"Planet Earth. This is where I was born. And this is where I died. For the first nineteen years of my life, nothing happened. Nothing at all. Not ever. And then I met a man called the Doctor."
"Run." The ninth Doctor whispered to her as he grabbed her hand.
"And then a woman called Galaxy."
"The tractor beam tends to scramble your head a little bit so take it easy, okay?" Eighth Galaxy said as she turned the chair around to face her and Jack.
"A man and woman who could change their faces. And they took me away from home and in their magical machine. They showed me the whole of time and space. I thought it would never end.
"How long are you going to stay with us?" Astro asked Rose as he looked up at her as the Time Lords stood next to her. "Forever." She told them.
"That's what I thought. But then came the army of ghosts. Then came Torchwood and the War. And that's when it all ended. This is the story of how I died."
-9-
The Tardis materialised in a corner of a children's playground on a bright sunny day and Rose was the first one to get out with a big and heavy looking rucksack with her.
"Mum, it's us! We're back!" Rose called when they walked into her apartment. "Oh, I don't know why you bother with that phone. You never use it!" Jackie exclaimed as she walked up to them. "Shut up, come here!" Rose said and brought her mother in for a hug. "Oh, I love you." Jackie told her. "I love you!" Rose replied. "I love you so much!" Jackie said again as the Doctor walked past them. "Oh, no you don't. Come here!" Jackie pulled away from Rose and kissed the Doctor on the cheek.
"Oh, you lovely big fella! Oh, you're all mine." Rose and Galaxy just watched the scene in front of them before bursting out into laughter. "Just, just, just put me down." The Doctor said when he got pulled into a hug as well. "Yes, you are." Galaxy was then taken by surprise when Jackie stopped hugging the Doctor and pulled her into one. "Nice to see you, Jackie." Galaxy said smiling as she returned the hug before they parted.
Galaxy chuckled when she saw the face the Doctor pull from getting kissed on the cheek by Jackie so she gave him her own kiss on the cheek which instantly brought a smile on the Doctor's face. "I've got loads of washing for you. And I got you this." Rose said after giving Jackie her rucksack and brought out a small ornate metal nick-nack. "It's from the market on this asteroid bazaar. It's made of, er, what's it called?" Rose asked turning to the Time Lords. "Bazoolium." They answered. "Bazoolium. When it gets cold, yeah, it means it's going to rain. When it's hot, it's going to be sunny. You can use it to tell the weather."
"I've got a surprise for you and all." Jackie told her. "Oh, I get her a Bazoolium, she doesn't even say thanks." "Guess who's coming to visit? You're just in time. He'll be here at ten past. Who do you think it is?" "I don't know." Rose said shaking her head. "Oh go on, guess." "No, I hate guessing. Just tell me." "It's your granddad. Granddad Prentice. He's on his way any minute. Right, cup of tea!" Jackie said all excited and went into the kitchen.
"She's gone mad." Rose said as she watched Jackie. "Tell me something new." The Doctor said and Galaxy whacked him on the arm. "Granddad Prentice, that's her dad. But he died, like, ten years ago. Oh, my God. She's lost it. Mum? What you just said about granddad..." Rose said as they made their way to the kitchen. "Any second now." Jackie said. "But he passed away. His heart gave out. Do you remember?"
"Of course, I do." "Then how can he come back?" Rose asked. "Why don't you asked him yourself? Ten past. Here he comes." Right as Jackie said that a ethereal humanoid shape walks through the wall and stood next to her and the Doctor, Galaxy and Rose watch with their mouths agape, "Here we are, then. Dad, say hello to Rose. Ain't she grown?" The three look at the humanoid before running out of the apartment and went all the way to the parking lot.
"They're everywhere." Galaxy said as she looked to see some kids playing with the humanoids around the place. "Doctor, look out!" Rose shouted and one of the humanoids walked right through the Doctor, who pulled a face because of the uncomfortable sensation he felt from it. "They haven't got long. Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes. They're about to fade." Jackie said when she joined them.
"What do you mean, shift? Since when did ghosts have shifts? Since when did shifts have ghosts? What's going on?" The Doctor asked confused. "Oh, he's not happy when I know more than him, is he?" Jackie asked and Galaxy would laugh at that in any other situation, but not right now. "Jackie, no one is freaking out about this, no screaming or anything." Galaxy told her, this wasn't normal yet the people were accepting it, which was a first if it had anything to do with aliens.
"Why should we? Here we go. Twelve minutes past." Jackie said and the humanoids vanish.
-9-
"On today's Ghostwatch, claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge. It's almost like a military display."
"What the hell's going on?" The Doctor asked as he changed the channel on the TV that they were sitting around. "And tonight we're expecting very strong ghosts from London, through the North and up into Scotland." Again the Doctor changed the channel. "So basically, Eileen, what you're telling me is, that you are in love with a ghost." "He's my ghost, and I love him 24/7." Again he changed the channel. "Well, no one needs me anymore!"
"My ghost was pale and grey until I discovered Ectoshine!" A woman on an advert said and the Doctor changed the channel where a French news reporter was on. "Et le President d'aujourd'hui, quelle est." Then to a Japanese news reporter. "Oh, yes." Jackie said when she noticed the looks on Galaxy's and the Doctor's faces. "It's all over the world." Galaxy said as the Doctor changed the channel to Eastenders.
"Listen to me, Den Watts. I don't care if you have come back from the grave. Get out of my pub! The only spirits I'm serving in this place are gin, whisky and vodka. So, you heard me. Get out!" And with that the Doctor turned the TV off all together. "When did it start?" Astro asked Jackie. "Well, first of all, Peggy heard this noise in the cellar, so she goes down..." "He meant worldwide." Galaxy cut her off.
"Oh. That was about two months ago. Just happened. Woke up one morning, and there they all were. Ghosts, everywhere. We all ran round screaming and that. Whole planet was panicking. No sign of you two, thank you very much. Then it sort of sank in. It took us time to realise that we're lucky." Jackie explained to them. "What makes you think it's granddad?" Rose asked her. "It just feels like him. There's that smell, those old cigarettes. Can't you smell it?" Jackie said. "I wish I could, mum, but I can't."
"You've got to make an effort. You've got to want it, sweetheart." "And the more you want it, the stronger it gets?" The Doctor asked her and she nodded her head. "Sort of, yeah." "So like a psychic link. You want your dad to be alive and that lead you to wishing him into existence. That's how ghosts are able to pull themselves in." Galaxy explained and she didn't mean it to sound mean. "You're spoiling it." Jackie told her. "I know, but I'm sorry Jackie, there's no smell, no cigarettes. It's just a memory."
Galaxy had moments like that, when she was alone she thought she caught the sent that she knew belonged to the Doctor or the one that belonged to Astro but of course they weren't there, it was just her mind lingering on to things like that.
"But if they're not ghosts, what are they then?" Rose asked them. "Yeah, but they're human! You can see them. They look human." Jackie argued but Galaxy knew that didn't have to mean they were. "She's got a point. I mean, they're all sort of blurred, but they're definitely people." Rose said. "Maybe not. They're pressing themselves into the surface of the world. But a footprint doesn't look like a boot."