Lily (short story)

Lily was the twenty-first short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury. It was written by Jackie Marshall. It featured the Fifth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith.

Most notably, the story is the first in any medium to offer an account of Sarah having a family of her own, revealing her to have had both a daughter and even a granddaughter after leaving the Doctor, an account that would subsequently go ignored after Sarah's return to televised Doctor Who and, particularly, after the release of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Summary
The Doctor is visiting Sarah at Christmas. She is currently taking care of her granddaughter Lily. Lily has Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and it is all Sarah can do to keep Lily happy enough to keep her out of trouble.

The three attend the church service, during which the congregation sings Christmas carols. Lily loves music, and sits still to listen. When the singing is over, she runs for the door instead of heading for the refreshments, and the Doctor and Sarah follow her.

Outside, it has begun to snow. Sarah is worried because Lily loves to play in the snow so much that she doesn't notice when she's too cold, but she will scream if someone tries to bring her in. The Doctor suggests walking home through the forest so Lily can enjoy the snow.

By the end of the walk, the Doctor has convinced Sarah that she is doing her best for Lily, and that she is making a difference in Lily's life.

Characters

 * Fifth Doctor
 * Sarah Jane Smith
 * Lily

Referenced only

 * Lauren
 * Will

Continuity

 * Sarah previously met the Fifth Doctor in the Death Zone on Gallifrey, though she was unaware of his identity at the time. (TV: The Five Doctors) Earlier in her personal timeline, prior to Lily's birth, she had met his tenth (TV: School Reunion) and eleventh incarnations (TV: Death of the Doctor).
 * Luke and Sky Smith are absent, presumably setting this in the gap between TV: The Man Who Never Was and 13 Bannerman Road falling into Rani's possession sometime prior to the year 2059, as seen in TV: The Mad Woman in the Attic. The release of WC: Farewell, Sarah Jane, depicting Sarah's funeral - at least a decade after the events of The Man Who Never Was, and containing no mention of Lauren or her family - further complicates things.