I do not own these characters….

Graham feels himself being pushed up against a wall. "Wha," a finger comes to his lips.

"Shush, we are not even supposed to be here right now," he looks at Ace who is breathing hard from the running. Blue eyes meet hazel, she watches as his eyes move down to her lips. A soft smirk comes to his lips. 'Is he finally ready,' Ace asks herself. The two met in a volcano over a year ago. She has been dropping hints that she likes him, but wanted him to be ready for a relationship. She didn't know if she could handle one that could be her last one. All her relationships have ended because none of them understood why she sometimes would disappear. She licks her lips in anticipation.

"Ace," he whispers. Eyes still on her lips, before moving back up to her eyes. Shining even though they are in a small corner trying not to be seen by some goons. His arm goes around her back, her head leans forward, right before their lips touch.

"What are you two doing here," says a voice. Ace reaches behind her to grab his hands before they take off running.

"Ace."

"We will continue that later, a place where we will have no interuptions."

"Can't we do it now?"

"What I want we can't exactly do while running."

"So you were ok with me almost kissing you?"

"Graham, I have wanted to kiss since the first companion support groups when you brought in Yaz acting like a worried grandfather."

"Why haven't you?"

"You weren't ready, now come on," they turn a corner and see the door they need to go through. She pulls him into the small room. "Graham help me, I can't change all of these on my own."

"Sorry, my mind was somewhere else."

"Well get it back to the current moment," she smiles thinking she knows where it is. "We can explore where your mind went later." Graham gets to work on dismantling the alien artifacts so he and Ace could safely get it out and back to UNIT. Once that's done, he takes Ace's hand again.

"If we need to run again, we shouldn't be holding hands."

"I know, but I want to hold your hand. It fits in my hand."

"Graham," she shakes her head and the two make quick work on leaving the building, once in the car Ace gets in the driver's seat. "Buckle up and be prepared for fast speeds."

"What."

"You'll see, I want to continue our almost kiss before you lose the courage. I will not kiss someone who doesn't want to be kissed." Ace takes the car out of park and slams her foot on the gas pedal, so she can finally get her feelings for the man next to her off her chest.

"ACE," Graham screams as the car moves too fast down the road until they reach UNIT.

"We are here, and Graham," she turns to him with a smile. "I don't usually take things slow, but when it comes to you." She lets the sentence trail off hoping he knows what she was about to say.

"I am ready. Once I was able to date Grace, we didn't go slow either. You have heard that Ryan didn't like me for a while. I tried, probably a little too hard, to get him to like me."

"You had from John Betherton," Ace smiles at him.

"You had me the moment you read the psychic paper." He smiles at her, his blue eyes looking deeply into her hazel eyes. "Ace, can I." There is a knock on the window, both turn to the sound.

"Are you two going to help," asks Yaz through the window.

"Come by mine tonight," Ace whispers to Graham. They get out of the car to help get everything out.

Hours later there is a knock on Ace's front door, smiling as she goes to open it. "Graham," she sees that he has a small bouquet of flowers.

"Are we giving our hearts a chance?"

"We are. Are you ready?"

"I am. I talked to Ryan and he agrees it's time. I felt I had to get his permission. He knew I was talking about you."

"He did," she asks, raising an eyebrow and taking the flowers from him.

"Said that he knew from the moment he heard how I talked about you that I liked you." He lays a hand on her cheek, "every time we talk, I grow to like you more. The first companion meeting when I saw you trying to help Yaz, I knew it was love. I was just afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid if I loved you so much and if I lost you, how I would be."

"Graham, your grief is important to work through, but you can't let it stop you from loving someone. Especially someone that loves you." With Graham's hand caressing her cheek, he brings their lips together in a chaste kiss.

"I am ready to love again," he says once the kiss is done. "And it's you that I love."

"You already said that."

"I know, I just need to say that again, and every day that you let me."

"You will need to get used to me saying those three words." She smiles again, putting the flowers aside and pushing Graham up against the door. "Kiss me how you wanted to back in that building." His arms go around her drawing her flesh against him, his lips hungrily attacking hers. Tongues begin to duel, once they both need to breathe; they break the kiss. "It's a good thing we were interrupted. Come with me," she reaches behind her and takes his hands walking backwards to the couch.

"Ace," he asks.

"You and I have been doing this dance for far too long, and if anyone asks, we are both middle aged adults."

"You and I are the only ones that matter now."

"I agree," she licks her lips as she smiles as they sit on the couch. "Graham, you and I belong together. She brings him down on top of her for another kiss.

The End