I do not own these characters.
….
The next morning Ace slowly wakes up feeling stiff. She turns her head and sees Graham is still fast asleep. She tries to move but Graham's arm is holding her in place. Lifting her arm and running her knuckle softly across his cheek. "Mmm good morning love." Graham says groggily as he wakes up.
"Morning Graham, you fell asleep twice on this in one day. How are you feeling?"
"I don't know my body hasn't woken up yet."
"Let's get some coffee in that body then," Ace gets up and Graham follows suit. "Your arm is probably the most asleep part about you."
"I think it is."
"I take it that a certain part of you is wide awake?"
"I will use the bathroom first to see if it is."
"You do that, I will make us coffee." Graham heads to one of the bathrooms as Ace preps the pot humming.
When she closes the top of the coffee pot and presses start, arms come around her, "Not as awake as we thought."
"That's ok, we have work to get to anyway. Go see if there are any clothes of yours that are clean."
"After I have some coffee."
"It's percolating."
"Ok," he runs his head along her shoulder.
"Graham that tickles," she laughs.
"I know."
"I hope the Professor doesn't show up again. It was nice last night just having the time to ourselves."
"It was, though I always like spending time with you." Ace turns in his arms and wraps her arms around his waist.
"You have no idea how much I like spending time with you," she says into his chest.
"We are a pair."
"A wonderful pair, that the relationship is mostly built on love for the person and not the body."
"That is true, I do find you attractive."
"I know Graham, and I also find you attractive," Ace steps back and looks him up and down. "The coffee should be ready by now, can you get my almond milk creamer out?"
"No problem," Graham moves away from Ace, who takes a second to look at him before turning and taking out two cups. Graham comes back but holds the creamer behind his back.
"Can I please have my creamer?" Ace tries to reach behind Graham's back and feels his arms go around hers and kisses her.
"Good morning, here's your creamer."
"If you wanted a kiss you could've just asked."
"I know, I also wanted to see you smile."
Ace smiles at that and makes both of their coffees. "Now can I have another kiss before I hand you your coffee?"
"Anytime Ace, anytime." Graham puts the creamer away and the two wrap their arms around the other and their lips meet as their eyes close and both sigh happily as they kiss. When they break, "You think everyone will hate us if we bog off work?"
"No, but when we go to work tomorrow everyone will be watching our every move."
"Really?"
"They all know that we haven't been able to consummate our relationship, and are tired of us arguing and flirting."
"They are thinking that will change once we make love."
"They do."
"We like flirting."
"Believe me, I like driving you up a wall, and getting a reaction out of Tegan when I say something like I want to hide your pickle."
"My what?"
"Think about it Graham," Ace wiggles her eyebrows and grabs her coffee and heads to her bedroom to get ready for the day.
Quietly to himself, "That woman is going to be the death of me."
"Graham, are you going to come up and get ready for work," Ace shouts down the stairs.
"Coming love." Graham brings his cups upstairs as they get ready for work. After they are done, both get in Ace's car, as Graham took his home, then walked over to Ace's the previous night. "We didn't leave together, but we are arriving together."
"Everyone knows we are a couple, Graham. They did kind of catch us making out not too long ago."
"We did think we would have more time."
"I should've taken into consideration that Tegan would've wanted me to meet Nyssa."
"At least we have that week coming up, where you have two days of a few speeches and the rest will be you and I seeing the sights around Oxford."
"Don't forget seeing the sights of each other."
"Ace."
"I had to, come on, we are here." Ace gets out of the car as Tegan, Nyssa, Adric and Neeka are getting out of Tegan's car.
"So arriving together now?" Tegan teases Ace.
"I could say the same about you."
"They live with me, what is your excuse? I know your partner lives doors down."
"Ace and I had a lovely night of talking and cuddling on the couch."
"Any appearance of you know who," Tegan asks her friend.
"We didn't even think of crossing that line last night, just content to be in each other's arms and talk." Neeka and Adric walk away. "Now I can say this, I can tell more happened then talking between the two of you; with both of your smiles." Nyssa's eyes go wide.
"How?"
"I have known Tegan for a few decades, I know how she acts after she got some."
"WHAT?!"
"Oh Tegan, Tegan, you walk differently."
"And what about you Ace?"
"I have been celibate for a number of years, though the last few months haven't been my choice."
"The Doctor is an idiot."
"Oi," Tegan and Nyssa's Doctor pops up.
"Why did you have to insult him, Tegan, you know what happens when you do that." Nyssa looks at the hologram of the Doctor she used to travel with.
"She's right Tegan." Adds Ace.
"Well if the Doctor didn't keep popping up to Ace whenever at the most inconvenient times, I would be calling him an idiot less."
"How about we take this inside before the Professor shows up." As the four solid bodies and one holographic walk into the UNIT building another holographic one pops up. "I knew you would pop up Professor, though for once it isn't a time you shouldn't be."
"I'm sorry Ace, I don't know why I keep doing it. I don't want to," his face screws up in disgust thinking what he sees when he usually pops up.
"You know if you didn't do that Professor, there wouldn't be any room for being disgusted."
"Come on you two, we know Kate is working on a way so the Docs won't appear when not needed."
"WHAT," both Doctors say in unison.
5 looks to 7 who says, "we are always needed."
Ace steps up to them, "how many of us lasted multiple decades without you? Ian has 6, Jo has 5, Tegan 4, Mel nearly 4, and myself 3. You know all we have done without you showing up, or the majority of the time needing you. You taught all of us. Mel all got back to Earth on their own without any of your help."
"Ace," both say together as Graham comes up behind her.
"Dear, you know what they are like, they don't have some of the capabilities to understand human emotions." Everyone looks at Graham but Ace who is still glaring at the Doctors.
"Did you just call Ace, Dear," 7 asks, used to being glared at by Ace.
"Graham and I have been together for the better part of a year, Professor, in fact in a couple weeks it will be 6 months since we became a we. What do you expect from people who have been together this long? I call Graham my."
"Ace?"
"Yes," she turns to face Graham, "do you not like your pet name?"
"Only when you say it, but I don't think everyone will appreciate it?"
"If they pay attention to how you take some of your tea, and well everyone knows how much you like food they can guess it?" Tegan starts to laugh, "don't you laugh Wanderer."
"Oh come on Ace, I don't travel as much as I used to."
"Exactly. You stopped after."
"After what Ace," 5 asks her.
"What Ace won't say as it slightly contradicts her point from earlier, even though I slowed down 2 years ago, I haven't done anything since everything with the Master happened."
"So my."
"What happened is that I knew someone might have wanted my help after they got dropped off."
"How many months after that?"
"2 but what Ace doesn't know I was planning a trip when Yaz showed up at a meeting. It is a good thing I stayed, because she did need me at that time, and not long after Nyssa came home."
"Why did Yaz need you?"
"She needed someone that understood what it felt like walking away from someone you love."
"Tegan, now is not the time to bring that up," Nyssa informs Tegan.
"It's true."
"It may be true, but they don't need to hear it everytime we see them."
"Before Kate fires us all we should get to work. Doc, please don't keep showing up when Ace and I are alone." Graham walks off.
"He's right Doctor," Ace tells her Doctor and hopes he disappears as she walks away, Tegan and Nyssa follow her.