Alex twisted away from the coldness on her forehead. Her hand came up to swat it away but quickly fell back down. Her whole body felt like it was weighted down and sore, like she had been doing weird, complicated movements the human body wasn't supposed to make.

Her head also felt . . . weird. There was a strange buzzing in it like her brain was recharging. She didn't know what had happened to her, but she knew something had occurred. The last thing she remembered was walking down some steps into a brick-walled cellar.

From somewhere far off, Alex could hear voices. Some were high and others were low. ". . .the hell was that?" ". . .thrashing around like a demon. . ." "That voice!" Alex strained to hear all of them but not even she could hear everything.

The wetness on her forehead ceased for a moment before coming back with a new force. Alex grimaced as a water droplet ran down her cheek. "Get off," she murmured, forcing her hand back up to shove the washcloth away. As she did this, she felt a strange material scratch at her fingertips. It was . . . tweed.

Something clicked in her brain, causing Alex to open her eyes. She quickly shut them as a dim light hit her pupils, making them ache. She groaned and squeezed them shut even tighter, trying to block that horrible light out.

"Ally," a familiar voice murmured. "Ally, it's okay. Just open your eyes."

Alex was reluctant, but ultimately decided to obey the voice. She slowly opened her eyes, the light not nearly as blinding as it had been before.

"That's it, good girl. Slowly now."

Soon, Alex's eyes were open all the way and she turned to see the owner of the voice. She looked into the familiar dark green eyes of the Doctor. She smiled upon seeing him. "Hey, Doc," she greeted.

"Ally," the Doctor grinned, relieved beyond measure that she was okay. She had been unconscious for fifteen minutes and he was just two minutes away from rushing her back to the TARDIS.

Alex looked around the room. She appeared to be lying on a chaise lounge that reeked of mothballs, suggesting it had been in storage until very recently. Around her were tables and chairs, complete with tablecloths, silverware, and pepper and salt shakers, fully prepared for a dinner rush. More things clicked into place in her brain. She was in the restaurant at the Pirates House in Savannah, Georgia and today was her 21st birthday.

"Do you know where you are?" the Doctor asked gently.

Alex nodded. "Pirates House dining room in Savannah, Georgia. Doctor, what happened?"

"You don't remember?"

She shook her head. "The last thing I remember is going down some stairs. Then . . . nothing."

The Doctor sighed. He wasn't surprised by that. "Alex, do you remember fighting? For control?"

Alex looked at him blankly. What did he mean by that? She was about to reply in the negative when she recalled something. It was barely anything, but it was a little snippet of memory that she could just make out. "I was . . . fighting. There was something . . . holding me and I couldn't escape. I fought. . ." Her voice trailed off, suggesting that was all she knew.

The Doctor nodded. "Right. Okay. Alex, I'm going to help you up and then I'm taking you back to the TARDIS."

He moved to help her up, but Alex pushed him back. "Whoa!" she protested. "Wait, what? Doctor, what is going on?"

"Alex, it's nothing," the Doctor lied. He didn't want to scare her, but he also didn't want her remaining out in public where another possession could happen.

"You're lying," Alex said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Rule One, the Doctor lies. Doctor, something happened to me, and you are going to tell me, right now."

The Doctor groaned and ran a hand over his face and into his hair. Why did Alex have to be so bloody stubborn? "Okay, fine, here's the truth. Ally, you were . . . well, for lack of a better word, possessed."

Alex blinked. That was the last thing she had expected to hear. "Possessed?" she repeated. She stared at him, trying to see if this was some joke he was playing, but she was sure that wasn't the case. "As in, ghost-movie The Exorcist, floating, thrashing possessed?"

"Yes," the Doctor said carefully. "Possessed."

Alex sank further into the chaise lounge's cushions, unable to believe it. She had been possessed? Stuff like that only happened in horror movies and bad sci-fi shows, not in real life. "But, but, I couldn't be!" she argued. "Stuff like that never happens!"

"In this case it did," a new voice spoke up. The Doctor and Alex looked up to see Cassie standing just a few feet away. She was clutching her clipboard to her chest and she looked frightened. Her gaze softened slightly at Alex, but not by much. "I saw it myself. You showed all the signs. Different voice, white eyes, unhuman-like movements, super strength. . ."

"Oh, God," Alex gasped. It was true. She had been possessed. "But, like a demonic possession? Because I'm Catholic! Well, I don't really go to church, but I have a rosary!"

"Not exactly," the Doctor said. "More like . . . spiritual."

Alex once again blinked. "Spiritual? As in . . . a ghost?!"

The Doctor and Cassie nodded. "Yes," the Doctor confirmed. "A ghost."

"But that's impossible," Alex protested. "Ghosts aren't real. No offense," she said to Cassie.

"None taken," Cassie assured her. "But I know what I saw. You were possessed by a ghost. Do you remember what I said about nearly getting hit in the head by a brick?"

Alex wrinkled her nose. It sounded vaguely familiar. "Vaguely."

"Well, you mentioned that. You said, and I quote, 'and I only threw that brick at you as a joke'."

Alex shook her head. No. No, this was impossible. But she knew deep down that it had happened. That buzzing in her brain had to be from where it was powering itself back up to where it had been before she was possessed. And, after traveling with the Doctor for so long, Alex knew that there were many strange things in the universe. Why should possession be any different?

In an effort to keep her thoughts from focusing on the fact that she had been possessed, Alex swung her legs over the edge of the chaise lounge and pulled herself up into a sitting position. Her limbs screamed in protest and her vision swirled slightly, but Alex ignored it. Instead, she put one hand on the Doctor's shoulder to brace herself as she hauled herself up. She stumbled slightly but was quickly pulled into the Doctor's arms.

"Ally, I'm taking you back to the TARDIS," the Doctor told her. He moved to pick her up, but Alex pushed him back.

"Doctor, I'm fine!" she objected. She moved backwards, hitting a chair and clutching it for balance. "Trust me, I'm fine. Let's just continue on."

Cassie watched them. "The group is still eager to stick on with the tour. I think the possession thrilled them more than anything."

"Lovely," the Doctor sneered. Honestly, how could people be so heartless? Alex's body had been taken over and if her mental abilities weren't so strong, she probably would have died.

Alex smiled a little at him. She liked that he was so protective of her. "Come on, Doc." She held out her hand. "You can guide me back to the bus." The Doctor seemed reluctant, but he finally took her hand and led her outside.

Outside, a burst of thunder sounded overhead. The Doctor and Alex looked up. "Here," he said, pulling off his jacket and handing it to Alex. Alex took it and placed the comfortable garment over her head. Rain pelted against it as she and the Doctor rushed to the vehicle and hopped aboard. Once inside, the Doctor led her to the very back seat and settled in next to her. She handed him his jacket back and he put it on, brushing raindrops off into the aisle.

The rest of the group came on ten minutes later. Alex caught some people glancing at her and the Doctor in surprise. Apparently, they had thought she'd want to leave after her little possession. She also saw some people looking like they wanted to come up to her, but they seemed to reconsider upon seeing the Doctor's warning look.

To Cassie's credit, she didn't mention the possession once. Instead, she launched into a tale about how several houses in Savannah had light blue somewhere on them because the color was believed to ward off ghosts. Alex couldn't help but snort at the irony of this statement.

They drove on, Cassie rattling off other tales, but the Doctor and Alex didn't listen. Alex stared vacantly out the window as the rain continued to pour down. The Doctor stared ahead at the seat fabric in front of him, desperately trying to figure out what had happened with Alex but unable to come up with anything.

Eventually, the bus came to a stop in front of a large house. Alex peered up at it and shivered. It was a large orange house with dark green shutters. Trees and other plants were planted all around the house and in the darkness, it only served to make the structure look creepy and forbidden. "This is the Sorrel-Weed House," Cassie explained, "one of the most haunted buildings in Savannah."

They were led off the bus just as the rain let up. The Doctor wrapped an arm around Alex's waist, keeping them at the very back of the group in case anything happened and they needed to make a quick getaway. Cassie stood before the group. "This is where I leave you," she told them. "But don't worry. We have another guide for you." She turned to someone who had quietly made their way next to her while she had been speaking. "Take it away, Alice."

"Thanks, Cassie."

Alex craned her head to study the stranger. Alice was a woman roughly in her forties. She was plump with short blonde hair and, for some reason, wearing a floor-length tattered teal party dress with Nike sneakers. Alex looked her up and down. This woman didn't look a tour guide; she looked crazy.

"Hi everybody!" Alice chirped. "Welcome to the Sorrel-Weed House, one of the most haunted buildings in Savannah. There's a bunch of ghosts in there and I can't wait to tell you about them! Come on! Let's go! Follow me."

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to the TARDIS?" the Doctor murmured as the group followed Alice.

"Okay, she does seem a bit crazy, but I feel fine," Alex insisted. "Whatever happened is not going to happen again."

The Doctor wasn't so sure about that but didn't say anything further, instead leading Alex along the sidewalk to the house.

They passed through a garden that was cluttered with various plants and trees. Alex shivered and pressed herself into the Doctor's side. She knew there probably wasn't an axe maniac or vengeful ghost hiding in the bushes, but that didn't stop her from feeling that way.

The interior of the Sorrel-Weed house was relatively simple. A sparse amount of furniture was inside, limited to a few couches, tables, and other items that were native to the time the house had been built. Alice led the group into a dining room where a long table and a few chairs were set up. The group crowded around the room, the Doctor and Alex ending up near one of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Okay everyone, let's get going!" Alex frowned. This Alice was very quickly starting to get on her nerves. "The Sorrel-Weed House was built from 1835 to 1838 by Charles Cluskey, who is also well-known for designing the governor's mansion in Milledgeville. Now, this house was built for Francis Sorrel, a wealthy shipping merchant.

"Francis came from the French Caribbean, where voodoo is practiced. Francis didn't really believe in voodoo and one practitioner actually cursed him because of it. In the curse, it said that every woman Francis loved would die. His first wife died but that didn't stop Francis.

"Francis married again, this time to a young woman named Matilda. Matilda was a lovely lady, and she was good friends with one of the household slaves. In fact, she valued this slave so much, she had her placed in the carriage house you see through that window. Well, one day, Matilda was going over to visit her friend when she saw through the carriage house windows her husband with her favorite slave!" There were audible gasps throughout the room, but Alex just rolled her eyes. Really? They didn't see that coming?

Alice was oblivious to Alex's less-than-enthusiastic reaction to her story. "Yes! Now, just a little bit after that, Matilda slipped on the back steps, an injury she died from. This being a proper Savannah at the time, everyone said it was an accident, not a suicide. And coincidentally, a few days later, that slave was found dead in the carriage house, hung from the rafters."

A ghost killed her? Alex sighed. It was truly amazing what some people would believe. But Alice wasn't done yet.

"There are also other stories about this house. One owner woke up repeatedly in the middle of the night to loud music and partying coming from downstairs. But when he went downstairs, there was nobody there."

Alex grinned. Okay, that was pretty cool. Party-hearty ghosts? She could enjoy that.

Alice then cast a look over at the windows. "Some people have also reported seeing faces looking in here through those windows." Almost instantly, a bunch of people began snapping pictures of the windows, causing Alex to once again roll her eyes.

Once people had finished doing this, Alice reached into a hidden pocket of her dress and pulled out an electronic meter. "This is an electronic meter," she explained, pointing out the obvious. "This detects energy in the air around us. Ghosts let off a bunch of energy when they're around so we're going to use this to see if there are any with us tonight. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Where's your pipe full of crack?" Alex muttered.

The Doctor gaped at her, eyes wide. "Alexandria!" he hissed. "Behave!"

Alex's response was to stick her tongue out at him.

As this exchange was going on, Alice was sticking the electronic meter up in the air. Both the Doctor and Alex noticed that she was keeping her fingers far away from a giant red button on the device, which could only mean the device was rigged. Just as Alice lifted it up, a steady beeping came out.

"Ooh! There's a ghost here!" she said excitedly.

Alex was about to roll her eyes again when a sudden pounding started right behind her eyes. Letting out a little whimper, she shut her eyes and clutched her head. That same pain she had experienced back at the Pirates House was back. She could feel the ghost or whatever the heck it was running around in her mind, trying to take her over again.

"Doctor, it's happening again," Alex whispered.

The Doctor looked down at her. "Ally, try and force it out. You can do it. I know you can."

"I can't," Alex hissed. She tried desperately to get her mental shields to fall around the presence, but the force easily evaded her attempts. Her shields slammed down in empty spots, filling Alex's head with more pain.

"That's it." The Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulders and backed them up so they could leave behind the group. "I'm getting you out of here."

"Too late," Alex gasped before she let out a sudden scream and fell to the ground, her body twisting and contorting uncontrollably.

"She's doing it again!" a woman from one of the families shrieked. All eyes shot to Alex, who continued throwing a fit on the floor. "She's possessed!"

"What?" Alice started. She pressed a button on the meter and then aimed it at Alex. Beeping rang out from the device. Alice's eyes widened. "Oh my God!"

"Would you stop pointing that thing at her?!" the Doctor snapped. How could these people care about whether a ghost was present while his Ally was thrashing around on the floor?

Correction. She had abruptly stopped. She was lying face-down on the floor, stiff as a board. The Doctor could see her muscles stretched beneath her skin. Everybody watched as Alex slowly rolled around onto her back, her eyes tightly shut. But then, they opened, exposing white irises, and she jumped forward in an unnatural lunge.

She grabbed the Doctor by both wrists, her eyes tightly narrowed. It made her already scary eyes even scarier. "Doctor," she said in a raspy English-accented voice. "Danger is coming. Danger."

"What danger?" the Doctor demanded. What the hell was she talking about? These ghosts were possessing her for some reason, so why? "What are you talking about?"

"They come." Alex's back arched and she let go of the Doctor's wrists to throw herself against the opposite wall. Her nails dug into the wall, causing potential damage to centuries-old paint. "They come!" Her legs then started kicking at nothing, sending the Doctor and those behind him back. "Water . . . danger in water. . ." And then Alex's body slumped to the ground, her eyes closing as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"Call the police!" somebody shouted.

"What the hell is going on?" one of the college students demanded, weeping uncontrollably.

"She's nuts," Eva remarked.

"We need to lock her up somewhere," Alice suggested, still stunned by what she had just seen.

One of the men in the group nodded in agreement and turned towards Alex. "Absolutely. . . Hey, where did she go?"

Everybody looked at the corner Alex had been lying in. It was empty. Alex Locke and the Doctor were gone.

~Living the Life of Ally~

The Doctor carried Alex's limp body out of the Sorrel-Weed House and down the dark Savannah streets. He knew better then to risk letting those tourists anywhere near Alex. They were a bunch of panicked humans who couldn't accept anything strange or unnatural happening. When something like that did happen, they wanted to lock it up and pretend it didn't exist. Well, that was not going to happen with his Ally.

The Doctor walked at least three blocks before he finally put Alex down on a nearby bench. He was on a residential street that appeared to have some life living on it. He could see the glare of a TV coming out of one house and a bunch of laughter was echoing out from another down the street. It was pretty doubtful that any of these houses were on the tour group's itinerary, which meant they would likely be safe here until Alex woke up.

The Doctor smoothed loose hairs away from Alex's face. He hated seeing her in such a state. He had to figure out what was going on here. It was his fault she was here in Savannah and that she was getting possessed for no apparent reason on her birthday, so it was his job to figure out what was going on and how to stop it.

First things first though. He needed to call the Ponds so they could help. He dug around in Alex's jeans pocket for her cell-phone, ignoring the tingling of heat rushing through him that reminded him of how good this action felt, just in case he didn't get the message. He finally pulled out her Blackberry and quickly turned it on, grateful that it didn't ask for a password.

"Hello!" Amy sang after the second ring.

"Pond? It's me."

"Doctor? What's going on?"

"Listen, I need to meet you and Rory. Something's wrong."

"Hold on, Doctor. Let me put you on speaker." A second later, Amy was back on. "Okay, continue."

"Something weird is happening and Alex and I have to meet you two right away. Where are you?"

"At the Six Pence Pub," Rory answered. "Where are you at? And what's going on? Where's Alex?"

"She's . . . indisposed at the moment," the Doctor said vaguely, casting a look at Alex's unconscious form. "And we'll tell you everything soon. We'll meet you there in twenty minutes, got it?" He hung up before either of the Ponds could protest.

The Doctor awkwardly placed Alex's phone back in her pocket and sat down beside her, pulling her head into his lap. "Come on, Ally," he murmured, running a hand through her tresses. "Wake up. Please wake up."

A second later, Alex's eyes fluttered open. He grinned. He knew she couldn't disobey him. "Hey," he murmured as he continued to run a hand through her hair. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a bomb went off in my brain," Alex said dryly. She reluctantly sat up, moving her head out of the Doctor's lap despite how comfortable it was. "Was I. . .?"

"Yes," the Doctor nodded.

Alex sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Great. I'm getting possessed. I was promised a great birthday and instead I get possession!"

"That's not just it," the Doctor revealed.

Alex frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

The Doctor scratched the back of his head, wondering how, exactly, he was going to explain this. "While you were . . . possessed, you kept talking about some kind of oncoming danger."

"What kind of oncoming danger?"

"I don't know." The Doctor sighed and stood up. "Come on. We're going to meet Amy and Rory. I already called them on your phone."

Alex smirked at him. "You had your hand in my pocket and I didn't even feel it? Do it again."

Despite himself, the Doctor laughed. "Come on, you," he chuckled, pulling her up. "You wouldn't happen to know where the Six Pence Pub is, do you?"

"I know of it," Alex said. "It was in a Julia Roberts movie. Although I'm sure that's not why Amy and Rory chose it."

"Probably not," the Doctor agreed.

"Well, my phone has GPS. I'll use it and we can be there lickety-split."

"You mean this phone?" The Doctor held up the Blackberry, the lock screen glowing brightly in the dark.

Alex gaped at him. "Oh my God, how do you do that?! More importantly, will you do it again?"

~Living the Life of Ally~

Alex rested her elbows against the tabletop, feeling drained and tired. It had been a long day. First the excitement of her birthday, then the excitement of seeing Savannah, then a ghost tour, then getting possessed by ghosts twice. . . It was all a bit much.

She stared vacantly at the fish and chips meal Rory had ordered for her. It had barely been touched. Alex didn't feel like eating, not when she being used as some kind of . . . possession toy.

"Alex," the weary voice of Rory rang out. "Please. You have to eat something."

"I'm not hungry," Alex said, pushing the basket full of food away from her. And it was true. She really didn't feel like eating after a ghost had been inside her. Her body felt weird, like it was recharging from the ordeals. She was pretty sure if she tried to eat something, she'd just throw it back up.

She leaned back in her chair, feeling the cool breeze from the Savannah River blow over her bare arms. She had no idea what time it was, but it had to be late, because the sky was a deep dark black. That wasn't stopping anyone else at the Six Pence Pub though.

The Six Pence was situated along a side street, a couple blocks away from River Street. Tables were set up out front for anyone who wanted to eat outside. At the side of the building sat a replica of a London telephone booth, currently where a young woman in a tube top was having a long drunk and weepy conversation with someone on her cell-phone. Inside, patrons drank and ate away, their problems nowhere near the level of complexity as the ones of the TARDIS crew's.

"So let me get this straight," Amy said now. Alex looked up in time to see her friend lean back in her chair as well and rub her eyes tiredly. "Alex got possessed at these haunted houses and was talking about some kind of danger?"

"Exactly," the Doctor confirmed. His arms were crossed and he had his chair tilted back a little.

"What kind of threat was it?" Rory asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor answered. "It was pretty vague, and these ghosts didn't get a lot of time to tell me what was going on since Alex was fighting her way back the whole time."

Amy twirled an onion ring on her half-eaten plate around. "Great," she said sarcastically. "We're back at square one."

"We didn't even leave square one," the Doctor retorted.

"Drop it," Rory begged. "Look, we're all just tired. It's been a long day."

"Amen," Alex agreed.

"I say we check in at a hotel somewhere and start fresh in the morning," Amy suggested. This was met with great enthusiasm and ten minutes later, they had paid their bill and were off in search of a hotel.

~Living the Life of Ally~

Alex yanked a pillow over her head, trying to block out the incessant loud snoring coming from the bed next to her. Jesus, how does she sleep at night? Alex wondered, not for the first time that night, as she lifted her head to look at a sleeping Amy and a snoring Rory.

Rory let out a sound that sounded like his tongue and larynx were dueling it out. Alex sank back down onto the mattress and covered her head with the pillow again. It was highly doubtful she was going to sleep though. She had been tossing and turning and mentally swearing for an hour and a half now.

She grimaced as another sound came out of Rory and she tilted her head to look at the door that led to the room next to theirs. That was the one that had been assigned to the Doctor. She glanced down, noticing that there wasn't any light coming out. Either the Doctor was actually sleeping, or he had snuck out back to the TARDIS several blocks away. Alex was betting the latter.

She winced as another snore erupted and she burrowed her head deeper into the still tucked-in sheets, not even bothering to question their germy status. She pulled the pillow over her head even tighter, to the point where it was a little cocoon around her. She opened her eyes and listened to Rory's snoring some more. At least the pillow somewhat muffled it.

Alex's eyes wandered over to the wall opposite her bed. It was a dark forest green with thin lines of gold running down it. At the moment, the wall was lit up with the glow from the TV, currently muted on some Grace Kelly movie. The light went from bright to dark in a few split seconds as the movie played and Alex found herself becoming entranced by it, considering she had nothing better to do.

Her captivation with the wall was interrupted when Rory let out a huge snore, louder than the ones prior. It was a huge attention-grabbing snore that completely contradicted everything its owner did while awake. Alex poked her head up, wanting to see if Amy would wake up and sock him, but the redhead didn't even stir. Then again, Amy had once slept through a violent thunderstorm back in Leadworth that knocked down their neighbor's tree.

Alex rolled back over, her eyes traveling down to her parents' wedding bands. She let go of the pillow, letting it sit on her head, allowing her to raise the hand wearing the rings up to eye-level. She ran a finger over them, feeling the smooth gold and the slight lump where the bands had been melded together.

Her thoughts drifted to her parents. Alex would never admit it, but she thought about her parents a lot, especially on her birthday. She often wondered about them, how they would have reacted to the various goings-on in her life. Her memories of New York City were vague at best, leaving her with the sad realization that she really didn't know a lot about her parents.

Alex liked to think that her parents would have been proud of her for going off and traveling with the Doctor, though she knew it probably wouldn't have been that simple if they were still alive. She liked to think her parents would like Amy and Rory and even the Doctor. Alex would also never admit that she imagined conversations with her mom in which they discussed how good-looking the Doctor was and Alex's conflicted feelings for him.

But then again. . . Alex had begun to realize her life would have been drastically different had her parents survived the boating accident. Alex remembered watching Gossip Girl marathons on TV and wondering whether she would have turned out like Blair and Serena had her parents lived. It was both interesting and frightening. She would have gone to the best schools, got into any Ivy League college of her choice, partied on the weekends where the menu didn't include discount beer and Doritos, and jetted off to exotic locales like Bora Bora or the French Riviera for summer vacation.

But the frightening part was that her personality might have turned out different as well. On Gossip Girl and Real Housewives and all that other stuff, the girls were shown as prissy and spoiled and mean. Alex hated girls like that, especially the queen of them all, Hillary Westcott. It was a distinct possibility if she had grown up like Hillary, she might have grown to be a complete copy of Hillary. Minus the nose job, of course.

Alex shuddered. She couldn't imagine being like Hillary Westcott. Okay, Alex would admit she was a bit vain, petty, could be arrogant, and easily prone to jealousy, but she was not like Hillary in other aspects. She didn't put down others and she wasn't mean just because she could be. Had she grown up rich and pampered though, she might have been.

Another loud noise sounded out around the room, courtesy of Rory. Alex groaned, at this point not caring if she woke the Ponds, and buried her head into the mattress as her hands went back to clutching the pillow to her head. At this rate, she was never going to get any sleep.

Then there was a tapping on her shoulder. Alex jumped up and about screamed until a hand clapped over her mouth. A tweed jacket tickled her chin.

"Don't scream," the Doctor hissed in her ear. "It's just me."

Alex's heart rate returned to normal and she nodded her understanding. The Doctor removed his hand and knelt beside the bed. He grimaced at another outburst of snoring from Rory. He craned his head to look over at Amy. "How does she sleep through that?" he wondered.

"I have no idea," Alex murmured. She settled down on her stomach and grabbed the pillow beside her to place it under her head. "You could hear it too?"

"It's merely audible in my room," the Doctor explained, settling on his knees.

"I think we oughta smother him or something."

"Don't be so violent, Ally."

Alex shrugged, not really minding this. "So, what have you been doing? 'Cause I seriously doubt you've been sleeping."

"You're not wrong," the Doctor smiled. "I went back to the TARDIS for a little while. There was some . . . stuff I needed to work on. Important stuff. Stuff pertaining to you. No time for sleep."

"But doesn't a lack of sleep drive you mad? I mean . . . madder?"

The Doctor frowned at her and was about to retort when Rory suddenly let out a sound that sounded like his larynx was trying to jump out of his mouth.

"Oh my God," Alex snickered, burying her head into her pillow in an effort to muffle her laughter.

The Doctor started laughing. "It sounds like some aliens I once encountered. They were the first inventors of the garbage disposal. The sound a garbage disposal makes was modeled after their voices."

"Don't make me laugh," Alex told him, which only made her laugh harder.

It seemed her laughter was contagious for the Doctor actually had to place a hand over his mouth to contain his bubbling hysteria. He took a deep breath and lowered his hand, revealing a purposefully solemn face. "Think death," he deadpanned.

Alex couldn't resist. "Exterminate," she giggled with a bad British accent, enunciating each syllable like the Daleks did.

The Doctor bit his lip and burrowed his head into the mattress, his shoulders shaking with barely restrained laughter. "Rassilon," he gasped as Alex giggled madly into her pillow.

Eventually, the two quieted down as Rory's snoring let up a little bit. The Doctor lifted his head and watched the Ponds for a moment. "He's quieted down," he observed.

"For now. There's about a ten-minute interval and just when I'm about to fall asleep, he starts right back up again."

The Doctor was silent for a moment as he processed this. Then, an idea popped into his head. "How about you stay in my room for the night?" he suggested, hoping that the slight squeak in his voice wasn't noticeable to Alex.

Alex didn't even hesitate. "Deal," she agreed before sitting up and easing off the bed. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure she hadn't woken Amy or Rory before walking into the Doctor's room.

The Doctor's room was a twin of the other room, right down to the wallpaper and the weird green carpet with golden swirls. The bedside lamp was now on along with the TV, currently muted to what looked like an episode of NOVA. The Doctor switched it off and shut the door, the click of the lock sounding as loud as a bomb in the room. Ignoring the nerves creeping into her system, Alex headed for the bed.

The bed's comforter was slightly wrinkled, indicating the Doctor had been sitting there. She turned around and watched as the Doctor took his jacket off, tossing the garment off so that it was strewn across a nearby chair. He loosened his bowtie, his braces now hanging limply at his hips.

Alex eased herself onto the bed, conscious of the fact that the Doctor was watching her every movement. Another flood of nerves ran through her system. She honestly wasn't sure why she was so nervous. She and the Doctor had slept in the same bed what, six times now? But, for some reason, this was different. All those other times, she had invited him into her bed but this time, he had invited her into his room.

The Doctor was well-aware of this. This was the first time he had invited Alex to stay with him. He didn't count her nightmare after the Dream Lord adventure because that had been in Alex's room and they both knew she wanted him to stay with her. The time in Craig's flat didn't count either because they had to share a room. There were no other options. This . . . was different. It was uncharted territory and they both knew it.

In an effort to retain her dignity and make it seem like this was totally normal, Alex curled up into a little ball on her side and patted the space next to her. Like an eager puppy, the Doctor quickly got in beside her, pausing only to kick off his boots and switch the lamp off.

Alex's breath hitched a little as the room was plunged into darkness. She knew how intimate the darkness was and how much it could influence her and the Doctor's interactions.

The Doctor maneuvered one of the pillows behind him to where it rested flat on the mattress. Scooting down, he rested his head on it and turned to where he was facing Alex.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Fine," Alex responded, knowing that he meant to ask how she was feeling about having been possessed. "It's weird, but nothing that I can't handle."

The Doctor smiled a little at her. "You know you don't have to be strong all the time, Ally."

Alex was silent for a moment. She never even thought about her tough attitude. It was how she had always been, for as long as she could remember. Sure, there were times when she had gotten emotional and she had shoved the feelings down so as not to let anyone see her cry, but other than that, this was just how she was. Of course, she had to admit she was really, really scared about her possessions. But she also didn't want the Doctor to see her at her weakest. She didn't want him to think less of her.

Finally, she said, "I don't like anyone seeing me so . . . vulnerable."

"I'm not 'anyone', Ally," the Doctor reminded her.

Alex scooted closer to him, soon able to hear the thudding of his hearts. "I know," she murmured, tilting her head to where her forehead was pressed up against his chest. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes, feeling an enormous wave of exhaustion come over her.

The Doctor ran a hand through her hair, pushing Alex further into slumber. He felt so content lying beside her, as he always did whenever circumstances got them into the same bed together. It was like Alex was meant to be by his side.

His eyes also began drifting closed. His arm wrapped around Alex, pulling her closer to him as he drifted off into his sweet dreams of Alexandria Locke.

A/N: ANOTHER possession! What is going on? Don't worry. We'll find out soon!

Some notes on reviews. . .

ShadowTeir - Glad you liked the hint. There's no telling WHEN it could happen! :} Whatever is possessing Alex is pretty strong, but we'll have to wait and see what exactly it is. Glad you like the original chapters! :)

SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister - Alex is kinda based on me, yes. She's more of a glamorized version of me. We have a lot of similarities, like same middle name, love of reading, same birth month, but also a lot of differences. I'm nowhere near as out-going as Alex and I'm more of a goody two-shoes compared to her. :) Yes, it was alien, which you're right, is usually the case in 'Doctor Who'. Amy and Rory were off wandering around Savannah and, as shown in this chapter, at some point ended up at the Six Pence Pub. :) Yes, Alex is getting 'The Lodger' dress in this story, but not until near the end. Yes, Eva is awful! Thankfully, this is the last chapter to show her. :)

EstherMarie117 - Thank you! I'm SO glad you love the story! It means a lot! :D

rycbar15 - Yes, that was a rather compromising position, lol. Yep, my hint narrows it down SO much, lol! :)

ElysiumPhoenix - No, getting possessed doesn't count as the Doctor's gift to her. I think you'll all like the present he gives Alex. :)

Gwilwillith - Thanks! :)

MidnightDarkskiesbluemoon - Here's your update! I'm not sure of the total amount for the rest of the chapters, but I know it's less than 80. :)

TheUltimateGuest - Lol, I've called teachers that name...not to their face, of course. :) Yep, it is pretty strong, whatever it is that got in her mind. Hmm, I wouldn't say to be scared of them, more like pity them. You'll see why later. :)

Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass - Lol, the Ghostbusters would be useful wouldn't they? But I'm not sure how they would fare against aliens. :) Yep, it's aliens and no, Sex-kitten Eva's not one of them. She's just an annoying girl who flirted with the Doctor. Thankfully, this was the last chapter to feature her. :) Savannah IS a beautiful place! I've been there four times now, and I still love it! They really do need to film an episode there, preferably a ghost one. :) Yep, the TARDIS and the Ponds gave her presents! I wouldn't mind having them as guests at my birthday party. :)

Mad mind flip - Yep, nothing like getting possessed by ghosts to kick off a 2st birthday! Who needs a party at a bar anyway? :) Thank you! I'm glad you love the story! :D

Trixie - His anger? Well, she's already seen how mad he can get, particularly when something's happened to her, so I guess she'd mostly be alarmed and a little scared by his anger. Hope that helps! :)