The four of them, the Doctor, Martha, Ace, and Jack, were gathered in the control room, waiting for the Doctor's go-ahead to g

The four of them, the Doctor, Martha, Ace, and Jack, were gathered in the control room, waiting for the Doctor's go-ahead to go outside. Without looking up from the console, the Doctor said "Go on, go outside. Oxygen levels are good, no poisonous gasses, friendly terrain. Go on, have a good time." He waved a hand at them abd pulled the lever to open the doors.

Ace needed no further prompting. She fairly ran to the door and stuck her head out- before whipping it right back in and slamming the door. Martha and Jack could see that her face was dead white. She turned slowly to the Doctor. When she spoke, her voice was low and full of pain and anger. "What are you trying to pull, Doctor?" she asked heatedly, her eyes flashing. "What is this? Is this one of your 'let's make Ace grow up and face her demons' plans? I thought you'd gotten past that. I guess I was wrong." To the Doctor's horror, tears were evident in her eyes. Without another word, she stormed past her three bewildered friends and disappeared into the interior of the TARDIS.

The Doctor was at a loss as to the cause of Ace's sudden fury. He quickly pulled up the TARDIS' viewscreen and peered into the outside world. What he saw shocked him utterly. He immediately understood Ace's flare of temper.

Outside, a war raged. Bullets and cannon shells flew through the air as two armies clashed on a ravaged dirt plain. The ground was wet with blood, and vast red mud pits had sprung up everywhere. Torn and battered bodies littered the battleground, their limbs splayed as though they ran from the airborne doom even in death. Rifles with bayonets lay at their motionless sides. The TARDIS stood alone, protected from the bloody ocean of war that lapped right up against its shields. The Doctor stared in horror at the scene. "No," he whispered helplessly. "Not here. Please, not here." His arms hung limp at his sides, as though the sight before him sapped his energy.

Martha moved to his side quickly. "What is it?" she asked. "What's wrong?" Unable to speak, the Doctor simply gestured towards the screen. Bending over, Martha peered curiously into the screen before straightening up with a gasp and clapping a hand over her mouth. Jack, watching the two of them with increasing unease, joined Martha at the screen. His eyes widened as he took in what was pictured there. Neither of them could believe what they were seeing. They immediately knew the Doctor hadn't known about this in advance. If his reaction wasn't enough, the fact that he brought Ace here proved it. The girl was still recovering from her experiences in the Time War and her time spent being tortured in a Dalek prison the Doctor had only recently rescued her from. The last thing she needed was to be confronted with another war.

"I take it there was no battle the last time you were here, Doctor?" Jack asked. The Doctor nodded. "There had never been war here," he said hoarsely. "The people didn't know what war was. They couldn't imagine hurting one of their own. There was no murder here, no crime, no fighting; there was only peace. Its name is Shanoer-myerne, but it was known throughout the galaxy as Heaven's Peace. I wanted to show you a place that was completely free of conflict, after what we've all been through recently. I just can't believe this is happening. Not here." He ran a hand through his ever-messy hair and simply stared at the carnage just outside the TARDIS. His eyes were bright with tears.

Martha cast a worried glance toward the door Ace had gone through. "Why don't I find Ace and try to explain things to her?" she suggested. "Then we can decide what to do from there." The Doctor almost protested, wanting to go after her himself, but then figured that Ace probably wouldn't want to be found by him-she'd still be very angry-so the TARDIS probably wouldn't let him find her. The TARDIS liked Ace enough to hide her if she wanted to be hidden. So he just nodded. Martha nodded back and walked off. Jack, standing behind the Doctor, looked at his back uncertainly. "You gonna be ok, Doc?" he asked. The Doctor sighed heavily. "It's not me I'm worried about," he answered. "It's Ace." He glanced at Martha's retreating back, and then looked back down at the console in front of him. Jack stayed where he was, in silent support.

Martha made her way quickly through the TARDIS' corridors, walking more or less blindly while mentally asking the ship to let her find Ace. Apparently, the ship was on her side; she soon spotted Ace's door, which was slightly ajar and had light spilling from beneath it. She approached quietly and eased the door open further. Peering into the room, she saw Ace slumped in a large reclining chair in the corner, obviously fighting back tears. Even from this distance, her eyes shone bright yellow. Martha hoped this was just due to intense emotion.

Preparing herself to back up quickly if she had to, Martha made her was cautiously to her friend's side. She put an arm around Ace's shoulders, and was rewarded when the younger woman leaned into her. Ace looked up anxiously into Martha's face. "Why did he do it?" she asked, sounding young and worried. Martha's heart went out to her.

"He really didn't know," she said gently. "He told Jack and me that this planet hadn't even known war when he last visited. He wanted to bring you here as a treat."

Ace sighed. "That would be just like him," she admitted with an attempt at a smile. "I only wish I could believe him." Seeing that Martha was about to argue, she held up a hand. "I know that's not what he's like…anymore," she said, "but you don't know the person he was when I met him. Oh, he meant well, but he was always taking me places I'd specifically told him I didn't want to go, to help me confront my fears or my past. I'd hate him for doing that, but it never lasted long. I've always loved him too much. You can't stay mad at a father for trying to help his child."

Martha thought back to something the Doctor had said to her about Ace, several days before they'd stumbled upon her, imprisoned in the middle of the Time Vortex. 'She was always somehow so vulnerable, underneath it all,' he'd said. 'All it took was one word, one phrase, and she would crumble. I did that to her, once, to save her and myself. At the time, I thought I had no choice, but now I know I should never have done what I did. I could have broken her faith forever, but somehow she forgave me. I never apologized, though. I couldn't admit I had been wrong, not even to myself.' She thought that perhaps this was what Ace was talking about, or something like it. Then she remembered the current Doctor as he'd been before he'd rediscovered Ace, and she recognized how much he must've changed since Ace had known him first.

"I think he's changed more than you realize, Ace," she said. "You didn't see him before he found you. He was so…lonely, all the time. He was depressed, though he tried not to show it. He talked to me about you once, and told me he was sorry for some of the things he put you through, but he was too arrogant to tell you then, and when he wanted to tell you, it was too late. He missed you, and all the other Time Lords, terribly. Then…then you came back to him, and suddenly he was so…different. He's been so much happier now that you're with him. I wish you could have seen his face when he came walking up to the TARDIS with you in his arms. He looked at you with such love…" Martha sighed a little. "He really cares about you, you know. You've completely changed him, just by being here. I really don't think he'd consciously do anything that he knew would hurt you. He said he didn't know. I think you can believe him, even if maybe you couldn't have believed him if he was still the Doctor you first traveled with."

Ace listened with some surprise to Martha. She seldom heard the older woman speak so strongly. And she spoke the truth; Ace could hear it in her words. She remembered old times, when the Professor had been shorter and shorter-tempered, dark-haired and dark-natured. She thought of the times he'd betrayed her, or so she'd seen it with her then-young eyes. The haunted house she'd told him she never wanted to go back to, the circus she'd been so afraid of, the terrible, ancient evil that had been intent on using her to secure himself in the world. Looking back now, she could see what her younger self had missed: the element of love that had been there all along, the genuine desire to help her grow and protect her from the world and, at times, herself.

She was fairly sure this wasn't one of those plots; she'd just overreacted at the unexpected sight of the very thing she'd been trying so hard to forget: war. The horrors of the Time War and its aftermath would always be with her, she'd come to accept that, but coming face-to-face with that reality again had been too much for her. She took a deep breath to calm herself before rising and saying to Martha "Of course I believe him- he's the Professor. I was being stupid. I'd better go apologize to him." She returned Martha's relieved smile and gave her a quick hug before heading out of the door.

Martha followed Ace back into the halls of the TARDIS. She wondered if she'd ever really understand what went on in her friend's mind, such a strange mix of human and Time Lord. While Ace was talking, Martha had seen obvious pain in her face, perhaps brought on by events long past, which was soon replaced by a kind of understanding, as if she'd realized a great truth. Martha hoped whatever it was had granted Ace a measure of peace.

In the control room, the Doctor had finally moved away from the console and was now anxiously pacing the floor. Every now and again, he'd glance at the inner door with a look of painful hope on his face. Jack pitied him. The poor man (well, not exactly man, since that implied human, but close enough) was distraught. Jack hoped Martha was getting the job done. He didn't like to see Ace upset any more than he did the Doctor. He found himself increasingly and unexplainably attracted to the girl (woman?), with her unpredictable temper and unswerving loyalty. He was pretty sure she only put up with him because the Doctor wanted her to. If his plan succeeded, however, that was going to change- she was going to put up with him because she liked him, not because she had to. It was gong to take time, though. She had been hurt before, and hurt badly, he could tell. He was going to have to be very careful. Despite that, he was still confident he'd win her over. He could be patient when he needed to be.

Both he and the Doctor were brought out of their private thoughts by the sound of the door opening. The Doctor's head whipped around, his eyes searching the dark doorway. Ace's head poked hesitantly around the frame, and the Doctor let out an audible sigh of relief. Ace cocked her head, smiling slightly as though she'd heard the exhalation- But how could she?, wondered Jack. Human ears aren't that good- and then entered the room fully. The Doctor's eyes didn't waver from her face. She walked quickly towards him and didn't pause or slow until she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt. "I'm sorry," she mumbled into his chest. "That was stupid of me. I shouldn't have said that. I was just caught off-guard." The Doctor hugged her tightly, answering, "It's all right, Ace. I know you didn't mean it." He tweaked her nose fondly, and she grinned. Behind the two of them, Martha followed Ace through the door and flashed Jack a thumbs-up. He grinned back. All was well, it seemed.

Reluctantly relinquishing his hold on Ace, the Doctor eyed the console thoughtfully. "We could leave, if you want," he said quietly. "I wouldn't blame you a bit." Secretly, he hoped Ace would say no. He wanted to know what had happened to bring such conflict here, here of all places. He was thankful, therefore, when she shook her head and said, with a familiar, stubborn look in her face, "No. I want to stay. It's no use running away from things like this. If war was never supposed to happen here, we need to figure out why it did, so we can fix it." Looking at her right then, with the determination in her expression warring with the fear and anguish just underneath, the Doctor thought he'd never been prouder of her. He nodded briskly. "Then let's get going." For the second time, he pulled the lever to open the doors.

Watching with Martha from the sidelines, Jack was filled with admiration for the young woman before him. She obviously didn't want to be here, yet her desire to help those outside overcame her desire to run. Looking at her and the Doctor right then, he could see clearly the love and pride the Doctor had for her, and she for him. He could also see what kindred spirits they were. Her expression of mixed nervousness, blazing determination, and excitement at the prospect of a new world and a good fight was a very familiar one- Jack saw it on the Doctor's face every time he opened the TARDIS doors onto an unknown planet. At that moment, watching as Ace turned resolutely from the console and walked, shoulders back, toward the open doors, Jack found himself struck with a frightening and exhilarating realization: he was falling in love with her.

Martha saw the look on Jack's face as he watched Ace and smiled. She knew the feeling. She'd felt the same way for months after she's stared traveling with the Doctor. What was it about these Time Lords that just captured the heart? Was it their strength, their

curiosity, their incredible vulnerability, their utter honesty, their inexplicable need for comfort and contact now that there were so few of them left? Then again, looking at Ace right then, with her resolve masking her apprehension, it was easy to see why Jack was falling for her.

Ace tried not to tremble as the doors of the TARDIS drew ever closer. She could hear the sounds of battle now, shots that rang on in her head long after the actual shot had faded and were echoed by a thousand horror-filled memories of a million other, long-gone shots. Refusing to let herself back down, she set her jaw and kept walking. As she passed the Doctor, Martha, and Jack, she wondered what they saw, looking at her right then.

The first thing that hit the four of them, walking unprotected into the mêlée, was the sound. People were screaming, yelling, crying, groaning all around them. Then came the smell: hot metal, gunpowder, burning flesh, burning wood, blood and filth and pungent dirt. The sight of the battle, when it appeared through the TRARDIS' shimmering force field, was too much for Martha. Her experience in hospital rooms and surgical rooms had not prepared her for such carnage. She shut her eyes, and Jack placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. The other three, however, had witnessed similar scenes unfold. They watched stoically and in silence as the fighters fell all around them.

The fight was noticeably, painfully one-sided. One army was dressed in what were clearly regulation uniforms- light shirts and pants to match the terrain, combat boots and shielded helmets. They all carried the same gun, an automatic rifle-like weapon with a wicked-looking bayonet on the end. They moved with precision, covering each other while they ducked and weaved in practiced maneuvers. The other force was dressed in civilian clothes covered with whatever extra protection they could find. They moved in groups or singly, following no apparent pattern. Their weapons seemed to have been pulled from whatever homes they came from. Guns ranged from pistol-like to rifle- or shotgun-like, and many belts had swords hanging from them.

The dying lay on the ground, ignored by those still standing. Their feeble cries of pain and pleas for help burned themselves into the observers' minds; the comrades of the wounded had no choice but to leave the fallen where they lay. Death walked among the soldiers, touching shoulders and backs and limbs, and all over the torn field eyes closed for the last time with a grateful sigh.

Martha opened her eyes and forced herself to watch, as her friends did. After all, this was why she'd become a doctor- so she could witness the suffering in her world and others, and help relieve it. Well, her time to be a witness had come. She tried not to wince every time a bullet found its target. A minute passed, and two, and three, and still no one said a word. Finally, Martha turned to the Doctor and whispered "What do we do now?"

The Doctor gazed across the battle and fought his own, inner foes. Every time he blinked, a fallen combatant was replaced by a friend or enemy he'd seen die in the War: Drax, the Chancellor, Commander Maxil, the Captain, the Keeper, Damon, the Monk, Leela, or one of countless others. There had been so many to fall in that futile, disastrous conflict. Frowning, he shook off his visions and answered Martha.

"Now, we go find the commanding officers and stop this war." His voice was low and dangerous. Martha did not doubt for one moment that he would do what he said he was going to. Feigning confidence, the four of them strode into the fray, temporarily protected by the TARDIS' lingering influence. Jack, watching Ace carefully, noted her sheet-white complexion and surreptitiously shifted closer to her side. Martha stuck very near to the Doctor, whose face held an expression like a thundercloud.

Without warning, the Doctor whirled and grabbed one of the nearest soldiers, who had been eyeing them with shock and suspicion. "Where are your commanding officers?" he demanded, his eyes gaining that wild look they always had when he shouted. The poor soldier, having no idea what was going on, pointed far beyond the battlefield. The Doctor nodded and released the man. He proceeded to head in that direction, Martha at his heels. Jack made to follow them, trench coat flapping behind him, when a muffled sound caused him to turn. Immediately, his eyes narrowed and he cursed. Ace had disappeared.

Sorry it's been so long since I posted, guys! My muse just got back from vacation… ARGH, Jack kept telling me he was falling in love with Ace, but I didn't want to listen- I'm not a romance writer- and then this chapter came out! Ah, well. I'll just have to see where it goes.

Random Challenge! The first…um…three people who can guess what two words the planet's name is made of (hint: they're both peace-related) get…umm…a one-shot, subject of their choice, written by me. It doesn't have to be Doctor Who or even a fanfic, as long as I've got some knowledge of the subject matter. Don't know if that's much of an incentive, but there you go. Review!