A/N Trigger Warning for chapters 16-19, Implied Statutory Rape.
….
Over the next week, Tegan and Nyssa find out that they can move in as soon as they want, and Ace spends the whole week at her foundation to avoid questions. Her and Graham have been talking on the phone, she can tell that he wants to ask her about what is on her mind, but he doesn't. Everyone helps them move in that Saturday. "My flat is closer, do you want to spend the night?"
"No thank you, I just want to go to sleep in my California King bed."
"Ace, why do you never want to spend the night at my flat?"
"I like my bed, and I can tell you like it too.''
"There is something more, I can tell."
"Just leave it alone."
"No," Ace gives him a piercing look, "Ace I care about you and ever since last week when Mel mentioned that Glitz bloke you have been acting differently."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"I," Graham stops and thinks about what he is going to say. "Let me drive you home."
Ace, grateful thinking that he has dropped, gets in his car. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Graham knows that when he drops her off he will ask more questions; wanting to make sure that she got home safe. The car ride on Graham's side is awkwardly quiet, while on Ace's it's a pleasant quiet.
"Want to come in?"
"No thank you, I wanted to make sure you got home safely, before I asked you again, what is wrong."
"Nothing is wrong, can you please let it go?"
"No, I can't. I love you Ace. I hate to see you like this. Tegan and Nyssa even told me that you had been avoiding them this past week. I can tell that you have been a little distant in some of our phone calls."
"I don't want to talk about it." She gets out of the car.
"Call me when you are ready Ace," the door slams on him. He watches as Ace storms inside the cottage and slams the door again. She watches from the curtain as he backs away into the night.
"You haven't told him yet?"
"I don't want to talk about right now Doctor."
"You must be angry with me for calling me that."
"I am not angry with you," she says as she wipes at the tears that are starting to fall.
"What happened was all on Glitz, and he may be permanently stuck for what he did to you and pulled on Mel."
"You are protective, but I don't want to talk about it."
"You know what happens when you keep things inside for so long, do I have to remind you about that house."
"No, just go away Doctor, I want to be alone." She picks up her phone then puts it down and heads up to bed in the shirt he left last week. When Graham gets home he passes back and forth debating if he should call her. Deciding against it he too goes to bed.
"Hello Graham, did you have fun with Ace this weekend after moving Tegan and Nyssa into their place" Yaz bounces at work the following Monday.
"Yeah whatever."
"Why so grumpy?"
"None of your business." Tegan and Nyssa watch what is going on.
"You think he tried to get Ace to talk?"
"And that she put up a wall?" Tegan nods her head, "Yes, I do. You have known him a little longer than I have, is this normal for him?"
"No it isn't and according to Yaz except for a few occasions he was always happy and nice to everyone."
"I will go to Yaz today, will you go to Graham?"
"You should also check in on Ace, have you been trying to get into contact with her?''
"A little, but no reply, I thought that she was with Graham."
"Same here, and I think she would be more likely to talk to you."
"I will." They go on to the work day for her break Nyssa walks up to Yaz, "How are you doing?"
"You saw that this morning?"
"Tegan and I did, she is going to talk to him while I talk to you and Ace."
"Why Ace?"
"She has been avoiding us lately. The only time she really talked to us was when she was helping us move."
"Is this normal?"
"Not at all, but I want to see how you are doing?"
"I am good, just now worried about those two."
"I am too," she looks up to see Graham brush off Tegan. "Does he know that is not going to work?"
"What won't?"
"Giving Tegan a cold shoulder when she is worried about someone. She will just try it at lunch."
"She will?"
"Yes, and since we know how he is with food she will probably find a way to withhold some of it until he tells her."
"So we will probably know what is going on by the end of the day?"
"We will, Kate is already letting me take a longer lunch. Ace was originally supposed to be here today, but called and told her she will be spending another week at her foundation."
"She must've learned all of this from the Doctor."
"You are right, now my break is almost up and yours is too, we will probably learn tonight." With that Nyssa gets up and heads back to her area. Two hours later she arrives at A Charitable Earth.
"Hello Ms. Nyssa."
"Hello Ms. Cassandra, is Ace free for lunch?"
"She has time right now."
"Thank you, don't tell her I am here. I want to surprise her."
"Ok."
Nyssa goes to see Ace looking frustrated and tired at her desk. "Have you had anything to eat today?"
"I have not. Why are you here?"
"Can't a friend surprise another friend?"
"They can," Ace gives a small smile that doesn't reach her eyes. Ace is still suspicious about Nyssa being here.
"You look like you haven't been sleeping either, on the topic, Graham looks like that too."
"He hasn't been sleeping?"
"Has a few more bags under his eyes then he did Saturday. You haven't seen him since Saturday?"
"No, we had a fight."
"About what, you know I am a good listener."
"I don't want to talk about it," Nyssa doesn't say what Tegan would say to get a rise out of her.
"Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"How is the new place?"
"Great, we do need some help unpacking though."
"I'll see what I can do."
"That's great."
"Can I ask you something?"
"You know you can ask me anything?"
"Did it hurt you when you and Tegan got into your first argument as a couple?"
"It did, out of your previous relationships didn't it hurt you?"
"Not like this, I am just not ready to talk to him. He said when I am ready to call him."
"What did you do in other arguments?"
"Break up."
"Do you want to do that with Graham?"
"Hell no, I love him. We usually talk everyday, but I have sent him nothing nor called him since our fight, even to make sure he got home safe, and I have gotten nothing from him. Even though he made sure I got home before he started asking me questions on why I didn't want to sleep over at his flat."
"Why?"
"I really don't want to talk about it."
"That's ok, you want to talk to Graham you know he will be glad to talk to you. This morning he was really cold towards Yaz."
"He was?"
"Yes."
"My god, what have I done?"
"Ace, you two will figure this out I am sure."
''But when?"
''I am sure soon. Anyone can see that you two mean a lot to each other."
"Can you please make sure he doesn't treat Yaz like that though."
"Only he can control how he treats others."
"Has anyone else noticed anything off?"
"I think Kate has."
"Because I wanted to work here again this week."
"All week?"
"Yes?"
"You have been here for three weeks now, and from my understanding you usually do one week here and one week with UNIT."
"I will call Kate and tell her I will be there tomorrow."
''You will do what is best for you."
"I will stay here for this week then."
"You do that, but please answer messages from Tegan and I."
"I will, thank you Nyssa."
"Anytime Ace, or should I say Dorothy since you are here."
Ace laughs, "People who know me personally can call me Ace whenever."
"That is good to hear, now I better get going. I don't want to be late for work."
"Bye Nyssa."
"Bye Ace," they share a hug and Nyssa heads out to the car she shares with her wife.
Meanwhile….
"Tegan give me the sarnie."
"Graham something is wrong, you gave both Yaz and I a cold shoulder this morning."
"Fine, I will go buy something."
"GRAHAM!"
"What?"
"Sit and tell me what is wrong?"
"Ace and I got into a fight Saturday night, and I haven't heard from her since." Graham gets up and feels something hit his head.
"Was that so hard to do?"
"She isn't telling us something. I can tell something happened between her and Glitz that makes her not want to come over to my flat."
"You want her to spend the night?"
Graham sits down, "Of course I do. I enjoy waking up with her. My feelings for others haven't been this strong since my Grace."
"Have you tried to contact her?"
"I left that up to her. I want to stay together but keeping big secrets is not healthy for any relationship."
"You are right. If I know Ace, she will come around. You just can't go around giving others the cold shoulder like this morning."
"I will do better."
"Good."
"I am going to apologize to Yaz."
"Go." Tegan sits back and watches Graham get something out of his lunch sack and hand it to Yaz.
"Peace offering?"
"You don't need to."
"I do need to say I am sorry for this morning," Graham sits across from her.
"What you need to do is talk to Ace."
"I will try tonight."
"Good. Now sit and finish eating, I know you Graham."
One the way home from work that day Tegan and Nyssa are in the car, "What did Ace tell you?"
"She's hurt, because she hurt Graham. She wants to stay with him."
"That is good, she usually jumps ship when the first fight happens."
"She does, what did you learn from Graham?"
"He wants to talk to her, but Ace needs to call him."
"She knows that Graham has been treating others differently."
"You told her?"
''I was trying to get her to talk to me."
"It's good that she did."
"I agree." They arrive at their new house with a single story two bedroom.
Meanwhile across town at Ace's she is staring at her phone when there is a call, she looks at it and puts it down not wanting to answer. It alerts her to a voicemail a few minutes later. She decides to not call Kate and keep going to her foundation for the week and heads to her bomb shelter and creates more Nitro-999. She doesn't know that Graham shows up at her door. He knocks a few times and heads out. Hours later she heads to bed. The next morning she wakes up from a text from Yaz asking how she is doing. She tries to think of a response, "Good." To which Yaz responded with a smiley face. Ace heads out to her car and drives to her foundation. This is the same everyday that week each day a text alternates between the three that know about the fight.