"Ace!" Clara exclaimed, when Ace opened the door.
"Clara? What's the occasion?"
"He's back!"
"really?"
"yeah!" Clara was almost hopping with giddy.
The Doctor revealed himself from the wall beside the door.
"hello Doctor! Please, come in!"
the Doctor entered, Ace behind, Clara bringing up the rear.
"so how've you been?" Ace asked sweetly.
"well, I've been okay..." his sentence was cut short by Ace's fist colliding with the left side of his jaw.
"that's right! You've been okay, but you won't be when I'm through with you!" she grabbed him by the bow-tie and hoisted above her head, and then threw him across the room.
A vase shattered when he hit the wall, and the porcelain shards dug into his back. He screamed. This made Ace happy, she felt like a justice-bringer. She could feel her blood rushing with adrenaline.
"Ace! Stop! You-you-you're hurting him!" Clara cried as she tried to restrain her.
What happened next was a reflex, a short uppercut to Clara. Before she realized what she'd done, she was back on the doctor, but now all she could see was the stout, umbrella-wielding man in the question mark sweater vest. Her blood stopped pumping as fast as it had. And she whipped around, Clara was moaning on the floor, barely moving. And she quickly looked back at the Doctor. His form was flickering between him as she'd known him, and what he was now.
"no." Ace slowly backed away. "no." her hands moved to her ears and she pulled at her hair. "no!" tears started falling, "NO!"
her eyes flew open, her heart beating wildly fast. She was panting. She walked to the bathroom and turned on a light
"Oh. Ace. What's happening to you." she said to her reflection. She tucked away a few grey hairs that had emerged over night. She'd apologize tomorrow.