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He pushed his hat back and smiled up at her. ‘I thought you were asleep,’ she said, pushing her hands into the pockets of her coat. ‘I’m just taking a break. It’s so peaceful here.’

‘Well,’ said the Doctor, ‘it gives the impression of peace, and sometimes that’s enough.’ He stood up, and the stick twitched in his hand. ‘How are you and Isaac getting along?’

‘He’s nothing like me,’ she said. ‘He’s distant. Terribly serious. Military, I suppose. But...’ She gestured around. ‘I wish Mum could have seen this.’

The Doctor made a face. ‘All right, I admit it. I’m impressed. If your father’s operation didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent it.’

The tension went out of her shoulders. ‘He said they’d been waiting for you. I think he expected you to...’

‘Yes?’

‘To disapprove. To shut them down. Doctor?’

He’d been looking down at the quivering stick. Now his eyes came back to her face, searching. Her mouth went dry.

‘Doctor, you didn’t know about Little Caldwell, did you?’

He replaced the piercing gaze with a happy grin. ‘Not at all. But I’m delighted to find myself here.’ He looked around at the graveyard. ‘We all have to find ourselves somewhere.

What do you think my epitaph ought to be?’ Benny frowned.

‘How about, “Don’t just stand there, do something!”?’

‘I know, “‘Pull the trigger, end my life,’ was a figurative expression.”’

‘It’ll probably end up being “Behind you!”’ He shook his head. ‘I think I’d like it to be “He really did the best he could.”

You can’t ask for much more than that, really.’

‘There was something else,’ said Benny. The Doctor moved his dowsing rod around in a slow arc. ‘Isaac mentioned that one of his crew had died of a cold. The rest of them have been very ill at times, from minor bugs that wouldn’t bother someone from the twentieth century. They don’t have any immunity.’ The Doctor turned slowly, holding the stick loosely in both hands. ‘And it occurred to me that I haven’t had a cold since the day I got into the TARDIS.’

‘No...’

‘And then there was something Ace said once, about nanotechnology, and...’ she ground to an embarrassed halt.

The Doctor stopped in place, the stick quivering in his hand. ‘This is leading somewhere,’ he said, ‘but I’m not quite sure where.’

‘Doctor, will the nanites you injected into my system stop me from becoming pregnant?’

‘Oh,’ said the Doctor. ‘No. They don’t even notice the human genome, which means they won’t protect you from cancer or autoimmune disorders, either.’

‘It’s just that I rather fancy giving Isaac some grandchildren.’ Benny pushed her hands into her jacket pockets. And Jason and I have been trying for so long... and I keep wondering which bit of alien radiation or virus or whatever has got to one of us. Or both of us.’

The Doctor let the stick drop down. ‘Oh, Benny. I’m so sorry. Come back to the TARDIS, we can try a few tests.’

‘We thought about adopting, but between Jason’s credentials and mine — i.e. none whatsoever — I’d hate it if I couldn’t have kids at all. Ever. Not to even have the choice...’

She bit her lip as he looked down at the ground, face suddenly full of ancient sadness. She wanted to hug him.

Instead she pretended to study a standing stone, an incongruous slab of grey rock in the graveyard’s corner. ‘I’m really grateful,’ she whispered. ‘You gave me my dad back.’

‘We can stay as long as you like. As long as you need to get to know one another.’ The stick jumped in his hand again.

‘And there are a few things I want to take a look at for myself.’

‘What are you up to?’ she said, watching the stick move.

‘My cunning plan,’ he said, ‘is to read the paper and drink as much tea as I can safely contain. I feel like putting my feet up for a while, and letting my subconscious churn over the question of human psi powers for a while, instead of chasing hints and shadows about... This is Isaac’s show. We’ll see how long it lasts.’ He glanced around at the stones. ‘I wonder what Joan’s is.’

It took Benny a moment to realize what he meant. ‘Oh no,’ she said.