Journey Amongst the Stars

By Lumendea

Chapter Three: Mirror on the Wall: The Gingerbread House

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

…..

The Grimms brought the wagon to a sudden stop, and they all just stared at the house. Smells of sweets and gingerbread filled Rose's noise, bringing back vague memories of holidays when her granddad was still alive. She blinked and pushed the memories aside quickly and looked at the Doctor. He was not enthralled, but rather was studying the house intently.

"It's not possible," Jakob said. He sounded truly shaken, and Rose put a hand on his shoulder. "That… that can't be the same house."

"But the spinners and now this," Wilhelm gasped. "What in Heaven's name is going on?"

"Stay calm," the Doctor said. "We don't know what's going on just yet."

There wasn't even a chance to fully process that before Rose heard a laugh. It was soft and high pitched, instantly making her look around with worry. Then she found a small figure hurrying towards the house. The little boy had ginger hair. That was the first detail that Rose noticed. Then he turned to look over his shoulder and Rose almost slipped in her shock. It was Adam. A young Adam with his original red hair and bright, happy eyes. He grinned at her and then looked down at the bundle he was carrying. A small hand reached out toward Adam. She only had a glimpse of the infant's face, but it was so familiar. It was like a punch to Rose's gut. Astra, she knew that it was Astra.

She started scrambling out of the wagon, not waiting for anyone to say anything more. The Grimms made shocked sounds of worry. Adam didn't let go of Astra and rushed into the house, laughing happily. There was a figure in the doorway, and Rose bolted forward.

"Adam!" she screamed. "Astra! No, come back! It's not safe!"

"Rose!"

She didn't wait for him. Inside her head was a frantic screaming for Adam and Astra. They were in danger! Rose wasn't a fairy tale expert, but she knew how the story with the two children in the gingerbread house went. She could see the figure in the doorway now. Her first thought was a witch.

The witch was a short, stout woman with messy dark gray hair and wrinkled skin with an odd greenish tint to it. She wasn't wearing a pointed hat, but Rose was sure of what she was supposed to be at once. She heard the others shouting behind her, but didn't stop. The children were inside; she couldn't stop. The witch slammed the door shut, but Rose didn't give her any time to lock or secure it. She threw all of her weight forward. Pain radiated down her side, but the biscuit door gave way, splintering when Rose slammed her shoulder against it for a second time.

Stumbling inside, Rose found the witch by the fire, putting more logs on underneath the cauldron. She spun around and hissed at Rose. The children were seated at the table with Adam eating a plate full of sweets and the baby drinking something from a small cup. They looked over at her in surprise.

Then the Doctor was behind her, touching her shoulder before speaking. "Rose, I'm not sure that this is real."

"Who are you?" the witch demanded. "Get out of my house!"

Rose ignored her and took the plate from Adam who scowled at her. The reaction hurt. Why wasn't he happy to see her? He was always happy to see her. The witch snarled at her.

"Get out of my house! I invited the children, not you!"

"I think we best be getting them back to their parents," the Doctor said. He sounded calm and collected, the opposite of how Rose felt. Gently, he took hold of her hand. "Children don't belong in woods."

"Doctor!" one of the Grimms called from the door in warning.

Rose saw the witch moving. She grabbed a heavy looking iron implement by the fireplace. Rose might have known the name for it, but right now, she didn't care. With a snarl, the witch swung it at her. Rose dodged but noted that the children weren't reacting. Adam had gotten his plate of sweets back and was eating again. His eyes were dull and lifeless more like a doll than her intelligence grandson.

Wilhelm dashed forward, grabbing the broom by the door and striking the woman hard across the chest. She hissed, and her whole face changed, the green tint darkening and making her flesh appear decayed. Her eyes bulged out of her face, and her lips pulled back to reveal a row of unnaturally sharp teeth. Rose didn't even have a chance to react before Wilhelm hit her again. Jakob ran past them and opened the door of the large stone oven. Rose didn't move as the brothers shoved the witch into the oven. It wasn't large enough for all of her to go in, but a burning smell instantly filled the house.

Twin looks of horror and shock at their actions took over the brothers. Rose lurched forward, her stomach threatening to turn and she reached to Adam. But just as she reached them, they both vanished. There was no one else in the house now. Releasing a shaky breath, Rose leaned against the table. A moment later, the Doctor was beside her and holding her shoulder. He didn't say anything and gently guided her out of the house. The Brothers Grimm stumbled out behind them, taking gibberish to each other and frantically gesturing at the strange house.

It wasn't them. It had never been them. Her daughter and grandson were safe in their own places in the timeline. They hadn't been in danger from an evil witch in the Black Forest. She closed her eyes and focused on the beat of her heart to calm down. The terror had been real. They'd looked so real.

"This isn't possible," Jakob said. Rose opened her eyes to look at him. "It can't be happening." He lightly kicked the wooden side of the house. "I saw it and yet… this has to be a trick. Someone is setting up this horrible joke in the forest."

"Why would anyone go to the trouble?" Wilhelm asked his brother. "And you saw the house change!"

"Something is toying with us," the Doctor said. "We need to stay calm and try to remember that what we see isn't real."

"This house seems real," Jakob said.

But even as he said that the house was changing. Cobwebs were appearing in the corner. The fire went out, and the cauldron vanished. Rose looked down at the remains of the door which were more wood. The brothers made startled sounds, and Rose felt very sorry for them.

"Something used it as a base," the Doctor said. "Seems abandoned."

"Something?" Wilhelm repeated. "What sort of something?" He was pale and quivering slightly. "Who are you people? This can't be real."

"Calm down," the Doctor ordered. "I'm not sure what is causing this either, but it seems to have something to do with you two."

"With us?" Jakob gasped. Then his face reddened, and he puffed up. "Surely you aren't accusing-"

"Things are appearing from your stories," the Doctor said.

"We are librarians," Wilhelm insisted. "These aren't our stories. We are just recording them!" The man was trying to collect himself but was in shock. It was familiar. Rose remembered Charles Dickens being confused and in denial. "They aren't real. There is no such thing as witches. This has to be some kind of trick."

"That's possible," the Doctor agreed. His calm was reassuring Rose, and she stayed close to him. "Someone has got us going in circles and is using the stories to scare us. Maybe they want to kill us, or maybe they want something else."

"What could they possibly want?" Jakob asked. He narrowed his eyes at them. "Who are you? This trouble started when we met you!"

"No, it didn't," Rose said. "You got lost, remember? You never left the road but somehow got lost. Whatever- whoever is behind this, got to you first." The brothers both looked ill at the very idea. Pity for them swirled in her chest, and Rose gave them a weak smile. "It's scary, I know, but we need to stick together. Those children looked like kids I know and care about so other things may target you."

"Within the context of the stories?" Wilhelm shook his head and chuckled nervously. "This is madness. Pure madness. I must be dreaming."

"Believe what you want," the Doctor said. "But I want to help. This is bad enough with us, but if someone else wanders in then, it will only get worse. I'd rather that the no real children find this house and a witch inside. Whatever is causing this needs to be stopped."

His words seemed to reach the Brothers Grimm. Their expressions shifted, and they both nodded. They still seemed uncertain, but at least the Doctor had given them something to focus on. "Good, now, we need to try and sort out how large an area we're dealing with. You two stay together unless you're with Rose or me."

"If I may," Jakob interrupted. "The lady should be very careful. She's in red like the Red hooded girl, and we've all lost the path. She already fits into another story."

"I've already thought of that," Rose admitted. "Don't worry; I won't let any wolves lure me away." She tried to keep her tone light, but none of the men seemed reassured.

"That's not…" Jakob coughed lightly. "There are other versions and connotations to the story. I'd suggest you be mindful of any male that uh tries…" he trailed off, turning red.

"Ah." Rose nodded in understanding, putting the man out of his misery. "Don't worry on that front either. I'm not an easy girl to distract. Besides, I'm not afraid of the Big Bad Wolf."

She almost broke into giggles, but the others wouldn't understand. The Doctor frowned a little, his blue eyes thoughtful and distant, but he said nothing on the matter. The Brothers shifted back, returning to their cart and pulling out a book that they started flipping through. Rose hoped that it was a record of what else they could expect. Then she sighed and looked to the Doctor.

"Why do you think this is happening now?" Rose asked.

"Pardon?"

"Fairy tales are coming to life just as the Brothers Grimm are in the area," Rose explained. "Is it being caused by something that knows the fairy tales because it's from this area or is it drawing the stories from them directly?"

The Doctor froze and then very slowly looked back at her. "I mean, they did say that they'd only just heard the story about the three spinners," Rose added. "So, it's not like it's been published. I know the stories because I grew up with them, but out here, in theory, those stores are scattered. How is whatever is causing this getting them?"

"Oh."

"Oh? What's oh?"

The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled Rose a bit closer to him. There was a soft brush against her shields, a gentle nudge, but it still made Rose tense. It was still so different, so alien, and she swallowed nervously even as she recognized it was the Doctor.

"Your shields are down," he said softly. "You need to keep them up, Rose. It's vital that you keep them up."

"Doctor?"

He leaned closer and kissed her cheek before whispering very softly. "Eternal."

The word made Rose grimace, but he was right, it fit. She'd heard Tegan's story about the Eternals creating things from human minds. It would be simple enough for them to pull elements of the stories out of the heads of the Brothers Grimm or the forms of her child and grandchild from her, but to what end?

"We're stuck here," Rose said softly. "Is it just a trap or something more?"

"I don't know. Could be a diversion too."

"What are you two talking about?" Wilhelm called over. He and his brother were walking over. "Have you any ideas?" The man's eyes were wide with fear and disbelief. "This is some figment of our imaginations!"

"Yes," Jakob agreed. "We ate something during our last stop."

"Sorry, but no," the Doctor said firmly. "I hate to tell you this, but these things are all real, and something is shifting space just enough to keep us from leaving the area." The Doctor looked up into the sky. "Can't say for sure, but I doubt we've left the same five square miles since we met."

"You can't-" Yet Wilhelm was looking around nervously. "This is madness."

"Yes, it is," the Doctor said. "But we can get out of this." Rose nodded and started to relax a little while the Doctor watched her. "This should go without saying," the Doctor added, "but don't eat any apples or touch any spindles."

"Ah, Doctor, are you saying that I'm the fairest of them all?" Rose asked. The Doctor reddened at her tongue touched smile. "I won't," Rose promised. "You be careful too. There's a lot of things to unleash in fairy tales if you aren't careful. I'm sure there's plenty of bad things that happen to men too in those stories."

The Doctor studied her for a moment. Then he wrapped an arm around her and pulled Rose into a gentle warm hug. "You okay? Who were those kids to you?"

"Just some kids," Rose whispered. She couldn't help but shiver at the memory. The Eternal must have plucked it out of her head. She wasn't a strong enough telepath to keep it out. "Kids I know or knew. They aren't that age anymore. It just startled me."

"Kids are always hard," the Doctor agreed. "But it wasn't them." He pulled back enough to look at Rose. "Try to keep that in mind, Rose. These things are projections of the Eternals will. They feel real, but they aren't what they seem. They can manipulate matter."

"Yeah." Rose nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. "I know. I do know that just hard to remember that."

"And that's probably what this Eternal is hoping for. To throw us off enough that we make a mistake," the Doctor said. "We need to stay together and be careful."

"How do we beat an Eternal?" Rose asked. "I doubt it's going to let me get close with my sword."

"That's more complicated," the Doctor admitted. He looked around. "If we can get back to the TARDIS, I can create something that will make the Eternal a bit less Eternal."

"A bit less Eternal?"

"I once made a whole group mortal," the Doctor admitted. "They had just killed a planet for fun. I was angry."

"Fair enough." Rose inhaled and nodded. "Okay, back to the TARDIS then." Then she turned around and looked at the different trees. "Which way?"

The Doctor hesitated, and Rose's stomach dropped. "I… I'm having trouble sensing her."

"That's not good," Rose whispered. "So we have to go looking for the TARDIS in fairy tale land and who knows what being created to hurt us."

The Doctor took her hand and squeezed it. "We'll get out of this. Just be smart no matter what you come across."

Rose nodded. She wasn't completely confident, but he was right. They couldn't just stay here. They walked over to join the Brothers Grimm.

"Doctor, Rose," Jakob greeted. He was looking at an old-fashioned faded map. "We're trying to find where we are… I can't find the road anywhere."

"I doubt you will," the Doctor said. "We're in some kind of trap. Something powerful is bringing the local stories to life. They probably mean us harm. The road won't help us. Grab what you can carry, and we start searching off the road."

"Something powerful?" Wilhelm repeated. "You can't be serious. Bringing the stories to life, that's ridiculous."

"Do you have another explanation?" The Doctor asked sharply. "And you know the stories well enough to know that there are worse things to throw at us then a gingerbread house." Then he shook his head and shrugged. "You two can keep around in circles, but Rose and I are going to see if we can find a way out." He started to turn away.

"Wait! She's dressed in red," Jakob said. "She shouldn't leave the path."

"We can't get anywhere on the path," Rose reminded him. "I'll be fine."

The brothers looked at each other nervously. Exhaustion was already settling into their eyes, and Rose felt very sorry for them. This was far more than they'd signed up for when they came into the Black Forest to record local stories. Something seemed to pass between them because Jakob sighed and went around to the back of the wagon. They each pulled out satchels and slung them over their shoulders.

"I hope you're wrong, Doctor," Jakob said. "I can't imagine that this is someone intention."

"You just killed a witch by shoving her in an oven," the Doctor said. "Whether you want to

believe it or not, you know that something isn't right here."

The Brothers Grimm flinched at the mention of the witch. Rose gave them soft reassuring smiles. Then she followed the Doctor as he turned around. Together, their small group began to walk off the path vaguely in the direction that Rose thought they'd come from the TARDIS the first time they'd found the house.