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Out of his own pockets he’d produced a teddy bear and a chewed copy of Little Miss Star.

The cradle needed a few repairs. Benny handed the Doctor the hammer. He’d managed to avoid his own thumbs, for the most part. A handful of nails were sticking out of his mouth.

‘It’s very different,’ she said. ‘Living one day at a time. I’d nearly forgotten what it was like. Monday comes after Sunday, the seasons change in order... and you can make plans.’

‘I make plans,’ the Doctor mumbled.

‘I mean plans that last a lifetime. Getting a degree.

Finding somewhere to live. You know, the sort of things the rest of the human race spends their time on.’

The Doctor plucked the last of the nails from his mouth. ‘I see...’

Probably not, thought Benny, but never mind. She sat back, looking around at her old room. It wasn’t even dusty.

Something furry brushed up against her. ‘Wolsey!’ she said, delighted, gathering the tabby up into her arms. ‘You fluffy creature. How are you?’ Wolsey miaowed and gave her a cat kiss, nostrils flaring as he took in the alien scents she had accumulated.

‘Meeting Admiral Groenewegen must have thrown quite a spanner into your plans,’ said the Doctor.

Benny rubbed Wolsey between the ears. ‘I suppose so.’

‘I know how important finding your father is. How much it has defined your life,’ said the Doctor. ‘Or rather, I know how important it once was.’

‘Hey?’

‘I still carry the snapshot of your mind I took when we first met. You’re... the only other person inside my head like that.

From time to time I like to take the picture out, and look at it.

You’ve changed, Benny.’

‘Let me see,’ she said. ‘May I see?’

He put down the hammer, took her hand, brushed her fingertips across his temple. It took only a moment, but it was like phoning an old friend, someone you haven’t seen for years but who you can talk to at once, as though the two of you had never been apart. It was like catching up with a younger sister.

‘Oh,’ said Benny, lowering her hand. ‘Oh, you’re right.’

‘Are you sure you still want to go through with it?’

‘Yes.’ She rocked the cradle, experimentally. ‘Doctor,’

she said, ‘why are we fixing this?’

He waved at her vaguely. ‘We don’t know how long you’ll be staying.’

She laughed. ‘It’ll have to be a long time. We’ve been trying for most of Youkali’s autumn.’ More seriously, she said,

‘Actually, that is one reason I need to find out about Dad.’

‘Clearing the family name, yes.’

‘Bugger Spacefleet and all that. When little Keith or Dorothy finally arrives, when they’re old enough to ask about their grandfather, I want to be able to look them in the eye and tell them not to believe what anyone says. That Admiral Isaac Summerfield wasn’t a coward, he was a good man.’

We’ll be materializing in a few minutes,’ said the Doctor softly. ‘Then we’d better get up to the console room,’ said Benny, spilling Wolsey from her lap as she stood up. ‘I’ll be with you in a minute.’ The Doctor fussed about with his toolkit, spilling a packet of screws across the floor. Benny kissed him on the forehead, startling him. She smiled, and went out of the room. He leant his head against the cradle, eyes closed, listening to her footsteps recede. ‘But what if he wasn’t?’ he said softly.

‘Now,’ Benny said. ‘The Doctor and I are going to go aboard the Tisiphone. We’ll have at least four minutes before the ship blows up, or does whatever it does.’

She wore jeans and a denim jacket with big pockets —

adventuring clothes. There were lines of tension around her mouth. She looked so businesslike that Jason didn’t dare to hug her. It had taken almost an hour to persuade him to stay behind.

‘We’re just taking a quick look round,’ said Benny gently.

‘We won’t stay for the whole show.’

‘I’ll be waiting for you,’ said Jason, almost keeping the bitterness out of his voice.

Chris and Roz stood about, looking awkward. The Doctor said, ‘We’ll be materializing aboard the Tisiphone in thirty seconds.’

Benny nodded. She gave Jason a quick kiss. ‘I’ll talk to you in five minutes,’ she said.

She couldn’t help smiling as the