A\N I know she isn't in this chapter that much, but happy birthday to Jemma Redgrave, our fabulous Kate Stewart.

….

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."

That Saturday….

"Good morning Ace," he greets her as she gets in the car.

"Morning Graham." She gives him a kiss on the cheek. "How was the rest of your week?"

"Uneventful, how about yours? Is your board still mad at you?"

"Not after a check cleared for another donation and started planning the next outreach."

"I am glad, were there questions for the first day or so about your shoulder?"

"Surprisingly none."

"In some ways that's good."

"In what ways is it bad?"

"That it may mean that they don't care about your well being."

"The only person I saw in person was my secretary and over the years she has learned not to ask questions when I come in with a random injury."

"How often does it happen?"

"Before Kate paired me up with Tegan, a lot of the time when I would do some freelance work for UNIT."

"So Tegan kept you from being too crazy."

"Oi, I am not crazy."

"It's a good kind of crazy, how many people would swing a bat when first meeting someone."

"You say it's good?"

"With you, yes it is." They pull up to a cemetery and get out of the car, Graham reaches back to grab some flowers. "Her grave is this way." He offers his arm not holding the flowers to Ace and she takes it. Arm in arm they walk until they approach Grace's graveside.

"You have a moment with her first, I'll be right over there," Ace points to a nearby tree.

With a nod Graham leans and places the flowers down. "Hey Grace, I know it's been a while since I have been here. I do still think about you a lot of the time. I heard you had a visit from Ryan and Yaz recently. I started a new job with UNIT, which used to employ The Doc many years ago. UNIT stands for United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. In fact my boss has met many Doctors. She is also the daughter of one of their close friends. Another reason I haven't been by in a while is because I met someone. Her name is Ace, well that is what she goes by. Her real name is Dorothy. She wanted to meet you actually, hope that is ok, the two women I have ever loved meeting each other. She is just by the tree." Graham wipes a tear away and waves Ace over.

"How are you doing?" She puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Ok," he looks back at the headstone, "Grace, this is Ace, she also used to travel with the Doctor. Met him, yes all the times when she said she used to be a Scottsman is true. Well, she met the Doctor when she was younger than Yaz and Ryan were when we met her."

"Hello Grace." Ace says as she bends down, "I have loved the few times Graham has told me about you. I don't want to replace you as I know there is no replacement for someone so special." Graham gets up and walks away. "Now that he has given us a moment, I love him and hope that you can also have a place in our lives. I hope that it's ok with you. I want to become a step grandma to Ryan one day. It has been brought to my attention when Graham and I are around Yaz, we act like that. I didn't come from a good home. It was the Doctor that showed me love, well what tough love was like. I promise to treat Graham right." A light drizzle starts, "You should know how proud Graham is of Ryan. Whenever he talks about Ryan's travels his eyes light up.'' Ace looks back at him and shares a sad smile. "I know how much you meant to others, especially those who matter to me. I am going to try and see if Graham wants to visit you more. I want him to always remember you fondly."

Graham walks up to her, "If we want to make it on time we will have to leave soon."

"Ok, I will wait for you in the car," Graham hands her the keys as she heads away.

"It's me again Grace, I hope you know I will always love you. There is a piece of you that will remain in my heart forever, but Ace is in my heart too. It seems when I fall; I fall fast. You know that better than anyone as you barely stopped being my nurse before we got married. I love you, but we have to go and meet up with former companions of the Doctor who traveled with them before we did." He kisses his hand and puts it on the top of the gravestone then heads to his car.

"How are you doing?"

"Good, you know you are amazing."

"Why do you say that?"

"You asked to see my dead wife's grave and talked to her for a while. I have had a few friends that lost their spouses and when they got remarried, when they would like to visit their spouses gravesite they had to go alone or with their kids."

"What did you do when you and Grace got together?"

"I visited her husband's grave a few times, and even went there before I married Grace."

"You are a good man, Graham."

"I try to." They stop at a red light and Ace grabs his hand, "Can I tell you something, hopefully it doesn't freak you out."

"You can tell me anything."

"Sometimes I still think I see her. The last time was not long after the first meeting. She was smiling at me, because I was doing something for a big group of people and getting to know you. I also remember another time I saw her. It was not long after Ryan and I left The TARDIS, and I was trying to help him learn how to ride a bike."

"I bet she was smiling at her boys, well men bonding."

"She was. I know she would be happy that I am finding happiness.''

"I knew she would be." They continue to drive in silence. When they arrive at the meeting they are just barely there in time. Hand in hand they walk into the room where everybody is sitting waiting for them.

"You two balance each other out don't you," Tegan jokingly asks.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Ian, I hear Graham is always really early and Ace is always late. Here they are coming in together just on time."

"We didn't know it would take so long after visiting Grace's grave."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's ok, I know that Ace does center me."

"You do too Graham," they take their seats.

Nyssa starts to look around, "I thought today after our usual check ins we talked about nightmares we had due to traveling with The Doctor." Those who don't know what is going on with Yaz look around and Mickey grabs Martha's hand because of how bad they were for her whole family.

"My family and I had nightmares for years after The Master did some funky mumbo jumbo and what he did to them, Jack and The Doctor."

"Can you go into detail, please. If you are ok with that."

"Do you guys remember Harold Saxon?"

"Sorta," says Ace, some of them nod their heads. "Though it seems like a lot of the year 2007 is missing."

"He was the Master and when he got the Doctor and I to give him a ride, it turned out he was, well not who he said he was. He has been secretly working to get the Doctor to show his actual age. The Doctor made me invisible to the Master before that could happen. While the Master was torturing those closest to me, I had to walk the Earth. I met so many people. After that was done and the world saved and my family; I left the Doctor only to join UNIT. For the longest time everyone in my family would have nightmares." She looks at Mickey.

"Mine is that Martha would get turned into a gargoyle again. When it happened the last time I called the Doctor, but the one I met and didn't get along with showed up. It was difficult not saying anything about who my wife is." Everyone takes a moment thankful that the most of them have only met one Doctor and if more, they met the Doctor in a later regeneration.

"Mine is," Nyssa takes a breath, "seeing my father and Adric die repeatedly. Adric was just a kid. A little brother-like figure that annoyed us, and ended up sacrificing himself to save the Doctor, myself and Tegan. Adric is who I named my son after."

"Honestly the first time I met the Doctor and the Master was at the same time." Tegan rolls her eyes, "He shrunk people, the first time he shrunk my aunt who was trying to get me to Heathrow, then the most recent he shrunck a whole bunch of Cyberman into a Russian Nesting doll. That whole time fighting off the Cybermen, I was thinking of Adric. I have had a few nightmare's of about that too."

"For my years following leaving the Doctor I had regular nightmares, some involving an ancient curse of my heritage others involving the Master turning people into Cheetah people. Once in a while I still think of it." Ace looks towards Yaz.

"Yas, if you want to tell your story go ahead."

"I am not ready yet."

"Ok, I guess I will tell mine," Graham takes a breath, "mine is about those giant spiders that we fought. Another one is losing all those I care about to a death that's not suspected." Ace starts to rub his arm. "Does anyone else want to go?"

"Well," Jo Grant starts to speak, "this was still I was with my Doctor, I was regularly kidnapped. I thought I would never get back home. Sometimes afterward I would take a second look at manicanes."

"Ok, I feel like I am ready," Yaz gives a beat, Graham gives her a comforting pat, as Teagn leans closer to her. Ace leans over Graham to see if she is ready. "Almost every night since I came back, I have a dream of the Doctor turning into the Master again, but no one can reverse it this time."

"Someone will always be there for the Doctor."

"How often do they travel alone?"

"Ummm," Kate tries to think, "probably too many times."

"Exactly. I think something is going to happen."

"Something will always happen, but we have always kept an eye on them. We have even kidnapped the TARDIS at one point."

"How?"

"A Giant crane, though until Osgood was able to turn the Zygons good, was a thing of nightmares. Three Doctor's all at once."

"What three?"

"The one they all revered as the War Doctor, the one Martha met and the one after him. Ace I understand you and Graham recently met him."

"I did, I had to make sure timelines would remain, and never introduced him to Graham."

"You should know that is the one that had an obsession with fezzes, the one you wore is in the Black Archives, and when he was in there last; picked up said fez."

"I had a feeling with that bow tie. Back to the nightmares. Did anyone else have some nightmares after their time with the Doctor."

"I guess mine would be never returning home. I left The Doctor to travel with a guy named Glitz."

"Man, Glitz I haven't thought of him in ages," Ace is glad that there has been no mention of that man until now.

"That is not surprising Ace, considering what you thought of him."

"You can't deny he was one though."

"By the time I was able to return home to my time, he did change."

"Sure," Ace said, not believing that Glitz has changed.

"So for those of you who don't know, when the Doctor and I met Ace, we were visiting an Ice Planet, after we defeated the monsters, I left the TARDIS with Glitz and obviously Ace stayed at age 16."

"You are the one that suggested that I travel with him."

"I know that, now when I was traveling with Glitz we got locked in a time storm."

"Bloody time storms."

"When was the last time you experienced one?"

"That day I was whisked away from Perivale."

"Somehow that time storm got me to 1989 New York. The amount of time it took me to prove who I am is crazy. The first chance I got I boarded a plane and came back here. I also sometimes dream about the Rani."

"The Rani?"

"She was evil and caused the Doctor to regenerate into the Doctor that you met Ace. She also tried to pretend to be me. The Doctor and I didn't trust each other until he mentioned carrot juice."

"Ok.''

"So everyone had nightmares that traveled with The Doctor."

"Everyone, so you are not alone, but remember yours also matters."

"I know that Ace." Ace smiles warmly at her. The rest of the group share some of the nightmares they remember.

"Ace, do you mind if we take your car, we are planning to go car shopping and have a house to look at."

"Go ahead," she takes Graham's hand, a plan forming in her mind. When they arrive at her place Ace unlocks the door and ushers them both in. "Want something to drink?"

"No thank you, I'm fine."

"Make yourself at home." Ace goes to the kitchen as Graham sits down on the couch and turns on the tv. "What did you turn on," she asks, sitting right next to Graham.

"Just some nonsensical program about a group of friends that love playing pranks on each other."

"Do you want to pay attention to that," Ace says while kissing his neck.

"Huh?''

"Well," kiss, "Tegan and Nyssa," kiss, "won't be here for a few more hours." Graham turns his head and catches Ace's mouth with his. Ace swings her legs over Graham's as they start making out. Hands are going everywhere when Ace needs to take a breath and Graham attacks her neck. She grabs the bottom of his chin and their lips meet again. Graham's hands end up underneath her shirt. "Mmmm, Graham." They continue on their make out and fail to notice the door opening and that it is now dark outside.

"You think Ace will be glad we put an offer on a house and found a car."

"I think she will, and especially the fact that you drove our car here."

"I am not a bad driver Nyssa."

"I know that, Tegan."

"I will tell her about everything," Nyssa stops from going into the cottage any farther. Tegan sees why she stopped, "My god you two get a room."

Ace and Graham detach from the other, "This is a room."

"That is what you said last time I caught you two making out. I guess it's time to tell you that Nyssa and I put on an offer of a house. This is the third time we have looked at it and had an inspection done on it."

Ace gets up from the couch, "That's great, I am so happy for you two." Graham is still sitting there not realizing what is happening, "Graham are you there?"

"Huh, oh yes I am. Congratulations."

"I think you made him speechless.''

"He's coming around, hello Graham."

"Hello Ace, " he smiles broadly.

"Glad you can join us," Tegan says with a laugh. Graham stands up and heads to Ace.

"If I am honest, I don't know why I said congratulations."

"Tegan and I put an offer on a house, and she hasn't told Ace yet, we got a new car."

"That's great.''

"Is it great because you can spend more time alone with Ace?" Tegan wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"If we wanted more alone time we could have gone to my flat."

"Really?" Only Nyssa notices Ace keeping to herself at the mention of Graham's flat.

"Yeah, but I can tell how much Ace likes getting a rise out of you."

"Ace is right here, and he is right. I do like getting a rise out of you Tegan." Graham looks at her and winks. "We should celebrate you two getting your place."

"They haven't accepted it yet."

"They will, I just know it. How couldn't they, two lovely people with a study job and wonderful references."

"We have a lot of them, especially one from the head of a charity."

"I spoke the truth. It also helps that you both have stayed here many times over the years." Ace walks away and comes back in with a bottle of wine and four glasses. "Now it's time to celebrate."