26/10/2015

When I finally found the blonde, she was in the pantry speaking with Gwyneth. "Mind if I join? The men are a bit annoying." They smiled and welcomed me to the conversation, something I was very grateful for. The house felt weird to me and the urge to flee intensified the longer we were in the house. I needed something to keep my hands busy so I started to help Gwyneth with the dishes.

"Please, miss, you shouldn't be helping. It's not right."

"Just Cerys, please, and it's fine, I don't mind. Besides, I need to keep my hands busy."

Rose attention instantly snapped to me. Knowing I'd said the wrong thing, especially after what had happened earlier, I sighed. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I'm worried and uneasy. It's the house and those creatures. Something about them doesn't seem right to me. It's like they're showing us what will either gain our trust or empathy. A wolf in sheepskin." I shrugged, not really sure as to how to explain it in a way that made sense. I also didn't want to offend Gwyneth. After getting pass the who kidnapping Rose thing, I realised she wasn't that bad to be around.

"I'm sure it's nothing. If it is, the Doctor will figure it out," she smiled. It was a weak attempt but she knew that I would still have the feeling. The most that could help would be a distraction until I was able to figure things out myself. She knew I didn't like to depend on anyone and if I could avoid it I would do so. "So, did you even go to school, or what?" she asked Gwyneth, scratching at her shoulder.

I couldn't help but face palm as Rose finished her question. It was kind of rude of her, as well as ignorant. Gwyneth was quite offended as well. "Of course I did. What do you think I am, an urchin? I went every Sunday, nice and proper."

"What, once a week?" I giggled at Rose's disbelief. She seemed to forget that it was 1869 and not 2005.

"We did sums and everything. To be honest, I hated every second."

"Us too." The three of us laughed. It was the truth. While Rose did attend class for the most part, I was notorious for skipping school. The amount of times Jackie had to fight off the principal and anyone else who had something to say about all my days absent was astronomical throughout my school years. Although there were some genuine instances in which I had to skip school, unfortunate for Jackie, most of the time I feigned illness and ended up roaming the streets once she'd left for work.

"Don't tell anyone, but one week, I didn't go and ran on the heath all on my own."

"We did plenty of that, didn't we Cerys?" I nodded, not looking up from my task. "We used to go down the shops with our-" I gave Rose a hard look knowing who she was about to bring up. Seeing my dark expression, Rose quickly rectified her statement. "My- friend Shareen. We used to go and look at boys." Gwyneth stopped laughing an almost stoic look on her face at the mention of the opposite sex.

"Well, I don't know much about that, miss."

"Come on, times haven't changed that much. I bet you've done the same."

The woman vigorously shook her head. "I don't think so, miss."

"Gwyneth, you can tell us. I bet you've got your eye on someone," Rose continued. She was a right pain when she wanted information on something. For once though, I was glad I wasn't on the receiving end of the interrogation.

"Oh, Rose, Gwyneth here isn't going to tell us about her gentleman caller." I shared a glance with Rose, the blonde knowing exactly what I was up to. The technique often worked with Jackie when she got back from a date. It was a fun game to play, one that Jackie was aware of and played along with. After years of doing so, the pair of us had perfected the art.

"I just don't think it right to talk about someone who isn't my own."

"So there is someone!" I exclaimed happily. "You can tell us. We won't tell a soul."

After a bit more prodding from Rose, I watched as Gwyneth's resolve crumbled. She didn't really have anyone to talk to, besides Sneed, and that wasn't someone you shared news of a crush with. No, she needed a female around to spill those secrets. "I suppose. There is one lad. The butcher's boy. He comes by every Tuesday. Such a lovely smile on him."

"I like a nice smile," Rose mused. "Good smile, nice bum."

"Well, I have never heard the like." I chuckled at Gwyneth's shocked expression at Rose's statement. I suppose to her, it was something women didn't really talk about. But still, Rose and I weren't necessarily from the 1860s. There wasn't a way in which we could follow the formalities of the time when we honestly had no real idea as to what they were. Heck, even if we did, I doubt either of us conform to such ideals.

"Ask him out. Give him a cup of tea or something, that's a start," my friend offered.

"Or you could just have a nice chat. The tea could come a little after."

"I swear it is the strangest thing. You two have got all the clothes and the breeding, but you talk like some wild things."

"Maybe we are. Maybe that's a good thing. You need a bit more in your life than Mister Sneed."

I shook my head at my friend's comment. While I understood that she was upset with the man, I had a feeling that Sneed had done a lot for Gwyneth. Besides, it wasn't that he was a bad man. I more or less got the feeling that he was an idiot and at the time he'd drugged and kidnapped Rose, it was out of fear. Someone had seen him hauling a corpse into the back of his carriage and was kicking up a fuss. It was probably the only thing he could think of in that moment. "Rose, I'm sure he has done a lot for her."

"Cerys is right. 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," I dried my hands and placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Thank you miss. But I'll be with them again, one day, sitting with them in paradise. I shall be so blessed. They're waiting for me. Maybe your dad's up there waiting for you, miss. And your son's waiting for you to find him, Cerys."

"Who told you about Rose's dad?" I asked suspiciously before her words to me finally sunk in. "Son? I don't have any kids."

"I don't know. Must have been the Doctor."

"My dad died before I met the Doctor and Cerys' doesn't have a kid as far as I know." She glanced at me in question and I violently shook my head. I was sure I'd know if I had a child and there was no way I was thinking about having any. I wasn't the nurturing type to begin with and there was no one around me who'd be a candidate even if I was thinking about having one.

"But you've been thinking about him lately more than ever and you Cerys, you've thought of it as well."

"I suppose so," Rose answered. I decided not to speak. I honestly hadn't been thinking about children, although, she could have been referring to the nightmare I had the other night. It was plausible that was what Gwyneth had picked up on. As to how though, I wasn't quite sure but I was working on it. "How do you know all this?"

"Mister Sneed says I think too much. I'm all alone down here. I bet you've got dozens of servants, don't you, miss?"

"No, no servants where we're from."

"And you've come such a long way." I stared at Gwyneth, the eerie feeling once again washing over me. I wasn't sure if it was just the house or if the woman had an actual ability, that she was able to see things others could not. I wanted it to be something natural for Gwyneth, but I couldn't help the thought that where the house was located had something to do with her ability as well.

"What makes you think so?"

Gwyneth moved closer to us, staring at us. "You're from London. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that. All those people rushing about half naked, for shame. And the noise, and the metal boxes racing past, and the birds in the sky, no, they're metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. People are flying. And you, you two have flown so far. Further than anyone. The things you've seen. The darkness, the death, the big bad wolf and the daughter of time." She stumbled away, almost as if she were afraid of us. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, misses," Gwyneth said, her eyes wide in fear. I snatched my hand from her shoulder, staring at her, not sure how to process her words. How could she have known, unless... The house, no, the creatures were doing something to her, affecting her in some way, maybe even strengthening a slightly psychic part of her.

"It's all right." Although Rose attempted to comfort her, I couldn't help but be wary. I knew Gwyneth wasn't a bad person, but the fact that she'd said those things, that she'd been able to see our London, it was disconcerting.

"I can't help it." Gwyneth faced me, her expression apologetic before she continued to speak. "Ever since I was a little girl, my mam said I had the sight. She told me to hide it."

"But it's getting stronger, more powerful, is that right?" We all turned to see the Doctor standing at the doorway with an unreadable expression on his face. I couldn't help but wonder as to how much of it he had heard, although I was quite sure he'd heard most of what had been said.

"All the time. Every night, voices in my head."

"You grew up on the rift. You're a part of it. You're the key."

"I've tried to make sense of it, sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table rappers, all sorts."

"Well that should help. You can show us what to do."

"What to do where, sir?"

"We're going to have a séance," the Doctor said with a tiny smile. I stared at him in disbelief, grounded to my spot. I stared after Rose and Gwyneth as they nodded and left the room without question, most likely to prepare for what was to happen. It worried me a bit since Rose often questioned EVERYTHING. Their absence left the Doctor and me alone, something I wasn't looking forward to. Sure, I was able to repress the irritation I had with him, but at the same time, I wasn't. It continued to rear its ugly head whenever I let my guard down. "Is everything alright?"

"No," I snapped before taking in a breath. "We shouldn't do this."

"You scared?"

I thought for a moment. Fear was something that I rarely had but I knew that's not what I felt. This was different. Nothing felt right, and the Gelth were the main issue I had. They seemed to be say the things that would get them pity. "I'm not afraid. We don't know what we're dealing with and I know this might help but it feels so wrong."

"What does?" he asked, coming over to me. He placed his hands on my shoulders, looking directly into my eyes. I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under his gaze, but at the same time, his nearness made me feel safe. I inwardly groaned, I was a mess of conflicting emotions and it was driving me mad.

"This house, and those creatures. There are whispers in this house and those creatures are part of their origin." I shivered as I thought about it. No, they came after the rift. They were using it. I remained silent on that thought, knowing the Doctor had probably already known what I'd just figured out. "I know this might seem foolish but I won't partake in it, I can't."

"I understand. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"You wouldn't be able to get me to," I cracked a smile before moving out of his grip. "Come on then, you have a job to do." The Doctor nodded and grabbed hold of my hand. I stared at our intertwined fingers for a moment before meeting the Doctor's eyes. He seemed happy, whether it was with himself or that I hadn't ripped my hand from his, I wasn't sure, but I left things as they were. A large part of me didn't want to be any farther from him than I was, although it definitely wanted to get closer. Forcing those thoughts aside, I followed the Doctor to the living room.

As I watched everyone sit at a round table, I stood where the Doctor once had, leaning against the mantle partially hidden in the shadows. The Doctor gave me a quick smile before turning his attention to Gwyneth.

"This is how Madam Mortlock summons those from the Land of Mists, down in big town. Come, we must all join hands." I observed as everyone in the room took each other's hands, well everyone but Charles Dickens.

"I can't take part in this."

"Humbug? Come on, open mind," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes.

"This is precisely the sort of cheap mummery I strive to unmask. Séances? Nothing but luminous tambourines and a squeeze box concealed between the knees. This girl knows nothing," Charles snapped.

I rolled my eyes at him. There was no way the mind could rationalise what we'd all seen in the room, or even at the theatre, no matter how hard he tried to... and it did irritate me that he'd discredit Gwyneth before actually seeing what she could do. "How could you know what she knows if you don't give her a chance? I believe she knows, but like the Doctor said, have an open mind."

"And why aren't you joining us?"

"I am too ill for such trips. The spirits would overtake me as well, probably kill me. Wouldn't want that, would you, Charlie?" I cooed. He looked away from me, his cheeks slightly pink in colour. I couldn't help the triumphant smile that started on my lips, the smile I quickly hid. There was no reason for Charles to know I was basically toying with him.

"I still don't think she knows." Charles stood up, looking as if he wanted to leave that very instant. I suppose he was over all this... or that he was frightened because there was no way he could rationalised what he'd seen.

"Now, don't antagonize her. I love a happy medium," the Doctor said. I laughed at him, both amused and in disbelief that he had actually said that.

"I can't believe you just said that," Rose smirked, saying what I had thought.

"Come on, we might need you." That seemed to get Charles to gingerly take the seat between Rose and Gwyneth and took their hands. I smiled fondly at the Doctor... and Rose as I watched him... them.

"Good man. Now, Gwyneth, Reach out."

Nodding, the woman began to call out to the Gelth. "Speak to us. Are you there? Spirits, come. Speak to us that we may relieve your burden." As she timidly spoke, I began to hear the whisperings from earlier. The feeling of dread, that had faded after speaking with the Doctor, had returned with a force. I glanced around, trying to pinpoint where the whispers were coming from but learned that we were surrounded.

"Can you hear that?" Rose questioned, mainly the Doctor. He was the main one who could answer her questions so it made sense that it was directed towards him.

"Nothing can happen. This is sheer folly."

"Charles, I think you should be quiet. How can nothing happen? Look at her. Look at Gwyneth."

"I can see them." She began to rock back and forth, her head raised up. "I can feel them." Bits of blue gas began to drift above their heads. One or two strayed towards me but almost abruptly returned to the circle. I cocked my head to the side in confusion. That wasn't the reaction I'd expected and it only raised more questions.

"What's it saying?" Rose asked.

"They can't get through the rift. Gwyneth, it's not controlling you, you're controlling it," the Doctor replied, looking at her. "Now, look deep. Allow them through."

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can. Just believe it. I have faith in you, Gwyneth. Make the link."

I observed as she did as the Doctor said, using his words of encouragement as strength. "Yes," she replied to the unanswered question. A blue outline of three people began to appear behind her.

"Great God! Spirits from the other side," Sneed gasped.

"The other side of the universe," the Doctor corrected. I watched as the figures began to speak in the voices of children, Gwyneth along with them. Their words sent shivers down my spine. There was no way I felt anything good coming from them.

"Pity us. Pity the Gelth. There is so little time. Help us."

"What do you want us to do?"

"The rift. Take the girl to the rift. Make the bridge."

"What for?"

"We are so very few. The last of our kind. We face extinction." I furrowed my brows. What had happened to make them 'face extinction'? While I was sure something had happened, I wasn't sure they were 'so very few' as the three had said. The amount of whispers told me otherwise.

"Why, what happened?"

"Once we had a physical form like you, but then the war came."

"War? What war?" Charles asked.

"The Time War," I saw the Doctor's eyes sadden, guilt riddled in them but he quickly covered it up. I wanted to reach out and comfort him but I didn't, I refused to get any closer to the circle. "The whole universe convulsed. The Time War raged. Invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher forms. Our bodies wasted away. We are trapped in this gaseous state."

"So that's why you need the corpses." I knew that was probably half of what they were going for, however I knew that getting the new bodies would come with a very heavy price. Then there was them bringing up the Time War. It was as if they knew exactly what buttons to push in order to gain the Doctor's trust or cooperation. It was sickening.

"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."

Rose shook her head. "But we can't."

"Why not."

"It's not. I mean, it's not…"

"Not decent? Not polite? It could save their lives."

"Open the rift. Let the Gelth through. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth," the creature said before it went back into the gas lamp, leaving Gwyneth to collapse on the table. As I rushed over to her, I noticed that I had inched myself further away from the table, from the Gelth.

"Gwyneth?"

"All true." I ignored Charles as I tried to rouse Gwyneth to no avail. I was completely worried for the woman. She had just done something that'd drained most of her energy. It wasn't something I was happy about.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked the girl as she held her head to her.

"It's all true," Dickens repeated, stunned at what had just occurred.

Rose and I had moved away from Gwyneth so that the she could be moved to a settee by the men. Once she was settled, I left the living room and went outside the house. The cold air helped me catch my breath, helped to ease away the feelings of dread. I wasn't sure how long I had been outside but soon Rose was at my side, telling me that Gwyneth had woken up. I hesitantly re-entered the house, positive that there was a lot more than the sob story the Gelth had told us.

When we arrived, she had started to sit up. I went to lean on a wall while Rose rushed to her, gently pushing her down. "It's alright. You just need sleep."

"But my angels, miss. They came, didn't they? They need me?"

"They do need you, Gwyneth. You're their only chance of survival."

Rose turned to the Doctor, eyes blazing. "I've told you, leave her alone. She's exhausted and she's not fighting your battles." I furrowed my brows in confusion, knowing I'd missed something as the Doctor let out an annoyed breath but said nothing more to her. Rose turned to Gwyneth, a glass of water in hand. "Drink this."

"Well, what did you say, Doctor? Explain again. What are they?"

"Aliens."

"Like foreigners, you mean?" Sneed inquired as he attempted to understand what the Doctor meant in aliens.

"Pretty foreign, yeah. From up there?"

"Brecon?"

"Close. And 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 have to revert to gas and hide in the pipes."

"Which is why they need the girl."

"They're not having her."

The Doctor seemed to ignore Rose, something I knew she didn't take kindly. Hell, I hated when I was ignored and that was something that happened so often that I should be used to it. "But she can help. Living on the rift, she's become a part of it. She can open it up, make a bridge and let them through."

"Incredible. Ghosts that are not ghosts but beings from another world, who can only exist in our world by inhabiting cadavers," Charles said. I smiled at his amazement and that he understood what was happening. He was a remarkable man.

"Good system. It might work."

Rose stood and stormed over to the Doctor, hands on her hips and face turned up in a menacing scowl. "You can't let them run around inside of dead people."

"Why not? It's like recycling."

"Seriously though, you can't."

"Seriously though, I can."

"It's just wrong. Those bodies were living people. We should respect them in death." Rose looked at me, her eyes pleading for help. I could understand where she was coming from, but the dead were dead. It would be better than rotting in the ground I suppose, albeit weird seeing grandma puttering about when there was a service a few days past. "Cerys, what do you think?"

I shrugged. "My opinion won't matter much. It seems as if his mind is made."

"It doesn't matter. Just tell him."

"Rose, I don't mind them using the bodies-"

The Doctor grinned triumphantly. "See, even Cerys thinks so."

"I'm not done," I replied smoothly, raising a brow at the Time Lord. "If the Gelth had pure intentions it would not be a problem but as I've said before, there is something off about them. I don't think we should be so quick to help them."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Do you have a donor card?" Rose answered with a yes while I a no. It wasn't that I didn't care about people, but I just never wanted to, especially knowing how things were done in some circumstances.

"That's different. That's-"

"It is different, yeah. It's a different morality. Get used to it or go home," the Doctor retorted, angrily. Rose stared at him for a moment, waiting for whatever else he had to say. "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."

"I don't care. They're not using her."

I looked down at Gwyneth, knowing how she felt. I sympathized with her. Everyone was telling her what she should and should not do and yet it was her choice, it was her body and her ability. Meeting my eyes, she could easily tell that I felt she needed to speak up. "Don't I get a say, miss?"

"Look, you don't understand what's going on," Rose softly told her.

"You don't know that, Rose." She looked at me, as if to tell me to stay out of it. I rolled my eyes at her. It was wrong of her to try and take Gwyneth's choice from her, she had no right to do so. Glaring at Rose, I crossed my arms and waited for her to back down, not that she would unless Gwyneth said something.

"You would say that, miss, because that's very clear in your head, that you think I'm stupid."

"That's not fair."

"It's true though. Things may be very different where you're from, but here and now, I know my own mind, and the angels need me," Gwyneth said before turning to me. "Thank you, Cerys. You treated me kindly, just as your friend. You have not judged me and have allowed me to make my own decision in this matter." I nodded. "Doctor, what do I have to do?"

"You don't have to do anything."

"They've been singing to me since I was a child, sent by my mam on holy mission. So tell me."

"We need to find the rift. This house is built on a weak spot, so there must be a spot weaker than any other." He walked over to the table. "Mister Sneed, what's the weakest part of this house? The place where most of the ghosts have been seen?"

"That would be the morgue," he answered.

"No chance you were going to say gazebo, is there?" Rose muttered. I shared her disdain. If the morgue was the epicentre of the activity, I wanted to be as far away from it as possible. Unfortunately for me, curiosity got the best of me, and Rose's grip on my hand.

When we all reached to cold basement, I immediately noticed bodies under white sheets. Goosebumps began to form on my skin and my hairs stood on end. If the Gelth wanted the dead, they picked a pretty good place to get them.

"Urgh. Talk about Bleak House."

"The thing is, Doctor, the Gelth don't succeed, 'cos I know they don't. I know for a fact there weren't any corpses walking around in 1869."

"Time's in flux, changing every second. Your cosy little world can be rewritten like that," the Doctor said, snapping his fingers. "Nothing is safe. Remember that. Nothing."

"Doctor, I think the room is getting colder," Charles informed us.

"Great, here they come," I muttered as a Gelth came out of a gas lamp by the door.

"You've come to help. Praise the Doctor. Praise him."

"Promise you won't hurt her," Rose said.

"Hurry! Please, so little time. Pity the Gelth." I realized that they said nothing about keeping Gwyneth safe. My heart began to race as the thought of them hurting her came to my mind. It would take energy for them to cross, energy that Gwyneth could not replenish. They were going to kill her and there was nothing I could do. Gwyneth's mind was made.

The Doctor walked forward with Rose and me trailing behind. "I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer. Somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, all right?"

"My angels, I can help them live."

"Okay, where's the week point?"

"Here, beneath the arch." I watched as Gwyneth went to stand under it. Not fearing anything at the moment, I ran to Gwyneth and pulled her into a hug. When I had released her, I went to stand beside the Doctor, not caring for the looks I received. I was quite certain that was the last time we'd see her with a beating heart. Unable to do anything, I watched as the scene unfolded.

"You don't have to do this," Rose told her before the Doctor pulled her away. The resolve in Gwyneth's eyes would not waiver at my friend's words though. In fact, it seemed to strengthen.

"My angels."

"Establish the bridge. Reach out to the void. Let us through!"

"Yes, I can see you. I can see you. Come!"

"Bridge establishing."

"Come to me. Come to this world, poor lost souls!"

"It is begun. The bridge is made," the Gelth said. Gwyneth's mouth opened and blue gas began to leave her. I inched behind the Doctor. "She has given herself to the Gelth. The bridge is open. We descend." Suddenly the blue disappeared and was replaced with a red flame. The figure grew sharp teeth and its voice grew deep and hard, taking on the voice of a demon. "The Gelth will come through in force." This was exactly what I'd feared. Their intentions were not good and they would most likely leave no one alive.

"You said that you were few in number."

"A few billion. And all of us in need of corpses." The dead began to sit up, leaving the tables.

"Gwyneth, stop this." Sneed walked to her. "Listen to your master. This has gone far enough. Stop dabbling, child, and leave these things alone. I beg you-" Rose yelled at him to look out but he was too slow. I squeaked as a corpse grabbed Sneed and snapped his neck, stopping him from saying any more. One of the Gelth immediately entered him.

"I think it's gone a little bit wrong."

"You think? Maybe next time, you should listen to me when I say something is wrong. I don't want to die in 1869," I snapped. The man met my eyes for a moment before quickly looking away. It was good that he finally understood how I felt, how terrified I was at the moment. This was real and we were about to be killed if someone didn't come up with a plan quickly enough.

"I have joined the legion of the Gelth. Come, march with us."

"No," Charles said, backing away. The man had remained near the door during the entire ordeal and was slowly making his way up the small flight of stairs.

"We need bodies. All of you. Dead. The human race. Dead."

"Gwyneth, stop them. Send them back now!"

"Four more bodies. Convert them. Make them vessels for the Gelth."

The Doctor, Rose, and I were backed against a metal gate, with Sneed in front of us, arms outstretched as he tried to grab onto one of us.

"Doctor, I can't. I'm sorry. This new world of yours is too much for me. I'm so-" We didn't hear the rest of what he said as he ran out of the room. To get away from the mob of corpses, the Doctor had soniced the gate and we moved ourselves behind the gate, giving us enough space so that the corpses arms couldn't get to us.

"Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives to the Gelth."

"I trusted you. I pitied you!" the Doctor yelled in anger.

"We don't want your pity. We want this world and all its flesh."

"Not while I'm alive."

"Then live no more."

"But we can't die. Tell me we can't. Cerys and I haven't even been born yet. It's impossible for us to die. Isn't it?

The Doctor looked at us. I knew what that meant. "I'm sorry."

"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 twentieth century and die in the nineteenth and it's all my fault. I brought you here."

"It's not your fault .We wanted to come."

"What about me? I saw the fall of Troy, World War Five. I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party. Now I'm going to die in a dungeon… in Cardiff."

"Right, because everything's about you, right?" I barked.

The Doctor squeezed my hand, an action that confused me beyond belief. But before the Doctor could retort, Rose interjected. "It's not just dying. We'll become one of them." Rose thought for a minute, looking at the Doctor and me. "We'll go down fighting, yeah?" I nodded sharply.

"Yeah."

"Together?"

"Yeah." The Doctor gave my hand another squeeze, this one was harder than the other, causing me to glance up at him. Our eyes met for a brief moment before he glanced at Rose. "I'm so glad I met you two."

"Me too," Rose and I said together. Just as were about to run out into the undead mob, Charles ran into the room, a handkerchief over his mouth and nose.

"Doctor! Doctor! Turn off the flame, turn up the gas! Now, fill the room, all of it, now!"

"What are you doing?"

"Turn it all on. Flood the place."

"Brilliant. Gas."

"So we choke to death instead?"

"No, they're gas right now. We can get them out of the bodies. Aren't you paying attention, Rose?" I asked with a small smile.

"Am I correct, Doctor? These creatures are gaseous."

"Fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the host," the Doctor exclaimed, looking at us excitedly. "Suck them into the air like poison from a wound!" Realising that their doom was upon them, the corpses stopped in their trek towards us and turned towards the door, lumbering over to Charles.

"I hope, oh Lord, I hope that this theory will be validated soon, if not immediately." I watched as the man back away fearfully. I felt bad for him, especially considering he had risked his life to give us that valuable bit of information.

"Plenty more," the Doctor smiled before he ripped a gas pipe from the wall. Almost immediately the Gelth left the corpses, angrily circling the ceiling.

"It's working." Seeing that the creatures could no longer harm us, at least at that moment, the three ran out of the alcove, the Doctor going to Gwyneth and Rose towards Charles. It took me a moment to decide where I wanted to go, but in the end, I knew that Gwyneth was more important than my escape. I wanted desperately for her to make it out alive.

"Gwyneth, send them back. They lied. They're not angels."

"Liars?"

"Look at me." Gwyneth's gaze slowly moved to meet the Doctor's, her eyes flicking to me for a second. Her eyes were empty and that disturbed me greatly. "If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same. They'd give you the strength. Now sent them back!"

Rose and I coughed but it was my blonde friend who expressed her discomfort. "I can't breathe."

"Charles, get them out."

"I'm not leaving her," Rose yelled. Charles glanced over to be and our eyes met. The man quickly understood from my defiant gaze that I would rather deal with the pain than leave Gwyneth.

"They're too strong."

"Remember that world you saw? Rose and Cerys' world? All those people. None of it will exist unless you send them back through the rift."

"I can't send them back. But I can hold them. Hold them in this place, hold them here. Get out." I watched as she removed a box of matches from her apron. I shook my head, desperately opposing her decision. It killed me that she was willing to die to protect the world. Still, as I stared at the woman, I couldn't help but notice that she no longer breathed. Her brown orbs, the empty eyes that reminded me so much of my own at a time, were dull, as if no life remained. Realising she had passed, I clenched my hands into fists, angry that they'd murdered her, I hadn't noticed sooner, especially since I no longer felt the warmth that once radiated from her.

"You can't!"

"Leave this place!"

"Rose, Cerys, get out. Go now. I won't leave her while she's still in danger. Now go!" I stared at him. Not sure if I trusted him to leave. I turned to Rose, begging her not to be mad at me. She met my eyes and looked away, silently seething. At that moment, I didn't care. I wanted to help; I wanted Gwyneth to be okay... no, I wanted her to be remembered, to have a proper chance at life, to LIVE. I wanted everyone to be safe, even the Doctor.

"Cerys, I thought I told you to get out?"

"You did. I'm not leaving you alone down here. Not for you to add something else to your conscious." He looked at me and then back to Gwyneth, checking her neck for a pulse. "How long?"

"What?"

I rolled my eyes at him. It was like him to think that others weren't aware of the same things he picked up. No, we weren't all Time Lords, but most of us were intelligent in our own respects. "How long has she been dead?"

"How did you know?"

"I don't feel anything from her, haven't for a while." I knew I could have added more to my explanation, but it made no sense to. He was aware of what signified Gwyneth's death.

"It doesn't matter," he muttered, not looking at me. "I'm sorry."

"Yes it does! Don't you dare tell me it doesn't matter!" He ignored my words and kissed her forehead. I sighed, knowing he was adding her death to his conscious. I could understand how he felt at fault, he had put the idea in her head, but in the end, it was her decision. Gwyneth had chosen to do this.

"Thank you." The Doctor grabbed my hand and pulled me through the house. As we ran out the door, the house exploded and we were knocked to the floor. We quickly got up, turning to the flaming house. Rose rushed up to us.

"She didn't make it." It wasn't a question. She knew Gwyneth hadn't made it.

"I'm sorry. She closed the rift."

"At such a cost. The poor child," Charles verbalised.

"I did try, Rose, but Gwyneth was already dead. She had been dead for at least five minutes."

She looked away from the Doctor and at me. Her eyes questioned me. Rose knew I wouldn't have left if I had a say, if Gwyneth wasn't already dead. "What do you mean?"

"She was the dead the entire time, from the moment she got into the arch," I choked out before I ran off to the Tardis. Although I was used to death, this one could have been avoided. I could have said or done something or maybe take her place. There was so much that I could have done but I knew in my soul the outcome would have remained the same. It had to be Gwyneth.

I don't know how long I sat on the snow covered floor but I soon saw a hand outstretched to me. I grabbed it, knowing it was the Doctor. Letting go of my hand, he unlocked the Tardis. I immediately went in, not bothering to say anything to Charles. Following the now familiar route, I went to my room. I didn't want to be bothered by anyone and after changing in sweats and a hoodie I crawled into my bed and fell into a fitful sleep.