Chapter 10

As the seagulls flew with a white blur of fluttering wings in a sky of deep blue, Hex sat in the shelter on the pier and looked out to sea, watching distant ships as they passed by.

It was too early for the pub and he wasn't in the mood for beer anyway. And the sights sounds of the arcades and the rides had been cheering at first, but he had been here for a week now and he was becoming bored of the slot machines and the amusements.

But the sea was another matter – he could sit and look at the water for hours, it brought a sense of peace with it, along with the fresh salt air that always woke him up and kept him alert no matter how quiet the day seemed, or how each day had started to slide into a repeat of the one before.

He had spent much time out of the house.

The reason he had made a habit of going out every day was because the atmosphere was tense – he had been shocked when he had found out about the Doctor's decision regarding the Rani, but Ace had been upset to the point that it was noticeable, in the way she spoke little and often avoided conversation with the Doctor.

Hex had checked him over and found he was more or less healed now, the burns were healing well and the bruises were fading. The Doctor was still taking the painkillers, but only because he had advised him to take them . He was able to walk easily and his back was giving him no problems now.

But he guessed the Doctor had given himself a much worse long term problem by revealing the truth to Ace. The ordeal he had suffered had affected her deeply, and the Doctor had dealt with the matter and was trying to move on – but he had not considered how Ace felt about his decision to spare the Rani's life.

Hex was not surprised, he knew the Doctor hated violence and slaughter and always preferred to end a bad situation peacefully where it was possible to do so, but at the same time, he knew what Ace had been through, because while the Doctor had been locked up, he had been there for her, supported her through all her distress and fears for the one she loved.

The Doctor had missed that, and he wasn't sure if he had given much thought to it, but Hex had made his decision on the matter:

He was keeping out of it.

This was their business, and only the Doctor and Ace could sort it out together...

And with that thought in mind, Hex settled back comfortably in his seat and watched as ships passed by on the horizon. He saw two far off boats that looked as if they were about to collide, but of course they glided past each other, and he smiled, feeling like a little kid as he resisted the urge to jump up and lean over the rail and point, yelling, Two ships colliding!

Then he briefly thought of Ace and the Doctor again and hoped that eventually, if they had enough time alone, they would be able to talk and clear the air. And he hoped they did it soon, because he wanted the Doctor and Ace to be like they used to be – close, and now it mattered even more because of all they had been through – and for the sake of the hopes and dreams they had shared before his ordeal on a far away planet had torn their plans apart...

Ace and the Doctor had woken late that morning.

The Doctor had got up and made breakfast and then woken Ace with a gentle kiss, and she had forced a brief smile and after putting on a thin silken robe, had joined him on the balcony.

But they had said little during breakfast, despite his efforts to make conversation.

As he set his plate aside he cast a glance at the sea view.

"All I thought about when I was incarcerated was being close to you," he said quietly as his gaze reflected the calm sea, "All I wanted to do was shut off from the situation and picture myself with you, away from there, in a different time and place with no pain."

The morning breeze shifted soft strands of hair from her face as she looked across the table at him.

"I know that, you told me."

Then anger flashed in his eyes, and it was anger he was struggling to contain as he tried to handle the frustration that was difficult to control as Ace looked at him with such resentment in her eyes.

"My thoughts," he said, "Were not on plotting revenge against my captor! I was not thinking about overpowering her and beating her or stringing her up for what she did to me!"

Ace stared at him, surprised at his sudden outburst.

"Of course you wouldn't! It's all clear now – she was your ex lover. I know why you didn't want to kill her.. too many memories.."

And the Doctor looked at her in disbelief.

"Memories? Ace, she was a poisonous woman right from the start, ever since I first knew her! I was never in love with her, love had nothing to do with any decision I ever made regarding the Rani! Please think outside of the human earth-based-box and understand I'm centuries old, I've had many lifetimes and many loves – but she was not one of those loves!"

Confusion clouded her eyes.

"So you let her live purely because -"

"Because I had it in my power to prevent her death, yes!"

Ace still felt confused.

"But why?" she demanded, "Why do that, after what she did to you?"

The Doctor reached across the table and took hold of both her hands, his grip was firm and by the look in his eyes he had no intention of letting go until she did see his point of view...

"Because I'm better than her. Because it's easier to hate than it is to forgive, because I like to take the difficult choice over the easy one every single time, because two wrongs do not make a right, because I'm the Doctor and I lose if I embrace evil – it's the one thing I've always fought against! Do you understand now, Ace? I don't care about the Rani; But I do care about my own choices and the consequences of those choices, for the sake of my own standards and moral beliefs. The day I lower myself to mirror the actions of evil, is the day I lose myself!"

Passion burned in his eyes, it was a passion for all he believed in and in that moment it seemed as if the fires of time were burning in his eyes.

And in that moment, Ace finally understood.

"You can only win if you don't allow yourself to hate."

He smiled as his eyes shone with warmth.

"Of course! We both have to let go of this, Ace – otherwise the pain will linger like a scar that never heals. I have many lifetimes ahead of me and I while I hope there's room to learn along the way, I have no intention of carrying unnecessary baggage – and neither should you! Remember, you have one lifetime – all the more reason not to hold on to old hurts. You humans live for such a short time, it's better to fill it with the positive instead of the negative, don't you think?"

And she started to smile, silently feeling immensely proud to know the man she loved possessed such strength of mind that he could let go of all the pain and the anger and stay true to his own beliefs.

Then the Doctor got up from the table, turning back to the bedroom.

"Come on," he said, "No more of this thinking about the past. Let's think about the future now."

And as she got up from the table too and went over to the doorway that led to the bedroom, she smiled as she looked into his eyes.

"I'm sorry I've been so distant. I didn't mean to be, I just didn't know what to say about everything. But I understand now..."

He held out his hand.

"Come back to bed," he said softly, "I've missed you."

And she took his hand and he led her inside.

It was late in the afternoon and Hex had taken another walk along the pier, after a stroll along the beach and several hours doing nothing as he took a look around the shops that lined the promenade.

Now he was leaning on the railing and looking out to sea, watching distant ships and listening to the sounds of the lively amusement arcade.

This place could be boring day after day through the summer, but at the same time, the Doctor had been right – it was peaceful, in the sense that no alien trouble lurked here beneath the surface, ready to rise up and cause mayhem...

As he watched the sunlight dance on the water, he wondered how the Doctor and Ace were getting on.

And then he heard laughter and turned to see the Doctor and Ace hurrying along the pier. Ace said something to the Doctor and he stopped, lifted her off her feet and kissed her as she laughed and then he set her down again, and turned to see him standing by the rail and said something to Ace again, indicating to Hex with his umbrella.

They walked towards him hand in hand.

Hex smiled:

It was obvious their troubles were now resolved...

As they walked up to him, Ace smiled as she looked at the Doctor.

"I like it here," she said, "Maybe we should stay for the rest of the summer."

And the Doctor smiled too, his thoughts shifting back to the way they had spent the past few hours, warm and close beneath damp sheets as they made love like the world outside the bedroom didn't even exist any more... They had certainly made up for their lack of closeness over the past few days, he had kissed every inch of her, tasted her, taken her in every way he could, and only exhaustion had prevented them from staying in bed all day long, just to be together, their bodies locked together as they made up for lost time...

"Yes, perhaps we should," the Doctor replied, "I rather like it here too, Ace."

"I think its good for both of us, Professor," she said, and as she kissed him again, Hex noticed her face was definitely flushed, and so was the Doctor's, a sure sign they had - no, he didn't want to think about what they had been up to, not because he was jealous, simply because it was none of his business...

"What about you, Hex?" the Doctor asked, "Would you like to stay for the rest of the summer?"

He smiled.

"I don't see why not – but I'll give you two plenty of space... "

"You don't have to do that!" the Doctor told him, "We've worked it all out now...everything is going to be just fine."

And Ace smiled, and her eyes shone with love.

"Of course it is," she said softly.

"I was just about to go for some chips," Hex said, "There's a cafe up here near the end of the pier. Do you want to come with me?"

Ace was still holding on to the Doctor's hand.

"Sounds like a good idea," she agreed, and they began to walk along together as the sea breeze blew gently carrying the cries of gulls and the smell of salt.

As they made their way along the pier, Hex glanced at the Doctor.

"You look like you've got over it now," he told him, "You've healed fast. I'm surprised about that!"

The Doctor glanced to Ace, then back at Hex, and he looked at him knowingly.

"All wounds heal eventually," he said, "And some leave scars, but it's how we handle them, that's what matters most – and mine are gone now."

"Mine too," Ace added, and the Doctor turned to Ace and gave her a kiss, their gaze locked for a moment but nothing more was said as a look of love passed between them, and then they carried on walking along the pier, heading for a cafe where chips and afternoon tea awaited them.

End.