homeplot (Torchwood Jack-Ace);
It was familiar.
It was familiar in a way that made Ace curl up in a ball, hunched under her covers, the blanket over her head. She made an upset noise in the depth of her throat (perhaps something that sounded like 'uuugh'), but it was a gutteral grunt that was purely from her subconcious. It was that she was cold, that she was so fucking cold-
She blinked open her eyes once she'd rolled onto her back, and was greeted with a sea of white. Not walls and ceilings of wood, but just white. She was almost blinded, almost like someone who saw the sun after being stuck in a cave for a long time. She peered up at the white, the indents slowly coming into focus. "What?"
It was a soft question, the back of her arm rubbing against her eyes. She was dreaming, this was- this had to be wrong. She was in a pair of Jack's old boxers and an oversized t-shirt, and it was so fucking cold. Not quite as bad as when it'd started snowing on the island, but she shivered as she wrapped her blanket around her, half-sitting up. "What?" She twisted, her eyes scanning her room.
Her room.
Her room that was back on the TARDIS, that was her being completely alone- "No. No, you bloody-" Her voice started to rise, stumbling as she scooted out of bed. "You bloody fucking-" She was yelling, sliding towards the door, limping as she got the door open.
And saw the TARDIS hallway.
She was home.
She stumbled, her shoulder against the far wall as her bare feet slapped against the smooth floor of the air-conditioned TARDIS. She was home, but this wasn't home anymore. This wasn't home, and by being here... No more Ianto. No more Jack. She remembered all of it and it almost made her sick. Ianto slowly stroking her hair, her head almost in his lap as they watched her life. As Jack holding her when she cried, of his hands cupping her face as he bent to kiss her, the softest words slipping form his lips to her own.
You're my girl.
And never again. "Oh, God." It was a whisper, it was hurt and carrying every bit of pain she felt. "Take me back. He'll have to take me back." She had to go back, couldn't lose that, couldn't- And it was after everything, after they were fighting and- She'd not even gotten to say she was sorry. She was always too fucking proud, and now she'd lost them.
Jack. She'd promised him that she'd never leave him, that she'd always be there, and now he would be left again, would be alone when she'd promised him- And now she was just another person who'd left him, was just someone else to be forgotten. Was someone who loved him-
She'd dropped the blankets, moving faster towards the console room, not caring that she should be going slower- that made her think of Jamie Maddox and Billy Prior, of the pain and the suffering and Jack carrying her and Ianto making her coffee. Ace pushed the door open, not even remembering that she was supposed to take it easy.
"Take me back." Tears tracked her cheeks, and she moved forward even as the Doctor's head snapped up. "Take me back, Professor- Just-" She kept moving on him, even as he looked up at her.
"Ace, what is-" He cut off as he looked her up and down, saw the scars that'd been absent, the shirt that was easily from a time period she'd never been too, her longer hair and tanner skin then it'd been a minute ago.
And she was crying.
"Take me back, you fucking bastard-" She shoved him, hard enough to make him stumble back a few feet. "You always do this, but you can take me back. If I've ever been fucking enough-" She stared at those confused eyes that she'd thought were kind, that she'd thought it was the best she could get- "You toerag-" She swung before she'd thought, her entire body turning as her fist connected with his jaw, actually knocking him off his feet.
She just stood over him, crying as her shoulders lifted and fell. She didn't care anymore, her voice cracking. "I know you can't go to other dimensions, but take me back anyway." She hadn't even realised that she'd not explained, that he had nothing to go on, but she didn't care. She just hurt so badly, and wanted to go home. To go back to Jack, to the island, to where she had more to life then just- then just nothing.
"What're you doing?" Simple words, the Doctor's eyes running over her, noting every single change, trying to figure out what the hell'd happened. She was- he'd never seen her like this, and unless he missed his mark she was thinner and leaner and- ... Older. She was older.
She shook her head as she leaned against the console, using it for support. "I was on an island. I was on an island, and you were fucking there, but it was removed from space-time. It was your tenth incarnation, and you have to bloody well take me back. I don't care how, but do it." Do it.
"I- I can't-" He pulled himself to his feet, making sure he was outside of striking distance. "I can't travel trans-dimensionally." He stared at her, trying to wrap his brain around this entire thing. "Was it on Earth?"
Ace shook her head, and turned to stare at the TARDIS. She'd been studying- "I can fly her. And if I can't bloody well fly her, I'll do what I can-" The Doctor protested, but she wasn't listening. Wasn't moving or replying, just staring for those few moments until he reached out to stop her, and at that touch she started. Her shoulders hitched, and he guided her without thinking so that her fingers fisted in his sweater vest, her tears hot against the slight scratch of the wool.
She'd lost everything.
----
"I'm leaving." It was quiet, hours later as she shoved the last of her things into an extra bag that the Doctor had found. "I know where you want to take me, Professor." She stared up at him, her eyes dark with misery.
The Doctor shook his head slightly, looking away. "I always thought you'd have so much potential, Ace." They were quiet words, but after she'd told him everything, after she'd talked about Gallifrey and the Time War he seemed to believe her.
"I know you thought I had potential. You wouldn't get out of my life, you kept trying to change me-" She cut herself off, her shoulders tightening. "Take me to Cardiff. 1989."
----
She stepped out of the TARDIS, knowing that all she had to do was wait. He'd come- of course he'd come. He knew that noise, knew what it was, and all she had to do was wait. She stood in front of the doors, staring at the paving stone, watching as it moved. Waiting for him.
"You're sure?"
"Leave me alone."
And she started her life again.
Linked to Main Comm 06-13-07.
It was familiar in a way that made Ace curl up in a ball, hunched under her covers, the blanket over her head. She made an upset noise in the depth of her throat (perhaps something that sounded like 'uuugh'), but it was a gutteral grunt that was purely from her subconcious. It was that she was cold, that she was so fucking cold-
She blinked open her eyes once she'd rolled onto her back, and was greeted with a sea of white. Not walls and ceilings of wood, but just white. She was almost blinded, almost like someone who saw the sun after being stuck in a cave for a long time. She peered up at the white, the indents slowly coming into focus. "What?"
It was a soft question, the back of her arm rubbing against her eyes. She was dreaming, this was- this had to be wrong. She was in a pair of Jack's old boxers and an oversized t-shirt, and it was so fucking cold. Not quite as bad as when it'd started snowing on the island, but she shivered as she wrapped her blanket around her, half-sitting up. "What?" She twisted, her eyes scanning her room.
Her room.
Her room that was back on the TARDIS, that was her being completely alone- "No. No, you bloody-" Her voice started to rise, stumbling as she scooted out of bed. "You bloody fucking-" She was yelling, sliding towards the door, limping as she got the door open.
And saw the TARDIS hallway.
She was home.
She stumbled, her shoulder against the far wall as her bare feet slapped against the smooth floor of the air-conditioned TARDIS. She was home, but this wasn't home anymore. This wasn't home, and by being here... No more Ianto. No more Jack. She remembered all of it and it almost made her sick. Ianto slowly stroking her hair, her head almost in his lap as they watched her life. As Jack holding her when she cried, of his hands cupping her face as he bent to kiss her, the softest words slipping form his lips to her own.
You're my girl.
And never again. "Oh, God." It was a whisper, it was hurt and carrying every bit of pain she felt. "Take me back. He'll have to take me back." She had to go back, couldn't lose that, couldn't- And it was after everything, after they were fighting and- She'd not even gotten to say she was sorry. She was always too fucking proud, and now she'd lost them.
Jack. She'd promised him that she'd never leave him, that she'd always be there, and now he would be left again, would be alone when she'd promised him- And now she was just another person who'd left him, was just someone else to be forgotten. Was someone who loved him-
She'd dropped the blankets, moving faster towards the console room, not caring that she should be going slower- that made her think of Jamie Maddox and Billy Prior, of the pain and the suffering and Jack carrying her and Ianto making her coffee. Ace pushed the door open, not even remembering that she was supposed to take it easy.
"Take me back." Tears tracked her cheeks, and she moved forward even as the Doctor's head snapped up. "Take me back, Professor- Just-" She kept moving on him, even as he looked up at her.
"Ace, what is-" He cut off as he looked her up and down, saw the scars that'd been absent, the shirt that was easily from a time period she'd never been too, her longer hair and tanner skin then it'd been a minute ago.
And she was crying.
"Take me back, you fucking bastard-" She shoved him, hard enough to make him stumble back a few feet. "You always do this, but you can take me back. If I've ever been fucking enough-" She stared at those confused eyes that she'd thought were kind, that she'd thought it was the best she could get- "You toerag-" She swung before she'd thought, her entire body turning as her fist connected with his jaw, actually knocking him off his feet.
She just stood over him, crying as her shoulders lifted and fell. She didn't care anymore, her voice cracking. "I know you can't go to other dimensions, but take me back anyway." She hadn't even realised that she'd not explained, that he had nothing to go on, but she didn't care. She just hurt so badly, and wanted to go home. To go back to Jack, to the island, to where she had more to life then just- then just nothing.
"What're you doing?" Simple words, the Doctor's eyes running over her, noting every single change, trying to figure out what the hell'd happened. She was- he'd never seen her like this, and unless he missed his mark she was thinner and leaner and- ... Older. She was older.
She shook her head as she leaned against the console, using it for support. "I was on an island. I was on an island, and you were fucking there, but it was removed from space-time. It was your tenth incarnation, and you have to bloody well take me back. I don't care how, but do it." Do it.
"I- I can't-" He pulled himself to his feet, making sure he was outside of striking distance. "I can't travel trans-dimensionally." He stared at her, trying to wrap his brain around this entire thing. "Was it on Earth?"
Ace shook her head, and turned to stare at the TARDIS. She'd been studying- "I can fly her. And if I can't bloody well fly her, I'll do what I can-" The Doctor protested, but she wasn't listening. Wasn't moving or replying, just staring for those few moments until he reached out to stop her, and at that touch she started. Her shoulders hitched, and he guided her without thinking so that her fingers fisted in his sweater vest, her tears hot against the slight scratch of the wool.
She'd lost everything.
----
"I'm leaving." It was quiet, hours later as she shoved the last of her things into an extra bag that the Doctor had found. "I know where you want to take me, Professor." She stared up at him, her eyes dark with misery.
The Doctor shook his head slightly, looking away. "I always thought you'd have so much potential, Ace." They were quiet words, but after she'd told him everything, after she'd talked about Gallifrey and the Time War he seemed to believe her.
"I know you thought I had potential. You wouldn't get out of my life, you kept trying to change me-" She cut herself off, her shoulders tightening. "Take me to Cardiff. 1989."
----
She stepped out of the TARDIS, knowing that all she had to do was wait. He'd come- of course he'd come. He knew that noise, knew what it was, and all she had to do was wait. She stood in front of the doors, staring at the paving stone, watching as it moved. Waiting for him.
"You're sure?"
"Leave me alone."
And she started her life again.
Linked to Main Comm 06-13-07.