They'd materialized directly in front of the mansionhouse, just in the gardens. The replica of Versailles' golden detailing shone in the morning sun. Just fifteen feet or so outside on the paving stones, evidently a landing beacon had been set for the meeting spot if it was this exact. It took a second or two for the Doctor to react to the well-dressed man standing over him and Bernice. Despite actually being an inch shorter, his presence was indisputable.

Irving Braxiatel cleared his throat pointedly.

"You're here. Took you long enough," he remarked.

"Ugh- finally. Fresh air... ohhh-" Benny was gagging again, and almost collapsed again in her cold sweat.

"She looks a lot... greener than should be possible," the man standing with her commented.

"Dizzy..."

"Bernice, if you vomit on my shoes again, I shall throw you off this planetoid."

"Feels... different-"

Benny fell out of the Doctor's arm- and on the ground the matted mop of hair fell into her face, exposing her neck. Disturbingly, a large green, vein-like bulge ran up and down the back of her head to her shoulders, almost resembling a root growing under the skin. Around it was a large concentration of the rash that had been plaguing Bernice over the past several days. The Doctor gave more than a few concerned glances as he tried to help her up, then pointed out the unpleasant find.

"There's something behind her ear, Braxiatel. Have a look at this. Definitely some kind of alien pathogen."

Braxiatel froze. This had happened more than a few times over the course of her life. But practically every single time, she'd nearly died. The most notable- the most painful, was when he had advance warning of her untimely demise, knowing for a good while that he'd lose her eventually. He'd been nearly helpless as her brain tried to consume itself with the Mary-Sue virus.

No.

It wouldn't happen this time.

But the tone Brax came out with, rather than intense concern or even slight panic or his trademark eerie calmness, was more exasperation. A hand went over his face with a voice more resembling how Bernice would usually react to a problem than he would. "Again?"

The first thing he did after that was help Benny back to her feet, brush himself off, and look closely at his ill friend, muttering a few indecipherable swears under his breath.

"I... feel like I'm falling-"

"Summerfield, I'm holding your arm. You are standing up."

"Right, straight to the infirmary with her."

"I agree," was all the older-looking man answered, before a long pause as he attempted to haul her up.

The Doctor then took hold of Bernice's torso and groaned with the effort it exerted on this old body. She was deceptively heavy, and ignoring that in itself because it was rude to comment on, even now she was always carrying some serious odds and ends in her jacket pockets, including metal tools. One of them- likely her trowel judging by the shape, prodded at both of them at the tight contact, making them wince.

"Alright, this may not be dignified, but over the shoulder it is, Professor Summerfield."

Braxiatel furrowed his eyebrows and grimaced as the Doctor attempted to hoist her further up by the hips. He disapproved of this in more ways than one, but stuck to the more sensible and pressing reason to complain. "Over the shoulder!? Is there something wrong with your arms, Doctor?"

"How do you carry her then?" he shot back.

"In my arms like a person, not a sack of potatoes!"

In her thickening mental fog, Benny raised an eyebrow, giggling and snorting at the idea. "When I've been out have you been carrying me bridal, Brax?"

"When you were drunk the other night, yes," he rubbed the back of his neck, failing to acknowledge the several dozen other times he'd done the very same thing. Or he was just slightly embarrassed she apparently found it so amusing.

"Now is not the time nor the place," the Doctor insisted.

"Benny, if I slung you over my shoulder, you would vomit all the way down my back," Brax stated.

"Well, this isn't exactly what I was planning for today, Professor," he finally got a good grip on her back and the insides of her knees with enough leverage to pick her up. "Let's get going then, Braxiatel."

He grunted at every step as they made their way to the mansionhouse, but managed to keep pace with his not-brother, scrambling up the cobblestones. Despite the way it appeared, the Doctor was actually slightly taller than Brax, as well as generally more fit, they just held themselves differently. So if he wasn't carrying Bernice, or dealing with somewhat arthritic limbs that this body unfortunately started with, he'd easily have been faster.

"Lead the way for my groom ha ha..." she laughed again. It was rather like Benny was high at this point.

"She's delirious..." the Doctor muttered, carrying her along through the double doors, which Braxiatel graciously held open for them.

This Doctor had never been in Braxiatel's opulent manor- perhaps he'd have to take a better look, whenever his companion was better. There was art lining the corridors, hanging above them, laying beneath their feet- museum was a wild understatement.

"Good, I was about to get worried-" Irving commented. Though analysis of any meaning to this was definitely going to eat away at him now. It left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth.

Benny was still chuckling and babbling incoherently as they strolled through the halls towards Braxiatel's private medical wing for just the people closest to him. It wasn't far now, but seemed an eternity away yet.

"Oh my, haha-"

The old man spoke gravely, picking up the pace. "Summerfield, this is no laughing matter. You've caught a likely extremely dangerous if not potentially fatal alien disease."

"Well you caught me!" she slurred, giggling uncontrollably in a state of deadly euphoria.

"No I did not- you need to be looked at right away."

Finally, the doors of the medbay swung open of their own accord in response to Braxiatel's presence, going from the richly detailed beauty of the rest of the mansion and dense collection of artwork, to a simple, sterile white. Brax holding another door open, what they went into was still large for an exam room, plenty of space for them and the necessary tools.

As delicately as could be managed, the Doctor placed Bernice on the hospital cot, before stretching out his aching back. There was a certain sadness in Braxiatel's deep grey-blue eyes as he stroked her cheek gently, then pushed her mop of short brown hair back so they could get a better look at whatever the growth was.

"Bernice, we'll just do a quick scan and see what the problem is," Braxiatel informed her.

"Yes indeed, please sit still."

The medical scanner was more than just state-of-the-art, it was from the future itself. Another twenty centuries or so, in fact. The Doctor had a bit of trouble getting a hang of it and moving the mount for a good read, but with Brax's help it was managed. The scan was fairly quick and painless, just tickling her a bit- but the results were less than stellar.

"Well... that's a problem," the Doctor commented, glancing between the scanner and Bernice with a hand over his face in contemplation.

"Yes... Quite," was all that Irving could really say.

The large vein-like growth that looked like a root didn't just look like one, it was a root. And what she caught was more dangerous than either of them imagined, getting close to her brain- which explained the delirium. The Doctor had seen it once before, and recognized the signs, punching at the monitor in frustration.

"Appears to be in the early stages of Krynoid infection- that must be what was behind her ear and on her neck. It looks to be a slow-growing strain, at the very least. But when did she get this?"

He wouldn't know the answer to that for a while yet.

"That's a funny worD- im fINE," Benny insisted.

Braxiatel's seriousness took hold over his annoyance and anxiety on the matter. He would cure Bernice. It wasn't a question of if. "You are not fine, Benny, you could die, but we're not going to let that happen."

"It's okay Irving. I feel jsut gREEN. Wheee!" the woman raised her arms out and shifted, nearly falling off of the bed, before the Doctor caught her and squinted.

"That is exactly the opposite of okay in this case, Summerfield. I don't assume we have any projectile explosives handy?" he remarked snidely.

Braxiatel didn't have the time to be amused, or disappointed- he was just tired by now. "That's not a satisfactory solution anyways, Doctor, considering we preferably want Bernice to live."

"I know, that was just a tasteless joke. Instinct to lighten morbid atmospheres."

"Why am I not surprised? Just- think before you speak next time. Krynoids are affected by sound and certain forms of carbon, are they not? You have more experience with them than I do."

"Indeed." The Doctor ran through his list of potential mental notes on the species. "Yes, well we need her to be able to breathe while being exposed to high amounts of carbon dioxide however, and the sound needs to be a precise frequency."

While very slightly tempted to make a certain remark and course of action, though that particular one might've resulted in a painfully broken jaw courtesy of one of Bernice Summerfield's fists, and it wasn't the time or place, so Braxiatel just gave the simpler answer. "Well, we do have oxygen tanks and chambers on hand."

"Could you repurpose an oxygen chamber to be filled with CO2 as well? In addition to a smaller supply of the oxygen, of course."

"Don't be absurd. Of course I could, I'm a genius."

"Thank you, Braxiatel - now for the sound..."

Still near the end of the rope, he shot back, "What? The sound of your voice isn't irritating enough? Very well, we'll see what we can come up with."

The Doctor held his tongue at that, glancing down at his watch and the time running through their fingers, trying to keep on track. "It's likely you have ultrasound equipment, correct? This is a medical wing, after all."

"Of course we do. It could be repurposed as well."

"Well, I'll go and get those while you work on the gas exchanges."

The Doctor stepped out of the exam room, before Brax chided, "Very good. Now don't get lost or distracted."

"...OBGYN wing- there we go," the Doctor's muttering echoed through the sterile halls, steps on tile clattering, as opposed to the plush carpets of much of the rest of the building. In the distance a door creaked open, and that was the last Braxiatel heard from the Doctor for a while.

The Time Lord looked down at an unconscious and now very green Bernice. Before going to the oxygen chamber, he picked up her left hand to check her pulse. That was alright, so he held up the limp arm and tenderly placed a kiss on her knuckles, then rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand, just for... good luck. Reassurance. Not that he would need it.

He got up, brushed off his suit, and after one last near-tearful glance at Benny, he got to work. The oxygen chamber was a couple of rooms over, simple in nature. It'd only take a few changes to the settings for it to produce thick carbon dioxide, rather than mostly oxygen. Reversing the filtration was one thing, changing the supplies was easy enough too.

Rather undignified, Braxiatel rolled Benny (with some effort) into the room with the chamber, and just waited. And waited. And waited.

For nearly five minutes.

Finally, he saw, or rather heard the old man return, judging from all the noise that he was making, rather frantically, with an old, out of date, disused ultrasound machine. One that Brax himself recognized, in fact.

"Wasn't easy to find this," the Doctor huffed.

"It wouldn't be- I don't even know why we still have one of these in the mansionhouse... Well, just in case Benny goes and does it again, I suppose."

"Does what?"

"Were you not aware of Peter?"

"Of course I- oh. Nevermind." Changing the subject, the Doctor saw Benny in the chamber. "Let's just get things going before she turns completely green..."

"Yes, yes, we're all ready to go on my end."

The Doctor flicked out his sonic screwdriver and did some very brief reprogramming.

"Just altered the machine. It should go much higher and louder than it used to. Take it in there and put it up to the maximum setting. I'd wear earmuffs if I were you. It should be beyond her hearing range, but not ours."

The Doctor shuffled through his pockets, pulling out various bits of junk, a bag of marbles, a can of silly string, some kind of very dead candy, multiple pairs of glasses, and after much frustration, bright pink earmuffs. "Ah! Here you go."

Along with them, he also handed Braxiatel an earpiece so they could communicate through the glass.

Benny twitched and muttered in her sleep. "Plants... Rose... ahh..."

"Okay, Bernice, into the chamber with you." Braxiatel rolled Bernice's hospital bed into the oxygen tank, and the Doctor moved the ultrasound device in behind them, then sealed the door with them both inside. Braxiatel placed oxygen masks onto both of them, then activated his earpiece.

"Turn the device to setting twelve when I give the signal," he heard through it.

"Very good. Earmuffs on?" Brax checked.

The Doctor made a thumbs-up through the glass. "Indeed. Ready."

"Alright, then here we go..." Braxiatel murmured.

The Doctor nodded. "Devices active."

Braxiatel could just barely hear gas hissing into the room before high-pitched squeaking broke through the earmuffs. It was a cause of slight discomfort, but mercifully not loud.

"Ugh..." the woman groaned, muffled by the mask over her face. It did mean she was starting to regain consciousness, or at least hopefully it did.

"More CO2..."

"Turning up the noise..." Braxiatel winced as the sound got louder and significantly more painful. But he'd do it for Benny. He then sat on the bed with her, grasping her hand tightly.

Benny coughed, several times, to varying severity. The fresh air hit like a ton of bricks, and what they had come up with was evidently working- the growth was shrinking by the second and the colour in her skin shifting slowly back towards its natural pigment.

"How this works on plants of all things I have no idea. Considering how they get nutrients..." the earpiece spoke to Brax.

"I thought you knew about these things from your travels?"

"...not... helping..." she grunted, eyes fluttering. Of course, those would be her first words awake again, flippant and cynical as always. But Braxiatel couldn't help but smile just a tiny bit.

But the Doctor explained himself, even though he really didn't have to. "Most of this life has been spent in an unending war, and they would've gotten wiped out very early on. Haven't been... What would you say? Out of the house long. -In regards to a functioning universe, that is."

Bernice's eyes were wide open now, and they finally registered the other person sitting in front of her. "Brax..." she mumbled.

"Benny?" he perked up at the sound of her asking for him.

"Brax!" She shouted, becoming more aware every second. Bernice tried to get up, but there was still a pain in her head and the mask was held firmly on, the tubes pulling back when she attempted to move. "Ohh- that hurts..."

He kept her in place by the hand he'd been holding. She didn't seem to want to let go of that, at least. His tone was soothing, and as silky as ever. "Easy now, Benny. We have to kill the plant that's inside your head."

Bernice groaned. "Not the strangest thing I've heard this week. Ugh." She rubbed her head, then paused. "Umm, Brax?" Despite being coherent, she was still having a bit of trouble stringing words together, with him perched over her.

"Yes, Benny?"

"Could you sit just a little closer to me?" she pouted.

"Of course."

Obliging, he nudged his body over and she sat up, cuddling next to him. Her skin had gotten to a natural complexion before, but it kept shifting pinker, and she got sweaty again. The Doctor raised a bushy eyebrow in concern as the oxygen chamber deactivated and he pulled the heavy door open. "Is she alright in there? I wasn't aware that after it faded you'd start turning red-"

Braxiatel pulled off their masks, and Benny backed away from him, hands keeping him at a distance. "I- I'm fine. I'm FIIIIIIIIINE-" she insisted.

But it was too late.

"He's right, you're quite red, Benny."

Bernice only flushed harder at the embarrassment. "I am? Is there something on my face?"

"Doesn't seem to be," the Doctor squinted, looking closely.

"It's probably just the fever."

"Oooooh, yeah. Just the fever. Definitely the fever." While she previously intended to get up, Benny fell back onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow, her dark bob covering the rest.

The Doctor, however, raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know that putting a pillow on one's face was a fever treatment."

Her answer was incredibly uncharacteristic. "Just a comfort thing, you know- something silly that humans do."

"Are you still experiencing discomfort?" Braxiatel asked, worriedly- then loosening the tight grip on her hand once he noticed quite the level of force being exerted on it.

She shrugged, trying to find a satisfactory answer, but completely unable. "I don't... really know? Not the way I was before? Something?"

Giving a grimace laced with mild curiosity, Brax suggested, "Perhaps we should scan her again."

"Agreed."

"No. No- I'M FIIIIIIIIIINE. I swear!"

"You always say that," the Doctor stated.

Before Benny could pull it away, the man sitting next to her felt at her wrist. "Your pulse seems a bit quick," Irving mused.

"Into the scanner, Summerfield," the Doctor ordered.

Bernice was able enough to get up herself, so Braxiatel held her hand and offered support as they got back into the exam room. Pulling the med scanner back up, the Doctor had a look while Braxiatel sat with her. Before it could be turned on, evidently he felt the need to check her temperature the old-fashioned way, and obliviously touched and patted her face all over, making her go even more beet red. Benny pushed him away, not letting him sit back down next to her again this time.

Finally getting it working, the Doctor commented. "This won't take a moment."

It was just as quick, painless, and slightly tickly as before, fortunately easy to bear after the pain that came before. They got a reading, but the Doctor was distracted by her face. "You're awfully sweaty- do you need a towel?" He offered her one from a nearby cabinet.

Benny glared at him. "First of all, rude. Women don't sweat, we glow. Second of all, yes, thank you."

"Is your fever not breaking?" Braxiatel asked.

"She's warm, but it's not fever temperatures. There's a high heart rate and excessive perspiration, however. It seems to be increasing further. I have a theory- there's a secondary infection!" He raised a finger in triumph at the hypothesis- then thought about it further and put it back down.

"I have a theory- that you should stuff it." Benny was already annoyed again with him by this point, and rather wanted to be left alone. Looking back at Braxiatel, there was clear embarrassment and almost slight fear in her eyes- but something else too.

Going back to the scanner himself, Braxiatel shook his head, completely lost. "No, she's not ill. I think I've seen her react in a similar way to this before, but Jason was shirtless then, so that doesn't make any sense at all. Odd."

The Doctor nodded. "High stress levels. Her system is acting like it's in danger."

"Perhaps she needs a sedative?"

"When am I getting a say in this?!"

"High irritability- well, higher than normal... Did you have a nightmare during your time unconscious?" the Doctor wondered.

Bernice would take any out she could at this point, and nodded excitedly, holding one of Braxiatel's hands with both of her own. "Yes, that was it. Yes- exactly!"

Braxiatel smiled fondly, a twinkle in his deep blue-grey eyes. "Ah, well, I know how to fix that! A nice cup of warm milk and tucked back in with the nightlight on. Always worked for my nieces and nephews."

"Perfect, great idea... wait, never mind. I think I'll take that milk to go, thanks. Let me just... go to the toilet! Y'know, clean myself up first."

"I don't think you're going anywhere but back to your own bed, Bernice, you've had an ordeal." He paused, thinking it over for a second. "Ah, well... I suppose the loo would be alright."

But she was already bolting away. "Byeeeeeee!"

"She seems like she had somewhere to go. The urgency is odd, her bladder wasn't even full. Humans," the Doctor grunted.

"Humans don't tend to appreciate you monitoring their bladder status. Perhaps she just wanted to wash her face."

"She had a towel. And, I suppose yes, I shouldn't. Unless she's extremely intoxicated, in which that may be a necessity," he responded, being completely frank.

"Yes... quite. But humans tend to like to wash their faces with water, not just pat them dry."

Their conversation was cut short, however- when a very fast woman burst back through the door and took a long breath. "I'm back!"

Brax smiled again, glad to see Benny in better health. "Ah, welcome back! You look far less sticky!"

"You seem quite a lot less red too," the Doctor added.

"Oh, well you know what some simple water can fix."

Now that the two best friends were already together and happy again, the Doctor stopped really paying too much attention. He knew he'd get left out of the conversation regardless, it didn't matter if he'd try to say anything.

Braxiatel still insisted on one thing though. "I still think you should go straight to bed and rest."

The woman faked a yawn. While perhaps she should get some sleep for once, she wasn't really tired at all anymore. She'd do it for Brax. Give him peace of mind. "Okay, I'll rest. That was an interesting dream though- I mean, an interesting nightmare!"

"What dream?" Braxiatel raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know me, always obsessed with symbolism-"

"What symbolism?"

It would be awfully difficult to explain the symbolism of him bringing her a rose in the Garden of Whispers and kissing her on the cheek, so of course she deflected. "Just the uh- uhhh... It's long and complicated, I should probably just sleep."

"Right, yes. Do you need to be tucked in or are you alright on your own?" he asked.

"Oh, well- you can tuck me in, Brax. If you insist."

"Very well, let's go."

They both made faint grins, just from being in each other's company again. Now that it appeared sorted, they'd fallen into a sort of bliss.

Feeling like he could finally say something, the Doctor informed them of his plans. "I'll wait until she wakes up. I've personally never been to the Collection itself. I wouldn't mind a look."

"I'll just... have Joseph show you around," he really couldn't be bothered to do so much as make eye contact with the Doctor at this very moment, gesturing for him to shoo away. If this was any other situation, the Doctor would've been kicked off of KS-159 by now.

"Bye, Doctor!" Benny shouted.

Bernice laced her fingers through Braxiatel's and they strolled down towards her suite. She took a deep breath and sighed. Benny missed the mansionhouse. Quite a lot, actually. The many kinds of aesthetically arranged art that felt like walking through history if you just gave them so much as a passing glance, the chandeliers, the mirrors, the French influence. The Braxishness of it all. Like an old friend- the very same old friend walking with her.

Well, probably a bit more than that to her. Not that she'd ever say a word, or it was anything like that to him either.

The pair walked together in silence for a while before they reached the archaeology wing, and therefore also her suite, which was attached to an office and study. She got onto the bed as he started helping her under the covers, flicking a nightlight on.

"Thanks, Brax. Thanks a lot, really,"

"Of course, what are friends for?" he chuckled.

"Yeah... friends. G'night Brax."

He tenderly kissed her on the forehead as she snuggled up into the sheets, then turned towards the doorway and grasped at the knob. "Goodnight, Benny."

Swinging it gently shut, Braxiatel hummed a familiar tune quietly to himself. 'I'm looking for something...' in a familiar woman's voice were the words that passed through his mind as he walked. Words uttered earlier were just a nostalgic reminder, and he could indulge that from time to time.

...He'd certainly be passing by her suite quite a few times later, just to glance under that bedroom door. Not that he'd be telling her that.