He's alone again when he finds her. There was, well, he wasn't quite sure what it was, but he was trapped, and then before he has time to think, there's a hand in his and an explosion behind them as they run.
"Where am I?" he asks, carefully, when they've caught their breath.
Her face hardens. She's supposed to be too young to look that way.
"Why do you care?"
Hands in his pockets, rocking on his toes. "Can't run into myself, see? Might cause a paradox. Universe tears itself apart." He frowns. "I know I taught you this stuff."
"You remember that," she spits. "But you don't remember what you did to me?"
"Sorry? Wait, what? What I did to you?"
She looks like she's just been slapped, and when she speaks, her voice is terribly, horribly controlled. "You left me. You left me here, and you took the TARDIS, and now you're... new. How long has it been for you, Doctor?"
"A very long time. But you knew who I was."
"Of course I know you. You've regenerated, is all. It's still you. Haven't changed that much."
He opens his mouth to reply, but finds that he can't, that his body has put his arms around her almost without thought. He expects resistance, and for a moment it's there but then she relaxes, limp and exhausted. He knows when he is in her life now.
"Has something happened, professor?" she asks, so quietly.
He holds her against him, leaning his cheek on her hair, staring at the sky. He wishes she hadn't asked. She'll know, soon enough.
"I didn't leave you," he says, instead. "Not you. He's coming back. It's in my past now, but it's still in your future. He was trying to protect you this time."
She smiles, suddenly, and he hopes she believes him. "Fat lot of good that did." She gestures at the blood and dirt on her clothes, half laughing. "Time Lords again, right? And the bloody High Council don't want me there."
He nods. "Yup."
"I could have helped, you know. If you'd taken me with you."
"I know, Ace."
"You can't leave me, professor." He can feel her breath on his cheek. "You need me. And when you come back, I'm gonna kill you for this."
He kisses her just once, knowing he shouldn't. "I know. I remember."
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timeasmymeasure
Ace/Ten
Date: 2008-06-03 04:15 pm (UTC)"Where am I?" he asks, carefully, when they've caught their breath.
Her face hardens. She's supposed to be too young to look that way.
"Why do you care?"
Hands in his pockets, rocking on his toes. "Can't run into myself, see? Might cause a paradox. Universe tears itself apart." He frowns. "I know I taught you this stuff."
"You remember that," she spits. "But you don't remember what you did to me?"
"Sorry? Wait, what? What I did to you?"
She looks like she's just been slapped, and when she speaks, her voice is terribly, horribly controlled. "You left me. You left me here, and you took the TARDIS, and now you're... new. How long has it been for you, Doctor?"
"A very long time. But you knew who I was."
"Of course I know you. You've regenerated, is all. It's still you. Haven't changed that much."
He opens his mouth to reply, but finds that he can't, that his body has put his arms around her almost without thought. He expects resistance, and for a moment it's there but then she relaxes, limp and exhausted. He knows when he is in her life now.
"Has something happened, professor?" she asks, so quietly.
He holds her against him, leaning his cheek on her hair, staring at the sky. He wishes she hadn't asked. She'll know, soon enough.
"I didn't leave you," he says, instead. "Not you. He's coming back. It's in my past now, but it's still in your future. He was trying to protect you this time."
She smiles, suddenly, and he hopes she believes him. "Fat lot of good that did." She gestures at the blood and dirt on her clothes, half laughing. "Time Lords again, right? And the bloody High Council don't want me there."
He nods. "Yup."
"I could have helped, you know. If you'd taken me with you."
"I know, Ace."
"You can't leave me, professor." He can feel her breath on his cheek. "You need me. And when you come back, I'm gonna kill you for this."
He kisses her just once, knowing he shouldn't. "I know. I remember."
Requests: Donna/Rose, Ten/Rose, Nine/Jack/Rose