Irving Braxiatel wasn't sure why his brother was smiling so widely as he stood in front of the primitive boxy vehicle that the humans called a car but he had a sinking feeling in his gut that he was about to find out.

Indeed, he was right. "Hello Brax," his brother said with his trademark Theta smirk and cocked his hat.

Braxiatel sighed. He was wasting valuable time by joining his brother out in the backwaters of the galaxy that could be infinitely better used assisting his lady president. Theta, he was sure, knew this but disregarded it in some sort of signal that he was too good for Gallifreyan politics. Brax gestured at the car with his hand. "What is this, brother?"

Theta flipped his scarf. "Well, Brax you and I both know that you have been infiltrating humanity for some time now with little to no regard for the Laws of Time."

"You're one to talk," Braxiatel responded drily, "Unless I'm wrong, Earth would be a dead planet right now if it wasn't for you."

"Exactly." It was no use talking to Theta this way, he was simply too proud of his handiwork. And Brax had to admit that he had good reason to be if the effects on other civilizations were somewhat questionable.

"Anyway," Theta shrugged his shoulders and pulled open one of the car doors, "Since you are around here so much, I figured it might beneficial if you learned how to work their vehicles."

Brax's heart dropped into his stomach. There was a reason that he had never operated a car besides its use as a symbol of status. Unlike Gallifreyan ships which responded with fluid grace to his every need, with these simple four-wheeled vehicles, he could never quite tell whether they were going to lurch forward or stay in place. Theta (infuriatingly) seemed to sense his discomfort and wrapped his hand around Brax's shoulder in what he was sure, was a very human signal of affection. "Don't worry brother, it's a lot easier than wreck racing. And chances are you probably won't crash." He was now between Brax and any way out. Brax sidled into the car and nearly bumped his head as he squeezed under the roof.

"Where did you even get this car?" he huffed toward his brother who slid in with relative ease beside him. Theta shrugged. "Bought it off some slimy bugger in America, cost me a pretty penny too so I don't want a scratch."

"Seems to me like you aren't in any position to bargain." Brax smiled as a sudden thought hit him with the same force he imagined he would probably total the car. "You know, Benny would probably enjoy this. She's always telling me to learn something practical."

"Wouldn't doubt it." Theta replied airily and handed him a keychain with miniature mock-up of the American flag underneath a flying spacecraft. Area 51 the words above it read with eerie lettering. Brax raised an eyebrow at his brother who shrugged. "I never told you where I bought it. Had to get out of there fast though in case someone recognized me. Anyway, you shove that little one in the hole on the steering wheel and then turn."

Brax did. Nothing happened.

"The other way." Theta offered helpfully.

"Of course. I knew that."

This time the car did start up with a gentle hum that made Brax nervous, knowing one push would propel the car forward with the force of 50, 100 or whatever horses (why humans measured with that, Brax would never understand.)

"Now you push down on the pedal on your left- that's the brake- and pull the lever from P down to D. That means Park and Drive, you know. The R means reverse and the N is neutral. Good, now press down on the pedal gently… whoa!"

The car surged forward Brax smacked his foot down on the brake and the car lurched to a stop narrowly missing a lamppost. Theta's back was pressed up to the back of his seat and his expression was one of a Time Lord who was suddenly beginning to have second thoughts.

"Theta?" Brax asked with a hint of amusement, "I don't suppose you've decided to call it quits."

"No," his brother snapped with a faint touch of annoyance (good, he was still able to do that), "I was just watching as my life flashed before my eyes. It took a good long while so you know."

"Not ready for it to end yet I suppose. Maybe we should try this another time. After all, you do look a little blue around the gills…"

"If I look blue, it's probably due to my abject embarrassment of being seen with you. Try again."

Brax did, this time pressing down on the pedal very slowly. To his surprise, the car responded rather smoothly going forward at a quiet crawl. "I…I did it. Consider me quite surprised."

"Very good," Theta clapped his hands in glee, "Of course that's only going and stopping. There's still turns and a variety of arbitrary traffic rules. Did you know that red means stop? We should watch out- it's fairly anti-Prydon over here."

Brax took the car a few times around the parking lot and then stopped it, really quite pleased at his progress. He turned to his brother who was fiddling with what he assumed was the radio and had turned on some quiet soft rock hits. "Is this something you do often, Theta," he questioned, "I mean driving?"

His brother shrugged with an uncharacteristic embarrassment, "To be honest, besides the TARDIS, not really. But I was trapped on Earth for that one regeneration and…"

An awkward silence filled the car as Brax, not daring to take his eyes off the road, watched his brother gaze distantly at the glove compartment. "I apologize for that you know," he said, easing off the accelerator, "I was not on the committee in charge I'll have you know but I wish it didn't turn out that way. It must have been a dreadful inconvenience."

His brother offered him a weak smile, "I know, really was actually, but the daleks and all that- they seemed to take that into account. They were all over Earth once they knew I was there." He laughed a little at this, showing a bit more of the Theta Braxiatel had known since birth.

"Poor you. Well, there's always Gallifrey. You always were almost as good as me with politics." Brax said airily, knowing his brother was never going to take him up on the offer but hoping a little anyway.

"You know I can't," his brother responded with equal lightness. "I've got people now. For instance Sarah Jane."

"Sarah Jane?"

"A post-pubescent human female. She's really quite brilliant though I can't say too much for her fashion taste."

Brax snorted. "She must be quite stylish then. You must have been in a post-regenerative haze when you picked out that scarf."

Theta pouted. "Was not. I like the scarf anyway. It's bright and it's even got a little bit of Prydon colors. At least it's not a bathrobe."

"A bathrobe? That sounds like an interesting invention. Perhaps one of these days when I'm on Earth…"

"Why not now?"

"What?" Brax raised his eyebrows slightly shocked. "Brother, I admire your faith in my abilities but I don't know if that would be such a good idea…"

Theta huffed, indignantly. "Of course, I didn't mean you. I'll drive the way there, you drive back. Deal?"

"And yet more proof that you have a sincere death wish." Brax opened the door on his end though and made way for Theta to duck his way in. To be honest though, he was feeling a lot more confident in his abilities and wouldn't mind trying to test them out. Nor would he mind having some more quality time with his brother.

Surely Romana wouldn't mind if he was a little late.

Suddenly a faint wheezing noise split the air and Brax swung his gaze around to see a familiar blue telephone box fade into view. With a bit of a creaking noise (and Brax could practically see Theta making a note in his mind to oil the hinges), the face and upper body of a petite auburn-haired human woman stuck its way out. Her hands were clutching a crinkled note and on her face was the grimace that Braxiatel recognized most people gave when they were dealing with Theta.

"Doctor! There you are! When I woke up, you were gone and your handwriting is atrocious! I can barely even read- who's that?"

Theta grins disregarding any forms of annoyance as usual and leads Brax over to stand in front of her. "Sarah Jane, have I ever told you I have a brother?"

She raises an eyebrow. "No." Brax isn't sure whether to be grateful or insulted. True, enough though it had been some time until he had even felt marginally comfortable enough to tell Narvin and Leela about his relative. Romana might not have even known either if she had not heard the stories about them at the Academy.

Theta grabbed Brax's wrist and pulled it until out in front of him. "Well now I have. Shake hands, you two."

Brax had heard of this before and had a general vague idea of what he was supposed to do but to his surprise the woman took his hand with a smile. "Sarah Jane Smith. I'm his companion."

"Irving Braxiatel. Thet- I mean the Doctor's brother." Theta's chosen name felt strange on his tongue but if Sarah Jane didn't know the Doctor had a brother, she wouldn't likely have heard anything about his Academy years.

"It really is a pleasure to meet you." The girl sighs, "but I'm going to have to grab the Doctor right about now."

"What? No!" The Doctor sighed a little whiny. "We only just got started." Brax laughed a little but inside he was happy that Theta had enjoyed this as much as he was. And equally didn't want to go.

"It's a must I'm afraid. The TARDIS got an urgent call for help and- well- I really couldn't understand anything whoever it was said."

"Oh!" Suddenly Theta began to change from the goofy self Brax had known so well into something more serious, "You're right then!" He turned to Brax and fingered the fringe of his scarf awkwardly. "I guess I do have to go then. I'm sure you've got something to do too- politics and all that."

And sure enough at that moment he felt the familiar buzz of a communication device inside his pocket. Romana and the others needed him. With a sigh, he turned to wave his brother goodbye. He was already climbing in to the TARDIS and he could hear the excited whispers of a person who had everywhere to go.

"I'll see you soon brother? Perhaps for the bathrobe" Brax raised his voice and Theta- the Doctor- turned around with a typical smirk.

"Sure but only if you drive."

And with that, the two of them- explorer and politician, comedian and orator, brothers both- disappeared in broad daylight.