Farewells (short story)

 was a Brief Encounter short story published in the Doctor Who Yearbook 1993. It was notable for being written by Terrance Dicks and for plugging a "gap" in continuity that fans of the time believed to exist. Specifically, it allowed the Fourth Doctor the opportunity to formally bid Sarah adieu after the emergency trip to Gallifrey which separated them.

However, this story is contradicted by the television story School Reunion, which has directly stated that he never returned to see her after the events of The Hand of Fear, which also contradicts certain events in the comic story Train-Flight.

Publisher's summary
The Fourth Doctor returns to Earth in time to say a proper farewell to his old friend Sarah Jane Smith, who he left so abruptly long ago. A new story by Terrance Dicks, author of over fifty Doctor Who books. Illustration by Paul Vyse.

Plot
Sarah Jane Smith is burying her dead cat Mog when the Fourth Doctor arrives to bid her the proper farewell he should have given her when he had to take her back to Earth after being summoned to Gallifrey.

To be expanded upon

Characters

 * Fourth Doctor
 * Sarah Jane Smith
 * K9 Mark III

Continuity

 * As well as K9 having a minor functional deficiency in his left audio installation and his mobility running at 17% below full capability, as he mentions to the Doctor, he is also described at the end of the story as moving "a little slowly, a little creakily". By the time Sarah met the Tenth Doctor in 2006, this K9 model would no longer be fully functional. (TV: School Reunion)