An Ace in the Hole

Her eyes felt grimy and swollen from the tears. She hated to admit it but despite the Doctor's words in her dream her doubts were starting to grow. It had been three weeks according to the scratches on the wall. Three weeks wherein three times a day she had to defend her beliefs against an ever more convincing Doctor Jenkins. "Oh, Doctor," she sighed, rubbing her eyes, "Where are you?"

She leaned against the wall of her cell and closed her eyes. If she concentrated, perhaps, she could be with him again. At least in her dreams, he was real. Vaguely she wondered if this was what going crazy felt like. It might have been a minute or hours later when she woke to the sound of a struggle outside her door. Much to her surprise, the door opened to reveal a rather disheveled woman wearing a black jacket emblazoned with several different colored patches struggling against two of the orderlies.

"Hey! Let me go you apes! I'm telling, you, the Professor will get me out of here. And when he does..."

Doctor Jenkins followed behind, smiling benevolently at both the struggling woman and at Rose, "You can protest all you want, Dorothy, but the fact remains that until you acknowledge your fantasies, you'll never get out of here. Good morning, Rose. You have a new roommate - this is Dorothy McShane."

"Don't call me that," the newly labeled Dorothy protested, glaring at Jenkins, "It's Ace, or nothing at all."

"Dorothy here," Jenkins continued as if Ace had not spoken at all, "Shares similar fantasies to you, Rose. I'm hoping that the two of you can help cure one another. Besides, I thought you could do with a friend since the only one you have at the moment is imaginary."

"Some doctor you are," Ace complained, "Since when do you tell someone that they've only got an imaginary friend?"

"Dorothy, you do not have room to talk. We'll leave you two alone to get acquainted. Gentlemen?" The two burly orderlies released Ace and stepped outside the door before she could punch one of them.

"So," Ace said conversationally as she plopped herself onto the other bed, "Who are you then?"

Rose blinked a little in shock. Her head felt a bit like it was spinning out of control – much like her life at the moment. Realizing that Ace was waiting for an answer, she replied, "Rose. Rose Tyler."

"Nice to meet you, Rose. Before I say anything more, are you here because you really are crazy? Wait, scratch that. Someone who was crazy would say that they weren't. Or something like that," the dark haired woman said almost as if she were talking to herself.

"The same could probably be said for you. So, if we agree to continue to think we're not crazy – I think we'll be alright."

"Right then," Ace nodded, "Makes sense. So...what are you in here for?"

"They," Rose gestured towards the door to indicate the doctors, specifically Jenkins, "Believe that I'm suffering from delusions. The Doctor and Jack are not delusions. They're not! Nor is the Jagrafess, or the barrage balloon in World War II..."

Ace blinked, "Wait a tic. You said 'the Doctor?' Short fellow, wears a hat, carries an umbrella and likes tea?"

"No...he's tall, wears a black leather jacket, carries a sonic screwdriver, and likes chips."

"Hmmm…earlier or later regeneration, then," Ace murmured, "Have you been in the TARDIS?"

"The TARDIS?" Rose's eyes widened in shocked recognition, "You do know the Doctor! Though that doesn't sound like him at all. He's never worn a hat for as long as I've known him."

"Sounds like the Professor's changed, then. But that happens with Gallifreyans, you know. But, you know what this means Rose?"

"What?"

"We're not crazy! It's those blokes out there that are nutters. We've got to get out of here!" Ace grinned and for a moment Rose was reminded of the manic grin her Doctor wears so well. Strangely, Rose found herself trusting Ace immediately – almost as if she reminded her of the Doctor.

Quietly, the two women began to plan for their escape.