Chapter 6

I had been following the Doctor around for a couple of minutes now and frankly, I was very bored. I had also been telling him for ten minutes straight that I needed to talk to him and he kept ignoring me. Stupid time lords and their egos.

I guess I shouldn't be saying that since, technically, I was now a time lord too but currently he was getting on my nerves.

I grumbled in annoyance as I trudged along behind him. I let out a smirk when I noticed he was busy talking to Charles so I made my escape. I slowly slid back, keeping my eyes on the Doctor. Three more steps and I could turn the corner where I would be out of his sight.

Two.

I got this.

Creak.

Shoot. I tensed up as I stepped on a squeaky board. Letting out a breath of relief when he didn't turn around, I took another step back.

One more step.

I quickly turned the corner and jumped excitement. "Ye-" I clasped a hand over my mouth quickly, having forgotten I was on the run. I needed to control my excitement, otherwise, I'd get caught pretty soon.

I had finally found Gwyneth after searching the place for a couple of minutes and I was exhausted. All the hiding and the running, I needed to get in shape. Probably find out if the TARDIS has a gym.

"You know you could ask for help. There's no need to do all the work by yourself." I told her as I started to wash up some of the dirty dishes. Washing dishes isn't my favorite thing to do but I want to be useful. There's no use in just being here if I wasn't going to offer some kind of help.

"Please, miss, you shouldn't be helping. It's not right." Gwyneth stated, trying to get me away from the dishes.

"Why wouldn't I? It's clear that you work hard but you shouldn't be afraid to ask for help. Everyone needs it at least at one point in their life and right now, I'm offering to help." I gave her a big smile.

"How much does he pay you anyways?"

"Eight pound a year, miss." She answers.

I pretend to be surprised, pulling my face into a small, soft frown. "That much?" I question. I know that it's a different time but that's only about ten u.s. dollars and for a year, it's a ridiculously small amount of money.

"I know. I would've been happy with six." Different times we are in all right.

"So, did you go to school?"I questioned.

"Of course I did. What do you think I am, an urchin? I went every Sunday, nice and proper."

I gave her a soft smile. "Where I'm from, we have to go every day. We only have Sunday and Saturday off. I always thought it was a bit off trouble though. All that time wasted on school when, I could've been somewhere else. You know, I was never like any other of the girls in class. While they were busy flirting, I was hunched over my desk, reading about the universe. Oh, you should have read some of those stories. The things I learned, but also about a certain man. I admit, I always liked him." Gwyneth gave me an inquiring look. Continuing on, I let a smile etch onto my face. "A man that traveled the universe. Nothing stopped him. He was free in a way, but he carried a big burden on his shoulders. The things he had seen, the deaths that had to happen. A choice that had to be made. One single planet or the rest of the universe. Those stories always gave me hope, that whatever happened, no matter what, it would always turn out well." I let out a lazy grin.

"How about you? Any boy you've got your eye on?" I asked her.

"I suppose. There is one lad. The butcher's boy. He comes by every Tuesday. Such a lovely smile on him."

"Yeah, love a nice smile. You should ask him out. Give him some tea or something. Whatever you British people do." I smiled at her so she knew that I was just joking.

"I swear it is the strangest thing, miss. You've got all the clothes and the breeding, but you talk like some sort of wild thing."

I let out a face splitting grin at her comment. "I suppose I am but personally I think it's a good thing. Not being held back by anything other than yourself. You need a bit more in your life than Mister Sneed."

"Oh, now that's not fair. He's not so bad, old Sneed. He was very kind to me to take me in because I lost my mum and dad to the flu when I was twelve."

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine going through something like that." I gave her a sad look. Not pity, just thinking about how my life would be without the people I cared about.

"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. And he's waiting for you too, miss, but he's no longer who you remember him to be, you have made him search for so long. Oh, the time he has wasted, looking for you."

"Who?" I questioned, suddenly very interesting in this conversation.

"The one who would search for you until the end."

"How do you know?" I gave her a questioning glance. She was only supposed to know about Rose not me too so this was peaking my interest.

"Your from America. Never have I see it like that. All those people rushing about half naked, for shame. And the noise, 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've flown so far. Further than anyone thought possible. You've traveled from one universe to another. It shouldn't be possible but oh, it is with you. You make everything and anything possible. The things you've seen. The darkness, the death, what must happen and what must never. Your hands are soaked in other's blood. You know who will die, yet, you don't do anything. There's nothing you can do. It's them or the universe. No one should have to decide that." I let a soft whimper escape from my lips as she continued. "The big bad wolf is no more. It has seized to exist. There's nothing you can do to bring it back. And the red aura, don't let her escape. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, miss" Gwyneth apologized.

I let out a shaky breath. "No." Nosily swallowing, I continued. "It's alright."

"I can't help it. 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 it right?" I jumped a few inches into the air. Crap. That had scared me. The Doctor had appeared out of nowhere and I was so busy worrying about Gwyneth that I had forgotten that he would show up.

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

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

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

"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 explained. Great just what I needed.

As soon as Gwyneth headed out, the Doctor followed but not before I pulled him back. "Doctor, we need to talk." I pleaded.

"Alex, there isn't any time." He started to walk, but I didn't give up and pulled him back once again.

"No. You have to listen to me now. People will die." He stopped tugging and turned to look at me. "The blue ghosts aren't who they say they are. They will say anything to get you on their side. They're going to use the time war against you, make you feel guilty." He suddenly jerked out of my reach.

"Shut up. You don't know anything about the war I fought in. You have no right to get to decide who I help." He tried leaving again but I tugged him back. Tears were threatening to fall now.

"Listen to me!" I pleaded once again.

"No, you listen to me! I brought you along, I know what I'm doing. There is no need for some little girl to tell me what I can or can't do. I don't need you! You hear that Alex? I don't need you!" He yelled.

That was it. That's all that was needed for my tears to escape. I clasped my hands over my mouth as I let out a whimper, refusing to look at him. "Yeah, that's me. Alex, the person that no one needs." I whispered. I looked up at him, quickly wiping my tears with the sleeve of my dress. "You know, I always looked at you as the man that everyone wanted to meet. As it seems, stuff rarely turns out how you want it to. I always knew that but I wanted it to be just how I had imagined you. I won't make that mistake again. Thank you for reminding me that not everything is as perfect as it seems." I dropped my head and quickly hurried out of the room, heading into the world of white that was outside.

Tears were still falling. I let out a sad chuckle as I sat on the front steps of the place. I almost never cried and when I did, it would only be a couple of tears but in this moment, I couldn't stop them. They just kept coming. Funny how it was the Doctor who had caused them and by just saying he didn't need me. I felt really weak, letting my emotions show because of a stupid time lord.

My bottom lip quivered. Calling him a stupid time lord just made it hurt more. Why was that? It was supposed to make me feel better not worse.

I smoothed out my dress before running my hands through the snow that was beside me. I studied the snow in my hand carefully. Didn't something happen to the snow earlier? Yeah, a headache, then my skin was boiling to the point where it instantly melted the snow that made contact with it. My memories. The reason for the headache. Something was stopping me.

I didn't bother trying to remember anything else since I was afraid that the pain would start again and that I would forget about the fact that something was erasing my memory as it came back. I couldn't risk it.

Reaching up my sleeve to where my sonic screwdriver was hidden, I took it out. I searched for some setting that would help in this situation. I was glad the TARDIS had mad it telepathic, otherwise I would have forgotten with so many settings. I wonder if I could record anything. Just as I was about to find out, I saw Charles race out from inside.

"Miss Alex! I'm sorry, they're inside."

I immediately jumped up and raced inside. It didn't matter that the Doctor had told me he didn't need me, I was going to help him. I wouldn't let anything happen to him. Speeding up until I came to the entrance of the morgue, I yelled out as soon as I saw the Doctor.

"Doctor! Turn up the gas! Let it fill the room! The Gelth are gaseous, you idiot!" I couldn't pass up the opportunity of calling him that after what he had told me.

"Shoot!" The Gelth started heading toward me at full speed. I slowly backed away as the gas filled the air, making the Gelth leave the corpses. And as soon as I was sure they had left, I raced toward Gwyneth who was standing under the arch and placed my hands on her arms.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't save you. You were right, there is a lot of blood on my hands. And I'm sorry but you will too, soon enough, if you don't stop them. Send them back. They lied. They are not the angels you thought they were." I felt the Doctor and Rose stand behind me with a stiff posture.

"Liars?" She questioned.

"Look at me please. Don't make the same mistakes I have. None of the things you say in my head are going to exist if you don't stop them and it's all my fault. I forgot to tell you what would happen." A tear slipped from Gwyneth's and my eyes.

"I can't breath." Rose told us.

"Charles, get her out."

"I'm not leaving her." Rose argued but I stopped listening when I saw Gwyneth move her lips.

"It's not your fault. I saw what would happen, yet I still chose this, miss" I let out a small smile as she called me miss.

"I can't send them back. But I can hold them. Hold them in this place, hold them here. Get out."

I heard talking in the background but I kept my eyes planted on Gwyneth as she took out a box of matches form her apron pocket.

"Leave this place!" She insisted once again before the Doctor reaches up and feels for a pulse. Finding none, he places a gentle kiss 8on her forehead as he says he's sorry.

"Miss?"

I look at her, my eyes unwavering. "Thank you for being there for me. I wish you luck."

I let out a soft smile. "Thank you Gwyneth, for everything." The Doctor then grabs my hand and pulls me after him, down the halls, until we get outside. We dived toward the snow as the place blew up.

I gave another look at the remaining debris, feeling sadness sweep through me.

Gently, I pulled myself up and headed toward Charles, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks Charles." I quietly said before heading off, toward the TARDIS.

I shut the TARDIS doors behind me and let out a small smile as I was greeted by a warm hum emanating from the walls.

"Hey old girl." I slowly walked up to the console and ran my hands over the glowing buttons. "I missed you. Never again should I be left alone with the Doctor again." I said as I walked past my room and into another room, the door labeled 'sickbay'.

I let out a tired sigh and hopped onto one of the beds. "Sexy, I need help. Something is wrong with me. Help me, please." I pleaded. I received a concerned hum and a screen quickly descended from the ceiling.

"Why is this happening. Every time I try to remember something about my old life, I instantly forget what I managed to find out and get a major headache. It even took me a long while to remember that I had headaches, thanks to whatever is stopping my memories." I saw a flash of green light before I was scanned.

Seconds later, the results came back clean. Everything was in perfect order. That can't be right. There has to be something wrong, I wasn't getting these headaches for nothing. Reaching forward to turn off the screen, a red blinking light caught my eye, stopping me. What was it? Looking at it closer, I noticed a cluster of red dots on the screen, around my brain.

So this was what it was. Funny how it only effected my memory of my old life and didn't interfere with the memory from the episodes. I needed to get rid of the stuff in my brain now or else it would kill me. It also wouldn't be a nice death, practically it would leave me in a vegetable state if something wasn't done soon. Crap, this wasn't supposed to happen.

Warning lights flashed from the ceiling before the knob to the door turned. Quickly, I pushed up the screen and laid down on the bed properly just seconds before the Doctor came walking through the door.

I closed my eyes and started to hum, pretending I hadn't heard him come in and walk toward me. To be truthful, I was still pretty pissed off at him for what had happened earlier and plus finding out what I had just learned, wasn't helping either. I started to hum the Doctor Who theme song but quickly changed to the Sherlock theme song as I remembered I was mad at the Doctor. I think I had enough of him for today.

I could feel the Doctor staring at me an frankly it was getting on my nerves. I needed to calm down for my sake because if I didn't, I would have to murder one special time lord and if I did that, that would make me a murderer. And if I murdered someone as important as the Doctor, it was most likely that the intergalactic police or some other group of space cops would chase after me. If that happened, I wouldn't have enough time to eat ice cream.

Mmmmm... ice cream. That sounded awesome right now. Oh, but the effort it would take to go to the kitchen, and I was so comfortable. Well, not really. I could feel the Doctor breathing on me, the closer he got. Wow, talk about creepy.

Wait a minute. If the TARDIS was telepathic then I didn't need to say anything, just think it. Right, here I go. I quickly sat up, almost bonking heads with the Doctor before heading to the door with him hot on my heels.

"Where are you going?" He asked but I was to busy chanting the word 'kitchen' in my head. I said it for the fifth time as I reached the door and opened it. I let out a grin as I saw that the TARDIS had moved the rooms around, allowing for there to be kitchen behind the door.

'Thanks Sexy.' I thought before I was rewarded with a appreciative hum. I turned in every direction, looking for a freezer.

Aha! In one of the corners of the kitchen, there was a lonely looking blue freezer. I bet that one had what I was searching for. I raced toward it with the Doctor right behind me.

Popping open the freezer, I began to rummage through it. I stuck my tongue between my teeth in concentration. It had to be here somewhere!

"Heck yeah!" I let out a cry of victory as I pulled out a carton of rocky road ice cream, scaring the hell out of the Doctor. He jumped a couple of inches off the ground as I raced off toward the cabinets and drawers.

"Alex," The Doctor started but once again I ignored him. Right now I was on a mission.

I pulled open every drawer I could find until I saw spoons. With an excited jump and squeal I quickly grabbed one and the ice cream before racing out the doors.

After searching for a few second I found a personal theatre in the TARDIS. The Doctor still following me, he didn't give up easily did he. There was a couch surrounded by huge pillows and cushions that sat in front of a big screen.

I dived onto the couch, mindful of the ice cream, and immediately scrunched up my eyebrows and spoke out loud.

"Cartoons please!" I requested. Not even a minute later, Tom and Jerry came on. I let out a smile and took the lid off of the ice cream container. Surprisingly, it was still frozen.

I got settled comfortably before I felt a dip in the couch. The Doctor.

Without saying a word, I pulled out two spoons from the sleeve of my dress and stuck them in the ice cream. I used one spoon to scoop up some before shoving it in the Doctor's mouth. He let out a surprised noise as I let the spoon angle from his mouth so I could get back to my ice cream.

I shoved some ice cream into my mouth watching as Jerry ran around trying not to get hit by hammer as Tom chased after him. I let out a laugh that was followed by a low chuckle from the Doctor. Smiling, we continued to watch the rest of the episode sharing the ice cream until it was all gone.

In the end, somehow, we had ended up cuddled together on the couch. Neither of us mentioning that we had had a fight.

A few minutes passed as the next episode started, the pause reminded me of how tired I was. I was beginning to drift off when the Doctor softly spoke.

"Alex, I'm sorry." My eyes snapped open as I turned to look at him. The light from the screen reflected on his eyes and at the moment, made him look older. "I didn't mean any of that. I should have listened to you."

I didn't say anything, just looked at him with sadness. He really had hurt my feelings today but it didn't matter at the moment.

I inched closer to him and reached up to plant a kiss on his cheek before I settled back into the couch, scooting closer to him and closing my eyes. Letting the day's fatigue catch up.