And Part 3 is finally here! I'm sorry it's taken so long to update.
Thank you to everyone who voted/commented on Parts 1 & 2 (and on all of my chapters), it really helped motivate me to finish this part!
I hope you enjoy! : )
"Why are we searching the roof anyway, it's not like that thing could get up here if it tried!" Julian complained, as he picked his way carefully (not that carefully) across the roof.
"Is that it?" Came Humphrey's excited voice. He was resting on the edge of the roof, rather precariously balanced - though as a Ghost falling off a roof would hardly cause any damage, as proven by Fanny's nightly jumps.
"Where!" Julian hurried over, eager for the search to be over.
"Oh, never mind, it's just a bush." Said Humphrey, squinting at the green shrubbery.
Julian sighed. "This is stupid! Why don't we just sit inside and wait for it to come back to us? It will do eventually, we've got eternity."
"Something to do, isn't it." Said Humphrey, still staring across the gardens for any sign of a small green creature - unfortunately he was looking across a large green estate, so it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
There was silence, as Julian paced the roof, half-heartedly hunting, and Humphrey searched with his eyes. Eventually, the politician gave up, and he walked over to the parapet. "See anything?"
Humphrey didn't reply. Mostly because he couldn't.
"Careful!" He half screeched, half spoke as he plunged towards the earth, knocked by the force of Julian's knee bumping him. Julian rolled his eyes. Now he would have to walk all the way back down to retrieve him. Great. Even more effort he didn't have. Peering over the edge, Julian noticed that Humphrey was not staring up at him in irritation, because Humphrey was not there. The head had disappeared. Had he just been sucked off in an instant? Or was it something more mysterious? Either way, he was absolutely not dealing with it on his own.
"Alison!! Alison!" He called, striding back the way he had come.
*************
"Mammoth?" Asked Robin, peering questioningly out at the dog-like creature in front of him.
"No, Robin. That's Dante." Sighed Fanny. "Now you're just being silly deliberately."
Robin cackled to himself. Of course he was, there was nothing like a few jokes to lighten the mood, but maybe that would only increase the irritation levels of the Grey Lady. Excellent, note to self: more jokes around Fanny.
"Come on, we haven't looked through the Kitchens yet. The Kitchens were always one of Dante's favourite places to be - I think it was the warm fire and the scraps of food." Fanny smiled, reminiscing about times gone by with her beloved pet.
"Wes shouldn't bes looking fors the devil." Said Mary, worriedly wringing her hands together as she trailed nervously after the other two.
"Don't be silly Mary, it's not the Devil. It's just a poor, lost and confused little soul." Said Fanny automatically. Then she coughed. "I mean, it is only a slimy creature, we must find it before it contaminates the house."
"Isa Ghost. Can'ta touch anything." Robin helpfully pointed out, but Fanny ignored him.
"Come on, to the kitchens." She marched ahead and Robin followed, leaving Mary to anxiously wander after them.
********
"Now, if I was a Ghost Alien, where would I go?" Wondered the 10th Doctor aloud, though to himself.
"Now, if I was a Ghost Alien, where would I go?" Wondered the 11th Doctor aloud, though to himself.
Alison did a double take - this 'same person' thing was going to take some getting used to. The 11th Doctor noticed her reaction, and sighed.
"Did other me just say the same thing?" Without waiting for a reply, he stared out at the room, trying to make eye contact (though looking in the complete wrong direction) with his past self. "Oi! You! Would you please stop copying me."
"Me, copying you? I said it first." The 10th Doctor answered indignantly, before staring at Alison, expecting her to pass on the message across the mortal planes.
"He's over there," she said, pointing, "and he says 'Me copying you, I said it first.'" She said the last bit, in a bored, sort of sing song voice, like the middle person in a trio friend group, when the other two are refusing to talk to one another. In some ways, it was a similar situation.
"Well you can tell ME...." Added 11, even more indignantly, but Alison cut him off.
"Look, can you two both stop it. I've got this wedding planner, Martin, coming later today, and I really, really need to get this over with. Can you just work as a team! Like Julian would say, We're closer together." Alison laughed at her own (pretty good, she thought) Julian impression.
"Alison! Alison!" Came a distant shouting. Alison sighed.
"Talking of Julian...I'll be quick, just....have a look for that thing, please." She hurried out of the room with a sigh, already knowing that the calling was bound to be heralding bad news.
******
"Known thine enemy, that's what we always used to say in the army." Said the Captain, adjusting his stick, which was tucked below his arm as usual.
"We're not in the army anymore." Thomas reminded him, for what felt like the millionth time, and was probably not far off. "And how can you know your enemy if you don't even know what species it is?"
"I eeeh, well, I just mean we should try and consider what such a creature would do in these circumstances."
"If I was let out into a new house with new people, I would go and make a friend!" Said Kitty excitedly.
"That's very nice, Kitty, but I'm not sure it's quite what the Captain means." Said Pat kindly, looking fondly at the enthusiastic Georgian.
"Well, what do you mean?" Asked Kitty, looking curiously at the Captain.
"I mean..." He started, but was cut off by the distant cries of 'Alison! Alison!'
They all looked up, startled, at the sudden shouting.
"D'you think we should go and check if everything's ok?" Asked Pat.
"Probably a good idea, yes.."
******
"Julian! What is it?" Puffed Alison, catching her breath. Julian was standing by the doors, looking genuinely concerned. Well that's new, she thought, wondering what on earth could've caused it.
"It's Humphrey..he's gone."
"Right...." Alison was sceptical, "Is this a prank?" She asked, knowing her friend.
"No, I promise it's not. And that's not a politician's promise, it's a real one. Well, technically I am a politician, so...."
"What happened to him?" Asked Alison, heading off the tangent before it grew a mind of it's own.
"He sort of....fell off the roof top. And then disappeared. He's not on the ground."
*****
"Are you sure it came from this direction?" Asked Pat, looking around the corridor for the potential source of the earlier shouts.
"I would recognise Alison's name anywhere, and it was definitely coming from over there." Said Thomas, pointing completely the other way.
"Are you sure?" Asked the Captain, who was really, really hoping his 'tracking' skills hadn't just let them down. "Ahh, Robin." He said, grasping at any change of subject as the caveman rounded the corner.
"H'llo" Said Robin, who also seemed to be looking for something - or someone.
"I said to you Robin, it was coming from the other side of the house...." Fanny's voice floated - well floated was maybe the wrong word - Fanny's voice bulldozed around the corner.
"Oh, hello. Are you looking for Julian too?" She asked, on noticing the others.
"Errr, yes." The Captain replied.
"No luck with that...thing then?"
"No, unfortunately." Pat jumped in, looking a little disheartened.
"I was just telling the Captain that the voice came from over there." Thomas added, his usual, slightly complaining tone creeping in.
"It certainly did!" Said Fanny, glad she had some support. "Let's go then, we must find out what's going on." She took the lead, and they all followed - some fervently, others not so much. Kitty dropped behind to talk to Mary.
"Are you alright?" She asked, noticing Mary's slight slump, and downcast expression.
"I supposes so." Said Mary, not looking up. "Are you sures we should be lookings for this creature? What if it be working for the devil?" She muttered, nervously. Kitty - and everyone at Button House - was well used to Mary's superstitions - it was a product of the time she had lived in, but that didn't make it any easier to comfort her.
"Don't worry so, Mary. It will be ok, I promise you. We're Ghosts, it can touch us, but it can't cause us any harm - we're already dead remember." This could have had one of two effects - but in this case it did seem to brighten Mary's glum mood. "And besides, we've got that person, the Doctor, I'm sure they'll be able to help with whatever that thing really is."
Mary smiled slightly, and nodded. "I supposes so. Thanks Kitty."
Kitty nodded at her, and they increased their pace a little, to catch up with the others.
**********
The two Doctors wandered around the library, admiring the sheer range of books. They were beautiful. Ten ran his Ghostly hand along a row of covers (not actually touching them, of course) and remembered his last few library visits. There was the time with Donna and, his breath caught in his throat, River. And there was the time with Rose, Queen Victoria and, randomly, a Werewolf. He remembered what he had said, in the dusty book-room, "Books, best weapons in the world." He found himself muttering it softly, like a way to hold on to all of his memories of Rose, and his time spent with her - even after all of these years, he missed her. He missed all of them - every single person (or otherwise) that he had ever travelled with. They were all in there, somewhere, and the smallest memory could bring them rushing back - it was a sad but wonderful way to exist - with a thousand lives inside your head.
"They are, aren't they."
Said a voice, snapping the Ghost Doctor from his pleasantly sad reminiscing. He whipped his head around, part of him thinking it was his future self, miraculously able to interact with him. It wasn't. It was one of the Button House Ghosts, who had obviously overheard his mutterings.
"Yes, books. And poetry, of course. Best weapons in the world. Best tools. Best..err..." Thomas trailed off, not able to think of another addition to the metaphor that he was sort of missing the point of.
"Did you find it?" Asked the Doctor eagerly, as he noticed the others in the room.
"No." A few of them said in unison, looking a little discouraged. The Ghost Doctor looked at them properly - he saw Ghosts all the time, of course, but as a Timelord Ghost, he had to stay relatively near his current incarnation - and due to 11's (and all incarnations, let's be honest) tendency to dash about, 10 rarely got to interact with anyone for longer than a minute or two. He opened his mouth to say something, but then he realised that all of them - all 7 - were staring at him, open mouthed with shock.
"What? What is it?" He asked.
"It's behind you mate..." Said Pat, without taking his eyes away from it.
**********
"So he was sat right there..." Said Alison, attempting to clarify what had happened. "And then you knocked him.."
"He fell." Said Julian, as always trying to remove the blame from himself. Alison knew, of course, but it was easier to just leave it.
"He fell...right down here." She pointed at the spot where Humphrey's Ghostly head should have been resting, probably with a vaguely irritated smile.
"Exactly." Said Julian. This whole situation was really starting to freak him out.
"So, what happened..." Alison wondered aloud.
"Yea, that's what I'm asking you." Said Julian, knowing perfectly well that it was a rhetorical question, but feeling in the mood to be a pain in the arse.
Alison ignored him, leaning down to put her head on the spot where Humphrey should have been, listening intently.
"What on earth are you doing?" Asked Julian, watching her sprawl on the ground.
"I'm. Trying. To hear. If there's. Anything. Down there." Said Alison, shifting her body slightly with every word.
"Hear if there's anything in the grass? You think he's been miniaturised?" Julian asked, incredulously, with the same tone of contempt for the word 'miniaturised' that scientists usually keep for people who believe in Ghosts.
"Of course, not....I'm just wondering if he's fallen through? Like if there's a hole or pit somewhere down there?"
"Why would there be?"
"Well, there's the plaugers on that side." Said Alison. "So why not?"
Julian shuddered. "Please, not more of them."
"I think we should check if there's a door in the cellar or something." Said Alison, pleased she'd made a decision, even if it was a little hopeful. Julian shrugged as he trailed after her.
********
"It's behind me?" Ten turned, seeing the small green form of the not-mammoth they had been tracking. It was small and slightly blob shaped, with slimy feelers drooping all over its body, like one of those ugly tasselled dresses that no one wants to wear.
"Hello." Said Ten, leaning down towards it in interest. "What are you?" He wondered aloud, reaching out a hand towards the creature, but retracted it abruptly when it slimed towards him.
"Don't touch it!" Shouted Fanny, breaking the apprehensive silence that had held the room since they had first noticed the blob.
"Don't tell the Doctor what to do! He is a medical man, and should know much more about this sort of thing than you or I." Objected the Captain, as the group was split - half looking at Fanny, half unable to take their eyes off the blob.
"I'm not exactly a medical doctor..." Muttered 10.
"What are you a Doctor of?" Asked Kitty excitedly, this being one of the only questions she had not yet asked him.
"Well, err...good question. Lots of things." The Doctor thought for a second. He kept getting asked this question, and he never had the same answer.
"Watch out!" Pat shouted, saving the Doctor from answering as the Blob advanced a little. It didn't seem to be aggressive, or meaning harm in any way, it just seemed...curious. The Doctor recounted all of this to the Ghosts, as he cautiously leaned towards it again.
"Even if it doesn't mean harm, we can't just have an alien wandering around the house!" Said Fanny, trying to sound angry, and like she fully agreed with this statement.
"Why not? I think they're sort of sweet." Said Kitty, smiling pleasantly at them.
"Where else is it gonna go?" Asked Robin.
"We can't just leave it alone." The Captain put in, and Pat and Thomas nodded. Only Mary seemed slightly unconvinced.
"Well, first we need to get his attention." Said 10, gesturing to his current self, who was staring absent mindedly at a row of books, zoned out from the search in the presence of something he thought fascinating, and completely oblivious to the commotion taking place behind him. "And then we need to work out where the little guy came from."
"That mission could be a problem." Began the Captain.
"Yes, we don't have Alison. She's gone outside." Finished Pat.
"We must find her, if it is the last thing we do!" Said Thomas, melodramatic as usual.
"I don't think it's a matter of life or death, mate." Said the Doctor, who of course was not used to Thomas. Pat gave him a shrug that managed to sum up - we know, he's a drama queen - and guided Thomas from the room, followed by Lady Button.
"We'll find Alison!" He called over his shoulder. "You lot could try and get his attention. If possible."
"If possible indeed." Muttered the Captain. "We don't have Julian either."
"Why does that make a difference?" Asked the Doctor, keeping an eye on the blob.
"Julian can touch things in the real world." Said Kitty, still wildly impressed by this peculiar talent.
"How?" Asked the Doctor, who had never come across any ghost with this ability before.
"We don't really know." Said the Captain.
The Doctor made a mental note to ask the trouser-less one - who he assumed was Julian, given that he was the only Ghost not in the room now or earlier who had a finger - how this was possible. For now, he (unusually) focused on the matter at hand.
"So, getting my attention. Anyone else have a special talent?" He asked.
"Ooh, me!" Said Robin, reaching up his hands and - with a strain - making the lights flicker wildly.
11 didn't react in the way they hoped - in fact, he barely reacted at all. He just pulled his sonic screwdriver from a pocket and, without turning around, pointed it at the light. It stopped flickering in an instant, and Robin shuddered.
"That feels very strange." He said. "Tingles. Not sore, but fizzing."
This slightly odd, but somehow perfectly understandable explanation was met with nods, as they all thought how else they could possibly attract the attention of someone who could not see them.
***********
"Come on Julian!" Urged Alison. They had explored the cellar - not the plauger's one, the other, rarely used one - until they found a small, shabby wooden door which obviously hasn't been opened in centuries. Alison was standing a few steps into the passageway beyond it, an expression of pure glee on her face. Julian was on the other side, looking decidedly unsure.
"Alison, should we really be going down dark, creepy, unknown passages?" He asked, staring at it.
"Are you scared?"
"No! No of course not." He answered a little too quickly, and laughed awkwardly. "I'm just trying to protect you. You shouldn't go down it, and as we're closer together, I shouldn't either."
Alison rolled her eyes. "Well, if you're trying to be chivalrous, then maybe you can go first?" She said pointedly, and laughed when Julian took another shaky step back. "Come on! It'll be an adventure."
"Stooooooop!" Came a voice from behind them. Alison turned in shock, but it was only Thomas, sprinting down the corridor, sleeves floating upwards slightly. "I'll do it." He gasped. "I'll go first."
"No, thank you Thomas. I'll be fine." Said Alison, turning into the passageway. Thomas breathed a sigh of relief - he hadn't really wanted to go first.
Julian and Thomas watched Alison flick on her phone torch and disappear further down the passage. They looked at each other.
"Should we?"
"I rather think we shouldn't..."
"What are you doing?" The loud voice heralded the arrival of Pat and Fanny - who looked shocked that they had left Alison alone like that. "Come ON! We must accompany her!"
She strode off after Alison and Pat, shrugging, followed, leaving Julian and Thomas to trail begrudgingly after them.
********
"What else can we do?" The Captain wondered aloud. He, Robin, Mary, Kitty and the Ghost Doctor were wracking their brains for attention grabbing methods.
"He knows there be Ghosts in this house, don't he?" Said Mary, the beginnings of a thought forming in her mind. The others nodded. "Well, when I passes through peoples, they smell burnings."
"Brilliant!" Said the Ghost Doctor, grinning at her. "Why don't we try it?"
Mary looked a little glum at this, and Kitty jumped into explain. "It feels funny when we walk through people."
"Yeah, I know, he's done that to me a few time. And his companions, actually. And a Dalek or two, or three..." The Ghost Doctor shuddered at the memory of the discomfort.
"And it reminds me of my death." Mary murmured, almost too quietly to hear.
"You don't have to, of course." Said the Captain, always looking out for his fellow Ghosts.
"No, I want to. If it will help us." She said, decidedly, and before anyone could react, she stepped into the form of the Doctor and, coughing and spluttering, out the other side.
The Doctor wafted a hand in front of his face, looking around for the source of the singing smell that was seeping into his nostrils. It must be coming from somewhere, surely? And then he remembered. "Hello? Is there someone there? Have you found something?"
The Ghosts in the room began to chatter and exclaim excitedly, before falling silent when they realised it would make no difference.
"We didn't think this through, did we?" Said the Ghost Doctor thoughtfully.
"No," answered the Captain, "No we didn't."
Will there be a part 4?.....well that remains to be seen!
Thanks for reading this far! I hope you enjoyed : )