"It's never as good, reading about it. We went over the myths, mostly. The stories and the society. Shakespeare, too, though that's a load of rubbish. Most of it was, anyway. That I remember being taught in school, different living it. Words are tame, clean. They fit what you want to say and not much else. Even if they're telling a tale of something horrible, they're still clean. Words are the past. Not the present."

He snorted, amused at Howard's insistence on the name. It wasn't the worst that had ever been pinned to him over the years, a bit odd, but not the worst. "That rather than Scarface?"

He hadn't, the Doctor knew, he thought at least. Amy should know, though he hadn't really explained it to her. Sakura knew a little, mostly because she'd been there. Other than that...well.

It wasn't something he walked around chatting about. It was a risk, but lying to Howard wasn't on his agenda. He did understand, telling Howard the truth would help convince him of that.

"You're welcome. It never hits us when we plan for it to, Howard. Nor when it's convenient, sometimes your brain just goes sideways." He gave his hand another squeeze, soothing him. "Dealing with it is all we can do." He nodded, serious. "I'll wake you. Don't worry about that, Howard."