Part Two
Author: Brightbear
Rating: PG-13 for low-level violence, slash, mild language and supernatural themes.
Spoilers: Set after The Hand of Fear and K-9 and Co when Sarah is staying at her aunt’s house. Also contains references to The Terror of the Zygons and the Planet of the Spiders.
Summary: While staying at her aunt’s house, Sarah makes some new friends, catches up with an old one and investigates a new mystery.
Author's Note: Unfortunately, the Doctor himself does not make an appearance in this story but his Tom Baker incarnation is fondly remembered. Thanks to Blue_too for his Beta job.
Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC and associated persons.

* * *

Sarah sighed with relief as she made it in the Manor’s front door. She put the torch back into the closet.
“Sarah, that you?” called Brendon, coming out into the hall from the living room.
“Yes,” she said, shrugging off her coat. “I’m back.”
“Where’s K-9?” frowned Brendon.
“He’s at the cottage with Liz,” said Sarah. “We were looking around when she got home so K-9’s hiding until he can sneak out again.”

“Hmm,” said Brendon, retreating back into the living room and huddling in front of the fireplace. “I sure could drink one of her teas right about now.”
Sarah swallowed hesitantly and joined him by the fireplace.
“Brendon?” she said. “I’m not sure that Liz is what she seems.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked Brendon, yawning.
“While I was looking around the cottage, I found an altar.”

Brendon blinked and rubbed his arms to keep warm.
“I think she might be a witch,” continued Sarah.
“Another one? What’s going on?” protested Brendon. “We just arrested our own local coven last month, we don’t need new ones coming from out of town.”
“I don’t know that she’s done anything wrong but we need to keep an eye on her,” said Sarah.
“No argument here,” said Brendon glumly. “I’m in no hurry to be sacrificed again…”
There was a knock at the door.

Yawning, Brendon looked at the clock to find that it was almost midnight.
“You should think about going to bed,” Sarah told him, leaving to answer the door.
“Might be Dr Casey,” Brendon called after her. “Oh, he rang and said Jasper was ok.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sarah called from the hall.
“I just did,” said Brendon grumpily, huddling closer to the fire.

He heard the murmur of low voices in the hallway and then Sarah returned to the living room with Liz in tow. Liz’s eyes were red but she still held herself rigidly straight. Brendon shifted uncomfortably as Sarah asked her to sit. Liz settled herself into an armchair and wiped her nose with a creased tissue. Sarah shot a warning look at Brendon before sitting down as well.

“What is it, Liz?” asked Sarah. “What’s wrong?”
“I rang Dr Rodney…,” said Liz, her voice cracking.
She swallowed and the strength returned to her voice.
“I rang Dr Rodney,” she repeated. “And it sounds like Sellene was the cat that…”
She shrugged and wiped her nose again.
“I’m sorry,” said Sarah. “Any idea what it could have been?”

Liz shook her head miserably. Brendon frowned suspiciously and mouthed the word ‘liar’ behind Liz’s back. Liz pulled herself together and faced Sarah.
“I was wondering, if it would be possible for me to stay here tonight,” she said. “I… I don’t want to be alone. Not with the cat door broken and Sellene…”
Liz’s lower lip trembled and she couldn’t finish.

Sarah didn’t answer and when Liz regained her composure, she turned to Sarah patiently for an answer.
“I’m not sure…” began Sarah.
“Please?” asked Liz.
Sarah had never seen the older woman so upset before and she was reluctant to refuse her. She tried a different tack instead.

“Liz,” she said, leaning forward in her chair. “You didn’t have anything to do with the break-ins, did you?”
Liz frowned but shook her head.
“What about the coven last year?”
Liz paused, “Coven?”
“I’m sure someone in the village has told you about the coven that tried to sacrifice Brendon just before Christmas,” said Sarah firmly.
Liz nodded, “I did hear about it, yes.”
Her hands twisted the tissue nervously.

“Liz, I was looking around the cottage before you got home,” said Sarah firmly. “I found the altar. How do you explain that?”
Liz snorted miserably, “It’s not illegal.”
“No, just very suspicious,” said Sarah.
“Suspicious?” asked Liz sharply. “Suspicious? By the Goddess… just because I’m not Christian does not make me an evil person!”

“Yes but we all know what witches get up to,” said Brendon from behind her.
“Oh, do you indeed?” asked Liz angrily, sitting up in the chair. “Somehow I don’t think you do! I don’t think you know the first thing about Witches or Witchcraft and I don’t think Commander Pollock did either.”
“Commander Pollock was a witch,” pointed out Sarah.
“Maybe that’s what he called himself,” said Liz, the words tumbling out in an angry rush. “But as far as I can tell he was more an acquisitive Christian that anything else. He just borrowed whatever he wanted from my religion because he was power hungry and desperate to make a success of his own business. I mean, honestly, what self-respecting witch would go to a Christian chapel to perform Witchcraft?”

“There’s nothing Christian about human sacrifice,” objected Brendon.
“Oh no?” asked Liz, rounding on him. “I’ll have you know, young man, that there is more mention of sacrificing people in your precious Christian bible than there is in any Witchcraft book I’ve ever read. Unless you’re talking middle ages, of course, but then medical doctors used to believe that blood-letting made people healthier so I don’t think…”
Brendon cringed and backed away. Liz stopped mid-sentence and took several deep breaths.

She looked at Sarah to find her resolute and turned to find Brendon looking uncomfortable.
“Brendon,” she said calmly. “I’m a vegetarian. I can’t stand the thought of killing a cow for food. What makes you think that I’d be able to handle taking the life of another human being? The Goddess Hecate, in all her wisdom, put us on this Earth and who am I to deny her wishes?”
Sarah studied Liz’s face trying to gauge whether the indignation was real.

“Sorry, Liz,” she said at last. “But you can’t blame us for being wary. Not only this house but probably the whole village is rather touchy about witches and witchcraft at the moment. You could have chosen a better time, that’s all.”
Liz managed a smile, “I came here because of Commander Pollock.”
“You knew him?” asked Sarah.
“No,” shrugged Liz. “But from what I hear, he’s probably filled this village with a lot of angry, negative energy. I wanted to… try and heal the damage he’d done. I’ve been praying in the Chapel they used and trying to return the good fortune to the market garden.”

Sarah smiled, “No harm in praying and the garden’s looking very healthy.”
“Probably due to the fertiliser,” muttered Brendon.
Liz turned to look at him, “Perhaps, young man, but you never know. Commander Pollock and George Tracey ran the market garden before me and they knew how to grow plants. Yet they were still plagued by bad luck. I’m having better luck despite doing nothing different to the plants. Curious, no?”
“Believe whatever you want,” shrugged Brendon.
“Thankyou,” said Liz sincerely.

“Do you think Commander Pollock could have summoned something that is attacking people’s pets?” asked Sarah.
Liz paused, “I wouldn’t have thought so. He was a dangerous self serving amateur but I don’t think he was capable of summoning living creatures. Not to mention that Jasper was his dog. Why would he do anything that could hurt Jasper?”
“That’s true,” said Sarah. “He loved Jasper. He only let me keep him because nobody else would take him and the only other option was to put him down.”
“Even nasty people get sentimental about their animals…, “ agreed Liz, sniffling.

Her eyes brimmed with tears and she buried her face in her tissue. Sarah placed a comforting hand on her knee.
“I’m sorry,” hiccuped Liz. “I keep thinking about Sellene.”
“It’s all right,” said Sarah, passing her another tissue. “Was… was Sellene a witches familiar?”
Liz snorted, “Goddess, no, just a pet. I had to keep her away from the altar. She kept knocking over the candles…”
She burst into real tears and Sarah looked helplessly at Brendon as she passed the entire box of tissues to Liz.
“I know she’s just a cat…,” gasped Liz.
Brendon stepped forward to put his arms around her shoulders.

“She wasn’t just a cat,” he said, ignoring Sarah’s surprised look. “People’s pets are important.”
Liz smiled gratefully through the tears and leant into Brendon’s hug.
“Well,” said Sarah. “You can sleep here, tonight. We’ve got a spare bed and you can borrow one of Aunt Lavinia’s nightshirts.”
“Thankyou,” sniffed Liz.
“No problem,” said Sarah. “Anytime.”

* * *

When Sarah woke up the next morning, she wandered into Brendon’s room and shook him awake.
“Come on, sleepy head,” she said. “I want to go to the village and check on Jasper.”
Brendon grunted and rolled over. She was about to poke him again when he sat up abruptly of his own accord.
“What’s cooking?” he asked, sniffing.
Sarah blinked and sniffed the air, anew. Smells of hot food and teas were drifting up the staircase.

“Liz must be up,” said Sarah.
She laughed as Brendon scrambled out of bed and grabbed his dressing-gown. She followed him downstairs more sedately to the kitchen. Liz was standing in the middle of the room, taping a garbage bag across the broken window. She was still dressed in the nightshirt and dressing-gown that Sarah had leant her but her hair was already combed and tied back.
“Morning,” Liz said cheerfully. “I thought it was getting a bit chilly in here so I figured I’d tape up the window.”
“Good morning,” said Brendon, making a bee-line for the plates of food on the bench.
“Morning and thankyou,” said Sarah. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“No problem,” said Liz briskly. “Breakfast’s on the bench.”

She grinned at Brendon who was hurriedly wolfing down a generous helping of scrambled eggs.
“Brendon,” scolded Sarah.
Liz smiled, “Growing boys need to eat.”
Sarah pulled up a stool and sat down in front of the second plate. It was filled with scrambled eggs, fruit toast and steaming herbal tea. She briefly regretted the absence of bacon but was tactful enough not to mention it to the vegetarian chef. She picked up the tea and sipped it carefully. It was warm and spicy and flavoured with honey. As usual, she couldn’t tell what the flavouring was but she appreciated it all the same.

“Aren’t you hungry, Liz?” asked Sarah.
“I’ve already eaten,” said Liz, pulling out a cloth and beginning to wipe the bench.
“What time’d you get up?” asked Brendon.
“Five-thirty.”
Brendon nearly choked on his tea.
“Can’t stand sleeping in,” Liz smiled at him.

“I was thinking of going to the vet to check on Jasper,” said Sarah, starting on her eggs.
Liz’s scrubbing slowed down. She carefully avoided Sarah’s eyes.
“Do you mind if I come?” asked Liz quietly.
“No, course not,” said Sarah.
“I… I want to pick up Sellene.”
Brendon slowed down his shovelling, looking gloomy.
“I also wanted to ask you…,” began Liz, turning around to ask Sarah. “If it would be okay for me to bury her on the grounds? I know it’s your aunt’s land but it was Sellene’s home and…”
“That’s fine,” said Sarah, swallowing a mouthful of food. “Go ahead. I don’t think my Aunt would mind.”

* * *

Rupert scuffed his feet along the road. The road was deserted and surrounded on either side by paddocks and gardens. The sky was growing light but the air was still cold. He swung his arms to keep warm and watched his breath steam. The plants and weeds that lined the roadsides had grown dry and brittle under the winter’s harshness. He made no attempt to cover his face, allowing the cold air to bite and keep him awake.

As he approached a fork in the road, he saw the Colonel walking briskly towards him along the side-road. The Colonel looked agitated, muttering angrily to himself with his shoulders hunched and kicking at any loose rock that caught his eye. He was only fifteen feet from Rupert before he noticed him.

The Colonel stopped, surprised. He stared at Rupert as if his brain was having trouble processing.
“Brisk morning, isn’t it?” asked Rupert.
The Colonel looked about himself, seeming to notice the lightening sky for the first time. He tightened his coat.
“It is, isn’t it?” said the Colonel. “I’m surprised to see anybody else up and about.”
“I didn’t finish with Sarah’s dog until 3 am and I have an appointment at 7 am,” explained Rupert. “Somehow, having four hours of interrupted sleep leaves me more tired than if I pull an overnighter. Strange, I know but it’s just the way I am. I ran out of things to do at the surgery, so I went for a walk.”
“Not as strange as you think,” smiled the Colonel. “When I lived in London, pulling overnighters was quite commonplace. Not for a town like this, though, I would imagine.”
“No, indeed,” said Rupert. “A much quieter place than London but that’s part of its charm.”

The Colonel smiled and looked about the surrounding paddocks.
“What gets you up and about so early?” asked Rupert.
The Colonel’s face fell and he hesitated.
“Ah… bad knee, you see,” he said quickly. “It sometimes plays up and I just walk out the stiffness.”
Rupert nodded in agreement, “I suppose that having a medical man like Dr Sullivan as a roommate would be a great help with your knee.”
The other man looked uncomfortable, not quite meeting Rupert’s eyes, “Harry is a very good friend.”
“Of course,” said Rupert. “I wasn’t suggesting that you were taking advantage of him.”
The Colonel didn’t find that too reassuring, “I’d better get back.”

Rupert stood there and watched while the other man turned around and walked back the way he’d come. The Colonel looked back over his shoulder once and Rupert waved. The Colonel waved back reluctantly and then disappeared around the bend. Rupert stood there, thoughtfully, before walking onwards to the vet.

When he got there, a car was waiting in the driveway. Liz and Brendon waved at him from the backseat of the car.
“Morning,” said Rupert.
“Morning,” came Sarah’s voice.
She retreated from her place by Rupert’s front door to join him beside the car. Rupert couldn’t help but smile back. There was always something fairly direct and playful in Sarah’s smile.

Liz unwound the car window, “Good morning, Dr Casey.”
“Morning, Miss Patterson,” said Rupert politely. “Brendon.”
“We’re here to see about Jasper,” explained Sarah, sticking her hands in her armpits to warm them.
“Of course,” said Rupert. “Come inside. No sense in freezing out here.”
He led the way into the small cottage.

Sarah looked around, noting that half of the cottage was tidy and the other half was full of unpacked boxes.
“Sorry,” he said, talking mostly to Sarah. “I haven’t had time to finish unpacking.”
“It’s all right,” said Sarah, smiling at him.
“Tea?” he asked.

“Can we see Jasper?” spoke up Brendon.
Rupert smiled guiltily and tried to pretend that he hadn’t forgotten that the others were there. He nodded and waved them through the connecting door that led from the cottage to the vet surgery.
“I’m afraid he’s still a bit groggy,” said Rupert. “I wouldn’t mind keeping him here another day but if you want to take him home, you can – provided that you let him get lots of rest.”
“Well, if you think its best he stay here…,” began Sarah, as Rupert led them into a back room where Jasper was stretched out in a large vet cage.

“Are you sure we can’t take him home?” interrupted Brendon anxiously.
Sarah hesitated and looked to Rupert.
He smiled at her, “You can take him home if you want. I’ll give you a list of instructions and if anything goes wrong, you can bring him straight back.”
She still seemed undecided and crouched next to Jasper’s cage. She slipped a hand through the bars to stroke a furry ear. The ear twitched under her fingers and the head pushed up to meet her touch.
“Hey, boy, how are you?” she asked gently.
Jasper blinked his eyes open and began to lick her hand.

She looked back to Rupert and a anxious Brendon.
“Okay,” she said. “We’ll take him home.”
Brendon grinned. Liz smiled weakly from her position by the door. She seemed reluctant to come further into the room.
“I’ll get you a list of things to do,” said Rupert, turning back to the door.

Liz stopped him with a hand on his chest.
“Excuse me, Dr Casey,” she said quietly. “I don’t know if Dr Rodney told you but it was my cat that he found yesterday. I was wondering if I could… have the body.”
“Oh?” said Rupert frowning. “I don’t think he mentioned it but... Of course, you may. If you’d like to come through, Miss Patterson.”
He directed her out of the room.

“Rupert?” called Sarah.
He stuck his head back in, “Yes, Sarah?”
“Did you ask Dr Rodney if the same animal attacked Jasper and Liz’s cat?”
Rupert’s face fell, “Blast. Knew there was something else I’d forgotten. Wait until I’ve finished with Miss Patterson.”

* * *

Harry walked into the kitchen of his cottage. He paused as he spotted the Colonel stoking the fireplace and kept walking to the cupboard as if nothing had happened. Harry pulled out two mugs and began to make coffee. They ignored each other until the kettle had boiled and the fire was going.
“Where’d you go?” asked Harry, passing a coffee to the Colonel. “You were gone for hours.”
The Colonel shrugged, “Walking.”

“Visit Evan?” said Harry flatly, not making eye contact and not sounding particularly interested in the answer.
“No,” said the Colonel. “Didn’t make it that far.”
“I tried to ring him fifteen minutes ago but he wasn’t answering.”
Harry looked at the clock and frowned, grasping for a neutral subject.
“Not like him not to be up at this hour,” he said.
“Maybe he’s not only up but also out and about?” suggested the Colonel with a weak smile. Harry didn’t smile back.

* * *

Brendon lifted Jasper awkwardly in his arms, under Rupert’s amused but wary gaze. It wasn’t that he found the dog too heavy but there were always legs and tails sticking out at unusual angles which threatened to overbalance them both. Fortunately, the German Shepherd wasn’t awake or things would have become much more lively.

He managed to transfer the dog to the car without dropping him. Rupert passed him a blanket which he wrapped tucked around Jasper.
“I might just dash around to the back and talk to Dr Rodney,” said Sarah.
Liz came out of the surgery with a large shoebox clutched possessively in both hands.
“Will you be long?” she asked Sarah.
“I’ll make it quick,” promised Sarah sadly.
“Don’t know if he’ll be up yet,” said Rupert. “But follow that path round to the spare cottage.”
He turned back to help Brendon arrange Jasper in the car.

Sarah smiled at him and walked in the direction he’d pointed. The stone path led around the side of the main cottage and the vet surgery to a much smaller cottage that had been built on the property much later. She walked up to the front door and knocked. There was a car parked in the garage.

The unlocked door shifted slightly on its hinges. Sarah frowned and pushed the door open.
“Dr Rodney?” she called. “It’s Sarah Jane Smith.”
There was no answer. The cottage felt cold and the fireplace looked as if it hadn’t been lit. She gazed around the main room, noting the many certificates that had been framed and proudly displayed on the wall. A photograph of Dr Rodney with Harry and the Colonel took pride of place on the mantle-piece.

“Dr Rodney?” she called again. “Your door was open.”
She walked into the back of the cottage to discover a neatly made bed. A key-ring lay on the table. She picked it up and examined the keys. There was a car key among them.
“Well, you certainly haven’t driven anywhere,” she said aloud.

The wooden door creaked and she jumped. Rupert appeared at the doorway.
“Sorry,” he blushed. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
She sighed and sat on the bed, “It's all right.”
“How’d you get in?” asked Rupert, looking around curiously.
“Front door was unlocked,” she shrugged, pulling her coat tighter around her. “But no sign of Dr Rodney.”

Rupert shrugged himself, “I saw the Colonel out this morning, taking a walk. Maybe Dr Rodney’s doing the same. They did use to be house-mates.”
“It’s possible,” said Sarah. “But his bed hasn’t been slept in. When did you see him last?”
Rupert frowned, “About 3 am. Maybe 3:30.”
“Well, when you do see him, please tell him I want to talk to him,” decided Sarah, standing.
“I will,” promised Rupert. “I’ll get him to ring you.”
“Thanks,” said Sarah, walking to the door but hesitating to walk through it. “You know… I wouldn’t mind if you rang me too. Just to check on Jasper, of course.”

“Of course,” said Rupert, grinning widely at her.
He opened the door wider, “After you.”
She smiled at him as she walked past.

* * *

Liz and Brendon marched out to a bush by Liz’s cottage, armed with a shovel. Liz had the shoebox tucked under her arm.
“She made it her favourite place outside,” said Liz. “Even though we weren’t living here for very long.”
“You don’t have to live somewhere very long for it to become a home,” said Brendon reassuringly, glancing up to where the Manor was just visible over the treetops.
He handed her the shovel. She placed the box gently on the ground and took the shovel with both hands and a grim determination.
“A final resting place,” she said solemnly, digging the shovel into the ground.

Sarah walked up to join them. Reluctant to interrupt, she waited until Liz noticed her.
“I still can’t contact Dr Rodney,” she explained. “I’m going to drive over and visit Harry, see if he knows where he is.”
“Can’t you just ring him?” asked Brendon.
“I could but I’d rather talk to him face to face,” said Sarah.
Her gaze fell on the shoebox and she just stopped herself from telling the two of them to ‘have fun’ while she was gone.

“Can you check on Jasper every half hour?” she asked.
“I’ve already set the alarm on my watch,” explained Brendon, waving his wrist as proof.
“We’ll be here when you get back,” said Liz, slouching against the shovel.
Sarah nodded, patted Liz on the back and returned to the house. She left a bowl of water for Jasper and then drove to the Doctor’s surgery.

There was a car in the driveway, still full of unpacked moving boxes. She wondered if she might find Harry and the Colonel gone too but there was smoke coming out of the chimney. Her knock on the door was followed by a crash from inside the cottage.
“Harry? Colonel Hanson? Are you okay?” she called.
She could hear movement but nobody came to the door. She tried the handle but the door was locked.
“Harry? It’s Sarah,” she called again, moving around to peer in the window.

The front door opened and Harry stuck his head outside, “Sarah?”
Harry was dressed lightly in a pair of trousers and a hastily buttoned shirt. He wasn’t even wearing any shoes.
“There you are,” said Sarah, coming back to the door. “I thought I heard a crash. Is something wrong?”
“No, no,” said Harry quickly. “You just startled me, that’s all. Dropped a coffee mug.”
“A coffee mug?” she asked sceptically.
“Do you want to come in, old girl?” he asked, changing the subject.

“I’d like that very much,” said Sarah but there was a crafty look in her eyes.
He opened the door wide for her to walk in. The Doctor’s surgery had a small waiting room and two offices. A set of stairs led to the small apartment above. Harry led the way up the stairs, trying to rearrange his shirt buttons without Sarah noticing.
“Must be a bit of a squeeze,” said Sarah lightly. “What with the two of you.”
Harry shrugged, “We’re used to much worse.”

He led the way into the kitchen where the remains of a smashed coffee mug covered the floor.
“The coffee mug, I presume?” said Sarah, surveying the wreckage critically.
“Indeed, poor thing,” said Harry, pulling up two stools. “Tea? Or coffee?”
“Coffee, I think,” said Sarah.
She sat while Harry prepared two new cups of coffee, gingerly avoiding the broken mug with his bare feet.

The kitchen itself was a mess of a different kind. There were unopened and half-unpacked boxes everywhere.
“Still haven’t finished unpacking?”
Harry shook his head, “Not yet. Evan was going to come over and help this morning but he hasn’t turned up yet.”
“Not like him,” said a voice warmly.

Sarah turned to see the Colonel emerging from the bedroom. He was still buttoning up the top buttons of his shirt but he was more dressed than Harry.
“Good morning, Miss,” said the Colonel, dipping his head.
“Good morning, Colonel,” answered Sarah. “Hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Never fear, I wasn’t asleep,” said the Colonel. “Just making myself decent for company. I’ll finish that, Harry, why don’t you get some shoes on, eh?”

Harry paused by the bench while the Colonel seemed to brace himself for an argument. Then Harry shrugged, surrendering some silent battle, and retreated to the bedroom. The Colonel looked relieved and began to clear away the mess.
“You said its not like Evan not to turn up,” asked Sarah. “How late is he?”
The Colonel frowned, “About an hour. He’s usually quite punctual – probably all that giving medications-on-time routine that vets and doctors have. Harry’s exactly the same.”
“Exactly the same as what?” asked Harry, reappearing.
The Colonel barely blinked, “Evan. You’re both habitually punctual. Almost like you were in the army or something.”
“Funny that,” said Harry wryly.
He passed Sarah her coffee and took the other for himself.

Harry took the stool beside Sarah while the Colonel leaned against the bench.
“I wanted to talk to Evan, actually,” said Sarah. “But he’s not at home and it doesn’t look like his bed’s been slept in.”
Harry and the Colonel exchanged looks.
“Are you sure he didn’t just… make the bed?” asked Harry.
“Quite sure,” lied Sarah.

* * *

Brendon returned from checking Jasper.
“How is he?” asked Liz, still standing stiffly by the cat’s grave.
“He’s okay,” said Brendon, frowning at the small patch of distrubed earth. “Pity we don’t have any flowers.”
“We can still put stems down,” suggested Liz. “I think I know just the ones, too. Saw them growing on the side of the road.”
“Nobody will miss a few stems, will they?” asked Brendon helpfully.
“Course not,” said Brendon.
“Come on,” said Liz. “We’ll take my car.”

* * *

“So, how long have the two of you been house-mates?” asked Sarah, setting aside the empty coffee mug.
“Eight years,” said the Colonel promptly, without thinking.
Harry nodded wistfully, “Moved in together several months after… Scotland.”
“Yes, Scotland,” said the Colonel darkly.
Harry rolled his eyes, “I’m going to try Evan again.”

Sarah raised an eyebrow at the Colonel as Harry moved to the phone. The Colonel leant forward towards Sarah.
“You were there for that Scottish business, Miss Smith, weren’t you?” he asked in a low voice.
She shrugged uncomfortably, “Well, as a journalist, I travel all over the place.”
“And why exactly did you travel up to Scotland?” asked the Colonel. “Harry mentioned something about a military unit but…”
“Not a military unit,” said Sarah with a snort. “But an organization known as UNIT. Very secret, very much involved with a lot of the weirder things in life.”

The Colonel blinked, “And how did a journalist get involved if its all so classified?”
Sarah shrugged, “Right place, right time. Or maybe that should be wrong place, wrong time…”
“They just let a journalist witness military operations?” said the Colonel disbelievingly.
“I worked as a sort of assistant to one of their civilian scientific advisors,” explained Sarah. “Have you been giving Harry a hard time about it?”
The Colonel flushed guiltily, “I was worried. Worried he was hiding something nasty.”
“Nothing nasty, not Harry,” she reassured him. “It really wouldn’t be like him.”

He smiled at her, trying not to look too relieved, “No, Harry may be many things but nasty isn’t one of them. So, what’s really going on?”
“Well…,”
There was a pounding at the door and Harry stuck his head back into the kitchen.
“I’ll get it,” offered the Colonel.
He smiled at her and left the kitchen. Harry approached Sarah reluctantly.
“So, what’s Richard been saying?” he asked her, trying to sound casual.
“Harry,” she scolded, slapping him lightly on the arm. “Stop with all this cloak-and-dagger nonsense. You’re frightening the Colonel.”
“I’m doing what?” stuttered Harry, torn between indignant and puzzled.

“Harry!” bellowed the Colonel from downstairs.
“What now?” Harry bellowed back.
Sarah stuck her fingers in her ears but was still able to hear the Colonel come thundering up the stairs. His face was pale.
“Harry, grab your medical bag,” he snapped.
Harry dropped his annoyance and rushed into the bedroom without another word.
Sarah pulled her fingers out of her ears, “What’s happened?”

The Colonel shrugged helplessly, “Liz is here. She says she’s found Evan and he’s hurt. Badly.”
“Liz?” said Sarah, sliding off her and stool and running downstairs.
She had nearly reached the front door when Harry came down after her and overtook her, slipping out the door first.
“Excuse me, Miss,” called the Colonel, pushing past her as well.

Grumbling, Sarah made it outside the house.
“Brendon, you stay here,” came Liz’s voice.
Liz was forcibly pushing Brendon out of her car. Harry climbed into his place while the Colonel helpfully steered Brendon further away from the car. Sarah joined Brendon and the Colonel on the grass as Harry and Liz reversed down the driveway.

“Brendon, what happened?” she asked.
Brendon looked at the grass and wouldn’t meet her eyes. She looked to the Colonel who was still holding Brendon’s arm a little tighter than he meant to. She pried the Colonel’s fingers away.
He sighed, “Sorry.”

She put her hands on Brendon’s shoulders, craning her neck to look the tall young man in the face until he met her look.
“Brendon?” she asked gently. “What happened?”
“We were driving by and I saw him from the car,” said Brendon. “He was lying on the ground, not moving… I think Harry will be too late.”
The Colonel drew in a ragged breath. Sarah spared him a glance but most of her attention was on Brendon.

“Why don’t we go in and get something to drink?” she suggested, taking Brendon’s hand and leading him back towards the house.
“Coming Colonel?” she added when she noticed that the man hadn’t moved to follow them.
The Colonel blinked, “What? Oh yes, of course…”
“Oh good,” continued Sarah. “I don’t know my way around your kitchen yet.”
She led the two of them upstairs, guiding them gently to stools.

The other two were silent, the Colonel alternately staring out the window and at the phone while Brendon slouched and looked gloomily into his mug of cocoa.
“I’ve never seen a body before,” said Brendon quietly.
He didn’t seem to notice the sudden stiffening of the Colonel beside him.
“I can’t remember if I even said hello to him at the party,” continued Brendon. “Do you remember?”
Sarah lied, “I’m sure you did.”

TO BE CONTINUED...

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