There was a tentative knocking on Benny's office door. Nervous and quiet, not something she'd hear in the mansionhouse often, most of its residents who visited her were confident and formal with it. He hoped she wouldn't take it the wrong way. Not just the knock, this whole thing about him being back here, since she really didn't seem to want him around. He didn't even know if she was in.

But a few moments later there was a rustling, a violent crash, and a muffled but still quite loud, "Goddess, bloody... cruk - Ugh, come in!" all as frustrated shouting, trailing off with a grumble.

He took a deep, shuddering breath, wishing he brought flowers or something for this to start on a high note and lessen the sinking feeling in his gut, but was resigned to having to get things going from scratch. He eased himself through the threshold, just waving an awkward hand.

Bernice Summerfield glanced up at him with a suspicious frown from a small pile of broken glass she'd been cleaning up. Her expression was hard to read, other than that she obviously didn't know what to say. "Jason?"

He flushed and stuttered in embarrassment and awkwardness, just trying to say something. "I- ummm... Hey, Benny-" This was already seeming harder than he'd thought.

Puzzled but not yet visibly upset, she raised the question, "How'd you get in again? Didn't Brax-"

Jason grimaced, "-Kick me out? No. Sort of. Yes. But he said I could visit whenever if I didn't make trouble. Got a disk," he added, flashing the small piece of pink plastic to her. "-Thought I'd see you as soon as I could?"

Now noticeably a little cross, she only scowled at him and then looked back down at the shards from what had once been an empty bottle, working them into a dustbin. Benny sighed with contempt. She didn't know which of these tasks was currently more painful, and there was a small, bleeding cut visible on one hand to boot.

"Couldn't have even called first? As you can see, this really isn't a good time."

"I- I just really needed to talk to you."

"About what?"

He pouted and begged. "Just please, Benny."

Bernice rolled her eyes and sat back down after emptying the glass into the bin and grasping at a handful of tissues to quell the bleeding. She'd humour him. Just this once, but made the boundary very clear. Benny didn't have time for excuses. "Fine. You get five minutes. Five minutes. I'm busy."

Jason really wanted to roll his eyes at that. She rarely let her work get in the way of much of anything unless she was furious with him. It just felt like an excuse at this point, after so long. Which, unsurprisingly, was exactly why she was 'busy' right now.

"What did I do wrong, for this all to happen?"

Bernice leant back and crossed her arms. Neither said it, but she could tell he wasn't pleased with her putting work ahead. Somehow, after all these years, Jason didn't know she normally put work ahead of oh so many things that he couldn't possibly count, and when Benny wasn't cross with him and giving extra attention, it was the exception, not the rule. So instead, Benny actually gathered up what she was mad at him for.

"Well, can hardly blame you for dying, but I'm not a massive fan of how you're acting so far. Also, just because I ran back to you whenever I stopped being mad and you happened to be single at the time doesn't mean I'll do it again." She'd done it so many times, looking back it practically made her feel sick. But now was different. Now she had something, and Benny was not about to throw it away just because of some begging.

"Wasn't going to say that. But with Brax? Do you-" but she interrupted him.

Bernice directed him to gaze straight into her eyes so he could see that she was telling truth. "Look at me. Jason, I know who he is. I know what he's done. And what he hasn't. I don't fault people for things they never did."

Jason still insisted that she was wrong, "But he still could do it all. Doesn't this seem like a bad idea?"

Trying to be diplomatic, she sharply inhaled and put it plainly. "Jason, I've already had this exact conversation before. In a completely inappropriate manner too, quite frankly. I've been warned plenty, and I know damn well that they had a point. But we're rather far past the point of 'bad idea' and already in the thick of it."

Flabbergasted and mouth agape, he just stared. "You won't even listen, and this now- did we mean nothing?"

Benny snapped a book closed as loud as she could and shot another glare as she gathered her thoughts on his question.

She bitterly, and a bit sadly, explained exactly what she felt about him. "No, we meant something. But not something good. I did love you, and it still hurts. A piece of me literally died when I lost you. I mourned that for years and thought it all really was amazing and I just never appreciated what I had. That it was the best I'd ever get." Bernice's self-worth had never been high, but realizing that she could ever break out of this compromise was one of the best things to happen to her. That her partners since him- despite their unfortunate fates, had been supportive and caring even when times were tough. Even if, aside from Braxiatel, that longing ache wasn't nearly as strong as it happened to be for Jason.

Her ending comment was put so harshly that Jason could practically feel the knife being sharpened. No, he wasn't good enough. No, he didn't feel like he needed to get stabbed in the gut twice today.

"...But you left?"

Not amused, but just barely willing to go further, she did. If she had to work it out, she would. "Technically, yes- I left you for him- if you call moving on properly for once when I thought you were gone forever leaving. Call me a bloody hypocrite, sure- but considering you ran off all the time and on multiple occasions hooked up during a trip to do something so I might date you again, means you are absolutely one too."

He raised his finger in protest before putting it back down again "Point taken... but still. Why Brax of all people?" That part still confused Jason even more than the timeline thing. She showed no evidence of this before, and it was just weird. Was he that inattentive as to not notice that?

Benny cocked her head and started listing reasons. "Brax cares. Believe it or not. He keeps promises, and also doesn't ogle or flirt with every woman, man, and alien any chance he gets because he's a bloody nymphomaniac who evidently thinks I'm not attractive enough to be worth that attention! -But also isn't an overly forward creep about it either. High standard, I know. It's almost like that's something remotely reasonable for once."

Jason gulped at her lecture.

"I notice you didn't mention the murder..." he commented. "Sounds like he still did some of that-"

"And I notice you didn't deny any of that," she snapped back.

"Well, yes. You're not wrong there..." He stared up at the ceiling, bouncing his leg and scratching the back of his neck, "So... okay, he cares and is loyal- romantically, anyway. Sure. In other subjects than that's a bit generous. But is that it? What about actually enjoying yourself with it?"

"Are you seriously desperate enough to admit the only thing you think you're better at than him is pleasing me!?" She was completely exasperated at this point and just couldn't believe him. "And I thought the Doctor was being crukking invasive..." Bernice muttered to herself, followed by a string of incomprehensible swearing in a language he didn't know.

He scanned her over, puzzled that she didn't seem to care about that part when that was most of what they were, "Well, that's still kind of important, isn't it?"

"You can't look at anything without it involving sex at all, can you?" For very good reason Benny despised the possible insinuation that Jason might be suggesting she could just cheat. Or that she already was, for there to be any adequacy this far. How things went from total euphoria to this over the course of their time together would never cease to amaze those who took far too much interest in her life. It did, unfortunately, mostly boil down to lots of sex. So of course these would be Jason's first questions.

"Not usually," he shrugged, a bit grimly.

"Thought so." She made a long pause and looked away from him, expressing her lack of amusement with the fact he couldn't get this through his head. Just to really hit it home, she truthfully added, "...He's better than you at that, too."

Did shagging his way across the galaxy and directing xenoporn do nothing? Of everything, that was one of the skills he'd gotten the most experience with, and Braxiatel, a man who never seemed to look at anyone, was somehow more than comparable in her opinion on the subject. The only thing he could say to that was, "What- how?"

"Not usually a fan of the phrase 'superior Time Lord physiognomy,' but that is a part of it. Not being absolutely bloody selfish the whole way through certainly helps though," Bernice snarked.

He rolled his eyes and wanted his arms around, "Well, maybe it's because you're always just the hardest woman ever to fucking please," he spat and crossed his arms again

"Oi!" She glared at him and stomped over. "Getting into insults now, are we?"

"Keep talking me down and it was bound to happen!" he whined.

"At least if he doesn't have anything nice to say, Brax can think of better things to do with his mouth!" she practically screamed out, throwing any manners that might have been left to the wind.

"Benny!"

"Oh, shut up, Jason," she ordered.

"B-"

"SHUT. UP."

Snarling and glaring daggers at him that pierced his heart, she held an aggressive stance and sharply pointed towards the door. "Get out."

He raised his hands defensively. "Gee, didn't have to get like that-"

"Get. Out. Jason. Bloody. Kane."

Bernice growled it out one word at a time, through gritted teeth, practically spitting the words like they disgusted her too much to keep in her mouth. If he stayed any longer, there were going to be much worse things coming out of her. And there was also most likely going to be quite a lot of things high in the air that weren't exactly meant to fly.

"Alright, alright-" he approached the doorway sheepishly. He seemed like he was about to gently close it behind him, but just before letting the latch click, it swung open again. "Bitch."

"BASTARD!"

As it slammed violently, Benny's eye twitched in rage. Oh, she didn't miss this one bit. But it seemed Jason somehow managed to make her like this if they spent more than five minutes together at a time, only lasting longer if she'd built up a tolerance for him. A tolerance that did not currently remotely exist.

They were bad for each other, and always brought out the worst- that much was clear. But Bernice never remembered it feeling this bad. Evidently, she'd started seeing some sense in the years since they were actually together.

She'd need more to drink tonight. And a shag. Definitely a shag. And talk to Peter. Not remotely in that order.


The ticking of the antique grandfather clock and the soft whispering in his head seemed muffled when a faint, familiar glow grew ever closer. In preparation for her appearance, he straightened his tie and tidied his desk- the most that he ever let himself do without losing the wider viewpoint granted by certain randomness, at any rate, and simply waited.

However, Braxiatel's head fell into his hands as the door to his study loudly snapped open on its hinges and Bernice Summerfield made her presence known. He expected shouting, or a lecture, or something because of what he'd ended up doing and having watched the scene unfold, but nothing came. Looking up, he could see her already curled up in a chair holding an uncorked bottle of wine, deep ruby red dripping down her lips.

Brax stuttered as he got up to check on her, "B-b-benny- are you alright?"

Before tipping up the bottle and taking another swig, she asked sternly, but not harshly- "Make a guess. Irving, why'd you do that?"

For someone who watched the whole thing, he seemed oblivious. "Do what?"

"Give him a key?" she clarified.

He couldn't say much of anything to that.

"Ah."

She raised an eyebrow. "Ah what?"

That freedom really was a bad idea, even with the verbal contract that it ensured. "Well, yes. I did do that. It was intended as an olive branch. So Kane and I could... be on better terms," he lied, both trying to carefully obscure the circumstances and to put it lightly.

She didn't entirely believe that, but was too tipsy to have an idea what other reason he could have, so let it slip. "Fat lotta good that did. What he said was crukking... bloody- BOLLOCKS!" Benny almost cried. Not quite, but almost.

Braxiatel sighed, "He did take advantage of my kindness, didn't he?" but when he saw the tears threatening to escape from her eyes, he made his way to the chair and slipped the bottle away, placing it firmly on the table, then perched on the armrest and held her to his chest. "Bernice..."

Benny gladly clung onto his jacket, trying to gasp out what didn't want to be said, "Thinks he deserves... you're not good enough- the absolute git."

Brax pushed a lock of hair out of Bernice's face and looked down into her eyes, "Those aren't his words to say."

"Mmhmm... Ugh," she nodded and groaned- both at her slowly fading anger at her ex-husband, the pain they did cause, and the desire for just a little more wine.

His manner grew more professional, slowly but surely as he thought of a more elegant solution. "I know, I know. Suppose I'll just have to speak with him again, perhaps cut his privileges to the archaeology wing. With him and I, there's less likely to be thrown furniture."

"You get it, Brax." Her tone seemed to change, something mischievous sparkling in her eyes.

But he shook his head, still not sure he did. "Simply trying my best. Whether that's good enough only matters to you-" but yelped as he was immediately cut off.

She pulled him over and kissed Irving square on the mouth, lips meeting and tangling their tongues with vigorous enthusiasm. By catching him off-guard, Benny somehow managed to make him gasp for air, but the alcohol on her breath ruined it. While enjoying the spontaneity she sometimes offered, this wasn't it. When it broke, she huffed out, "You're still better than him."

Brax held her back from doing so again, not planning on letting any more boundaries be broken while they couldn't consent. "You're doing this just to prove a point, aren't you?"

"There a problem with that?" Her eyes flitted between his own and his lips, but he placed a shushing finger on her mouth.

"At least when you're drunk there is. Now please do let go of my collar..." he muttered indignantly.

She did so, reluctantly. Brushing himself off, Braxiatel gently pushed her away and stepped over to one of the doors. "Just one moment," he assured her. He'd be back soon.

Waiting for him in this buzz felt like an eternity. Right now, it already seemed like he was her rock, and every time she couldn't see him, reality slipped further away. Benny resisted the urge to reach for the bottle. Barely. Just barely. Things just kept fading all around her as she stared off into space.

The static enveloping everything was shattered when something gently pressed up to her cheek. Her vision was crystal clear again, and all she could see were those blue-grey eyes, wrinkled in concern. Bernice blinked a few times, trying to gather herself as every dulled sense swiftly came back into perfect working order without even the slightest tingle of a hangover in sight.

"Why isn't everything... fuzzy? Am I sober? Brax, why do I suddenly feel like I didn't-?"

"Alcohol dispersion pad."

She touched what was still on her cheek after his hands were gone from it, making a silent 'ah,' when her fingers made contact with the medi-patch. She smiled at it a bit, Benny really was starting to feel a lot better.

Bernice peeled it off and gave it a look of appreciation. "That explains it. Oh, goddess- haven't seen one of these beauties in years."

Brax rolled his eyes and huffed. The advantages of future technology were bittersweet when you lived before their creation. "That's because they're painfully rare for something so useful."

"I'd gathered. But why use one on me now?" She raised an eyebrow. A boozed-up sulk was always a pretty common thing on the regimen.

"Because it was my fault he was able to say those things and get you in that state, so felt it would be best to simply undo what I could. I did see the exchange," he explained, continuing by raising the question, "Do you think I'd just let him into the mansionhouse and not keep a close eye?"

"Given how things tend to go, no. So you heard what I said then, didn't you?" she asked him back anxiously. Regardless of how favourable the comparison was, not everything said was kind to him either.

He nodded, not mentioning that in the slightest. Irving hadn't been offended by them- he knew that a topic this complicated was bound to be rough, but he didn't say that part either, "Yes, I did. Now, it's probably best that you rest. It's been a long day." He drew a blanket out from behind his desk in case she wanted to stay here.

She gestured for him to stop with one hand and shook her head. "No, I'm not tired at all. Not even a smidge." She bit her lip and paused a while before adding "...You're still sure you don't want to prove a point?"

Braxiatel rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, pondering on it and flushing slightly. "While I'd prefer things to be less raw first- right now, I wouldn't protest."

Benny got up and pulled him closer, giving him a kiss on the cheek before stating the facts, regardless of how healthy coping this was, just running back to someone else rather than Jason, "It would make me feel better- and I never was done with you after that picnic."

"Noted."


When he fell back inside his flat, Jason just couldn't believe he'd said any of that. It was like his mouth moved on its own. Though he still felt like he deserved to tell the truth, even if it hurt. He might have managed to keep to the deal with Braxiatel through all that, but really wished he could just break it already. For whatever reason though, he felt like he just couldn't.

The cameras. He'd know too much.

At the mental conflict, a sharp spike of agonizing pain shot through his head and everything went red, nearly making him collapse to the ground, just barely supporting himself on a nearby table. It faded practically as soon as it hit, but it was that string of numbers again, just like when he woke up. He swore there was a voice underneath them too- a male one, but any words were completely indecipherable. What did it all mean?

In all his conscious thought, every motivation Jason still had was to win back Bernice's love. Or at least get her away from Braxiatel. It was all wrong, and he'd be the one to fix it. As part of the scheme.

All as part of the Scheme.