Hello! Back with the new chapter! I wanted to be as fast as possible after the cliffhanger from the last one. I didn't want to be too cruel lol So don't forget to let a review, I love to hear about what you think of the chapter. Also like I said with the last chapter my beta is not really available at the moment so the next chapter is going to be a little delayed. I promise to try to be as fast as possible but bear with me please. And big up to her! Best beta in the world.

Chapter 21

The Doctor took two steps back, looking at her with wide eyes as Donna gasped out loud in the background. He tried to move, but as he started to go in her direction, he suddenly fell back heavily into a chair, like all the energy in his body had been drained from him. His face was white as a sheet, like he was two seconds away from unconsciousness.

As Rose was starting to think she made a mistake, that she had traumatized him rather than shocked him; he opened his mouth and a thick black smoke erupted from his mouth then quickly dissipated into the air.

For a few seconds, nobody moved or took a breath, not sure about what to do next. Was he still dying? Or did he manage to finish the detox in time?

Donna poked him in the ribs, making sure he was still alive and not on the verge of dying or collapsing. When she saw he was finally regaining color and was looking better by the second, she turned to Rose with a shocked face and exclaimed, "You're what?!" Suddenly realizing the impact of what Rose had said a few seconds earlier.

"You are all impossible," added Agatha, her voice trembling under so many new emotions. She looked at them all with big eyes, clearly still unsure about what was happening.

"Were you serious?" the Doctor asked in a deep voice, trying his best to take control of the situation which had been long gone from him.

Rose could only nod, her gaze diverting to the floor. She was not really sure what to say now, or if there was anything that she really could add to the conversation. She had mostly played in the heat of the moment, her head only focused on saving the Doctor by any means possible. Even if it was by giving away her most guarded secret. But now that the ash has settled, she realized that she hadn't planned on how to handle the aftermath of her admission.

"Like immortal for real? Until the end of time kind of thing?" Donna could not believe her ears. She knew that Rose was special and all, but the Doctor had always insisted that she was human, just like her. "Wait!" She turned to the Doctor. "You told me she was human!"

"She was!" he squealed, his determined face crumbling fast under the panic he was starting to feel. Rose had been desperately human when they traveled together, and he had examined her enough times to be sure of it. He had been scared after her brush with the Vortex, but everything had come back with the same result every time: she could not be anything but human.

The redhead looked at him suspiciously. "If travelling with you is making me like you I swear…"

Before the situation could degenerate more, Rose stepped in. "No, none of this is the Doctor's fault. Just my fault," she said in direction of Donna before she had the idea to throttle him for false information. "Well…" She turned to the Doctor with a weak smile. "Mine and the TARDIS somehow."

The Doctor's face became ashen. "But that's impossible! I took everything away. I made sure of it."

She laughed humorlessly. "Apparently, you weren't that thorough."

"Can someone care to explain to the one in the back?" Donna asked irritably, completely fed up with the double entendre and all that. She wanted answers, not playful banter.

"I'm sorry, Donna, but we really don't have the time right now. It's a very long and complicated story, and we're really not in the right place…" She eyed the multiple people who were looking at them like they were good for the asylum. And Agatha Christie was clearly not thinking of them a clear of mind at the moment.

The Doctor seized her arm, all humor gone from his eyes, replaced with steel and fire. "When this is finished, we are going to talk about this." His voice had never been that cold towards her, and she had an involuntary chill at the implication. At that instant she knew that from now on, and until she could prove him otherwise, she was not Rose to him.

"I swear. I will tell you everything," she promised while looking in the direction of the Doctor than Donna. Who looked satisfied at the perspective to finally have an answer from at least one of them.

But the Doctor was closing himself off with each second that passed. She knew it was mostly a defense mechanism when he was starting to feel overwhelmed by his feelings, especially ones that were not so good. But she could not help but feel hurt by the sudden distrust. She should had felt it coming. I mean for him Rose Tyler was as human as they come, not some sort of monstrosity of nature. But she was still herself, deep down. She had changed yes, but her fundamental nature was still the same. Well she hoped it was.

He looked at her one last time, his eyes exulting fire and ice like she had never seen before, a last warning if you will, before turning away to the household with a maniac smile on his face. As he started to babble away, distracting everyone from the events of the last ten minutes, she realized that seeing like that was somewhat attractive for a part of her, and not necessarily the one she wanted anyone to see. The Oncoming Storm seething in him, that part he was trying his damndest to never show to anyone, was making the Wolf in her stir and howl deep inside her, like she was calling to something. And she was not really sure on how to manage it.

As the Doctor was most likely explaining a plan to his captive audience, she retreated to the background, trying her best to calm the beast inside her. These sensations were new for her. She could feel Bad Wolf coming out, but she was not trying to take over or show any aggression. It didn't feel like she needed to protect her from what she thought in her powerful mind as a menace. She was not fighting for control neither for domination. She was just waiting. But she didn't know what for.

As she was trying to decipher the whisper of the other part of herself, she didn't see Donna approach her until she just barely entered her peripheral vision, making her almost jump out of her skin in surprise.

"Sorry. I didn't want to frighten you," Donna said carefully as she sat down beside Rose. "I just wanted to tell you that…" She paused while tapping her hand on the nearest surface in emphasis. "For me: immortal, mortal or whatever you are... It doesn't change anything for me. I still think you are pretty bonkers either way."

Rose could not help herself, and burst into laughter at the words of her friend. Making the Doctor side eye her in the distance. She had prepared herself for every sort of response one would normally receive, from disgust to freight to curiosity even, but not in a million years would she have been prepared for Donna's response.

"And a smile! That's what I wanted to see," Donna said happily. She had to admit that Rose's revelation had been a shock, but her best friend was an alien from outer space who travelled in time. So nothing could really faze her anymore. "I'm sorry about my reaction, it was a spur of the moment." Donna looked really contrite. "I really don't have anything against you. It's just…" She looked at the Doctor who was gesticulating all around the place. "He talked so much about you. And you seemed so human…"

"I'm still human!" Rose said in a rush to clarify that oh so vital piece of information. "Well mostly… I'm just different now… It's really complicated to explain it like that…"

Donna put her hand on Rose's leg. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. I mean yeah, I do want to hear more about this, but your priority should be the Doctor." She had a slight grimace. "Well, the killer wasp and then the Doctor." Rose had a small laugh, making Donna smirk. "Feel better?"

And as they exchanged a smile, she realized that yes she was feeling better now and the Wolf was now calmed, back in slumber like nothing happened.

But that quiet moment was short lived as the Doctor headed towards them with a resolute path. "I have a plan," he said, his face serious and grave, mostly focused on Donna than Rose. Who was trying to not take it personally.

The weather had gone sour in the time it took for the Doctor to explain what he was trying to achieve, and be sure that everything was ready for the big set up. Rose had expressed some scepticism, but it had been short lived as the Doctor had reaffirmed he knew what he was doing. And as Donna had said, it's not like they really had a choice.

That's how they all came together in the dining room, trying to eat like nothing happened. Thunder and lightning rumbling in the background.

"I swear if someone knocks at the door right at that moment I'm going to scream," Rose whispered to Donna, who snorted into the soup bowl she had just been served. She tried to disguise it as a cough, but Rose giggling beside her was a dead give away.

"A terrible day for all of us," began the Doctor with a clear voice, trying to distract the group from Donna, who was still giggling with Rose. "The Professor struck down. Miss Chandrakala taken cruelly from us. And yet we still take dinner."

Miss Eddison threw him an annoyed look. "We are British, Doctor. What else must we do?" she said in her most pinched voice. He had definitely touched a sensible point.

"Be a little less stuck up maybe?" Donna mumbled to herself. But she had been overheard by Rose who swallowed wrongly as she laughed at the quip.

All the attention of the table was now on her as she coughed multiple times, trying her best to not choke herself with a bowl of soup. The Doctor was looking mildly annoyed as his theatrics had been interrupted. The only one who was still smiling was Donna, with good reason.

"Sorry," Rose said, tears streaming in her face as she was finally getting a hold on herself. "It's a little too spicy for me."

"Oh I was thinking the same thing!" said miss Eddison's husband with joy. "It has a certain kick that's not unpleasant."

The Doctor straightened up, realizing that his plan was back on track. "It's because I had spiced it up with pepper." He turned to Agatha. "Do you know why pepper?"

She rolled her eyes, knowing already the plan but she still humored him. "No, Doctor. But I'm sure you would gladly tell us."

"The active ingredient of pepper is piperine, traditionally used as an insecticide." He looked around, trying to find any sign of a start of a metamorphose. "So, anyone got the shivers?"

In a dramatic effect, the thunder exploded as soon as he finished his phrase. The window flew open dramatically and the candles extinguished, plunging everything in the dark.

"Perfect timing!" Rose said cheerfully, who was feeling more and more by the second in a gothic novel.

The Doctor shushed everyone before anyone had time to respond. "Listen!"

Everyone stopped talking and moving. Donna was almost certain than some of them had even stopped breathing just in case. After a few seconds, she realized that she could hear a faint buzzing sound.

She heard a gasp in front of her. "No it can be!" Clemency exclaimed with a voice mixing fright and wonder.

Before anyone could ponder about her sudden exclamation, the thunder illuminated the room multiple times. Each time more and more louder with each lightning strike. And every time it happened, the buzzing sound intensified, like he was feeding off it.

"Show yourself demon!" screamed Agatha as she got up.

The Doctor stood up in turn, his arms wide open, trying his best to calm the group. "No nobody move! Stay where you are!"

But it was too late. When the lightning struck once again, it illuminated the wasp who was now in the middle of them, poised and ready to hit.

Rose was the first out of her chair, prepared to go face to face with the creature. But as she placed herself between the wasp and the rest of the group, she realized that she had nothing to actually fight it with. Before she could face real harm, she felt herself tugged firmly backward, almost tripping on herself.

"Out, out, out, out, out!" screamed the Doctor behind her as he pushed her out of the room, closing the door behind him, releasing Rose in the same movement.

"Good idea, Rose," Donna snarked from her spot beside Greeves, who looked worse for wear. "Go face to face with the ginormous monster armed with absolutely nothing! Absolutely nothing could go wrong." The intensity of the glare she gave made Rose almost consider searching for cover. She was now understanding why the Doctor was a little wary of the redhead. You really didn't want to be on her bad side.

"I didn't think…" she admitted with a little bit of shame. "I realized too late that I was not armed."

"Can I remind you that you are not…!" the Doctor started furiously, before realizing what he was about to say. He suddenly deflated and turned away from her, trying his best to look disinterested. "Nevermind…" He shifted his attention to Agatha who was trying to arm herself with a vase, missing the dejected look on Rose face at his attitude. "Not you, Agatha. You've got a long, long life to live yet." He took one of the swords from the paneled wall and barged back into the room, Greeves hotly on his heel.

Donna bumped shoulders with Rose and smiled. "Well, we know the butler didn't do it." She tried to cheer up her friend. But it was to no avail, as Rose was rather hurt by the Doctor's stubbornness. Donna was thinking that if her friend was not seeing the light by the time Rose had fully explained herself, she would smack him into oblivion. They decided to follow the Doctor, just in case he fully intended to attack the wasp with a sword. But as they entered the place, she didn't have more time to dwell on a plan as Clemency started to scream about missing jewelry.

However before anyone had time to react, Davenport gasped loudly. "Roger!" he moaned with visible distress.

They all turned in his direction, to see a now deceased Roger Eddison with a visible stab wound to his back.

"My son! My child!" screamed Clemency as she ran to the body of her child. She touched him, and when she realized that he was really dead, she collapsed. Her wailing of pure agony breaking everyone's heart.

Her husband was the first one beside her, trying his best to comfort his wife without breaking into pieces himself. In the background Greeves ushered Davenport outside, who was visibly on the verge of a collapse himself. Rose wanted to follow them but she didn't know how to start. It was another time and she was afraid to worsen his pain by trying to be present. She turned to the Doctor, who was looking sadly in direction of the couple. Nobody else was moving, too afraid to disturb the grieving mother.

After a few moments, Donna took charge and pushed everyone outside, explaining that now was the time for the police to do their work. She asked them to go into one of the sitting rooms, exchanging a look with Greeves who was now back, and then returned to the group.

"What should we do?" she asked in a low voice to her companions, who looked as lost as her.

"Give them some privacy I think," Rose suggested, who wanted to be anywhere but here. She had the impression she was imposing in a private moment, and she hated that.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, let them mourn for the moment… There is nothing we can do for now."

Agatha Christie was the one to close the door on them, muffling the sound of the loud crying.

"And now what?" she asked, not really sure about the path to follow. She was a writer. She could imagine death, but she had no real experience being face to face with it.

The Doctor sighed. "It's really sad but we really need answers now. Before someone else is murdered." He turned to Donna. "When Miss Eddison is a little more calm, I need you to ask questions about the jewelry she has. How much it's worth. Where did she get it etc, etc. You know the drill." She nodded at the instruction. "Rose, we need to have some arrangements done for poor Roger. And I don't think the Eddisons are up to it at the moment, can you see to it?"

"I will ask Greeves, he will be better suited for that kind of thing, I think." Without waiting for a response, she was gone, her head already on her mission.

"Let's meet in the blue sitting room when you have finished okay?" He said as his companions were going their ways. He then turned to Agatha. "Let's go shall we?" he proposed, opening the door from the sitting room in question.

As they entered the next room, the Doctor realized he had probably lost all control of the situation. He had only wanted to show a little bit of fun to his friends. Maybe impress Rose, but then everything had gone to hell and now… Well now all he wanted was to finish this adventure without losing another part of himself.

If Rose was really immortal… If that was even the real Rose. He didn't want to think about the implication. He certainly didn't want to think about how he had managed to screw over the life of one of his companions. Again...

He never felt more alone.