Yaz runs late to work. "Sorry Kate, I fell asleep on the couch last night."
"Why the couch?"
"After getting home from Ace's I turned on the tv and just fell asleep."
"That is where Graham took you?"
"With Ace, Tegan and Nyssa, he wanted to keep an eye on all of us."
"So I was the only one that actually got taken home, that didn't live with the person who picked me up."
"Mel went to Jo's?"
"Yes, I called to make sure Mel was ok after I called to thank Mickey for bringing me home when I found out that Jo's husband didn't know where she lived so she stayed in the spare bedroom."
"Mickey knows where you live and that you can obviously hold your licker, so he took you home."
"He called one of the Osgoods to make sure I was ok, because Martha and Mickey try to make sure their kid has the least amount of exposure to it because of Martha's father's former girlfriends."
"Oh, that bad?"
"Yes, she told him he isn't allowed to bring them over after one of them spilled a drink on little August when he was just a baby."
"My lord."
"It happened on his first birthday, I saw it happen while Martha was talking to someone. I picked up August right away while Martha's mum screamed at her. Martha took him from me and gave him a quick bath."
Martha and Mickey come in to see Kate talking to Yaz, "sorry we I didn't have you stay with us."
"It's ok Mickey, I perfectly understand why." Everyone gets to work.
"Kate, have you thought of a name for this division yet," asks Jo Grant.
"Something along the lines of Friends of The Doctor Protecting All."
"That is an interesting name," says Graham.
"It is true that all of you are friends of The Doctor and I know that none of you would betray them."
"I know that I would never do that."
"I know that Graham, The Doctor, is usually careful about picking their companions. With that lets all get back to work. Everyone please remember to take your breaks today."
Meanwhile at A Charitable Earth, Ace is looking around her office for some paperwork when a mysterious figure appears at the door. "I hear you met The Doctor as a teenager."
Ace turns around, "who are you?"
Slyvia Noble, The Doctor almost destroyed my daughter, now I feel the same will happen to my granddaughter Rose."
"Noble, is your daughter Donna, the one he had to wipe the memory of to save her life?"
"Yes, you have heard of her?"
"She has come up a few times in this new support group for companions that just began."
"By who?"
"Those minus The Doctor that was with her before her memory was wiped. Those who knew her from The Doctor still think about her. She was important to all of them, I never got to meet Donna sadly. Minus a few companions I just started meeting a whole bunch of them."
"Is there anyone we can stop a teenager from traveling with him, since it is the same Doctor that is with them?"
"What do you mean, The Doctor was just starting to regenerate when Yaz, her most recent companion dropped us all off."
"They said they were confused and The TARDIS brought him to our door."
"Was Donna ok?"
"Surprisingly yes she was, after that there were a bunch of explosions."
"Do you mind me taking you to UNIT? I sometimes work with them, they are there to deal with aliens and there is a new department run by a lot of former companions."
"Take me there."
"Ok, I will have to tell my secretary to look for the paperwork for a new hire in IT."
"You are hiring someone?"
"I have a feeling that someone I know is going to want to change jobs soon, and she is one of the best I know with technology."
"You keep an eye out on things."
"I just learned at a young age to listen to certain feelings, especially those that include protecting the minds of people I care about, now come on." Ace and Slyvia leave and eventually arrived at UNIT."
"Ace, what are you doing here?" Looking next to Ace she sees someone she only has seen in pictures, "Slyvia Noble nice to meet you I am Kate Stewart."
"How do you know who I am?"
"I keep an eye on everyone The Doctor associates with a thing I learned from my father that has known him since the 60s. I just haven't been able to do it for a few years now, as we keep getting attacked by The Master," alarms start to go off, "looks like you are going to be with us for a bit," Kate looks up to Ace running up the stairs."
"Where is Ms. McShane running too?"
"There are many people up there that she cares a great deal to, and I have learned not to mess with her or Tegan when someone they love is in danger. I know Ace well enough to know that she has researched all the escape routes in the building that were put in after the most recent Cyberman and Master attack happened. Now come on."
"EVERYONE FOLLOW ME, AND RUN." She goes up to Graham who went to Yaz after grabbing Ace's bag and grabs their hands as Nyssa who was just talking to Tegan grabs her hand and they all follow Ace down a hatch and meet up with Kate.
"Why are we running and not fighting?"
"There is something else going on, this is Slyvia Noble."
Ace gets interrupted by Martha, "as in Donna's mom?"
"Yes, she told me a newly regenerated Doctor actually regenerated into an old face."
"What?!"
"Yes, so something sinister must be going on, now keep running!" Ace drops one of her hands and realizes she doesn't have her backpack. They come to an incomplete area.
"Ace, do you have your Nitro-999?" Kate worridley asks.
"No, I didn't grab my backpack when I went up there. We needed to get out of there quickly. My mind was on somewhere else."
"More like someone."
"Now is not the time Tegan!"
"I have it."
"You have what Graham?"
"Before I went to Yaz I grabbed your bag."
"You wonderful man, want to help me blow a hole through this wall."
"Anytime." Graham takes the bag off his back and opens it while Ace takes out the mini Nitro-999 containers.
"Everyone step back while we do this. This has only been used out of the shelter once before and that wasn't in an inclosed space like this. Her and Graham set everything up after it is they grab hands and move back in front of Yaz to protect her the most. After dust is clear Ace makes sure her bag is secured on her back and everyone continues on out. Ace not noticing that she hit the wall a little bit.
"Will someone tell me what is going on?"
"We don't know we are just heading to the area that is the most secure and has video and voice connections to our agents in the field and The TARDIS."
Yaz looks at Kate, "The TARDIS?"
"We only have it for emergencies, remember how we called you and your Doctor recently?"
"Yes, I do."
"That is how." When they arrive there Ace steps aside so Kate can put in her code 11-12-13-02-03-04-05-01-07. They enter the room while Kate, Nyssa and Ace go to work turning everything on. "Ok everyone, everyone gets one phone call out after I notify my agents."
Ace steps to Yaz, "how are you handling this?"
"Ok, I will go ask Slyvia how she is doing."
"Martha has that, I saw her talking to her. Martha met Donna a few times and even went on an accidental trip with them." Ace takes off her bag and sets it down at her feet.
Graham walks up to them and takes a long hard look at Yaz, then looks at Ace. "I am fine, I knew she was regenerating.'' She says as she notices how he rubs Ace's back unconsciously and how Ace leans into his touch. Yaz smiles at how seamlessly the two try and make sure that the other is ok.
"Ouch," Graham stops his soft movements.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know, did I hit anything when the wall blew up?"
"Martha, please come here," says Graham trying to keep the worry out of his voice.
"Coming, what's wrong?"
"We think Ace may have hit something while standing in front of Yaz during the clearing of that wall."
"Ok, Ace come with me out of the prying eyes of everyone so I can check over you. Graham, Yaz can you please create a human wall?" Yaz and Graham stand side by side as Martha examines Ace's shoulder. "How did you figure out you hurt your shoulder, while we were running here you didn't look in pain."
"I was high on adrenaline, and when I was talking to Yaz, Graham comes up to check to see how we are doing and softly starts to rub my back."
"That's when you felt the pain?"
"Yes."
"Ok, how bad is it and be truthful here."
"About a 5." Martha continues to feel Ace's shoulder.
"Ok, I want you to try and rest that shoulder for a few days."
"Oh, yeah, rest my shoulder when there is something that is going on out there."
"I will get you something in here so that we can make sure you can rest it."
"Ok,I will listen to your doctor's advice doctor."
"Good, otherwise I would get those closest to you to help me out."
"Oh, I know they will still say something when they see the sling anyway." Martha walks away. Graham turns around looking sorry, "Graham it wasn't your fault, I just went too hard against the wall. Martha is getting me something to make sure I don't use it too much."
Nyssa and Tegan look over to see Ace rubbing her shoulder and start to head over when they overhear why, "what did you do?"
"I hurt my shoulder, Martha is getting something for it."
"How did you hurt it? It was fine when we got in here."
"I was too concerned about making sure everyone was safe." She turns to Yaz and Dan,
You two should call Ryan and Dan."
"Graham stay here, I will call them." Yaz walks off knowing that Mickey is almost done talking to Martha's mum who is taking care of their son. Martha comes back and puts the hand made sling on Ace.
"I want you to try and sleep with it on ok."
"Ok."
"Bad news everyone," Kate starts to say, "we will have to sleep here tonight, we can't get evacuated till tomorrow afternoon." Ace leans against Graham, not happy about it.
"At least we are with friends," he whispers in her ear.
"It's not like you haven't been spending almost day in and day out with us for almost two weeks," says Tegan.
"You four," she motions to Yaz, I don't mind spending almost 24 hours with. You are some of my favorite people. It's just now I have to call my foundation and think of an explanation of why I won't be there for the rest of the day, and the board hasn't been happy with how many hours I have been spending away from them with everything I have been doing for UNIT lately."
"You could've called me to come pick up Mrs. Noble. I don't want you to be voted out or something."
"I just have to start working there more often. Especially if I want to keep a position that may be open after this happened."
"Did you know this was going to happen?"
"No, I had a feeling, and I wanted to make sure that Nyssa would have a fall back in case it was right."
"You really want me to work for A Charitable Earth don't you?"
"I just want you to be happy with your job."
"Thank you Ace, but as of right now I am happy."
"I want to call my daughter!" Slyvia Noble screams.
Ace gets up, "take my call to call her."
"Don't you have anyone to call?"
"My foundation, but my secretary is good. I will just have to have a long meeting tomorrow."
"No family?"
"The closest I have to a family is here. Take it."
"Thank you."
"You didn't have to do that Ace, she could've taken one of ours," Nyssa points between her and Tegan.
"I just didn't have any more patience today."
Nyssa grabs Ace's hand and as Slyvia is getting done with her call, Nyssa picks up the phone, "here call your foundation, we don't want you to lose it."
"Thank you." Nyssa walks back to their group.
"Something is up with Ace," she whispers as she gets back to the group. She looks at Graham who is looking after Ace, "what are you thinking?"
"I don't know, we have only known each other for a bit, I have a feeling the anniversary of something that impacted her in a bad way is coming up."
Ace comes back, "all is fine on the western front," she awkwardly laughs. "What?"
Everyone is looking at her, "something is wrong," says Tegan.
"Is there anything that happened to you on this day when you were younger?" Graham asks worriedly.
"Or something like this is the day of a hate crime that almost made me lose my childhood best friend."
"Ace," Graham goes up to her.
"This is why if anyone sees me this day, I try to keep busy. Now, here I am locked in a room."
"You said you were ok a minute ago," says Tegan who receives a glare from Graham who wraps his arms around her as she tries but fails to dodge it.
"I have been doing this alone since that day, granted on the one year anniversary I burned down one of the houses that had been in Perivale for ages on a dare and since I felt evil there. The Professor took me to it when I was 17, before he knew about my full history with it and figured out that I was right about the evil that lived there."
"You are not alone anymore Ace. You have Tegan, Nyssa, Yaz, probably everyone here, and me."
"Graham, did you know what she is talking about?"
"She told me a while ago about what happened."
"I am usually good at hiding everything when the anniversary happens, how did you guys know?" They look at Graham.
"From a few different ways, you forgot your bag, how you reacted when Martha was looking over your shoulder, and how you opened up so quickly about everything going on at The Foundation right before giving your phone call to Mrs. Noble." The four of them just stare at Graham.
"You noticed more than me," Tegan says, amazed that someone picked up more than her.
"I am trying to learn everything I can about you, Ace. So I pay attention to what you are doing."Ace looks deep into his eyes. "Ace?"
"Only The Doctor cared before."
"They know how to pick the best of the best." He wipes a tear that slipped out unknowingly to her, finally letting out some of her emotions that have been building up since she was a teenager. Others start to notice that the group is huddled close to each other.
"Is your shoulder ok," ever the doctor Martha asks as she approaches them.
"Yes, it is. I have other things on my mind right now."
"Ok, as long as it's not your arm. It seems like you are well taken care of by your group."
"I am." Ace turns back to everyone, "I guess it's ok for me to let people take care of me every now and then. I haven't ever really allowed that."
"I learned that lesson myself after I had to walk the earth.I let my family help me since they were stuck being servants to The Master." Martha walks away.
"That may be what she had nightmares about for the meeting Saturday." Graham whispers in Ace's ear.
''Thank you guys for making me tell you."
"We are a family Ace, well you, Nyssa and I." Tegan thinks of how to explain the other two, "Graham is your boyfriend and Yaz is adopted into the group."
"You also have been helping me out here and there with what I am going through."
"You are important to us Yaz, of course I have been trying to help."
"I love you, so I hate to see you upset," Graham says while shrugging, Ace with her good shoulder nudges him.
"I need to say this, Ace it is great to see in a supportive relationship that makes you happy."
"I know Tegan, it feels good to finally be in one, I love you too Graham." After everyone goes to sleep Ace remains awake, "hey Graham," she whispers.
"Yes Ace."
"Can you talk to me a little?"
"What do you want to hear about?"
"Anything, I can't sleep. Each time I close my eyes I see my friend's house."
"Ok," he wraps his arm around her. "Want to hear about how I got into that Volcano?"
"Yes, I do."
"So ever since I left The Doctor I have been keeping an eye on things, and it didn't take me long to realize something was up. Though I went to investigate other things first. Suddenly I got a message on the psychic paper saying I needed to get there. So I parachuted into the Volcano, and" he feels her breathing even out as she falls asleep, "the rest is history." Graham gets more comfortable and falls asleep.
While sleeping Ace starts to dream,"protect Yaz tomorrow. She is the target of this attack. Use your bat, use Nitro-999, just don't let anything happen to her."
"Professor, why are you in my dream?"
"You haven't been asleep long and are the easiest to get a hold of. If I could do Graham right now, I would."
"Just the two of us?"
"Yes, Graham is fatherly to her and you are motherly."
"I was told to be careful with my shoulder, I will do my best, and I will make sure Graham knows. Now can I get back to my regular dreams."
"Not the ones from tonight. I will try and make sure you have a dreamless sleep.'' For the rest of the night Ace doesn't dream of anything like promised.
When she wakes up, "how in the hell did he do that?"
"Do what?" Graham is still behind her.
"The Doctor came to me in a dream last night and told me to protect Yaz today. She is the target, and made sure I didn't dream for the rest of the night because of everything I went through. Just like when he helped me stop feeling guilty about burning down that house to the point I wished I blew it up."
"What, why is she the target?"
"I was never told, thank you for last night by the way."
"No need to thank me, but back on Yaz. How will we protect her if we have no idea who or what this is?"
"I don't know, but you will be wielding my bat, please be careful with my baby."
"I promise."
"I will have my Nitro-999 almost at the ready. Even though I wasn't told to tell those over there I will. They need to know, they also are growing to care deeply about Yaz."
Rubbing her arm, "just please be careful with your shoulder."
She kisses him slightly, "I will, that is one of the other reasons I want to tell Tegan and Nyssa."
"Good, now let's try and get them up." They get to where Tegan and Nyssa are asleep with Nyssa's arm wrapped around Tegan and her hand on her waist holding Nyssa's hand.
"Tegan, Nyssa wake up," they don't stir so Ace nudges them with her foot.
"Why are you waking us up?" Says a grumpy Tegan.
"Graham and I are going to need your help today."
"Why would you need that?"
"Last night in my dreams The Doctor visited me telling me that we will need to protect Yaz. Graham is going to be using my bat, and I will need both of you fighting skills.''
"Ok, we will help, but how are we going to keep this from her." They don't notice that Yaz has been awake during this whole thing.
"By realizing that Yaz can protect herself." They look over to see her sitting up.
"How much did you hear?"
"I heard from the moment you told Graham." Ace's eyes go wide. "Which one visited you this time?"
"Mine still, it takes on the form you are most connected to."
"How many times does it make that The Doctor has visited you?"
"I don't know 3 or 4."
"Why does he keep coming to you?"
"Before I told Tegan and Nyssa about us it was to talk through my feelings about Graham and that he is happy that I finally entered a good relationship." Ace walks up to Yaz, "I know that everything is hard for you right now."
"You don't understand, I was in love with The Doctor." Martha is awake by then.
"When I first met The Doctor and for the longest time afterwards I was in love with them too."
"What?"
"Yes, I was, but at the time he was so focused on losing Rose.''
"How many companions have fallen for them?"
"I may not have been one, but many probably. He did not like it though when I realized how I can trick men mostly away from their posts."
"You did that?"
"A few times," with a laugh.
"You still got that charm too."
"TMI Graham tmi." Yaz says, with all the others in the group laughing. Others wake up to the laughing.
"What's so funny," asks Kate.
"Those two over there embarrassing Yaz," Tegan motions over to Ace and Graham who shrug.
"Like what my Cliff and I like to do to our kids and grandkids," Jo says with a laugh.
Yaz looks at Ace and Graham whose eyes go wide, "what?"
"We care about Yaz and just want to make her smile."
Martha walks up to Ace, "how's your shoulder feeling?"
"Better."
"Did you make sure not to sleep on it?"
"Yes, I made sure, I slept on my other side."
"Don't forget in Graham's arms."
"Like you were in Nyssa's and holding hands."
"We are married."
"Graham and I are dating."
Tegan just smiles, "I know I wanted to see if you were doing better this morning and you are."
"I got sleep; well a little bit. The Doctor after coming to me in my dreams made sure I didn't have any more that night."
…A little while later…
While walking away from the secret room, "Graham, grab my bat." Ace says as she grabs some Nitro-999, sensing something is about to happen. "Yaz, I know you said that you can protect yourself, but as a favor to those who care about you, get behind and get ready to fight." Everyone is listening to what Ace is saying, and also starts to get ready to fight.
"Ace, why do we need to protect Yaz?"
"Kate, can you just trust me, I don't want to explain it again."
"Ok, let's keep moving. I have some agents outside,waiting to get into the building to clear up the alarms." After an hour everything is right.
Chapter A Tender Moment 14…Later that night….
While standing out of her house,"you know it is good that The Doctor is still connected to you."
"Sometimes."
"How about you sometimes know when something is bad around the corner."
"I always had them, granted since I was around 20 they slowed down."
"Well, I still thank you.'' They look inside to see how Tegan and Nyssa are treating Yaz. "I am glad that Yaz has found another fam."
"I know, I am glad that we have both of you now," Ace holds out her hand, "dance?"
"There is no music.''
"Oh but there is, the laughter of our friends after a trying 24 hours. Now, please dance with me?" Ace takes his hand and brings him close and they start to dance in the moonlight.
"Ace?"
"Yes?"
"I was serious when I told you that you could tell me anything."
"I know, can I tell you it scares me with how well you know me already."
"I never thought I was scary."
"It's a good kind though. You know the kind you would sometimes get while traveling with The Doctor," she leans her head on his shoulder, still careful of her bad shoulder.
"I know it well. I felt that good kind of scared falling in love that quickly with you. I haven't been this happy since before I lost Grace."
"I am glad that I can make you happy."
"Do I make you happy?"
"Very, you can ask those staying with me how happy they have seen me since we started going out."
"I don't have to ask, because I believe you," neither of them notice that the laughter and slight teasing has stopped as the three people look out the window to see the people they love dancing and talking. Tegan gets out her phone but Nyssa stops her.
"They deserve a moment to themselves."
"I wanted to get a picture of them."
"You are being weird Tegan, they can have multiple pictures of the other and them together, but we don't need to."
"It would be a cute picture if they ever.."
"They haven't been together long and known each other just a little bit longer. When we got together we had known each other for a long time."
"I know."
"I barely knew Graham when Grace died, but little I saw them; I can see that Graham is happy with Ace."
"It is good to hear that. Out of the relationships that we have seen Ace in, she seems the happiest in this one. She has also been more open with him than any of us. I have a feeling the only other person out of Perivale that has known this deeply about her past is The Doctor. Mel did tell us when they met her she yelled that she didn't need a mum or dad, but she got a fathers love, tough love from some of her stories."
They go back into Ace's, "Yaz, how was it having your first alien incursion after The Doctor?"
"It was fine, got a bit of thrill. Though I don't think I am ready to do that regularly. I will keep that to those two out there."
"You may want to know, after I left The Doctor I was never fully ready to go back to those types of incursions, that is why I stay with the technology."
"I do want to eventually get back, I am just not ready. I had another one of those dreams last night. I wish we had a therapist in the group."
"Which is why I am going to suggest we all share some of the nightmares. Mine slowed down though when I got together with Tegan as she centered me."
"Mine," Ace says entering with Graham, "started to slow down a few years ago, but as you guys witnessed yesterday some of the trauma still comes up."
"I sometimes not only dream of those spiders, but until recently kept seeing Grace stabbed."
"I hope you never stop thinking of her from time to time."
"Are you sure Ace?"
"You lost someone you love to a horrible death. I want it to get easier on you of course, but I don't want you to stop thinking of her just because you are with me."
"Would you like to see her grave one day?"
"I would love to." They share a sad smile.
"I think that you two should take Ryan there one day, I know he visits it whenever he is in town. When he was just here the two of us went together while you went out." Yaz says the last part with air quotes.
"I haven't been to her grave since before we had to save The Doctor from The Master and Daleks and Cybermen."
"Graham," Ace starts to rub his arm, "you should go whenever you feel like it."
"I should probably go before the meeting Saturday, Ace do you want to come with?"
"If you are ok with me coming to the first one that you have been to in a while, I would love to."
"You know Tegan, it's time we finally get a car here."
"I agree Nyssa, and we need to make more appointments to see more houses."