University
Summary: The Doctor and Ace go undercover at a university. This is a short scene between the two of them during that time.
Notes: Set after Survival when Ace is about 18/19 ish.
When the Doctor found Ace she was eating pizza with one hand and writing with the other, only stopping occasionally to brush crumbs from one of the books scattered around the table. His books.
"Ace," he said, with a warning in his voice.
Ace chose to ignore it. "Professor," she greeted him, not really looking up, or indeed stopping.
The Doctor took her preoccupation as a chance to sneak in close, lean over, and take the pen from her fingers.
"Oi!"
"What," the Doctor asked, leaning on the table next to her, "are you doing?"
"I'm writing an essay. It's just that it has to be in tomorrow and it's on the future of computing, which is something I can actually do for a change..."
She trailed off as the Doctor closed one of the books to see the title. "Ignoring the fact that your knowledge of the future makes this cheating, you have more important things to do."
"Yes, Doctor," Ace said, sounding more contrite.
The Doctor was not fooled. "You can't hand the essay in anyway. The university doesn't know you exist."
Ace gave a sigh. "I know." Her voice was quiet and she slumped back against her seat.
The Doctor frowned, pulled up a nearby chair and sat, resting his cheek on his hand, watching Ace. Ace picked up her essay, looking over it.
"But you wish they did." It was not hard to guess. He had been wondering for a while, given the amount of cajoling he had to do to get her to help with their investigation instead of having fun with her new friends.
"Sometimes I just wish my life was normal. That I spent my time studying and partying like everyone else my age."
The Doctor was quiet for a minute before asking, "Do you want to stay here?"
"I can't. I don't have any A-levels. I don't even understand half the stuff they teach."
"I can help. Get you into university, if that's what you really want." The Doctor chose, for the moment, to ignore the legality of that. It was one thing to do it to get them undercover to investigate something, if the need arose, it was something else to do it for life.
"I can't ask you to do that." Ace suddenly stood, closing books and piling them up. "It doesn't matter. I'm not really an academic sort of person anyway. I'm probably destined to a life of waitressing. Never amounting to anything."
As she made for the door with a pile of books the Doctor took her arm and stopped her leaving. "I couldn't have done it without you," he said. When she opened her mouth he added, "And I need you now, to help me finish it, to sort this mess out."
Ace nodded but did not look at him and the Doctor released her. As she reached the door he called out. "The offer still stands, if you want it, when you're ready."
The only indication she gave of hearing him was to stop in the doorway before she disappeared out of sight.
The Doctor sighed. He always seemed to be at something of a loss to understand his young companion.