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Chapter 5
The flight the TARDIS took to get them to their next destination was the most wild yet since Madison had been onboard. They rocked side to side at steep angles. It appeared the Doctor struggled with their flight path. She had wanted to help, so at one point she had offered her assistance to him. He had appeared to contemplate it for only a second before shaking his head and continuing to do it on his own. Perhaps the Doctor thought she would only make a mess of it. It was probably for the best that she didn't touch anything. She very much doubted she could fly the ship properly. It was just too complicated for her.
"1860! How does 1860 sound?" the Doctor yelled over the noise of the ship as they continued to pilot the TARDIS.
"I don't know. Lovely I suppose?" she replied, voice raised as well so he could hear her.
"All right! Hold on, here we go!" he said with a flourish, bouncing around the console to pull at a random lever. The whole ship seemed to spin then. She could have sworn, possibly even upside down. But it happened so fast that she wasn't sure if it even happened or not. Soon, the TARDIS was settling and she heard the engine making the noise of landing. Then, everything halted and came to a stop. The Doctor and her both let out a noise of shock as they fell to the ground onto their backs. Each laid next to the other in a heap. They blinked and looked at one another for a second before both burst out into deep laughter.
"Woo! What a ride!" she laughed merrily as she picked herself up off the ground.
"Telling me! You all right?" he replied as he jumped back up to his feet and walked around the console.
"Yeah. I've been through worse rides," she said as she watched him working with some sort of monitor that was on the TARDIS console. He was fiddling with it, typing on its surface and seeming to be checking something. All she could see on the screen were odd circle patterns of some sort. If she didn't know better, she would say it was some kind of written language judging by the patterns the circles made. "So, did we make it?"
"I did it! Give the man a medal," the Doctor said brightly, grinning away. "Earth, Naples, December 24th, 1860." He crossed his arms, looking very pleased with himself.
"Are you sure we're in Naples? We're not anywhere in the States, right?" she questioned, a bit worried if he had gotten them off course.
The Doctor raised a brow at her. "Why? What's happening there?"
"I used to live there during this time. I'd hate to run into myself. I've read enough science fiction to know that paradoxes are very bad."
The Doctor nodded slowly, frowning momentarily. "Right. That would be bad." Then he was grinning again. "Don't worry, I'm very good at avoiding paradoxes, so we should be fine."
Madison nodded, feeling a bit eager now to get outside. But then she glanced down at herself and realized that she was nowhere decently dressed for the time period. Which meant, dreadfully, she would have to put on so many layers. "I'm going to have to change. I think I'll start a riot if I wear this outside."
He pointed back to the corridor behind her. "There's a wardrobe through there, first left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left. Hurry up!"
She shook her head, already knowing she was going to get lost. But she didn't say anything as she walked away, hoping that she could figure out where to go. As it turned out, the wardrobe wasn't as far away as the Doctor made it seem. In fact, it was only two turns down the corridor that she came across an opened archway and saw a massive room. It had a centre column of spiralling stairs that went up high above that she could almost not see where it ended. Around the stairs were racks of clothing that spiralled along with the stairs. She noticed that the level she was on was more of a walkway and when she peeked over the edge she saw the stairs continued onto lower levels with even more clothing. The clothes themselves looked to be from every time period imaginable. From past to future. She felt a bit overwhelmed by it all. How would she manage to find anything in the jumbled mess? Shaking her head slightly, she decided to get to it. She didn't want to make the Doctor wait too long for her.
In the end, she chose a dress that was pale blue like her tail. It had short sleeves, with white lace around the collar that rested over her shoulders and a white ribbon around her middle. At the bottom of her skirt was more white lace that lined around her, giving the dress such a delicate appearance. She found a makeup area in the wardrobe at one point, so she was able to curl her hair and place it up so that her auburn locks just brushed the tops of her shoulders, using a bow that matched the colour of her dress to keep it up. She found a small cloak to where over everything to keep herself warm. Though cold weather never bothered Mer-Kind, she still did not wish to be too chilled. Besides, it might look suspicious if she did not wear anything at all. She nervously tugged on the dress as she came back into the TARDIS console room. The Doctor was busy doing something under the grated flooring, appearing to work on something under the console. He poked his head up when she came into the room.
"Blimey!" he exclaimed, eyes going wide as he looked her up and down.
"Oh no, did I get it wrong? It's been ages since I've had to wear something like this," she said quickly, tugging even more on her dress as she blushed in embarrassment.
"No, no! You look beautiful," he said, smiling softly as he continued to gaze at her. Now she blushed for a different reason. Beautiful? Really? She hadn't had anyone call her beautiful since . . . well, since David. Though her parents had said it, too. But that was a bit different. Now that the Doctor said it, it made her heart and stomach flutter.
"Thank you," she said softly, giving the Doctor a small, shy smile. He grinned at her brightly before jumping up from under the grating and placing back the section of flooring. She then frowned lightly at him when she realized he was wearing the same outfit. "Wait a second, why haven't you changed?"
"I changed my jumper!" the Doctor said in defence.
Madison smiled and shook her head at the adorable pout he gave her. "It's not exactly time period-accurate, is it?"
He shrugged lightly. "Eh, if you act the part no one notices." He then held out his hand, letting her take it before going over to the door.
They walked out of the TARDIS to see snow drifting around them. A fresh thin blanket of snow was already on the ground, completely untouched. Madison placed a foot forward, smiling when seeing the imprint from her black boot when she pulled it away. She loved snow. It was always so beautiful. The only thing was she had to be careful not to let herself get too wet from the stuff. Could cause some problems with her scales popping up and her legs trying to fuse together. It was always such an uncomfortable, almost painful, experience when that happened. Especially when wearing trousers.
"I can't believe I get to relive 1860 again," she breathed, watching a puff of her breath swirl around in the air. Her smile slowly grew as she felt giddy just thinking about being here. "All those moments in time I missed out on, I can finally be there for them."
"Make me a list and I'll take you to all of them," the Doctor said, watching her excitement form and smiling in delight at her happiness. "Any time you want, I can make it happen." He chuckled as she bounced up and down and gave him a kiss on the cheek in merriment.
Madison blushed at her reaction. She had not meant to kiss him on the cheek. She hoped he didn't mind the show of affection. She normally did not do that, but . . . she was just so happy to be here with him and for him to be so willing to take her to places. To travel around like this . . . it was like something out of a dream. It seemed he didn't mind the kiss, however, as he just beamed at her and hooked his arm with hers, taking her down the alleyway the TARDIS was parked in and into the city around them.
As they both walked through Naples, she began to contemplate their conversation back at the pub. The tragic stories they both shared with one another. She felt truly thankful that he took the news to what she was so well. That he seemed . . . so accepting. It was how he reacted, so kind and understanding, that she knew she could always trust him. Then, the story of his he shared . . . it still made her heart weep, clenching in pain at such a tragedy. She knew what it was like, having to be the last of one's kind. It was something she wished on no one. Not even her worst enemy. It was a pain unlike anything. It tore at one's soul, to the very core. It was unending grief that could never go away. Then for him to be the last one of the Time Lord because of a war . . . She wondered what sort of war it had been for it to end with the destruction of an entire planet. It must be a war of absolute hell. Something beyond her imagination. She could only wonder how the Doctor managed to survive such a war. She very much doubted he felt grateful for being able to escape it. She knew she wouldn't be if she were in his shoes.
She hoped that, through all of this . . . that she could truly be a friend to him. She wanted to be. To be someone that he could trust, too. Someone whom he could share his story and simply heal. Though there was no true healing from such a thing . . . there was the possibility to at least move onto better and brighter things. She wanted to be there for that. She wanted to help him. Most of all, she didn't want him to feel he had to be alone anymore. For he didn't need to be alone. Not ever again. She couldn't replace his people. The family and friends he most likely lost. She knew this. She knew that nothing could. But she hoped that, with her around . . . he just might feel a bit less lonely in the universe.
There was still something else on her mind, though. About what she was as a Mer. She realized that she didn't exactly explain to the Doctor what made her Mer. Truthfully . . . she felt that it really didn't matter much. He knew that she wasn't human. That was about all he needed to know. Having a tail when she was in water seemed unnecessary to explain. It was not like it mattered whether or not he knew. It wouldn't get in the way of their adventures. At least, she hoped it wouldn't. Not only that, but . . . even though she trusted him, she was still afraid to tell him everything. She knew how others had reacted to her kind when they saw Mer in their true form. For some, it went well as could be expected of humans. But for most, it never ended well. Her mother even said how many found their kind disgusting. Hideous, even. She feared of the Doctor thinking the same thing of her if he saw her in her true form. No, it was best she didn't tell him. If it ever became a problem, she would confess to the truth. Until then, she felt it best be left unsaid.
Madison brought herself out of her thoughts as she began allowing herself to take in the sight of the city. She had never been in Europe during this time period. It made her excited to be able to see it. She watched as people were walking around merrily, enjoying their holiday with friends and family. Some appeared to be doing some last-minute shopping. Others appeared to be going to parties. She could hear horses neighing and carolers singing in the distance. Taking it all in, it almost felt like stepping into one of those A Christmas Carol movies. She smiled as she watched a horse-drawn carriage going by. She hadn't seen a carriage in ages. It made her reminisce about being in a carriage, going on long rides through the countryside. Automobiles just weren't the same as being in a carriage.
"Can we take a carriage ride?" she asked curiously, glancing over to see the Doctor getting a newspaper from a gentleman selling papers. The Doctor didn't seem to notice her question as he read over the top of the paper in his hand. A disgruntled frown appeared on his face then. His brows furrowed in disappointment. "What's wrong?"
"I got the flight a bit wrong," he told her, walking away from the sidewalk and making her follow him. "It's not 1860. It's 1869."
"Oh, well, that's not so bad, is it?" she said, trying to make him not feel so disappointed with himself. "It's just a small mistake. Besides, 1869 is nice, too."
He shook his head, still looking disgruntled. "It's not Naples, either. It's Cardiff."
"Oh . . ." She frowned a bit, then shrugged. "Well, there are worse places to be. I should know. I've been to them."
The Doctor rolled his eyes but grew a smile all the same. "I'm guessing you get your optimism from your father?"
"Maybe a little." She grinned cheekily, smiling as she was glad to see him happy again. She and the Doctor both stopped short then when hearing an ethereal, high-pitched shrieking echoing from a lodge building. Followed closely by the screaming of people, with them seeing a massive crowd hurriedly exiting the building in a state of panic. "Oh, dear. That's not good."
"That's more like it," the Doctor said enthusiastically. His grin was broad as he quickly ran off and towards the lodge.
Madison picked up her skirts, running to catch up with him. She and he had to push their way through the rushing crowd, forcing their way into the building. They made it inside just in time to see the sight of an elderly woman, whose face was veiny and blue-glowing, had her mouth wide open and a wisp of a swirling, blue-smoke entity appeared to be whizzing around the auditorium of the building. The entity, a ghost by the appearance from what Madison would describe, was the one making the ethereal screaming as it flew around the air above everyone's heads. The elder woman, whose open mouth appeared to be where the ghost was coming out of it, dropped in a heap to the floor, crumbling as though dead. The ghost continued to fly above everyone's heads, still screaming out loudly.
"Fantastic!" said the Doctor as he rushed off. Madison went to go after him, but the people around her continued to push her backwards. There was just too much rushing about for her to make her way more into the room. Soon, she was distracted as she saw a man and woman grabbing the elder woman who had collapsed and was hosting her up unceremoniously. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Something didn't feel right. It was the way they carried the woman. It was not out of concern. Rather, it was like they were covering up something, trying to hide the woman from everyone's view. While the Doctor was busy speaking with a goateed man on the stage of the auditorium, she hoisted up her skirts and made her way after them.
They went out the back door of the lodge. She carefully followed down an alleyway. She had no idea where they were taking the woman, but she assumed nowhere good. When they got to the street, she saw the man and young woman stuffing the unconscious elderly woman into a carriage. Madison had to do a double-take when she realized the carriage was, in fact, that of an Undertaker. The words Seed and Company were written across the glass of the carriage, or rather a hearse. Madison shook off her surprise as she quickly went over to them.
"Excuse me! Where are you taking that woman?" she asked them, voice stern with the two of them. The man scurried away towards the front of the hearse while the young woman turned around with a start. Instantly the woman, who wore a woollen cloak over top of a maid's dress, threw out her arms to block Madison's view of the back of the hearse, obstructing the view of the elderly woman inside.
"Oh! It's a tragedy, miss. Don't worry yourself, me and the master will deal with it," said the young woman, keeping Madison back from seeing inside. "Fact is, this poor lady has been taken with a brain fever. We have to get her to the infirmary." A sharp brow was raised by Madison. The Undertaker most certainly is not the one to take people off for healing. Quite the opposite, in fact. She knew this woman was lying.
"Well, then, it's a good thing I know a doctor," she said, quickly darting around the young woman and looking into the back of the hearse. She saw the elderly woman lying inside the hearse. She didn't even need to check the woman further to know that she was, in fact, dead. Madison looked back at the young woman. "It appears, however, that you are too late. This woman has long passed. So, rather than lying to me, would you instead care to explain yourself?"
It was then that someone grabbed her from around the back, hands stuffed into her face. She realized with a start that a cloth was shoved up into her nose and mouth, keeping her from breathing fresh air. She smelled a sharp chemical scent that made her feel dizzy. She instantly refused to inhale, fighting the instinct to do so from her shock. Instead, she fought, throwing her weight back into the person that was holding her tightly. This seemed to take the person by surprise as she felt them both stumbling backwards. A man grunted in her ear, telling her that it was most likely the same man from earlier now trying to attack her. Swiftly she jabbed her elbow into his side, making him groan in pain. But still, he held onto her. Closing her eyes tightly, she threw back her head in hopes to knock it into his. She had success as both of their heads collided, creating a sharp pain at the back of her head. The man let out a cry, clearly in shock and pain as well. He ended up letting go of her, allowing the cloth to drop away and her to breathe properly. She didn't get much time to gain her bearings or even make an attempt to run away. For the next thing she knew, someone hit her hard in the back of the head and she fell to the ground harshly with her vision going black.
XxXxXxXxXx
Madison groaned, feeling her head pounding in pain. Slowly, she tried pulling herself upright as her mind screamed at her to be alert. She had no idea what those two people were planning on doing to her, but she knew, from experience, that it would be nothing good. Sadly, it was not the first time she had been knocked out and abducted. Something she was still rather embarrassed about. This would just be another incident to add to the list, she supposed. In her defence though, this was only the second time being abducted. So at least she had that going for her.
Sitting up fully, she winced as the light around her caused pain as she stared around. Already she could feel a massive headache pounding at her mind. If she ever got her hands on that man who had hit her . . . She frowned as she took in the room she had found herself in. She had been placed on a large table that was covered with a black cloth. There were stands with large candle holders and vases with flowers. On either side of her, she could see coffins which were already occupied by two individuals who had already left this world. Oh, dear. It appears she had been placed in the viewing area for the families of the dead. So what did that mean for her to be in here? A small shiver went through her, but she quickly shook this off, already trying to plan her escape. There was absolutely no way she was going to remain in here a second longer.
Something hissed behind her, making her turn sharply around as she got off of the large table. Eyes going wide, she could only stare at the unsightly occurrence happening before her. She watched as blue gas left the flickering flame from the gas lamp on the wall. The blue gas hissed and went into the body of the deceased man in one of the coffins. The man sat up in a jerking motion, his mouth opening wide and glowed as more blue gas entered him. Very slowly turning his creaking head towards her, he began groaning as he stared her down. His face, which had already been blue and pale from death, was now glowing like gas. His eyes were wide, sunken in, and had an unsettling lack of colour. His limbs were still jerking as he unsteadily began pulling himself out of the coffin.
"What. The. Hell," she said as she hurriedly backed up from the man. She didn't try to reason with him. How could she reason with the living dead? Or rather the modern term, 'zombie'. Instead, her mind raced as it tried to find a way out of this place. She went over to the door quickly, trying the handle but finding it locked. "Of course, it's bloody locked."
When she turned back around, she saw that the other individual (shockingly the elderly woman from before) was now sitting up. She too got up in a jerking motion from the coffin. Now Madison had two living dead individuals gradually making their way towards her. Both groaned in an eerie way as they stared her down with their lifeless eyes. She swiftly went over to a stand that held a very large candle holder, taking the holder and running back over to the door. Raising up the heavy holder, she slammed it down onto the doorknob. It made the handle bend, but it didn't get knocked off as she wanted. She kept at it, hitting it over and over again as quickly as she could until finally, with success, she knocked the handle off. She had just opened the door and was about to hurriedly leave when cold, stiff hands reached around her from behind and grabbed her around the neck. A scream left her as the hands yanked her back into the room and into the chest of the reanimated man. She yelled and tried fighting off the incredible stronghold when the Doctor suddenly came around the doorway. Relief washed over her at the sight of him. She could see sharp anger in his eyes as he reached forward and yanked her out of the grasp of the dead man.
"I think this is my dance," he said as he pulled her back over to his side. She felt him wrap an arm around her waist, holding her close. She breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you," she breathed. She glanced over when a man suddenly appeared behind her. She recognized it was the same man she had seen on the stage back at the lodge.
"It's a prank. Must be. We're under some mesmeric influence," the man said in a rush as they all stared at the two living dead before them.
"No, we're not. The dead are walking," said the Doctor. He then looked at her, smiling brightly as if the living dead weren't standing in front of them. "Hi!"
"Hello," she laughed lightly, shaking her head at him. "Your timing continues to amaze me."
"I am rather amazing," he beamed, a very cheeky grin growing on his face now. He then jerked his head to the man behind them. "This is Charles Dickens, by the way."
"Oh!" She was shocked for only a second. Then she smiled at Charles Dickens. "Hello."
The Doctor faced the two living dead again, expression and demeanour now very serious. "My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?"
"Failing! Open the Rift. We're dying," spoke the dead man, sounding like a mixture between man and child. Both voices echoed around them. "Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us." It was then that both the man and elderly woman opened their mouths wide and the shrieking screams began. The blue-glowing gas left their mouths and went back into the gas-lit flames on the wall, leaving the bodies altogether. Lifeless once again and fallen in heaps onto the floor. Madison blinked, taken back by what had just happened. Living dead. That would be another thing she would have to cross off the list of things she never thought she'd see.
"I . . . I demand that you all leave my house at once," came a male voice from behind them. Madison turned her head, seeing the same man she had seen before. Most likely the Undertaker himself. The man was shorter than Charles or the Doctor, with frizzy white hair on the sides of his face, mostly bald at the top of his head, and wearing a black suit. She narrowed her eyes at him the moment she saw him. She knew most likely this was the man who had knocked her unconscious. She pushed herself out of the Doctor's hold, past Charles Dickens, and right over to the man.
"Are you the one who did it? Are you the one who knocked me out by hitting me?" she damned to know, glaring at him harshly when seeing the man gulp. Guilt was clearly written across his face. She balled up her fist and, before anyone could say another word, she launched her fist forward and straight into the man's nose. "Hasn't anyone ever told you never to hit a woman?! How dare you!"
"Gah!" the man yelled, falling backwards and clutching at his face. "I think you broke my nose!"
"Deal with it," Madison barked, staring heatedly at him while she felt the Doctor pull her back from the man.
"I think it's time you do some explaining," the Time Lord said beside her, sounding strict with his words.
"She broke my nose!" the man complained again, glaring at them. A bit of blood was seen under his nose, but, other than that, it looked fine for the most part.
"You almost got her killed. I think she could have done a lot worse to you," the Doctor retorted with a snort. He looked at the servant girl then. "How about you patch up your master and make us some tea. I could go for a good cuppa."
"Y-yes, sir," mumbled the servant girl, hurrying off into the house to do as such.
It wasn't long before they were in a study room, with the man from before, introducing himself as Mister Sneed, sitting down in a huff in one of the armchairs by the fireplace. He was rather flustered by the whole ordeal, especially with being punched. Though his nose was indeed fine in the end, so Madison felt that he was just being a big baby. The young servant girl, whose name was Gwyneth, kept herself busy making them tea and pouring out cups for them.
"Thank you," Madison said to the young woman after being handed a cup. She was currently sitting in a chair on the other side of the fireplace. The Doctor was close by her, standing by the mantle. "At least someone in this establishment has a decent sense about them." She glared pointedly at Sneed. "You're a disgrace to the undertaker business."
"I won't be spoken to like this," Sneed countered in annoyance. Madison swiftly handed her cup off to the Doctor, who took it without even questioning the action, as she stood up in rage and stomped over to the man. She towered over him as he shrunk back into his chair.
"I can speak to you any way I like! In fact, I don't think I've spoken enough," she barked. "What sort of idiot thinks it's a good thing to go and abduct someone, in the middle of the street, all because they ask you a question?! On top of that, you threw me into a room, knowing there were ghosts who possess bodies living in the walls?! You're beyond moronic, you're an absolute fool! No wonder the living dead are coming back to life. They've got more brains than you do!"
He glared back at her. "It's not my fault!"
She cut him off before he could say another word. "Yes, it is. You're the one who abducted me. Not the zombies or the ghosts. You! So grow up and accept your faults!" She stomped back over to her chair, sitting down with a huff. She took back her cup as the Doctor handed it over to her graciously. She could see his humourous smirk on his face from the corner of her eye, making her lips twitch slightly into a smile.
"It's this house, I swear," Sneed said in defeat, slumping back into his chair tiredly. "It always had a reputation. Haunted. But I never had much bother until a few months back, and then the stiffs . . ." Seeing everyone's looks of disdain, he cleared his throat. ". . . the, um, the dear departed started getting restless."
"Tommyrot!" argued Charles, who sat on the other side of Sneed. The author was currently holding a cup of tea stiffly in his hand, frowning heavily at everyone and everything around him. Madison could tell it was clear this man was in deep denial. Though anyone could tell that given by the demeanour he had.
"You witnessed it!" countered Sneed in defence of himself and his story. "Can't keep the beggars down, sir. They walk. And it's the queerest thing, but they hang onto scraps, doing things that I think they must have before they died. It's like they have to or something."
"It must be something so strong in them before they died that they cling to it," Madison said softly, wondering just what went through those of the living dead. To be so lost, confused by everything that was happening to them. Perhaps even distraught by discovering they were dead to begin with . . . it must be terrible. It was sad to think about. Or, maybe, hopefully, there was no recollection at all by those who had died and it was merely the entities who possessed the bodies who were doing what was on the last bit of memory within. She hoped dearly that it was the latter.
"Morbid fancy," scoffed Charles, sitting down his cup and was now standing up.
"Oh, Charles, you were there," the Doctor spoke up after Gwyneth handed him his cup of tea, now clearly annoyed by the author.
"I saw nothing but an illusion," Charles said as he walked around the room, keeping a firm hold on his beliefs. Madison felt pity for the man, really. It was always so disheartening when someone was so firm on their ideals, unable to really take in the fantastical that life could bring at times. Those individuals truly missed out on the wonders of life in the end.
"If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time, just shut up," the Doctor said curtly, throwing the author a disapproving gaze. Charles made a face, clearly taken back by being talked to in such a way. It must not be a normal occurrence for the man. The Doctor then looked at Sneed. "What about the gas?"
"That's new, sir. I never seen anything like that," Sneed answered him.
"Means it's getting stronger, the Rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through" concluded the Doctor, frowning heavily. Madison could see that this 'Rift' was not something to take lightly given the expression on the Time Lord's face.
"What is that?" she asked him, curious now of what could cause him to worry.
"A weak point in time and space," he explained to her. "A connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time."
"That's how I got the house so cheap, stories going back generations," Sneed said snidely, a frustrated expression on him now. "Echoes in the dark. Queer songs in the air."
Madison glanced over when she heard a door shutting rather harshly. It was Charles, leaving abruptly then, clearly no longer wanting to be around all the others. She didn't listen to the rest of what Sneed had to say, mostly still annoyed with the man. She began to wonder if someone should go after Charles when the Doctor soon left the room as well. She hoped that maybe he could talk some sense to the author. Though, if Charles was truly stubborn, he probably would never believe in the unusualness of the world. Shaking her head, she sat down her cup onto the table after standing up.
"Do you have a toilet? I need to refresh myself. Someone had manhandled me earlier and my dress is rather ruffled you know," she said pointedly, eyeing Sneed again. The Undertaker grumbled before pointing her in the right direction. She nodded curtly. "Thank you."
She found the room quite quickly, fixing herself up the best she could before leaving again. As she walked through the home, wondering where the Doctor might be with Charles, she walked by an open doorway, seeing Gwyneth from earlier washing some dishes in the washbasin.
"Would you like some help?" she offered the young servant girl, going into the pantry to be beside Gwyneth. The maid gave a start, but then smiled and shook her head.
"No, that's all right, miss," replied the servant girl, taking some of the clean dishes from the basin and putting them onto a shelf. Madison smiled before grabbing a rag and beginning to clean a teacup.
"Please, miss, you shouldn't be helping. It's not right," said Gwyneth, sounding both concerned and nervous. Madison could tell that it wasn't normal for the young woman to get help from others. She must have to do almost everything on her own throughout her life.
"It's okay for people to help you out every once and a while," Madison said softly, smiling at the woman. "I have trouble accepting help as well at times, so I know how you feel."
Gwyneth seemed hesitant but accepted the help all the same. She grabbed another rag by the basin, beginning to wash alongside Madison. "Thank you, miss. That's very kind of you."
Madison nodded, humming thoughtfully. "I suppose . . . Sneed doesn't help you out very much. He makes you do almost everything, doesn't he?"
"It's my job, miss. It's what I'm here for."
Madison pressed her lips tightly together, not really liking this mindset for the young servant girl. "Still . . . I feel as though he works you far too hard. He did make you an accessory to abducting a random woman, after all." She saw how Gwyneth shook her head in disagreement. "I'm serious, though. I understand you may have loyalty towards him-."
"Oh, now, that's not fair." Gwyneth turned towards her, smiling sadly. "He's not so bad, old Sneed. He was very kind to take me in because I lost my mum and dad to the flu when I was twelve."
Madison's heart twisted. Sharp pain sliced through her as she stared at the woman. Swallowing thickly, she gave Gwyneth a look of empathy. "I'm sorry for your loss. I know how hard it is, to lose your parents."
Gwyneth nodded, staring intently at Madison now. "You lost your parents to flu, too." Gwyneth then blinked, seeming to pull herself out of something before swiftly turning back to the washbasin.
"Yes," Madison breathed, feeling her heart sink and fall in her solemn silence. She cleared her throat then, now wanting to avoid her heartache. "Can you tell me about yourself, Gwyneth? I'd love to know more about you."
"Oh, there isn't much to tell, miss. You already know what my childhood was, being taken in by Sneed and such."
"Now I don't believe that. Everyone has a story to tell." Madison smiled as Gwyneth turned shyly back around. "I'd love to hear all about it."
Gwyneth seemed hesitant but soon smiled. "Well . . . I went to school every Sunday, nice and proper."
"Heh, I remember school. I hated sums."
"Oh, me, too. To be honest, I hated every second. Don't tell anyone . . . but one week I didn't go and I ran down the heath, all on my own." Gwyneth giggled, glancing around as if afraid of someone overhearing her.
Madison laughed lightly. "Oh, I tried skipping school once. But I got caught. My mother gave me such a scolding you wouldn't believe it. That glare of hers could make kings and queens quiver."
Gwyneth laughed along with her, nodding. "And your father could always convince her to calm down." The woman abruptly stopped laughing, eyes going wide at what she said.
Madison eyed the maid carefully then, feeling a bit unnerved by this statement. "How . . . how did you know that?"
"I-I'm sorry, miss. It-It was nothing. I didn't mean it. Mister Sneed says I think too much." She turned around, trying to pretend that nothing was wrong.
Madison pondered for a second, wondering if Gwyneth had some telepathic abilities of some kind as she had been thinking of her father during that moment. But something told her it wasn't that. Something else was going on here. "Gwyneth . . . if something's wrong you can tell me."
Gwyneth slowly looked back at her, appearing extremely nervous now. "I . . . see things, sometimes."
Now Madison was curious, tilting her head slightly as she took the young woman in. This made her wonder if Gwyneth was somewhat psychic. She had run into a psychic once before. A strange little girl with a powerful insight. "What sort of things?"
Gwyneth hesitated in saying anything. Then, the servant girl seemed to grow this dazed look in her eye. Her eyes glazed over, seeing something that Madison could not. "You've been travelling. No . . . you've been running. For so long. You've never stopped running. The secrets you've kept, hidden from everyone. Such a lonely life you've had. You've seen so much loss. All those friends . . . lost to time. And now you travel, through time . . . and space. The things you've seen. The darkness. The singing siren." Gwyneth backed away from her, staring at Madison now with horror. She backed right up into a shelf, making the items shake as she pressed herself up against it. Her bottom lip trembled. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, miss."
"It's okay, Gwyneth," Madison said softly, trying to soothe the young woman. She reached forward, taking the woman's hand gently. "Really, it's okay. You see things, don't you?"
"I can't help it," Gwyneth replied, nodding in confirmation. "Ever since I was a little girl, my mum said I had the sight. She told me to hide it."
"I know what it's like, hiding yourself from others," Madison whispered, giving the woman's hand a soft squeeze in reassurance.
"But it's getting stronger."
Both women turned with a start, seeing the Doctor standing in the doorway and staring at them. He had his hands in his pockets, eyes gazing at Gwyneth steadily. Something about his eyes, the way they studied them both standing there . . . Madison could tell he had been listening in to most of their conversation. She hoped, with what Gwyneth said, that he didn't think less of her. Gwyneth's words were completely accurate, after all. Though the last part . . . 'the singing siren' . . . she had no idea what that was about.
Madison listened as Gwyneth confessed to the Doctor about the 'voices' in her head. Something that plagued the young woman almost every night, apparently. The Doctor explained that since Gwyneth had grown up around the Rift, she was connected to it somehow. Madison wanted to question how something like that was even possible, but she kept quiet as the Doctor and Gwyneth talked. Eventually, surprisingly, the Doctor decided on a 'séance'. The idea was strange to Madison. She would have never believed such a thing would work, but given the circumstances they were under, she supposed it might not hurt. Though she worried about Gwyneth being the one to lead it. It felt almost wrong to have the woman be used as a 'key' as the Doctor put it. She feared something would go wrong, but she knew she needed to trust the Doctor. He appeared to know what he was doing. At least, she hoped that he did.
Eventually, the Doctor convinced Sneed and Charles to join them for the séance in the dining room. They all sat around the round table, facing one another. Madison sat across from Gwyneth, listening as she explained how she had seen what others had done during séances. When she began instructing them to hold hands, that was when Charles stood up.
"I can't take part in this," said the man, turning to walk away from the room.
"Humbug?" the Doctor said, raising a brow at the man. Charles turned, appearing flustered and annoyed. "Come on. Open mind."
"This is precisely the sort of cheap mummy I strive to unmask," said the author gruffly. "Séances! Nothing but luminous tambourines and a squeeze box concealed between the knees. This girl knows nothing."
"Now, don't antagonise her," said the Doctor, scolding the man a bit. He then grinned a bit towards Madison who sat closest to him. "I love a happy medium."
"I think you just made the lamest joke I've ever heard," Madison said, snickering under her breath. Seeing Charles' look of reproach, she quickly cleared her throat. "I understand your hesitancy. But you might always regret it if you don't help us."
"We might need you," the Doctor agreed, nodding for the man to sit down. Soon, Charles took his seat once again. Though with a bit of reluctance. Then, after a moment, they were all holding hands and each of them was staring at Gwyneth, watching as her eyes began to glaze over.
"Speak to us," she called out to the room around them. "Are you there? Spirits, come. Speak to us that we may relieve your burden." Madison could not help but tense slightly as the hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up. Goosebumps went along her arms as well. She glanced around the room, swearing that the lights grew dim and that she could hear whispers all around them. Charles began to say something, but Madison hurriedly shushed him. She didn't want to interrupt Gwyneth. She stared at the young woman, watching as Gwyneth appeared to be seeing something they could not.
"I see them," she breathed. "I feel them!" Madison looked up when she noticed wisps of blue gas beginning to swirl around above their heads. Everyone soon was looking up as well, staring in awe as the entities living in the walls appeared before them. Though the forms were hazy and scattered. The whispers grew louder, but nothing that Madison could make out.
"It can't get through the Rift," the Doctor said, staring intently at the wisps of light and gas around them. He looked at Gwyneth then. "Gwyneth, it's not controlling you, you're controlling it. Now look deep. Allow them through."
"I can't," Gwyneth gasped as she began to shake slightly, her eyes fluttering as she stared at the wisps above them.
"Yes, you can. Just believe in it. I have faith in you, Gwyneth," the Doctor urged to her, squeezing the woman's hand in reassurance.
The young maid closed her eyes for a moment before opening them wide. She stared back at everyone else, though her eyes still had a glaze over them. It was then that the wisps all formed into one large, bright-glowing entity behind her. It looked like a figure of a woman, though it was hard for Madison to tell. It stared at them all, its figure wavering in the air as it hovered behind Gwyneth. Two more appeared then, standing next to the large figure. Though these two were much less clear, almost blurred compared to their counterpart. Madison glanced around the table, seeing the wide-eyed expressions on Sneed and Charles.
"Great God. Spirits from the other side," breathed Sneed in alarm.
"The other side of the universe," the Doctor countered, staring intently at the entities.
"Pity us! Pity the Gelth!" the larger entity began speaking, its voice like that of a child's. It mixed in with Gwyneth's voice as she spoke alongside it. "There is so little time. Help us!"
"What do you want us to do?" the Doctor asked the entity.
"The Rift. Take the girl to the Rift. Make the bridge," the entity replied quickly.
"What for?"
"We are so very few. The last of our kind. We face extinction!"
Madison felt a sharp tug at her heart when she heard the entities say this. Her heart went out to them. But at the same time . . . something didn't seem quite right to her. Her heart wanted to believe them . . . but her gut said that there was more to their story. Something they weren't saying. She frowned as she thought this over, wondering if her instincts were trying to warn her again.
"Why? What happened?" the Doctor asked the Gelth, pulling Madison out of her thoughts.
"Once we had a physical form, like you. But then the war came," the Gelth explained.
"War? What war?" questioned Charles.
"The Time War," answered the Gelth. Madison saw the Doctor stiffen in the corner of her eye. She saw the haunted look in his eyes now. The torn expression that he had. It was clear now that this was the same war that his people had been in. Just how many worlds had been torn apart because of this one war she wondered. The Doctor met her gaze then, his expression sombre, mournful. There was a brief moment that she could see pain beyond anything she could describe swirling within his irises. But it was so brief. Her heart twisted and mourned with him. Again, the urge to ease his pain, his sorrows, grew within her.
"The whole universe convulsed. The Time War raged. Invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher forms," the Gelth continued to explain, pulling Madison and the Doctor's attention back to them. "Our bodies wasted away. We're trapped in this gaseous form."
"So that's why you need the corpses," the Doctor concluded, nodding in understanding.
"We want to stand tall. To feel the sunlight. To live again," said the Gelth, pleading to them now.
"But to what cost? How far will you go to get your forms again?" Madison spoke up, questioning the Gelth carefully. She wanted to believe them. Truly she did. But something about this . . . just screamed to her, that it wasn't right. Something was off. She just couldn't put her finger on it.
"We need a physical form and your dead are abandoned. They go to waste. Give them to us," the Gelth urged them.
"You're not answering my question," Madison said, tone growing strict as she felt the Gelth were avoiding her presence entirely. "You tried to kill me. Have you killed others?"
"We are just so lost. Please, help us," said the Gelth. This answer seemed false to Madison. She frowned, feeling as though once again the Gelth were avoiding her and her questions. "Open the Rift. Let the Gelth through."
"But if you need Gwyneth, what will that do to her? Will the Rift hurt her?" Madison demanded in question, needing to know now.
"The girl is the key. Use her. Open the Rift," said the Gelth. "We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth!" All three of the entities then suddenly were sucked back into the gas lamps on the wall behind Gwyneth.
Once gone, Gwyneth slumped forward onto the table, appearing weak and unconscious. Madison immediately stood up, going over to the servant girl. Checking over her, she could tell that Gwyneth was still alive. If nothing but extremely fatigued now. Whatever it had taken to bring the Gelth forward, it must have zapped the poor woman of all her energy. This only made Madison worried about what would become of the servant girl if they used her to open the Rift. Well, they couldn't do it. Whatever it took, they would figure out something else. Madison held this thought firm in her mind as she had Sneed help her gather up Gwyneth and take the woman into another room, laying her down onto a lounge chair. Madison stayed next to Gwyneth as the woman rested, appearing just peacefully slumbering now.
"She'll need to rest up before we open the Rift," the Doctor said, making Madison look over her shoulder to see him standing behind her. He watched Gwyneth sleep, a storm of emotions in his eyes but nothing that showed clear enough for Madison to tell what exactly he was feeling.
"No," Madison said firmly, keeping herself facing him now as she sat next to Gwyneth.
"No?" the Doctor responded, raising a sharp brow at her. "What do you mean 'no'?"
"I mean no. We can't let her open the Rift," Madison stated, shaking her head strongly. "Look at what's happened with her just talking to them. How do we know that worse won't happen to her if she's used on the Rift?"
The Doctor frowned heavily at her now, folding his arms together stiffly. "She'll be fine. I'll make sure of it."
Madison went to argue against this but paused when hearing movement behind her. She turned, seeing Gwyneth beginning to awaken. The young woman looked groggy and confused as she glanced around her. Madison went to her, crouching down and taking her hand.
"It's all right. You just fell unconscious," Madison said, assuring the servant girl that everything was fine.
"But my angels, miss! They came, didn't they? They need me," Gwyneth said quietly, a smile growing on her lips as she seemed so happy. Madison bit the inside of her cheek, nervous now.
"They do need you, Gwyneth," said the Doctor, keeping his tone even as he spoke. "You're their only chance of survival." Gwyneth's eyes lit up, clearly alighted to know this. Madison felt her stomach grow queasy, her mind still thinking about the Gelth and what might be wrong with them. She stood up from her place beside Gwyneth, walking over to the Doctor.
"Can I talk to you? In private?" she asked tightly, not waiting for his answer as she turned and walked away. She went into an adjacent hallway, standing there waiting for him. He rather slowly came to her, his hands in his pockets and his expression set in a heavy frown.
"What?" he asked, his tone none too polite. "You got a problem them using corpses or something?"
"No, that's not what concerns me," Madison said evenly, trying her best to reason with him. She only hoped that he would listen to her. "Something just isn't right about all of this. Don't you think that it's awfully convenient that these creatures suffered in the same war as you have and are also the last of their kind?"
The Doctor sighed, shaking his head at her. "I see what you mean, but a lot of species suffered in that war. That either lost so many numbers or went extinct completely. Wiped out in seconds. They're just one of millions that were affected."
Madison nodded, understanding this. But . . . "Okay, I can understand that. It's just . . . it feels like too much of a coincidence. Something tells me that they either know this about you, about you being a part of the war too or that they are merely tugging for pity from anyone. There's something these Gelth aren't telling us. I feel it."
"You 'feel it'?" The Doctor raised a brow, giving her a sceptical glance now.
Madison bit the inside of her cheek. Her anxiety increased tenfold as she feared what the Doctor would think of her once she told him about her 'gut feeling' and such. She felt stupid admitting it out loud, but . . . she felt she could trust the Doctor to listen to her. "Sometimes I get these 'feelings' about things. My mother always called it a natural protective instinct or a 'gut' feeling. It was something both her and I shared."
The Doctor frowned heavily, raising a sharp brow at her. He then scoffed. "Oh, so you're unsure about all of this because you have a 'gut feeling'. I see. No, real reason or evidence, just a 'feeling'."
It was Madison's turn to frown at him, facing growing red as she felt flustered by his response. He even did air quotes when saying 'gut feeling'. "I'm being serious."
"So am I." The Doctor waved a hand about as if to dismiss her. Then, he was staring hard into her eyes. "Look, these people are dying. Not just them, but their entire species. Out of everyone here, I thought maybe you could understand just how important it is to save them."
"I do understand. But I also understand when my judgement may be clouded when it comes to these things. You're letting yourself be blind to what may be happening because of your emotions towards the war and what happened to them. You're not thinking clearly."
The Doctor now threw her an angry look, his shoulders tensing as he crossed his arms. "I am thinking. I'm thinking that maybe you're not using your own brain to think about what's at stake here. You rather rely on 'feelings'. Maybe your little mind can't wrap around the idea of there just being others out there, like us, who need our help. Or, maybe you do care about them using corpses and just don't want me to let them. Well, it's a different morality. Get used to it, or go home."
Madison grew angry then, feeling insulted. "You're not listening to me!"
"And you're not listening to me! Guess we're at a stalemate, then." The Doctor uncrossed his arms, turning around to go back into the room but then was back towards her once more. "What if your 'gut feeling' is wrong, huh? Did you think of that?"
Madison nodded, letting out a breath as she tried to calm herself down. "Yes, I have. That's why I want us to maybe take a while to think about this. Give us a little more time."
"Well, the Gelth don't have time. We have to do this now or never. And I don't care if you're with me on that or not. I've dealt with these things before. Me. Not you. So I think I know a little more than you do about 'gut feelings' and what to expect. So just shut up and let me handle this." With that said, the Doctor turned and stormed off angrily.
Madison stood there in the hallway for a moment after the Doctor left her there. She felt numb at what had just happened. The fact that the Doctor didn't believe her, or even take her seriously about what she felt, hurt her more than she wanted it to. It cut deep as he had been the first one she had ever told about the feelings she had sometimes. And he had scoffed at her and brushed off her words as if they had meant nothing. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath before entering the room with the others once more. She hoped with everything that her feelings were indeed wrong and that he was right. That this was the right thing to do and that they could trust the Gelth. Dear god did she hope she was wrong. For if her instincts were right on this one . . .
She kept quiet. Keeping all but to herself as Gwyneth decided then and there that she would help the Gelth. Madison kept her gaze down when she felt the Doctor staring at her in a brief glance. She didn't want to argue with him anymore or make him more upset than she already had. She just wanted everything to go okay and then perhaps have a better conversation with him later. At least, she hoped he would. He appeared rather cross with her at the moment. So, she followed along with the others, going down, down into the morgue of the home. The Doctor led the way while Sneed and Charles were not far along. Madison stayed by Gwyneth, just wanting to be there in case something did happen to the young woman. Once they were down in the dark, cold basement that was the morgue, Madison could not help but feel a cold shiver go through her when she spotted the corpses lying on cots with white sheets covering them. Swallowing heavily when she spotted the saws and other sharp instruments nearby, ready to carve open the bodies.
"Doctor, I think the room is getting colder," Charles spoke up, earning their attention to the change going through the morgue. Indeed it was growing steadily colder around them. Madison shivered again. From either the cold or from her nerves, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she felt unsettled by it. Then the whispering began. Growing louder by the second. She watched as the wisps of gas swirled out of the lamp on the wall and formed the large entity from the séance. It wavered in the centre of the large archway of the morgue, towards the far back of the room where more bodies were locked up in lockers.
"You've come to help!" cried the Gelth, sounding gleeful. "Praise the Doctor! Praise him!" Something about how joyful the Gelth sounded made Madison feel on edge. Again, that strong feeling went through her, screaming that something was wrong.
"What will happen to Gwyneth if she does this? Will this hurt her?" she asked loudly, hoping that the Gelth would answer. Hoping that her instincts would be proven wrong.
"Hurry! Please! So little time. Pity the Gelth!" said the entity, ignoring her once again.
"I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer. Somewhere you can build proper bodies," the Doctor said, stepping forward to address the Gelth. "This isn't a permanent solution, all right?"
"My angels. I can help them live," breathed Gwyneth, her face alight with happiness as she stared at the Gelth.
"Okay, where's the weak point?" the Doctor asked the Gelth after he gave a nod to Gwyneth.
"Here. Beneath the arch!" said the Gelth. Gwyneth stepped forward, going to stand within the large entity under the archway. The servant girl appear to stiffen the moment she stood under the archway, her eyes glazing over. "Establish the bridge. Reach out to the void. Let us through!"
"Yes!" Gwyneth let out a watering breath, smiling. "I can see you. I can see you! Come. Come to me. Come to this world. Poor lost souls."
"It has begun! The bridge is made. She has given herself to the Gelth!"
Madison held a hand over her mouth as she watched Gwyneth open her own and a bright light shone from it. Wisps of blue-glowing entities began swarming out of the maid. Madison shuddered as entities slithered around her, brushing up against her and causing a cold sweat to form where they touched her skin. She heard Sneed mentioning something about there being quite a lot of them and she had to agree. This was far more than she expected. Just how many Gelth was there? Would the morgue have enough bodies for them all?
"The bridge is open. We descend," said the large Gelth entity which still stood around Gwyneth. Madison watched in horror as the Gelth, all of them, suddenly turned from blue to fiery red. Their forms glowed like fire. The large entity bared its sharp teeth. When it spoke again, its voice was deep and dark. Nothing like the child-like voices from before. "The Gelth will come through in force." Every word spoken called for death. Madison felt her stomach drop as another fresh wave of terror went through her. Oh god, her instincts had been right. Oh, how she wished they hadn't.
"You said that you were few in number!" Charles yelled at the entity.
"A few billion! And all of us in need of corpses!" the entity spat out nastily.
Madison glanced around as she saw a few corpses beginning to rise from the tables. The doors of the lockers were being banged on as even more were being taken over by the entities. She went over to the Doctor, grabbing onto his hand out of fear of what was to happen. She gasped as he swiftly pulled her aside, holding her close to him when a corpse grabbed Sneed and snapped the poor man's neck after the man had been trying to plead to Gwyneth to snap out of it. An entity quickly went into Sneed, taking him over.
"I think it's going a little bit wrong," the Doctor breathed in her ear. She could only nod, unable to reply at the moment as she just wanted to focus on keeping them alive.
"I have joined the legions of the Gelth," spoke Sneed, his voice no longer that of his own. He and the other corpse began stiffly marching over to the Doctor and her. "Come. March with us. We need bodies. All of you, dead. The human race, dead."
The Doctor had him and her both backing up towards the back of the room. He kept her behind him all the while, holding her back. The Doctor yelled out to Gwyneth, trying to get her to stop the link and close the bridge. But it was clear that the servant girl could not hear them. Charles escaped up the stairs before any of the corpses could reach him, taking off back into the house above. Madison was glad that the man could escape. At least he could be safe. For now, at least. How long before the Gelth overtook the human race? How quickly could the Gelth kill off people for themselves? She felt it wouldn't take long at all and that thought sickened her.
She felt herself being pulled back into an alcove. Where it looked like the dead were burned for ashes and whatnot. The Doctor shut the gate tightly closed that was in front of them. Locking it to the Gelth. To the dozens of bodies that now marched over and pressed themselves up against the gate. How long could that gate hold? Madison felt not much longer, given how many bodies were now pressed up against it.
"Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives to the Gelth," said the Gelth through the mouths of the corpses. The voices echoed hauntingly through human voices and that of the vicious Gelth.
"I trusted you! I pitied you!" the Doctor shouted at them, shaking in rage and glaring harshly.
"We don't want your pity! We want this world and all its flesh," retorted the Gelth wickedly, sneering at them.
"Not while I'm alive," the Doctor said, his glare darkening as he stared the Gelth down.
"Then live no more."
The Doctor seemed to deflate then. His shoulders fell and his expression turned stricken. Madison glanced at him, seeing the turmoil in his face. He had truly believed them, thinking that he could help him. She could feel his pain of being tricked, even without being connected to him. She reached over, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze in comfort. He glanced at her, his eyes wavering.
"Have . . . Have we changed time?" she asked then, her voice wavering as she still felt so scared about what would come of the Gelth. She didn't even care if she died here. She just didn't want all those living people to perish because of this.
"Time is in flux, changing every second . . . Yeah, we've changed it," the Doctor spoke gravely. His whole demeanour appeared to sink down as he looked so desolate. "I'm sorry. You're going to die, the last of the Mer . . . and it's all my fault."
She shook her head quickly, holding his hand tighter. "Please don't blame yourself. It's not anyone's fault." She scooted over, wrapping her arms around him as she hugged him close. She laid her head against his chest, surprised to hear a double heartbeat thundering away. "You . . . you have two hearts," she laughed weakly.
The Doctor laughed, holding her tightly against him. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."
She listened to the rattling of the gate behind her and the thudding of the Doctor's hearts for a moment before she lifted her eyes and stared at him. "If I'm to die . . . I'm glad that I'm not dying alone."
He swallowed before nodding, giving her a half-hearted smile. "Yeah. Me, too."
She smiled weakly. "The last Mer and the last Time Lord. Who'd thought we would go out this way, huh?"
The Doctor let out a groan of frustration, shaking his head. "I've lived through so much. I saw the fall of Troy. World War Five. I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party. Now I'm gonna die in a dungeon. In Cardiff!"
Madison could only laugh, shaking her head at him and giggling softly. "You're such a baby."
"Yeah, well . . ." He sighed, hugging her to him now rather tightly. "There was still so much I wanted to take you to. So much I wanted you to see. And now . . . that can never happen."
"Don't think about what could have been. Just think of what was. I had a great time with you. Even if it was short." She looked back up to him, her head just under his chin. She stared into his blue eyes. Eyes which she just realised looked so beautiful. She did it without thinking. Though that was a lie. She did have one thought. It was to show him just how much he meant to her. Even if they truly did not know each other all that well. Maybe, to give him a last bit of comfort before they died as well. And so, she reached up and gave him a kiss. It was a brief one. Just enough to show him she cared for him, for she absolutely did. Her heart fluttered and beat away merrily as she stared into his eyes again after pulling back from the kiss. She smiled softly when seeing the shock on his face. "Thank you, Doctor. It was a wonderful time I had," she breathed.
"Fantastic?" he asked, grinning rather brightly now.
"Absolutely," she laughed, smiling at his reaction and matching his grin. She pulled away, staring at the dead in front of them. "And don't think I won't go down fighting. I am rather a stubborn gal, after all." She felt the Doctor entwining their fingers together as he held her hand.
"I'm so glad I met you," he told her and she could not help but stare back at him, beaming brightly with her eyes watering a bit.
"So am I," she told him. They shared another smile, ready to face their end together. But then a call came and both looked over with a start.
"Doctor! Doctor!" they heard Charles calling out into the basement. "Turn off the flame, turn up the gas!" They could see him now, just over the shoulders of the living dead. The Gelth seemed slow in responding to the man, still focusing on the two in the alcove. "Now fill the room! All of it, now!"
"What are you doing?" the Doctor asked the man quickly.
"Turn it all on!" repeated Charles desperately. "Flood the place!" The man showed them what he meant when he ran over to a lamp on the wall, turning off the flame before turning it back up with nothing but invisible gas flowing through.
The Doctor slowly grew a large grin. "Brilliant! Gas! Fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the host. Suck them into the air like poison from a wound!" he said hurriedly. The Gelth began making their way towards Charles now, who had unfortunately backed himself into a corner. The Doctor, acting swift, pulled a pipe off of the wall, adding to the gas in the room. This helped as all of the Gelth were indeed drawn out of their bodies, making every body fall to the floor in a heap. Madison followed the Doctor out of the alcove then, going into the main room. The Time Lord ran over to Gwyneth then, who had still been locked in place, unmoving and keeping the bridge open to the Gelth. Though the woman's mouth no longer glowed as she merely stood there limply.
"Gwyneth, send them back! They lied! They're not angels," the Doctor told the young woman hurriedly.
"Liars?" Gwyneth replied, her face blank as she stared at them all.
"Gwyneth, they lied. They tricked you. They're not wanting peace, they want to kill everyone," Madison said quickly, coughing through the thick smell of gas that swept through the place. She felt dizzy as it was becoming harder to breathe.
"If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same," the Doctor added. "They'd give you the strength. Now send them back!" Madison went to say more as she saw Gwyneth just staring blankly at them still. But she gave a rather nasty cough as she went to inhale. "Charles, get her out."
"No, I can't leave him, and Gwyneth needs us," Madison argued as Charles tried to drag her off.
"Madison, go! Charles, make her," the Doctor ordered, pushing at her now and into the other man's hands. She tried to fight, but the coughing fits were too much.
Both she and Charles were coughing hard as they ran through the house and back out into the streets of old Cardiff. She stared at the undertaker home, holding her shaking hands together as she desperately wished the Doctor would make it out okay. That Gwyneth would indeed come out of this unharmed. But just as she saw the Time Lord leave the building, it exploded into a fiery blaze behind him. She ducked on instinct, flinching from the explosion and fire. But then she was rushing over to the Doctor just as he was picking himself up from the ground. She helped him up and as he stared at her, she felt her heart sink.
"Gwyneth?" she asked in a small breath.
"I'm sorry," he replied back, shaking his head sadly. "She closed the rift."
"At such a cost. The poor child," said Charles beside them, staring sadly at the fires before them. The house creaked and fell apart, crumbling to pieces right in front of them.
"She was dead, the moment she stepped under that arch," the Doctor said, sighing as he shook his head. Madison stared back at the home, feeling at a loss of what to do or say next. All she could do was stare at the fire, watching as the last remains of Gwyneth wasted away. Even poor old Sneed. Both souls were lost. Just like that. She sighed, shaking her head as she knew that were two more to add to her list to mourn. She looked over as the Doctor took her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. Seeing the way he stared at the house then . . . she knew she would not be the only one to remember the two in mourning.
Tell me what you thought! I hope it was good. For Nine, so far it's going to be pretty much following the show's plot with some differences. It will start changing later on down the road. If there's anything in particular you all would like to see happen, please let me know. I'll be happy to change things up.