London, Late 21st Century

Ace blinked as the late afternoon sunlight slanted into her eyes, momentarily obscuring her view. She squinted the quiet suburban neighborhood into focus as she followed doggedly after the Doctor, still fuming. She was mostly angry with herself, for not realizing or not wanting to realize that Kyris had to be Susan's some-day father, but she wasn't very happy with him, either.Not only because he refused to even leave the TARDIS, but because obviously her time with him wasn't destined to last, and no girl wants to admit that someone else can take her place. "I hope I'm well off the TARDIS by the time you meet her, whoever she is," she muttered to herself, not caring if the Doctor heard or not. He could sodding well take her words as he wanted, she certainly wasn't going to clarify. Not when she was so confused in her own mind.

The Doctor, however good his hearing, gave no indication that he was listening or even paying attention as he hurried along the sidewalk. "No. 11, No. 11," he muttered to himself, peering at the house numbers as they descended rapidly from No. 27. He'd landed the TARDIS among some trees on the undeveloped hilltop at the far end of a long cul-de-sac. Not exactly out of sight, but discreet. There were children playing further down the road, people driving home or hurrying out for the evening, a few joggers. No one spared them a second glance as they made their way to their destination.

"This doesn't much look like a place the Daleks almost blew up," Ace criticized as she fell into step next to him and gazed around, finally moving out of her own thoughts to take stock of her surroundings. "A bit too tidy and not that different from my century."

"Clean-up was expensive, but Earth's leaders wanted to get things back to normal as quickly as possible; less time for people to think of forming up new types of government," the Doctor replied absently as he stopped at the front gate of No. 11.

It was a modest house, neither larger nor smaller than any of its neighbors, painted the same white as nearly every other house on the street, a matching picket fence in front. "Just like a bloody fairy tale," Ace muttered. This time, it was obvious the Doctor was deliberately ignoring her as he pushed open the gate and stepped onto the neat stone path that led to the front door.

A door that opened as soon as they were in the yard.

Ace had seen pictures, heard stories, but still felt a thrill to be actually meeting the woman who called the Doctor "Grandfather." She looked the same as her images, short dark hair and equally dark eyes, a few years older but still the same woman in the same body. She clutched the door-handle silently as they approached, but the smile on her face was wide and welcoming. "You've finally come!" No need to tell her who was walking toward her; somehow, she knew. Ace wondered if it was a Time Lord thing, but the Doctor's hesitant frown told her otherwise, that he hadn't expected to be, well, expected.

Susan's smile faltered as well, then regained full strength as the Doctor enfolded her into a heart-felt hug. "Susan, my dear. It's been too long. Forgive me for not visiting sooner."

"I knew you'd be coming sometime this year, but I wasn't sure when," Susan said as soon as she'd caught her breath. Her eyes were welling with tears, joyful ones, Ace suspected, then her own heart hitched as Susan's gaze caught and held her own. There was something about her, almost familiar, then it was gone as Susan moved past the Doctor and held her hand out to Ace. "You're Ace, aren't you."

Ace took the proffered hand, darting an accusatory glare at the Doctor. "You said you hadn't been to see her!"

"He hasn't," Susan rushed to assure the younger woman. She still held Ace's hand in both her own, rather tightly, Ace noticed suddenly. "At least, not yet. He will later, when I'm much younger." She laughed. "Grammar is so confusing in situations like this, isn't it?" She darted a glance into the hallway revealed by the half-open door. "David's not home yet, he's taken the children to the shops before dinner, we'll have some privacy to talk before they get back," she said in a rush, tugging gently at Ace's hand. The Doctor, his expression somewhere between resigned and amused, indicated that they should proceed him into the house. Susan was still speaking, but Ace still wasn't quite sure what she was talking about. "David knows, of course, I couldn't leave him in the dark about me, but the children are still too young, I don't want to confuse them." She looked over at the Doctor as they followed her into the front parlor. "You understand, don't you?"

The Doctor nodded. "Of course. How much do they know?" Ah, of course. Ace grinned. The question was being answered as to whether or not David knew his wife was an alien.

Susan's smile became strained as she sat on the sofa, pulling Ace to sit next to her. "They know they're different," she said quietly. "They know they're not to talk to anyone but us and Dr. Sullivan about how many hearts they have, but that's about it. They're two, four, and seven, but already ferociously intelligent," she added proudly. "That's them." Pictures on the mantle were indicated and admired by the Doctor, cursorily examined by Ace. Two boys and a girl. She wondered if "Dr. Sullivan" was a descendent of the one she'd met, but now wasn't the time to ask.

"But of course, you're not here for a social visit," Susan said after a moment. She looked back at Ace, who was starting to feel a little uncomfortable; she'd expected to be the one giving Susan all the attention, instead of it being the other way round. "You're here for answers."

"I think I've already discovered some of them," the Doctor replied slowly. He sat down in the chair closest to Susan, taking her free hand in his. Ace realized with a start that Susan hadn't let go of her hand since taking it outside. "Haven't I."

Susan nodded, tears glimmering in her eyes again as she looked at her grandfather. "When this is all...settled, you'll come to me, when I'm about ten. In the capital city on Hyrenia III. To explain things, so that I understand." She glanced hesitantly at Ace.

Ace had had enough. "Right. Explain what things? You know about his memory problems, then?" No sense dancing round the Maypole any longer than they had to. Not with the Master yet to deal with.

"Yes, she does," the Doctor answered for Susan. His voice was gentle. "Tell me, Susan, when I approach you on Hyrenia III, do I warn you not to tell me? Your grandfather?"

She nodded. "You offer to tell my fortune, to read what's in my heart--both of them. The fact that you know I have two intrigues me enough to listen to what you have to tell me."

"This is about Kyris, isn't it." Ace's voice was tight with emotion as she finally pulled her hand free and stood up. "That's why you both don't want to say it. It's about Kyris. Something happens to him." She stepped back as the Doctor also rose, glaring him into silence. "I'm not stupid, even I can work out that Susan wouldn't have been living with your first you if her parents were still around. That's why you didn't want us to come, isn't it? So we wouldn't hear whatever it is Susan's about to say?"

The Doctor hesitated only fractionally before nodding, but Ace noticed and tensed further. Bracing herself. "In a way. Although," he added, "I suspect I was and will be circumspect in the details. Am I right?"

Susan nodded, rising to stand by the fireplace and fiddle with the pictures there. Two tow-headed boys and an older sister with darker hair, all with the same unearthly blue eyes. "You didn't give me many details, no. You only told me what I'd already guessed; that it was necessary to keep me safe. You said my parents loved me and were thinking only of me, that I shouldn't be angry with them or feel abandoned." She paused, her eyes blank as she stared back at her own past, revisiting that moment from her grown-up perspective. "You also told me my grandfather didn't remember what had happened to them, and that it was deliberate. Or at least implied that it was," she corrected herself.

"Which is exactly what I needed to hear from you," the Doctor said. "Good to know my memory wasn't tampered with by an enemy. Thank you." Something about her expression, some flash of worry or uncertainty, caught his attention. "At least, I think that's all I needed. Is there more?"

"You also made me promise not to tell my grandfather I'd seen you. But I blackmailed some information out of you before agreeing."

"The names," the Doctor said, turning to the pictures as well. He walked over and picked the first one up. There was only so much protecting he could do, after all. "David, after his father." Susan nodded, very carefully not looking at Ace as the Doctor picked up the second picture, the younger boy. "Kris, after yours." Another nod as he reached for the third picture. The little girl with the wicked grin. "Dorrie. After your mother."

There was a rushing noise filling Ace's ears, a darkness flooding her vision, and then, nothing.

oOo

Up on the hill, quietly and without fanfare, the TARDIS vanished.