In Need of a Friend (Mike Yates and Sarah Jane)
Title: In Need of a Friend
Summary: After the events of "Invasion of the Dinosaurs," Sarah Jane comes across a distraught former Captain Mike Yates.
Author's Note: This fits into the continuity of my "After..." Yates/Benton series.
In Need of a Friend
It was nearly a week after the whole dinosaur business. London had quickly gotten back to normal after all the residents had returned from the evacuation.
Sarah Jane Smith was sitting in a late-night café, poring over her notes for a story. No, not the dinosaurs invading London story. She didn’t have the authority to do that, yet.
Sarah sipped her coffee as she figured out the best way to write all this up. She looked up, a little startled, when someone asked, “Miss Smith?”
She instantly recognized the man standing before her, even though he wasn’t wearing a uniform and looked a bit unkempt from the last time she had seen him.
“Captain Yates?”
Yates was taken aback. “Don’t… I’m not… I’m not that, anymore.”
“Right, sorry.” Sarah noticed the man was nervous. “Do you need anything?”
“Sorry to disrupt your night, but I saw you and wanted to tell you something.”
“I’m listening,” prompted Sarah.
Yates took a deep breath. “My actions nearly got you killed, more than once. That was unacceptable. I am very sorry for that. I won’t blame you if you don’t forgive me.”
This wasn’t what Sarah was expecting, and wasn’t sure how to respond. Yates took her silence as a cue to leave.
“Cap-Yates,” Sarah said, grabbing his sleeve as he walked past.
He turned to her. She let go of his sleeve. “Stay a moment,” she requested.
Sarah closed her notebook and gathered her notes together to give Yates room at the small table. “Have a seat,” she invited.
Yates stiffly sat in the offered seat across from Sarah.
Sarah took a good look at him. His manner was different. He was nervous still, even after saying what he needed to say. He appeared exhausted, and had dark circles under his eyes. “Are you alright?”
Yates looked down at the table and ran a hand through his hair.
“You haven’t been sleeping,” Sarah stated.
“No, I haven’t,” Yates answered in a barely audible tone.
Sarah’s compassion rose for the former captain. She laid her hand on his. He nearly pulled back, but stopped himself.
“Are you alright?” Sarah asked again.
“I’ve taken to walking at night. It helps… somewhat.” Yates didn’t directly answer the question.
Sarah concluded that he was lost, and had taken to wandering in attempts to clear his head. “Do you have anyone to talk to?”
“I don’t need-“ Yates broke off and shook his head.
“You do need someone to talk to. You don’t have anyone?”
“Not really.” He stared down at Sarah’s hand resting on his. “UNIT was my home. And I…” He withdrew his hand. “I should go.” He stood.
“Go where?”
Yates opened his mouth, but didn’t answer.
“Let me take you home. It’s getting late, and the least I can do is that.”
“You’re too kind, Miss Smith.”
“Well, Mr Yates?”
Yates half-smiled. “Okay.”
Sarah packed her things and led Yates outside the café to her car. “Where do you live?” she asked as she started the engine.
Yates told her the address of his apartment and directed her there.
Sarah wasn’t content with just dropping him off. She went with him up to his door, to make sure he got in alright. She bid him goodnight and good luck and turned to leave.
“Miss Smith, wait.”
“Yes, Mr Yates?”
“You’re right. I do need…” He unlocked the door and held it open. “You can come in, if you want.”
Sarah smiled at the invitation. Yates was letting her in, and not only to his home. She followed him inside, and also left her shoes by the door next to his.
Yates gestured to the couch. “Have a seat,” he said as he went to the kitchen and grabbed a can of cocoa from a cabinet. “Would you like some cocoa?”
“I didn’t take you for a cocoa kind of guy.”
Yates chuckled. “You thought me a coffee man? That’s not my specialty. That’s Jo-“ He stopped himself and cleared his throat.
“Sure, I’ll have some.”
They were quiet as Yates heated the water and mixed the chocolate into the mugs. He went to the living area and handed Sarah a mug. “Here you are, Miss Smith.”
“Sarah.”
“Hm?”
“You invited me into your apartment. You can call me Sarah.”
Yates nodded. “I guess it would be awkward if you kept calling me ‘Mr Yates’ then. I’m Mike.”
Sarah smiled and took a sip of the hot cocoa. “Wow, that’s good.” She watched him as he drank from his mug. He seemed less nervous, if still a bit tense.
“What were you working on in the café?”
“Just a story.”
“Oh, that’s right. You’re a journalist,” Mike remembered.
Sarah nodded. “The Doctor keeps trying to get me to go back in the TARDIS with him.”
“You’ve been resisting?”
“So far. He’s been going on about a planet named Florana. It’s starting to sound tempting.”
“I can’t blame you for going off with him. He’s a remarkable man.”
Sarah nodded in agreement. “That he is.” She placed her half-empty mug on the coffee table. “Back to my original point. You haven’t been sleeping, and you don’t look very well.”
“I suppose I don’t look my best, do I?” Mike sighed. “All these thoughts and emotions about what I did… they don’t let me sleep much. I get tired, but I can’t sleep. So, I’ve taken to walking, hoping that it’ll help.”
“Does it?”
“Sort of. I can sleep, but not for very long.” Mike put his mug down. “Sarah, why are you doing this?”
“Talking to you?”
“That… and trusting me.” Mike stood and turned away from her. “I nearly got you, the Doctor, the Brigadier, Sergeant Benton… everyone killed. I was helping a madman try to wipe billions of people from existence. I was trying to stop the Doctor from saving everyone. I-“
“I was there, Mike,” Sarah said quietly. “I know.” She tapped her thumb against her mouth in thought. “Now that I think back, you seemed… off during the whole thing, like you weren’t all there. You had an odd expression on your face. At least, whenever I saw you.”
“Really?” Mike turned back to her.
“I know I didn’t know you, but that’s the impression I’m getting, in hindsight.”
Mike sat back on the sofa and took a long drink of his cocoa.
“I’m not going to interrogate you about all this, if that’s what you were expecting.” Sarah flashed a friendly smile. “You can relax. Though I do hope you’ll tell me, in time.”
“As I come to terms with it,” Mike quietly replied.
“At the café, you said that you would understand if I didn’t forgive you. You’re not expecting forgiveness from anyone?”
Mike stared down into the remains of his drink. “You weren’t there when I… I pulled a gun on the Doctor, the Brig… and Jo- Benton. For someone who they trusted with their lives to do that… that’s unforgivable.” His voice cracked on the last word.
Sarah knew there was something about why all this happened the way it did that the former UNIT officer wasn’t telling her, something that would possible make his betrayal make sense. But, she wasn’t going to pressure him. He would need to tell her on his own terms.
Sarah reached out to touch Mike’s shoulder. When he looked up, she said, “I see that you’re very guilt-ridden and sorry for all this. Whatever happened… I get the feeling that it wasn’t all your fault.”
“It was, Sarah. I was too-“ Mike made a frustrated noise.
“I forgive you.”
“You… you mean that?”
“Of course I do. I don’t make it a habit to lie about important things.”
They sat in quiet for a long moment, with Mike pondering Sarah’s words. He could see she was sincere about everything she had said to him.
Sarah glanced at her watch. “Mike, I’m sorry, but I have to go home soon.”
“Right,” Mike replied absentmindedly, still in thought.
Out of compassion and impulse, Sarah moved forward and wrapped him in a hug. Mike tensed for a short moment, then relaxed and put his arms around her.
Sarah didn’t let him go as she said into his ear, “I want to get to know you, Mike. You’re a good man.”
It was Mike who tightened the embrace, holding onto her like a lifeline.
Sarah pulled back only enough to see the distraught man’s face. “I’m serious. I’m going to give you my phone number. I want you to ring me whenever you want to talk or go out or anything. I want to be your friend.”
“I… I want to be your friend, too.”
Sarah smiled. “Good, we have a mutual agreement.”
Mike smiled in response and they let go of each other. Sarah wrote down her phone number and left it on the coffee table. He helped her into her jacket and she put on her shoes. He walked her down to her car.
Mike pulled Sarah into another hug. She looked up into his face and he looked down into at hers.
Sarah grinned and said, “If I don’t hear from you, I know where you live.”
“Oh, in that case, I will definitely ring you,” Mike grinned back.
“Alright. Sleep well tonight.”
“You know, I just think I might.”
She go in her car and waved good-bye before driving away.
Mike watched her disappear around the corner of the lamp-lit street. He had a lot of things to sort out, and perhaps now he could start working through them.
“Thank you, Sarah Jane.”
Summary: After the events of "Invasion of the Dinosaurs," Sarah Jane comes across a distraught former Captain Mike Yates.
Author's Note: This fits into the continuity of my "After..." Yates/Benton series.
In Need of a Friend
It was nearly a week after the whole dinosaur business. London had quickly gotten back to normal after all the residents had returned from the evacuation.
Sarah Jane Smith was sitting in a late-night café, poring over her notes for a story. No, not the dinosaurs invading London story. She didn’t have the authority to do that, yet.
Sarah sipped her coffee as she figured out the best way to write all this up. She looked up, a little startled, when someone asked, “Miss Smith?”
She instantly recognized the man standing before her, even though he wasn’t wearing a uniform and looked a bit unkempt from the last time she had seen him.
“Captain Yates?”
Yates was taken aback. “Don’t… I’m not… I’m not that, anymore.”
“Right, sorry.” Sarah noticed the man was nervous. “Do you need anything?”
“Sorry to disrupt your night, but I saw you and wanted to tell you something.”
“I’m listening,” prompted Sarah.
Yates took a deep breath. “My actions nearly got you killed, more than once. That was unacceptable. I am very sorry for that. I won’t blame you if you don’t forgive me.”
This wasn’t what Sarah was expecting, and wasn’t sure how to respond. Yates took her silence as a cue to leave.
“Cap-Yates,” Sarah said, grabbing his sleeve as he walked past.
He turned to her. She let go of his sleeve. “Stay a moment,” she requested.
Sarah closed her notebook and gathered her notes together to give Yates room at the small table. “Have a seat,” she invited.
Yates stiffly sat in the offered seat across from Sarah.
Sarah took a good look at him. His manner was different. He was nervous still, even after saying what he needed to say. He appeared exhausted, and had dark circles under his eyes. “Are you alright?”
Yates looked down at the table and ran a hand through his hair.
“You haven’t been sleeping,” Sarah stated.
“No, I haven’t,” Yates answered in a barely audible tone.
Sarah’s compassion rose for the former captain. She laid her hand on his. He nearly pulled back, but stopped himself.
“Are you alright?” Sarah asked again.
“I’ve taken to walking at night. It helps… somewhat.” Yates didn’t directly answer the question.
Sarah concluded that he was lost, and had taken to wandering in attempts to clear his head. “Do you have anyone to talk to?”
“I don’t need-“ Yates broke off and shook his head.
“You do need someone to talk to. You don’t have anyone?”
“Not really.” He stared down at Sarah’s hand resting on his. “UNIT was my home. And I…” He withdrew his hand. “I should go.” He stood.
“Go where?”
Yates opened his mouth, but didn’t answer.
“Let me take you home. It’s getting late, and the least I can do is that.”
“You’re too kind, Miss Smith.”
“Well, Mr Yates?”
Yates half-smiled. “Okay.”
Sarah packed her things and led Yates outside the café to her car. “Where do you live?” she asked as she started the engine.
Yates told her the address of his apartment and directed her there.
Sarah wasn’t content with just dropping him off. She went with him up to his door, to make sure he got in alright. She bid him goodnight and good luck and turned to leave.
“Miss Smith, wait.”
“Yes, Mr Yates?”
“You’re right. I do need…” He unlocked the door and held it open. “You can come in, if you want.”
Sarah smiled at the invitation. Yates was letting her in, and not only to his home. She followed him inside, and also left her shoes by the door next to his.
Yates gestured to the couch. “Have a seat,” he said as he went to the kitchen and grabbed a can of cocoa from a cabinet. “Would you like some cocoa?”
“I didn’t take you for a cocoa kind of guy.”
Yates chuckled. “You thought me a coffee man? That’s not my specialty. That’s Jo-“ He stopped himself and cleared his throat.
“Sure, I’ll have some.”
They were quiet as Yates heated the water and mixed the chocolate into the mugs. He went to the living area and handed Sarah a mug. “Here you are, Miss Smith.”
“Sarah.”
“Hm?”
“You invited me into your apartment. You can call me Sarah.”
Yates nodded. “I guess it would be awkward if you kept calling me ‘Mr Yates’ then. I’m Mike.”
Sarah smiled and took a sip of the hot cocoa. “Wow, that’s good.” She watched him as he drank from his mug. He seemed less nervous, if still a bit tense.
“What were you working on in the café?”
“Just a story.”
“Oh, that’s right. You’re a journalist,” Mike remembered.
Sarah nodded. “The Doctor keeps trying to get me to go back in the TARDIS with him.”
“You’ve been resisting?”
“So far. He’s been going on about a planet named Florana. It’s starting to sound tempting.”
“I can’t blame you for going off with him. He’s a remarkable man.”
Sarah nodded in agreement. “That he is.” She placed her half-empty mug on the coffee table. “Back to my original point. You haven’t been sleeping, and you don’t look very well.”
“I suppose I don’t look my best, do I?” Mike sighed. “All these thoughts and emotions about what I did… they don’t let me sleep much. I get tired, but I can’t sleep. So, I’ve taken to walking, hoping that it’ll help.”
“Does it?”
“Sort of. I can sleep, but not for very long.” Mike put his mug down. “Sarah, why are you doing this?”
“Talking to you?”
“That… and trusting me.” Mike stood and turned away from her. “I nearly got you, the Doctor, the Brigadier, Sergeant Benton… everyone killed. I was helping a madman try to wipe billions of people from existence. I was trying to stop the Doctor from saving everyone. I-“
“I was there, Mike,” Sarah said quietly. “I know.” She tapped her thumb against her mouth in thought. “Now that I think back, you seemed… off during the whole thing, like you weren’t all there. You had an odd expression on your face. At least, whenever I saw you.”
“Really?” Mike turned back to her.
“I know I didn’t know you, but that’s the impression I’m getting, in hindsight.”
Mike sat back on the sofa and took a long drink of his cocoa.
“I’m not going to interrogate you about all this, if that’s what you were expecting.” Sarah flashed a friendly smile. “You can relax. Though I do hope you’ll tell me, in time.”
“As I come to terms with it,” Mike quietly replied.
“At the café, you said that you would understand if I didn’t forgive you. You’re not expecting forgiveness from anyone?”
Mike stared down into the remains of his drink. “You weren’t there when I… I pulled a gun on the Doctor, the Brig… and Jo- Benton. For someone who they trusted with their lives to do that… that’s unforgivable.” His voice cracked on the last word.
Sarah knew there was something about why all this happened the way it did that the former UNIT officer wasn’t telling her, something that would possible make his betrayal make sense. But, she wasn’t going to pressure him. He would need to tell her on his own terms.
Sarah reached out to touch Mike’s shoulder. When he looked up, she said, “I see that you’re very guilt-ridden and sorry for all this. Whatever happened… I get the feeling that it wasn’t all your fault.”
“It was, Sarah. I was too-“ Mike made a frustrated noise.
“I forgive you.”
“You… you mean that?”
“Of course I do. I don’t make it a habit to lie about important things.”
They sat in quiet for a long moment, with Mike pondering Sarah’s words. He could see she was sincere about everything she had said to him.
Sarah glanced at her watch. “Mike, I’m sorry, but I have to go home soon.”
“Right,” Mike replied absentmindedly, still in thought.
Out of compassion and impulse, Sarah moved forward and wrapped him in a hug. Mike tensed for a short moment, then relaxed and put his arms around her.
Sarah didn’t let him go as she said into his ear, “I want to get to know you, Mike. You’re a good man.”
It was Mike who tightened the embrace, holding onto her like a lifeline.
Sarah pulled back only enough to see the distraught man’s face. “I’m serious. I’m going to give you my phone number. I want you to ring me whenever you want to talk or go out or anything. I want to be your friend.”
“I… I want to be your friend, too.”
Sarah smiled. “Good, we have a mutual agreement.”
Mike smiled in response and they let go of each other. Sarah wrote down her phone number and left it on the coffee table. He helped her into her jacket and she put on her shoes. He walked her down to her car.
Mike pulled Sarah into another hug. She looked up into his face and he looked down into at hers.
Sarah grinned and said, “If I don’t hear from you, I know where you live.”
“Oh, in that case, I will definitely ring you,” Mike grinned back.
“Alright. Sleep well tonight.”
“You know, I just think I might.”
She go in her car and waved good-bye before driving away.
Mike watched her disappear around the corner of the lamp-lit street. He had a lot of things to sort out, and perhaps now he could start working through them.
“Thank you, Sarah Jane.”