Author Note: Yes, I decided to write a sequel to The Last Doctor: Legend of the Maze Master. I had a plot for it and it was too good not to write, even though this fic and Book 1 are the only crossovers I've ever written. I'm enjoying the Crystal Maze/Doctor Who themes so much, I couldn't resist writing Book Two! And Book 3 will soon follow making this a trilogy!

The Legend of the Maze Master Book 2 : Past Lives

Summary:

Sequel to The Last Doctor: Legend of the Maze Master.

Three months have passed since Ace said goodbye to the Professor and started a new life with Ed, the Doctor's final incarnation, who remembers nothing of his lives as a Time Lord due to the disconnection from the Tardis power core.

Their life together has been peaceful in the house with the magical maze hidden away behind the secret door at the bottom of the garden, and the Doctor, who calls himself Ed, remembers only the Maze and Ace and questions nothing – until strange events begin to happen as the Tardis, now disguised as their house beings to slowly transform back into a Tardis, and informs Ace that time streams will cross...

Knowing Ed is in danger as a Time Lord with no regenerations left and no memory of his past, Ace makes plans for the two of them to leave – but that night as a storm rages overhead, the sound of a Tardis landing fills the air, and as Ed sleeps, Ace goes out into the night to investigate, and is shocked to find another version of the Doctor has arrived – a mysterious man in a leopard print jacket, who claims to be Ed's former regeneration, who has learned of his own impending demise and now intends to change destiny, avoiding his own death and altering the time line forever.

He demands that Ed hand back the power crystals, claiming it was his idea before regeneration to add more power to the Tardis core and now he intends to use it to change the future, and when Ed refuses, he uses his own Tardis to transform the maze into a dark and sinister place – which he claims was his own design before regeneration, which he intended to turn into a trap for his enemies. He then offers Ed a deal – to hand over the crystals in exchange for full control of the maze once more – and Ed turns him down - but then Rick makes him an offer he can't refuse – the chance to regain his lost memories...

Ace begs him to leave Ed alone, telling him his future self has no memory of being a Time Lord, and reminding him he has no regenerations left, and to learn the truth could prove dangerous on many levels, but his former self is determined to get what he wants no matter the cost to the future and the time line, proving there is a reason why this leopard print wearing former incarnation of the Doctor is known as Reckless Rick...

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is a work of fan fiction.

Chapter 1

The sun was sinking to rest in a sky tinged amber. Ace McShane stood where the trees parted, opening up into a view across the fields where barley grew tall and pale, looking golden in the light of the fading day.

A breeze blew warm across the field, making the hem of her white summer dress dance, brushing her sun kissed legs as the hem lifted and danced against her thighs. Her light brown hair whipped back and she ran her fingers through it, briefly thought of a man in a blue box who she used to call Professor, and then she smiled as she thought of the life she had exchanged her travels for, to be with the Doctor's final incarnation:

'Once upon a time, there was a Time Lord who ran out of regenerations. And in his very last life when the Earth was under threat, he made the ultimate sacrifice to save the planet he loved. His time machine was damaged and so was he, and the wounded Time Lord became one with the power core of his time machine, where he slept for a hundred years while his Tardis drifted dreaming in deep space... And then I came along to set him free. But his mind was fused with the heart of the Tardis, and separating him from it caused him harm – and the clever Tardis saved him by limiting the damage caused by the separation, saving his life but destroying his memories of all his past lives in the process. Now we live on Earth and our home is really the Tardis, and he doesn't question why there's a secret door to a magical maze at the bottom of the garden. He doesn't question anything, because he knows nothing of before. I know he's really the Doctor, but he doesn't. To him, he's just Ed, and I'm just Ace, and that's all fine by me, because we're happy...'

And again her gaze fixed skyward as she thought about the worlds beyond and the blue box that travelled through space and time.

And then she smiled and turned back, leaving the past behind as sure as she had turned away from the skies and the thoughts that slipped beyond it as she went back down the pathway, unlatched the gate and went back into the garden.

As Ace closed the gate behind her, she paused to listen:

Above the sound of birds singing in the trees, another sound was just about audible – it was a faint, soft echo that ran through the garden and the house, it even extended through the hidden wall and down into the maze – it was the hum of the Tardis, a quiet reminder that this place had once been a ship now unfolded and disguised, hiding the truth forever, even from the Doctor...

The garden was still bathed in the glow of the late afternoon sun as it sank lower, the heat of the day that had been so scorching had cooled to a comfortable warmth and the air was filled with the scent of the flowers that filled the busy borders surrounding the lawn.

A thought crossed her mind that the Tardis had certainly created a lovely place to live, and then she smiled again as she guessed thoughts of the Tardis in its true identity would never really be far from her mind, even though she could not share that knowledge with Ed, because he remembered nothing, and it was better that it stayed that way...

As she went through the open doorway and into the house she looked around the empty room, the TV was off and the house seemed to be in silence.

"Ed?" she said softly, trying not to worry too much as she reminded herself he slept a lot – he had been in the habit of doing that ever since his disconnection from the power core – but she still felt worried and was sure she always would because what he had been through had changed him. All his past memories of life as a Time Lord were gone, before this she had only known him in his hologram state, and there was such a difference between the two – now she was more aware of just how vulnerable he was, a Time Lord in his final lifetime, with no hope of regeneration – it was a good thing he knew nothing of his past, because that way it could never haunt him...

She left the room and went out into the hallway. At the end of the hall a clock was ticking and the sound echoed, and her thoughts were back with time once more. Time and him and all the other lives he had ever lived, lives he would never remember...

Then she went down the hall towards the kitchen, running her fingers along smooth walls covered with wallpaper patterned with tiny buttercups against a pale background – that smooth wall ended where three old Tardis roundels were set in the wall, a reminder to share with only her, a reminder of the truth about the house...

Ace walked into the kitchen and smiled.

Ed was sitting at the kitchen table and as she went over to join him she looked down at the odd collection of items he had placed in a circle on the table:

House keys, a calculator, coloured buttons, a telephone, an open deck of playing cards set out randomly...

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Ed looked at the items on the table and then back at Ace.

"I don't know," he said, "I think I was trying to make...something."

And Ace laughed as she stepped closer, ran her fingers through his dark hair and then kissed him fondly.

"Well I haven't got a clue what it could be!"

And then she looked again. A thought hit her suddenly and her smile faded... it was almost like...a Tardis console?

"What gave you the idea to do this?" she asked him.

" I think I had a dream but I can't remember it."

"I wouldn't pay too much attention to dreams," she told him, and she went over to the cupboard and took out two china mugs.

"I think its a nice evening to have tea in the garden," Ace added.

Ed was still looking at the circular arrangement on the table.

"I think it needs something in the middle," he said.

And Ace caught her breath as the same thought ran through her mind again:

Like a Tardis console...

Then a sound cut through the air, a scraping, stretching and the cracking of plaster.

"What was that?" she said.

"What?" Ed replied, still looking thoughtfully at the objects on the table.

And Ace turned her head, looked through the open doorway and as she saw the three roundels set in the wall had now increased to six, she gave a gasp and there was a crash of china against tiles as she dropped a mug on the floor.

She set the other one down and looked down at the shattered pieces.

Ed stared at her.

"Ace? What's the matter?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, "I'll clear this mess up."

As she swept up the china she glanced through the open doorway:

Still six of them, where there used to be three...

She threw the swept up china into the bin and turned back to Ed.

"I can't make sense of it," he said, gathering up the random items into the middle of the table, "Like you said, dreams are nothing."

And then as his blue eyes met with her gaze he noticed she looked on edge.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Ace was shivering. It was the kind of shiver only she could feel, deep in her bones as if she had just stepped off a rollercoaster, but she couldn't hide the fear in her eyes as she looked at him and remembered he was in his final regeneration, his memory had been wiped and he could not remember his past, and that past could be dangerous – it could harm him in so many ways, especially if old enemies were to look him up...it didn't bear thinking about...

"I'm fine," she said, and took another mug from the cupboard and switched on the kettle.

"Are you sure about that?"

Ed got up from the table.

Ace turned her head and forced a smile.

"I'm fine. Go and wait for me in the garden."

Ed paused to kiss her fondly, and then he went outside.

Ace left the kettle to boil and went out to the hallway, she glanced over her shoulder to be sure she wouldn't be seen, then she ran her hand over the Tardis roundels.

"What are you playing at?" she whispered, looking up as she hoped to hear the voice of Barbara, but there was no reply.

"He can't hear you, he's in the garden!" Ace said, "Answer me, Tardis! What's going on?"

"Tardis form is expanding," the voice replied softly.

And the reply made no sense.

"What for?" Ace asked, "I don't understand!"

"The time line is being altered," Barbara replied, "Events are not yet established but the time streams will cross."

Her eyes widened.

"No, you can't let this happen! He's in his final lifetime, he can't remember anything, he doesn't know he's the Doctor! He needs protecting, don't you get that?"

"I am unable to prevent the crossing of time streams," the voice replied, "But Tardis function can and will expand accordingly."

"That's no answer!" Ace said sharply, but the voice gave no more reply.

Ace ran her hand over the roundels and then turned away, walking back into the kitchen as the kettle hit boiling point and her temper did much the same and she forced her anger aside as she made the tea and thought of Ed and wondered how she could protect him from what ever risks might be lurking around the corner...

Ace had taken a few deep breaths before joining Ed in the garden.

They sat together beneath the shade of a tree at a wooden bench and she looked into his eyes and thought again how the separation from the power core had changed him – he just didn't know the truth, that he was the Doctor, a man who had fought battles all over the universe through space and time, who had lived many lives... he recalled none of it, and she was determined it would stay that way, for both their sakes. It hadn't been so scary to think the Professor had faced danger so many times because things had been different back then – in those days, he still had regenerations to use up...

"You still look worried."

Ace snapped out of her thoughts of her former life travelling with the Seventh Doctor and looked into the eyes of the man she loved. He was still the Doctor, but the last one – many, many regenerations after the man she had known as Professor...

"I'm not worried," she replied, and she reached across the bench and placed her hand over his, smiling as she looked into his eyes.

"Ed, do you ever think about life outside of this place?"

Her question surprised him.

"Beyond this house and the garden and the maze? No, why should I? It's always been here, it's a part of me...that's how it feels."

"And you don't question that?"

He shook his head.

"I never question any of it, I've no need, I know I belong here."

His reply had not surprised her. It had been three months since the Tardis had remodelled itself into its current form, three months since he had been disconnected from the power core and had his memory wiped in the process. Since then, he had lived quietly here at the house, connecting most of all with his memories of his sense of belonging in the maze hidden behind the old wall at the bottom of the garden, feeling the connection, not understanding why, and never questioning it.

Ace was grateful he had survived the disconnection from the power core, and that was enough for her, to know she still had him here at her side when the outcome could have been so different. The Tardis had been clever enough to limit the damage by wiping his memories, but leaving his memory of her, so at least he was still here, she had not lost him even though in many ways she felt she had lost much of the man he used to be, without his memories of his lives spent as a Time Lord... That part would always be missing, and without it, he was vulnerable, unaware of the truth of his identity, and she still didn't want to think too deeply about that and the dangers that still lurked out there in deepest space, because that was truly the stuff of nightmares, the thought that one day she could wake to the house being invaded by Cybermen or fired on by Daleks, or any of the other enemies he had fought over the centuries...

And Ed knew none of this. Nor did he know what the Tardis had just told her about time lines changing, he hadn't even noticed the Tardis wall spreading across the hallway like the ship was slowly making itself visible once more.

And Ace had made a decision.

"Let's go away for a few days," she said.

Ed put down his tea and looked at her intently.

"I'm not sure we should do that. I can't explain it but I feel as if I belong here, Ace. And I feel especially sure of that when I'm in the maze. It's a magical place."

Ace smiled as she thought of the first time he had kissed her.

"You and me have memories of that place – do you recall any of it?"

He was still holding her hand.

"Not exactly but I feel that we fell in love because of it."

"We did," she replied, and felt instantly grateful to the Tardis for preserving what could be saved of his shattered memories.

Then Ed got up and pulled her to her feet as his eyes sparkled.

"Let's go there now! I can take you anywhere you want to go – it's like a time machine!"

And she froze for a second, and then laughed off his remark.

"I know what you mean. But I thought it might be nice if you and me got away from here for a while, just to do something different. We're not far from Perivale – we could get a nice hotel for the night..."

As she stepped closer she slid her arm around him, her other hand unbuttoning his waist coat and then his shirt, as she slid her hand inside and ran it over his chest she looked into his eyes.

"Let's go away, Ed. Let's get far away from here, just for a little while."

He held her in his arms, pulling her close as he kissed her.

"We could do that," he agreed, "But I'd rather stay here, Ace. I feel like I belong here, and so do you."

"One or two nights away won't hurt anyone," she told him softly, and then she kissed him again and he held her tighter, his kiss deepening as his desire took over and as he pulled away his pupils had darkened.

"Let's go to bed," he said as his gaze wandered down her body in a way that made her legs go weak.

"Okay, but promise me we'll talk about this later?"

Ace looked at him pleadingly.

He smiled and pulled her close and kissed her again.

"We will talk about it," he said, "Much later."

And then he took her by the hand and led her into the house and along the hallway and up the stairs, and as she followed him up to the bedroom, Ace looked back feeling a sense of dread as she counted the Tardis roundels...still six...

And then he led her into the bedroom and she fell back against soft sheets as he took her in his arms and kissed her again, this time with a passion that refused to be held back, and as he ran his hands over her body through the thin material of her dress she ached to be with him, and pushed aside all thoughts of the changing Tardis as he tugged down her zip and then slid her dress from her body.
"Hurry up!" she whispered as she lay on her back watching him impatiently as he stripped off his shirt and then unbuckled his belt.

And then he was finally beside her, his skin warm against hers as she felt the beating of his twin hearts as her own pounded, and she clung to him, thinking only of the man she loved as she pushed thoughts of the threat of a changing time line far from her mind, at least for the time he held her.

Ace slept in her lover's arms until the skies grew dark and she was awoken by the crash of thunder. She opened her eyes to see the moonlight start to cloud over as another crash of thunder sounded overhead. Ace sat up, shivering as the chill of the night air hit her bare flesh, then she turned and looked down at her lover, but the Time Lord slept on, turning over and grabbing at the sheets as the chill filled the room.

Ace's gaze lingered on Ed as he lay there sleeping, oblivious to the thunder and the fork of lightning that streaked the sky as he lay in sheets still damp from their lovemaking.

She ran her hand over his hair and smiled down at him.

"You sleep," she whispered, "And tomorrow when you wake up, we're leaving for a while...you don't need the Tardis, I can keep you safe -"

She turned her head sharply and stared towards the open window as a sound carried on the strengthening wind; it was a sound that could be mistaken for no other – the sound of a Tardis landing...

Ace got out of bed and grabbed her dress, threw it on and tugged up the zip. As she put on her shoes a gust of wind caught the window and it bounced against the frame. Ace leaned out, grabbed the open window and pulled it shut, securing it quickly.

She looked back at Ed, but he was still sleeping.

Then she stood there in the darkness as the clouds covered the moon and rain began to fall as another crack of thunder sounded, as she looked past the garden and across the woods beyond a fork of lightning cracked the sky like a camera flash and she gave a gasp as she caught sight of a police box.

"Professor?" she whispered, and then she turned from the window and quietly left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

As she made her way down the stairs she wondered, had the Professor some back? After three months of waiting she had guessed he had decided to leave them to get on with their lives, but perhaps she was wrong about that assumption...

There was only one way to find out.

Ace grabbed her jacket, threw it on and went out into the garden. The rain was starting to fall heavier as thunder rumbled again, and she remembered that heading for trees in a thunderstorm was not a good idea, but as she opened the gate and hurried through the woods, only one thought ran through her mind:

It was the Professor, it had to be!

And with that thought in mind Ace ran through the rain as lightning flashed, heading for the blue box that stood in the heart of the forest...