Sarah Jane Smith (Alt 12)

From Relativespace

In AU 12, Dr. Liz Shaw did not assume the position of the Doctor's assistant, instead Sarah's Aunt Lavinia was offered the position. Shortly before this Sarah was thrown out of her fourth boarding school, so Lavinia dragged her along to UNIT with her while she decided what to do next. Lavinia was more interested in her research than her niece and Sarah felt rather neglected.

Enter the Doctor, who took a liking to the fifteen-year-old Sarah, and pretty much took over her education. Lavinia wasn't thrilled about having her niece underfoot, but Sarah was happy to have someone (the Doctor) taking an interest in her. The dynamic was often Lavinia and the Brig vs. the Doctor and Sarah.

Unlike Liz, Lavinia didn't leave at the end of the year, so Sarah has had all of Liz's, Jo's and her own adventures with the Third Doctor, and before her 18th birthday they became lovers, the Doctor having decided that as long as her species considered her mature it was acceptable

By the time of The Three Doctors, she had started writing freelance pieces for various publications and had one or two successful sales. Her journalism career ended almost before it began when she started travelling with him.

When the Doctor regenerated, Sarah was approximately 25. The resulting personality shift caused problems between the two of them, as the Doctor realised that by the social mores of the time she had still been considered underage/immature and that it had been an inappropriate given his position as her mentor.

His main reason for inviting Harry along was so that they would have a chaperone. Sarah felt bewildered and assumed this meant he was no longer interested in her. Harry had been dating a woman and the moment they returned to Earth he left, oblivious to the whole dynamic.

Sarah returned to the Doctor's bed, despite his misgivings. He developed a habit of insisting that she make her own decisions, but wouldn't accept that her decision was to be with him.

Five years later he was summoned home to Gallifrey, and left her off, not in Croydon or Aberdeen, but on Caprica. She had no way of contacting him, so she set about establishing an identity. Journalism was out of the question, as she was clueless about the society in which she found herself. She took the identity of a schoolteacher - Laura Roslin, instead and set about learning the language and customs of her new home.

She never intended to get involved in politics, but Adar convinced her that she would be good at it. Finally, Laura gave in, hoping that her secret - that she wasn't really Laura Roslin - wouldn't come out, as long as she stayed in the background and never rose very far.

She began an affair with Adar, for many of the same reasons that the Doctor had begun one with her, and she was well aware of the parallels which perhaps helped her understand the Doctor better. Her main goal was to insure that he would protect her if things went bad.

Twenty years passed. The Cylons attacked and suddenly she became President. And spiritual leader. She was more afraid than ever that her deception would be discovered, especially given the presence of Cylon sleeper agents in the Fleet. And she found herself to get back to a home she'd thought she'd never see again. She and Bill Adama became lovers, probably on New Caprica, and she cares for him deeply, although the Third Doctor will always be her first love. But she can't trust him completely, and she feels more alone than ever.

She's spent twenty-five years pretending to be someone else, and the last five of those on the run. She's very wary and not inclined to trust anyone yet. She also feels horribly guilty that she managed to cheat and find a quick way to Earth, leaving the Fleet behind. And she's not sure she made the right decision, or if there was a right decision to make.