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'Well, we're all very fortunate, I'm sure,' said Anji. 'Are you certain you don't have any idea where he is?'

'Yes.'

'This is quite a house,' Fitz said. 'How old is it?'

'It was built in 1910.'

'Could you give us a tour?'

Swan looked at him strangely. 'There's just down here and upstairs.'

'I'm very interested in American domestic architecture.'

'Well, there's down here,' she said slowly, 'and then there's upstairs. Most American houses are like that.'

'The two-storey porch is very interesting,' said Anji. 'I've never seen anything like that in England.'

Swan only gazed at her blandly.

'Well,' Fitz said, after a brief silence, 'what about Teddy's studio? Think we could have a look at that? Genius at work and all.'

'Oh, yes,' said Anji eagerly.

Swan became more animated. 'Sure.'

She and Anji stood up. Fitz stayed in his seat. 'One at a time would be best, don't you think? So as not to disrupt the aura.' Anji looked at him as if he had two heads. But Swan seemed to find this reasonable. She nodded.

'Right, then,' said Fitz. 'Ladies first. I'll just wait here till you're through, Anj.'

'Ah,' she said, catching on. 'Yes. Must preserve the aura. Might be a while.

I'll want to give everything the attention it deserves.'

He gestured with generous patience and the two women headed for the staircase, Swan leading. Anji looked back and mouthed, 'Be careful.' He gestured again, this time with confident insouciance. She rolled her eyes and left the room.

Fitz didn't move immediately. He wasn't exactly keen to discover a hiding, frightened, around-the-twist Acree, not without a plan of how to handle him.

He'd spent the trip to Uptown trying to think of one, but without success. He looked around the shabby room with its faded Indian cotton spreads thrown over the furniture and candle stubs melted to the mantel. There was a poker beside the cold fireplace, so he fetched that. He doubted he could bring himself to use it, but its heft in his hand made him feel slightly more confident.

He hoped he didn't discover the Doctor injured and crammed into a cupboard. On the other hand, if he didn't, then where was the Doctor, and how were they going to find him? 'He can take care of himself,' Fitz muttered, starting for the kitchen. He always had, after all, for hundreds of years. Still, at some point his luck was bound to run out. But please not today, Fitz thought, as he grasped the pantry door handle. Please never, as long as I'm with him.

The messy pantry shelves were crowded with packages of grits and pasta and cream of wheat. Teddy Acree was sitting on the floor, eating raw macaroni from a box. He looked up at Fitz with relief. 'You're not one. I must be coming down.'

* * *

Husband and wife reunited with much weeping and embracing and mumbling of endearments. Anji thought it was sickening. So did Fitz. He couldn't believe this scrawny loser was being embraced so passionately by such a beautiful woman. It offended his sense of the Tightness of things.

'It's not him,' said Anji in a low voice. She and Fitz were standing in the kitchen door while Swan and her husband clung to each other half in and half out of the pantry.

'No,' agreed Fitz.

'But maybe he knows something.' She sounded doubtful.

'Uh, Teddy' Fitz raised his voice a little. 'Teddy!'

'Leave us,' Swan ordered huskily. Teddy's face was buried in her neck.

'Gladly. No problem. In a jif. Just a couple of questions.'

The couple stopped nuzzling and glared at him. 'What?' said Teddy sullenly.

'The Doctor - remember him? He was there last night.'

'Oh. Yeah.' Teddy chewed on his lip. 'He's a monster. Did you know he's destroyed millions and killed himself twice?'

Fitz heard Anji take a deep, angry breath. 'Do you know where he is?' he persisted.

'He was still there when I left -'

'We know that -'

'- right after the demon came.'

'Demon?' said Anji faintly. Fitz just gaped.

'Yeah. Man, I got the hell out of there. Know what I mean?'

'You.