Unforeseen Love: The Beginning

Surprise! The Unquieted Dead

Celestia appeared, swaying a bit from the nausea as she adjusted from her landing, in a busy street with tons of people walking through. Everyone was moving passed her, almost knocking her down and muttering harshly about her appearance or her refusal to move out of their way.  She looked around aimlessly, not caring about the glares and faces the people around her gave her as she was too busy fearing that she would never find the Doctor and his companion in such a crowded area. She feared that she must have missed them or inserted the incorrect date on the watch when she spotted a familiar blonde and big eared man outside of a shop.

"Rose! Doctor!" Celestia shouted. The two quickly turned around to see the blonde, still in her gold dress, running up to them. They were quickly enveloped into a hug, that Rose quickly returned while the Doctor stayed still as he was shocked at her sudden arrival; not expecting to see the blonde again since their goodbye.

"W-what are you doing here?" Rose asked, still surprised at the sight of the blonde woman.

"The Doctor invited me to travel with you guys!" Celestia chirped as she pulled away, now very much excited now that her worry was eased.

"I thought you couldn't come. You rejected my offer." The Doctor said in disbelief. His eyes wondered the crowd, not seeing her guards anywhere. "How did you get here?" The Doctor asked as he watched the happy woman look around at her surroundings. 

"I was gifted a vortex manipulator!" She said as she showed them the device that was on her wrist. Rose looked at it curiously, not knowing what it was though was very fascinated by it. "It only had enough power with one trip, luckily I got the timing right!" she told them as she took off the device and gave it to the Doctor. 

"You seriously used that; I'm surprised you aren't throwing up somewhere." The Doctor said as he looked at the device in disgust before putting it in his pocket. Celestia looked at his pocket with interest, wondering what else he was hiding in there as it remained the same size even after putting in such a device. 

"I'll probably will later, I am so happy that I actually followed through with it." Celestia said. "Now, what are we going to do?" she asked as the pair looked at her cluelessly.

"We were about to grab some chips." Rose informed her as she pointed to the chip shop that the Doctor and her were going to grab lunch at. 

"Fabulous!" Celestia said in excitement before tilting her head. "But what are chips?" she asked, causing both Rose and the Doctor to turn to her in surprise.

"You don't know what chips are?" Rose asked Celestia in disbelief; she couldn't believe that Celestia didn't know what chips were, they were chips! Everyone loves chips!

As Rose was staring at Celestia, Celestia looked curiously at all of the other humans around her, observing them, their outfits, their behaviors. There were so many of them! "Nope!" Celestia said as she grabbed a red hat from a person walking by; the man didn't seem to notice or at least didn't seem to care about his missing item as he continued to walk away with a child on his side. 

Celestia tried on the hat before placing it on the Doctor's head, who quickly shooed it off. Celestia pouted at his action as she picked the hat back up from the floor and looked around for the man before quickly spotting him and his child. Not wanting the man to notice, she placed the hat on the head of the small blonde child with him, who had turned back to smile at her and to give her a wave. The child returned their attention back to their parent before disappearing into the crowd. Celestia heard her name being called and she returned her attention back to the Doctor and Rose, returning back to their walk to the shop. 

"How do you not know what chips are?" Rose questioned as they finally arrived at the spot. Rose led her new friends to an empty table, where they quickly sat down. The Doctor and Celestia sat at one side while Rose sat on the other side. Celestia could smell the oils and chemicals that were wafting around the restaurant. She thought she would be disgusted by it but instead, her stomach grumbled in hunger.

"I'm from 5 billion years into your future plus I lived on a planet where most humans are not allowed in nor was I allowed to eat anything that could cause me to gain unnecessary weight. Got to be in perfect figure for marriage and events. The usual reasons." Celestia told the human, whose eyes budged out. Rose couldn't believe that royal life was that strict.

"Well," the young blonde said as she stood up from her seat, "I am going to order us the largest size of chips with the works. To celebrate not only your arrival but also to our new journey as travelers." Rose said before she walked off to order.

Celestia ignored the burning stare of the Doctor, who was busy analyzing the woman beside him to care about her refusal to meet his eyes. Celestia tried to focus on her new environment but was slowly deteriorating from his stare.

She finally snapped. "You are going to burn me alive with that stare." She said as she finally looked him in the eyes.

"What made you change your mind?" He questioned her, staring deeper into her eyes. He like seeing her light blue eyes, they were something he has never seen before, but he did wonder as to why she had to cover them when they first met. What happened to her that made it okay for her to no longer need to wear them? He also now noticed the missing golden marks that were no longer on her body.

"Well, I realized that instead of being thrown into my room without a key, I should travel and see the universe. Plus," Celestia leaned in, their noses almost touching by how close they were, "I couldn't just leave you and Rose to have all the fun. I know you would have miss me." She teased, staring deeply into his blue eyes.

The Doctor froze at her sudden movement, almost tempted to lean in and-

Celestia giggled, interrupting the Doctors' thoughts. "Your reaction is hilarious." She said as she pulled away from the man. The Doctor turned his head, trying to hide his blush before turning back to the blonde woman, who greeted him with a smirk.

Rose, who stopped to witness the act, held in a laugh before placing a tray with chips, some plates, and sauces on the table. She was quick to send the Doctor a wink before sitting down, pleased by how the two were acting. Rose was still unfamiliar with the Doctor but even she could tell that the man hadn't been this carefree in a while, plus Celestia was very nice to her and seemed like an interesting person to get to know. A part of her didn't understand why she got such a good feeling from the blonde, but something in her told her to befriend her and to get along. 

"Why aren't you wearing the blindfold? I was told that it was really important for you to wear it." Rose asked curiously as Celestia grabbed a few chips and put them on her plate, going to eat them before stopping, now a bit unsure. Rose frown and grabbed a chip from the basket, starting to eat. Celestia watched Rose dip her chip in a red sauce and eat it, the young blonde sending encouraging looks to the star reader. Celestia followed what she did; grabbed a chip from her plate, dipping it in the sauce before finally having her first 'human' and 'Earth' snack. 

Her diet back on Strallex were mostly fruits and vegetables native to the planet, with the occasional treats that were sent to her from associates, which were all bland and cold, no matter how long they were cooked and heated. 

"I don't need it anymore." She said as she ate the chip, her eyes lighting up with happiness before quickly grabbing more and more as she realized she was really hungry. Now that she did think about it, it had been a while since she had last eaten. She was probably going to regret eating so much in such a small timeframe, but she could not help it. Chips were now her favorite food, her favorite meal, her favorite everything. 

 "Slow down." The Doctor advised, tilting his head as he observed her. He did not need her throwing up at the shop or in his Tardis, though he did wonder why she was going crazy over the chips; he would have assumed that she must have eaten better food in the palace. 

"Why don't you need it?" Rose questioned the girl, who started dipping the chips in the other sauces Rose brought them. Celestia scrunched her nose at the yellow sauce before going back to the red, liking it much more than the yellow one. The Doctor felt a small smile appear on his face when he noticed a spec of ketchup near the corner of her mouth before erasing it from his face, but it was too late as Rose had already noticed it. She decided to keep silent, which became much harder when the Doctor used his thumb to swipe away the sauce, to which Celestia smiled as appreciation. 

Celestia grabbed another chip from the tray, wondering what to say as she did not want to confuse the blonde. She looked over to the Doctor, who stared at her in return, waiting for her to answer.

 "You're no help." Celestia mumbled with the roll of her eyes before casting her eyes back on Rose. "I don't need it because I became partners with him." Celestia said, pointing her chip at the Doctor, who looked at her in confusion.

"I'm sorry but what do you mean we became partners?" He asked, not liking the word. He found her attractive- he meant interesting, he found her interesting but partners? He was just getting used to having Rose around and now this woman was claiming that they are partners? And what does that even mean?

Celestia blinked before realizing that he did not know what he did. "Are you stupid?" Celestia blurted out. "How do you not know we are partners!" she said loudly, earning looks from the other customers nearby. 

"First of all, I am not stupid." the Doctor said, annoyance quickly building up. "Second of all, how am I supposed to know, I don't even know what 'partners' refer to on Strallex." he told her. 

An idea popped up in Rose's head. "Doctor," the young blonde turned to him, "did you propose to her accidently?' she asked and watched as the Doctor became white as a sheet and froze. He quickly looked over at Celestia, who went silent, causing him to panic. He started thinking about Strallex laws and their culture, nothing that he did suggest that he proposed to her, at least to his knowledge. Now that he realized it, it had been a while since he last visited Strallex, a long while. 

"He didn't propose to me." Celestia pipped up after watching the Doctor and his reaction. "When my blindfold came off, he was the first person I saw. Under Strallex law and as the Great Star, we became partners which means that my powers are now tied to him and that we must be around each other. " Celestia fibbed as she reached over to grab a napkin from the napkin dispenser that was on their table.

"Is there any way I can reject it?" The Doctor asked. He was a bit harsh, but Celestia didn't seem to notice as she looked around at the other humans. She noticed a lot of them were families or couples, which caused her to think about her family. They were probably going to be searching for her, but she did not regret her decision. She was already starting to like her new life; it had chips in it. 

"Nope." she said with a closed eyed smile. The Doctor examined her, hoping to see that she was lying but from what he could tell, she was serious with her claims. Celestia let the man stare her down, her eyes only showing her amusement and happiness over the situation as she opened her eyes and stared at him right back.

"So how does this effect your title and power?" Rose questioned as the Doctor broke away from her eyes.

"Well, now I am no longer a Princess of Strallex and will be held as prisoner if I were to go back, since I know so many secrets and such." Celestia said a careless tone, surprising the duo. She honestly looked as though she did not care that she could not go back to the planet she was raised in. "Plus now my powers will basically show me more when it comes to the Doctor's decisions/actions in events. It's so that he doesn't get too injured or die though I'm not too sure how it will work with you being a Time Lord but hopefully it won't affect my abilities too much. I can pull up the Doctor's star whenever I want while for others I have only a certain amount of time." She informed them, trying not to go into detail. 

"So, you basically can tell the Doctor's future." Rose summarized as she leaned back and thought about the new information.

"Yup." Celestia said with a pop from her lips as the Doctor thought everything through carefully. He already did not enjoy her abilities and now he was close to hating it, he did not like it when people knew more about something then he did. He was quickly snapped from his thoughts when Celestia suddenly added, "As long as the stars allow it, I can see his stars whenever I desire. Though why wouldn't they allow it." 

"You said you could read people's stars. What does that mean exactly?" the Doctor asked the older blonde, needing to know more about her abilities if she was going to be traveling with him. 

"Well, have you ever heard the expression 'written in the stars'?" the pair nodded their heads. "That's basically it. Stars are always with us; from the moment we enter the world to the day we leave it. Some events are foreseen and are set in stone, hence forth they are inscribed in the stars. Time is flux but there are certain events in a person life that must occur. It is my duty to read the stars and guide people to these events or to give them advice. I can learn of people's fates, their deaths, their accomplishments, etc. as long as it is in their stars. Some information is easier to get than others." the older blonde explained as she stood up to return the tray. She received weird looks as she walked by, due to her wearing a gown, but she ignored them.

"Yeah, but how do you do it?" Rose asked Celestia once she made it back to the table and had sat down. 

"Star reading?" Celestia asked without looking at the girl, instead returning her focus on the man beside her. "I'm not allowed to share. 'Great Star' rules, sorry." she said, though her tone was very far from being apologetic. 

The Doctor and Rose wanted to know more about her position but stayed silent as they knew that the blonde wouldn't release such information easily, they just had to wait for her to open up to them.

Once they were done eating, the Doctor and Rose led Celestia to where they parked and into the Tardis, which welcomed Celestia with a hum telepathically. The Doctor waited for his favorite words as Rose thought about questions to ask the other blonde. Celestia looked around with an impressed look on her face before lightly touching the dashboard of the switch. She looked up and saw the Doctor waiting for something, causing her to shoot him a confused look.

"So, notice anything about the ship?" He asked, though was slowly becoming disappointed as she looked around. "Anything at all? Maybe regarding the size..." he hinted as he leaned against the railing.

Celestia took a moment before opening her mouth. "She's sexy." She complimented the ship, which hummed in her head, thanking her for the compliment.

The Doctor slumped, wanting to hear the words 'it's bigger on the inside', he loved that bit. Celestia noticed his reaction and decided to humor him a bit after the Tardis made a few sounds in her head; informing the young woman of the Doctor's want. Celestia did not know how she understood the ship, but she was chalking it up to being partnered with the Doctor.

"You know what," he looked up at her as she gazed around the room, her eyes wide as she took in every little detail, "it's bigger on the inside." she said as she looked at him, her eyes gleaming with fascination and mischief. "How does she do that?" she asked him. 

The Doctor beamed before realizing that she said it to make him happy, though he did not mind. The Doctor leaned off the railing and walked over to her before leaning slightly closer to the star reader but still keeping his distance. "I could tell you, but I don't think you would be able to handle it." he said, his eyes sharing that same spark of mischief.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" she asked, her eyes now mirroring his.  She walked closer to the Doctor, lessening the space between them, watching as his eyes instantly met hers before glancing down at her lips, a faint smile graced her lips before disappearing to form a confident smirk. "Try me." she said. The Doctor felt a sort of rush go through him, something that he had never felt before. He wanted to hate it but as he stared deeper into her eyes, he couldn't help but smile in return, his eyes shining with interest. 

Rose clapped her hands together, causing the Doctor and Celestia to turn to her. "Why don't we find your room while the Doctor figures out where to take us for our next trip?" Rose suggested as she walked over to lace their arms together. 

"You're right, plus I do need a moment to rest before the travel sickness gets to me." Celestia agreed with her and let the younger blonde lead her, leaving the Doctor to decide where they were going to next.

When the girls came back, the Doctor decided it was a good decision to teach Rose how to fly the Tardis (though he did promise Celestia that he would let her fly the ship once she got better situated). 

"Hold that one down!" The Doctor ordered as he held on to the dashboard. Celestia was holding on to the railing, almost flying off as she tried tightening her grip on the bar. The jerky movements of the ship were making it painstakingly hard to hold on.

"I'm holding this one down." Rose argued as tried to hold onto the console. 

"Well, hold them both down." The Doctor rebutted as he tried instructing her. 

"Can you please help her or at least do it for her!" Celestia called out, almost straddling the railing as to not let go. 

"How else is she going to learn!" The Doctor responded back to the star reader.

"It's not going to work." Rose protested as she tried to stretch across half the console and failing.

"Oi! I promised you a time machine and that's what you're getting. Now, you've seen the future, let's have a look at the past. 1860. How does 1860 sound?" The Doctor asked, though he did press a few buttons to make the Tardis less jerky.

"What happened in 1860?" Rose asked.

"I don't know, let's find out. Hold on, here we go!" The Doctor said excitedly. The Tardis finally landed, though with a bump; causing everyone to fall to the floor. Celestia groaned at the impact, not able to stand up from the pain.

"Blimey!" Rose said from the floor, rolling a bit from the sudden pain.

"You can say that again." Celestia mumbled as she rubbed her head.

"You're telling me. Are you both alright?" The Doctor asked. The Doctor quickly stood up to help the older blonde stand, as she was closest to him, though Celestia was not expecting such strength; causing her to stumble into the Doctor's chest. She could hear the pounding of his two hearts, which seemed to play in her head like a song that she couldn't get enough of. The Doctor cleared his throat, causing her to slowly separate from him, her cheeks slightly pink.

"Thank you, Doctor." Celestia mumbled quietly before walking over to the younger blonde, helping her stand and making sure she was alright. Celestia continued to mumble to herself as she fixed Rose's hair, her cheeks still pinker than when they were earlier. 

"Yeah. I think so. Nothing broken. Did we make it? Where are we?" Rose asked, a bit surprised at what the blonde was doing but let her continue as to what she was doing, it was nice being taken care of by someone other than her mother. 

"I did it. Give the man a medal. Earth, Naples, December 24th, 1860." The Doctor said excitedly.

"That's so weird. It's Christmas." Rose commented as she grabbed Celestia hand, surprising Celestia and even herself. 

The Doctor nodded at Rose. "All yours." he told her before wondering where Celestia would want to go to or what event she wanted to see. 

"But, it's like, think about it, though. Christmas. 1860. Happens once, just once and it's gone, it's finished, it'll never happen again. Except for you. You can go back and see days that are dead and gone a hundred thousand sunsets ago. No wonder you never stay still." Rose said as she steadily got more and more excited, her clasped hand squeezing Celestia's, who didn't mind as she enjoyed watching Rose get excited. 

"Not a bad life." The Doctor said with a grand smile.

"Better with three." Rose said, tugging Celestia's joined hand so that she would know to follow her. Celestia, not expecting such strength from the younger girl, stumbled as Rose dragged her to the Tardis door before noticing that the Doctor was not following them. "Come on, then." Rose said.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" The Doctor asked her.

"1860." Rose said in an obvious tone.

"Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarella. At least Celestia is already wearing a dress. There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left. Hurry up!" He instructed.

Rose gave Celestia a confused look, not remembering the way for the wardrobe, while Celestia dragged her, understanding her confused look. Celestia, not used to picking her own outfits, relied heavily on Rose and her fashion sense to pick the right dress. She was used to having maids and her own mother monitoring and making all decisions for her, as she was blindfolded for most of her life, so being able to do this was a lot for her.

Rose did not mind at all, she seemed to love hanging out with the older blonde, who made sure to ask plenty of questions about her. Celestia was very curious about Rose and her life, which Rose did not mind at all. She loved having a new friend, even if her new friend was a human raised by aliens. 

Rose and Celestia had decided on dresses that had similar designs yet different colors. While Roses dress was black with layers of purple, Celestia's dress was white with layers of blue. Celestia even did their makeup, though Rose had jumped in a few times; Celestia was proud that she could at least help with that and not be totally useless.

Rose urged Celestia to show the Doctor, wanting them to get closer as she saw how they looked at each other while she finished her hair. Celestia, silently agreeing that she wanted to see the Doctor's reaction, walked back to the console room, where he was working under the console. It seemed as though he did not hear her, causing her to let out a small cough to get his attention.

 He turned over and looked at her, stunned by her beauty. For a moment, he believed that she was the most beautiful being he had ever saw; she shined brighter than any star he has ever saw. Even more beautiful than all the sights he had ever seen in all of his travels.

"Blimey!" The Doctor said, as he looked over Celestia.

"Don't laugh." Celestia said as she fidgeted in her spot. This was the first time she worried about someone's opinion other than her parents. Celestia was used to wearing dresses, yet this seemed different to her. She could feel her heart racing as she waited for him to say more about her outfit. 

"You look stunning." The Doctor complimented Celestia, who blushed at The Doctor quickly knew that he loved to see her blush, how rosy her cheeks got, how she looked away so that he wouldn't notice but he did. He wanted to tell her that she looked better than stunning, that she was like a star, so bright and captivating but he shouldn't. "Considering..." he trailed off instead, trying to find something less embarrassing to say. 

"Considering what?" Celestia asked softly, as she looked down at her dress; lightly soothing the material down to calm her nerves. She had gotten complimented plenty of times, yet her heart seemed to soar when the Doctor did it.

"That you're human." He said as he quickly turned away, his ears a light pink. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that she was human and that he shouldn't be having such thoughts about her. 

Celestia felt her heart drop for a moment before nodding, washing away any expression from her face. "Thank you." she said, giving him a small smile that didn't meet her eye.  "You look very nice as well. I like your jumper, it looks good on you." she complimented him. 

The Doctor, noticing her change in mood, quickly tried to find the right words to say. "Thank you but what I meant to say was that that you look way better than other humans. Not like humans are usually good looking but you are, I mean that you are really, really stunning. I-I." he said, not knowing where he was going with it. 

"I think that's a compliment." Rose interrupted as she walked into the console room. Celestia nodded her head, accepting the compliment and sending a reassuring smile to the Doctor, who gave her back a thankful one. 

Rose sighed, she was going to have to teach the Doctor how to properly flirt and not insult someone, especially women. "Aren't you going to change?" Rose asked the Doctor.

He showcased his new shirt like it was a big change. "I've changed my jumper. Come on." The Doctor said.

Rose raced ahead of them to reach the door, stopping them from getting closer. "You stay there. You've done this before. This is mine." Rose ordered playfully. Celestia laughed at her eagerness before following her out the Tardis. Celestia was a bit confused at the cold and wet sensation around her before laughing once more as snowflakes began to grace her face, leaving small cold kisses behind before they melted.

"Ready for this? Here we go. History." The Doctor said, grinning at his two blonde companions.

The trio walked down the street as a choir sing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Celestia was quick to ask them about the lyrics and the traditions of the time; the Doctor was more than happy to explain to her. After explaining, the Doctor buys a newspaper from a young boy while Rose and Celestia look around patiently for him to return to their side. He returns to them a few minutes later with a slight frown on his face as he reads the paper.

"I got the flight a bit wrong." The Doctor admits as Celestia and Rose hold on to each other, taking their time to look around at everything. Celestia was fascinated with everything, fearing that she was annoying Rose and the Doctor by the way she stopped to examine almost everything little thing she saw but she couldn't help herself. Everything was bright and brand new to her; she would never grow tired of it. 

"I don't care." Rose and Celestia chimed, causing them to both look at each other and giggle.

"It's not 1860, it's 1869." He explained to them.

"I don't care." Rose repeated before sticking her tongue out to catch a snowflake.

Celestia giggled at her childish action before doing the same, the two giggling and smiling at how silly they were being. "Doesn't make a difference to me, I'm just happy to be here." Celestia voiced as she and Rose returned to their fun. 

"And it's not Naples." He admitted sheepishly to them, causing the girls to return their focus on him.

Rose shook her head at him. "I don't care." she told him. 

"It's Cardiff." He admitted. Once those words were said, Rose stopped in her tracks causing Celestia to falter a bit.

"Right." Rose said, the disappointment clear in her voice.

Celestia looked at them in confusion. "What's wrong with Cardiff?" Celestia asked but was overshadowed by screams erupting nearby.

"That's more like it!" The Doctor said, giving them a look of excitement before he ran in the direction of the screams. The girls hurriedly ran after him into the theater, ignoring and trying their hardest to bypass the crowd that were trying to leave.

"Fantastic." the Doctor said, causing the girls to look over at what he was seeing. Celestia stared, fascinated as an old woman's face shined blue before opening her mouth, letting wispy lights out of her body before collapsing.

"Did you see where it came from?" the Doctor asked a man who was standing on the stage, staring at the scene flabbergasted at what had occurred.

"Ah, the wag reveals himself, does he? I trust you're satisfied, sir!" the man said angrily.

"Oi! Leave her alone!" Rose shouted at the people who were picking up the dead body. She then turned to the Doctor and Celestia. "Doctor, I'll get them." Rose said before setting off.

"Be careful!" Celestia shouted as she worriedly watches the young blonde get closer to the strangers before turning back to the Doctor. "Should I go with her?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "She'll be fine! Don't worry about it." He told her before facing the man next to them. "Did it say anything? Can it speak? I'm the Doctor, by the way. This is Celestia."

"Hello, it's very nice to meet you." Celestia said politely, giving the man a charming smile.

The man ignored her greeting to stare at the Doctor in disbelief. "Doctor? You look more like a Navie." He said, causing Celestia to turn her head to the side, hoping to hide her laughter though the Doctor heard her muffled laugh.

He playfully glared at her. "What's wrong with this jumper?" he asked.

"Nothing Doctor, it's a very nice jumper." Celestia said before noticing a blue entity fly into a gas light.

The Doctor also noticed the blue entity as well. "Gas! It's made of gas." The Doctor said in excitement before grabbing Celestia's hand and taking her outside the theatre, where they watched an unconscious Rose get shoved into the back of a carriage.

"Rose!" they shouted in worry before being stopped by the man from earlier.

"You're not escaping me, sir. What do you know about that hobgoblin, hmm? Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to it?" the man questioned the Doctor.

"Yeah, mate. Not now, thanks." The Doctor said before noticing a nearby carriage. He led Celestia into the carriage before entering it himself. "Oi, you! Follow that hearse!" he ordered the couch driver.

"I can't do that, sir." The driver said.

"Why not?" the Doctor asked. The man from before appears and opens the door of the carriage.

"I'll tell you why not. I'll give you a very good reason why not. Because this is my coach." the man informed them.

"Well, get in, then." Celestia said, trying to make some room for the man who quickly entered. Because of how little room there was, she had to sit on the Doctor's lap to be able to make enough room for the three of them. The Doctor didn't seem to mind and he positioned her so that she would not be too uncomfortable on his lap. "Move!" She ordered to the driver, she wanted to hurry up and get to Rose; she had no clue what was going to happen to the blonde, which made her quite worried for her.

The driver cracks the whip, and the carriage moves down the street. Celestia rolled her eyes at the speed they were going at, she saw people having an easier time walking and navigating through the snow better than them.

"Come on, you're losing them." The Doctor said, also frustrated by the speed they were going at.

"Everything in order, Mister Dickens?" the driver asked, causing the pair to freeze.

"No! It is not!" Charles Dickson answered grumpily.

"What did he say?" the Doctor asked as Celestia got a better look at the man.

"Let me say this first. I'm not without a sense of humour." The man, Mister Dickens, said.

"Dickens?" Celestia asked, examining the man and trying not to show her excitement.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Charles Dickens?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes." The man said with a nod.

"The Charles Dickens?" Celestia asked, no longer hiding her happiness. If it wasn't for the Doctor holding her, she probably would have made quiet a fool of herself.

"Should I remove the gentleman and madam, sir?" The driver asked Charles Dickens.

"Charles Dickens? You're brilliant, you are." The Doctor said. Celestia nodded excitedly in agreement, almost injuring herself in the process but that did not stop her.

"Completely one hundred percent brilliant." Celestia complimented him. "I would hide in the library at home and spend hours reading your stories. I've read them all. Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and what's the other one, the one with the ghost?" Celestia asked as she racked through her brain for the answer.

"A Christmas Carol?" Charles Dickens suggested.

"No, no, no, I know the one you're thinking about, it's the one with the trains. The Signal Man, that's it. Terrifying! The best short story ever written. You're a genius." The Doctor said, giving Charles Dickens a bright smile.

"You want me to get rid of them, sir?" The driver asked.

"Er, no, I think they can stay." he said, accepting the rather odd couple in his couch.

"Honestly, Charles. Can I call you Charles? I'm such a big fan." The Doctor beamed.

"Not as much as me Doctor. I am a much bigger fan of his." Celestia butted in before turning to Charles. "My parents had to hide your books from me since I was so enthralled with them."

"A what? A big what?" Charles questioned, not understanding what they were saying.

"Fan. Number one fan, that's me." the Doctor said happily.

"No, me." Celestia insisted, batting her eyes at the novelist.

"How exactly are you a fan? In what way do you resemble a means of keeping oneself cool?" Charles questioned them. Celestia gave the Doctor a looked, which told him that he had to be the one to answer him. The Doctor shook his head, not wanting too but Celestia hardened her eyes; causing him to sigh before starting his explanation.

"No, it means fanatic, devoted to." The Doctor said before beginning to ramble. "Mind you, I've got to say, that American bit in Martin Chuzzlewit, what's that about? Was that just padding or what? I mean, it's rubbish, that bit."

"I never understood why you added that part." Celestia agreed with the Doctor. Her parents gave her the best education they could but when it came to understanding Earth history and literature, she had to do her own research, which was difficult as there was very little information on Strallex, and she was rarely allowed out of the kingdom without an extensive number of guards and spies.

"I thought you said you were my fan." Charles said, confused on the change up.

"Ah, well, if you can't take criticism. Go on, do the death of Little Nell, it cracks me up. No, sorry, forget about that. Come on, faster!" The Doctor urged the coach man, who ignored the Doctor and stayed on the same pace.

"Who exactly is in that hearse?" Charles asked them.

"My friend. She's only nineteen. It's my fault. She's in my care, and now she's in danger." The Doctor said, he looked down, ashamed but Celestia shook her head; causing him to look at her.

"It's not your fault Doctor." She told him. "It's mine. I should have seen this coming, but I didn't. I should have realized something was wrong sooner." The Doctor gently interlocked their hands, letting him relax for a moment.

"Why are we wasting my time talking about dry old books? This is much more important. Driver, be swift! The chase is on!" Dickens ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The driver whipped the horse, increasing their speed. The Doctor gripped Celestia's waist, holding onto her tightly so that she did not get injured. Celestia blushed a bit before turning to Charlse Dickens.

"Thank you, Charlie." The Doctor and Celestia said in unison, both wearing a matching smile on their faces.

"Nobody calls me Charlie." He told them.

"The ladies do." the Doctor said as Celestia gave him a wink.

"How do you know that?" he asked them, a bit flabbergasted.

"I told you, I'm your number one-" the Doctor was interrupted by Dickens.

"Number one fan." he said exasperatedly.

They finally made it to their destination, a funeral home. Celestia looked at the building and marched herself to the door; with the Doctor and Charles Dickens following closely behind. She pounded at the door and waited impatiently for someone to answer. After waiting a few more seconds, she pounded at the door once more. This time, a brunette maid opened the door.

"I'm sorry, Miss. We're closed." the main informed them but Celestia could hear her voice wavering; telling her that she was lying to them.

"Nonsense. Since when did an Undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on schedule. I demand to see your master." Charles ordered as he stepped forward.

"He's not in, sir." the maid said, trying to close the door but failing as Charles prevented her from doing so.

"Don't lie to me, child. Summon him at once." he ordered her.

"I'm awfully sorry, Mister Dickens, but the master's indisposed." she said. Celestia noted the gas lamp flaring behind the maid.

"Having trouble with your gas?" the Doctor asked, pointing to the lamp. The Doctor let himself in and that was enough for Celestia to walk in herself. She had squeezed by the brunette maid, her hand lingering a moment on hers, a familiar jolt traveling through her, before joining the Doctor. They went to the wall where the lamp was and put their ears to the wall.

"What the Shakespeare is going on?" Charles asked from behind them, not believing what he was seeing.

"You and your partner are not allowed inside sir." the maid tried telling them but they ignored her. They were too busy listening to the sounds coming out of the pipes in the wall to notice the word she used.

"There's something inside the walls." Celestia muttered as she moved back from the wall.

"The gas pipes. Something's living inside the gas." the Doctor said before hearing screaming, He grabbed Celestia's hand and they ran down the corridor, bumping into an old man.

"Let me out! Somebody open the door! Open the door!" Rose's voice called out. The Doctor and Celestia followed Rose's voice to a room with a locked door. The Doctor let go of Celestia's hand to kick the door in, breaking the hinges off. They rushed in to see Rose in the company of two people, one was the old woman from earlier and the other was a young man, both were dead and had almost white eyes staring back at them.

"I think this is my dance." The Doctor said, pulling Rose away from the dead people. Rose quickly went into the arms of Celestia, who was quick to comfort the girl; squeezing her tight and rocking her a bit to calm her down.

"It's a prank. It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence." Charles Dickens said, as he stared at the dead people in disbelief.

"No, we're not. The dead are walking." The Doctor told him before focusing on Rose. "Hi." he greeted her, like there wasn't two living dead people in front of them.

"Hi." Rose said, still in Celestia's arms. "Who's your friend?" she asked.

"Charles Dickens." Celestia told her, giving her an exciting look.

"Okay." Rose said with a nod before they all returned their focus to the living dead.

"My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?" He questioned them.

"Failing. Open the rift. We're dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us. Argh!" the possessed bodies sad before a blue gas leaves their bodies and return to the lamps in the room. Once the gas leaves, the bodies collapse to the ground; leaving the group in shock at what just occurred.

The group left the room to go into the living room where the undertaker, Sneed, sat in one of the chairs as the rest were standing around the room. The maid, Gwyneth, was pouring some tea for them while Charles was staring at the group with an indiscernible look, most likely he was needing some alone time with himself to process everything. The Doctor and Celestia were in front of the mantlepiece, staring proudly at Rose, who was pacing back and forth with an angry look on her face and shooting glares at Sneed. The Doctor was tempted to step in and calm the poor girl, but Celestia waved him off, telling him that Rose was able to handle the situation herself and that if she needed anything, then Celestia herself would help her. The Doctor was a bit confused on how Celestia could help Rose but chose to keep it to himself and just watch her.

The Doctor enjoyed Celestia as a person but there was still something about her that made him cautious and unable to fully trust her. She was too alluring, too dangerous and yet he couldn't help but be glad that she was with them. She would make a great friend to him and Rose once they learn more about each other and earn their trust.

"First of all, you drug me, then you kidnap me, and don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wander, you dirty old man." Rose berated Sneed, who looked quite scared of the young blonde. Celestia was proud of her, liking how fierce Rose was being.

"I won't be spoken to like this!" Sneed shouted.

"Just shut it and listen you old man." Celestia said as she leaned her head against the Doctor's shoulder, glaring at the man for shouting at Rose. "She has not yet finish talking. You will wait your turn. Till then, keep your mouth shut." Sneed lowered his head and seemed to have shriveled up; hearing the regal and mighty voice Celestia used, which reminded him of royalty.

"Thank you, Celeste." Rose thanked her before turning her attention back to Sneed. Celestia blinked at the name before mouthing it. "Celeste, Celeste, Celeste." she whispered quietly; she liked it. It was the first time someone gave her a nickname like that. The Face of Boe called her princess but that was because she was a princess; though she did like that he used the term endearingly instead of being formal with it.

"Then you stuck me in a room full of zombies! And if that ain't enough, you swan off and leave me to die! So come on, talk!" Rose shouted angrily at the man. Sneed was about to shout back but stopped; noticing the look Celestia was giving him.

"It's not my fault. It's this house. It always had a reputation. Haunted. But I never had much bother until a few months back, and then the stiffs, the er, dear departed started getting restless." he said almost sheepishly.

"Tommyrot." Charles said, not believing the old man.

"You witnessed it. Can't keep the beggars down, sir. They walk. And it's the queerest thing, but they hang on to scraps." Sneed retorted.

"Two sugars for the gentlemen and milk and honey for the madam; just how you both like it. " Gwyneth said, placing the Doctor a cup of tea on the mantlepiece beside him before giving Celestia a cup of her own. Celestia ignored the Doctors curious look and gave Gwyneth a small smile.

"Thank you so much." Celestia thanked her before taking a sip from her cup. It was perfect, though that was to be expected.

"One old fellow who used to be a sexton almost walked into his own memorial service. Just like the old lady going to your performance, sir, just as she planned." Sneed informed them.

"Morbid fancy." Charles scoffed, not believing the man. Celestia and the Doctor looked at him in disappointment.

"Oh, Charles, you were there." The Doctor said as Charles ignored their looks.

"I saw nothing but an illusion." Charles said, denying everything.

"If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time. Just shut up." The Doctor said, fed up with how the Charles Dickens was acting.

"What about the gas?" Celestia asked Sneed, as Charles looked at the Doctor with astonishment that he said that to him.

"That's new, ma'am. Never seen anything like that." Sneed admitted to the older blonde, who nodded before sending the Doctor a look.

"Means it's getting stronger, the rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through." she said aloud before leaning up to the Doctor's ear. "Since it's in a gaseous form, I won't be able to touch it. Even if they possess a body, I won't be able to see what their end goal is." she whispered to him. The Doctor nodded at the news and patted her shoulder. "It'll be alright." he whispered back to her.

"What's the rift?" Rose asked, though she made a note to ask Celestia about her and the Doctor. She had noticed how close they were getting, all of the touches and looks they shared; it was a bit obvious that there was something there, even if they couldn't see it themselves.

"A weak point in time and space. A connection between this place and another. That's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time." The Doctor informed them as Celestia watched Gwyneth collect the cups. She walked over to the girl and placed a light hand on top of hers. Gwyneth shot her a confused look before her eyes widened. Celestia smiled at her and nodded before removing her hand.

"That's how I got the house so cheap. Stories going back generations." Sneed said before jumping slight at the sound of Charles slamming the door as he left. Sneed waited a moment before continuing. "Echoes in the dark, queer songs in the air, and this feeling like a shadow passing over your soul. Mind you, truth be told, it's been good for business. Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like mine." he finished, giving them a small yet tired smile.

Celestia and Rose followed Gwyneth into the pantry as the Doctor left to talk to Charles, hoping to convince him to stay. Celestia had watched Gwyneth worked for a moment before helping her collect other dishes that needed to be washed as Rose started washing them.

"Please you girls shouldn't be helping. It's not right." Gwyneth said but Celestia and Rose waved her off.

"Don't be daft. Sneed works you to death." Rose said as she continued washing the cup that was in her hand. "How much do you get paid?" Rose asked her.

"Eight pound a year, miss." Gwyneth gushed, happy with the amount.

"How much?" Rose asked in disbelief.

"I know. I would've been happy with six." Gwyneth said happily.

Rose sent Celestia a look, not believing that Gwyneth could actually be happy with the amount she was getting paid. Celestia just motioned to their clothes and where they were at, it was a different time after all.

"So, did you go to school or what?" Rose asked Gwyneth.

"Of course, I did. What do you think I am, an urchin?" Gwyneth asked, a bit offended. "I went every Sunday, nice and proper." she told them.

"What, once a week?" Rose asked, shocked.

"We did sums and everything. To be honest, I hated every second." the brunette admitted.

"Me too." Rose gushed.

Celestia nodded. "I wasn't able to go to school, but I did have tutors." Celestia leaned into them. "I was honestly so bored out of my mind." They all giggled.

"Don't tell anyone, but one week, I didn't go and ran on the heath all on my own." Gwyneth told them happily; she was glad that she was able talk to girls so close in age to her and be able to relax for a moment.

"I did plenty of that. I used to go down the shops with my mate Shareen. We used to go and look at boys." Rose said with a big grin.

Gwyneth blushed then looked back at the washing bin. "Well, I don't know much about that, miss." she said, a bit embarrassed.

Rose nudged her as she sat down the dishes in her hand. "Come on, times haven't changed that much. I bet you've done the same."

"I don't think so, miss." Gwyneth denied yet Celestia and Rose could see the blush that graced her cheeks.

"Gwyneth, you can tell us. I bet you've got your eye on someone." Celestia said, giving the girl a convincing smile.

"I suppose. There is one lad. The butcher's boy. He comes by every Tuesday. Such a lovely smile on him." she confessed to them shyly, yet her eyes told them that this boy was very special to her.

"I like eyes. It doesn't matter what the eyes colors are but there is something about staring into their eyes, like there is a something that makes me what to get to know the person more. Plus, maintaining eye contact is quite attractive if I do say so myself." Celestia said with a flirty smile.

"Eyes are nice though I do agree with Gwyneth. I like a nice smile. Good smile, nice bum." Rose said with a laugh. Celestia let out a small giggle at the young blonde words, but Gwyneth was slightly appalled at her words.

"Well, I have never heard the like." Gwyneth said as she went back to her chores.

"Ask him out. Give him a cup of tea or something, that's a start." Rose advised, hoping to encourage her.

"Or maybe you should make light conversation when you stop by the butchers, keep it light and friendly and then reel him in." Celestia suggested before ending it with a suggestive smile.

"I swear it is the strangest thing, misses. You've both got all the clothes and the breeding, but you talk like some sort of wild thing." She said, directing the comment to Rose before looking at Celestia. "You talk like a rebellious princess or a sophisticated wild thing."

Celestia laughed at her choice of words. "I'll take that as a compliment my dear."

"Maybe I am. Maybe that's a good thing. You need a bit more in your life than Mister Sneed." Rose stated.

"Oh, now that's not fair. He's not so bad, old Sneed. He was very kind to me to take me in because I lost my mum and dad to the flu when I was twelve." Gwyneth informed them.

Celestia eyes sadden. "I'm sorry for your loss, Gwyneth. It must have been hard for you." Celestia said as she moved closer to the brunette to bring in her to a short hug.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Rose apologized before joining in the hug.

Once they let go, Gwyneth seemed to relax a bit. "Thank you, miss. But I'll be with them again, one day, sitting with them in paradise. I shall be so blessed. They're waiting for me. Maybe your dad's up there waiting for you too, miss." She said to Rose before turning to Celestia. "Perhaps your parents are still out there, waiting for you to come back."

"Maybe. Er, who told you he was dead?" Rose asked Gwyneth, who avoided her eyes and turned to focus on the dishes. Celestia froze at her words before relaxing slightly, watching Gwyneth with a curious expression on her face. When she touched her earlier, she could tell that there was something bubbling inside of Gwyneth, something that was slowly becoming more and more powerful as she stayed in this house. Celestia did not have the time to see Gwyneth's stars, but she could tell without them that Gwyneth was someone special. Plus, she never told the Doctor about her parents, besides that they had casted her away; she kept everything about her parents mostly to herself.

"I don't know. Must have been the Doctor." Gwyneth said but her posture and tone told Celestia that she was lying and it was impossible for the Doctor to tell her such things as Celestia was with him most of the time or in Gwyneth's company.

Rose frowned as she thought about her family and her father. "My father died years back."

"But you've been thinking about him lately more than ever. Same with you and your parents." Gwyneth said, a far-off look in her eyes.

"I suppose so. How do you know all this?" Rose asked her.

"Mister Sneed says I think too much. I'm all alone down here. I bet you've got dozens of servants, haven't you, miss?" Gwyneth asked them.

"No, no servants where I'm from." Rose said.

Celestia nodded. "I do." Rose looked at her in shocked, causing Celestia to raise an eyebrow at her. "My family is royalty Rosie, I was a princess for god's sake, of course I had servants plus I was in a predicament where I was unable to see for most of my life, I was provided with servants to help me with certain tasks." She explained.

"And you've both come such a long way." Gwyneth said. Celestia picked up on the shift in tone, it was normal and polite but now it was dreamier, like she wasn't really there with them.

"What makes you think so?' Rose asked her with caution, gazing at her suspiciously.

"You're from London. I've seen London in drawings, but never like that. All those people rushing about half naked, for shame. And the noise, and the metal boxes racing past, and the birds in the sky, no, they're metal as well. Metal birds with people in them. People are flying. And you, you've flown so far. Further than anyone. The things you've seen. The darkness, the big bad wolf." She said to Rose before turning to Celestia. Celestia seemed to twitch at the mention of 'big bad wolf' before stiffening at Gwyneth's attention on her.

"You are different miss. So very different from her. People in tall, tall buildings; all moving around yet your stuck inside, all alone. No, not stuck. You are falling and you haven't stopped falling. You are covered in light and shine so bright, yet it makes you sad because you know what will happen next. The big bad wolf's c-" Gwyneth gasped, pulling herself out of the trance before beginning to sob. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, misses." she crumbled slightly as she apologized. Both girls rushed to her, not caring about what she had said, they just wanted to be there for her.

"It's all right." Rose reassured her.

"It's going to be alright." Celestia joined in, though she could feel the shift in the air. They shouldn't ignore Gwyneth's words. "Everything is going to be alright" she whispered.

"I can't help it. Ever since I was a little girl, my mam said I had the sight. She told me to hide it." Gwyneth informed them quietly.

"But it's getting stronger, more powerful, is that right?" the Doctor asked, making himself known to the girls.

"All the time, sir. Every night, voices in my head." Gwyneth admitted.

"You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it. You're the key." The Doctor said.

"I've tried to make sense of it, sir. Consulted with spiritualists, table rappers, all sorts." Gwyneth said with a sad smile.

"Well, that should help. You can show us what to do." The Doctor clasped his hands together. Celestia looked at him curiously not knowing what he was thinking.

"What to do where, sir?" Gwyneth asked, voicing her confusion.

"We're going to have a séance." He announced loudly.

"How exciting!" Celestia said to him before whispering to Rose. "What exactly is a seance?"

Rose shot her a look before sighing and shaking her head. Rose explained to Celestia what séances were and hope it may help them figure out what was happening. Celestia nodded at her explanation before asking her if she could explain and help her learn more about Earth and all these weird customs. Rose was excited and agreed, liking how Celestia went to her instead of the Doctor for the information. After the explanation, they all set off to the living room, where everyone gathered around a nicely decorated table.

"This is how Madam Mortlock summons those from the Land of Mists, down in Bute Town. Come, we must all join hands." Gwyneth explained to them.

"I can't take part in this." Charles refused, going to stand and leave this behind.

"Humbug? Come on, open mind." The Doctor encouraged him to stay.

"This is precisely the sort of cheap mummery I strive to unmask. Séances? Nothing but luminous tambourines and a squeeze box concealed between the knees. This girl knows nothing." He snapped.

"Now, don't antagonize her. I love a happy medium." The Doctor said, laughing at his own pun.

Celestia and Rose rolled their eyes. "I can't believe you just said that." Rose muttered; a bit embarrassed.

"Come on, we might need you." The Doctor said, convincing the man to stay and sit.

"Good man. Now, Gwyneth, reach out." The Doctor instructed.

"Speak to us. Are you there? Spirits, come. Speak to us that we may relieve your burden." Gwyneth called out, closing her eyes.

"Can you hear that?" Rose asked them, the faint whispering becoming louder.

"Nothing can happen. This is sheer folly." Charles denied.

"Are you death, blind or both?" Celestia asked the man in disbelief.

"Look at her." Rose said, pointing to Gwyneth who was shining with blue gaseous tendrils drifting above her head.

"I see them. I feel them." Gwyneth said, scrutching her face.

"What's it saying?" Rose asked.

"They can't get through the rift. Gwyneth, it's not controlling you, you're controlling it. Now, look deep. Allow them through." The Doctor advised in a soft yet firm tone.

"I can't!" Gwyneth quickly rejected.

"Yes, you can. Just believe it. I have faith in you, Gwyneth. Make the link." The Doctor soothed her, finally convincing her to do it.

"Yes." she breathed out, a blue outline of people appears behind her.

"Great God! Spirits from the other side." Sneed said flabbergasted at the sight.

"The other side of the universe." the Doctor told him before focusing back on the 'spirits'.

"Pity us. Pity the Gelth. There is so little time. Help us." the Gelth pleaded through Gwyneth.

Celestia looked at them in confusion. "Gelth? Where have I heard that name before?" she muttered to herself.

"What do you want us to do?" The Doctor asked them.

"The rift. Take the girl to the rift. Make the bridge." The Gelth informed him.

"What for?" Celestia interjected, curious about what they want and analyzing them.

"We are so very few. The last of our kind. We face extinction." the Gelth informed them with a sad childish tone.

"Why, what happened?" the Doctor asked them, sad that they faced extinction. Sad that they were just like him.

"Once we had a physical form like you, but then the war came." they told them.

"War? What war?" the Doctor asked.

"The Time War." They revealed and Celestia shot a sad look at the Doctor. She had read ancient text about the war, as there weren't many books nor survivors from the front line left to tell what happened, but she did know that the Doctor was the last of his kind; and that many species had died because of the war. "The whole universe convulsed. The Time War raged. Invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher forms. Our bodies wasted away. We're trapped in this gaseous state." they told them.

"So that's why you need the corpses." The Doctor said, nodding understands.

"We want to stand tall, to feel the sunlight, to live again. We need a physical form, and your dead are abandoned. They're going to waste. Give them to us." They demanded soflty to them. Celestia frowned, not liking that they weren't asking them. Plus, the dead weren't abandoned, they belonged to families, who were going to visit them and pray for them. These bodies aren't going to waste.

"But we can't." Rose pipped up.

"Why not?" The Doctor asked angerly.

"It's not. I mean, it's not-" she stuttered.

"Not decent? Not polite? It could save their lives." The Doctor snapped back.

"We don't even know who they are Doctor." Celestia told him. "We do not know what they truly want with the bodies, we can't just help them out without knowing what they truly want from us."

"Open the rift. Let the Gelth through. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth." The Gelth moaned out before going back into the gas lamp, leaving behind an unconscious Gwyneth.

"Gwyneth?" Rose called out as Celestia jumped out of her chair and raced to her. Rose was quick to follow her friend and to check if Gwyneth was alright.

"All true." Charles said in shock.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked gently.

"It's all true." he said, still in shock at what just occurred.

A little later, Gwyneth has been laid on the chaise longue to rest as the rest watched over her and thought about what must be done.

"It's all right. You just sleep." Celestia coaxed the young girl to rest but Gwyneth shook her head, trying to sit up but failing.

"But my angels, miss. They came, didn't they? They need me?" She questioned them.

"Not right now, all you need to do is rest." Celestia told her warmly as she gave the girl a strained smile, not liking how weak she was just by communicating with them.

"They do need you, Gwyneth. You're they're only chance of survival." The Doctor told her.

"I've told you, leave her alone. She's exhausted and she's not fighting your battles." Rose snapped at him before handing Gwyneth a cup of tea. "Drink this." she told her.

"Well, what did you say, Doctor? Explain it again. What are they?" Sneed asked him.

"Aliens." The Doctor said simply.

"Like foreigners, you mean?" Sneed asked, confused.

the Doctor snorted at his question. "Pretty foreign, yeah. From up there." he pointed up.

"Brecon?" He said in a confused tone, not understanding what he meant.

"Close. And they've been trying to get through from Brecon to Cardiff but the road's blocked. Only a few can get through and even then they're weak. They can only test drive the bodies for so long, then they have to revert to gas and hide in the pipes." the Doctor informed them.

"Which is why they need the girl." Charles realized.

"They're not having her." Rose said with Celestia nodding in agreement.

"But she can help. Living on the rift, she's become part of it. She can open it up, make a bridge and let them through." The Doctor said, not understanding why they were arguing and not agreeing with him.

"Incredible. Ghosts that are not ghosts but beings from another world, who can only exist in our world by inhabiting cadavers." Charles said as he thought deeper about it.

"Good system. It might work." The Doctor agreed.

"You can't let them run around inside of dead people." Rose argued.

The Doctor shrugged. "Why not? It's like recycling."

"Seriously though, you can't." She said angrily at the alien.

"Seriously though, I can." He rebutted with the same amount of anger.

"It's just wrong. Those bodies were living people. We should respect them even in death." Rose said.

"Think about their families and what they would think if they saw their loved ones being possessed." Celestia said but was ignored by the Doctor.

"Do you carry a donor card?" he asked Rose.

Rose shook her head. "That's different. That's-"

"It is different, yeah. It's a different morality. Get used to it or go home. You heard what they said, time's short. I can't worry about a few corpses when the last of the Gelth could be dying." He snapped.

"Do not snap at her." Celestia said, standing up to him. "All you care about is helping the Gelth, even though they have shown aggression towards us and gave us no reason to trust them." The Doctor stared her down before backing down, agreeing with her slightly but not enough to change his mind.

"I don't care. They're not using her." Rose said.

"Don't I get a say, misses?" Gwyneth called out causing the girls to run to her.

"Look, you don't understand what's going on." Rose said to her.

"You would say that, miss, because that's very clear inside your head, that you think I'm stupid." Gwyneth pointed out.

"You are not stupid Gwyneth; you are far from it." Celestia told her softly.

"That's not fair." Rose said.

"It's true, though. Things might be very different where you're from, but here and now, I know my own mind, and the angels need me. Doctor, what do I have to do?" Gwyneth asked him.

"You don't have to do anything." The Doctor said, giving her a chance to back out.

"They've been singing to me since I was a child, sent by my mam on a holy mission. So tell me." She begged him, determined to help them.

"We need to find the rift. This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other. Mister Sneed, what's the weakest part of this house? The place where most of the ghosts have been seen?" The Doctor asked him.

"That would be the morgue." Sneed informed them.

Rose groaned at the news. "No chance you were going to say gazebo, is there?"

Celestia shook her head. "Not with our luck." Celestia said.

They all walked down to the morgue, Celestia shivering up a bit due to how cold it was. The Doctor took off his jacket, giving it to her to warm her up and to use it as a form of apology for snapping at her and ignoring her advice. Celestia smiled at him and accepted his jacket, snuggling into it as it brought her much warmth and comfort. She even picked up the familiar scent of the Doctor; of rain and stars, it was musky yet fresh. She had to ask him for the cologne, she absolutely loved it.

"Urgh. Talk about Bleak House." The Doctor commented as he looked around the morgue.

"The thing is, Doctor, the Gelth don't succeed, 'cos I know they don't. I know for a fact there weren't corpses walking around in 1869." Rose pointed out to him.

"Time's in flux, changing every second. Your cozy little world can be rewritten like that. Nothing is safe. Remember that. Nothing." The Doctor told him, his tone dark.

"Doctor, I think the room is getting colder." Charles called out, breaking the tense moment.

"Here they come." Rose announced a Gelth came out of the lamp by the door and stands under the stone archway.

"You've come to help. Praise the Doctor. Praise him." The Gelth said delightfully.

"Promise you won't hurt her." Rose demanded from the Gelth, who paid her little mind.

"Hurry! Please, so little time. Pity the Gelth." they pleaded.

"They're ignoring Rose." Celestia said. "How do we know we can trust you?" Celestia asked them.

The Gelth tone become more pleading. "Help us! Pity us! Pity the Gelth!" They said, not answering Celestia's question.

"I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer. Somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, all right?" The Doctor told them but was once again ignored by the Gelth. The Doctor pushed down the uneasy feeling in his stomach.

"My angels. I can help them live. "Gwyneth breathed out.

"Okay, where's the weak point?" The Doctor asked them.

"Here, beneath the arch." the Gelth told them.

"Beneath the arch." Gwyneth repeated before standing under the arch, accepting the Gelths.

"You don't have to do this." Rose informed her but was ignored by Gwyneth, who seemed happy to help her 'angels'.

"My angels." she called out to them.

"Establish the bridge. Reach out to the void. Let us through!" The Gelth encouraged Gwyneth to continue.

"Yes, I can see you. I can see you. Come!" She cried out to them.

"Bridgehead establishing." they informed the group.

"Come to me. Come to this world, poor lost souls!" Gwyneth said, raising both her arms out.

"It is begun. The bridge is made." the Gelth said as Gwyneth opened her mouth and blue gas comes out.

"She has given herself to the Gelth. The bridge is open. We descend." The Gelth said, their tone becoming dark as the blue apparition turns into flame red with sharp teeth. "The Gelth will come through in force."

"You said that you were few in number." Charles spoke to him, showing the terror that was quickly taking over his face.

"A few billion. And all of us in need of corpses." the Gelth said as many of them began to posse the dead that surrounded them. Celestia cursed the fact that they were in a morgue and began to move closer to the Doctor, who wrapped an arm protectively around her.

"Gwyneth, stop this. Listen to your master. This has gone far enough. Stop dabbling, child, and leave these things alone, I beg of you." Sneed pleaded, not seeing a corpse coming up behind him.

"Mister Sneed, get back!" Rose warned him but it was too late. The corpse grabbed Sneed's necked and snapped it, allowing a Gelth to get into his body and possess him.

"I think it's gone a little bit wrong." the Doctor admitted worriedly.

"You think?" Celestia retorted as she avoided a corpse, who was reaching for her neck.

"I have joined the legions of the Gelth. Come, march with us." A possessed Sneed moaned to them.

"No." Charles denied.

"We need bodies. All of you. Dead. The human race. Dead." the Gelth taunted them, as they were being circled up by the possessed corpses.

"Gwyneth, stop them! Send them back now!" Celestia shouted to her but the Gelth were in control now.

"Four more bodies. Convert them. Make them vessels for the Gelth." The Gelth told the others who have possessed bodies, backing the Doctor, Rose and Celestia up against a metal gate.

"Doctor, I can't. I'm sorry. This new world of yours is too much for me. I'm so-" Charles said before running away. The Doctor, Celestia and Rose hide behind the metal gate, where the corpses cannot reach them.

"Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives for the Gelth." The Gelth told them, happy that they were getting their way.

"I trusted you. I pitied you!" The Doctor shouted at the Gelth.

"We don't want your pity. We want this world and all its flesh." the Gelth admitted.

"Not while I'm alive." The Doctor threatened them.

"Then live no more." the Gelth stated.

"But I can't die. Tell me I can't. I haven't even been born yet. It's impossible for me to die. Isn't it?" Rose asked in a panic. Celestia tightened her hand and shook her head.

"I'm sorry." the Doctor said.

"But it's 1869. How can I die now?" She asked them.

"Time isn't a straight line. It can twist into any shape. You can be born in the 20th century and die in the 19th." the Doctor informed her.

Rose turned to Celestia. "Can't you use the stars or something and figure out a way out of here? You never said I was going to die here!"

"They don't work like that! You're stars are mostly blocked, I can't see everything! Plus, your death is not set in the stars, I wouldn't have seen this anyway." Celestia told her, her voice slowly raising to full blown panic as a cold hand reached through the bars and grazed her neck; causing her to flinch and move closer against the wall to create some space.

"It's all my fault. I brought you two here." The Doctor said regretfully.

"It's not your fault. I wanted to come." Rose said, trying to lessen the pain.

"I followed after you guys, this is not your fault Doctor." Celestia comforted him.

"What about me? I saw the fall of Troy, World War Five. I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party. Now I'm going to die in a dungeon in Cardiff." The Doctor cried out.

"Now is not the time to be dramatic darling." Celestia said to him before returning her attention back to the possessed undead.

"It's not just dying. We'll become one of them." Rose said fearfully.

"We'll go down fighting, yeah?" Rose asked.

"Yeah." The Doctor and Celestia nodded.

"Together?" Rose asked nervously.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Celestia said as she accepted Rose's hand before giving her other one to the Doctor.

"Yeah." The Doctor said, accepting her hand. "I'm so glad I met you both."

"Me too." Celestia agreed.

"Same here." Rose said, accepting her fate.

Charles runs in and turns the knob, causing the room to fill up with gas. "Doctor! Doctor! Turn off the flame, turn up the gas! Now, fill the room, all of it, now!

"What're you doing?" the Doctor asked him.

"Turn it all on. Flood the place!" Charles explained quickly.

"Brilliant. Gas." the Doctor said before looking around for something to fasten the process.

"You're a genius." Celestia complimented the man before covering her mouth with her hand.

"What, so we choke to death instead?" Rose retorted.

"Not quite." Celestia said as she noticed some of the Gelth escaping the bodies.

"Am I correct, Doctor? These creatures are gaseous." Charles asked as he covers his mouth from inhaling anymore gas.

"Fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the host. Suck them into the air like poison from a wound!" The Doctor shouted.

The corpses leave the Doctor, Celestia and Rose, and start shambling towards Dickens, who tries to create as much space as possible from them.

"I hope, oh Lord, I hope that this theory will be validated soon, if not immediately." Charles said as he cowered away from the possessed bodies.

"Plenty more!" The Doctor shouted before ripping a gas pipe from the wall. More and more Gelth leave the corpses, causing them to drop to the ground.

"It's working." Charles said with relief as his plan worked.

The Doctor, Celestia and Rose come out of the alcove and run over to Charles and Gwyneth.

"Gwyneth, send them back. They lied. They're not angels." The Doctor informed her.

"They are far from it." Celestia spoke up as she tried to catch her breathe but struggled with all of the gas.

"Liars?" Gwyneth whispered brokenly.

"Look at me. If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same. They'd give you the strength. Now send them back!" The Doctor shouted.

"I can't breathe." Rose admitted as she began to cough.

"I think I can last a bit more." Celestia said before erupting into a coughing fit. "Perhaps not." She said hoarsely.

"Charles, get them out." The Doctor ordered him, Charles nodded and grabbed Rose and Celestia.

"I'm not leaving her." Rose said trying to pull away from the man.

"Neither am I." Celestia joined in, not wanting to leave her new friend behind.

"They're too strong." Gwyneth moaned out in pain, causing Celestia to escape Charles hold and run to the girl.

"Remember that world you saw? Rose's world? All those people. None of it will exist unless you send them back through the rift." Celestia urged her, soothing her with a stroke of her hand. She froze when she felt how cold she was and refused to announce her findings, hoping there was something she or the Doctor could do to help her. There had to be something she could do, as it was her fault.

"I can't send them back. But I can hold them. Hold them in this place, hold them here. Get out." Gwyneth told them as she reached into her pocket.

"You can't!" Rose begged as she watched Gwyneth take a box of matches from her apron pocket.

"Leave this place!" Gwyneth yelled to them.

"Celestia, Rose, get out. Go now. I won't leave her while she's still in danger. Now go!" the Doctor told them. Rose and Charles were quick to follow his words but Celestia stayed put.

"I'm not leaving you." Celestia said, coughing as the gas became too strong for her.

"Celestia! Go! I will be right there!" He yelled, worried for the girl as she seemed to get weaker and weaker.

Celestia hesitated before moving to leave. She turned her head. "You better be right behind me, or I swear I will come back and hit you!" she said before leaving.

The Doctor runs out of the house in a hurry, almost flying across the street as the house erupted into an explosion.

"She didn't make it." Celestia said, watching the fire grow more and more.

"I'm sorry. She closed the rift." the Doctor informed them.

"At such a cost. The poor child." Charles commented, praying for Gwyneth.

"I did try, Rose, Celestia, but Gwyneth was already dead. She had been for at least five minutes." he told them. Celestia bowed her head, wishing that she could have done more.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked him.

"I think she was dead from the minute she stood in that arch." The Doctor admitted to them.

"But she can't have. She spoke to us. She helped us. She saved us. How could she have done that?" Rose asked, flabbergasted at the news she was told.

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Even for you, Doctor." Charles said wisely.

"She saved the world. A servant girl. No one will ever know." Rose said sadly as Celestia brought her into a hug.

"We will, we will never forget what she did for us." Celestia said, comforting the small blonde before looking up at the stars. "We will never forget."

They all slowly made their way back to the Tardis, standing right outside to say their goodbyes to their new friend.

"Right then, Charlie boy, I've just got to go into my, er, shed. Won't be long." The Doctor said as he gave the Tardis a pat.

"You know that she's going to get you back for calling her a shed." Celestia whispered to the Doctor who waved her off, not afraid of his ship. The Tardis sent him a warning hum causing him to stand up straight. Celestia noticed this and tried hard to hide her giggle before returning her attention to Charles.

"What are you going to do now?" Celestia asked the man, who smiled at her brightly.

"I shall take the mail coach back to London, quite literally post-haste. This is no time for me to be on my own. I shall spend Christmas with my family and make amends to them. After all I've learned tonight, there can be nothing more vital." Charles told them.

"You've cheered up." The Doctor said as he observed the man.

"Exceedingly! This morning, I thought I knew everything in the world. Now I know I've just started. All these huge and wonderful notions, Doctor. I'm inspired. I must write about them."

"Do you think that's wise?" Rose asked him, not knowing if it was a good idea or not.

"I shall be subtle at first. The Mystery of Edwin Drood still lacks an ending. Perhaps the killer was not the boy's uncle. Perhaps he was not of this Earth. The Mystery of Edwin Drood and the Blue Elementals. I can spread the word, tell the truth." he told him excitedly.

"Good luck with it. Nice to meet you. Fantastic." the Doctor beamed at the man, not wanting to give away anything.

"Bye, then, and thanks." Rose said, grabbing his hand and pulling him into a shake before placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Oh, my dear. How modern. Thank you, but, I don't understand. In what way is this goodbye? Where are you going?" he asked them.

"You'll see. In the shed." The Doctor said in a teasing tone as he leaned against the Tardis's door.

"Upon my soul, Doctor, it's one riddle after another with you. But after all these revelations, there's one mystery you still haven't explained. Answer me this. Who are you?" he pondered.

"Just a friend passing through." The Doctor said, shrugging his shoulders as he gave the writer a smile.

"But you have such knowledge of future times. I don't wish to impose on you, but I must ask you. My books. Doctor, Celestia, do they last?" he asked them.

Celestia was a bit surprised that he asked her but gave him a smile. "Oh, yes!" Celestia informed him cheerfully as the Doctor nodded in agreement.

"For how long?" Charles asked them. Celestia gave the man a smile, one that told Charles that he had nothing to worry about.

"Forever. Right. Shed. Come on, Celestia, Rose." He told them.

"In the box? The three of you?" Charles questioned.

Celestia winks slyly at Charles Dickens as the Doctor says "Down boy. See you."

Once the trio entered the Tardis, Rose and Celestia stood by the railing while the Doctor walked over to the console and presses a few buttons to start their descent to the vortex.

"Doesn't that change history if he writes about blue ghosts?" Rose asked worriedly.

"In a week's time it's 1870, and that's the year he dies. I'm sorry Rose but he'll never get to tell his story." Celestia told the younger blonde, who starts to frown at the news.

"Oh, no. He was so nice." Rose said, feeling bad for the writer.

"But in your time, he was already dead. We've brought him back to life, and he's more alive now than he's ever been, old Charlie boy. Let's give him one last surprise." The Doctor says as he make the Tardis visible and shows them Dickens reaction to the dematerializing Tardis.

Rose had left to go to her room as Celestia stayed to watch the Doctor tinker with the Tardis. She enjoyed the small hums the ship had let out, it relaxed her greatly as she thought over the events that had happened. She sat at the chair that Rose had called the 'captain's' chair and was using her powers to look at certain star placements before letting out a sigh.

"Are you alright?" The Doctor asked her, noticing the disturbed look on her face.

Celestia nodded softly. "I should have seen this." she said as she thought over the events that had happened. The Doctor walked over to the blonde and sat down next to her. "I grazed Gywenth's hand when we entered the house. I even touched her had back at the parlor and I did not see her dying like that. I should have seen the Gelth double crossing us and trying to kill us at least. Something is blocking my sight and preventing me from knowing the full truth." She told him worriedly.

The Doctor frowned. "Has this happened before?" he asked her.

Celestia shook her head. "I have never heard any of the 'Great Stars' having difficulties like this." she said frustratedly. "Maybe it's because I'm human or we just became partners, but even then, I should have at least saw the Gelth attacking. Maybe I'm just weak." she added bitterly.

"You did though. You knew that they were taking advantage of us, and you spoke up and I did nothing. Gwyneth's death is not on you." The Doctor said. "Don't worry about your abilities, if you are still having trouble then we will figure it out together."

Celestia gave him a small smile before pulling him into a hug. The Doctor froze for a moment before pulling her in tighter. "Thank you." she murmured to him before pulling away. She placed a light kiss on his cheek before running off to find Rose, leaving behind a shock Doctor.