The second time she met the Doctor was at his funeral.
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Her brother had moved to university, Jane always knew he had been clever enough to and the rest of the family were so proud of him. They were all talking to him on a video call, while Jane sat downstairs in the front room reading.
It had been a long time since the Doctor's last visit, but it was something Jane kept replying over and over again in her mind. Those few hours were magnificent, and she had longed for more since. She and her friends had been busy defeating more and more aliens, but nothing felt like it did with the Doctor.
Land Rovers pulled up on the road next to the house, the woman dropped her book as she rushed to the window. Her mum and friends came pouring down from the attic, all of them walking outside. Sarah Jane held her hand up, signaling for the soldiers not to come any closer.
"Stop right there. I'm not having soldiers on my property."
"Everything okay?" Haresh called from the other side of the road, rather concerned about the sudden appearance of soldiers.
"Yes, fine. They're just leaving."
The leader spoke up first, she was a petite woman with her hair tied back into a ponytail. Atop her head, like all the others, was a red beret.
"Miss and Miss Smith, my name is Colonel Tia Karim, representing the Unified Intelligence Task Force. If I could have a word in private?"
"No, no, no. You're not getting any closer. Just tell me, what do you want?" Sarah Jane refused to let her anywhere on the property, and Jane came to stand beside her mother.
"I'm sorry, but it's my solemn duty to inform you that your friend, the Doctor, is dead." The Colonel spoke the words, and the young woman practically went into shock. The Doctor couldn't be dead, that wasn't possible.
"Don't be stupid." "He can't be." Her friend's words echoed her thoughts, and nothing but a slight sob could come out of Jane's mouth. Fingers moved to wipe away a tear that had left her green hues.
"Last Sunday at 1700 hours, the body of a Time Lord was returned to the Earth. UNIT scientists have checked the DNA results, and it's definitely him. I'm sorry, Miss Smith, for your loss. Sorry for the whole wide world, because he's gone. The Doctor's gone. He's dead."
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They had invited the Colonel alone up to the attic, everyone sitting or standing in a different place around the room. "The Doctor was found ten thousand light-years away by a race called the Shansheeth." The woman had moved to Sarah Jane, putting something into her hand as she spoke. "They sent us this. It's called an epitaph stone. It's a recording device, the equivalent to a death notice. The Shansheeth are what you might call intergalactic undertakers."
"Oh, come on. This is ridiculous. There's no such thing." It was Jane speaking up, standing from where she had been sitting on the steps of the attic. Her hand flew about as she spoke, having only just pulled herself together from the news.
"Jane, I can confirm the Shansheeth are known throughout the universe as the carers of the dead. It is said they trawl the battlefields of outer space, looking for heroes to bring home." It was Mr. Smith speaking, his pink screen saver-like interface flowing over the screen.
"Yeah? Well, that's quite enough from you, thanks. Just shut up, and play this thing." It was Sarah Jane speaking this time, her daughter's words had been what she was thinking too - they were rather alike in many ways.
A hologram appeared, of what seemed to be a giant vulture; it was in the middle of the room and had the faintest of blue tones upon it.
"I bring condolences from the Claw Shansheeth of the 15th Funeral Fleet upon this terrible day."
"Well, as if you'd trust that thing? Just look at him." Sarah Jane spoke up having paused the hologram for just a moment.
"Hey, that's not fair. Since when did we judge by appearances?" Rani interjected from where she had been sitting, gazing between Sarah Jane and her daughter.
"It looks like a poor Halloween costume." The young woman muttered, eyes narrowing at the Colonel, she didn't trust her at all.
"Since this lot started lying." Sarah Jane clarified while Rani walked up to her.
"Okay. Look, I hope this is all a big mistake, I really do. For the Doctor's sake, we've got to find the facts, which means we stop and we listen."
Reluctantly, Sarah Jane agreed with her words, looking around at everyone's gaze that was on her.
"Thanks. Mister Smith?"
The hologram resumed, "The Shansheeth did journey to the wastelands of the Crimson Heart, whereupon we found the body of the last Time Lord. Witnesses say that he perished saving the lives of five hundred children from the Scarlet Monstrosity."
"Sounds like him," Clyde interjected from where he was sitting, perched on the desk chair next to the laptop they had been speaking on before. He was looking towards the ground, trying to hide that he was just upset as everyone else was.
Jane's jaw was clenched as she listened to the hologram, refusing to believe anything that was coming out of the vulture's mouth. "The Doctor's home world is long since lost, but legends talk of his love for the Earth. Therefore, the Shansheeth will return the Doctor to the human race. Oh, weep for him, peoples of the Earth. Mourn his loss, for the universe feels darker tonight."
The Colonel turned to face the two Smiths after the hologram had finished, "UNIT will take charge of the funeral in conjunction with the Shansheeth. We'll be using UNIT Base Five, situated inside Mount Snowdon. We can arrange transport and accommodation for all of you."
"Thank you." Sarah Jane spoke, Jane nodded from beside her.
"Then you'll come?"
"Oh, yes. Nothing's going to make us miss this. We'll be there." Jane spoke up for her mother, a slight smirk upon her face.
She didn't think he was dead.
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