AN: New personal best. This chapter is 2270 words long xD Yeah, the Ritz is 5 star and pretty much the most expensive place to stay in England. I looked on their website. Dinner, Bed and Breakfast in a standard room is £530 per night and god help you if you want suite. The fanciest suite is £4500 per night. No, I haven't read them but I've had a look at them and they sound quite interesting :)

Rated M for language

Killer

It was with a great deal of force that Callum slammed shut the flat door that morning. Rory, Boo and Freddie, all of whom had been sitting in the living room, jumped, while the sound of a spoon being laid in a mug came from the kitchen, followed a second later by a frowning Stephen. "If you could be careful with that door Callum, that would be great. We only have the one."

Callum turned to him with a scowl. "This isn't funny Stephen."

"Am I laughing?" Stephen folded his arms in front of his chest while the others watched the silent stand off. Eventually, Callum moved. "Goddamn it." He muttered under his breath as he escaped to his room and slammed that door equally hard.

Stephen looked at the girls and shrugged. "Anyone know what that was about?"

Rory shook her head. "No clue. This is the first I've seen of him all day. I think he left early."

"Yeah," Freddie agreed. "He must've because he doesn't wake me up if it's too early and he was gone when I woke up."

"Boo," Stephen said. "How was he this morning?"

They all looked to Boo who shrugged. "He seemed fine, yeah? He woke me up to give me a kiss, told me he loved me and then left. Everything was fine."

Stephen sighed. "Then I don't know what's wrong. We'll have to ask him. If he ever calms down."

"I'm sure he will," Rory said. "Just give him some time."

"Well," Stephen sighed. "At least he brought the mail up with him." He picked up the envelopes and shuffled through them. "Junk, junk, takeaway menu, junk." He stopped as he looked at one envelope marked for Mrs. Rory Dene and smiled.

Rory noticed. "What?"

"Nothing. It's for you. I'm just admiring the name on the front." He smiled as he handed her the envelope. Boo and Freddie smiled as Rory spoke. "We've been married for just over a month. I thought you'd be used to my new name by now."

He grinned at her. "I am. I just love seeing and hearing the name Dene follow Rory. I just love being your husband."

"And I love being your wife," she said, with an equally large grin.

"This is so sweet," Freddie said. "I think I'm getting cavities."

They all laughed at her as Boo leaned across to look at the envelope. "I thought that, officially, you were Mrs. Aurora Dene? That says Rory and its handwritten."

"I am Mrs. Aurora Dene but I'm fairly certain this is from my parents and they never call me Aurora."

"Ahh," Boo said as she leant back into the couch again. Callum came back into the living room a few seconds later. His bad mood had not abated. He stood with his hands in the pockets of his trousers and scuffing his feet across the floor. He was looking at the carpet as if it had just insulted his mother.

"So," Stephen said, turning to him. "What's wrong?"

"Lancaster Gate tube station. Again. There and Marble Arch have been nothing but trouble lately. That whole area has. Worryingly."

"Yes we know." Stephen agreed. "Me and Rory were at Marble Arch just last week. What's the issue at Lancaster Gate?"

"Ghost. Dangerous one."

"Terminated?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I ain't going near it." His voice dropped to a threatening level.

"Callum," Stephens voice dropped as well. "This is our job. Everyone in this room has to deal with potential problems. You have a terminus. It'll be ok."

"Stephen," he said, finally looking up from the floor, his voice rising. "It threw someone onto the fucking tracks!"

The room went quiet at that statement. Rory's blood ran cold. This must be a strong ghost. The last ghost she met that was powerful enough to throw someone had been Newman. She and Boo exchanged a look. Freddie had gone pale. Rory looked back to Callum. "Is that person...dead?"

Callum turned his attention from Stephen to her. "Yes. She's dead. Train was coming in at the time. They've closed the whole station down."

Rory exhaled, trying to steady her quickened breathing. Boo put a hand on her arm in comfort. Stephen sighed loudly and ran his hands through his hair, pacing as he did so. "We have to terminate it. We can't let it continue. How many more could it kill?"

"Well, like I said, I'm not going near it. I may have a terminus but it could throw me before it did any good."

Stephen looked at him for a moment before taking off his glasses and cleaning them with his shirt. "So, what do you suggest we do?" He put his glasses back on and looked at Callum again.

Callums eyes darted to the couch and back. Stephen turned around to see where Callums eyes had darted to and whipped around again violently. His voice was deep and final. "No."

"Stephen-"

"You are not using Rory when we have two other perfectly good termini."

"Stephen, she's our best option. She could get it before it hurt her. Even if it touched her, it would go boom before any damage was done."

"And what about the damage that could be happening to her from being a terminus?"

"She's done it before-"

"When there was no other option. We have two other options right now."

"But it's not doing any damage to her. Marigold said she was fine after that really awful one."

"But it hurt her!" When Stephen yelled, it was something that you could feel vibrate in the pit of your stomach. He was shaking and so was his voice. "You are not using Rory."

Callum stood for a moment, his voice becoming softer. "Mate, you know that I love her. She's a little sister to me. I would see nothing happen to her and I'd kill anyone who wanted to hurt her." He threw a small smile to Rory who gave a small one back. He continued. "But I think we both know that she's the one who would be safest from this bastard. And you don't want to admit it to yourself and I understand why. But she's our best option." He turned back to Rory. "If you'll agree. You could, of course, say no and then, yes we will find another way. But you really are out best chance Ror."

The room was still. Rory could feel the tension in the air and she could feel everyone's eyes on her. Everyone's except Stephens. He knew what she was going to say and he couldn't watch her say it. She nodded. "I'll do it."

A small sigh came from Stephen, who shut his eyes and lowered his head as she spoke. Callum nodded before Stephen spoke. "Ok. But this is the plan. Callum, you take a terminus. I'll take one. Me and Rory will approach from one side, you from another. Rory will go ahead and, hopefully, terminate it with no issue. But, if this fucker manages to do anything before she can, you or me go in and finish it while it's distracted. Agreed?"

Callum nodded. "Agreed. But there won't be a problem. It'll be ok."

"What about us?" Boo asked.

Stephen turned to her. "If neither of you hear from us in an hour, call Thorpe."

Boo nodded slowly. "It'll be fine, yeah.

Stephens voice was small. "I hope so."

The three of them stood in the tube station, ready to go down onto the platform. They had been granted access because all of them were in uniform and Stephen had asked Thorpe to call ahead to make sure they were allowed down. Stephen and Callum stood with their old phones, termini wired in, ready to go. They were just waiting for Rory to make a move. Rory stood between them, staring down the steps. "It's like King William Street again. Us three, head to head with the Ripper."

Callum took her arm and squeezed it. "And we made it back out. All three of us."

She nodded. "Yeah, but it was a pretty close call." She could almost feel the scar on her abdomen burning.

Stephen took her hand. "Ok. No time like the present. We have to phone Boo or Freddie in the next 20 minutes or they'll be phoning Thorpe so let's try and get this done."

Callum and Rory nodded as he continued. "Right, Callum you go down that way. Me and Rory will go down this way. Step onto the platform quietly. We're going to try and go unnoticed for as long as possible."

"Right, see you down there." With one last squeeze on Rory's arm, Callum went off in the other direction. Rory stared down the steps again. Stephen squeezed her hand. "Ready?"

She looked up at him with a nervous smile. "As ready as I'll ever be."

He nodded at her and they slowly and quietly descended the steps. Before they got to the platform, Stephen whispered. "If it's near the edge, try and draw it back to the wall."

Rory nodded as they stepped out onto the platform. They saw him instantly. Never mind standing near the edge, he was standing on it. Fabulous. She walked towards him slowly, keeping near the wall. She looked down the other end of the platform and saw Callum approaching, terminus out in front of him. He nodded to her as they walked towards the ghost. Rory turned back and saw Stephen following a few steps behind, his terminus out as well. She turned her attention back to the ghost who had still not noticed the presence of the three Shades. As she got closer, she raised her hand behind her back, signalling for Stephen to stop. Then she signalled for Callum to do the same. She approached the ghost alone and managed to get behind him unnoticed. He still stood on the edge and she had her back pressed to the wall so there were a few steps between them. She stood slightly to Stephens side of the platform so that when she made a noise, the ghost would turn around in Stephens direction and not notice Callum. Stephen, meanwhile, stood waiting and ready in a small recess just out of the ghosts sight.

She raised one hand out in front of her and knocked on the wall with the other. Callum withdrew from the middle of the platform to the wall as the ghost became alert. She knocked again and it turned. It turned in Stephens direction which allowed Callum to move closer unnoticed. When the ghost saw Rory, it regarded her with confusion before stepping closer. Rory kept one hand on the wall, almost as if she could grip onto the flat surface in case this ghost thought that she was light enough to be thrown. She, of course, knew that she wouldn't be able to grip it, but it was a comfort. Any port in a storm as it were.

Stephen peered out from the recess and, when he saw the ghosts attention fixed on Rory, he quietly stepped back to the middle of the platform. He and Callum continued their approach as the ghost remained fixated on Rory. But as Callum got closer, the ghost turned to face him. It's interest seemed to turn to Callum completely and Rory saw it about to make a lunge. She quickly grabbed it's wrist and it looked at her in shock as its mouth fell open. A rush of wind filled the platform and Stephen and Callum quickly backed up to the wall. Then the familiar scent of burning flowers filled the air and the ghost was gone. Rory stood where it had been, pale and shaking, but still standing. Stephen and Callum both rushed to her and took her arms to steady her in case she fell.

"I'm alright." She said. "I actually am. I'm fine. I just need some air."

Stephen pulled her into a hug, relief sweeping over him. Callum rubbed her back. "Ok," Stephen said. "Let's get out of here." They both led Rory outside and sat her down on a nearby bench while she breathed the fresh air. "Callum," Stephen said, his arm around Rory. "Could you phone the girls and tell them everything's ok?"

"Sure thing mate."

As Callum dialled Boo's number, Rory cuddled into Stephen. His voice was soft. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah."

"Because I really don't mind dropping off at Marigolds first and-"

Rory sat up and kissed him, cutting off his sentence mid flow. They stayed like that for a moment, his hand gently going to her cheek. She broke the kiss slowly. "I'm fine. I promise."

He smiled down at her. "Ok. Let's get back."

They stood and linked hands. Callum was already standing by the car. He nodded to them. "I've told the girls. They seemed relieved."

"Good, let's get home then."

Callum nodded enthusiastically. "Agreed." He pulled Rory into a hug before turning to Stephen. "I'm sorry about this morning. You know that Rory means the world to me don't you? I'd never suggest we put her in a situation she couldn't handle."

Stephen smiled. "Yeah I know. I can't help but worry though."

"Naturally. But she really is like a little sister to me." He looked to Rory as they got in the car. "I'll always look after you."

Rory smiled. "I know, Callum. I know."

They drove away, happy and relieved, none of them noticing the thin white fog that swept out of the station onto the street.