Part 37 (1/2)

The Tzun carefully came out from behind the bar. He stayed close to the wall as he sidled up to the Doctor, keeping his large, black eyes on the ghost as she argued with her employer.

The Time Lord was lying on his side, curled up, his skin almost as pale as a Tzun's.

'Are you all right?' M'Kabel said.

'Of course I'm all right,' said the Doctor. 'I'm always all right.'

M'Kabel helped him to sit up. The colour was coming back into the Time Lord's face. He glared up at Albinex.

'Good help is so hard to find these days,' he said.

'She felt what you felt.'

'Of course she did. We're the same.'

I CAN'T STAND THE PAIN HE CAN STAND, said the ghost. Albinex turned away in disgust.

'You're only young,' breathed the Doctor. He reached for the gla.s.s of water and knocked it over with a shaking hand.

'He said he was going to find Albinex's base,' said Joel blearily.

'How long ago was that?' said Roz.

'I'm not sure,' Joel yawned. 'I fell asleep at the computer.

Didn't he tell anyone else?'

'Never mind,' said the Adjudicator. She snapped off the light and went back downstairs.

Benny was pouring herself a cup of tea behind the counter, while Jason and Isaac played with the little kid.

Weird.

'Do you want a cup of something?' asked Benny. Roz shook her head and sat down at a table, back to the wall.

To her annoyance' Benny decided to join her. 'How's everything going?' she said, and wiggled her eyebrows.

'Nothing is going going anywhere,' she muttered. anywhere,' she muttered.

'That was a rather serious kiss,' the archaeologist insisted. 'I thought I was going to have to cover Joel's eyes'

that first time. Goodness' I thought I was going to have to cover my my eyes.' eyes.'

'He was delirious,' said Roz.

You weren't.'

It was the heat of the moment!' exploded Roz as quietly as she could manage. 'I just responded automatically. There is nothing between us.'

'Yes there is,' said Benny. 'About twenty years. Not to mention the att.i.tude gap.'

Roz made a face. 'Men,' she said.

Benny glanced back at Jason, who was swinging Keith up into the air, gently. The boy was laughing. 'You've had a bit of a rough ride where they're concerned, haven't you?'

she said.

'You should talk,' said Roz. She cupped her chin in her hand. 'I don't need this. I don't need it now. Why'd he decide to do this now?'

'It's been coming for a long time, hasn't it?'

'Yeah,' sighed Roz. 'He's had a puppy crush on me since he was first squired to me. Familiar pattern. Familiar b.l.o.o.d.y pattern,' she said bitterly.

'Is it just a crush?'

'I don't know. He idolizes me the way I idolized my Senior. Doesn't he know it's a cliche? I mean' doesn't he know how dangerous it is? What if they get killed in the line of duty' or... ?'

'What if they're on the make, and you have to kill them yourself?' said Benny, very gently.

'Let's change the subject,' said Roz.

'You could do a lot worse than Chris. He's a good man.

And he's a wicked kisser.' Benny grinned.

'I'll bet he's a morning person,' muttered Roz.

'Maybe we should wait...'

'We can't wait.' Albinex waved a thick limb at M'Kabel.

'Um. I'm supposed to make sure he doesn't get hurt,'

said the Tzun.

'Of course he's going to get hurt,' said Albinex. 'We're interrogating him.'

M'Kabel glanced at the Doctor, who was lying on the bar, his hat held neatly on his chest. 'Well, if you kill him, you're not going to find out the codes, are you?' he whispered.

'Carry on,' said the Doctor cheerfully, waving his hat.