oOo
Ace shook her head stubbornly. "I won't go."
The Doctor sighed. "It's the safest place for you. The one place the Master daren't go," he explained patiently. Again.
Ace glared at him. "What about you, then? Isn't it the one place you daren't go, either? Won't they make you become President or something? Put you in jail?" The two, her tone implied, were equivalent.
Kyris slumped against the wall. Ace and his father had been going round in circles ever since the older Time Lord had admitted that the Master had slipped away from them. Again. At least Ace was staying in bed. Kyris flatly refused to use his abilities to ease her discomfort, since all she really needed was rest.
"No. My political career is finished, as much due to my own actions as anything. I am safe from governmental coercion." That had the ring of truth to it, but Ace refused to be comforted.
"What about jail?" Ace's voice was stubborn. "You mayn't be president anymore but aren't you still wanted? You said this was a last resort, that the Master wouldn't dare follow us there but you would be almost as unwelcome as he is."
"Yes, I know what I said, thank you for reminding me," the Doctor snapped. Oh, how he regretted that muttered aside, regretted it as soon as the words had left his mouth, words that were now being thrown back in his face. "I've told you you'll be safer there." Not safe, never safe with the Master still on the loose. "Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself.
"Oh, and I can't?" Ace's tone turned deadly as Kyris let out a silent groan. Talk about the wrong thing to say--!
"I'm not taking any more chances," the Doctor said in a desperate attempt at reason. "I'm taking you to Gallifrey until you have this baby. I've already set the coordinates and sent us on our way," he added, hoping to forestall further arguing.
No such luck. "Then you can just go and un-set them," Ace shot back furiously. "Why can't we just stay dematerialized? There's no way for that bastard to track us, right?"
The Doctor sighed again and rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "Ace, we've been over this. And over it. There are other dangers in the void. Although I do have my own...issues...with Gallifrey, I also need to protect you and Susan to the best of my ability. In this case, it means planting your arse on Gallifrey and leaving it there until she's born."
His unexpected use of the mild expletive shut Ace up long enough for Kyris to cross to her side and settle gently on the bed next to her. "My father's right." It was the first time he'd spoken since the argument began. "I don't particularly want to be on Gallifrey, either, especially if they get wind of my talents. But it's the safest place for you until we track down the Master and take care of him, once and for all."
"We've been 'tracking down the Master once and for all' forever," Ace muttered sullenly, but she leaned back against the pillows at Kyris' urging and closed her eyes. "Fine, take me to Gallifrey and plant my arse there," she grumbled, reaching out blindly to find Kyris' hand and take it in her own. "But don't expect me to stay there after the baby's born." Her eyes popped open and she sat abruptly back up. Kyris stifled an annoyed exclamation as she turned her glare back on the Doctor. "Oi! You're going to look for him now, aren't you? While I'm cooling my heels on that stuffy home planet of yours--"
"Dorothy." Another unexpected word, that. Her name, spoken gently but firmly. She subsided back against the pillows, her gaze locked on the Doctor's face. "You can't come with us this time. It isn't safe. You've already had one scare with the baby--"
"And one is one too many," Ace finished quietly. She closed her eyes again. "Fine. You win. I'll stay planted while you two go looking for the Master. But you'd better be back before she's born or I won't be responsible." For what, she didn't say, but the implication was loud and clear.
The Doctor didn't bother thanking her, just as she didn't bother objecting to the "we." It might not be the perfect opportunity for father and son to get to know each other better, but they were sorely in need of some time together nonetheless. "We'll be back. I promise. And I'm not just abandoning you to the High Council's tender mercies," he added, trying to raise the mood. "I've friends on Gallifrey that might make your stay a little less onerous than you might expect."
Ace opened one baleful eye. "I already said yes, Professor," she said, with a great deal of emphasis on the last word. "Wake me when we get there."
Recognizing a dismissal when he heard it, the Doctor smiled ruefully and left the two of them to their first private moment since the Master's TARDIS.
oOo
"Do you really think this is the best solution?"
Kyris had expected the question, but still found it difficult to answer. "Actually, I do. Sure, we could just float about for the next, what, five months give or take? But what if something happens, what if you need medical attention that I can't help you with? I don't know what limits my abilities might have," he reminded her. "An unexpected difficulty with your pregnancy that I can't fix would be a helluva time to find out. There's too much at stake, and you know it." He kissed the top of her head.
"It doesn't mean I have to like it," Ace grumbled. A reluctant smile crossed her face as she felt Kyris shaking with silent laughter.
"No, you don't," he agreed, still laughing. "None of us do. But it's the way things have to be, so it's no use fighting it." His voice went serious. " Those cramps you got after you knocked out the Master came as much from you overdoing as anything."
Ace punched him gently in the arm, then snuggled into his embrace. "Yeah, I know. You're right, the Doctor's right, whether I like it or not. For once in my life, I have more than just me to think about."
She felt a rising tension in him, and turned her head to look questioningly into his eyes. "Kyris? What's wrong?"
"Ace, you must have figured out how I feel about you," he began in a hesitant voice, but she interrupted him with a lingering kiss.
"Yeah, and you know how I feel about you, too," she replied. "And before you go off Master-baiting, let me remind what you'll be missing while you're gone." With an impish grin, she tugged her t-shirt off over her head.
"You're supposed to be resting," Kyris started to object, then stopped, staring, as she wiggled just enough to catch his undivided attention. "Well, at least you'll be in bed," he offered weakly.
"Says who?" was the last coherent thing he heard from Ace for a long, lovely time.