AN: I'm back! Gonna do a really long chapter to make up for my absence. Again, so sorry! :( I suck. This is my first multi-chapter, so it takes some adjusting, but I will prevail! Anywho, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 24
We skipped down the street, the cold blushing our cheeks. I smiled, trying to savor this moment. I knew that the adventure would start soon, so I was glad for the free time. I breathed in my surroundings: the cool, fresh air, the smell of burning oil, the clip clop of horses and chatter of couples wandering the streets. Of course, a piercing scream had to disturb this peace.
Both Rose and the Doctor's heads swiveled towards the theatre where Charles Dickens was performing. They grinned slightly, the Doctor exclaiming, "Now that's more like it!" I shook my head, excited for coming events, but sad to see my moment stomped into the snow. We unlink arms and rush into the theatre, pushing through all the people screaming and running out of the way. A blue gas floated around the ceiling. We can here the police arriving outside.
"Fantastic!"
"Well, that's just great."
Both the Doctor and I mutter at the same time. He looks at me worriedly, but I wave him off. The old woman collapses from where she was standing. Rose stays where she is, observing the scene, while the Doctor and I dash towards the stage where Dickens himself was panicking. "Did you see where it came from?" the Doctor asks hurriedly. "Ah, the wag reveals himself does he? I trust you're satisfied, sir!" The Doctor stares at him confusedly. I butt in gracefully (well ain't that an oxymoron), "Um, no sir, Mr. Dickens. Sir. We did not cause that spir- trickery to happen. We're just trying t-to help." I finish with a stutter and blush.
Most people don't know this, but I am a huge Christmas Carol fan. I don't know why, but the storyline, the characters, all of it just creates one of the most perfect stories I have ever read. I guess you could say I'm a bit starstruck right now. I smile up at Charles Dickens who only looks more suspicious. I see Sneed and Gwyneth sneakily grab the corpse in my peripheral vision. I'm about to call out when Rose yells, "Oi! Leave her alone! Doctor, Alice, I'll get them."
"Be careful!" the Doctor calls over his shoulder. Ah, snap. Who to go with? The Doctor: gets to go on a carriage ride with FREAKING CHARLES DICKENS (a.k.a one of my favorite authors), or Rose: gets kidnapped, felt up by an old guy, and stuffed into a room with zombies that are technically gas aliens. I know Rose won't get hurt, and you only live once, right? I'm never gonna get another chance to meet FREAKING CHARLES DICKENS. I scold my mind for worrying about Rose. I know how this ends, she'll be fine.
The Doctor is just finishing up with Charles when I finish my mental debate. "I'm the Doctor, and this is Alice, by the way."
"Doctor?" he looks confused. "You look more like a navvy." The Doctor looks offended. "What's wrong with this jumper?" I sigh and almost resent my decision, then realize, FREAKING CHARLES DICKENS!
AM I RIGHT?
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(Rose P.O.V)
"Oi! What're you doing?" Rose hollers at the two figures carrying the body of the elderly woman who was possessed no less than 5 minutes ago. The young woman looks up frantically. Rose rushes to keep up with them. "Oh, it's a tragedy, miss. Don't worry yourself. Me and the master will deal with it. The fact it, this poor lady's been taken with the brain fever and we have to get her to the infirmary." She was obviously lying, but the elderly gentlemen nodded his head eagerly. Rose grabbed at the old woman, feeling her frigid skin. It might be cold out, but no human that's breathing should be that cold. "She's cold," Rose whimpered, knowing that the poor woman was gone. "She's dead. Oh, my God, what'd you do to her?" Rose was too outraged to notice that the old man had snuck up behind her and the next thing she knew, there was a sour smelling cloth stuffed in her face. She kicked and punched, but the chemical was too strong. Everything got fuzzy, and she could faintly feel herself being lifted up and into the hearse.
What she remembered the most, however, was a withered hand on her breast. Her last thought before falling unconscious was I will slap that old pervert when I wake up!
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The Doctor suddenly spotted the blue entity and stared intently at it's path. The three of us watched it enter a gas lamp. "Gas! It's made of gas!" The Doctor looked excited, but puzzled. He said nothing more as he grabbed my hand and raced out into the snow, Dickens on our heels.
"Rose!" he called. "You're not escaping me, sir!" Charles hobbled after us. "Wouldn't dream of it Charlie!" I giggled. "What do you two know about that hobgoblin, hmm?" he continued, barely noticing my nickname. "Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to it?"
"Yeah, mate. Not now, thanks," the Doctor replied, barely stopping from searching for Rose. He spotted the hearse speeding away. He looked at me. I simply nodded, jerking my head towards the nearby coach. "Oi, you! Follow that hearse!" I called, slowly approaching the carriage. The Doctor runs ahead of me (darn his long legs!) and yanks the door open, ushering me in. I notice that the coach is very nice (for a carriage, I guess). It is simple, and elegant, just like ol' Charlie. I smile at that thought as the Doctor and Dickens pile in next to me. We squeeze together, not bothering to use the other bench. The driver reluctantly cracks his whip and the horse starts plopping along. I watch the city whiz by through the window. The Doctor bounces his knee impatiently. "Come on, you're losing them!" The driver ignores him and glances at Charles. "Everything in order, Mister Dickens?"
Charlie looked like a tomato having air pumped into it. "No, it is not!" The driver started to slow down but I quickly called, "Continue! A bit faster if you please!" He looked uneasy, but complied. "What did he say?" the Doctor looked stunned. I sighed, then answered to save time. "That's Charles Dickens, you big dummy! Didn't you read any of the signs?" The Doctor kind of just sat there for a minute, soaking it all in. The driver asks slowly, "Should I remove the passengers, sir?" Dickens is about to reply when the Doctor replies, "You're brilliant! Completely one hundred percent brilliant! I've read them all: Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and what's the other one, the one with the ghost?"
I gasp. "Only my favorite! A Christmas Carol!" He looks at me. "Really, A Christmas Carol is your favorite?" I shoot him a glare. "Any way, I wasn't even talking about that one, I was thinking The Signal Man, the best short story ever written." He turns back to Dickens. "You're a genius." Charlie looks startled, so I'm guessing both of us are staring at him like puppies waiting for a treat.
The driver, probably more stunned than Dickens, repeats, "You want me to get rid of them, sir?" Charles sighs and replies, "They can stay."
"YES!" I exclaim befor I can stop myself. Everyone looks at me and I shrug. The Doctor shakes his head and continues. "Honestly, Charles. Can I call you Charles? We're such big fans!" I mentally thank him for including me in that statement. Dickens looks even more confused than beforehand. "A what? A big what?"
The Doctor makes a sort of "OH" expression. "Fan. Number one fan, that's me." A raise my finger to argue when Charles replies. "How exactly are you a fan? In what way do you resemble a means of keeping oneself cool?"
"First of all, I'm your number one fan," the Doctor shoots me a dirty glare, "Second of all, it means fanatic. Devoted to, obsessed with." I smile confidently at him. "Yea, what she said, however, the American bit in Martin Chuzzlewit, what's that about? Was that that just padding or what? I means, it's rubbish that bit!" I smile sneakily, the Doctor's comments just encouraged the fact that I was winning the battle of the fans. "I thought you said you were my fan." Score: Doc: 0 Alice: 1. "Ah, well," the Doctor rubs the back of his neck. "If you can't take criticism. Go on, do the death of LIttle Nell, it cracks me up." Charlie doesn't look amused. "No, sorry forget that. Go faster!" The driver follows his order and whips the horse once more. We're now almost at a gallop and the curtains outside the window are flapping violently.
"Who exactly is in that hearse?" Charles finally asks. "Our friend. She's only nineteen. It's my fault. She's in my-" "Our!" I interrupt, not wanting him to feel all the blame. "My- care, and now she's in danger." I glare at him, then soften my expression when I see the guilt in his eyes. I put a hand on his shoulder and give a gentle squeeze, for encouragement. It doesn't help. However, now Dickens seems determined to catch that hearse. "Why are we wasting my time talking about dry old books? This is much more important." The Doctor perks up. "Driver, be swift! The chase is on!" I giggle and call out, "Attaboy, Charlie!" He looks surprised. "Nobody calls me Charlie."
"I do."
"Why?"
"Cause I'm your nu-"
He rubs his temple. "Yes my number one fan."
Score: Doc: 0 Alice: 100000000000000+
I fist pump the air. Now that my life has been completed, it's time to focus on getting to Rose.
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(Rose P.O.V)
Rose groans as the room comes swimming into view. She gazes around and sighs as he stands up from the floor. She looks around groggily until her view sharpens and she gasps. There are two dead bodies in the coffins on either side of her, one of them being the old woman from the theatre. She leans over the woman, and the corpse's eyes shoot open. Rose backs away and the woman sits up quickly, her eyes focusing on the wall. Rose bumps into the other coffin and gasps as the man in it sits up as well. She runs to the door, her eyes never leaving the pair. "You're kidding me, yea?" They both turn towards the sound of her voice. "Okay, not kidding."