The Tardis traveled serenely in the Vortex, but inside it was far from serene. The Doctor dressed in his familiar question mark sweater was busily working at the console. It seemed that he and Ace had another argument, the fourth this week. It just seemed like the arguments were getting more and more frequent, ever since the encounter with Fenric and after taking her away from Perivale, the arguments increased in both frequency and volume. It seems that Ace was upset, but she would never be able to tell the Doctor what. Every time the Doctor asked, she would say "Nothing!" and stomp off to her room or some other place in the Tardis. The Doctor for his part was very glad he kept the gym. However, he realized that even the gym wouldn't keep Ace's attention forever. Thus, he set a destination very well known to him.
Ace was very nervous when the Doctor ushered her out of the Tardis onto the courtyard of what looked like to be a temple. However, she and the Doctor was met by the Abbott, who ushered the both of them inside. "Ah, Doctor and you must be Ace. The Doctor has told me a lot about you. He praises you and finds you to be of good strength." "Good strength for what?" asked Ace with a glare at the Doctor. "have you ever heard of the Way of the Warrior?" "No." "Ah, the Way of the warrior leads not to strength, but to discipline over one's body and mind. The Doctor believes you to be a good person and so do I." The Abbott then called two men of his group "Make sure the Doctor and Ace are well taken care of."
For the next three months, Ace underwent a rigorous training not only of body, but of mind. She found that so many thoughts were going through her head, she could not concentrate because of them. Of how she was used by the Doctor and Fenric, of seeing her best friends killed, of seeing the Master take over her other friends. As she became aware of these things, she realized her relationship with both the Doctor and the Tardis suffered. Her teacher became more of a therapist more than anything else. As she let go of her thoughts, her vision started to clear and her actions became more fluid and dynamic. She even apologized to the Doctor on several occasions and the Doctor took the time to educate her on why he did what he did. Then, the Doctor apologized to her. The Tardis also began to feel like a home to her as well. She never wanted to admit that the Doctor saved her from roaming around the universe when all they did was roam the universe, but she always had a place to go to. Meanwhile, the Doctor was talking to the Abbott and it seemed like the Abbott said nothing, but the Doctor went away from his conversations feeling a little confused, but better about himself. Ace became the Ace the Doctor knew she could be, with a little push from the monks, and even the Doctor himself tended to push Ace in the right direction. Ace realized that saving the universe with the Doctor didn't always mean just chucking a can of Nitro-Nine at an enemy. She learned how to pick her battles and to minimize loss even when there was victory. The Doctor smiled. Ace had grown up, but there was still more to do and she would definitely go through a lot more before she left the Tardis. Suddenly, the Abbott was at the Doctor's side. "Why did you have her go through this?" The Doctor smiled and thought "Because, my old friend, she needs this to make herself ready and when she gets to Russia, she will need all of her strength." "Even so, Doctor, are you ready for what lies ahead for you." "If I am here, do you think I would not be?" The Abbott grunted his approval and left the Doctor.
This takes place between Survival and the start of the Lost Stories and The Virgin New Adventures. I do not own any of the characters. Doctor Who is broadcast and copyrighted by the BBC and BBC Worldwide. Any and all of the materials used to create my stories belong to BBC Inc.