AN: Usual disclaimer, blah blah. I don't own anything in the Doctor Who universe except Celeste and any characters I create throughout the story. Now, on to the fun stuff! So this chapter is SUPER long. Like, 17 pages in word, long. I'm not sure if I'll try to keep the chapters this long in the future or if I'll try to break it up a bit. If you feel that strongly in either direction, leave a review and I'll see what the consensus is. Also, I don't have a beta so I apologize in advance for any spelling mistakes there are and any points where my grammar is off. I'm kind of picky so I do my best to not spell things incorrectly or use improper grammar. But shit happens. Anyway! Read and review if you're so inclined! Or just read. Whatever floats your boat. Also, my direction for this story at this moment is to continue with several episodes and then I may inject a few unique things. I may also skip a few episodes in the show that I'm not super crazy about because reasons. ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

Celeste followed Rose into her apartment sedately, trying not to show the glee that had been building inside since the Doctor had left them. She had met the Doctor! The last of the Time Lords! She slapped her hand over her mouth to prevent the hysterical laughter that was bubbling under the surface from escaping. Rose set her bag down and called out to her mom, "Mum! I'm back! You here?"

Celeste heard Jackie gasp from the kitchen before she appeared in the doorway, phone in hand. "Rose! Oh thank god!" Jackie grabbed Rose and hugged her tightly. "I was worried sick! Why weren't you answering your phone?"

Rose pulled away from Jackie, "I didn't hear it. Sorry." Jackie frowned at her daughter and her eyes suddenly caught sight of Celeste, who was standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Who's this then?"

Rose looked over at Celeste, "This is Celeste. She was at the shop with me, new employee. Her bag was stolen and she has nowhere to go. I told her she could stay here tonight and we could figure out her next move in the morning. Sorry for not phoning ahead. This is my mum, Jackie."

Celeste smiled politely, "Nice to meet you. Sorry for the trouble."

Jackie waved a hand dismissively, "Of course not, you poor thing. Both of you sit down on the couch and I'll make you a nice cup of tea." Celeste nodded thankfully while Rose rolled her eyes. The two of them settled on the couch, Rose turning on the TV to watch the news which showed the shop burning up. Jackie returned after a moment, phone attached to her ear and two cups of tea. She set them down and continued to gab on the phone. Rose sighed heavily and Celeste glanced at her in concern, "You all right?"

Rose merely nodded and continued to stare at the TV. Celeste turned her attention back to the screen as well but couldn't help but listen to Jackie on the phone.

"I know. It's on the telly. It's everywhere. She's lucky to be alive. Honestly, it's aged her. Skin like an old bible. Walking in now you'd think I was her daughter. Oh, and here's himself."

Celeste glanced over as Mickey stormed in, concern on his face. He looked over at Celeste for a moment before sitting down next to Rose and practically throwing himself on top of her. "I've been phoning your mobile. You could've been dead. It's on the news and everything. I can't believe that your shop went up!" Celeste let out a small giggle at the sight. Mickey had his amusing moments in the first season but he was very clingy and scared easily. She could see why Rose gravitated towards the Doctor instead; the Doctor was much more dashing and exciting. She stopped her train of thought abruptly when she felt her cheeks flush. Now was not the time to think about how amazing the Doctor was.

Rose struggled and pushed Mickey away, "I'm all right, honestly, I'm fine! Don't make a fuss."

"Well, what happened?" he asked, sitting back to stare at Rose.

"I don't know!" Rose cried, her eyes narrowed on the TV as more images of the burning shop came on.

Celeste stuck out her hand in an attempt to prevent Mickey from annoying Rose further, "Hi, I'm Celeste. I work with Rose." She paused for a moment, "Well, worked, I suppose. Given that our job is now in flames."

Mickey shook her hand, "I'm Mickey. You were there too? Did you see what happened?"

Celeste shrugged as Rose looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "I'm not sure. Rose and I were outside when it happened. We just heard the explosion and poof! There goes the shop."

Jackie came into the room, phone in her hand, "It's Debbie on the end. She knows a man on the Mirror. Five hundred quid for an interview."

Rose's face lights up as she holds out her hand, "Oh that's brilliant! Give it here." Jackie hands the phone over to Rose who immediately hangs it up and she stares at the TV again. Celeste snickers and gives Jackie an apologetic look. Jackie huffs, her hands on her hips, "Well, you've got to find some way of making money. Your job's kaput and I'm not bailing you out." Her gaze shifted to Celeste, "You can stay as long as you need, sweetheart. You poor thing. Must be terribly shocked, do you need some more tea?"

Rose's mouth dropped, "Seriously? Mum!"

Celeste shook her head, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter, "No, I'm fine thank you." Jackie nods her head, her gaze sympathetic. The phone rings again and she immediately snatches it up. "Bev! She's alive. I've told her, sue for compensation. She was within seconds of death!" Jackie walked back into the kitchen to continue her conversation with Bev. Mickey grabbed the cup that Rose had been drinking from.

"What're you drinking, tea? Nah, nah, that's no good, that's no good. You're in shock. You need something stronger."

Rose waved her hand at him, "I'm all right."

Mickey looked at Rose pleadingly, "Now, come on, you deserve a proper drink. We're going down the pub, you and me. My treat. How about it?" He looked over at Celeste, "You can come along if you'd like."

Celeste shook her head, "I'm fine here. Thank you for the offer though."

Rose continued to stare at the TV, "Is there a match on?"

Mickey had the good grace to look embarrassed, "No, I'm just thinking about you, babe."

"There's a match on, ain't there."

"That's not the point, but we could catch the last five minutes."

Rose smiled reluctantly, "Go on, then. I'm fine, really. Go. Get rid of that." She gestures to the arm that is laying on the chair. Mickey stares at her, pouting slightly. Rose let out a laugh and kissed him. Celeste smiled at the couple. It was sad, really. Mickey and Rose seemed so good together. Mickey got up and grabbed the arm, pretending to choke himself. Rose laughed again while Celeste frowned slightly, knowing that the arm would be coming back in the morning. The two girls turn back to the TV and watch the building burn, both of them with very different thoughts in their heads. After another hour, Rose got up and looked over at Celeste, "I'll grab you a spare tooth brush and something to change into. I'm sure we have some spare clothes that will fit you. God, I didn't realize how tiny you are." Celeste looked down at herself in surprise before looking up at Rose gratefully.

She followed Rose into the bathroom and took the toothbrush she held out in relief. She brushed her teeth as Rose dug through her closet searching for some pajamas. Finding some of her old high school clothes, she gathered them up and set them on the toilet for Celeste. Rose eyed Celeste before shaking her head, "I don't get it. How can you be curvy but still so small? Only stuff that I have that'll fit ya is some stuff I had from high school."

Celeste looked at Rose a little apologetically, "I swear I eat. A lot actually. Never could quite figure that out myself. Thank you for the clothes and the toothbrush."

Rose nodded and left Celeste to change. Coming out of the bathroom a few moments later with her clothes in hand, she wandered into Rose's room where she was gathering a couple of blankets and a pillow. "You'll have to sleep on the couch, if that's ok. We don't have a spare room, kind of a small place."

"The couch is completely fine. I've slept on much worse."

Rose chuckled before handing the blankets and pillow to Celeste. "We'll get you all sorted out tomorrow morning, yeah?"

Celeste nodded, smiling, "Sounds good. Night!"

"Night!"

Celeste made her way back to the couch and settled down under the blankets. Sleep seemed so far off with the events of the day running through her mind. She had somehow ended up in a universe where the Doctor was real, time travel existed, and monsters wanted to take over the world. A few tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and she brushed them away roughly. Closing her eyes, she thought of her roommate and the friends she had back home. She didn't have any family any longer as the woman who had adopted her as a baby had passed away when she was sixteen. Letting out a sad sigh, she allowed herself to drift off to sleep and for once, her dreams weren't filled with the Doctor.

The next morning, Celeste woke up before Rose so she folded the blankets up, setting them aside to be put away later. After pulling on her skirt and shirt again since she had nothing else to wear, she shoved the watch into her pocket and wandered into the kitchen where Jackie was making some coffee. Jackie glanced up at Celeste in surprise, "What are you doing up, sweetheart? You don't have a job to go to anymore, might as well stay in bed."

Celeste smiled, "I'm always an early riser. Can't really go back to sleep."

"Well I know how that goes. Could barely sleep a wink myself last night. Too concerned over what happened at the shop. Are you and Rose going to get you all sorted today? Your bag was stolen, yeah? Do you need to use the phone to call someone? I just realized I didn't even let you call out last night!"

Celeste chuckled at the horrified look on Jackie's face, "It's all right, I don't mind. I don't have a roommate or family so there was no one to call."

Jackie looked at Celeste sadly, "You poor thing. All alone and nowhere to go. You want some breakfast? How about some nice eggs and toast."

"That would be lovely, thank you."

Jackie puttered around the kitchen making breakfast while Celeste watched her, head propped up in her hand. She smiled slightly as she watched Jackie, memories of her mother doing the same thing coming to mind. Her smile faded as her heart clenched in sorrow but she quickly wiped the reaction from her face when Jackie set a plate in front of her. "There you go, love. Nice warm breakfast. I'll make you a cup of tea too."

Celeste happily dug into the food, murmuring thank you around a full mouth. She heard Rose's alarm go off suddenly and she swallowed, taking a sip of the tea Jackie had set in front of her. Jackie turned her head and called out to Rose, "There's no point in getting up, sweetheart. You've got no job to go to."

Celeste finished the last bite and wrapped her hands around the warm cup, sighing contentedly. She heard Rose moving around in her room and she glanced at the clock anxiously. The Doctor would be here soon which meant that the hand would try to kill him and Rose. She sighed and looked at Rose who came in and sat down dejectedly at the table. Jackie had gone back into the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee.

"There's Finch's. You could try them. They've always got jobs."

Rose snorted, "Oh, great. The butchers."

Jackie came back to the table, sitting down with a cup in hand, "Well, might do you good. That shop was giving you airs and graces. And I'm not joking about compensation. You've had genuine shock and trauma. The both of you have. Arianna got two thousand quid off the council just because the old main behind the desk said she looked Greek!" Jackie paused in her monologue and Celeste bit her lip as Rose looked incredulous. Jackie took a breath and continued, "I know she is Greek, but that's not the point. It was a valid claim." With that, Jackie went back into her own room to put her makeup on. Rose grunted in irritation and looked over at Celeste, "So, where do you want to start? Looks like I can help you out for as long as you need since we no longer got jobs."

Celeste opened her mouth to reply but the sound of the cat door rattling caused Rose to grit her teeth and stand up. "Mum, you're such a liar. I told you to nail that cat flap down. We're going to get strays." Rose walked out of the kitchen towards the door, Celeste trailing behind her. Rose crouched down, picking up one of the screws. She glanced at the door and up at Celeste who merely shrugged despite knowing what was going on.

"I did it weeks back!" Jackie called out from her bedroom. Rose opened her mouth to respond when the cat flap moved a little. Hesitantly, she knelt down and opened it, revealing the face of the Doctor. Meanwhile, Celeste was bouncing on the balls of her feet in gleeful anticipation. Rose stood up and threw open the door. The Doctor stood there and glanced over at Celeste who wiggled her fingers in hello. He raised a brow at her before looking at Rose.

"What're you doing here?"

Rose stared at him as if he was daft, "I live here."

"Well, what do you do that for? Does she live with you too?" He looked again at Celeste who shook her head in response to his second question.

"Because I do. I'm only at home because someone blew up my job. Celeste is here because her bag was stolen and she also doesn't have a job. Thanks to you."

The Doctor frowned before looking at his screwdriver again, "I must have got the wrong signal. You're not plastic, are you?" He tapped on Rose's head. "No, bonehead. Bye, then."

Celeste laughed in amusement as Rose huffed and grabbed onto the Doctor's arm. "You. Inside. Right now." Rose yanked the Doctor inside and shut the door behind him.

Jackie paused her makeup application, "Who is it?"

Rose looked into the room, "It's about last night. He's part of the inquiry. Give us ten minutes." Rose continued towards the kitchen and looked at Celeste with an odd expression on her face. Celeste smiled and leaned against the wall of the kitchen, staring at the Doctor. "You want coffee?" Rose asked.

"Might as well, thanks. Just milk." He said, taking a few more steps into the apartment and pausing at Jackie's open door.

"She deserves compensation!" Jackie called out. She turned and immediately straightened at the sight of the Doctor.

"Oh, we're talking millions." He replied casually, looking around the apartment curiously.

Jackie took a step forward and attempted a seductive tone, "I'm in my dressing gown."

The Doctor looked over at her and nodded, "Yes, you are."

"There's a strange man in my bedroom."

"Yes, there is."

She pushed out a hip and put her arms behind her back, "Where anything could happen."

The Doctor paused at the statement and stared at her for a moment before shaking his head sharply, "No." He walked further into the apartment and eyed Celeste, who had watched the exchange in amusement. She smiled at him as he picked up a magazine from the coffee table. "Good morning, Doctor. Any luck tracking down that living plastic?"

The Doctor looked up at Celeste sharply but didn't respond. She stared at him innocently, while Rose spoke out loud from the kitchen, having not heard Celeste's question.

"We should go to the police. Seriously. The three of us."

The Doctor grabbed a magazine from the coffee table, flipping through it. "That won't last, he's gay and she's an alien," he muttered to himself before tossing it down. He glanced up to see Celeste still staring at him, eyebrow raised. He shrugged a shoulder before grabbing a paperback book, Rose still chatting in the background.

"I'm not blaming you, even if it was just some sort of joke that went wrong."

"Hmm. Sad ending." He dropped the book back down and grabbed a piece of mail from the side table, all the while keeping an eye on Celeste curiously. She hadn't reacted to his alien statement and didn't seem at all phased by his actions.

Rose continued on, oblivious to the Doctor's actions, "They said on the news they'd found a body."

"Rose Tyler," he read off the mail, dropping it down as well. He turn towards the mirror, looking at himself with interest.

"Ah, could've been worse. Look at the ears." He flicks at his ears causing Celeste to laugh quietly. He looked back at her and winked. Celeste turned her head away in an attempt to hide the blush that quickly formed on her cheeks. The Doctor grabbed a deck of cards and attempted to shuffle them.

"All the same, he was nice. Nice bloke."

"Luck be a lady." The Doctor shuffled the cards, sending a smirk over towards Celeste. She rolled her eyes in response and ducked into the arch leading into the kitchen so the cards wouldn't hit her when he totally missed the next shuffle.

"Anyway, if we are going to go to the police, I want to know what I'm saying."

He attempted to shuffle the cards again and as Celeste knew they would, the cards went flying as the Doctor looked on sadly.

"I want you to explain everything to us," Rose said, adding the final touches to the coffee. Celeste at the same time had straightened out and looked towards the couch apprehensively. The cat flap made another noise and the Doctor jerked around to look behind him.

"What's that, then? You got a cat?" He walked over to the couch and looked behind it curiously. Celeste took a few steps forward, her hands clenching as she waited for the moment that the hand would leap out. The Doctor peered over the side and the hand showed itself, grabbing the Doctor's throat. Celeste lunged forward and tugged at the arm, trying to get it off of him while the Doctor struggled to breathe.

"No. We did have, but now they're just strays. They come in off the estate." Rose replied, finally grabbing both cups to walk back into the living room. She eyed the pair of them. "I told Mickey to chuck that out. Celeste, what are you doing? Shouldn't encourage him, you know."

Celeste grit her teeth, "It's choking him." She continued to tug at the arm in vain.

Rose snorted, setting the cups down, "Don't be ridiculous. Anyway, we don't even know your name. Doctor, what was it?"

At that moment, Celeste and the Doctor manage to get the arm off but it stopped and attached itself to Celeste's face, cutting off her airways. Rose gasped in shock and stumbled backwards in fear. The Doctor grabbed at the arm, attempting to pull it off Celeste and the two of them crashed into the table causing it to shatter. Rose could only stand in horror as the Doctor ripped the arm off of Celeste, who took in a few gasping breaths, and placed his sonic screwdriver into the palm, shutting it down.

"It's all right, I've stopped it. There you go, see? Armless." He tossed it lightly to Celeste who shook her head, glaring at him. She whacked his arm in response and looked up at Rose, whose mouth was opening and closing comically. "You okay, Rose?"

Rose only continued to stare at the arm, no words coming out of her mouth. The Doctor grunted in annoyance and swiftly left the apartment. Celeste jumped up and followed him, Rose not far behind.

"Hold on! Wait up! You can't just leave!" Celeste called out.

"Yes I can. Here I am. This is me, leaving. See you." He said back, picking up his pace. Rose glared at his back.

"But that arm was moving! It tried to kill Celeste!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Ten out of ten for observation."

"Hey! Be nice or I'll hit you again," Celeste said firmly. The Doctor looked back at her incredulously, clearly not taking her threat seriously. The three of them made their way outside of the flats and walked down the street hurriedly.

Rose grit her teeth, "You can't just walk away. That's not fair. You've got to tell us what's going on."

"No, I don't." The Doctor said.

Rose and Celeste continued to chase after the Doctor, who was pretending as if they weren't there.

"All right, then. I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone. You said, if I did that, I'd get people killed. So, your choice. Tell me, or I'll start talking." Rose said.

The Doctor barely contained his snort of disbelief, "Is that supposed to sound tough?"

Rose looked mildly uneasy, "Sort of."

"Doesn't work," he replied, continuing to walk away from the pair.

Rose let out a frustrated noise and Celeste looked over at her in concern. "Who are you?" Rose asked.

Celeste kept walking but smiled cheerfully, "He's the Doctor."

Rose scowled at Celeste and the Doctor turned his head to send an appraising look towards Celeste.

"Yeah, but Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor, as your friend said," he replied cheekily.

Rose looked between the two of them, "The Doctor."

The Doctor turned and waved, "Hello!" Celeste laughed at him and couldn't help but think that he was so adorable when he was being smug. She decided to keep out of the conversation for a bit to prevent the Doctor from realizing that she knew certain things. She wasn't sure if telling him that she was from another universe and that she knew, in detail, his entire life's story was a good idea on the second meeting. Maybe the third. Or the hundredth.

"Is that supposed to sound impressive?"

"Sort of."

"Come on, then. You can tell us. We've seen enough. Are you the police?"

"No, I was just passing through. I'm a long way from home." Celeste frowned at the statement, sensing the sadness that came from him when he mentioned Gallifrey.

"But what have we done wrong? How comes those plastic things keep coming after us?

"Oh, suddenly the entire world revolves around the pair of you. You were just an accident. You got in the way, that's all."

Celeste raised a hand up, "You can leave me out of this argument, thanks."

"It tried to kill Celeste!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "It was after me, not her. Last night, in the shop, I was there, you two blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing. This morning, I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down. The only reason it fixed on you two at all is 'cos you've met me."

"So, what you're saying is, the entire world revolves around you." Rose stated bluntly.

"Sort of, yeah."

Celeste laughed, "So cocky. Can't seem to help yourself, can you?"

The Doctor looked at Celeste, wiggling his eyebrows up and down, "Not even a little."

Rose scowled at their interaction, "But, all this plastic stuff. Who else knows about it?"

The Doctor shrugged, "No one."

Celeste looked at the Doctor sadly, "You're on your own." The Doctor glanced at her, realizing she had made a statement rather than asked a question. Celeste bit her lip and looked down, mentally berating herself for letting the statement slip.

"Well, who else is there? I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly, while all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on."

Rose yanked the arm from him and shook at him, "Okay. Start from the beginning. I mean, if we're going to go with living plastic, and I don't even believe that, but if we do, how did you kill it?"

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. I cut off the signal, dead."

Rose looked confused, "So that's radio control?"

Celeste shook her head and said offhand, "No, thought control."

The Doctor stopped suddenly, spun around and pierced Celeste with an intense look. She stopped herself and looked up at him, restraining herself from palming her face at her own stupidity. She just couldn't seem to stop the words from coming out of her mouth.

"How did you know that?" The Doctor asked, searching Celeste's face as if the answer would magically appear. Celeste looked around nervously, her mind racing.

"Well, I looked at the arm a bit last night. It looks like it's solid plastic and it has no signs of electronics anywhere. If I got by what you said, you said a thing was controlling it, not a remote. And given that I don't know of a single thing on this Earth that can hover in midair and start to strangle me, thought control just seemed like a logical choice," she rambled swiftly, hoping that he didn't question her statement. She stared up at him, holding in a breath and praying that he didn't pursue it any further. He stared at her for a moment longer, before turning around and continuing on.

"Celeste is correct. Thought control."

Rose had been staring at the two of them throughout that little exchange, frowning in confusion and irritation. "So, who's controlling it, then?"

"Long story."

"But what's it all for? I mean, shop window dummies, what's that about? Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?"

"No."

Celeste snorted, "Not even close."

The Doctor smiled, "It's not a price war. They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you. Do you believe me?"

"No."

"Yes." Celeste and Rose replied at the same time. Rose looked at Celeste skeptically while Celeste continued to stare at the Doctor. The Doctor glanced between the two of them, nodding once to Celeste before looking back to Rose.

"But you're still listening."

The three of them continued to walk on and Celeste saw the TARDIS not too far away. She resisted the urge to run up to it and open the doors, knowing that would most certainly indicate to the Doctor that she knew more than she was letting on.

"Really, though, Doctor. Tell us, who are you?"

The Doctor paused and looked around at the flats and people walking nearby. Rose and Celeste stared at him, waiting for him to speak. He turned around and looked at the two of them for a moment before locking eyes with Celeste.

"Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it." He paused, grabbing Celeste's hand. She inhaled sharply, her eyes widening at the touch. "The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at sixty seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go," he dropped her hand, still not breaking eye contact. "That's who I am. Now forget me, Rose Tyler and Celeste. Go home." He reached down and grabbed the arm, waving it at the two before walking off.

Rose started to walk away slowly but Celeste stayed rooted in place, staring after him and watching in awe as he climbed into the TARDIS, the ship starting to take off and disappear. Rose came running back at the sound of the TARDIS, looking around in confusion as the box was now gone. She looked over at Celeste who was still staring at the spot, a faraway look in her eyes. "Celeste?" Rose asked softly.

Celeste jerked and looked over at Rose, "Sorry, I was thinking." She pressed her lips together and frowned. "Do you know someone who has a computer?"

Rose looked at her, "Sure, Mickey does. Why?"

"Because we need to do some research on the Doctor."

"But he said to forget him…" Rose said, trailing off.

Celeste raised an eyebrow at her, "Do you honestly think you can forget someone like that?"

Rose bit her lip, thinking a moment before shaking her head, "No, you're right. This is just too weird. Come on, we'll go to Mickey's."

Celeste grinned at the blonde, "Lead on, Rose Tyler."

The two girls arrived at Mickey's place and Rose knocked on the door. Celeste tapped her foot impatiently despite it taking only a moment for Mickey answer.

"Hey, hey, here's my woman. Kit off!" He said happily, smacking her ass playfully. Rose laughed and kissed him lightly, "Shut up." Celeste smiled and followed the pair as they walked further into the apartment. "Coffee?" Mickey asked, as Rose snuggled up next to him.

"Yeah, only if you wash the mug. And I don't mean rinse, I mean wash. Can we use your computer?"

Mickey rolled his eyes at the wash statement and walked into the kitchen. "Yeah. Two pretty girls in my bedroom, must be my lucky day." Celeste scoffed as Rose laughed, "Don't get your hopes up!"

Mickey let his face drop in fake disappointment. His eyes suddenly widened, "Don't read my emails!"

Celeste snickered as the two of them walked into Mickey's room, "What could he possibly have in his emails that would be worth reading?"

Rose laughed, "Probably something porn related. You know how men are."

Celeste smiled and sat down in front of the computer, navigating to the internet search quickly. She paused for a moment, pretending to think of what to search for before typing in 'Doctor Blue Box' and hitting enter. The first result posted by Clive popped up, just as she knew it would. Rose leaned over her shoulder, pointing at it. "What's that one?"

Celeste clicked on it and smiled slightly at the face of the Doctor. Rose gasped behind her, muttering about things being utterly crazy around that man. Celeste ignored her and clicked on the 'Contact Clive' option and opened up a new email.

Mickey grumbled under his breath as he drove the three of them to Clive's home. "Guy is probably a serial killer. You'll get yourself murdered after he offers you a spot of tea."

Rose smacked Mickey on the shoulder and looked at Celeste worriedly, "You sure you want to go in?"

Celeste waved away Rose's concern, "Yes, I'm sure. It'll be perfectly fine. He has a wife and kids."

Mickey scoffed, "Yeah, who told you that? He did. That's exactly what an internet lunatic murderer would say."

Celeste rolled her eyes and climbed out of the car. She held up a hand to stop Rose from following her, "No, you two stay here. If something does happen to me, and it won't, then one of you can call the police while the other knocks down the door to attempt a heroic rescue." She glanced between the two, smirking slightly. "Rose, you knock down the door. Mickey, you call the police."

Rose cackled and nodded in agreement while Mickey protested loudly about being the man. Celeste chuckled and jogged across the street, knocking on the door. Clive's son answered it, looking at Celeste skeptically, "Yeah?"

"Hello, I'm here to see Clive."

The boy rolled his eyes, shouting out to his father, "Dad! It's one of your nutters!"

Clive came stumbling in, a cheerful smile on his face. "Oh, sorry. Hello! You must be Celeste. I'm Clive, obviously."

Celeste smiled in response, "Yes, nice to meet you. Could you do me a tiny favor and wave at my friends in the car across the street? They're convinced that you're going to kill me."

Clive chuckled and glanced over, waving at Rose and Mickey, "No, good point. No murders."

Clive's wife called out from upstairs, "Who is it?"

Clive gestured Celeste inside and shut the door, "Oh, it's something to do with the Doctor. She's been reading the website. Please, come through. I'm in the shed." He rushed Celeste through the house but Celeste still heard his wife come down, her voice a bit shocked and amused. "She? She's read a website about the Doctor? She's a she?"

Celeste slowly looked at the items strewn about the shed, taking in each mention of the Doctor and the TARDIS. She only half listened as Clive blathered on about sensitive information, knowing that he was just going to show her pictures of the Doctor throughout time. She glanced at the photo he was pointing at, nodding her head in response to his question about it being her Doctor. She paused at the statement, mentally rolling the words her Doctor over and smiled sadly despite herself. She knew he would never be her Doctor. He would fall madly in love with Rose and then be too busy floundering after River to care about anyone else. Heaving a large mental sigh, she zoned back in to the conversation Clive was having mostly with himself at this point.

"…assassination of President Kennedy. You see?" Clive pointed to the Doctor standing in the crowd as Kennedy drove by.

"Fascinating…" Celeste murmured in response, already quite bored and wanting to leave the shed. She knew if she left too soon though Mickey wouldn't get taken and the plastic version wouldn't take his place. Her mind halted as she realized Rose was out there too. Swearing in her head, her eyes widened in mild panic. That didn't happen in the show, Rose was supposed to be in here so what would happen to her? Would she get killed? Celeste bit her lip and forced her panic down, resolving to see things through and not freak out when she went back to the car. Please don't be dead, Rose. The Doctor needs you.

She looked over at Clive, who was still prattling on about the Doctor, "The Doctor is a legend woven throughout history. When disaster comes, he's there. He brings the storm in his wake and he has one constant companion."

Celeste held back the snort of derision at Clive's statement. The Doctor saved billions of people on a regular basis. One or two losses were insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Focusing back on Clive, she looked up at him, "Who's that?"

Clive looked grim as he responded, "Death."

Celeste held back her grimace and looked back down at the picture. Sighing softly, she smiled at Clive, "Thanks for showing me all of this, Clive. I really appreciate it. I should probably get going. My friends can get rather impatient."

Clive nodded and escorted her back towards the front of the house. He paused briefly, looking at Celeste with concern, "If the Doctor is here, Celeste. If you've seen him… I urge you to stay away from him. History has shown that he's dangerous and we're all in danger."

Celeste pressed her lips together, "I'll be careful. I promise."

Clive nodded hesitantly at her and waved as she crossed the street. She stumbled a little as she made her way to the car, not knowing what to expect when she got there. She opened the door and glanced in, instantly noticing the plastic Mickey. She frowned as she noticed Rose wasn't in the car. Her heart pounded as she instantly feared the worst, "Mickey, where did Rose go?" She tried to keep her voice curious instead of panicked.

Fake Mickey merely smiled, still staring out the front window, "She called a taxi to go home. Wasn't feeling well. She said we should go out to eat."

Celeste nodded and slowly sat down in the car, "Ok… How does pizza sound?"

Fake Mickey's fake smiled widened further, "Pizza! P-p-p-pizza!"

Celeste turned her gaze away from him and swallowed thickly, "Pizza it is."

"Pizza!" Mickey said again as he pulled out into the street. Celeste clung to the door handle, praying that Rose was all right.

Celeste and Mickey sat at a table in the restaurant and ordered some drinks while they waited for the pizza to show up. Celeste put her head in her hand, idly flicking at the menu. She just had to wait a few minutes for the Doctor to show up with his champagne bottle. She glanced up at Mickey, who was still sitting there, staring straight ahead with that stupid smile on his face. With a grimace of distaste, she sat up and took a breath, "So, Rose. Did she seem really sick to you or just something mild? Should I phone her? Make sure she's all right?"

Fake Mickey didn't look phased by the question, "So, where did you meet this Doctor?"

Celeste frowned, "I'm sorry, wasn't I just talking about Rose? You know, your sick girlfriend? Aren't you worried?"

Fake Mickey continued as if she hadn't spoken, "Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Did he have something to do with that?"

Celeste scowled, "No."

Fake Mickey reached over and grabbed onto her hand tightly. Celeste gasped and glared at him, unable to hold back the contempt any further. "Look," she spat, "I'm not going to tell you anything. Not now, not ever. So why don't you shove off?"

Fake Mickey's eyes narrowed and his smiled turned nasty, "Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, now."

"Your champagne," the Doctor said, holding out the bottle. Fake Mickey didn't glance up but Celeste allowed her eyes to flick towards the Doctor briefly, who winked at her. She moved her eyes back to Fake Mickey, not wanting him to realize the Doctor was there just yet.

"We didn't order any champagne. Where's the Doctor?"

"Madam, your champagne."

Celeste smirked, "Was never a fan of champagne. More of a red win girl, myself."

"So nobody wants this champagne?"

"Look, we didn't order it," Fake Mickey glanced up at the Doctor, his smile turning into a smirk as he realized the Doctor was standing there. The Doctor grinned and started shaking the champagne. "Don't mind me! Just toasting the happy couple! Cheers!"

Celeste hastily stood up and took a few steps away from Fake Mickey. The doctor opened the bottle and the cork flew into Fake Mickey's head, causing him to chew for a moment and spit it out. He stands suddenly and flattens his hand into a weapon, breaking the table. Celeste dashed towards the fire alarm, hitting it with her elbow. "Everyone out! Go!" She screamed as the Doctor fought with the Fake Mickey. After the two struggled, the Doctor ripped off the head triumphantly. The Fake Mickey head merely smiled at him, "Don't think that's going to stop me."

The Doctor tucked the head under his arm and grabbed Celeste's hand, yanking her through the back into the kitchen. The two ran and burst through the back door, the Doctor pausing only to seal the door with his screwdriver. Celeste backed away from the door and watched him saunter off towards the TARDIS. She rolled her eyes at his nonchalant attitude and almost sniped at him. Instead, she feigned ignorance, "So, are we trapped then? The gate is locked."

The Doctor continued towards the TARDIS and unlocked the door, "Nah, let's go in here!"

Celeste paused for a moment, not wanting to rush over there and seem too eager. She pretended to cautiously make her way over to the TARDIS and grabbed the handle of the door. Taking a breath she pushed it open and walked in, her eyes instantly widening at what she saw. She took a few more steps inside, her jaw dropping in amazement. It was one thing to watch it on the telly but to see it for real, in person… There wasn't any way to describe what she as feeling. Amazed. Impressed. Excited. Scared. Everything all at once. She shifted her gaze to the Doctor who was hooking up wires to the Fake Mickey head, ignoring her for the moment.

The Doctor shot a look over at Celeste taking in her reaction curiously. He turned his attention back to the head, hooking in some more wires. "You see, the arm was too simple, but the head's perfect! I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source. Right. Where do you want to start?" He turned around and looked at Celeste expectantly.

Celeste smiled, knowing what he wanted her to say, "It's bigger on the inside."

The Doctor grinned, "Yes."

Celeste crossed her arms, the smile still on her face, "It's alien."

"Yes."

"You're alien."

"Yes. Is that all right?" The Doctor cocked his head to the side, staring at her intently.

Celeste uncrossed her arms and shrugged, "Sure, fine with me."

The Doctor stared at her a moment longer before starting up again, his voice reeking with enthusiasm and authority, "It's called the TARDIS, this thing. T-A-R-D-I-S. That's 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space.'" He paused, waiting for her reaction.

Celeste merely raised an eyebrow, "Ok, sounds interesting and alien. Anything else?"

The Doctor stared at her, his eyes wide and jaw dropped slightly in shock. "Nothing? No tears? No cursing? Just, okay?"

Celeste nodded, a wide grin on her face. She gestured over to the head that had started to melt, "Might want to check on your science project. Looks a bit gooey."

The Doctor whipped around, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" He furiously started hitting levers and buttons, throwing the TARDIS into motion. Celeste grabbed onto a railing to prevent herself from falling to the floor as the Doctor running around the console. "What are you doing?" she shouted.

"Following the signal! It's fading. Wait a minute, I've got it. No, no, no, no, no, no! Almost there. Almost there. Here we go!" The Doctor cried out before dashing for the door. Celeste grunted in irritation and followed him out.

"Can't take a moment to breathe, can you," she muttered under her breath.

The Doctor paced in front of the TARDIS in agitation, "I lost the signal, I got so close!"

Celeste glanced around curiously before looking at the Doctor as he hung his head in silent defeat. She silently walked up to stand next to him, looking at him with sympathy, "You did the best you could, considering the head was melting rather quickly."

The Doctor glared at her, "Oh what would you know. Stupid apes always blundering about, causing problems."

Celeste went rigid and hit his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For being rude! I'm not a stupid ape and I've not done a damn thing to warrant your ire. Now, tell me, are my friends still alive?"

The Doctor rubbed his arm and glared at her some more, "Which ones?"

Celeste threw up her arms, "Rose and Mickey! Mickey's fake head just melted on your console. Those friends. The ones taken by some other alien."

"Probably. Maybe. Oh what does it matter! I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape mucking about on this planet, all right? Priorities!"

Celeste clenched her jaw and tried to keep calm, "Fine. This living plastic. What's it got against us then?"

The Doctor began to pace again, much to Celeste's annoyance. The man just couldn't sit still for a moment, which was hardly a surprise and much more irritating to see in person. "Nothing. It loves you. You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air, perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. Its food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth is dinner!"

"Is there any way to stop this, Nestene Consciousness?"

The Doctor dug into his pocket and pulled out a vial with a blue liquid, "Anit-plastic."

She raised a brow, "Anti-plastic."

The Doctor nodded at her as if she was a simpleton, "Anti-plastic. But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

"Hide what?" she asked, already glancing back at the London Eye.

"The transmitter. The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

She hid a smile behind her hand, "What's it look like?"

The Doctor started speaking faster, "Like a transmitter! Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London. A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible." He paused, and looked at Celeste who was looking at him in amusement. "What? What?"

She nodded towards the Eye, causing the Doctor to turn around for a moment and then turn back to her in confusion. She sighed heavily, marched up to him and grabbed his face between her hands. "Pay attention," she said softly, before turning his head to look at the Eye once more. His eyes widened and he grabbed at her hands, grinning excitedly.

"Oh! Fantastic!" He kept her hand in his as he dashed towards the Eye, pulling her along. Celeste laughed breathlessly at him, trying to keep up. She winced as a muscle in her leg pulled slightly. Definitely going to take some time at a gym. Did the TARDIS even have a gym? Probably, she had a room for everything it seemed. Celeste burst into laughter as she realized that she fully intended, without a shadow of a doubt, to travel with the Doctor. Which was the craziest thing she had ever encountered thus far in her eighteen years. The Doctor, hearing her laugh, shot a grin back at her. They slowed as they reached the other side of the pier, the Doctor looking around frantically.

"Think of it, plastic all over the world. Every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires the cables."

Unable to resist, Celeste chuckled, "the breast implants."

The Doctor smirked at her, "Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath."

Celeste walked over to a manhole cover, gesturing to it, "Down there?'

The Doctor pulled up the cover and looked down, "Looks good to me!"

The two climbed down and opened a door into the catwalk area above the Consciousness. Closing the door, they leaned over the railing and stared at the vat of moving plastic at the bottom.

"The Nestene Consciousness. That's it, inside the vat. A living plastic creature," he breathed out softly.

Celeste stared at it in fascinated horror. "So, what's the plan?" She asked.

"I've got to give it a chance. A chance to make the right choice and leave. The anti-plastic is a last resort."

Celeste nodded, "Okay."

He glanced over at her in mild surprise before turning and walking down the catwalk. Celeste followed slowly, her eyes seeking the form of Mickey since she knew he was down below. She hoped Rose was there too or she'd never forgive herself.

"I seek an audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention 5 of the Shadow Proclamation," the Doctor shouted, pausing to wait for a response. The Consciousness seems to acquiesce as the Doctor smiled happily, "Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?"

Celeste finally spotted Mickey and was infinitely relieved to see Rose huddled up next to him. With a quiet gasp she rushed down the stairs and kneeled next to them. "I'm so glad you're all right! I was worried you'd be killed by those things," she whispered.

Rose smiled shakily while still wrapped around Mickey, who looked more terrified than Rose. His eyes turned wild as he looked around frantically, "That thing down there, the liquid. Celeste, it can talk!"

Celeste crinkled her nose, "You both smell terrible." She glanced up at the Doctor who casually walked down the stairs, looking at them in mild disdain. "Looks like they're both alive," she told him.

He continued past her, continuing down the stairs, "Yeah, that was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy. Not sure why she's alive though. Just lucky."

Celeste scowled at him but said nothing. Rose couldn't keep her thoughts to herself however, "Some help you are. Not telling her we could be alive."

The Doctor snorted, "Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?" He kept going down towards the Consciousness. Stopping in front of it, he took a breath and began to speak. "Am I addressing the Consciousness?" He paused, the response coming from the liquid quickly. He smiled again, "Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of a warp shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?"

Celeste snickered in amusement. The Consciousness roared in anger at the suggestion and said something else, causing the Doctor to scoff.

"Oh, don't give me that. It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights." The Consciousness roared again, interrupting the Doctor. "I am talking!" he yelled out, the Consciousness folding in on itself in response. "This planet is just starting," the Doctor continued, "These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go." He didn't notice the two plastic men coming up behind him but Celeste did. She gasped and shouted out to him.

"Doctor! Behind you!" The plastic men grabbed the Doctor who immediately started to struggle, glancing back at Celeste who was staring at him with worry. One of the plastic men grabbed the anti-plastic from his pocket, showing it to the Consciousness who roared furiously.

"That was just insurance! I wasn't going to use it," He pleaded, still struggling. The Consciousness replied again. "I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not. What do you mean?" His head whipped back as a door slip, revealing the TARDIS. The Doctor turned back to the liquid, despair on his face.

"No. Oh, no. Honestly, no. Yes, that's my ship. That's not true! I should know, I was there! I fought in the war! It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!" The Doctor's voice broke, tears in his eyes. Celeste closed her own eyes in response, hearing the pain in his voice. She knew the Doctor was always haunted by the Time Wars, never forgiving himself for what he was unable to do and for what he actually did. Her eyes snapped open as the Consciousness roared again, clearly furious.

"What's happening?" Celeste called out.

"It's the TARDIS! The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Celeste! Just get out of here!" He cried out, struggling even more to get free. Celeste looked around for some way to help the Doctor when she felt a tug on her jeans. Rose and Mickey were staring up at her, clearly terrified.

"He said to go, we should go!" Rose said shakily. Mickey nodded furiously in agreement and Celeste growled, "You two, get by the blue box. NOW!"

Mickey and Rose jumped up and hastily obeyed Celeste. The Nestene launched the psychic signal to control the plastic and the Doctor looked at Celeste in horror who had a determined look on her face. "I'm not going to let some plastic junk take over this planet. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" She cried out, running over to the ax laying on the catwalk. She hacked at the rope holding them together, grabbing the chains once they were free. Rose looked at Celeste in shock, "Celeste! What are you doing?"

Celeste shot her a grin, "I'm living!" She let out a small scream as she launched herself at the plastic men, kicking them both and knocking the anti-plastic onto the Nestene. She clung to the chains as she started to swing back, looking back at the Doctor who had his arms out, "Celeste!"

Celeste let go of the chains just as the Doctor wrapped his arms around her. He grinned at her as the Nestene screamed out in pain. "Now we're in trouble." Celeste laughed as he grabbed her hand and they hurried to the TARDIS. The Doctor shoved aside Mickey who was clingy pathetically to the door and dragged Celeste inside after throwing open the door. Rose and Mickey clambered in after the two, the door banging shut behind them. The Doctor threw some switches and the TARDIS disappeared way from danger.

Once the TARDIS had stopped, Mickey flung himself outside and hid behind some pallets, whimpering pathetically. Rose stomped after him, "Really Mickey. You're being ridiculous. We're fine!"

Celeste walked towards them at a slower pace, shaking her head in amusement. The Doctor leaned against the door, watching the three of them. Rose turned back to the Doctor and put her hands on her hips. "Fat lot of good you were."

The Doctor smiled and shrugged, "Nestene Consciousness? Easy."

Celeste laughed, "You'd be dead if I hadn't interfered."

The Doctor grew serious, "Yes, I would. Thank you." Celeste's eyes widened as he stared at her. She flushed slightly and looked down at the ground, biting her lip anxiously. The Doctor straightened, clearing his throat, "Right then, I'll be off. Unless, I don't know. You could come with me. This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge."

Celeste's head jerked upwards and she took a step forward, eyes wide. Mickey started shaking his head furiously, reaching out for Rose, who had also looked tempted by the idea, "Don't! He's an alien! He's a thing!"

The Doctor's gaze didn't falter from Celeste's green eyes, "He's not invited. What do you think? You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go anywhere."

Rose bit at her fingernail, looking between the Doctor and Mickey, "Is it always this dangerous?"

The Doctor flicked his eyes to her briefly, "Yeah."

Rose looked bolstered by the statement but when she glanced at Mickey she deflated slightly. She looked back over to the Doctor, "Yeah, I can't. I've got to go and find my mum and someone's got to look after this stupid lump so..." She trailed off, eyes still locked on the TARDIS.

The Doctor looked over at Celeste. "What about it? Fancy the universe?" He asked softly.

Celeste's eyes twinkled as she took a few confident steps forwards, "Offering me the universe? Do you do that to everyone that saves you from plastic men?"

The Doctor grinned, "Only the cute ones. Well, cute for an ape I suppose."

Celeste threw her head back and let out a sharp bark of laughter. She jogged up to the TARDIS and mock saluted the Doctor. "Ready when you are." He grabbed her hand and glanced over at Rose, "Sure you don't want to come? Did I mention that this was also a time machine?"

Rose's eyes lit up. She started walking forward, briefly looking back at Mickey, "Thanks."

Mickey looks up at Rose, confused, "For what?"

She smiled and leaned down to kiss his cheek briefly, "Exactly."

She ran to the TARDIS as the Doctor tugged Celeste inside. The doors closed behind Rose and the TARDIS disappeared, leaving Mickey gaping like an idiot.