely never would.

"I should go." Harry stood, quicker than she'd seen him move all day.

She nodded. If nothing else he'd made her smile, which he was good at - when he wasn't making her want to throttle him. "Come back soon." She wished he wasn't leaving so soon - just like the Doctor.

He hesitated. "I can't make any promises."

That wasn't what she wanted to hear at all, but she was glad he wasn't giving her false hope, especially today. So she nodded to show she understood and he kissed her on the cheek before he left.

When he opened the door, K9 came in. Sarah wondered where he'd been, but he did often spend time in Luke's room. He was almost more Luke's dog than hers these days. Having him here helped, so she said, "Good dog, K9."

"Yes, mistress."

She gave him a pat and turned back to Harry - who had disappeared. She wasn't expecting him to go that suddenly, so she ran to the top of the stairs to find he was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't have left that quickly and she would have heard the front door.

"Where's Harry gone, K9?" she asked once she was back in the attic.

"Query, mistress. Who is Harry?"

Sarah sighed. She was sure she didn't usually have to explain things quite this much. "Harry Sullivan. He was here when you came in."

"Negative, mistress. You were alone in the attic."

She frowned. "You didn't see him?"

"Negative."

She looked around the attic, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Was what odd, though, was the neat pile of clothes on the sofa. she was sure she would have noticed if she'd been sitting on them. "You can't be dead," she said to them. "You can't be a ghost." There had to be an explanation. She couldn't face losing Harry on top of losing Peter too.

While she changed she failed to think of one, so she sat down on the steps. K9 had ended up over there and she patted him to show that she didn't blame him for not giving her the right answers. Mr Smith might be able to find out where Harry was and what had happened to him, but she'd never asked for fear of getting the wrong answer. So she was not going to ask today, of all days.

But the thought of him still being here, and K9, and Luke, Clyde and Rani made her feel a little less alone at least. So she could put on a brave face for the people who needed to know she was all right.

"Why do you have to be so quiet in libraries?" At least he whispered this time.

"Because people are trying to concentrate."

"But there isn't anyone in here working."

Sarah was saved from explaining by the doors being thrown open and the Doctor appearing on the other side. She rolled her eyes at his dramatic entrance.

"I was concentrating," he said, spinning the sonic screwdriver before putting it back in his jacket pocket.

"What were you doing?" Luke ran over.

The Doctor smiled at him. "Trying to land."

Sarah folded her arms and gave him a look.

"Might have gone a bit wrong." He rubbed at the back of his neck.

"What have you done?" she asked.

"I accidentally landed the TARDIS around the library."

Sarah peered around the Doctor - there was now a console where there used to be a road.

"I'll just go and fix it." The Doctor turned and pressed a few buttons on the console. Luke ran over to help him, but Sarah decided she didn't want to be involved with accidentally transporting Ealing library to another planet. She didn't know how she'd explain it later.

Putting down her pen with a sigh, she got up and went to investigate. When she opened the door and looked out into the hall she was greeted by the sight of Luke on the floor at the bottom of the stairs and Clyde sliding down them on a tea tray.

"What are you doing?"

Clyde managed to stop himself by clinging on to the banister and they both looked sheepishly up at her.

"Luge," Luke replied and grinned. When Sarah glared at him he soon stopped.

"Sorry," Clyde said. "We won't do it again."

Sarah wondered if he'd tried it at home first and been told off, then decided to see if she'd notice what they were up to. "You certainly won't," she said sternly. "And you'll be buying me a new tray."

With that, she went back into the lounge and stood against the closed door, laughing silently. She was just glad they hadn't tried the skeleton.

Pausing long enough to put down her bag and pick up a cricket bat, she tip-toed to the lounge, opened the door quietly and frowned because it was empty. It was only when she looked up that she saw the sign saying "Happy Birthday, Sarah Jane."

"Oh!"

Instantly, Clyde and Rani jumped up from behind the sofa to shout "Surprise!". Luke held out a cake. When she blew the candle out she wished nothing would change.

"I think that's something you'll have to decide for yourself," she said.

Luke nodded, happy with that answer, but Sarah turned to Google, realising there were all sorts of new things she'd have to learn to answer now she had a son.

The Brigadier hadn't closed the front door behind him, so Luke, Clyde and Rani ran in and went straight upstairs to the attic. Most times Sarah did the same thing, but first she wanted to check on her living room. It wasn't that she doubted the Brigadier hadn't been as good as his word and called UNIT in to deal with the Bane, but she wanted to see for herself that everything was still there. Goodness knows what the Bane might have tried while she was away.

When she opened the door and saw someone sitting on her sofa in the same place she'd seen 'Major Kilburne' her first instinct was to go for her sonic lipstick. Fortunately, she didn't get further than a sudden twitch when her brain caught up with her eyes and she realised it was Harry Sullivan just standing up as she came in the room.

"Harry, you gave me such a fright," she said in a voice that wasn't really scolding, especially as she smiled upon seeing him.

He smiled back. "Sorry, old girl." But she could tell from his tone that he wasn't really.

Ignoring the 'old girl' remark, she put down her bag and headed into the kitchen to put the kettle on. "What are you doing here?"

"The Brigadier called me." He followed her and leant against the door frame, hands in his pockets. "He wanted me to check on an injured alien and I thought I'd stay."

With the kettle now heating up, she couldn't resist giving him a quick hug, which he returned. "Well, I'm very glad you're here." She hadn't imagined the Brigadier would call Harry, of all people, but she certainly didn't mind. "So how's the alien?"

"In a cell until we work out what to do with it and find the real Major Kilburne." He went around her to open a cupboard and get two mugs out. She wondered if he'd been poking around her house or just got lucky. "So I hear you've been having an exciting time."

The Brigadier had presumably told him what had been going on. "It's rarely boring round here." She got to the tea bags before he could and when the kettle boiled and switched itself off, she poured the water out. She couldn't fault him for knowing where the milk was, though.

"As long as you're not putting yourself in unnecessary danger." He gave her a piercing look, which she turned away from to stir her tea.

She rolled her eyes, more out of habit than anything else. Harry said it so often that she wondered if it was merely for the look of the thing, rather than because he thought she would take any notice. Which, of course, she never did, and if he hadn't worked that out by now he never would. Although these days she could understand his concern a little better - especially after today's events.

They each took their mugs back into the living room and as she sat down she spotted the photo of her and Luke on the wall opposite and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Harry frowned at her, then followed her gaze, but understandably he didn't see what she did.

She had a sip of her tea before she told him what was bothering her. "It's not me I'm worried about. It's people trying to take Luke away from me."

He shifted closer to put a hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

"It's just..." She shook her head. It wasn't something she wanted to think about too much, but then she did want to talk to someone who might understand. Alan was too far away and Carla had no idea of the sort of things that could take Clyde away from her.

As she spoke she stared out through the window at the perfectly normal street. "There have been a couple of aliens who know how much he means to me. So they know they can get to me through him." The entire point of cutting herself off from everyone had been so this sort of thing couldn't happen, at least until Maria moved in opposite. Besides, it wasn't as if she could abandon Luke.

"No one's infallible."

She looked over at him sharply, noticing he was serious. "Are you saying I was wrong to adopt him?" And to love him.

"No, of course not," he said quickly, putting his mug on the coffee table and holding out his hands. "But do you remember on Skaro that Davros threatened us, so the Doctor would tell him about the Daleks?"

She nodded, and knew exactly where he was going with this before he continued.

"Well, then, you're no different from him."

She sighed. Given that she had started doing this sort of thing because the Doctor couldn't be around she could hardly blame herself for getting attached to people just as he did, but knowing she was in good company didn't make her feel any better. "I just want to keep him safe." The trouble was there just wasn't a good way of doing it without them both never doing anything ever again, which was hardly an option.

"I know," he said softly, and pulled her over to him with an arm around her shoulders.

They sat there for a while, her head resting on his shoulder as she remembered how nice it was to have someone look after her for a change. Not that Luke didn't worry, but she was his mother and that was different. She and Harry both knew he couldn't change anything, but sometimes a friendly ear and a hug were all she needed and she tended to forget that sometimes.

It was when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs that she sat up. They had been sitting silently long enough that she discovered her tea was going cold when she took a sip of it. But this was her last chance to have a private conversation with Harry before they were invaded by three people who were no doubt wondering where she was and what she was up to. "You know you're welcome here any time." She hoped he would come round more often.

"I know." He smiled at her and finished his own tea.

Then the quiet was broken by teenagers asking Harry questions - Clyde especially when he discovered Harry's association with UNIT. But Sarah only had eyes for Luke, glad he was safe, for now. She'd worry about next time when it happened.

"I just need to bluff long enough to catch an alien. I promise I won't treat any patients." Sarah gave him a pleading look.

He refused to give in just yet. "Why does it have to be you, anyway?"

"He trusts me. I'll have better luck than you."

He gave her a look.

"I'll let you take me to dinner."

He sighed in defeat and opened the book again. She always did know how to get him to do whatever she wanted.

In the finished file the other possible title I had was For life, not just for Christmas. This comes from the slogan "A dog is for life, not just for Christmas", which everyone in this country will know, I'm not so sure about the rest of the world, but I put it on anyway, since it seemed appropriate.

I felt that the recipient liked different things to me, so I felt like this was a bit different to what I usually write, so I wasn't surprised when I first put this up and no one commented. I was very surprised when it got recced on Calufrax because I didn't think it deserved it. (The recipient never commented on it, BTW)

Sarah had often thought that the best thing about being a scientific journalist was getting to play with the latest gadgets. Or it had been once upon a time, before she had an attic full of far more advanced technology. However, she could still get excited about similar things being launched into the market on Earth in the present day. It was just that sometimes she hated having to hide her life up in the attic.

This week she had a robot dog to review. Reviews weren't as interesting or as well paid as articles, but now that she had a growing teenage boy to feed she couldn't afford to be too picky. At least, she couldn't when it was quiet. When she was out foiling alien invasions, she could come back afterwards to write an eyewitness account of what happened, much as she hated needing to find alternative explanations for what had gone on, or else risk her articles being sent back as fiction. She still wrote up the real versions, but just filed them on her computer where no one else could see them.

I had such a hard time thinking of what to write on this. So I gave Sarah my writer's block.

The robot dog yapped pathetically behind her and Sarah swung her chair round to stare at it. On its own it was a fantastic piece of engineering years ahead of previous Japanese releases. However, she'd spent a lot of time with K9 and nothing else could come close any more.

Can I say how much I want one, even if it isn't anything like the one I've written in here?

She folded her arms on the back of the chair and rested her chin on them. "I wonder what you're trying to tell me."

It stopped yapping and sat down, its tail wagging the whole time. It didn't resemble K9 at all and was a gleaming white that reminded her of the clinical corridors on Nerva Station.

Ooh, see me put description in!

"What can I write about you?" she asked it. It might be the most exciting new release for Christmas, but it was just a dog and she didn't need another one of those, whether real or robotic.

Which raises the question of whether she ever had a real dog.

In reply it came closer, tail wagging madly all the time.

She smiled and shook her head, but knelt on the floor to give it some attention. "You really are just like a dog." Although that was probably supposed to be the point. It was just that she was used to a dog that was a little more like a computer or a person as well.

I love K9 when he's written in fanfic as being very dog like, but in the series he is more like a computer with a personality.

The sound of footsteps told her Luke was on his way up the stairs to the attic. The dog immediately turned and ran for the door.

"Careful!" Sarah shouted, as Luke nearly hit the dog with the door and then nearly tripped over it. Part of the trouble was that this dog was less than half the size of K9. It had been relegated to the attic after she'd almost tripped over it while making tea because it was just so enthusiastic about spending time with someone. It didn't really care who, but Sarah thought it was particularly fond of Maria whenever she came over.

I don't have that much experience with dogs, but cats are very good at tripping people up. This was my token mention of Maria for the whole story.

"Is dinner soon?" Luke asked, bending down to pat the dog.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Do you think of anything other than your stomach?"

"I don't think of it at all. I was just thinking of my homework and before that--"

I wrote this perfectly straight at first, before I realised it was the sort of thing Luke would misunderstand.

She held her hand up and he stopped. "It's just a saying, you're not supposed to take it literally." Despite Luke having lived here for six months Sarah still sometimes forgot he had that tendency. He was getting better, but the first time he heard something he could never quite work out how to interpret it. "If you're hungry I'll start dinner." She stood up. "This review isn't going anywhere anyway."

There are so many sayings we have that don't make sense if you take them literally, as Luke does. So it makes sense that it's going to take him a while to get over that.

Luke followed her down the stairs, after she carefully shut the dog in the attic. "If you don't like it, why are you doing it?" he asked.

Luke understands that one perfectly. Mostly because I couldn't do the same joke twice so close together.

It was a reasonable question and she gave him the truthful answer. "For the money. And because it's my job." Well, usually writing articles was her job, but this time the editor had promised her a trip to a technology conference if she came through with the review. And since that would be something far more exciting to write about, it was something not to be passed up. She sighed. "I wish this dog was more like K9. It's just a pretend pet, not a friend."

Sarah at technology conference = kid in sweet shop. Or was before she had more advanced technology in her attic.

He said nothing after that, but looked thoughtful, which she should have recognised as a danger sign.

~*~*~

After she'd seen Luke off to school - from the house, she wasn't repeating the mistake she made on his first day - Sarah intended to write her review whatever happened. It was due in by 9 o'clock the next morning, so she did really need to get it done, and she rather thought she was too professional by now to pull an all-nighter. She could only justify that when she'd been interrupted by something more important. Lack of inspiration didn't really count. However, events conspired against her and she spent the day dealing with a pair of aliens that were lost and in need of tea.

I needed something to distract Sarah from going up to the attic until Luke came home and I didn't want a big catastrophe, just something small and understated. And I like the irony of aliens needing tea.

Only too grateful to meet friendly aliens, and ones that didn't require anything complicated, she made enough pots of tea that they could refuel their spaceship, and some for spare before she saw them off. By that time school was over and Luke was home. But as he spent the rest of the afternoon before dinner on his homework, she could be assured of some peace and quiet to get some writing done.

She did take a long time making all that tea though...

Having not been up to the attic all day, it was a bit of a shock when she opened the door and the dog greeted her with, "Hello, Sarah Jane."

Mouth open, she could only stand staring at it, until she remembered Luke working on some secret project in his room until late last night. She shut the door on the dog and raced downstairs to where Luke had books and papers laid out on the dining room table.

"Luke, what have you done to the dog?"

He looked up. "I made it more like K9 for you."

Despite her misgivings, she couldn't help but smile: his intentions were good at least. She pulled out one of the chairs and sat down next to him. "Thank you, Luke, that was a really sweet gesture, but you shouldn't have done it. I have to give it back and they'll wonder what you did." She was wondering what he did and just what talents he had that she didn't know about.

Poor Luke. He can understand why Sarah doesn't like the new dog when it's compared to K9, but not why she doesn't like it when it's like K9.

"Oh." He frowned and put his pen down. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "I know you only thought you were helping." She stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I've talked myself out of worse situations." Although usually it was to explain why things had gone wrong, rather than been improved.

That would be interesting thing to talk herself out of, though. She could tell the dog not to talk any more when she gave it back, but how long would that last, and it's clearly more than just that Luke's done to it.

After that, she left him to his homework and to consider what he'd done, while she went back up to the attic. Luke knew the basic difference between right and wrong, but it was the right thing done for the wrong reasons, and the wrong thing done for the right reasons that still confused him. She couldn't blame him, though, it was complicated enough. It probably didn't help that for this she needed to both thank him and tell him off, and she wasn't sure whether she was more grateful or unhappy. She fancied there might be a long discussion on the subject later when they'd both had time to think it through.

But not now because I didn't want to write it. And the story's about the dog, not Luke misunderstanding things, it didn't need the distraction at this point.

"Sarah Jane," the dog began as soon as she shut the door, "do you wish for me to exchange places with K9?" It was sitting looking up at her, but without its tail wagging, which was unusual.

I did consider that at one point. I don't know why, given that it's offering, but it seems unfair to swap them just because K9 Sarah's best friend.

Did the dog's mention of K9 mean Luke had talked to it, or had the two robot dogs been introduced? It was also possible, if not likely, that Mr Smith'd had a hand in it somewhere too. Metaphorically, of course. She frowned down at it. "You don't mean work on the black hole instead of him?"

I'm sure Mr Smith helped. And probably K9 too. Although come to think of it, given I said Luke was working on something in his room the night before that meant he must have sneaked up to the attic...

"Yes, I do." It got up and came closer to her, before sitting down again.

She went down on one knee to see it better. Somehow it looked far more serious than it had before, even though it was a robot dog and couldn't possibly change expression. "I can't ask you to do that." Not only because she had to give it back, but also because she hadn't realised how attached she'd become to the thing in only a few days. "Good dog." She patted it on the head, at which it wagged its tail enthusiastically.

It's still a dog. It still likes being called "Good dog".

She smiled at it, stood up and opened the door. "All right, you can have the run of the house, just don't get under anyone's feet."

Well, it is unfair to keep it up in the attic...

"Thank you, Sarah Jane." It stopped to press its nose against her leg before running down the stairs to be greeted enthusiastically by Luke.

That's what I have K9 do in fic to show affection for Sarah. Since it's not soft and furry it can hardly rub itself against her legs or jump up at her.

Sarah stood for a while, listening. "Brendan owes me a Christmas present," she muttered to herself. Her aunt's ward was working in Silicon Valley earning plenty of money in computers. She never quite understood exactly what he did, but whenever she needed the latest computing technology, he could get it for her. As long as she gave a dog back to the magazine, it didn't matter if it wasn't the exact one they gave her.

K9 & Co link! And also audio link, as that's where it's mentioned that Brendan's in Silicon Valley.

Once she'd emailed Brendan, the review flowed easily. Begone, writer's block! Now all she had to do was find a name for the dog. I certainly wasn't going to. She never intended to get any more pets, whether real or robotic, but this one had somehow already become part of their lives. Just as she could no longer quite remember what her life was like before it included Luke, she suspected in six months time she would wonder why she ever wanted to give the dog back at all.

And appropriately sappy ending.