A/N: Alex's outfits for this chapter can be found on my Tumblr, under the name 'darksideofparis'.

The next morning, Alex stepped out of the TARDIS, newly dressed in a blue ruffled tank-top, skinny jeans, a jean jacket, strapped chocolate brown ballet flats, and large gold hoop earrings. She shut the door, making sure it was locked, and headed off down the street to the restaurant the Doctor, Amy, and Rory were at.

She ran a hand through her hair as she thought about the latest events. When they got back to the hotel last night, the Doctor had woken her up long enough to tell her what happened during her possession. Needless to say, Alex wasn't thrilled to hear that there was a threat lurking underneath the Savannah River.

Alex looked over at the river. It was huge and it also connected to the Atlantic Ocean. There was no way they could find something in that big an area. No way in hell.

Don't be so negative, Alexandria, a voice in her head scolded. Stranger things have happened. Alex sighed, knowing that the voice was right.

A few minutes later, Alex was seated next to the Doctor at an outdoor table at the same restaurant they had breakfasted at yesterday. There was no sign of Joe, but Alex did spot Candace, who gave her a wink.

"You're not serious," Rory said flatly across from them. "There's something in the Savannah River that is going to cause some crazy danger?"

"Danger, Rory, is not crazy," the Doctor scolded. "Danger is dangerous."

Amy sighed. "Okay, well, how are we supposed to find whatever this thing is if we don't know what it is?"

"I'd just like to say that I am not going to be ghost bait anymore," Alex jumped in, eager to get that straightened out.

"You never were nor are going to be ghost bait anymore, Ally," the Doctor assured her, reaching out to run a hand through her hair.

Alex unconsciously leaned into his touch. "So, what do you suggest?"

The Doctor was about to answer but a weird buzzing noise rang out through the air, interrupting him.

"Stupid vibrating cell-phones," Amy muttered while checking to make sure it wasn't her phone that was causing all the racket.

"Tell me about it," Alex nodded. "I heard something exactly like this yesterday."

"Hush," the Doctor unexpectedly ordered. He lifted a finger to his lips, concentrating on the buzzing, which for some reason, was getting louder.

Alex frowned as she listened to the buzzing increase in volume. "What is that?" she murmured.

The Doctor shushed her again, trying to work out what was going on. There were only a few things that could create a buzzing like that. He began mentally listing them and one item attracted his attention. No, that's impossible. But . . . wait, it is. No! NO!

The Doctor whirled around to face Alex, his chair almost toppling over from the force of his suddenness. "We need to get out of here right now."

Alex frowned. "What? Doctor, what is going on?"

"No time!" the Doctor impatiently snapped. He grabbed her hand and moved to pull her out of her chair. "Ponds, Ally, back to the TARDIS n—" But he was cut off as all around them, everyone fell unconscious.

Alex shrieked as Amy and Rory's heads fell to the table with a BANG! "Oh my God!" she cried, rushing around the table to lift Amy's head and check her pulse. "Doctor, what's going on?!"

The Doctor grimly looked around at all the unconscious people. A waitress had dropped her tray when she fell, cold soda now making a trail across the wooden deck. One man was lying face-first in his breakfast pizza. A couple that had been walking past the restaurant were currently lying on the cobblestoned street, the woman's shopping bags strewn across the ground. "The beginning of an invasion," he answered.

Alex finished checking Amy's pulse and moved on to Rory. She was relieved to find that both their pulses were weak, but audible. "What do you mean an alien invasion?" she asked, darting back over to the Doctor.

The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her into his side, determined not to let her go, not during this kind of danger. "Ally, everyone's body has been taken over."

"But they're unconscious!" Alex argued.

"For now. Their minds have been removed by creatures known as the Soulisases, more commonly known as Soul Suckers for their ability to suck a person's mind out and take over their bodies. They use minds as a food source."

"But shouldn't they be physically present to do such a thing?" Alex questioned.

The Doctor nodded and began to pull her down the road. "Exactly. I'm guessing that they've built some kind of machine to amplify their powers so as to remove everyone's mind. They really don't consume so many minds, so they must be invading."

"What for?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Not sure. But it explains one thing though."

"What's that?"

"Those ghosts that were speaking to you? They aren't really ghosts. They're escaped minds. Their physical forms are gone, probably taken not too long ago, and they latched on to you because of your powerful mind and tried to warn me about the invasion."

"So, the people that were possessing me weren't ghosts, just people whose minds were stolen and whose physical forms died?"

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded. "The one at the Pirates House? Probably a former waiter who did throw that brick at Cassie as a joke. The one at the Sorrel-Weed house? Possibly a tourist. The one at the graveyard? Someone who just recently got killed by the Soul Suckers and who was buried in the area we were at."

Alex nodded. That made sense. But it didn't explain one thing though. "Why aren't we unconscious?" she wondered.

"Powerful minds, Ally. You and I can't be defeated that easily." The Doctor pulled her down some steps to the river. Stepping over a man who was clutching a cell-phone, he added, "But the Soulisases will increase the frequency on their device and you and I will be defenseless." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and started waving it around, the device beeping until he pointed it towards the water, where it started beeping like crazy.

"We already know their device is in the water," he explained as he pocketed the sonic, "but thanks to the sonic, I now have the exact location. Amazing what you can figure out with it when you know the species and their technology."

"So, what do we do now?" Alex asked.

On this, the Doctor's face fell a little. He knew Alex wasn't going to like what he said next. "Ally, the device is underwater. At the moment, it's only stealing the minds of everyone in Savannah, but if its frequency is increased, it will spread across the entire state, then the country, then the world. Also, you and I are at risk because when the frequency goes up, our minds will go too. Lucky for us, the Soul Suckers have never quite managed to steal minds underwater."

Alex's face fell as she saw where this was going. "So . . . you're saying that . . . we have to go underwater?!"

"Yes," the Doctor winced. "Believe me, Ally, if there was any other way—"

Alex sighed, cutting him off. "It's fine." Then, much to the Doctor's shock, Alex took off her denim jacket and tossed it to the ground. She set her earrings down on it, followed by her ring, which she eyed before carefully setting it down.

She turned to the Doctor with a critical expression. "Now Doc, unless you want your precious jacket to get all wet, I suggest you take it off."

The Doctor smirked at her and quickly pulled the jacket off, tossing it to the ground next to hers. He looked at her anxiously. "You ready?"

Alex bit her lip nervously but nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The Doctor smiled in an effort to reassure her. He wouldn't have made her do this unless it was extremely important. Wanting to reassure her further, he reached out and grabbed her hand. Alex smiled and squeezed it.

The two turned to the river. The boats and cargo ships were still and the sun shined overhead, making the water glisten. The two backed up a few steps before looking at each-other. Silently agreeing, the two took deep breaths, ran forward, and jumped into the river.

~Living the Life of Ally~

The water was warm but, seeing as it was a river, it was also quite murky. Alex cautiously opened her eyes, struggling to keep them open. Little water bubbles fluttered all around her and dense brown water stretched off into the distance.

Alex strained to hold her breath. She hated this. A lot. Being underwater reminded her of that night. It felt like she was suffocating, like the water was a physical being wrapping a rope around her neck and pulling. She wanted to get out. She wanted to swim upwards and clamber up onto the dock and take a deep breath of fresh air.

Then, Alex felt someone tugging on her hand. Looking over, she saw the Doctor next to her. His eyes were wide open, and Alex noticed that he didn't seem to be having any problems being underwater. He motioned downwards and pulled on her hand. He wanted her to follow him. Alex nodded and, still keeping a tight grip on his hand, followed him.

The Doctor pulled out the sonic, which glowed brightly in the murky water. Alex could faintly hear a beeping coming from the device as they delved further downwards. Alex didn't pay much attention to where they were going, concentrating on holding her breath. It wasn't easy. Her lungs burned, craving oxygen, and her body felt heavy and weak. She clutched the Doctor's hand even tighter, knowing that he would never let anything happen to her if he could help it.

The Doctor led her further down until they appeared to be at the very bottom of the river. Nestled into a bunch of compact sand and dirt was a large contraption that didn't look like it belonged there. It was a medium sized steel box, outfitted with a bunch of knobs and dials. One large antenna was sticking out of the device.

The Doctor and Alex hovered over it and Alex looked at the Doctor. She raised her eyebrows to silently ask, Is that it?

The Doctor nodded and turned back to the device. He waved the sonic over it. As he was doing this, Alex looked around, trying to resist the urge to open her mouth to relieve the giant burning in her chest. As she looked around, she noticed a long gray hose traveling across the ground to the control box. The hose stretched out into the distance.

An underground base, perhaps? Alex guessed. It wasn't impossible. The Soul Suckers had to have some way of monitoring and controlling their device. She turned back to see that the Doctor had put the sonic away and was now studying the control box with a thoughtful expression. Alex reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned to her, Alex pointed down at the hose. The Doctor's eyes followed it and his eyes lit up, almost like they were grinning. He tugged on her hand, pulling her along.

The Doctor glanced back at her as they swam along. He was pleased to see that Alex was remaining calm, but her mouth was twitching, aching for some air. Her face was also turning a little blue. The Doctor's brow furrowed. Being a Time Lord, he could use his respiratory bypass system to keep from breathing, but Alex didn't have that.

They had to get done down here. Soon.

They swam along for a few more minutes before happening on a spectacular sight. In front of them was a large rotunda shaped structure that appeared to be made of glass and steel. The hose from the control box connected to the base, but neither saw a way to pull it out.

The Doctor then spotted what appeared to be an entrance to the elaborate base. Tugging Alex along, he swam over to a solid steel door. There was no knob on it or any visible way of opening it. The Doctor pulled his sonic out and flashed it over the door. A moment later, the door opened, water rushing in. The Doctor pulled Alex in, the pair landing on a hard floor. As Alex coughed for breath, the Doctor hurriedly closed the door and fell back onto the floor.

Alex gasped as air flooded her lungs and she coughed and choked from the force of it all. She rolled over, finding herself lying in a puddle on a marble floor. She was wet. That much was painfully obvious. Her clothes were plastered to her body and water-drops dripped off the ends of her hair.

"Ally, are you okay?" the Doctor asked, crawling over to examine her.

Alex nodded and lifted her head to look at him. He was in an identical state. His clothes were plastered to his body, and Alex couldn't help but admire his chest, completely visible thanks to his tight and wet shirt. His hair had been smoothed back and was stuck to his forehead.

Wow, he's hot when he's wet, Alex appreciatively thought. Then, startled by what she had just thought, she jumped to her feet and looked around. "Where are we?"

The Doctor didn't answer for a moment, too caught up in noticing how much tighter her jeans were now that they were wet. A second later, his brain caught up with what she had asked. "Yes, right!" he exclaimed, bouncing up. "Some kind of control hub, I'm guessing. The Soulisases have to control and monitor their device from somewhere."

Alex looked around. She didn't see any Soulisases. "But where are they?"

Just as she asked this, a klaxon began screeching around them. The Doctor and Alex clutched their ears in pain. "I guess we're about to meet them!" the Doctor shouted over the roar as a steel door on the other side of the room slid up to reveal a bunch of turquoise-skinned aliens.

The Soulisases were, on average, six feet tall with pale turquoise skin. Other than those characteristics, they looked like humans. These aliens, who Alex figured to be guards, wore gold chest plates, white gladiator skirts, gold calf-length boots, and pointy white hats that were at least two feet tall. Alex also noticed that on each alien's arm, there was a white band with a small screen on it. However, this was all Alex got to see before she was roughly grabbed by one of the guards.

"Who are you?!" he demanded, his breath smelling like seawater and some other, strange scent. It smelled like spicy strawberries mixed with something warm, like mustard or sunshine. Based on what Alex knew about their eating habits, she shuddered to think that exotic smell could be human minds. The guard pulled Alex's arm, yanking her out of these thoughts and nearly causing her shoulder to pop. Alex grimaced and tried to shift away, but the guard's grip only grew tighter.

"Let go of her!" the Doctor shouted as he was restrained by another guard. "Don't you touch her!"

The guard ignored him. "Who are you?" he asked again. "How did you get here?"

"We swam," the Doctor stated, as if the guard were completely clueless.

The guard glowered at him. "Why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the Doctor blinked. "Savannah River Task Force, at your service. Anything strange happens in these waters, we're on it."

Alex resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Yeah, they'll believe that!

Just as she predicted, the guard laughed. "A joker, huh? Well, you won't be laughing for long. We'll let Arrinade deal with you two." The Doctor raised his eyebrows at the name, as if it were familiar to him, but didn't say anything.

The time travelers were led through a bunch of twisting hallways that all looked identical. Each hallway contained windows looking out into the water, allowing a look at the fish swimming past. Alex couldn't help but feel claustrophobic.

After a good five minutes of walking, the two were led into a large room. Two walls of the room were partially glass and steel, creating huge windows on each wall. Below each window was a pearl-colored wall that matched the two other walls in the room. The floors were marble and gleamed thanks to the water coming through the windows.

Scattered all around the room were a bunch of cables and controls, many of the controls actually resembling the control unit they'd seen outside. Finally, at the head of the room was a brown and royal blue colored throne. Sitting in it was the most official looking Soulisases Alex had seen so far.

The man had the same pale turquoise skin as the others did but was dressed much differently. He was encased in a swath of blue and gold floor-length medieval-style robes. The toes of his gold boots just barely peeked out. This alien did not wear a hat, showing that he was completely bald. Around his neck was a necklace version of the white wristlets Alex had seen on the guards.

The man stood up as they entered. The Doctor and Alex were shoved into the middle of the room while the guards stepped back, lining up single file along the back wall.

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow. "Arrinade, I presume."

Arrinade nodded. "Yes. I am the leader of the Soulisases."

"I've heard of you," the Doctor revealed. "Mightiest Soulisases in history. Legends say you can suck a person's mind out with only a simple touch." Alex stiffened at that, hoping that Arrinade didn't try that with them.

Arrinade smiled slightly. "So they say, but they are only legends. Stories whispered in the dark to scare the young."

The Doctor smiled slightly. "And now you're on Earth, underwater. Why?"

"I believe I should be the one asking the questions." Arrinade paced in front of them. He seemed calm, but the Doctor knew he was carefully observing them, trying to see what they were capable of. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"Freelancers," the Doctor shrugged. "On holiday actually, until we saw everyone up top fall asleep at the exact same time. Got curious."

"Interesting," Arrinade mused. "The device was designed to capture everyone's mind, yet you two escaped."

"Well, I am a genius," the Doctor replied. Alex rolled her eyes, attracting his attention. "And Ally over there as well! Takes a lot to mess with us."

"Geniuses," Arrinade repeated. "The Soulisases have been lacking geniuses as of late."

"Why's that?" the Doctor asked, figuring it might have something to do with the Soulisases scheme.

Arrinade turned away from them to pace around the room. "Tell me, because I scarcely believe you're human, are you familiar with the last great Time War?"

Alex stiffened and looked over at the Doctor, whose face was purposefully blank. "I've heard of it," the Doctor said slowly.

Arrinade nodded. "I thought so. The Time War affected so many species, not just the ones who were fighting in it. The lower species suffered greatly, especially the Soulisases. Our bodies were horribly damaged, beyond medicinal repair."

Alex looked him up and down. He seemed fine to her. "You seem fine to me," she said.

Arrinade smiled sadly at her. "If only." He reached down and loosened the belt of his robes, allowing them to fall open a little. Alex almost threw up at the sight. Arrinade's chest was almost eaten away. Welts and bruises covered the entire area along with deep scars and, even more disgusting, hanging flesh. The flesh drooped down in little ribbons, exposing pink areas that Alex guessed was muscle.

"Oh my God," Alex gasped. The Doctor reached out and pulled her closer, allowing her to bury her face into his side. His face remained impassive.

Arrinade nodded at her reaction and tied his robes back up. "And that's only the physical deformities."

"Mental deformities as well?" the Doctor guessed.

"Exactly. The Soulisases are a telepathic race. We feel the rest of our species in our minds all the time, like a little buzzing in our head. When the Time War happened, so many of our species was killed in a day. The feeling in our minds, feeling our race dying, it caused so much pain, damaging us."

"And the Soulisases get all their mental energy from the consuming of other minds," the Doctor picked up. "That's why you're here. Not an invasion, but a rescue mission. You believe consuming so many minds, an entire planet's worth, will restore your race."

"That is the plan," Arrinade confirmed.

Alex gaped at him. "But you can't do that! Human minds aren't yours to take!"

"Our race is dying," Arrinade told her. "Each generation is born weaker than the next. All too soon, we will die. If we have to keep feasting on whole planets, then so be it. Minds taste delicious anyway. So rich and full and vast." Alex shuddered to hear him talking about it like that.

Arrinade turned to the Doctor. "And you, sir, with your genius mind, can help us. Our machine is still decent, at best. It lacks the ability to increase to a planet-wide frequency. You can help us. Help us and we will provide you and your wife with the riches of the universe, things you could normally only dream of."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, more at Arrinade's offer than him assuming Alex was his wife (though the Doctor wouldn't deny that his hearts sped up at the thought of Alex being his wife). "As tempting as that offer is, I'm afraid I have to decline."

Arrinade stared at him. "Really."

"You see, Arrinade, you are right about me not being human. I'm not. In fact, I've not only heard of the Time War, but I was right there fighting it, facing demons and horrors every single day."

"Impossible," Arrinade scoffed. "You scarcely look like a Dalek and the Time Lords were wiped out."

The Doctor arched an eyebrow. "Wanna bet?" he asked, his expression turning cold. "I'm the Doctor, last of the Time Lords."

Arrinade looked shocked. He backed up a few paces in what appeared to be sheer horror. "Impossible," he breathed.

The Doctor eased Alex away from his side so he could pull out the sonic. "In fact, Arrinade, there was a reason the Time War affected you lot. The one thing the Time Lords and the Daleks agreed on was that the Soulisases were completely dangerous. They knew you would use the war as a way to capture minds and obliterate any species that stood in your way. So, a plan was hatched; destroy or at the very least damage the Soulisases."

Arrinade glowered at him. "You monster!" he shouted.

The Doctor only shrugged. "Perhaps, but I've been called much worse." He lifted the sonic. "Now Ally, do you know what's so amazing about the telepathic ability of the Soulisases?"

Alex was a little startled at her sudden inclusion to the conversation, if one could really call it that, but decided to answer his question. "Um. . . They can do things through their telepathic ability?"

"Exactly. The telepathic ability allows several members of a race to control something. They only have to simultaneously concentrate on one thing and BAM! It happens. Need a little help through machinery, but it happens. But, if the machinery was damaged, the effects would go back to the Soulisases, affecting them."

He raised the sonic threateningly at Arrinade. "I'm going to give you a chance. One chance to pack your bags and leave this planet. If you don't. . ." He trailed off, not really needing to add on to that threat.

Arrinade looked at him for a long moment. Finally, he turned to the guards. "Kill them!" he shouted.

The Doctor smiled at him, the expression looking both sad and evil at the same time. "Like I said, one warning." Then, he pressed a button down on the sonic.

Instant chaos erupted. The Soulisases began screaming in agony and clutched their heads in pain. Arrinade was forced onto the ground from the excruciating pressure. As he shook from the pain, the Doctor called out, "There was a self-destruct button on your device, I'm assuming to be used in case the device failed to work properly. A few quick alterations and I managed to key in the sonic to remotely activate the button. Since your minds are tied up with the machine by your necklace and the guards' bracelets, it will literally cause you all so much pain, you concentrate on ending it. And you do . . . by dying."

Alex stared at him. She knew the Doctor didn't want to destroy an entire race, but there was no alternative. Still, she couldn't help but be a little scared by the casual way he was going about this. He was cold and seemed emotionless, but Alex could tell he was very, very angry.

Right at that moment, a pipe on one side of the room sparked. The Doctor glanced at it. "Come on, Ally!" he shouted, grabbing Alex's hand to pull her out of the room.

The two raced down the halls, their grip on each-other never loosening. "That device, it was attached to the base!" Alex shouted. "Does that mean this place will—"

"Explode?" the Doctor cut her off. "Yes! In less than a minute if we don't hurry!"

The Doctor dragged her down the identical hallways and back to the room they had first entered. The Doctor soniced the steel door and it immediately opened, water rushing in. With barely a second thought, Alex jumped in after the Doctor.

Alex would never be able to discern just how long they were in the water, because the time they were in it to the time they pulled themselves up on the dock seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. The Doctor got out first and turned to help her up. Alex sank onto the ground, heart racing as she breathed deeply, trying to get some oxygen back in her lungs.

It was as she was doing this that the explosion occurred. There was a muffled BOOM, followed by some of the water a little ways out jumping. The Soulisases base had exploded.

"Was that all of them?" Alex asked, rolling onto her back.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not quite. That was only a small tribe of Soulisases. The rest are back on their planet, waiting for this group to give them a food source."

"One they won't get though," Alex pointed out. "But won't they just send another group out to try again?"

The Doctor shook his head again. "If my history is correct – which it is – on their planet, a pathogen is forming in the Soulisases water supply. The Soulisases have never had much luck with water. Just like how they could never figure out how to take a mind underwater, they could never really maintain theirs. That pathogen will turn into a deadly virus, wiping out the whole population in less than a year."

Alex shook her head. "Wow. But, what about everyone here in town? Will their minds be returned?"

The Doctor smiled. "Yes. The machine was only storing minds. Some escaped, latching on to you, and now that the machine is destroyed. . ." The Doctor trailed off as around them, several people began groaning and getting up. They all looked confused and kept rubbing their heads, jarred by the fact that their mind had temporarily left them.

"Doctor! Alex!" a Scottish voice called. The Doctor and Alex turned to see Amy and Rory rushing down some stairs over to them.

"Why are you two all wet?!" Amy cried as she neared them. She shrugged out of her cardigan and put it over Alex in an attempt to dry her off.

"What the hell happened?!" Rory demanded. "Amy and I woke up with our heads on the table! Why were we unconscious?"

The Doctor and Alex only looked at each-other and burst out laughing, much to the confusion of the Ponds. Boy, had Amy and Rory missed out on a lot.

~Living the Life of Ally~

"Salut!"

Three glasses of gin and tonics and a glass of water clinked together a few hours later. It was a belated birthday dinner for Alex, along with a celebratory we-just-defeated-a-bunch-of-evil-aliens feast.

Alex smiled brightly in the setting sun. After she and the Doctor defeated the Soulisases, the two headed back to the TARDIS to shower and change. Much to Alex's shock, the TARDIS had presented her with the very dress she had declared her favorite back when she and the Doctor had been staying at Craig's flat. The dress hovered a few inches above her knees, the silky fabric feeling like heaven against her skin. Even better, a small card had been placed on top of the dress. It read, Happy birthday, Ally.

Alex hadn't been able to stop smiling the whole time she was getting ready. She had paired the dress with her new peridot earrings, a silver charm bracelet Marigold had given her for her thirteenth birthday, and a pair of black slingback heels. It was her birthday dinner and she planned on looking fantastic for it.

Now, Alex took a gulp of her gin and tonic, recalling the strange experience of getting carded for the first time after she had been getting alcohol illegally for years. She was going to miss the adrenaline rush that came with doing such a wrong act but considering the stuff the Doctor was getting her into, she probably wasn't going to go without that rush for very long.

As the group dined, the Doctor and Alex took turns explaining just what transpired between them and the Soulisases, with some minor editing. Neither mentioned the cold, calm, and calculating way the Doctor had dealt with the aliens. It wasn't something that could or should be recounted at such a celebratory event. Amy and Rory expressed regret that they missed everything, Amy even adding that she still couldn't believe Alex had willingly gone into the water.

"Neither can I," Alex laughed as the waiter cleared their plates away. She leaned back in her chair, relaxing after the ordeal of eating a whole steak, medium rare. "God, I don't think I can eat anything ever again!"

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory exchanged diabolical looks. "Really?" Rory questioned.

Alex arched an eyebrow at them and sat back up. "Okay, spill. What are you three up to?"

"Who says we're up to anything?" Amy asked, taking another sip of her drink.

"Don't pull that innocent act on me, Amelia Pond," Alex scolded. "You're always up to something."

Just as Alex finished saying this, their waiter appeared again. "Happy birthday, miss," he said as he lowered a large cake onto the table. Alex's jaw dropped. Vanilla icing covered the rectangular shaped cake. Red icing roses had been drawn all around the edge of the cake and in various places on top. In the center, the message Happy Birthday, Alex! was written elegantly.

Alex laughed and ran a hand through her hair, not in frustration, but in amazement, shock, and joy. "Oh my God," she gasped. "You guys are spoiling me!"

"It's your birthday, Ally," the Doctor said matter-of-factly. "You deserve to be." Alex blushed and turned her focus back on the cake.

"Hope it's the right one," Rory said. "Marble with vanilla, right?"

Alex blinked. She'd never told any of them what her favorite cake was. "How did you. . ."

Amy smirked. "Grabbed your phone while you were in the bathroom and used it to call Lacey. She told us exactly what to do, followed by the instruction not to sing 'Happy Birthday' because you apparently hate that."

Alex nodded. "She's right." Alex couldn't stand anyone singing 'Happy Birthday' to her. She didn't know why. For some reason, the singing just made her feel embarrassed, and Alex Locke wasn't one who was easily embarrassed.

Amy rolled her eyes. "No offense, but that's so weird."

Alex stuck her tongue out at her. "Shut up and help me cut this."

A/N: SO MUCH happening in this chapter! And guess what? Only one more to go! In the next chapter, the Doctor will give Alex the birthday present he was making for her at the beginning of this story. Any guesses as to what it might be? :) And who loved Alex's birthday party? Like her, I don't like having 'Happy Birthday' sung to me either. I'm not sure why, just don't.

Some notes on reviews. . .

SopherGopherroxursox - Lol, yes, anything could happen, but sadly, nothing did. Nope, not the Gelth, though that was a good guess. :) Glad you liked Madame Marie! That was the only chapter she appeared in, but I'm pretty sure she'll appear in a future story. :)

SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister - I sympathize with your internet troubles. We get them all the time here. Lol, glad you liked Rory's snoring! :) And I'm glad you liked Marie. That was the only chapter we saw her in for this adventure, but I think she'll make a reappearance in a future story. :)

rycbar15 - Thank you! I really hope so! I've got a whole paranormal/romance series outlined, so we'll see! :)

mayfire21 - Lol! It'd be pretty cool if Alex had a sixth sense like Haley Joel Osment. :)

TheGirlWhoWaited - We found out what happened here in a doozy of a chapter. Glad you liked the chapter! :)

ShadowTeir - Glad I was able to surprise you with the psychic. :) Yes, what was the Doctor doing in the shower so long? :}

ElysiumPhoenix - Glad you liked Madame Marie! And yes, a SEQUEL! Still has to be written, but it is outlined and I hope to have it finished by Christmas, if not sooner. :) Yeah, I really don't like graveyards. The idea that I'm walking over dead people is just. . .*shudders*. I did like Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah though. It is SO beautiful! Lol, I like that part too. If I ever found a man like the Doctor, I'd be one happy girl. :)

Gwilwillith - I'm so glad you like them! :)

jesterlover - Yep, she got possessed again. But they fixed it here with a little party at the end! So, viva la prinos e Soulisases aka Soul Suckers! :D

Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass - Glad you liked the shower scene and the breakfast scene. Super cute moments. :) Oh yeah, she kinda is like her! I never realized that! I was basing Marie more on Whoopi Goldberg's portrayal of the psychic in 'Ghost'. :) And poor Alex, having to go into the water. :( Yeah, she won't be happy in 'The Curse of the Black Spot' with all that water lying around.