Fic: Tinker, Tailor (Hex, Ace, Seven, PG-13, ~5300 words)
Title: Tinker, Tailor
Author:
livii
Characters: Hex, Ace, Seven, Nimrod
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The past has come knocking at the TARDIS’ doors.
Notes: explicit spoilers for the BF audios Project: Twilight and Project: Lazarus, but no spoilers for Project: Destiny, as I haven’t listened to it yet and I wrote most of this story, my own version of Hex discovering his family history, over two years ago (and finally decided to post it). Thanks toglinda_penguin for beta reading. ~5300 words.
Like so many other stories, it starts with a simple choice: to stay, to not stay, to travel, to see the stars.
"Vampires!" Hex says, laughing. "Doctor, you can't pull that trick on me. There might be aliens, yeah, but vampires? Now you're pulling my leg."
* * *
"The boy," he whispers, deep in an office, shrouded in dark. "We can use him. We can break him. We will be reborn."
His laugh echoes around the room.
"Online and operational," says a cool, clinical voice. "Awaiting further instructions."
"Initiate the Apollo Protocol," he replies. "For King and Country."
* * *
Minatos Minor wasn't the most pleasant stop on their journeys, but even Hex admits later that it was worth it to overthrow that government.
"I think it's Hex's turn to choose where to go next," Ace says gently, as they reconvene in the TARDIS. She watches him as he leans against the console, trying to keep from scratching a wound that's healing very slowly.
Hex looks up, a curious expression on his face. "Why so nice?" he says, but then he laughs, and shakes his head. "I'll go anywhere, Doctor, just maybe somewhere a little bit safer for right now."
The Doctor is staring at the TARDIS controls intently. "I don't know if we have much choice. We're getting a...signal, and I think we'd better check it out."
"What sort of signal?" Ace asks, but Hex is already moving to brace himself against the console for the inevitable bumpy landing; the Doctor does not answer Ace's question.
* * *
"Well, I can't say this is somewhere I was looking forward to revisiting so soon," the Doctor says, striding forward across the moor, umbrella tucked firmly under his arm.
"So soon?" Ace asks, puffing a little as she tries to keep up with the Doctor's exceptionally brisk pace.
"Monte Carlo was lovely, that time of year," the Doctor says, a little sadly, and then he shakes his head. "Ace, Hex, come along. Don't go straying; this is not friendly territory."
"It's a moor," Hex says. "And it looks like Earth. It is Earth, isn't it?"
"There's probably hobgoblins in the bushes," Ace says, grabbing Hex's arm and pulling him forward. She grins. "And zombies over the hills, and vampires under the rocks."
The Doctor turns around and glares at Ace, so intensely that both she and Hex recoil. "Not funny," he says. “Not vampires."
Hex pulls a face. "He's kidding, right?"
* * *
The first indication that something might be off comes when they turn a corner and are confronted with a sprawling building, mainly subterranean, surrounded by barbed wire.
"Well, that's not exactly welcoming, is it?" Ace says. "We going in there anyway, Professor?"
The Doctor is standing in front of the wire, an inscrutable expression on his face. "I'm not sure," he says, slowly. "I think, Ace, you might want to take Hex back to the TARDIS."
"What, you think I'm not fit for this?" Hex says, getting his back up. "And why me, and not Ace too?"
"Please, Hex," the Doctor says, but then he stops, and seems to reconsider. "Unless...well, maybe you'd better come along after all, then. But do be careful. Please stick with Ace at all times, all right?"
Hex nods, raising his eyebrows at Ace. Ace merely shrugs in reply, and they watch as the Doctor burns a hole in the barbed wire with his sonic screwdriver.
* * *
They're walking through the unnaturally quiet halls of the building when suddenly there's an alarm going off: lights flashing and sirens wailing, and the sound of doors being locked all around them.
"That one's still open!" Hex yells, taking off for a doorway at the end of the hall. The Doctor and Ace are right on his heels, but when he runs through, it slams shut behind him.
Hex turns around and hammers on the door, able to just see a sliver of Ace by peering through the tiny window in the door. He hears her hammering on the other side, but it doesn't do a lick of good.
"Terrific," he says, turning around to take a look at the room he's found himself in. Before he gets all the way around, he flinches. There's a man standing there, staring at him. And he doesn't look entirely human, nor entirely sane.
"Tommy," the man says, "I've been so wanting to meet you. Please, come with me."
"Got the wrong man," Hex starts to say, but the other man's grip on his arm is like iron, and suddenly, he feels very sleepy. Surely he can close his eyes for, oh, just a minute.
* * *
They left her, the voices scream, they left her there in the cold to die. They left her to scavenge rats, they left her to freeze. They left her, they left her, they left her.
He struggles, cries out, tries to block them out of his mind.
They thought she was nothing, they think you're nothing, nothing, nothing. But we saved her, we saved her, we saved her, they scream louder. We'll save you, too, we'll save you too.
The cut on his arm stings, badly, for a moment. There's something inside his head. Something very strong, very persuasive. Telling him...
You can make them pay.
It sounds just right.
* * *
"Hex!" Ace cries out, relief written all over her face, as he strolls into the room she's been searching an hour later. "Er, I mean, where the hell were you?"
"Had to find my way out the back passages," he replies casually, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Sorry, it was a bit complicated. Think I took a few wrong turns."
"Big baby," she says, but she smiles. "Come on, the Doctor's poking around inside the security system. Says it's really advanced. Not smiling much, but still. Should be cool."
"Way cool," he agrees, and follows her off down the hallway.
The Doctor is definitely not smiling when they show up. "Hex, thank goodness," he says, worry lining his face. "I told you to stay with Ace."
"So-rry." He pulls a face, and Ace laughs.
"This system," the Doctor says, not having noticed the exchange, "is definitely a 2.0. But it can't be, it can't – I destroyed it! Just back a mile, that way, it's still bare."
"You blow something up without me, Professor?" Ace asks, with a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Blimey, you look really upset."
"If you'd seen what this organization can do," the Doctor replies, "you'd be upset as well. Come on. We're leaving."
"Leaving?" Hex says. "But if they're evil, why don't you blow them up again?"
"I didn't say evil," the Doctor replies, "because that's too mild a term. I have to go run some tests back in the TARDIS. Since we haven't been formally greeted yet, I think I prefer to wait and come back later to meet the owners. I do so hate being physically restrained."
* * *
A few tests turn into several dozen, and the TARDIS sits on the moor, motionless, for a week. After being chased out of the lab, Ace finds Hex down in the library again.
"Quiet, it's not like you," she says, sitting down next to him. He looks at her, and she shivers.
"Gone over all funny, too," she says, shaking her head. Hex laughs.
"Just thinking, Ace. There's no law against that, is there?"
"No," she says, smiling, "but I'm going mental in here, it's so boring. The Doctor won't let me go explore that base. Honestly, it can't be that bad if they've not even tried to come capture us yet."
"Definitely boring," Hex says, and scratches his arm. Ace looks down, and sees that the old wound is bleeding again.
"You've re-injured it!" she cries, and jumps up to find bandages. She returns quickly, and sets to work taping it up. "Honestly, you're the nurse. Imagine letting it get like that."
"It's nothing," Hex says, trying to shoo her away. "Here, I'll get that myself."
"Hang on," she says, stopping suddenly. "It's not just that – look, your whole arm up to your elbow, there, it's covered in scratches. What the hell have you been doing, Hex?"
"I said it's nothing," he replies, angrily. "I've just been going out for some fresh air, all right? I can't take being cooped up in here, with – cooped up in here, that's all. And I fell down. That's all. Okay?"
"Hex," Ace says quietly, "the Professor seems to really want to keep you away from that base. You haven't been going over there, have you?"
"Oh, and he's really looking out for my best interests there, isn't he? Leave off, Ace, and leave me alone." He stands up, and storms out of the room.
* * *
Ace doesn't see Hex at all the next day, no matter where she searches. Finally, when the dawn is breaking, he's in the kitchen, though he wasn't there before. His arm is bandaged much more heavily.
"I won't go back," he says, his voice deep and lazy with tiredness. "I just had to find something, that's all. But I won't go back. I know all I need to know, now."
"I'm telling the Professor to get us out of here tomorrow," she replies, but he just smiles at her, a disarmingly toothy grin, and the next morning, she forgets to ask.
* * *
The next night, as Ace gets into bed, she remembers. She'll talk to the Professor in the morning, she thinks, as she curls up with a book.
All of a sudden she hears a faint noise – almost unnoticeable – and looks up. Hex has entered the room and is crossing it, settling himself down beside her on the bed.
"Oh! You startled me, you muppet. How'd you get so good at that?"
"Ace," Hex says, quietly. "Ace, I've missed you."
"I've been right here," Ace says, with a nervous laugh. She shifts slightly, aware of Hex's leg pressing against her own, the fact she's in her nightclothes. "What're you playing at?"
"Ace," he says again, and she finds herself slightly mesmerized by his tone, dark and insinuating.
"Don't wear it out," she says, "you great big – oh." He's put his hands around her head, a thumb gently stroking each cheekbone.
"This is a bit abnormal behaviour," she says, but she looks in his eyes as she speaks, and her attempt at flippancy dies in her throat. His hands tighten their grip just a fraction, and she feels him lean in for the kiss before he actually moves.
It's good – oh, very good, and before she knows what's happening, she's on her back and Hex is – Hex is everywhere, one hand tangled in her hair, the other hand slipping her old t-shirt up over her stomach.
"Hex," she says, fighting to control her racing pulse, "this is a really, really bad idea. Oh, god." He's got one of her breasts in his hand and she swallows, hard. "Really bad idea, Hex!"
He pulls away suddenly, like he's been slapped. He's sweating and she can clearly see how turned on he is, even through his jeans.
"I'm – oh my god, Ace, I’m so sorry," he says. "I – " and he turns and flees the room, slamming the door behind him as he goes.
"Wait!" she calls out, struggling to extricate herself from the bed sheets and rearrange her clothes. By the time she gets to the door, he's long gone. She sighs, and goes to lie back down in bed. But sleep is a long time coming.
* * *
The Doctor calls a meeting in the laboratory the next day. Ace can't look Hex in the eye, and doesn't know what she would say anyway. She thinks this is still abnormal behaviour, for her this time, and shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot.
Hex, on the other hand, is standing there coolly: wearing a long-sleeved shirt despite the warmth in the lab, and looking as if he hasn't a care in the world.
"That base is a facility of the Forge," the Doctor says, without preamble. "They have been one of my greatest enemies. You've met them before – briefly – when we were mixed up in World War One. Hex, you, you were brainwashed with their techniques, even. It's – part of why I wanted you to keep away. You're very susceptible to their tactics."
"Part of?" Hex says casually, but when Ace glances at him she sees that his eyes are like steel.
The Doctor sighs. "Hex," he says, and he sounds so, so old now, "I'm afraid you have a personal connection with the Forge, and it's one you won't be happy to know. I’m afraid that the Forge – well, it has to do with your mother."
Ace whips her head around to stare at Hex, then back at the Doctor. Hex's face is closed and tight; she sees that he's clenching his fists so hard that blood is gently seeping through his shirt, from the wound on his arm.
"I want to go there," he says, "I want to know what happened to her. They took her, didn't they? They took her?" He strides off without another word, and Ace and the Doctor head after him.
"It's much more complicated than that, Hex," the Doctor says, but he lets Hex lead the way out of the TARDIS. "But yes, I'm ready – it's time to go talk to my old...friends."
* * *
The walk over to the base is uneventful, except for the tension crackling through the air. Surprisingly, the hole the Doctor had made the week before is still there, and they have easy access.
Right before they go through, however, the Doctor holds out his arm. "Hex," the Doctor says carefully, "there are things I've never told you. Things – you should have known, and it wasn't right for me to keep them to myself, much as it will hurt me to tell you them. The thing is, Hex, it will hurt you too, and you must tell me you want to know everything."
"Please," Hex replies, with a slightly unsteady voice. "Please, Doctor, she was my mother."
"She was a wonderful woman," the Doctor says. "Strong, and brave, and she loved you very, very much."
"How'd you get her mixed up with that lot, then?" Hex asks.
"Poor Cassie was in deep already when Evelyn and I got there. Hang on. Which lot? Hex, what do you already know?"
"Quite a lot, actually," a voice says from behind them. "Grab them, don't let them go." Strong arms take Ace and the Doctor's wrists and feet, and slap on cuffs.
"How lovely to see you again, Nimrod," the Doctor says. "I suppose you've made young Hex's acquaintance already, then?"
* * *
They're dragged into a small room; Ace struggles against her bonds, but it's futile. Hex follows behind, but doesn't look them in the eye.
“So, what’s the big plan, then?” Ace asks, trying to bluster enough for all of them, since the Doctor is silent.
Nimrod turns to her, and she shudders.
“You will be silent,” he says. “I am only keeping you alive as another servant, and another way to hurt the Doctor. But if you get in my way I will kill you.”
Hex starts at this, looks angry. Ace tries to make eye contact again. Nimrod notices, and snaps his fingers. Hex goes still and quiet.
“Oh, Hex,” the Doctor says suddenly, and sadly. “What have they done to you?”
Nimrod smiles. “The question, my dear Doctor, is what have you done to him? The truth will out, Doctor. And I will have my victory.”
“It’s your fault!” Hex says, all at once animated. “Why did you leave her in Norway? You knew the Forge wanted her. It’s your fault she died!”
“Someone want to fill me in?” Ace says, but she flinches when Hex turns to her.
“She was starving, she was freezing, and she was going to die. They left her there to die. The good, benevolent Doctor.”
The Doctor shakes his head. “That’s what she wanted. Evelyn even tried to convince her, but she knew her own mind. How could we have known what would happen?”
“Always excuses,” Nimrod says, cutting in. “Now, Tommy, it’s time for us to go. Our guests have a role to play, just like you do.”
Hex shakes off Nimrod’s hand on his shoulder, but two more people appear, pale white, blank stares, and grab his arms. “Let me tear him apart,” Hex snarls. “He deserves it.”
“Hex,” the Doctor says, “this isn’t you. You’re being controlled! You can fight this! Cassandra did what she wanted. She did what she thought was best - for her, and for you.”
"You could have locked her up!" he screams, being pulled down the hall. "You could have locked her up! None of this had to happen!"
"She made her own decisions," the Doctor says, his face falling. "Hex, she had to – I couldn't force her."
"You let her die!" Hex screams, his voice breaking. With that, he's shoved out of sight.
* * *
“It was called the Twilight virus,” the Doctor says, without preamble.
Ace tests the door of their cell, kicking it as hard as she can without breaking her foot. It doesn’t budge. “And what’s that when it’s at home, then?”
“Hex’s mother was a vampire. Turned into a vampire, by the Forge. I’d worked on a cure, with Evelyn...but it was too late when we came back for her. The Forge had got her, had completely brainwashed her, even into forgetting Hex.” The Doctor looks down, expression inscrutable.
“He talked to me about his mum, once,” Ace says. “He never knew her. He told me he thought his gran was his mum until he was six.” She stops, a thought occurring to her. “Did you know he was her son when we picked him up that first time, at St. Gart’s?”
The Doctor just nods. “I thought I could...make amends. Repair the past.”
“By putting him in danger every day of his life?” Ace looks skeptical.
“By watching over him,” the Doctor says, “and one day telling him about his mother, his brave, beautiful mother who loved him until the end. But I was never as brave as she was.”
The sound of a slow clap comes through the door.
“So touching, Doctor,” Nimrod says. “But I’m afraid I must interrupt your sentimental reimagining of history. I’d like the girl, please. I have some exciting new strains of viruses to test on her.”
“It’s me you want, just take me!” the Doctor yells, as Ace struggles futilely against two of Nimrod’s pale minions.
“In time, Doctor,” Nimrod says, slamming the door shut.
* * *
Ace is finally released, after marching up and down hallways for half an hour, into a room full of laboratory equipment. Hex is standing by a set of test tubes, looking deeply uncomfortable.
“Could have told me we’d be going for a long walk, I’d have worn more suitable shoes,” Ace says, rubbing her arms where they’d been held tight. Hex doesn’t acknowledge her.
“So, vampires,” Ace says, turning to face Nimrod. “I have to tell you I’m not too keen on the idea. All that blood, and the fangs - not my thing. So if you don’t mind - “
“Sit down,” Nimrod says brusquely, cutting off her attempt at escape. “Tommy, restrain her.”
Hex mutters something under his breath, but he complies.
“Why are you doing this?” Ace says, in a low voice, as Hex comes close to do up the buckles on the restraints. “The Professor, he’d never have hurt her on purpose, and I wasn’t even there. We’re not your enemies, Hex. We want to help you.”
“You can’t give me back my mum,” he says, spitting out the words. “He can.” With that, he jabs a needle in Ace’s arm.
“Hex,” she says, as she begins to feel light-headed, “the dead are dead, and they can’t come back...” She doesn’t finish her thought. Suddenly, there are quite a few dead people in the room. Manisha, Mike, Gwendoline...
And Cassie. Well, it must be; she’s got Hex’s eyes and is taking him in her arms, holding him tight.
“This is her?” Cassie says, frowning at Ace. “Shall I hurt her for you, dearest?”
“No!” Hex says, as Ace flinches. “No, Mum, I just wanted you to meet her. I just wanted us to spend time together.”
Cassie smiles, sending shivers down Ace’s spine. “She hurt you, my baby. We have to hurt her, and the Doctor. It’s the only way.”
“Hex,” Ace says, “she’s not real. Cassie is dead. This is a fake, a phantom. Don’t listen to her!”
“She’s my mother, Ace,” Hex replies. “She’s been watching over me. Healing me. More than the Doctor ever did. More than the Doctor will ever do again!” He looks intensely agitated.
"Oh, hush, sweet Tommy," Cassie croons. "Mummy will take care of you. We’re strong now, we’re in charge now. Mummy won’t let you bleed."
As Ace watches in horror, Cassie leans over and licks Hex's arm clean. When she lifts her head, there's blood trickling out of the side of her mouth, and Ace can't stop herself from screaming.
* * *
Some time later, Ace raises her head. There’s drool on her shoulder, and Hex is standing across the way, smirking.
“Just catching up on my sleep,” Ace says, but her voice comes out all wrong, her tongue thick in her mouth.
“Come on,” Hex says, undoing the restraints. “The serum will be in your bloodstream by now. You’ll want to see Nimrod’s machine. It’s beautiful.”
“The Professor,” Ace says, slowly, “he’ll stop them. He always does.”
Hex laughs. “I’m sure he thinks he can take on Nimrod, and Oracle. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve as well.” He takes Ace’s arm and leads her out the door.
* * *
“It’s a computer,” Ace says. “I’ve seen computers before, Hex.”
“Oracle’s different,” Hex replies. “And Nimrod’s different. When he’s got it running full power, it’ll control the Doctor. It’ll control the world.”
Again, the slow clap. Nimrod clears his throat as Ace jumps, not having seen him approach.
“Such a clever student, our Tommy,” he says.
Hex smiles. “I worked with Sys all those years at St. Gart’s. I know how to use these types of systems. With the info it gave me, sabotaging the Doctor’s experiments in the TARDIS was a snap.”
“Those experiments were probably to help you, Hex!” Ace protests. “To cure you of - whatever it is Nimrod has done to you!”
“The Doctor wanted to make me forget!” Hex says, almost shouting. “He was using me, Ace, to make himself feel better, to get over his guilt at what he did to my mum. But now we’re going to use him.”
Ace opens her mouth to argue, but suddenly stumbles, dazed. “What’s happening?” she asks.
Nimrod smiles. “The serum is taking full effect. You are mine now, girl. And when the Protocol is complete, I will transform you.”
“But you’ll take care of her, like you’re taking care of me, right?” Hex asks. “Like you promised?”
“Oh, Tommy,” Nimrod says, an almost regretful expression on his face. “Haven’t you learned yet that everyone has, and will, betray you?” He snaps his fingers, and Hex’s expression goes blank.
* * *
“I demand to see Ace and Hex!” the Doctor shouts, as several minions drag him away from the cell.
“You will see them quite soon, Doctor,” Nimrod says. “We just have to finalize the preparations. There are one or two things with Oracle that I would like your input on. I remember you having a remarkable intellect and facility with these systems.”
The Doctor grimaces. “I’ll never help the Forge.”
“If you want to see your friends again, then you will,” Nimrod says. His voice is quiet and pleasant. “Just a few minor adjustments. Then it will all be over soon.”
They enter the room housing Oracle’s mainframe. It’s full of equipment, wires, electricity.
“I still have your DNA sample,” Nimrod says, in an almost off-hand way. “But I believe you concocted something even more wonderful in your lab, or at least, Tommy told me so. If you’d be so kind as to program the sequences into Oracle, we can be on our way.”
The Doctor walks over to Oracle, flexes his fingers. “I’m not sure this will have the result you expected,” he says, typing rapidly.
“I believe you’ve underestimated Tommy,” Nimrod says. The Doctor freezes, but two minions appear, and a gun in his back causes him to continue.
“That’s right,” Nimrod says, insanity returning to his eyes, a dark mania. The room lights up, sensors blinking and bleeping.
“Apollo Protocol complete,” Oracle’s cool voice states. “Time Lord DNA fully sequenced and crossed with the Dusk Project. All systems are go.”
The Doctor stares. “No, Nimrod - no!”
Nimrod laughs as the Doctor is dragged away and shackled to the wall.
"Isn't it glorious, Doctor?" Nimrod shouts, above the whirr of machinery. "A new, improved human race, finally realized – all thanks to you. The Time Lord, creating a new race of vampires, a new race of unbeatable soldiers. We will rule the Earth! And what better first subject than you?"
The Doctor struggles uselessly at his bonds. From a doorway come two figures, holding needles and syringes.
"It won't hurt a bit, Doctor," the first one says. "After all, I am a nurse." The second figure just laughs.
"Ace, Hex, you must fight this!" the Doctor shouts, but he may as well be talking to thin air, for all the notice they take of his words. Ace grabs his arm roughly and turns it over, veins laid bare, while Hex readies the needle.
"They're not yours anymore, Doctor," Nimrod says. "They will not save you."
"Cassandra!" the Doctor yells, then, and Hex takes a sudden, stumbling step backwards. "Cassandra Elizabeth Schofield!" he yells again. Hex shakes his head, then rushes forward and grabs the Doctor by the throat.
"What do you mean?" he demands, almost tripping over his words in his rush to get them out. "Why? Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't you save her?"
Suddenly he's no longer cold and efficient; he's just a broken young man, head in his hands, falling to his knees.
"Hex," the Doctor says, "Hex, please, you have to stop this. Stop it for her. I'm sorry – I'm so very sorry."
He looks up – the Doctor in chains, Ace standing, frozen between conflicting orders and desires.
"Yeah," he says. "Yeah, okay." He stands up, strides over to the mainframe, and casually pulls the wires from the wall with his bare hands.
* * *
Hex wakes up later in the TARDIS; cool, white light seeping through the bandages over his eyes.
"He's awake!" a voice says, and he realizes it's Ace's. She sounds small, and strained, and very, very scared.
Careful hands remove the bandages and he blinks, stupidly, as the world comes back into focus.
"I didn't mean for you to electrocute yourself, Master Hex," the Doctor says sadly. "Still, thank you. You saved us – you saved us all."
Hex swallows, feeling pain radiate out across his body. "I didn't save her," he says, his voice closed and tight.
"Oh, Hex," the Doctor says, "she had her own life to live, and she saved herself, in the end. She told me once that she felt she’d been taken advantage of her whole life, that she’d never had a chance to prove herself. She stayed in Norway to do that, to finally stand on her own feet, prove herself so she could go back for you. She wouldn't want you to throw your life away for her. She loved you far, far too much."
He can feel the truth in this statement, but he knows it will take time to accept. Still, he nods his head once, slowly.
"How long have I been out?" he asks. "And is it all over?"
"Three days," Ace says, and he can see now that her face is pinched and drawn as well. "And – well, mostly."
"The Forge," the Doctor says, "are not a single enemy; cut off one branch and there are always more roots left behind. Still, we dealt them a substantial blow, and I don't think what's left of them will be too keen to try to interfere with you again, young Hex. Now, get some rest."
He leaves the room, but Ace just moves closer, and sits down on the edge of the bed.
"Was it worth it, Ace?" he asks, but she just takes his hand, and doesn't reply. After several minutes, she leans down and lightly kisses his forehead.
Hex blushes, and tightens his grip on her hand.
"Ace, I – I don't know how to ever make it up to you. Do you – do you want me to leave?"
Ace laughs: it's a gentle sound, and he feels his heart swell with hope.
"No," she says simply, and leans over to brush her lips against his forehead again. She lingers for a few moments, and he breathes her in.
"It wasn't really you," she says, after she's withdrawn. "And I should have known something was wrong. You're sort of my responsibility, you know. And, you know – well."
Her last word lingers in the air, and she places her other hand over Hex's along with the first.
"Did you really need the courage to kiss me, though?" she says, suddenly, and Hex cringes. "I'm not that frightening, Hex."
"Ace," he says, "I know you don't – don't like I do. I'm – oh my god, I'm so sorry."
"Hush," she says, more gently than he could have imagined, and then she does something wildly unexpected – she leans over and kisses him carefully on the mouth. Her lips are soft and her mouth is wet and he groans helplessly, before he can stop himself, remembering the feel of her skin, her body underneath his.
She pulls back, smiling. "Let's just say – let's just start over, okay? We'll see how things go. Thank you for saving us, Hex. I know how hard it is – but I hope you'll stay."
She leaves, turning the lights off behind her as she goes. In the dark, he smiles up at the ceiling, running a finger across his lips. He falls asleep with images of Ace holding his hand running through his mind, while off in the distance, a pretty young woman waves at him, proud tears in her eyes.
Author:
liviiCharacters: Hex, Ace, Seven, Nimrod
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The past has come knocking at the TARDIS’ doors.
Notes: explicit spoilers for the BF audios Project: Twilight and Project: Lazarus, but no spoilers for Project: Destiny, as I haven’t listened to it yet and I wrote most of this story, my own version of Hex discovering his family history, over two years ago (and finally decided to post it). Thanks to
glinda_penguin for beta reading. ~5300 words.Like so many other stories, it starts with a simple choice: to stay, to not stay, to travel, to see the stars.
"Vampires!" Hex says, laughing. "Doctor, you can't pull that trick on me. There might be aliens, yeah, but vampires? Now you're pulling my leg."
* * *
"The boy," he whispers, deep in an office, shrouded in dark. "We can use him. We can break him. We will be reborn."
His laugh echoes around the room.
"Online and operational," says a cool, clinical voice. "Awaiting further instructions."
"Initiate the Apollo Protocol," he replies. "For King and Country."
* * *
Minatos Minor wasn't the most pleasant stop on their journeys, but even Hex admits later that it was worth it to overthrow that government.
"I think it's Hex's turn to choose where to go next," Ace says gently, as they reconvene in the TARDIS. She watches him as he leans against the console, trying to keep from scratching a wound that's healing very slowly.
Hex looks up, a curious expression on his face. "Why so nice?" he says, but then he laughs, and shakes his head. "I'll go anywhere, Doctor, just maybe somewhere a little bit safer for right now."
The Doctor is staring at the TARDIS controls intently. "I don't know if we have much choice. We're getting a...signal, and I think we'd better check it out."
"What sort of signal?" Ace asks, but Hex is already moving to brace himself against the console for the inevitable bumpy landing; the Doctor does not answer Ace's question.
* * *
"Well, I can't say this is somewhere I was looking forward to revisiting so soon," the Doctor says, striding forward across the moor, umbrella tucked firmly under his arm.
"So soon?" Ace asks, puffing a little as she tries to keep up with the Doctor's exceptionally brisk pace.
"Monte Carlo was lovely, that time of year," the Doctor says, a little sadly, and then he shakes his head. "Ace, Hex, come along. Don't go straying; this is not friendly territory."
"It's a moor," Hex says. "And it looks like Earth. It is Earth, isn't it?"
"There's probably hobgoblins in the bushes," Ace says, grabbing Hex's arm and pulling him forward. She grins. "And zombies over the hills, and vampires under the rocks."
The Doctor turns around and glares at Ace, so intensely that both she and Hex recoil. "Not funny," he says. “Not vampires."
Hex pulls a face. "He's kidding, right?"
* * *
The first indication that something might be off comes when they turn a corner and are confronted with a sprawling building, mainly subterranean, surrounded by barbed wire.
"Well, that's not exactly welcoming, is it?" Ace says. "We going in there anyway, Professor?"
The Doctor is standing in front of the wire, an inscrutable expression on his face. "I'm not sure," he says, slowly. "I think, Ace, you might want to take Hex back to the TARDIS."
"What, you think I'm not fit for this?" Hex says, getting his back up. "And why me, and not Ace too?"
"Please, Hex," the Doctor says, but then he stops, and seems to reconsider. "Unless...well, maybe you'd better come along after all, then. But do be careful. Please stick with Ace at all times, all right?"
Hex nods, raising his eyebrows at Ace. Ace merely shrugs in reply, and they watch as the Doctor burns a hole in the barbed wire with his sonic screwdriver.
* * *
They're walking through the unnaturally quiet halls of the building when suddenly there's an alarm going off: lights flashing and sirens wailing, and the sound of doors being locked all around them.
"That one's still open!" Hex yells, taking off for a doorway at the end of the hall. The Doctor and Ace are right on his heels, but when he runs through, it slams shut behind him.
Hex turns around and hammers on the door, able to just see a sliver of Ace by peering through the tiny window in the door. He hears her hammering on the other side, but it doesn't do a lick of good.
"Terrific," he says, turning around to take a look at the room he's found himself in. Before he gets all the way around, he flinches. There's a man standing there, staring at him. And he doesn't look entirely human, nor entirely sane.
"Tommy," the man says, "I've been so wanting to meet you. Please, come with me."
"Got the wrong man," Hex starts to say, but the other man's grip on his arm is like iron, and suddenly, he feels very sleepy. Surely he can close his eyes for, oh, just a minute.
* * *
They left her, the voices scream, they left her there in the cold to die. They left her to scavenge rats, they left her to freeze. They left her, they left her, they left her.
He struggles, cries out, tries to block them out of his mind.
They thought she was nothing, they think you're nothing, nothing, nothing. But we saved her, we saved her, we saved her, they scream louder. We'll save you, too, we'll save you too.
The cut on his arm stings, badly, for a moment. There's something inside his head. Something very strong, very persuasive. Telling him...
You can make them pay.
It sounds just right.
* * *
"Hex!" Ace cries out, relief written all over her face, as he strolls into the room she's been searching an hour later. "Er, I mean, where the hell were you?"
"Had to find my way out the back passages," he replies casually, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Sorry, it was a bit complicated. Think I took a few wrong turns."
"Big baby," she says, but she smiles. "Come on, the Doctor's poking around inside the security system. Says it's really advanced. Not smiling much, but still. Should be cool."
"Way cool," he agrees, and follows her off down the hallway.
The Doctor is definitely not smiling when they show up. "Hex, thank goodness," he says, worry lining his face. "I told you to stay with Ace."
"So-rry." He pulls a face, and Ace laughs.
"This system," the Doctor says, not having noticed the exchange, "is definitely a 2.0. But it can't be, it can't – I destroyed it! Just back a mile, that way, it's still bare."
"You blow something up without me, Professor?" Ace asks, with a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Blimey, you look really upset."
"If you'd seen what this organization can do," the Doctor replies, "you'd be upset as well. Come on. We're leaving."
"Leaving?" Hex says. "But if they're evil, why don't you blow them up again?"
"I didn't say evil," the Doctor replies, "because that's too mild a term. I have to go run some tests back in the TARDIS. Since we haven't been formally greeted yet, I think I prefer to wait and come back later to meet the owners. I do so hate being physically restrained."
* * *
A few tests turn into several dozen, and the TARDIS sits on the moor, motionless, for a week. After being chased out of the lab, Ace finds Hex down in the library again.
"Quiet, it's not like you," she says, sitting down next to him. He looks at her, and she shivers.
"Gone over all funny, too," she says, shaking her head. Hex laughs.
"Just thinking, Ace. There's no law against that, is there?"
"No," she says, smiling, "but I'm going mental in here, it's so boring. The Doctor won't let me go explore that base. Honestly, it can't be that bad if they've not even tried to come capture us yet."
"Definitely boring," Hex says, and scratches his arm. Ace looks down, and sees that the old wound is bleeding again.
"You've re-injured it!" she cries, and jumps up to find bandages. She returns quickly, and sets to work taping it up. "Honestly, you're the nurse. Imagine letting it get like that."
"It's nothing," Hex says, trying to shoo her away. "Here, I'll get that myself."
"Hang on," she says, stopping suddenly. "It's not just that – look, your whole arm up to your elbow, there, it's covered in scratches. What the hell have you been doing, Hex?"
"I said it's nothing," he replies, angrily. "I've just been going out for some fresh air, all right? I can't take being cooped up in here, with – cooped up in here, that's all. And I fell down. That's all. Okay?"
"Hex," Ace says quietly, "the Professor seems to really want to keep you away from that base. You haven't been going over there, have you?"
"Oh, and he's really looking out for my best interests there, isn't he? Leave off, Ace, and leave me alone." He stands up, and storms out of the room.
* * *
Ace doesn't see Hex at all the next day, no matter where she searches. Finally, when the dawn is breaking, he's in the kitchen, though he wasn't there before. His arm is bandaged much more heavily.
"I won't go back," he says, his voice deep and lazy with tiredness. "I just had to find something, that's all. But I won't go back. I know all I need to know, now."
"I'm telling the Professor to get us out of here tomorrow," she replies, but he just smiles at her, a disarmingly toothy grin, and the next morning, she forgets to ask.
* * *
The next night, as Ace gets into bed, she remembers. She'll talk to the Professor in the morning, she thinks, as she curls up with a book.
All of a sudden she hears a faint noise – almost unnoticeable – and looks up. Hex has entered the room and is crossing it, settling himself down beside her on the bed.
"Oh! You startled me, you muppet. How'd you get so good at that?"
"Ace," Hex says, quietly. "Ace, I've missed you."
"I've been right here," Ace says, with a nervous laugh. She shifts slightly, aware of Hex's leg pressing against her own, the fact she's in her nightclothes. "What're you playing at?"
"Ace," he says again, and she finds herself slightly mesmerized by his tone, dark and insinuating.
"Don't wear it out," she says, "you great big – oh." He's put his hands around her head, a thumb gently stroking each cheekbone.
"This is a bit abnormal behaviour," she says, but she looks in his eyes as she speaks, and her attempt at flippancy dies in her throat. His hands tighten their grip just a fraction, and she feels him lean in for the kiss before he actually moves.
It's good – oh, very good, and before she knows what's happening, she's on her back and Hex is – Hex is everywhere, one hand tangled in her hair, the other hand slipping her old t-shirt up over her stomach.
"Hex," she says, fighting to control her racing pulse, "this is a really, really bad idea. Oh, god." He's got one of her breasts in his hand and she swallows, hard. "Really bad idea, Hex!"
He pulls away suddenly, like he's been slapped. He's sweating and she can clearly see how turned on he is, even through his jeans.
"I'm – oh my god, Ace, I’m so sorry," he says. "I – " and he turns and flees the room, slamming the door behind him as he goes.
"Wait!" she calls out, struggling to extricate herself from the bed sheets and rearrange her clothes. By the time she gets to the door, he's long gone. She sighs, and goes to lie back down in bed. But sleep is a long time coming.
* * *
The Doctor calls a meeting in the laboratory the next day. Ace can't look Hex in the eye, and doesn't know what she would say anyway. She thinks this is still abnormal behaviour, for her this time, and shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot.
Hex, on the other hand, is standing there coolly: wearing a long-sleeved shirt despite the warmth in the lab, and looking as if he hasn't a care in the world.
"That base is a facility of the Forge," the Doctor says, without preamble. "They have been one of my greatest enemies. You've met them before – briefly – when we were mixed up in World War One. Hex, you, you were brainwashed with their techniques, even. It's – part of why I wanted you to keep away. You're very susceptible to their tactics."
"Part of?" Hex says casually, but when Ace glances at him she sees that his eyes are like steel.
The Doctor sighs. "Hex," he says, and he sounds so, so old now, "I'm afraid you have a personal connection with the Forge, and it's one you won't be happy to know. I’m afraid that the Forge – well, it has to do with your mother."
Ace whips her head around to stare at Hex, then back at the Doctor. Hex's face is closed and tight; she sees that he's clenching his fists so hard that blood is gently seeping through his shirt, from the wound on his arm.
"I want to go there," he says, "I want to know what happened to her. They took her, didn't they? They took her?" He strides off without another word, and Ace and the Doctor head after him.
"It's much more complicated than that, Hex," the Doctor says, but he lets Hex lead the way out of the TARDIS. "But yes, I'm ready – it's time to go talk to my old...friends."
* * *
The walk over to the base is uneventful, except for the tension crackling through the air. Surprisingly, the hole the Doctor had made the week before is still there, and they have easy access.
Right before they go through, however, the Doctor holds out his arm. "Hex," the Doctor says carefully, "there are things I've never told you. Things – you should have known, and it wasn't right for me to keep them to myself, much as it will hurt me to tell you them. The thing is, Hex, it will hurt you too, and you must tell me you want to know everything."
"Please," Hex replies, with a slightly unsteady voice. "Please, Doctor, she was my mother."
"She was a wonderful woman," the Doctor says. "Strong, and brave, and she loved you very, very much."
"How'd you get her mixed up with that lot, then?" Hex asks.
"Poor Cassie was in deep already when Evelyn and I got there. Hang on. Which lot? Hex, what do you already know?"
"Quite a lot, actually," a voice says from behind them. "Grab them, don't let them go." Strong arms take Ace and the Doctor's wrists and feet, and slap on cuffs.
"How lovely to see you again, Nimrod," the Doctor says. "I suppose you've made young Hex's acquaintance already, then?"
* * *
They're dragged into a small room; Ace struggles against her bonds, but it's futile. Hex follows behind, but doesn't look them in the eye.
“So, what’s the big plan, then?” Ace asks, trying to bluster enough for all of them, since the Doctor is silent.
Nimrod turns to her, and she shudders.
“You will be silent,” he says. “I am only keeping you alive as another servant, and another way to hurt the Doctor. But if you get in my way I will kill you.”
Hex starts at this, looks angry. Ace tries to make eye contact again. Nimrod notices, and snaps his fingers. Hex goes still and quiet.
“Oh, Hex,” the Doctor says suddenly, and sadly. “What have they done to you?”
Nimrod smiles. “The question, my dear Doctor, is what have you done to him? The truth will out, Doctor. And I will have my victory.”
“It’s your fault!” Hex says, all at once animated. “Why did you leave her in Norway? You knew the Forge wanted her. It’s your fault she died!”
“Someone want to fill me in?” Ace says, but she flinches when Hex turns to her.
“She was starving, she was freezing, and she was going to die. They left her there to die. The good, benevolent Doctor.”
The Doctor shakes his head. “That’s what she wanted. Evelyn even tried to convince her, but she knew her own mind. How could we have known what would happen?”
“Always excuses,” Nimrod says, cutting in. “Now, Tommy, it’s time for us to go. Our guests have a role to play, just like you do.”
Hex shakes off Nimrod’s hand on his shoulder, but two more people appear, pale white, blank stares, and grab his arms. “Let me tear him apart,” Hex snarls. “He deserves it.”
“Hex,” the Doctor says, “this isn’t you. You’re being controlled! You can fight this! Cassandra did what she wanted. She did what she thought was best - for her, and for you.”
"You could have locked her up!" he screams, being pulled down the hall. "You could have locked her up! None of this had to happen!"
"She made her own decisions," the Doctor says, his face falling. "Hex, she had to – I couldn't force her."
"You let her die!" Hex screams, his voice breaking. With that, he's shoved out of sight.
* * *
“It was called the Twilight virus,” the Doctor says, without preamble.
Ace tests the door of their cell, kicking it as hard as she can without breaking her foot. It doesn’t budge. “And what’s that when it’s at home, then?”
“Hex’s mother was a vampire. Turned into a vampire, by the Forge. I’d worked on a cure, with Evelyn...but it was too late when we came back for her. The Forge had got her, had completely brainwashed her, even into forgetting Hex.” The Doctor looks down, expression inscrutable.
“He talked to me about his mum, once,” Ace says. “He never knew her. He told me he thought his gran was his mum until he was six.” She stops, a thought occurring to her. “Did you know he was her son when we picked him up that first time, at St. Gart’s?”
The Doctor just nods. “I thought I could...make amends. Repair the past.”
“By putting him in danger every day of his life?” Ace looks skeptical.
“By watching over him,” the Doctor says, “and one day telling him about his mother, his brave, beautiful mother who loved him until the end. But I was never as brave as she was.”
The sound of a slow clap comes through the door.
“So touching, Doctor,” Nimrod says. “But I’m afraid I must interrupt your sentimental reimagining of history. I’d like the girl, please. I have some exciting new strains of viruses to test on her.”
“It’s me you want, just take me!” the Doctor yells, as Ace struggles futilely against two of Nimrod’s pale minions.
“In time, Doctor,” Nimrod says, slamming the door shut.
* * *
Ace is finally released, after marching up and down hallways for half an hour, into a room full of laboratory equipment. Hex is standing by a set of test tubes, looking deeply uncomfortable.
“Could have told me we’d be going for a long walk, I’d have worn more suitable shoes,” Ace says, rubbing her arms where they’d been held tight. Hex doesn’t acknowledge her.
“So, vampires,” Ace says, turning to face Nimrod. “I have to tell you I’m not too keen on the idea. All that blood, and the fangs - not my thing. So if you don’t mind - “
“Sit down,” Nimrod says brusquely, cutting off her attempt at escape. “Tommy, restrain her.”
Hex mutters something under his breath, but he complies.
“Why are you doing this?” Ace says, in a low voice, as Hex comes close to do up the buckles on the restraints. “The Professor, he’d never have hurt her on purpose, and I wasn’t even there. We’re not your enemies, Hex. We want to help you.”
“You can’t give me back my mum,” he says, spitting out the words. “He can.” With that, he jabs a needle in Ace’s arm.
“Hex,” she says, as she begins to feel light-headed, “the dead are dead, and they can’t come back...” She doesn’t finish her thought. Suddenly, there are quite a few dead people in the room. Manisha, Mike, Gwendoline...
And Cassie. Well, it must be; she’s got Hex’s eyes and is taking him in her arms, holding him tight.
“This is her?” Cassie says, frowning at Ace. “Shall I hurt her for you, dearest?”
“No!” Hex says, as Ace flinches. “No, Mum, I just wanted you to meet her. I just wanted us to spend time together.”
Cassie smiles, sending shivers down Ace’s spine. “She hurt you, my baby. We have to hurt her, and the Doctor. It’s the only way.”
“Hex,” Ace says, “she’s not real. Cassie is dead. This is a fake, a phantom. Don’t listen to her!”
“She’s my mother, Ace,” Hex replies. “She’s been watching over me. Healing me. More than the Doctor ever did. More than the Doctor will ever do again!” He looks intensely agitated.
"Oh, hush, sweet Tommy," Cassie croons. "Mummy will take care of you. We’re strong now, we’re in charge now. Mummy won’t let you bleed."
As Ace watches in horror, Cassie leans over and licks Hex's arm clean. When she lifts her head, there's blood trickling out of the side of her mouth, and Ace can't stop herself from screaming.
* * *
Some time later, Ace raises her head. There’s drool on her shoulder, and Hex is standing across the way, smirking.
“Just catching up on my sleep,” Ace says, but her voice comes out all wrong, her tongue thick in her mouth.
“Come on,” Hex says, undoing the restraints. “The serum will be in your bloodstream by now. You’ll want to see Nimrod’s machine. It’s beautiful.”
“The Professor,” Ace says, slowly, “he’ll stop them. He always does.”
Hex laughs. “I’m sure he thinks he can take on Nimrod, and Oracle. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve as well.” He takes Ace’s arm and leads her out the door.
* * *
“It’s a computer,” Ace says. “I’ve seen computers before, Hex.”
“Oracle’s different,” Hex replies. “And Nimrod’s different. When he’s got it running full power, it’ll control the Doctor. It’ll control the world.”
Again, the slow clap. Nimrod clears his throat as Ace jumps, not having seen him approach.
“Such a clever student, our Tommy,” he says.
Hex smiles. “I worked with Sys all those years at St. Gart’s. I know how to use these types of systems. With the info it gave me, sabotaging the Doctor’s experiments in the TARDIS was a snap.”
“Those experiments were probably to help you, Hex!” Ace protests. “To cure you of - whatever it is Nimrod has done to you!”
“The Doctor wanted to make me forget!” Hex says, almost shouting. “He was using me, Ace, to make himself feel better, to get over his guilt at what he did to my mum. But now we’re going to use him.”
Ace opens her mouth to argue, but suddenly stumbles, dazed. “What’s happening?” she asks.
Nimrod smiles. “The serum is taking full effect. You are mine now, girl. And when the Protocol is complete, I will transform you.”
“But you’ll take care of her, like you’re taking care of me, right?” Hex asks. “Like you promised?”
“Oh, Tommy,” Nimrod says, an almost regretful expression on his face. “Haven’t you learned yet that everyone has, and will, betray you?” He snaps his fingers, and Hex’s expression goes blank.
* * *
“I demand to see Ace and Hex!” the Doctor shouts, as several minions drag him away from the cell.
“You will see them quite soon, Doctor,” Nimrod says. “We just have to finalize the preparations. There are one or two things with Oracle that I would like your input on. I remember you having a remarkable intellect and facility with these systems.”
The Doctor grimaces. “I’ll never help the Forge.”
“If you want to see your friends again, then you will,” Nimrod says. His voice is quiet and pleasant. “Just a few minor adjustments. Then it will all be over soon.”
They enter the room housing Oracle’s mainframe. It’s full of equipment, wires, electricity.
“I still have your DNA sample,” Nimrod says, in an almost off-hand way. “But I believe you concocted something even more wonderful in your lab, or at least, Tommy told me so. If you’d be so kind as to program the sequences into Oracle, we can be on our way.”
The Doctor walks over to Oracle, flexes his fingers. “I’m not sure this will have the result you expected,” he says, typing rapidly.
“I believe you’ve underestimated Tommy,” Nimrod says. The Doctor freezes, but two minions appear, and a gun in his back causes him to continue.
“That’s right,” Nimrod says, insanity returning to his eyes, a dark mania. The room lights up, sensors blinking and bleeping.
“Apollo Protocol complete,” Oracle’s cool voice states. “Time Lord DNA fully sequenced and crossed with the Dusk Project. All systems are go.”
The Doctor stares. “No, Nimrod - no!”
Nimrod laughs as the Doctor is dragged away and shackled to the wall.
"Isn't it glorious, Doctor?" Nimrod shouts, above the whirr of machinery. "A new, improved human race, finally realized – all thanks to you. The Time Lord, creating a new race of vampires, a new race of unbeatable soldiers. We will rule the Earth! And what better first subject than you?"
The Doctor struggles uselessly at his bonds. From a doorway come two figures, holding needles and syringes.
"It won't hurt a bit, Doctor," the first one says. "After all, I am a nurse." The second figure just laughs.
"Ace, Hex, you must fight this!" the Doctor shouts, but he may as well be talking to thin air, for all the notice they take of his words. Ace grabs his arm roughly and turns it over, veins laid bare, while Hex readies the needle.
"They're not yours anymore, Doctor," Nimrod says. "They will not save you."
"Cassandra!" the Doctor yells, then, and Hex takes a sudden, stumbling step backwards. "Cassandra Elizabeth Schofield!" he yells again. Hex shakes his head, then rushes forward and grabs the Doctor by the throat.
"What do you mean?" he demands, almost tripping over his words in his rush to get them out. "Why? Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't you save her?"
Suddenly he's no longer cold and efficient; he's just a broken young man, head in his hands, falling to his knees.
"Hex," the Doctor says, "Hex, please, you have to stop this. Stop it for her. I'm sorry – I'm so very sorry."
He looks up – the Doctor in chains, Ace standing, frozen between conflicting orders and desires.
"Yeah," he says. "Yeah, okay." He stands up, strides over to the mainframe, and casually pulls the wires from the wall with his bare hands.
* * *
Hex wakes up later in the TARDIS; cool, white light seeping through the bandages over his eyes.
"He's awake!" a voice says, and he realizes it's Ace's. She sounds small, and strained, and very, very scared.
Careful hands remove the bandages and he blinks, stupidly, as the world comes back into focus.
"I didn't mean for you to electrocute yourself, Master Hex," the Doctor says sadly. "Still, thank you. You saved us – you saved us all."
Hex swallows, feeling pain radiate out across his body. "I didn't save her," he says, his voice closed and tight.
"Oh, Hex," the Doctor says, "she had her own life to live, and she saved herself, in the end. She told me once that she felt she’d been taken advantage of her whole life, that she’d never had a chance to prove herself. She stayed in Norway to do that, to finally stand on her own feet, prove herself so she could go back for you. She wouldn't want you to throw your life away for her. She loved you far, far too much."
He can feel the truth in this statement, but he knows it will take time to accept. Still, he nods his head once, slowly.
"How long have I been out?" he asks. "And is it all over?"
"Three days," Ace says, and he can see now that her face is pinched and drawn as well. "And – well, mostly."
"The Forge," the Doctor says, "are not a single enemy; cut off one branch and there are always more roots left behind. Still, we dealt them a substantial blow, and I don't think what's left of them will be too keen to try to interfere with you again, young Hex. Now, get some rest."
He leaves the room, but Ace just moves closer, and sits down on the edge of the bed.
"Was it worth it, Ace?" he asks, but she just takes his hand, and doesn't reply. After several minutes, she leans down and lightly kisses his forehead.
Hex blushes, and tightens his grip on her hand.
"Ace, I – I don't know how to ever make it up to you. Do you – do you want me to leave?"
Ace laughs: it's a gentle sound, and he feels his heart swell with hope.
"No," she says simply, and leans over to brush her lips against his forehead again. She lingers for a few moments, and he breathes her in.
"It wasn't really you," she says, after she's withdrawn. "And I should have known something was wrong. You're sort of my responsibility, you know. And, you know – well."
Her last word lingers in the air, and she places her other hand over Hex's along with the first.
"Did you really need the courage to kiss me, though?" she says, suddenly, and Hex cringes. "I'm not that frightening, Hex."
"Ace," he says, "I know you don't – don't like I do. I'm – oh my god, I'm so sorry."
"Hush," she says, more gently than he could have imagined, and then she does something wildly unexpected – she leans over and kisses him carefully on the mouth. Her lips are soft and her mouth is wet and he groans helplessly, before he can stop himself, remembering the feel of her skin, her body underneath his.
She pulls back, smiling. "Let's just say – let's just start over, okay? We'll see how things go. Thank you for saving us, Hex. I know how hard it is – but I hope you'll stay."
She leaves, turning the lights off behind her as she goes. In the dark, he smiles up at the ceiling, running a finger across his lips. He falls asleep with images of Ace holding his hand running through his mind, while off in the distance, a pretty young woman waves at him, proud tears in her eyes.