The next morning Graham wakes up to an empty bed with the other side of the sheets being cold. He walks downstairs to see mother and daughter fast asleep. Getting a blanket that was on one of the chairs he lays it over them. Trying to be quiet he starts up breakfast for the three of them. As he is flipping some pancakes he feels arms come around his waist. "Good morning Babe," Ace sleepily kisses his shoulder.
"Good morning Ace," he puts the spatula down and turns around and Ace rests her head under his chin.
"When did you put the blanket around us?"
"When I came downstairs this morning to see you were asleep."
"Mmm, thank you," Ace gives me a small peck on the lips and goes to make her coffee and Graham turns back to the stove. Manisha comes into the kitchen.
"Do I smell food?"
"Graham is making us pancakes Sweetie, what do you want to drink?"
"Coffee?"
Ace gets a cup out of the cupboard, "how do you like it?"
"Cream and two sugars," Manisha slumps onto a chair as Ace makes the coffee, Manisha sighs, and Ace kisses her daughter's forehead. "Did I fall asleep on the couch?"
"You both did."
"When Graham woke up, he put a blanket over us."
"Thank you." Graham smiles as he places a large plate of pancakes on the table. Then he gets the syrup out.
"I am glad that the both of you are home."
"I will not leave home for more than work without you again Ace."
"Mum?"
"Yes?"
"I feel like I need to shower today, you know get off the other dimension and wipe away some of the memories from there."
"Of course Sweetie, you don't have to ask, this is your house too."
After breakfast Ace shows her daughter where one of the showers is and gets her a towel. While she is in there she walks up to Graham and gives him another kiss. "What was that for?"
"You got my daughter home, and we need to talk about what was said yesterday in the meeting hall." Ace directs him to the couch. "How long have you been thinking about marriage?"
"A while, but I wanted to wait until Manisha was back."
"How long is a while?"
"Since around our anniversary."
"How many know?"
"Ryan, Nyssa and the Doctor. Two of them I blurted out to. Nyssa before I realized I wanted I was ready. I then blurted it out to the Doc, when they came to pick me up to go find Manisha was more than annoyed and it slipped out."
"Why didn't you want to broach the subject with me before?"
"I don't know. What I know is that my heart continues to grow for you with each passing day. Ryan had me do something so you can legally be his Step-Grandma."
"Wait Ryan did that?"
"He did, he loves you. Look at everything he, along with Tegan, Nyssa and Yaz have done."
"Set up the perfect way for us to say I love you for the first time."
"Exactly, Ace, how do you feel about marriage?"
"It wasn't until I was an adult that I saw what a good marriage would be like. Though if I am honest I have thought what it would be like being married to you. I like it." Graham raises an eyebrow remembering her reaction from the day before, "I know I didn't react that well, but you gotta understand one of the first things out of my daughter's mouth was the idea of us getting married. It was a shock."
"You did get a few of them yesterday."
"I did, and I love it." Manisha comes out then to see Ace and Graham having a conversation. She tries to sneak around. "Manisha?"
"Man, I forgot how hard it was to sneak by you."
"Come sit." Graham reaches for the remote and turns on the tv. Manisha sits on the other side of Ace and rests her head on her shoulder while Ace rests hers on Graham's.
Graham looks at the both of them, 'is this what it would've felt like if I had children. I will one day have Manisha as my stepdaughter.' He looks down at them again to find Ace looking at him.
"What's going on in that mind of yours?"
"This feels great."
"It does," they didn't realize Manisha had fallen asleep. "I know I have said thank you a lot already but thank you."
"You don't need to say it."
"I do, you did something that I never thought possible and brought my daughter home."
"I knew that this would mean the world to you."
"It does, now I have the two most important people to me in arms reach."
"I will never leave it."
"Good, I would like to keep you," they hear some snoring. "I wonder what all happened to her in the past 15 years."
"All I know is she didn't say goodbye to anyone."
"She didn't, she took us to her apartment and picked up a few things." Graham's eyes go wide, "she left them in the TARDIS." Graham gets up and grabs his phone when there is a knock on the door. He goes to it. "Doc?" Ace slowly gets up laying her daughter on the couch.
"Professor?"
"I discovered these in the TARDIS, I don't currently have a companion, so I knew whose it would belong to." The Doctor hands over the items in a bag that Ace recognizes.
"Is that my old bag?"
"It is. When I found Manisha's thing I went to a wardrobe and the TARDIS had it hanging. I wanted to keep all her things together. I also knew as soon as you guys realized she didn't have her things, I would be bombarded with calls again from both parents." Manisha starts to wake up.
"Mum."
"Right over here Sweetie, the Doctor is dropping your stuff that you forgot on the TARDIS."
Manisha gets up and walks over to the three other adults, "thank you, Doctor."
"You're a McShane, call me Professor, I knew I would be getting many phone calls from your Mum and Graham."
"Considering how many times he called you to get me."
"Any Dad would do that. I was once a Father, Grandfather, and little did I know, I would eventually become a surrogate Father to a teenager who liked to blow things up."
"Mum did tell me a few stories about some of your adventures as nighttime stories when I was little."
The Doctor looked towards Ace, "I took out the scary parts, want some tea Professor?"
"I'm fine, gonna let you have some family time. When you are ready, Kate is ready to help Graham with adopting Manisha."
"I wouldn't mind it." Ace looks over to her daughter and smiles.
"You can get it started whenever.''
"Thank you Professor." The Doctor leaves and the family of three look at each other.
"So Dad," Manisha says. Graham brings her into a hug. Ace watches on as those two share a hug.
"Come on Ace, there is room for one more." Graham opens one of his arms and Ace walks into it. The Doctor hasn't taken off yet, they are just watching the family.
"You have flown higher and higher Ace; I am so proud of you." The Doctor hears the TARDIS make a noise, "I agree this, and more is what she deserves and more." The TARDIS takes off and the three in the house don't notice.