*As for the dress, imagine it without the white lining at the top. I don't particularly like that. Special thanks to asr11415 for the new cover. She's helped me so much with the story and everyone should check out her Doctor Who story, No Way Out.*
The End of The World
The Doctor left me with a detailed list of what I should do to recover, but I just skimmed it and tossed it aside. We went our awkward separate ways.
My TARDIS was in the place I left it and I felt bad for what I put her through. "I am so sorry," I apologized, "I am really sorry." My TARDIS hummed in responded. "I know, it's just that they took a regeneration. I only have eight left and no one to travel with." Buzz, creak. "I can't just keep hijacking the Doctor when he goes out. He has his own life."
She just huffed in response and started the engines. "Whoa, girl!" I called, running around the counsel, "Where are you taking me?" TARDIS just buzzed again and led me to my room where a simple white and black gown was placed on my bed. Silver shoes were at the foot of the bed and the appropriate makeup were on my vanity table.
I sighed with fake exaggeration and took a quick shower. By the window in the bathroom was a blow dryer and flat iron. Once my blond hair was straightened, I applied a faint red lip gloss, gray eyeshadow, and eyeliner(the winged kind). The dress was like a ballroom gown and I couldn't help but wonder where and when my TARDIS was taking me. "Come on, girl," I cooed in the counsel room, "Please tell me." TARDIS printed out a small invitation.
For Earth burning. Year five billion. Lovely. I fixed my necklace. It was a black gem incased in a gold claw. Mother had given it to me when I'd looked into the time vortex and discovered what I was. The vortex had multiplied in size about the size of the wall instead of the hole. She told me that my aunt was a Natural and that my grandfather had gone to and fro, searching for the perfect gem.
I never took it off as a kid, but once I left, I rarely looked at it.
The TARDIS landed smoothly and hummed. "Thanks, girl," I softly replied.
When I walked out, a person with blue skin introduced himself as the steward. He asked for my name and I replied, "Celeste."
"Welcome, Celeste," he greeted, "Now if you could wait for the announcement." He left and about ten minutes later, the steward called, "All staff to their positions. Hurry, now, thank you. Quick as we can. Come along, come along. And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest? Representing the Forest of Cheam, we have trees, namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa."
The bark skinned woman and her two bodyguards walked out regally.
Steward announced, "There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace. If you could keep the room circulating, thank you. Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon."
The blue alien on a transport pod left to enter.
"And next, from Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme." A group of black hooded bipeds exited.
"The inventors of Hypo-slip Travel Systems, the brothers Hop Pyleen. Thank you."
"Cal Spark Plug. Mister and Mrs Pakoo. The Ambassadors from the City State of Binding Light."
"From the Silver Devastation, the sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Boe." The large glass case containing the large old humanoid head left, leaving me with a lady with human skin stretched onto a metal frame.
"Our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last Human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen."
Her surgeons wheeled her in.
"Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturise me. Moisturise me."
One of her attendants used a pump spray on the skin.
Cassandra continued, "Truly, I am the last Human. My father was a Texan, my mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honour them and say goodbye. Oh, no tears, no tears. I'm sorry. But behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils. Or was that my third husband? Oh, no. Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines. And here, another rarity." I giggled a bit. A jukebox was brought.
"According to the archives, this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!"
Tainted Love by Soft Cell played as Steward announced me, "And last, but not least, introducing Celeste. Refreshments will now be served. Earth Death in thirty minutes." I walked out only to be knocked down by someone. The person just kept running, but I did catch a flash of blonde hair.
I was going to go after her when the Adherents of the Repeated Meme approached with a silver orb. "A gift of peace in all good faith."
"Oh, thank you," I dismissively replied, taking the orb, and ran off in the direction of the girl.
I lost her, but I saw a door opened and decided to try my luck. The computer announced, "Earth Death in twenty five minutes."
"Oh, thanks," the girl muttered. She was sitting in an observing room, playing with the silver orb the Adherents gave. She was also Rose Tyler.
Rose put the orb down and picked up a tree sprout that was next to her. "Hello. My name's Rose," she greeted, "That's a sort of plant. We might be related."
"You're talking to a twig," I said carefully. Rose turned around and saw me. "Hello!" I waggled my fingers.
"Oh, hello, Celeste," Rose replied, "How are you? The Doctor said that your TARDIS needed you?" Must be early on.
"Yep," I agreed, "She's all better now. She actually brought me here so I'm not surprised that the Doctor's here." I took a seat next to her, waiting for Rose to start talking.
And she did. "It's just that this is my first trip and everything is too much," Rose explained.
Before I could say anything, someone called from the outside, "Rose? Are you in there?" Leather jacket Doctor walked in. He seemed amused to see me.
"Aye, aye. What do you think, then?"
Great. Yeah, fine," she answered, "Once you get past the slightly psychic paper. They're just so alien. The aliens are so alien. You look at 'em and they're alien."
"Good thing he didn't take you to the Deep South," I joked.
"Where are you two from?"
The Doctor replied easily, "All over the place."
"They all speak English," she pointed out.
"No, you just hear English," the Doctor explained excitedly, "It's a gift of the Tardis. The telepathic field, gets inside your brain and translates."
"It's inside my brain?"
"Well, in a good way," I added, "And would you rather have to learn alien languages?"
"Your machine gets inside my head," Rose repeated, "It gets inside and it changes my mind, and you didn't even ask?"
"I didn't think about it like that."
"No, you were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South," her voice rising, "Who are you, then, Doctor, Celeste? What are you called? What sort of alien are you two?"
"I'm just the Doctor," he said harshly.
"And I'm Celeste," I tried to say nicely, but hardness slipped out.
"From what planet?" Rose inquired.
"Well, it's not as if you'll know where it is!"
She demanded, "Where are you from?"
"What does it matter?" I snapped, playing with my necklace. The memory of fire, and pain, and suffering resurfaced.
"Tell me who you two are!"
"Dammit, Rose Tyler," I exploded, "This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me. I don't care about him, but this is me!" I left quickly into another observation room. A computerized voice announced that Earth's death is in twenty minutes.
The war was awful. The children were caught in the middle of the merciless Daleks and the somewhat questionable Time Lords at the time. They needed energy and I was the most powerful.
The High Counsel used my energy to make the war bloodier. The Doctor might of ended the Time War, but I made it the reason that burning was his only option.
I played with my straight hair. The dye came out, but I don't think I'll reapply. It only works with the wavy hair I had. I couldn't straighten my hair if I wanted to without it looking uneven.
The ship shook with great ferocity, making me place my arms to the floor so I didn't fall.
That's not supposed to happen.
The Steward dismissed it as gravity pockets, but that wasn't close to a gravity pocket.
I went to the main observation gallery and stumbled upon Moxx saying, "Indubitably, this is the Bad Wolf scenario. I find the inherent laxity of the on-going multiverse."
"Wait, I'm sorry, but did you say 'Bad Wolf'?" I immediately asked, "As in 'The Big Bad Wolf'?" The wolf in Scotland mentioned a 'bad wolf' that I'll see.
"Yes, it's just a scenario title," Moxx informed.
Before I could think about it, the Doctor and Rose burst in. They went straight for me and Jabe. "That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that," I said.
"What do you think, Jabe?" the Doctor asked, "Listened to the engines. They've pitched up about thirty Hertz. That dodgy or what?"
The tree replied calmly, "It's the sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me."
"Where's the engine room?"
"I don't know, but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite," she offered, "I could show you and your wife." Jabe looked at me.
The Doctor answered, "She's not my wife." the same time I answered, "I'm not his wife."
"Partner?"
"No."
"Concubine?" Who uses that word anymore?
The Doctor looked amused. "Nope."
Jabe paused before suggesting, "Prostitute?"
"Did you just call me a prostitute?" I seethed, "Tell you what, you two go and pollinate. I'm going to catch up with Rose. Quick word with Michael Jackson." I leave to join Rose with Cassandra.
"Don't start a fight," he warned. Then he offered Jabe his arm which made me boil a bit. "I'm all yours."
"And I want you home by midnight," Rose called before turning back on our way to Cassandra. I glared at the back of the Doctor and swore under my breath.
"Earth Death in fifteen minutes. Earth Death in fifteen minutes."