The next morning Ace wakes up to a heavy arm around her and as she turns to see that Graham is still peacefully sleeping. Snuggling closer she feels the even breathing of the man she loves her head fits perfectly under his chin. As she gets comfortable, she feels the vibration of his vocal cords. "Good morning, Ace."
"Good morning, Graham," she mumbles into his chest.
"What time are we meeting them again?"
"Tegan texted me while you were getting a bag and suggested that she and Nyssa come here with a late breakfast. Tegan wanted to give us some time to do, in her words, whatever she interrupted yesterday."
"Which is why we are waking up late."
"Let's see how late," Ace unwillingly detangles herself from his arms, and checks the time her eyes go wide. "What is it?"
"They should be here any minute."
"Oh."
"Yeah, so get up and get dressed." Graham jumps up from the bed and realizes something.
"Shoot I forgot my bag either downstairs or in the car."
"You check downstairs, I will check the car." Ace throws on her robe and Graham his pants from the previous night. Ace takes the stairs two at a time. After she finds the bag in the car she runs back in her robe flowing as she does. Tegan and Nyssa drive up then.
"I think we should give them a few more minutes, Tegan."
"We did tell Ace what time we would be here."
"I know honey, just 5 minutes. We have the food."
Meanwhile, "I found it."
"Good," they both go upstairs and quickly change. As they walk downstairs Tegan is sitting on the couch.
"You know it's dangerous to leave your door open, anyone can walk right in. Though the same can be said with running to your car and back in a flimsy bathrobe."
"I shut the door though."
"So you're not denying running outside in your bathrobe."
"No."
"You and Graham must've been enjoying yourselves."
"Tegan," Nyssa yells from the kitchen.
"We had actually just woken up." Ace looks at Graham eyes wide, shocked that he had said this, "if you can't beat them join them." Tegan stands there laughing.
"You are definitely fitting in with us."
"Good," he wraps his arm around Ace, "I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," he then kisses the top of Ace's head and goes to the kitchen.
Quietly, "have you told him yet?"
"No, the time hasn't been right."
"If you could keep your hands off him for a few minutes."
"Yesterday was our first time."
"How often do you two talk?"
"Everyday."
"You need to tell him."
"Tell him what," Graham comes out of the kitchen and hands Ace a steaming cup of tea.
"That you're important to me."
"Good, you are important to me to Ace, I forgot to ask if you want something to drink Tegan."
"I'm fine, you automatically knew how Ace likes her tea?"
"I could say I learned it while I lived here during my recuperation, but that would be a lie. I learned it quickly."
"How?"
"Tegan, are you forgetting that Graham and I would often come to UNIT together?"
"No, but it does seem like the two of you were dating before everything happened."
"We weren't, I wasn't ready." Ace gives her friend a look as Graham informs Tegan about this fact.
"I am glad that you are now, seeing Ace this happy is good."
"Ryan said the same about you Graham while you were changing yesterday."
"You didn't go in with him?"
"Tegan, stop it. I didn't think his grandson would appreciate me going in and watching him change."
"He's a smart boy, he could probably guess things happened."
"Knowing Ryan, he probably doesn't want to think about it. He didn't even like it when Grace and I kissed. Though that was before he accepted me as a grandfather."
Ace knew it took until after Grace died to bring the two closer together. "How long did it take?"
"Tegan, not right now," Ace leans into Graham to give him comfort.
"It's ok Ace, it took until after we lost Grace and were traveling with the Doc."
"Ohh."
"The three of us should head to the kitchen, we are not being friendly by sitting out here and talking," Graham heads to the kitchen.
Tegan mouths to Ace, "tell him." As everyone sits down at the table.
"Graham, you mentioned that Donna once traveled with the Doctor."
"I did, the Doc still misses them. She told me that when she regenerates, she thinks about some of her former companions. Her last body, Donna, was on her mind. The one before that, right before they regenerated, you Ace, was on her mind. That is probably the reason that body loved Bow Ties, and ones after loved Fezzes."
"Why Fezzes?"
"When I first met the Cyberman, the Doctor took me to the castle and there was a fez in there, and he made me wear it."
"Bow Ties?"
"The first time the Doctor hurt me, though in hindsight it was to help me work through the guilt I had from burning down Gabriel Chase."
"How did the Doctor do that?"
"Took me there 100 years before I burned it down. Helped me figure out the reason I didn't like the feeling that was there, was that there was an evil there. It was not long after that the Doctor started to regularly play mind games on me."
"Why do you still love them?"
"A lot of those mind games, is because he wanted to send me off to Galifrey."
"WHAT?!" Tegan yells, "why haven't you told us that?"
"The Doctor did a lot of stuff to the two of you, Tegan, remember how you reacted when we first saw her and Yaz?"
"I do."
"You also insinuated that we were with the Doctor."
"I didn't know how much Yaz felt for the Doctor yet?"
"I know."
"You were happy to see them."
"The Doctor minus all the mind games was my best friend. One of the first people minus Manisha that I fully trusted."
"There was also a lot of the time he could've been chasing after the monster, but he chased after me, after he hurt me."
"He cared about you."
"I know, while in that volcano and the hologram got activated, my Doctor told me that all children leave home in the end, the joy is to watch them fly."
"Was the TARDIS home to you," Nyssa asks.
"It was the first place that felt like home. The first place I didn't feel judged and more than safe." Ace starts to laugh, "I still remember one time after the two of us got into one of our fights, the TARDIS separated us and kept us separate for a few hours until we cooled down."
"So she was like the Mum."
"She was, though at times the Doctor acted more like a father to me."
"He was like my annoying brother," Tegan adds.
"He took me in and under his wing when I lost everyone," Nyssa says quietly, Tegan grabs her wife's hand to give her some comfort.
"While the Doc called us Fam, I don't know what I would classify her in my family. Yaz, of course granddaughter and Ryan well, was my grandson before I met the Doc."
"Maybe at our next meeting we should ask what everyone thought of the Doctor."
"Kate may be their niece."
"Her dad was a good man."
"I admit I wasn't the nicest to him, but I wasn't a fan of authority figures then."
"Just then Ace."
"Oi, I am a lot better now," Ace nearly pouts while everyone laughs. "Why are you all laughing at me, I am not the only one that had trouble with authority."
"Honey, that was adorable." Ace sticks out her lips which makes Graham lean to her and kiss her.
"I am not adorable."
"You are more than adorable." Ace smiles while Tegan and Nyssa watch the exchange and thinking that Ace didn't hear the term of endearment drop from Graham's lips.
Ace turns to them, "what?"
"Did you not notice what he called you?"
"Huh?" Graham realizes it and tries to have his face remain neutral.
"He called you Honey," Tegan informs her.
"He did," Ace turns back and smiles at Graham, "I guess you could say I am his Honey. He is my Honey Bear."
"You are ok with it?"
"I am ok with it." They smile at each other.
"Would the two of you like some time to yourselves?"
Eyes not leaving Graham's, "sure."
"Well, you can wait for a while." Ace looks at her friends again.
"Sorry."
"You have friends too you know; we are more than happy that you and Graham found each other, but there are some people who also want to spend time with you."
"I know that Tegan."
"We haven't seen each other much since you two started dating." Graham quickly excuses himself and walks out of the room.
"I am sorry, I hadn't noticed I hadn't been spending that much time with the two of you."
"We have had maybe two dinners in the last two months."
"Oh."
"I understand that you are in love with him," Ace looks to see if Graham might have heard it. "Your friends want some time with just the three of us."
"I understand."
"Ace?"
"Yes, Nyssa."
"Why are you afraid of telling Graham how you feel."
"I know, I am known for falling fast, but I have not told many people that I love them."
"You have told us."
"Love you like sisters, but not love romantically, where I can see a future with. He is even getting a suit for future fundraising opportunities."
"You shouldn't be afraid to tell him. I told you yesterday that he looks at you the same way you look at him."
"It's one thing about him looking at me, it's another leaving me or staying silent when I say those three words."
"Ace, what is going on?"
"Each time I have told someone I love them, they either say they don't feel the same way, or just walk away, and I don't hear from them again."
"Oh Ace," both Tegan and Nyssa get up and wrap her in a hug. "With what little I have seen of you two, and remember I saw when you first called him your boyfriend, I know he will tell you the same."
"I hope, I just want to be sure he will before I tell him. We have only been together for about a month."
"A month when you talk to each other every day, probably see each other just about the same, and before you became a couple you spent a month in the same house. Before that at his bedside, then before those 4 months constantly flirting. He learned your coffee and tea orders at that time."
"Getting coffee or tea every morning together before heading to UNIT would help that."
"You mean every other week for 5 days you would get coffee together?"
"Sometimes even when I was working at A Charitable Earth."
"In that time, it didn't appear to you that you two were dating. Those coffee mornings, dinners after each meeting with the companions."
"No, though that was when I started to fall for him."
"We know, though you liked him from before."
"He seemed giddy to blow up Daleks."
"A man who likes to blow things up takes hold of your heart."
"Was there anyone else that could." Graham knocks on the wall.
"I am going to head home," he looks at Ace and sees her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"I'm ok."
"You sure," he walks to her and Ace stands up and they meet halfway through the kitchen.
"I am."
"Ok," Graham opens his arms and Ace walks into them, and they share a kiss. "I am going so the three of you can spend the day together. Everyone needs to spend some time with their friends." He starts to walk away when Ace grabs his hand and brings her lips to his again for a deeper kiss.
