Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Just Sophie my OC.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed/favourited and reviewed the previous chapter. I'm really glad that people are enjoying this fic.
And again, a separate thanks goes to Maethoriel Artemis for helping out with a couple of scenes I was having issues with. I really appreciate it!
CHAPTER 3
The Unquiet Dead
Sophie twiddled her bare fingers together as she sat up against the headboard of her bed. Whilst she lingered in her room, still in the jammies she'd found waiting for her when she'd stumbled into the room the Tardis had provided her.
A room that was almost an exact replica of her one at home. Almost because the Tardis had embellished here and there… making it her dream room really with a comforting familiarity. Her clothes from the previous day, sat, on the edge of her queen-sized bed, looking suspiciously fresh and clean despite her adventures… the only things missing where her puffy jacket and gloves, both of which having died a fiery death.
She turned her thoughts away from her clothes. She was trying to relax and enjoy the quiet for a bit before she convinced herself to leave the comforting warmth of her bed and actually begin her day… or whatever it was out there in the subspace they were drifting in.
The Tardis hummed, drawing her attention and words seemed to just pop into her head. 'Time Vortex,'
Sophie blinked as she slowly put the meaning of the words to her previous line of lazy thoughts, before she looked up at the ceiling of her room, surprised and ecstatic… the Tardis' hums had never formed words for her before!
"Oh!" she beamed, "The Doctor said to ask. So, what's your name?" she spoke out loud, forgetting in her excitement that she could just think and the Tardis would hear her. For a moment, she received nothing but silence and Sophie slumped with disappointment. Only to almost get hit in head by a falling magazine that landed with a soft thump on her lap.
Sophie blinked at it confused before picking it up. Her blue eyes taking in the large word splashed across the cover page above the title. She glanced up at the ceiling mildly confused as to where the ship had pulled it from… "Um… I don't get it," she admitted. She got a short-exasperated hum and she frowned up at her again, "Well, you don't have to make it a riddle, ya know," she muttered with a pout jutting out her lower lip, "If you don't want to tell me you don't gotta,"
The Tardis hummed again, this time a longer exasperated hum that had the hint of amusement to it. Sophie glanced down at the magazine she was holding, then up at the Tardis, then back down… she blushed, "Oh… really? You're not taking the micky, are you?" The Tardis seemed to huff at her, "So, that's your actual name?" she checked curiously.
'It's what he calls me,'
Sophie grinned amused, "Really? Does that mean I can call you that? I was thinking more along the lines of Gorgeous, but I think Sexy works so much better,"
The Tardis hummed an affirmative.
She tossed the magazine haphazardly onto the nightstand just as a knock sounded on her door, surprising her.
"Come in!"
Rose popped her head through the door, "Heya, space-cadet who ya talking to in here?" she asked glancing about the room to see it empty apart from her friend.
Sophie blinked as the blond stepped completely in the room, the door quietly clicking closed behind her, "Um… the Tardis,"
To Sophie's continued surprise Rose beamed at her answer, triumph flashing through her eyes, "I knew it!" she cried and bounded over to the bed, making Sophie bounce a bit as she sat herself down none to gently, "You're telepathic!"
Sophie swallowed wrong and began coughing violently. Rose reached forward and patted her back, "I'm right aren't I?"
Sophie groaned and fell back against the headboard, wincing as she hit the back of her head against the solid wood, "Just can't keep a secret around here!" she muttered.
Rose shrugged, "Well, you weren't exactly being sneaky about it. You kinda gave yourself away… and you just admitted to talking to the Tardis… a sentient ship that," Rose frowned slightly as she tried to remember exactly what the Doctor had said, "Has a telepathic field thing,"
Rose paused and eyed the smaller brunette who had an unreadable look on her face as she stared at her with blue eyes that had dulled with emotion, "It's ok, right?" she asked carefully, "I said I'd guess, and you didn't say that you minded," Rose took a breath, suddenly wishing that she'd just kept her guess to herself. It had seemed obvious to her after she'd woken up from her sleep and had gotten to thinking about it again… the little pieces had just all fit together… and as much as it was disconcerting that there was someone that could hear her thoughts if they wanted to… but Sophie had looked so sincere when she'd sworn that she was 'actively not in her head'…
Rose shook her head at herself as she focused her complete attention back to Sophie, "Soph, say something?" she urged.
"Do, do you want me to go now?" Sophie broke her silence, her eyes now downcast to her lap.
Rose reared back a little, "What?" she squawked, "No! Why would you even… oh," Rose trailed off, her expression darkening on Sophie's behalf, "That's happened before, huh?" Sophie didn't respond, but the silence was telling. She reached out and grasped Sophie's bare hand in her own, frowning as the other girl tensed before relaxing, but shoved it away as she gave the soft skin a squeeze of reassurance drawing her blue eyes up to her.
"You're my friend," she said firmly, "I'm not going to lie and say that I'm completely cool with it. Frankly it scares me that you can listen in on what's going on in my head… but it doesn't make me like you any less. Hell, it's also kind of cool and I'm going to trust that you'll keep 'actively not' being in my head. And I want you to stay,"
Sophie shook her head, her teeth worrying her lower lip again, her heart beating loudly in her ears, "I can't always control it Rose. Sometimes, it's too hard to keep everyone out," she admitted and pulled her hand from the blondes in anticipation of the rejection she was expecting.
Rose frowned in thought, "That's what the Doctor wants to help you with ain't it?" Sophie shifted again, only to jump as Rose fell back on her legs with a groan, "That means I've got two telepaths on board, not including the ship! Bye-bye privacy!" she jokily bemoaned, trying to hide her unease at the idea of being surrounded by them.
Sophie blinked down at Rose… she was taking this better than she had expected… she kept getting surprised by those two… and she wasn't sure yet if the Universe was playing a cruel joke on her, or if, that perhaps maybe she'd finally found someone who'd see more than just her freakiness.
Rose frowned once again, "You don't think he's been peaking in my head, do you?" she asked suddenly worried.
"Uh… I don't think he would," Sophie offered uncertainly.
"We are talking about the same guy that thought nothing of his ship getting in our heads and changing things without saying a thing?" Rose muttered, her expression turning a little mutinous.
"That's a good thing remember?" Sophie responded, "Think of all the languages we'd have to learn if Sexy didn't,"
"Yeah," Rose muttered resigned, "I'll talk to him about it," she decided, her jaw jutting stubbornly. Sophie winced, suddenly feeling a little sorry for the Doctor.
Rose sat up as suddenly as she fell down and swivelled around on the covers as she stared at Sophie bemused, "Wait, did you say Sexy?"
Sophie shrugged, "It's what the Doctor calls her,"
Rose's lips twitched, before she doubled over laughing, "Oh, that's brilliant! Such typical man," she chortled.
Sophie shrugged, "I think it suits her," earning a happy hum from the Tardis, "And she likes it,"
Rose giggled for a moment longer, "Oh, I'm sure she does," she sobered, "Are you going to accept his help… I know you yelled at him, but I think that if anyone can help it's that crazy alien,"
Sophie bit her lower lip, "I'm thinking about,"
Rose stared at her, but decided not to push. She could do that later if it came down to it. Right now, the small brunette still looked vulnerable and small, "Good," was all she said though more was on the tip of her tongue.
Sophie blinked up at Rose, feeling a little uncomfortable under the searching look she was receiving. It was a look that spoke volumes and yet told her nothing at all. Although she was sure that it was supposed to.
'Stupid social queues.' She thought, wishing that she could understand, scared that she was missing something important. Something that'd tell her how to proceed… all this seemed too good to be true. This kind of thing didn't happen to her… she'd almost think she was still asleep and dreaming, but she didn't dream unless it was vision… and those were never like this.
As she watched her, Rose's expression shifted to something that was more curious.
"The telepathy isn't the only thing, is it?"
Sophie tensed again and looked at her with wide eyes. Her mind stuttering along now as she floundered over just how the blond knew… was she really that obvious? Or was Rose just that observant?
"Hmm, this one may be harder to guess," Rose considered, but stilled at the look on Sophie's face, just how uncomfortable she was, "Am I allowed to guess? Or would you prefer telling me when you're ready?"
Sophie stared at her for a long moment, taking in the blonds open, earnest and somewhat hopeful expression, "You know what… guess a way," she decided and was rewarded with a great beaming grin and a warm hug. That she hesitantly returned after she took a moment to process the feeling.
Rose pulled back and slid off the bed to her feet, "Come on Soph. Get dressed and let's go find the Doctor I'm sure he's bored out of his mind without us by now,"
Sophie nodded and threw her covers off… somehow feeling lighter than she had before.
*O*O*O*
Sophie let out a startled sound as she was forced to fumble to catch a pair of gloves that was thrown at her the moment she alighted into the console room of the Tardis, having been taken completely off guard as she been lost in her own thoughts as she followed Rose down the stairs.
"Those are for you Annie," the Doctor spoke as she blinked down at the dark velvety material that was clenched in her hands.
"Uh thanks," she murmured truly grateful for all of five seconds, before all of his sentence registered and she stared owlishly at him, "Annie?"
The Doctor grinned, "Yep," he popped the 'p', staring at her jovially, completely unfazed by the narrowing of the brunette's eyes.
"Annie?" she repeated.
"Yep. You said you didn't like Soph," he explained.
Sophie's forehead scrunched as she frowned deeply at him, "And where did you pull 'Annie' from?"
"Annette,"
"No," Sophie rebuffed firmly.
"Pixie?"
"No,"
"Pip?"
"Where the bleedin' bloody hell did you get that from?" Sophie growled, strangling the soft gloves in her hands.
"Oi! Language!" the Doctor reproached, before continuing on with an unrepentant shrug, "You're tiny so pipsqueak,"
"NO!"
The Doctor continued to rattle off possible nicknames for the brunette, each one worse than the last. The grin still quirking up his lips. He could probably go on for days. He had spent the past 8hours whilst the two humans slept thinking of nicknames whilst he busied himself around the Tardis. So, he had an absurdly long list of admittedly progressively more ridiculous names lined up.
Rose watched the byplay between the Doctor and Sophie with amusement and horror… she couldn't decide which fit the situation better as her gaze shifted from one to the other like she was watching a tennis match.
If she didn't know any better, she'd say that the Doctor was flirting… the mean pigtail pulling kind usually engaged in by embarrassed 12year old's, but flirting all the same… but as she continued to watch, she couldn't shake the feeling that something deeper was playing out between them… or maybe she was reading too much into it and the Doctor was a flirting 12year old, frowning herself as she started to feel rather annoyed on Sophie's behalf.
"Fine! You can call me Annie!" Sophie yelled having had enough and silence finally descended in the control room.
"Great!" the Doctor said happily ignoring the shocked almost horrified look on Sophie's face and the slightly bewildered one on Rose's. He made his way towards the stairs, "Go grab something to eat. We're heading off in fifteen minutes," he called over his shoulder, leaving the two women to stare after him in shocked silence.
"I don't understand what just happened, but I feel like I've just been had," Sophie whimpered as she slumped against the console. The Tardis humming soothing in her mind in an attempt to calm her.
Rose crossed over to her and placed a consoling hand on her shoulder, "Yeah. He totally tricked ya into letting him call ya Annie," she murmured, deciding to keep her pigtail pulling impression to herself for now. She'd been wrong before after all… and the Doctor could have just been being rude… but it almost felt to deliberate for that…
She shook it off and stared up the empty staircase thoughtfully, "You know. I was a little jealous at first, but now I'm kinda glad he hasn't bothered with giving me a nickname… most of those were awful,"
Sophie shot Rose a half-hearted glare, "Oh, I'm sure your turn will come," she muttered.
Rose shook her head, "Nah. There's not much you can do with 'Rose' or "Tyler' for that matter,"
"What about your middle name?" Sophie asked.
Rose grimaced, "That is something that the Doctor is never finding out," she muttered with a shiver. She turned to look at Sophie who still looked a little shocked at what had happened.
"I should have stuck with Soph," she bemoaned.
Rose grinned at her a little slyly, "So, does that mean I can keep calling you Soph?" she asked.
Sophie shot her a look, on the tip of her tongue to tell her 'no' only to pause for a brief moment as she considered, "Only if you never call me Annie," she stated.
"Deal," Rose quickly agreed.
Sophie loosened her hands around the gloves, sliding the soft material through her fingers before she slipped them on. She looked back to Rose with a small smile twitching up her lips, "Rosie?"
Rose stared at her for a moment, crinkling her nose at the name, "Only you," she muttered after a moment.
"Deal," Sophie agreed and the two shared a smile.
"Oi! Stop yapping!" the Doctor's voice echoed back to them from somewhere in the Tardis, "Unless you girls aren't hungry?! I wasn't kidding about the fifteen minutes!"
"How'd he know?" Sophie murmured as she squinted up the stairs, she couldn't feel him anywhere nearby. She shot a look at the Tardis. 'Sexy?' she asked only to receive a suspicious silence.
Rose shook her head unconcerned with the how, "Dunno. Come on. We better get to the kitchen. If we're headed off somewhere I'm going to need some food first," she stated and they hurried out of the console room.
In another room of the Tardis the Doctor smiled to himself as he fiddled with an innocuous gadget rather pleased with how that had turned out. It hadn't taken much to get her riled and shouting at him… he could only hope that things continued as they were and that with each time she realized that there weren't terrible consequences for expressing herself…
Though perhaps he should feel a little bad if she truly disliked 'Annie' so much… he just couldn't bring himself to care overly much about it at the moment… he was too busy feeling rather pleased with himself.
*O*O*O*
The Tardis shook heavily, forcing the Doctor, Rose and Sophie to cling to the nearest surface to keep on their feet. An alarm blared at them warningly.
"Hold that one down!" the Doctor shouted above the noise of his very unhappy ship.
"I'm holding this one down!" Rose shouted back a little panicked as she clung to the console her hand fighting to continue holding down the button the Doctor had told her to hold down earlier when things had started going pear-shaped.
"Well, it's a good thing I was talking Annie then, isn't it!" the Doctor shouted back, before turning his attention back to the brunette who was clinging to the wall of the control room, where both she and Rose had been standing when this had all started, "Oi! Annie! I'm talking to you!" he gestured at the button again.
Sophie shot him a mutinous look for the name, but the Tardis shook heavier and she lurched from her spot, stumbling over to the console, hitting against it, but managing to keep her feet beneath her.
She slammed her hand down on the button, only for the shaking to get worse instead of better, "Are you sure it was this button?!" she yelled as she clung to the edge of the console with her other hand as the Tardis threatened to throw her off her feet.
"Of course, I'm sure! You are holding down the green jiggame button, aren't you?" the Doctor shot back grinning.
Sophie peered down at the button, "Well, it's green!"
"Exactly. The green jiggame button," he responded, rather enjoying himself as the Tardis spun haphazardly through the vortex.
Sophie glanced about the console a bit frantic, the shaking wasn't stopping, "There's a lot of green buttons,"
"But only one jiggame button. Just keep holding it down!" he replied rather unhelpfully in Sophie's opinion, because nothing had improved.
"It's not working!" Rose yelped. Sophie nodded her agreement vehemently. They had to be doing something wrong. The flight had never been this bad before!
"Oi!" the Doctor said shooting the two women a slightly annoyed look for questioning his ability to pilot the Tardis, "I promised you both a time machine and that's what you're getting!" he declared, "Now, you girls have seen the future, let's have a look at the past. 1860. How does 1860 sound?" he asked them.
"Peachy! As long as your driving doesn't kill us first!" Sophie sniped. Her teeth clenching together as she was almost thrown away from the console and the button she was holding down.
"Oi! There's nothing wrong with my driving!" the Doctor responded indignantly and received twin sceptic looks from his companions that had him grinning despite himself.
"What happened in 1860?" Rose shouted over to him, curious despite the shaking that was threatening to upset her stomach.
"I don't know, let's find out!" he exclaimed with excitement, "Hold on here we go!" he shouted before he pulled a lever and the Tardis let out a high-pitched sound as they picked up speed, sending them rocketing through the vortex, heading now for a fixed destination.
*O*O*O*
Sophie let out a yelp as the Tardis' violent shaking finally managed to knock her off her feet. She landed heavily, the back of her head connecting with the floor and she groaned in pain. It was with a sense of relief when the wheeze of the Tardis materializing moments later and the shaking came to an abrupt stop.
Laughter from the others drew her attention and she found that she hadn't been the only one to get knocked off her feet by the Tardis, both the Doctor and Rose had joined her on the floor.
Despite the throbbing ache at the back of her head Sophie found herself laughing along with them. That flight had really been something else.
"Blimey!" Rose exclaimed with a grin, rather thrilled by the experience now that it was over. Sophie nodded her agreement, then wished she hadn't as it made her head throb a bit harder in displeasure at the movement.
"You're telling me! Are you alright?" he asked Rose as he got up.
"Yeah! I think so! Nothing broken…" she assessed as she pulled herself to her feet.
The Doctor turned to Sophie and frowned in concern at the sight of her wincing and gingerly touching her head, "And you?" he asked again, shifting a little closer so that he could squat down beside the girl drawing her attention… making her belatedly realize she'd been spoken to.
"Uh yeah," she murmured as she lowered her hand and received a disbelieving look, "Just, my head got a little more closely acquainted to the floor that's all,"
She stilled as almost before she'd even finished talking the man's hands where in her hair, gently probing the back of her skull, "Uh, I think I just bruised it," she mumbled, her cheeks flushing gently as her heart gave an uncomfortable stutter at his closeness and the touch of his fingers that felt more intimate than it was intended to be.
The Doctor spent a moment longer checking the area thoroughly, before pulling back with a satisfied nod, "Just a bruise," he confirmed as he straightened back up, "Up with you Annie-Girl," he urged as he held a hand out to her.
Sophie shot him a glare at the nickname, but allowed him to help her onto her feet, "You're really serious about that name, aren't you?" she muttered at him.
The Doctor smiled at her in response, before his gaze turned to Rose who was smirking at him, "What?"
Rose shook her head at him, "Nothin'," she denied, before she changed the subject, "Did we make it? Where are we?"
The Doctor moved over to a small screen and studied it for a moment, before he grinned, "I did it! Give the man a medal. Earth, Naples, December 24th, 1860," he informed them brightly.
"That's so weird…" Rose breathed, her voice trailing. It hadn't been anywhere near Christmas when she and Soph had left with him and that had barely been a full day ago… not even she didn't think, "It's Christmas,"
The Doctor grinned and gestured them both towards the door, "All yours," he told them, resisting the urge to shoo them on as neither made a move towards it.
"But, it's like... think about it, though. Christmas. 1860. Happens once. Just once, and it's gone. It's finished. It'll never happen again. Except for you," Rose contemplated him thoughtfully, "You can go back and see days that are dead and gone and a hundred thousand sunsets ago... no wonder you never stay still..."
The Doctor shrugged, "Not a bad life,"
"Better with three," she said with a bright smile as she shifted to include the silent Sophie in the conversation only to sigh in fond exasperation to see that she was staring intently at the Tardis… and probably completely oblivious to what had been said, "Oi! Space-Cadet! I was talking to you too," she called.
Sophie hummed and dragged her gaze away from the Tardis and offered a smile of her own, "Definitely better with three," she agreed brightly, stunning the blond momentarily.
Rose shook it off and grinned at her companions again, even as Sophie's gaze drifted back to the Tardis, making the blond roll her eyes and grab the distracted girls hand, honestly. You'd think they landed in 1860 every day, "Come on then!" she cheered and headed for the door brunette in tow. "Oi, oi, oi! Where do you think you're going?!" the Doctor brought them up short.
The blond spun around to face him, releasing Sophie's hand as she did so, "1860!" she responded without hesitation.
The Doctor shook his head at her, "Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarella! There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, it's the fifth door on your left. Hurry up!" he called after the blond as she ran out of the control room.
The Doctor blinked at Sophie who hadn't moved from the door her eyes still on the Tardis. He stepped over to her, "Perhaps you hit your head harder than I thought," he said concerned.
"Huh?" Sophie turned her gaze to him before shaking her head, "No… I'm fine… I was just trying to talk to the Tardis… but she's being quiet," she murmured concerned about the ship that still had steam billowing out of the console.
The Doctor smiled his expression softening, "She's fine. Just recalibrating. She'll be all fixed up in a jiffy," he assured and the Tardis put in the effort to hum a quiet affirmation, "Now," he said brightly shifting behind the girl so that he could give her a gentle push in the direction of the stairs, "Go get changed. 1860's waiting,"
Sophie nodded and hurried after Rose. The worry she felt over the state of the Tardis easing further as the ship lit up the path for her so that she didn't get lost.
*O*O*O*
Rose glanced back at the door to the large wardrobe she'd found and grinned teasingly at Sophie, "Finally. Took you long enough. Did you get lost?"
"Uh, yeah. Kinda," Sophie responded, her mouth gaping slightly as she took in the large wardrobe. She hadn't imagined something like this when the Doctor said wardrobe… it was massive… and overwhelming in its selection of choices.
"Liar," Rose debunked, and gestured at the other girls gloved hand that had reached up so that she could twirl a lock of hair around it.
"Oh," Sophie muttered and lowered her hand, her cheeks heating up again.
Rose grinning knowingly, "You spaced again didn't cha?"
Sophie offered her a sheepish look. It was close enough to the truth.
"Right," Rose declared suddenly businesslike, "Any idea where to start?"
Sophie glanced a little uncertainly about the racks-up racks of clothes, "Um, that looks like it could fit the 1860's," she said pointing to a large rack.
Rose eyed it as well and grinned at the array of dresses that they could see from their position. She snatched Sophie's hand and led them over at a quick clip all excitement.
The two began sorting and searching through the section of the wardrobe as they both searched for something that suited them…
A long while later, Sophie stood in front of one of the many full-length mirrors that were scattered around the wardrobe. Her fingers working with her hair as she teased the lazy curls into a relaxed side ponytail, that she was tying a deep green ribbon around to hide the thin black hair tie she'd used to secure it. The deep green almost black matched the colour of the dress she'd eventually chosen for herself and the elbow length gloves that the Doctor had provided her with.
It sat off her shoulders, sitting higher than Rose's dress did on hers. The front dipped into a small elegant 'v' and pinched in at her waist, before flaring outwards at the hips so that the skirts would sit properly around her ankles. She'd augmented the look with a slim silver bracelet that sat over her gloved wrist on left hand, with a matching set of silver earrings that were tipped with a green gem and had applied a thin layer of make-up to complete the picture of the elegant lady that was staring back at her from the mirror.
Rose walked over in her own black and red dress, "You ready?"
Sophie nodded and grabbed the black shawl she'd picked out and draped it over her shoulders. She tottered on her heals slightly not used to them and was glad that she'd settled on a pair that had a small heal instead of one of the ones that looked like she'd break her ankle if she even tried…
*O*O*O*
The Doctor fiddled with some wires under the console of the Tardis flashing his sonic screwdriver at them as he kept himself busy whilst he waited for his companions to finally make their way back to the console room… never mind that the part he was fiddling with now didn't need to be fixed.
He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and switched off his sonic screwdriver and looked up to see Rose stepping down off the stairs and into the room.
He smiled at her, "You…" he trailed off as his gaze caught on Sophie as she crested the stairs herself; having walked slower than the blond in an attempt to familiarize herself with walking in heels. He swallowed thickly, throat suddenly feeling dry, "Blimey!" he couldn't help but exclaim as he took in the sight of her.
Sophie ducked her head, her cheeks flushing rather hotly, "You shouldn't laugh. This took forever," she muttered embarrassed, mistaking his reaction.
"You look beautiful," the Doctor assured causing Sophie to snap her gaze up to him again. The Doctor cleared his throat and glanced over at Rose, "You both do," he tacked on hurriedly glancing away from both of them feeling awkward, "Considering…" he muttered as he flicked on his sonic again to distract himself.
Rose cocked her hip and shot him a look, "Considering what?" she asked as Sophie came down the stairs to stand beside her.
"That you're humans!" the Doctor replied switching the sonic off again. He couldn't focus now! Not when… the thought trailed as he found his gaze drifting to Sophie again completely against his will. Watching for a brief moment as she fiddled with the ends of her gloves, the flush still staining her cheeks becomingly.
Rose smiled, but heaved an internal sigh. She couldn't help the small flash of jealousy she felt at the Doctor's reaction to seeing Soph. But she shook it off reminding herself that she had a boyfriend back home… a useless lump of a boyfriend who'd done nothing. It was hard to see him the same way after that… which had her heart hurting. She loved Mickey – she did and she didn't want to lose that. So, she decided that when she talked to the Doctor after this adventure. She'd ask if he could take them home for a visit… she needed to heal the small wound between them, but until then…
She straightened up and widened her smile, amusement dancing in her gaze, "I think that's a compliment," she teased before looping her arm through Sophie's, "Don't you think Soph?"
Sophie blinked, her head cocking to the side a little as she considered. She didn't have a lot of good personal experience with those of her own race, but as she glanced over at Rose she couldn't help but grin at the blond who'd been surprisingly kind about everything so far, "Yeah, I think it was,"
The girls turned their gaze back to the Doctor. Rose's eyes turning critical as she took in what she could see of the Doctors outfit, "Aren't you going to change?"
"I've changed my jumper!" he waved off Rose's critique and jump up out of the space beneath the console and tucked away his sonic, "Come on!" he enthused and began heading towards the door happy to finally be able to get going.
"You, stay there!" Rose demanded bringing him up short, "You've done this before. This one's ours!" she declared and the two hurried for the door, Rose unlinking their arms so that they could fit through the door.
Sophie blinked as she took in the blanket of white from just outside the open door of the Tardis and pulled her shawl a little closer to fit against the chill in the air. She hadn't been expecting snow in Naples, but she'd seen odder things since stepping foot in the Tardis. She watched Rose for a moment as the blond girl walked forward a few steps, leaving a trail in the snow that she glanced back at with delight.
The Doctor locked the door of the Tardis and stepped up beside Sophie who was now shifting her feet in the snow, feeling her heels sink slightly. The Doctor smiled and Sophie sensing his gaze looked up and returned it. Her delight reflected in her eyes.
"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed softly, "I wasn't expecting snow,"
He grinned, "Well, what were you expecting?" he asked curiously.
Sophie blinked, "Uh… I don't know. It just wasn't snow," she admitted with a small shrug.
The Doctor offered her his arm as Rose started making her way back to them, "Ready for this?" he asked as Sophie placed her hand in the crook of his arm.
"I don't know about you lot, but I am!" Rose said with a mock scowl as she came up beside them, "Come on you two. Your holding up the show!" she urged them, taking the Doctor's arm as he proffered it at her.
"Here we go. History!" the Doctor exclaimed as the three set off at a leisurely walk down the deserted street.
Rose pulled ahead of them slightly when they reached a square that had a few people still milling about the night. There ambling pace a bit to slow for her taste. Sophie on the other hand was rather happy for the extra support his arm gave as they walked along the snow-covered street. She was uncertain of her footing as it was without adding snow to the mix, as pretty as it was.
The blond trailed after the two however when the Doctor changed direction heading for a lone street vendor.
Sophie watched curious as the Doctor dug around in his jacket pocket with his free hand and pulled out a couple of small coins. She raised a brow at them, "I thought you had no money?" she questioned.
The Doctor gave her a grin, "Just a smattering of coins from here and there," he replied as he paid the man for a newspaper and moved them away a couple of steps, "Not really anything that'd count in the 21st century," he expounded as he unfurled the paper and a frown creased his brow as he realized he'd done it again. He looked up at his companions a little sheepishly, "I got the flight a bit wrong,"
"I don't care," Rose dismissed whilst Sophie shrugged as unconcerned.
"It's not 1860, it's 1869," he continued earning another shrug from the woman on his arm whilst Rose reiterated how little she cared, "And it's not Naples," the Doctor admitted this time earning a curious look from Sophie.
"I don't care!" Rose repeated again.
"It's Cardiff," beside him Sophie shrugged. It may have been fairly close to home, but it was still 1869.
Rose however couldn't help but be disappointed, her smile faltering slightly, "Right…" she muttered trailing off as she looked around the square again, not quite as impressed with it as she'd been before.
"So," Sophie broke the silence that had descended between them, resisting the urge to shuffle her feet awkwardly, "What shall we do in 1869's Cardiff?"
"Um… well there's…" the Doctor floundered a little as he tried to think what had been going on at Christmas eve in Cardiff in 1869. He was saved from the coming up with something when screams echoed through the night. He grinned in relief and the excitement of an adventure, "That's more like it!" he exulted, before he was off and running, having tossed the newspaper over his shoulder. His hand slipping down to grasp Sophie's as the brunette stumbled a little as she was pulled into his run, her hand still having been curled about his arm.
Rose only a few steps behind, her earlier disappointment forgotten as they got closer to the sounds of terror.
The three ran into the rapidly emptying theatre to see a blue gas-like substance zooming around the room, "Fantastic!" the Doctor exclaimed with enthusiasm at the sight of the phenomenon. The Doctor, Sophie's hand still clasped in his, walked over to the rather frazzled Charles Dickens, "Did you see where it came from?" he asked.
The man in question seized on him as the culprit, "Ah. The wag reveals himself, does he? I trust you and your lady are satisfied, Sir!" he snapped at him, irritated at the disturbance to his performance.
"I… what?" the Doctor spluttered rather taken aback by the affronted man who'd laid into him for no reason.
Sophie shrank back a little, "It wasn't m… us," she mumbled more than anything. Half expecting more accusations to be levelled towards them. It had nearly always ended up somehow being her fault in the orphanage.
"Oi!" Rose shouted after an old man and a young woman as the hurried past her the old woman who'd crumpled earlier held between them as they attempted to make a clean get away, "Leave her alone!" she demanded and started off after them with hardly a backwards glance at the Doctor and Sophie merely calling over her shoulder, "I'll get 'em!"
"Be careful!" the Doctor called back, releasing Sophie's hand so that he could leap agilely up onto the stage, "Did it say anything? Could it speak?" the Doctor asked the well-dressed man, whilst Sophie lingered by the edge deciding that the jump would be close enough to impossible in her dress and heels that even trying would be foolish, "I'm the Doctor by the way," he introduced himself as the man merely stared at him dubiously.
"Doctor? You look more like a navy," the man stated, eyeing the Doctor's state of dress critically.
The Doctor's expression turned indignant, "What's wrong with this jumper?" he demanded to know.
Sophie shrugged, starting to move away from the stage, a frown on her brow… she could feel Rose just on the edge of her consciousness… and it was fluctuating from indignant to something else… "Nothing. It's a lovely jumper," she responded carelessly, missing the way the Doctor beamed at her and the other man made a derisive sound.
She started moving for the doors they exited whilst the Doctor shifted his gaze back to the light show above them as it made dive and entered one of the many gas lamps that illuminated the theatre, "Gas! It's made of gas, Annie-Girl!" he exclaimed, his exuberance cut off as the brunette shouted in sudden panic as she ran from the doors.
"Doctor!" he leapt from the stage and hurried after her… unnoticed by either the man made his way from the stage, making to follow who he perceived as the troublemakers of the evening.
Sophie made it out the doors in time to see the blond head of her friend whose mind shouted with panicked thoughts briefly before calming drawing her full attention, disappeared into the back of what appeared to be a long rectangular carriage of some kind, "Rosie!" she shouted and started down the stairs, the Doctor bursting out of the door way chasing after her even as the man and woman hurried around it and swiftly began driving off.
"Doctor, Rose is in that strange carriage thing!" Sophie shouted at a loss of what to do.
"You mean the hearse?" the Doctor corrected, before shooting an irritated look at the man that had followed them and was demanding answers for the 'trick' he'd apparently preformed, "Yeah, mate not now, thanks!"
"Doctor, they're getting away!" Sophie yelled.
The Doctor spied a carriage and grasped Sophie's hand as he hurried towards it, "The carriage quick!" he told her before urgently addressing the driver, "Oi, you follow that hearse!" he shouted whilst helping Sophie up and into the stationary couch. Swiftly jumping in after her.
"You can't do that, Sir!" the man protested.
"Why not?" the Doctor somewhat impatiently, the hearse was getting further away.
"Doctor?" Sophie urged.
"I know. I know," he responded.
Meanwhile the man huffed indignantly, "Why not? I'll give you a very good reason why not! This is my coach!"
The Doctor unwilling to argue any further reached out and grabbed him, "Well, get in then!" he demanded as he yanked him in.
Sophie let out a startled squeak as she was abruptly lifted and placed on the Doctors lap to make room for the man in the small couch that was built for no more than two even as the Doctor ordered the driver, "Move!" and the couch lurched into motion.
The Doctor's hands keeping her from being jostled about by the heaving motion. Still she shot him a disgruntled look at his manhandling.
He met her gaze steadily, "What? Would you prefer it to be the other way around?"
Sophie shook her head in the negative and relaxed a little so that she wasn't holding herself so rigidly, "A little warning would have been nice,"
"I'll remember that for next time," the Doctor commented, before he was distracted by the end of the driver's sentence, "What did he say?" a little shocked whilst the man vehemently declared that things weren't in order at all.
"Let me say this first," the man rounded on his unwanted companions again, "I'm not without a sense of humour…" but he was cut off by the Doctor who was staring at him with new eyes.
"Dickens?"
"Yes,"
"Charles Dickens?" the Doctor sought to confirm. It'd be embarrassing if he was mistaken… he'd done that before…
Sophie stared wide eyed at the man, mouthing the name to herself, scarcely able to believe that she was so close to The Charles Dickens!
"The Charles Dickens?" the Doctor echoed Sophie's thoughts, a grin beginning to light up his expression once again.
"Shall I remove the gentleman and lady, Sir?" the driver called down again, a little concerned that he'd heard no more from the man who'd employed him.
"Charles Dickens! Your brilliant, you are! Completely 100% brilliant!" the Doctor gushed, "I've read 'em all! Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and what's the other one, the one with the ghost?"
"A Christmas Carol?" Dickens deduced.
The Doctor shook his head, "No, no, no, the one with the trains… The Signal Man, that's it, terrifying!" he exclaimed, and Sophie nodded in agreement, words lost to her for the moment and Dickens couldn't help but be pleased by the praise, "The best short story ever written! You're a genius!"
"You want me to get rid of them, Sir?" the driver tried again.
"Er, no, I think they can stay," he conceded.
"Honestly, Charles, can I call you Charles?" Dickens barely had time to nod before the Doctor was speaking again, "I'm such a big fan,"
"…what? A what?" Charles asked rather confused, once again eyeing the Doctor like he was more than just a little bit mad… and it didn't help that the lady was staring rather strangely too.
"Fan! Number One Fan, that's me," the Doctor explained without really explaining at all.
"How exactly are you a fan? In what way do you resemble a means to keep oneself cool?" Charles demanded to know.
"No, it means 'Fanatic', devoted to," the Doctor finally explained properly, "Mind you, I've gotta say, that American bit in Martin Chuzzlewit, what was that about?! Was that just padding or what? I mean it's rubbish that bit,"
"I liked that bit," Sophie muttered, her voice almost a whisper.
The Doctor glanced at her, "It was entirely…"
"I thought you said you were my fan," Charles interrupted disgruntled by the man once again.
The Doctor shrugged, "Ah well, if can't take criticism… go on, do the death of Little Nell, it cracks me up," he stated and earned a glare from Sophie who'd rather liked that story too despite the ultimately sad ending, "No, sorry, come on, faster!" he shouted to the driver coming back to the issue at hand and they obligingly picked up a bit of speed.
"Who exactly is in that hearse?" Charles asked curious now.
"Our friend. She's only 19, and it's my fault,"
Sophie shook her head looking down at her lap, fiddling with her fingers, "Shoulda moved faster," she muttered lowly.
"Oi, none of that," the Doctor reprimanded firmly. "Not your fault. You'd gotten out there any sooner and like as not I'd be chasing after the both of you now. Besides, she's in my care and now she's in danger,"
Charles started at the two aghast, "Why are we wasting time talking about dry old books? This is much more important," he declared, "Driver! Be swift! The chase is on!"
"Yes, Sir!" the driver complied urging the horses on faster once again.
"Thatta boy, Charlie!" the Doctor exclaimed with delight, his grip on Sophie firming as the carriage bounced about jarringly at the increase of speed.
"Nobody calls me Charlie," Charles told him.
"The ladies do," the Doctor responded.
Sophie blinked at him, "They do?" she questioned curiously.
The Doctor shot her a grin, "Well, maybe not you Annie,"
Charles narrowed his eyes on the pair, "How do you know that?"
"I told you… I'm your Number One…"
Charles rolled his eyes, "Number One Fan, yes…" really that explained nothing at all!
The carriage rolled to a stop and Charles promptly disembarked, leaving the Doctor and Sophie to see to themselves.
"I just met Charles Dickens!" Sophie murmured as she shifted from the Doctors lap, finding her feet as she made for the open carriage door.
The Doctor grinned again despite himself, "Yes-yes you did," he agreed as he followed her out of the carriage onto the street outside a building the hearse had pulled up to, "I take it you're a fan?" Sophie nodded as they hurried towards the front door where Charles was already knocking urgently, "We'll get you his autograph later," he promised and got a distracted smile in return as they came to stand with Charles.
Charles knocked again, his knuckles rapping against the wood smartly as the trio waited from a response from those they knew to be inside.
The door slid open and the girl from earlier stood reluctantly in the doorway, opening barely enough to frame her body, "I'm sorry Sir, we're closed," she spoke uncomfortably.
"Nonsense! Since when did an undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on schedule," Charles insisted, "I demand to see your master,"
"He's not in, Sir," she insisted and moved to shut the door on them and any questions such an unusual occurrence would rightly stir in those seeking the services of a coroner.
Charles forced it to remain open with a hand, angry now, "Don't lie to me, child!"
"I'm awfully sorry, Mr. Dickens, but the master's indisposed," she tried again. He'd be terribly disappointed in her if she didn't send them away… not when they were having so many troubles of their own… and the poor young miss that Mr. Sneed said had seen too much…
Behind the young servant woman. A gas lamp flared unexpectedly, drawing the attention of the three in the doorway.
"Having trouble with your gas?" the Doctor asked knowingly, whilst Sophie clenched her hands at her sides, rising up onto the balls of her feet to try and see into the hallway behind the woman, hoping for a glimpse of her blond friend.
"What in the Shakespeare is going on?" Charles gaped at the sight.
The Doctor brushed past the startled maid and moved to the wall pressing his ear to the wall, listening, "There's something inside the walls," he murmured.
"You're not allowed inside, Sir!" the maid protested even as Sophie stepped through the door, followed closely by Charles, all of them ignoring the fretful maid.
Sophie moved further down the hallway, her gaze searching as she attempted to feel for her friend's mind… she'd never really done so deliberately, before and she had to fight back a grimace as she felt the pressure of the maids and Charles' mind increase against her own, and the Doctor's controlled bordered off mind shone brighter, but still she continued on down the hall… ignoring the maid still as she called her back.
"The gas pipes. Somethings living in the gas pipes," the Doctor breathed surprised and excited by the new mystery.
"Doctor!" Sophie called drawing his attention away from what was happening in the walls just as Rose's terrified voice echoed back to them and they took off running, whilst the maid pressed her eyes closed in dismay. Her master would not be happy. All she could do know was hope that after all this that the woman locked in the room would survive…
The Doctor's longer legs had him swiftly over taking Sophie as they tore down the hall, Charles following closely behind them.
"Please, let me out!" came Rose's shout as they got nearer. They bolted past an old man who scowled darkly at them.
"This is my house!" he hollered at them, only to be ignored. He turned to his maid wagging a finger at her, "I told you!" he began and she shrugged a little helplessly before she continued on after the intruders… Mr. Sneed not far behind now.
The Doctor reached the door that Rose's voice had been coming from. He tried the handle, before roughly shouldering the door open to see Rose held hostage by a corpse of a young man. His hand covering her mouth.
"Oi! Hands to yourself thanks mate!" he quipped before with a deft movement, he pulled her from the man's grasp and safely behind him so that she was standing next to Sophie, who was eyeing the two animated corpses that were emitting a rather eerie glow.
"It's a prank!" Charles insisted as he stared in disbelief at the two corpses that were doing the impossible, "It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence,"
"No, we're not. The dead are walking," the Doctor responded without looking away from the phenomenon before him. Completely fascinated.
"Yeah," Sophie quietly agreed, the hairs on her arms standing on end as she continued to stare at the two, unable to help but feel rather disconcerted by their appearance… the way they stared unblinkingly, "Ok, but why are they walking – shouldn't they be RIP-ing?"
Beside her, Rose nodded her agreement. The dead shouldn't move! They really shouldn't! She pressed a little closer to Sophie. Her body feeling a little tired as she calmed.
"I dunno! Let's find out," he declared with a grin.
Rose eyed the Doctor with a slightly dubious look. He seemed a bit too excited over the walking dead that she had been sure just moments ago were going to kill her… and Sophie too looked curious but hers was tempered by a wariness that Rose found reassuring… she wasn't the only one feeling unsettled.
"My names the Doctor. Who are you, then?" the Doctor addressed the walking dead, "What do you want?"
The male opened his mouth and a voice that sounded like it was coming from somewhere in the ether, "We're failing. Open the rift, we're dying. Trapped in this form, cannot sustain, help us!" it pleaded, before both the old woman and the young man had their heads tilted back by the gas-like entity possessing them and with a wailing scream, filled with pain and suffering the possessing force left and the two now normal corpses crumpled to the floor as lifeless as when they'd first left the world of the living.
A couple of moments later the small group were moving back down the corridor this time heading for a parlour. Rose and Sophie bringing up the rear as the Doctor helped a blustering Mr. Sneed along.
"So, who's the friend you guys picked up whilst rushing to rescue me? You guys were rushing, right?" Rose murmured, shooting a rather unhappy glare at Mr. Sneed who was still blustering about it being his house… and having done nothing wrong…
Sophie nodded quickly… not wanting to stoke the blond simmering anger into a blaze. Her mind was railing against her barriers… "He's Charles Dickens… The Charles Dickens – author-extraordinaire,"
Rose blinked momentarily surprised, "Oh… wow," she murmured a little surprised, before she smiled, "That's awesome!"
Sophie nodded again returning the blonds smile readily, "I know!" she gushed her voice hushed.
*O*O*O*
The maid that Sophie had recently learned was called Gwyneth was calmly pouring tea for them. Something Sophie was watching, hoping that some of the calm serenity that the other woman was exuding would rub off on her as she struggled to keep Rose out of her head. The blond was revving herself up as she ripped into Mr. Sneed… tearing pieces off of him with her tongue. Which meant that the barriers Sophie already struggled to maintain were taking a battering… not to mention Mr. Sneed though rather taken aback at first was also getting rather angry in response.
"First of all, you drug me! Then you kidnap me, and," Rose jabbed an accusatory finger at him, "Don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man!" she growled.
The Doctor snickered at the other mans' predicament, his amused gaze drifted to Sophie and he sobered slightly at seeing her forehead scrunch in a way that was all too quickly becoming familiar to him. He glanced again at the irate Rose. His lingering amusement falling flat now as he realized at least partly what was causing her pain.
A grimace crossed his own face briefly. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to struggle to keep other people out of his head.
"I won't be spoken to like this!" Mr. Sneed barked, finding his voice again.
"Then," Rose spoke on, "You stuck me in a room full of zombies! And if that ain't enough, you swan off! And leave me to die! So, come on, talk!" she demanded in her righteous anger.
"It's not my fault, it's this house!" Mr. Sneed cried despondently, "It always had a reputation. Haunted. But I never had much bother until a few months back. And then the stiffs…" he trailed at the mildly offended look he received from Charles at his callousness, "The er, dearly departed started getting restless,"
Charles rolled his eyes, "Tommyrot," he declared stubbornly.
"You witnessed it!" Mr. Sneed objected, "Can't keep the beggars down, Sir! They walk. And it's the queerest thing that they hang on to scraps…"
Gwyneth walked over to the Doctor and Sophie a cup of tea in each hand, "Two sugars, Sir, just how you like it. And one and a half for the Miss. This brew should help with the headache," she offered helpfully as she handed over each respective cup and turning away to continue her duties, missing the surprised, curious looks the pair gave her retreating back.
"One old fella who used to be a sexton almost walked into his own memorial service! Just like the old lady going to your performance, Sir! Just as she planned,"
Charles waved him off, "Morbid fancy,"
The Doctor rolled his eyes at the mans stubbornness and disappointment in his seeming narrow mindedness, "Oh, Charles you were there,"
"I saw nothing but an illusion," Charles insisted.
The Doctor straightened up, out of patience with the man as he noticed Sophie quietly get up, setting her barely touched tea down and slip from the room, "If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time. Just shut up," he demanded, his concern for his brunette companion simmering beneath the surface… but he was certain that she was clever enough to stay out of trouble for the brief amount of time it'd take for him to learn what he could from Mr. Sneed… or at least that's what he hoped…
"What about the gas?" he pressed the man.
"That's new, Sir. Never seen anything like that," Mr. Sneed admitted.
The Doctor nodded, "Means it's getting stronger, the rifts getting wider and something's sneaking through.
Rose cocked her head slightly, "What's the rift?" she glanced around, "And where's Soph?"
"She's fine. I'll check on her in a minute," the Doctor assured before answering her first question, "A weak point in time and space. The connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories most of the time…" he explained.
*O*O*O*
Sophie stood in a hallway, not too far away from the room she'd left the others in, leaning her weight against the wall. Her gaze lifted towards a portrait that she guessed may have been old Mr. Sneed's wife at one point… but there was no sign of the older woman in the portrait… she could feel a tinge of sadness for his loss, however she struggled to hold the emotion… the wrong he'd done Rose was still fresh in mind… as was her pounding headache that was beating merely over her temples.
She closed her eyes, and focused on her breathing. She was far enough away from the others that they were much easier to deal with… and Rose had calmed down somewhat now… still the extra harsh headache lingered. They always lingered.
'Stupid head. Stupid brain' she thought grumpily.
She'd been interested in hearing what the Doctor discovered, but if she'd lingered in that room longer so close to everyone, whilst Rose's mind had still been so abrasive and harsh in her anger. Her barriers probably would have broken and the mere taste of what was going on in her companions' heads would have become so much more… too much more.
She opened her eyes as she felt the Doctor's unique mind getting closer… really, his was rather relaxing… soothing, almost against the pounding. She glanced in the direction he was coming from and smiled in a silent greeting.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Sophie responded automatically, shifting her gaze back to the portrait in front of her.
The Doctor sighed and came to lean against the wall beside her, "And yet your alone out here in the hallway admiring a… rather unfortunate portrait," he said making a face, earning a small smile of amusement from the brunette.
"I think it's the nose… it got painted crooked," Sophie murmured, glad for the distraction.
"And here I thought it was the baring of teeth that was passing itself off as a smile," the Doctor quipped with a smile, before he turned serious, "Annie-Girl – what happened?"
Sophie glanced towards him before looking away, her hands twisting together as she thought, her agitation almost palpable in the air, before the Doctor could speak again she spoke, her voice tinged with wariness, "The rising tension. Strong emotions… they," she trailed as she tried to find a way to explain to the man that was staring at her with patient eyes, "… it makes… um… their minds; thoughts…" she sighed and shot him a self-conscious look only to see that he was still staring at her with seeming never ending patience, "I'd liken it to a battering-ram to the temples, but that sounds…" she trailed off again, this time with a nose crinkle of distaste.
The Doctor frowned thoughtfully, "It's almost like you weren't born with any natural barriers in place to protect you against the onslaught… I think… no I'm almost 97.999675 percent certain that I should be able to help with that… it'll need a bit more thought... but if it is just that you've no natural protection then…" the Doctor continued to muttered whilst Sophie blinked up at him a little stupefied at his revelation and level of certainty, "The headaches and how near impossible it is… it'd all make sense," in his exuberance he, without thought reached up with one hand to touch her temple, "All, I'd need too…" he trailed off as Sophie's eyes glazed over and her mouth dropped open in a silent 'oh' her expression registering shock.
The Doctor hastily lowered his hand, "Sorry," he apologized, "I wasn't…"
Sophie gathered herself, blinking up at him as she processed what she'd seen with something close to horror, "Doctor!" she gasped.
The Doctor placed a silencing finger across her lips, his expression apologetic, but solemn as he regarded her face, "No," he said softly but firmly, "I'm sorry," he reiterated again, needing her to understand that he really was. He hadn't meant to do that, "But, I can't know. Whatever it was you saw… I can't," he swallowed thickly.
Sophie stared up at him curious, "Can't… or don't want to?"
The Doctor's lips twitched upwards a little, "A bit of both," he admitted sheepishly, "Knowing what's to come… that'd be boring,"
Sophie scoffed under her breath, "You make it sound like I'm omniscient… they're useless cryptic things. Never clear, never more than a glimpse. Often, I don't understand why, what or how until it's right upon me… the dreams, rare as they are, are a little better but not by much. Still irritatingly vague and confusing, just more information. Like those stupid killer mannequins. I was dreaming of those for bleedin' days before you showed up,"
The Doctor couldn't help how his interest peaked at that… it was rather curious, "Is that why you froze on the street,"
Sophie shrugged, "Took me by surprise. I'd been telling myself that there were just nightmares… that there was no way that that could be real… but then there you were… the guy that'd been cameoing in them too…"
"Then the basement, why?"
Sophie shrugged again, "Rose saved me from falling, she touched my bare arm… saw her getting attacked by the mannequins… I couldn't let her go down alone… of course I didn't see that you'd be there… as I said they're a bit useless,"
The Doctor smiled at that. Humans, amazing they really were!
Sophie worried her lower lip with her teeth… she could still feel the heat! The large explosion of raging fire… she just wished she could understand… why? Why had there been an explosion! "Doctor," she tried again.
"No Annie-Girl," the Doctor cut her off staring at her with a sadness in his eyes, "It's dangerous knowing what going to happen, no matter if you think they're useless. I see the world very differently to you… it'd be dangerous for both you and me if you told me something of what's to come,"
"But I…" Sophie went to protest, but trailed at the serious expression on his face… and the underlying pain there. She nodded and huffed out a breath, her eyes stinging a little, "It's just hard," she muttered her voice a little more than a whisper in the air between them.
The Doctor nodded, "Those who see… are always heavily burdened," he carefully took her gloved hands in his, "I'll help you though… as much as I can," he promised, "You're not alone anymore," he gave her slender digits a careful squeeze, "We'll talk more later promise, "For now," he tucked one of her small hands into the crook of his elbow, "We've got things to do… first of which is finding where old Charlie got off to,"
"Why? Where'd he go?" Sophie asked, allowing herself to be lead back along the corridor and her mind away from the brief, infuriatingly vague and unhelpful vision of fire she'd had at the Doctor's touch. She could think on that later… who even knew when it'd happen… and maybe it wouldn't…
"I dunno. That's why we've got to find him. Can't have him milling about all willy-nilly when the dead are walking," the Doctor said lightly, before going on to tell her what she'd missed out on in the parlour as they wandered through the gas-lit corridors. The Doctor leading them down a familiar path… as he did in actual fact have a faint idea where the bright man had gone off to…
The two found the man inside the room Rose had been locked away in, poking and prodding around the coffin one of the corpses was no resting in.
'Oh… I hope he goes easy on him,' Sophie thought a little bemused as she watched the man mutter on to himself as he tried to understand the trick.
'Why?' she heard the Doctor ask and she started a little, not having meant for him to hear her thought.
She sighed out a quiet breath… shooting the Doctor a look under her lashes, wondering briefly if he was deliberately listening in for her little slip ups, 'He's trying… and he hasn't run off screaming… yet,' she tried, wondering for a moment if she'd succeeded… it was so strange actively trying to communicate this way.
The Doctor beamed down at her for her first successful deliberate attempt, 'Alright…' he pretended some reluctance, his lips twitching at the reproachful look she briefly shot at him, 'I wasn't going to yell at him anyway,' he revealed and gave her hand that was still snug in the crook of his arm a brief squeeze, before finally drawing Charles' attention to the fact that he now had company.
*O*O*O*
Rose stared at Gwyneth in surprise as the entirety of the other woman's sentence registered, "Um, who told you he was dead?" she asked cautiously, eyeing the other woman as she wondered if she had met another person who had telepathy of some kind.
Gwyneth quickly busied herself with the dishes again, "I don't know, must've been the Doctor," she attempted to excuse.
Rose narrowed her eyes and shook her head, "My father died years back,"
"You've been thinking about him lately, more than ever," Gwyneth murmured, losing herself in what she saw.
Whilst Rose watched her, feeling a little uneasy, "I s'pose so," she agreed cautiously, "How do you know all this?"
Gwyneth shrugged, "Mr. Sneed says I think too much. I'm all alone down here. I bet you've got dozens of servants, haven't you miss,"
Rose laughed at that and Gwyneth couldn't help but join in, "No, no servants where I'm from,"
Gwyneth looked at the blond, her gaze drifting past her slightly, her head tilting, "And you've come such a long way, you and your friend Sophie,"
Rose furrowed her brow slightly, "What makes you think so?"
"You're both from London. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that," she stared at the blond intently as her mind continued to fill with strange things… things that she'd caught glimpses of from the brunette woman briefly, "All those people rushing around half-naked, for shame. And the noise… and the metal boxes racing past… and birds in the sky… they're metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. people flying. And you… you and Sophie, you've both flown so far, further than anyone! The things you've seen… the darkness… the big bad wolf…" Gwyneth staggered back a hand going to her forehead, fear in her eyes, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Miss!" she pleaded.
"S'alright," Rose assured with a shrug. Really the girl hadn't said anything bad. It was a little strange… but she was starting to get used to the strange since she'd stepped into the big blue box.
''I can't help it, ever since I was a little girl. My mum said I had the sight. She told me to hide it!"
"But it's getting stronger. More powerful, is that right?" the Doctor interjected surprising the two women who looked to see him and Sophie standing in the doorway.
"All the time, Sir. Every night. Voices in my head," Gwyneth replied a little uncertain. Her gaze going to the brunette who was staring at her like she'd never seen her before… and something akin to hope and Gwyneth smiled a little sadly at her as she saw a small glimpse into the girl again, the loneliness…
"You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it. You're the key," the Doctor realized, one of his hands squeezing Sophie's gently. He'd practically felt the moment she'd tensed as they'd caught the end of the conversation between Rose and Gwyneth.
"I've tried to make sense of it, Sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table wrappers, all sorts," Gwyneth assured.
"Well, that should help. You can show us what to do," the Doctor stated easily.
"What to do, Sir?" Gwyneth asked.
"We're going to have a séance," he announced cheerily earning looks from all three women.
*O*O*O*
Gwyneth paused in making preparations for the séance the Doctor had called for as Rose left the room they were gathering the necessary number of chairs from, leaving her alone with the other miss. She approached the well-dressed brunette a little cautiously… unsure if the quiet brunette would welcome her forwardness, but she couldn't say nothing and there was such hope and despairing loneliness in the kind woman.
"I'm sorry," she began drawing her attention.
Sophie turned her full attention to the brunette, her expression turning slightly pained as she gazed at Gwyneth… she didn't need to be socially capable to put together the pieces… she was in the presence of someone else who had something like she did, "It's similar but,"
"Not the same, I'm sorry Miss,"
Sophie waved her off, "It was a long shot… even hearing you talk about it… it sounds very different from the little snatches of uselessness I get,"
Gwyneth stared at her with kind eyes, "There not useless Miss. It's just," she tilted her head slightly, "There's… I can't… maybe like something isn't quite right… or not ready," she shook her head and gave the other woman an apologetic look, "Sorry Miss,"
Sophie gave her a smile, "Thanks for trying though. I'd hoped that maybe I wasn't alone, but at least I've met someone else who's got 'talents'," she murmured as she soothed the wound that had appeared in the sudden hope she'd been given.
Gwyneth continued to regard the other woman, "You're not alone. You've got your Doctor and Rose,"
"He's not my Doctor," Sophie muttered shifting uncomfortable with the wording for some reason she couldn't place. Her heart giving a sudden odd palpitation.
Gwyneth ignored her too caught up in her sight to really listen to the other woman in that moment, "The Lost Girl… Unlikely Child… lost and seeking. The time of drums will hold the key… sorry Miss. Sometimes my tongue just runs away with me… and I don't rightly know what I'm saying," Gwyneth offered, her confusion evident.
Sophie blinked as she sorted through what she'd heard… none of it making much sense to her either. Finally she shrugged, "Well, at least I'm not the only one 'seeing' things confuses,"
"Yes, Miss," Gwyneth agreed.
"We better get these chairs into the parlour, before the others come looking," Sophie murmured and Gwyneth nodded the two turning back to their task and walking from the room burdened with a chair each.
*O*O*O*
"This is how Madam Mortlock summons those from the Land of Mists. Down in Mid Town," Gwyneth explained as they all sat at circular table, "Come we must all join hands," she instructed.
Sophie felt her hand taken by one of the Doctors, her opposite reaching for Charles' but the man stood abruptly from the table unable to retain his uneasy silence any longer.
"I can't take part in this!" he declared.
"Humbug," the Doctor retorted easily, "Come on, open mind," he chided jovially.
The man shook his head, "This is precisely the sort of cheap mummery I try to un-mask. Seances? Nothing but luminous tambourines and a squeeze box concealed between the knees. This girl knows nothing,"
"Now don't antagonize her. I love a happy medium," the Doctor punned lightly.
Rose made a face, "I can't believe you just said that," she muttered.
Sophie shook her head at him, before glancing up at Charles, "What's the harm? If it's just a trick then nothing will happen," she murmured softly.
Charles faltered but remained standing, now undecided.
"Come on, we might need you," the Doctor urged and with reluctance Charles seated himself again and this time took his neighbours hands, "Good man," the Doctor beamed, before turning his attention back to Gwyneth who was waiting patiently, "Now, Gwyneth, Reach out,"
Gwyneth nodded, before she looked upward, picking a spot across from her as she attempted to reach, and using what she'd seen done before she spoke, "Speak to us. Are you there? Spirits?"
Charles rolled his eyes, fully expecting nothing beyond the cheap mummery he'd seen in other such workings.
"Come. Speak to us that we may relieve your burden," she tried again and this time whispered murmurings filled the air around them.
Sophie felt the small hairs on her arms and the back of neck stand on end at the sound. Rose glanced about a bit nervously, "Can you hear that?" she asked and received a short nod from Sophie.
"Nothing can happen!" Charles insisted, "This is sheer folly,"
Rose gestured at Gwyneth with her head, "Look at her,"
"I feel them. I feel them!" Gwyneth exclaimed with a happy smile. The gaseous beings started to take form in the room gliding about the air above the table.
"What are they saying?" Rose urged.
"They can't get through the rift," the Doctor stated and stared intently at the maid, "Gwyneth, it's not controlling you, you're controlling it. Now look deep. Allow them through," he urged.
"I can't!" Gwyneth cried, her voice straining with the effort of trying to force contact.
"Doctor," Sophie spoke cautiously, her brow furrowed, her hands squeezing about the Doctor's. Gwyneth's mind was pitching… she'd almost call it screaming, but the word didn't fit… but it was throwing itself out there… and it was putting a lot of pressure not just on her barriers as bad as they were, but on Gwyneth herself.
She got a returning squeeze but was otherwise ignored, the Doctor's focus now on getting answers, "Yes you can. Just believe it. I have faith in you, Gwyneth. Make the link," he urged.
Gwyneth expression contorted in pain, but she ignored it, pushing on relentlessly, determined to help those who were lost… her head suddenly lowered, before her eyes snapped open, "Yes," she murmured as three gaseous figures shimmered into being behind her.
Charles' mouth dropped open in shock and Mr. Sneed who'd remained silent throughout, willing to sit through anything in order to set his house to rights again gasped, "Great God. Spirits from the other side!"
"The other side of the universe," the Doctor corrected absently as he stared at the three curiously. Beside him Sophie relaxed slightly, Gwyneth's mind had stopped screaming for lack of better word and was now just focused, or floating she couldn't quite tell which… the girl was there, but not…
"Pity us! Pity the Gelth!" the three cried in desperation, "There is so little time, help us!"
"What do you want us to do?" the Doctor asked.
"The rift. Take the girl to the rift. Make the bridge," the Gelth responded without missing a beat.
"What for?" he asked with a small frown.
"We are so few. The last of our kind. We face extinction,"
The response had the Doctor stiffening, his hand tightening around Sophie's making her flinch slightly and cast a concerned look at the Doctor.
"Why, what happened?" he asked more urgently now.
"Once we had physical form like you. But then the war came," the Gelth cried.
Charles broke his silence as his confusion grew, "War? What war?"
"The Time War," they responded.
Sophie, Rose and the Doctor shared a brief look at that and Sophie returned a fraction of the pressure that was being placed against her hand, in an offer of what she hoped was comfort and support.
"The whole universe convulsed. The Time War raged invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher forms. Our bodies wasted away. We're trapped in this gaseous state," the Gelth explained in a mournful wail.
"So that's why you need the corpses," the Doctor murmured with realization, his mind spinning and his hand loosening around Sophie's.
"We want to stand tall. To feel the sunlight. To live again. We need a physical form, and your dead are abandoned. They're going to waste, give them to us!" the Gelth pleaded.
Rose stared at them aghast, "But we can't!" she exclaimed.
The Doctor tore his gaze from the ghostly forms to stare at Rose with conviction, "Why not?"
"It's not… I mean, it's not…" Rose floundered she hadn't been expecting to be questioned on it.
"Not decent? Not polite?" the Doctor cut her off disinterested in her argument, "It could save their lives," he insisted.
Silence stretched between the two of them as they stared at each other until the Gelth spoke again.
"Open the rift. Let the Gelth through. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth!" they urged, before the tenuous connection broke and Gwyneth collapsed forward towards the table.
The Doctor was silent as the room burst into motion around him… his expression solemn, his thoughts in that moment a universe away.
*O*O*O*
In the parlour Sophie handed Rose a damp cloth. The tension in the air between the blond and the Doctor was palpable to her and she quickly stepped away from Rose again. Needing the extra bit of distance to help keep the blond out of her head despite her own worry for the unconscious Gwyneth.
Rose shot a nasty look at the Doctor from the corner of her eye, before she set herself to gently moping at the girl's forehead.
The Doctor however, easily ignored it as he waited a little impatiently for the girl to awaken. Guilt churning in him, but if he could save the Gelth… just save one race from the destruction he'd wrought…
Sophie sat herself down on a small settee at a distance from both Rose and the Doctor, truly needing distance at least from the irate blond… who hadn't taken kindly at all to the Doctor's plan of helping the Gelth.
The tension wasn't helping her headache, or her barriers that had taken another rough knock this trip. She frowned in concentration as she focused a little harder at keeping Rose out of her head… the blond despite having fallen silent was far from appeased as she saw to Gwyneth… the woman's mind was railing.
Her gaze flicked to the Doctor who was staring off into space solemnly… his entire demeanour had changed since hearing that it was the Time Wars fault that the Gelth were suffering as they were… and what little social skills she had made her want to go to him… try and say something that'd help… but at the same time there was something in the way he was standing that made him so very unapproachable in that moment…
And yet, to her eyes, he also looked so lonely and that he needed someone to come talk to him. Before she could decide which was the proper course to take her focus shifted back to Gwyneth as Rose spoke.
"It's alright. You just sleep," Rose shushed gently.
Gwyneth forced herself into an upright position, "But my Angels, Miss. They came, didn't they? They need me?"
The Doctor nodded, "They do need you Gwyneth. You're there only chance for survival," he told her and earned himself another irate look from Rose.
"I've told you!" the blond snarled as she rounded on him, "Leave her alone! She's exhausted and she's not fighting your battles!" she growled making the Doctor sigh and lean heavier against the wall. Rose turned back to Gwyneth, her expression softening and she offered her a cup of water, "Drink this," she urged pressing it into the woman's hand.
"Well, what did you say, Doctor?" Sneed broke the awkward heavy silence. Still rather confused by the entire thing, "Explain it again. What are they?"
The Doctor focused his gaze on Sneed and straightened up, "Aliens," he reiterated.
Sneed frowned, "Like… foreigners, you mean,"
The Doctor shrugged willing to go with it, if it helped the man understand, "Pretty foreign, yeah. From up there," he pointed upwards.
Mr. Sneed stared at him, "Brecon?" he guessed, the farthest he could imagine.
"Close," the Doctor shrugged, "They've been trying to get through from Brecon to Cardiff but the road's blocked. Only a few can get through and even then they're weak. They can only test drive the bodies for so long, then they gave to revert to gas and hide in the pipes,"
"Which is why they need the girl," Charles murmured as understanding began to dawn on him despite his unwillingness to believe what he'd witnessed firsthand.
"They're not having her!" Rose growled adamantly. Fixing her hard glare on the Doctor.
The Doctor gave Rose an unwavering look, "But she can help," he argued, "Living on the rift, she's become part of it, she can open it up, make a bridge and let them through,"
"Incredible," Charles breathed despite himself, "Ghosts that are not ghosts but beings from another world who can only exist in our world through cadavers,"
The Doctor nodded, "Good system. It might work," he agreed with a smile.
Rose got up and stalked over to the Doctor, "You can't let them run around inside dead people!" she snarled.
The Doctor stared down at her, unaffected by her ire, "Why not? It's like recycling," he said glibly.
Rose glared at him harder, "Seriously though, you can't!"
"Seriously though, I can," the Doctor rebutted without missing a beat.
"It's just… wrong!" Rose tried aggravated, "Those bodies were living people! We should respect them even in death!"
"Do you carry a donor card?" the Doctor asked pointedly.
"That different, that's…" Rose trailed.
"It different yeah. It's a different morality. Get used to it or go home," the Doctor stated firmly.
Rose looked at him through narrowed eyes for a moment longer before she turned to Sophie, "Soph! Don't just sit there! Help me out here!" she yelled turning her gaze in the brunette's direction.
Sophie jerked back a little at suddenly being under the pairs intense gaze. 'Oh bugger!' she thought with a quiet huff. Looking from one expectant gaze to the other, "I think," she began slowly considering her words carefully, "That we're in a lose, lose situation. We do nothing, a civilization dies… we help and the world changes… and maybe not for the better," she said awkwardly, really… there was no better choice… both of them were right in different ways.
The Doctor nodded in acceptance and sighed out a breath and softened his tone, "You heard what they said, time's short. I can't worry about a few corpses when the last of the Gelth could be dying," he murmured hoping that he could get the blond to understand… he was grateful however, that Sophie wasn't against him on this… just cautious… even seemed to understand just how dire the situation was… how helpless…
Rose jutted her chin stubbornly refusing to back down, it wasn't right, no matter what he or Sophie said, "I don't care, they're not using her," she declared.
"Don't I get a say, Miss?" Gwyneth asked, finally breaking her silence, earning the rooms attention.
"Look. You don't understand what's going on," Rose said trying to be gentle.
"You would say that, Miss. Because that's very clear inside your head, that you think I'm stupid,"
Rose shifted uncomfortably, "That's not fair!"
"It's true though. Things might be very different where you're from. But here and now, I know my own mind," Gwyneth stated with confidence, "And my Angels' need me. Doctor, what do I have to do?" she asked with determination.
"You don't have to do anything," the Doctor assured her.
Gwyneth gave him a look full of her determination and love for her Angels, "They've been singing to me since I was a child. Sent by my mum on a holy mission. So, tell me," she urged.
The Doctor smiled at her, relieved that she was happy to help, "We need to find the rift," he stated before approaching Mr. Sneed who was standing close to Charles, "This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other. Mr. Sneed. What's the weakest part of this house? The place where most of the ghosts have been seen?" he described as clearly as he possibly could for the man.
"That would be the morgue," Mr. Sneed replied not even needing to think about it.
Rose frowned still disgruntled by it all, "No chance you were gonna say "gazebo", was there?" she groaned earning looks from everyone.
*O*O*O*
Sophie found herself walking beside the Doctor as their group made their way towards the morgue. The pair walked a couple of steps behind Mr. Sneed as the gentleman showed them the way. Rose having decided that she wanted a little space from the two of them for the moment. The blond a little miffed at the brunette for not siding with her earlier.
She took a breath and glanced at the man who was walking with purpose beside her, "I," she began drawing his gaze, "I mean, are you alright?" she finally asked, her hands twisting awkwardly together for a moment before she pulled them apart.
The Doctor stared at her for a moment, before he gave her a tight smile, "Yeah I am… what about you? How are you dealing?" he asked shifting the focus of the conversation whilst expressing his own concern for the brunette.
Sophie shrugged a little, "A little… uncomfortable," she admitted reluctantly under his expectant gaze, "Walking Dead people…" she gave a little shudder, "I understand… the Gelth are dying and the dead are a convenient solution, but… humans… they can be great. I've heard of great things that humans have done… but how will we humans react to the dead walking among them. Something so obviously different… they'll either embrace it or…" she trailed as she forced herself to stop rambling on awkwardly, her own experiences shadowing her expression.
The Doctor sighed, truthfully, he had the same concern especially after Rose's reaction to even the idea, "I'll think of something," he assured, "One thing at a time,"
Sophie nodded, "Right," she agreed softly, feeling a little better for the future of the Gelth now, but still unsettled about it… as much as she tried not to be.
"I wasn't just meaning the Gelth you know," the Doctor added after a short beat, and gestured at his own head and gave her a meaningful look.
Sophie hesitated at that, before she nodded, "It's fine," she assured and looked away, her teeth worrying her lower lip as she was reminded about the explosion she'd seen in that brief moment of contact they'd shared… she'd managed to forget it during the séance… but now she couldn't help but worry and hope it didn't come to pass.
The Doctor sighed, recognizing that he wasn't going to get anything else out of her at the moment, as she visibly, at least to his eyes, withdrew into herself, "We'll chat later," he reminded.
"Right," Sophie agreed again.
"It's just up here," Mr. Sneed said and gestured to a door that was coming up in front of them.
The Doctor nodded and strode passed the man who'd come to an uncertain standstill. He tried the door and sighed and turned back to the man, "Key,"
"Oh yes… the key," Mr. Sneed muttered and walked up to him as he pulled the key from its place amongst others on his chain and handed it over.
The Doctor nodded and turned back, unlocking the door with a swift movement of his wrist and pushed the door open.
"Talk about Bleak House," he muttered as he stepped inside, closely followed by the rest of the group.
Rose came up beside Sophie putting the brunette between herself and the Doctor, still rather upset with the man, even if she was ungracefully conceding defeat, "The thing is Doctor," she couldn't help but try again, "The Gelth don't succeed. 'Cause I know they don't. I know for a fact there weren't corpses walking around in 1869. Right, Soph?"
Sophie nodded her agreement, "None that I heard of," she murmured as her gaze travelled about the chamber… it was rather creepy… and a bit chilly. She clutched her shawl a little tighter.
The Doctor shrugged, "Time's in flux. It's changing every second," he explained, "Your cosy little world could be rewritten like that," he clicked his fingers together as an example, "Nothing is safe. Remember that. Nothing,"
"Doctor, I think the room is getting colder," Charles spoke up as he shivered against the chill despite his jacket.
Rose swallowed as the Gelth began to enter the room, "Here they come," she muttered as she followed their progress with her eyes.
One came to a stop in an archway across the room from them, "You have come to help! Praise the Doctor! Praise him!" a much more childlike voice than before sang.
"Promise you won't hurt her!" Rose demanded.
"Hurry! Please! So little time! Pity the Gelth," the Gelth pleaded, urgency and panic entering its young voice.
"I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer. Somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, alright?" the Doctor informed them. his mind already thinking on what worlds would be best suited to the Gelth's purposes.
"My Angels. I can help them live," Gwyneth murmured her gaze transfixed to the Gelth in the archway.
"Ok, where's the weak point?" the Doctor asked.
"Here beneath the arch," came the Gelth's quick response and without hesitation Gwyneth moved towards it with steady steps.
"Beneath the arch," she echoed.
"They didn't promise," Rose muttered and shot a somewhat desperate look at Sophie when the brunette allowed her gloved hand to brush hers, and she grasped it gladly.
"No, they didn't," Sophie murmured, but things were already in motion and from the looks of things there was no time to stop for questions now.
Rose slipped her hand roughly from Sophie's and rushed over to her, stopping her right before she could stand underneath it, "You don't have to do this," she attempted one last time.
Sophie smiled slightly from where she stood behind Rose, having followed the blond. Her blue gaze searching Gwyneth's, "You don't… but you will," she murmured seeing her determination and feeling it in the tenor of her thoughts that were brushing against the barriers in her mind, drawing Rose's attention briefly before she focused on Gwyneth again.
"But…"
Gwyneth smiled at them and reached out to Rose, touching her cheeks, "My Angels," she murmured and Rose stumbled back into Sophie.
The brunette managing to stop them from falling. The two taking a couple of steps backwards as the Gelth began speaking again.
"Establish the bridge, reach out of the void let us through!" the Gelth demanded.
"Yes. I can see you! I can see you! Come!" Gwyneth beckoned.
"Bridgehead establishing,"
"Come! Come to me! Come to this world, poor lost souls!" Gwyneth cried.
"It is begun! The bridge is made!" the Gelth declared and Gwyneth's mouth dropped open and the Gelth poured out of it in a seemingly never-ending stream, "She has given herself to the Gelth!" they cried.
Charles swallowed thickly forced himself to remain steady, even as he stared with wide fearful eyes, "There's rather a lot of them, eh?" he commented trying to sound unaffected and failing.
"The bridge is open. We descend!" the Gelth swore, the gaseous being in the archway turned demonic and the blueish glow gaseous beings had worn turned red, "The Gelth will come through in force," they declared.
"You said that you were few in number!" Charles protested quickly.
"A few billion. And all of us in need of corpses," the Gelth replied and the bodies that had been left in the morgue rose as the gaseous beings possessed them.
"Gwyneth… stop this! Listen to your master!" Mr. Sneed cried in fear.
Sophie swallowed thickly her gaze focused on the woman that was still standing in the rift, "I-I don't think she can," she murmured with concern, she doubted Gwyneth would allow this… this hadn't been the plan and with how at ease her mind was… she doubted the Gwyneth even knew that something had gone wrong.
"This has gone far enough," Mr. Sneed continued either not hearing her or to desperate to not try, "Stop dabbling child, leave these things alone. I beg of you…"
Rose noticed movement and her eyes widened, "Mr. Sneed! Get Back!" she urged only for her warning to come too late as he was grabbed and promptly killed and in the next moment a Gelth possessed the body.
The Doctor, Sophie and Rose leapt away from the newly possessed corpse of Mr. Sneed eyeing the shambling dead warily trying not to be taken unawares again.
"I think it's gone a little bit wrong," the Doctor admitted unnecessarily as they slowly backed away from the advancing dead.
"Yeah, just a bit," Sophie croaked out from a mouth dry with fear.
"I have joined the legions of the Gelth," the possessed Mr. Sneed said in a monotone, "Come. March with us,"
"No!" Charles denied as the living dead advanced on the Doctor, Sophie and Rose.
"We need bodies. All of you. Dead. The human race. Dead," the Gelth declared as the three were backed up against the dungeon like morgue's door.
"Gwyneth!" the Doctor shouted, "Stop them! Send them back! Now!"
"I don't think she's in control right now!" Sophie muttered, her gaze darting from one advancing corpse to the next… hoping that she was wrong and that Gwyneth would respond.
"Four more bodies. Make them vessels for the Gelth,"
Charles shook his head in mounting horror, "I… I can't! I'm sorry!"
The Doctor chanced a quick look behind them, spotting where they were, he grabbed Sophie and Rose and pushed them in there with him, before slamming the door shut… creating a barrier between them and the advancing dead.
"It's too much for me! I'm so…" Charles trailed off as he jumped with terror and ran from the morgue as one of the air born Gelth swooped and dived at him.
The three barely took any notice of Charles' abandonment as they stared out at walking dead as they rattled at the door, seeking a way to them.
"Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives for the Gelth!" the gaseous beings commanded.
"I trusted you!" the Doctor shouted, the betrayal sinking in, "I pitied you!"
"We don't want your pity! We want this world and all its flesh!" the corpse rattled the door again.
The Doctor shook his head, steely determination sinking in, "Not while I'm alive," he declared.
"Then live no more,"
The three flatten themselves against the wall they're trapped against.
"But, I can't die! We can't die!" Rose looked at the Doctor for reassurance, "Tell me we can't die! Neither of us have been born yet, it's impossible, right?"
The Doctor stared at his two companions sadly. Highly aware that he'd done this… he'd insisted… had been so determined to try to help at least one of those affected… "I'm sorry," he apologized.
Sophie let out a trembling breath, whilst Rose looked at him in incredulous denial, "But it's 1869, how can we die now?"
"Time isn't a straight line. It can twist into any shape. You can be born in the 20th century and die in the 19th and it's all my fault. I brought you both here," he said sorrowfully. Wishing he had the words to truly express how sorry he was.
Sophie shook her head, "No," she murmured with quiet determination, "This isn't your fault. I chose to come,"
Rose nodded, "We both did,"
The Doctor stared at them, almost not daring to believe, before he blinked as another idea hit him, "What about me? I saw the fall of Troy! World War 5! I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party, now I'm going to die in a dungeon!" his expression twisted into a horrified one, "In Cardiff!"
"It's not just dying," Rose reminded returning her uneasy gaze to the Gelth possessed bodies that were still trying to get to them, "We'll become one of them,"
Sophie grimaced, her eyes narrowing, "Well, I don't know about you two, but I really don't like the idea of becoming one of them,"
Rose nodded, "Yeah, We'll go down fighting, yeah?" she asked, holding out a hand to Sophie.
Sophie took it, "Definitely," she murmured and offered a hand to the Doctor.
His hand took hers, "Yeah!" he agreed, silently marvelling at them, "Annie-Girl, Rose. I'm so glad that I met you,"
Sophie smiled at him, "Meeting you… the both of you, is the best thing that's happened to me… I, have no regrets," she murmured, needing them to know that, if this was the end. She wanted them to know at least a little of what their kindness had meant to her, "It's been brilliant,"
"Me too," Rose echoed. She couldn't bring herself to say that she had no regrets, because she did have one… or two. She'd never get to go home and see her mother again… or Mickey. They'd be left wondering, everyone back home would be left wondering.
The three shared a smile preparing themselves for their last stand when Charles ran back into the morgue, a handkerchief pressed to his mouth and nose, "Doctor!" he shouted, "Turn off the flame, turn up the gas! Now fill the room, all of it, now!" he ordered as he raced to the wall.
The Doctor stared at him confused, "What are you doing?"
"Turn it all on!" he declared as he turned off the flames and allowed gas to begin filling the chamber.
The Doctor stared for a second longer before he began to smile as hope filled him as realization took hold, "Brilliant. Gas!"
Rose and Sophie stared at them confused, "What, so we choke to death instead?" the blond asked incredulously.
"Am I correct, Doctor? These creatures are gaseous!" Charles asked.
The Doctor nodded, "Fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the host. Suck them into the air like poison from a wound!" he explained.
The possessed dead turned on Charles, forgetting their desire for more bodies in their more pressing need to keep from being expelled into the air.
Charles sweated and backed away slowly, "I hope… oh, Lord. I hope that this theory will be validated soon, "If not immediately!"
The Doctor glanced about their alcove and spotted the gas pipe running across the wall, "Plenty more!" he declared, before ripping it from the wall, spilling a sudden influx of gas into the room that had the Gelth expelled from the bodies they'd been habituating with a piercing wail of a scream.
"It's working," Charles breathed in relief.
The Doctor, Sophie and Rose moved quickly out from behind the door, "Gwyneth! Send them back!" the Doctor ordered, "They lied, they're not angels,"
Gwyneth slowly met his gaze, her expression confused, "Liars," she parroted.
"Look at me!" the Doctor urged as she went to look away again, "If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same. They'd give you the strength. Now send them back!"
Sophie stared at Gwyneth as she struggled to breath, her eyes sad… "She… she…" she tried again, but it was getting harder to breathe.
Rose coughed, "Can't breathe," she gasped.
"Charles, get them out of here!" the Doctor ordered urgently.
"But," Sophie tried and coughed harshly and felt her arm grabbed firmly, "Gwyneth, she's still part of the rift,"
Rose shook off Charles hand, and pulled Sophie away too, not going to allow her friend to get carted away if she didn't want to be, "We're not leaving her!" she stated firmly or as firmly as she could when her breathing was getting harsher and she leaned against Sophie slightly, the brunette doing the same.
The Doctor closed his eyes briefly at human stubbornness and quickly turned to Gwyneth, "Remember that world you say? Sophie and Rose's world? All those people, none of it will exist unless you send them back through the rift,"
Gwyneth stared at him, "I can't send them back," she confirmed Sophie's fear, but her voice was firm and her face determined, "But I can hold them. Hold them in this place, hold them here. Get out," she ordered as she slowly forced her arm into her apron pocket and pulled out a box of matches.
"You can't!" Rose shouted as she rushed forward, almost toppling over Sophie, who'd made a move as well at seeing the match box in Gwyneth's hand, her mind flashing the explosion she'd seen.
"No!" she cried, "Please!" her voice strained.
"Leave this place!" Gwyneth shouted.
The Doctor grabbed Rose and dragged her back to Sophie who'd steadied herself and grabbed them both by the shoulders, "Sophie, Rose, get out now, I swear I won't leave her while she's still in danger, now go!" he demanded.
With reluctance, Rose nodded and she prodded Sophie into motion and the two started towards the exit, Charles joining them.
The Doctor watched them go for a moment with sad old eyes before he turned his attention back to Gwyneth, his expression setting with determination.
*O*O*O*
Sophie stumbled out of the house and onto the cold street after Rose. Her mind spinning and not just from the gas she'd been breathing.
Her gaze searching the house, her breath hitching as she waited… knowing what was going to happen at any moment… hoping for the Doctor to emerge first… the house went up and Sophie let out a cry that had Rose placing a hand on her shoulder.
The Doctor dove out of the doorway and onto the street, flames chasing him… and the three on the street breathed out a soft breath of relief at seeing him alive.
Rose stared him, the question in her eyes. Sophie however turned her gaze back to the house, tears pricking hotly… she couldn't sense Gwyneth anymore… not even faintly… no matter how hard she tried. She turned her gaze up to the Doctor who was staring at them sadly, the truth there.
"She didn't make it," Rose breathed after a moment, unwanted realization settling in.
"I'm sorry. She closed the rift," the Doctor murmured apologetically. His gaze drawn to Sophie as she tilted her face to the ground as she released a shaky breath.
"At such cost," Charles murmured just as sadly for the young woman who'd risked all to save them.
"I did try, Sophie, Rose, but Gwyneth was already dead,"
Sophie looked up shocked at that… she'd known something had been a little odd about Gwyneth's mind almost from the moment she'd stepped under that archway… but she'd thought it was because she'd been connected to the rift… had been a part of it… not that she'd...
"She had been for at least 5 minutes," he informed them as gently as he could.
Rose stared at him wide eyed… struggling to believe what she'd been told, "What do you mean?"
Sophie swallowed thickly, "They killed her… to make the bridge," she muttered her chest feeling tight with emotion.
Rose glanced down at her, "But… she spoke to us. She helped us – saved us," she protested in confusion, "How could she have done that?"
"There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Even for you, Doctor," Charles quoted.
Rose stared at the burning house sadly, a hand coming up to touch Sophie's shoulder, "She saved the world. A servant girl. No one will ever know,"
Sophie shook her head, "We will. We'll remember,"
"We will," the Doctor agreed.
The four of them stood staring at the house for a long moment, before they were forced to move away before they were discovered.
In the alleyway where the Tardis stood awaiting them. The Doctor, Sophie, Rose and Charles came to a stop by the blue box.
The Doctor gave the other man a smile, "Right then, Charlie-boy, I've just got to go into my um... shed. Won't be long!" he lied through his teeth as he fitted the key into the lock.
"What're you going to do now?" Rose asked.
"I shall take the mail coach back to London. Quite literally post-haste. This is no time for me to be on my own. I shall spend Christmas with my family and make amends to them. After all I've learned tonight, there can be nothing more vital," Charles exclaimed.
Sophie mustered up a smile for the man that felt forced and tight, "I think that's a great idea," a sadness in her eyes as she regarded one of her favourite authors.
"You've cheered up!" the Doctor observed.
"Exceedingly!" Charles enthused, "This morning, I thought I knew everything in the world and now I know I've just started! All these huge and wonderful notions, Doctor! I'm inspired. I must write about them!"
"Do you think that's wise?" Rose asked a little concerned.
Charles waved her off, "I shall be subtle at first. The Mystery of Edwin Drood still lacks an ending. Perhaps the killer was not the boy's uncle. Perhaps he was not of this earth. The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the Blue Elementals. I can spread the word! Tell the truth!"
"Good luck with it. Nice to meet you," the Doctor shook his hand, "Fantastic," he beamed before turning back to the Tardis door.
"Thanks for everything," Sophie murmured and offered her hand too not sure how else to voice her farewell in that moment, intending for the man to shake it only to blush as he accepted the hand and placed a quick kiss to the back of it, "Right bye," she squeaked, her cheeks red and she swiftly turned to the Tardis waiting for the Doctor open the door and shot him an irate look at his low chuckle.
Rose grinned her own amusement, before focusing on the famous author again, "Bye, then. And, thanks," this time shocking Charles with a gentle kiss to the cheek.
Charles stared at her surprised by the forward act, "Oh, my dear, how modern. Thank you, but, I don't understand, in what way is this goodbye? Where are you going?" he asked confused.
The Doctor grinned, "You'll see. In the shed," he opened the door chuckling again as Sophie quickly disappeared inside.
Charles huffed good naturedly, "Oh, my soul. Doctor, it's one riddle after another with you. But after all these revelations, there's one mystery you still haven't explained. Answer me this: who are you?"
The Doctor hesitated a moment, pondering what to say, "Just a friend. Passing through," he settled on.
"But you have such knowledge of future times. I don't wish to impose on you, but I must ask you. My books. Doctor, do they last?"
The Doctor grinned "Oh, yes!"
"For how long?" he asked.
"Forever!" the Doctor exclaimed and paused his eyes widening slightly, "Speaking of which… I almost forgot…" he rooted around in his pockets and made an 'ah-ah' sound of triumph as he found what he was looking for…
*O*O*O*
Sophie sat at the small, replica of the old slightly banged up vanity she had gotten on sale... that she had in her room. Her long curly hair flowing damply down her back, having recently had a shower. She ran the brush through her hair, again a replica of the one she had somewhere in her house back on Earth.
The familiar motion of running the cheap old brush through her hair was calming and allowed her to relax after Cardiff, and the Gelth. Let her take her mind off the heat of the explosion, the sinking feeling she'd felt as she'd realized that Gwyneth had been dead under that archway, and yet she'd still been there… still had a presence, muted and strange as it had been.
Sophie pressed her eyes closed and took a deep breath and focused again on running the stiff bristles through her locks, yanking a bit harder at the knots than she should be. The Tardis hummed softly to her and she smiled up at the ship, "I'm ok Sexy," she assured the ship with a soft smile, "Just a little sad,"
A knock sounded at her door, drawing he gaze to it, "Come in," she called and almost immediately the Doctor's head popped into the room, shortly followed by the rest of him.
"This is nice," he murmured as he strode into the room.
Sophie smiled at him, "It's pretty much exactly what I've got at home," she told him.
The Doctor's stare was caught on a small bookcase and he raised a brow at it before walking over to it to examine it, "This is from the Tardis library,"
Sophie blinked, "Is it? It's one of the additions she made,"
"Yeah. It is. You could ask for almost any book in the Tardis library from here and she'd make it appear," the Doctor stared up at the ceiling, "She must really like you,"
Sophie smiled fondly, "I like her too,"
The Doctor stepped away from the bookcase and back towards her, "I've got something for you by the way," he said and proffered a small slip of paper at her.
Sophie accepted it and stared down in shock and the scrawled penmanship on the paper, "Wait… when did you even find time?"
The Doctor shrugged, "I have my ways," he murmured evasively.
"Well, thank you," Sophie murmured, before carefully slipping it in between the mirror of the vanity and the wood backing it. Determined to find a better spot for it later, but it'd do for now.
"Rose wanted to visit home. See her mum, boyfriend," the Doctor said after a moment, sitting himself down on the end of the bed behind her.
Sophie swivelled on her seat so that she could look at him, "Ok," she agreed readily. She fiddled with the handle of her brush as a moment of silence passed between them, "I suppose you want to have that chat then?" she murmured quietly.
The Doctor nodded, "We probably should, yeah,"
Sophie blew out a breath heavy with the tension she felt and set her brush down on the vanity and silence fell for another moment, before the Doctor spoke again.
"You saw the explosion earlier, didn't you?" he asked tiredly and was met with a silent questioning look and wary blue eyes, "The way you were staring at the building when I came out. You were expecting it,"
Sophie hesitated a moment before nodding, "Yes," she admitted, "But I didn't know why!" she hurried to explain, "They're useless! All I saw was the kaboom from outside, nothing else. I swear. I didn't know that'd happen,"
The Doctor stood and stepped over to her, gently budging her up on the settee that barely fit one let alone two, but he made it work as he carefully set an arm over her shoulders, drawing her against his chest, "It's alright. I believe you…" he soothed as she shook slightly against him, her breathing harsh.
"I told you not to tell me if I recall. There's no blame laid in catching a glimpse of a future in flux. If I'd not jumped to help. Stopped to think a bit more closely… it may not have happened at all… or something worse could have happened. Time is a tricky thing,"
Sophie pulled back a little, "It wasn't your fault either,"
The Doctor gave her a small grateful smile for that, to hear it again now after the fact and everyone had had time to think, and blame, "Maybe, maybe not. A different choice, a different ending. Time is forever changing,"
Sophie frowned as she tried to wrap her mind around it, "Is that why it's dangerous for me to tell you if I 'see' something?"
"Yes and no," he responded uncomfortably, "If…" he began slowly, "You saw something that I wanted to change… I'd try… and I could change the outcome, maybe, but that outcome could be far worse than what you originally saw,"
"I…" Sophie trailed, "But what if I try to change things... I mean, I saw Rose down in the basement, which is the only reason I was down there,"
The Doctor's lips twitched upwards, "That's harmless and unavoidable," Sophie frowned in confusion and he shrugged as he wondered how to explain, "Those are just choices… in different circumstances if you hadn't seen Rose in the basement… you still may have ended up in the basement because maybe the guard asked you to deliver the lottery money instead or maybe you would have avoided the entire mess," he attempted to explain.
Sophie frowned, "I think that makes sense… sort of," she muttered.
The Doctor smirked, "No one said time was easy to explain. We had entire years' worth of classes devoted to it back home," he sobered and met her gaze with a serious look, "I need you to promise me. That no matter what you see, even if I ask… especially if I ask… that you never tell me what you've seen. No matter what it is,"
Sophie worried her lower lip. It wasn't like she had been open about her visions, but with the Doctor it felt different. He knew and accepted… believed her… and yet she still couldn't share the burden, "Even if it's terrible?"
"Especially if it's terrible," the Doctor responded and waited with baited breath as Sophie continued to chew on her lower lip.
"Ok, I promise," she finally spoke.
And the Doctor breathed out a sigh of relief, "And I'll help however I can. I promise, even if it's just to give you a hug and talk as we are now,"
"That's more than anyone else ever offered," Sophie muttered more to herself than to the man beside her.
The Doctor fought back the need to frown in displeasure at Sophie's circumstances at that, but instead he smiled, "I've got ideas though… on how I can help make things easier with your telepathy problem," he said brightly. His expression turning thoughtful, "And I can probably look into a thing or two on how we might work out better protection against these visions then your gloves and jacket,"
Sophie stared up at him shocked, "Do you really think that's possible?" her breath catching in her throat.
"Well, I don't see why not. Just leave it with me… it's a touch more difficult to work out then your telepathy, but difficult doesn't mean impossible," his smile fell slightly, "That is of course… if you want my help," he tacked on.
Sophie stared at him again, contemplative, "I… maybe…" she trailed still slightly hesitant at the idea of having anyone in her head.
The Doctor gave her an understanding look, "Take your time," he assured her, "The more time you think on it. The more time I have to work out what I want to try,"
Sophie looked down at her lap and blinked as she was drawn into another one-armed hug. Slowly her own arms wrapped around him to return it, "Thank you," she murmured.
"There's no pressure Annie-Girl. I just want to help when you're ready,"
Sophie pulled back from the warm embrace and shot him an annoyed look, a frown furrowing her brow, "Will you give it a rest with the 'Annie' already?" she groused at him.
The Doctor grinned and jumped up, "Nope. Console room in fifteen," he told her as he made his way to the door. Glad for the opportunity to lighten the mood between them.
Sophie sighed in exasperation as the man walked out the door, her frown lightening as her lips twitched upwards despite herself, "Oh, bugger it all," she muttered shaking her head at herself as she tried to get her lips to stop twitching upwards, and failing miserably.
She turned her attention away from him and his stupid nickname as she moved with purpose for her small wardrobe.
'Hey Sexy. I need to borrow a jacket, do you mind?' she asked the ship with a thought, before pulling open the doors and smiled at the thick dark grey woollen jacket the Tardis supplied her with, which would match her white t-shirt and blue jeans rather nicely, even the dark green of the gloves she was still borrowing wouldn't stand out to badly.
"Perfect," she declared as she reached in and grabbed it off the hanger, earning a happy hum from the ship and her door opened for her, "Thanks," she called as she stepped out of her room, the door clicking shut behind her before she even had the chance to turn around.
