Alyssa landed in the same Tardis; she looked around as the Tardis shook as it landed. She walked to the console room. She heard laughing, and she walked over and saw the Ninth Doctor and Rose laying on the ground. "Having fun, you two?" she said, and the Doctor rushed up and looked at her.
"Who are you, and how did you get on board?" he said
"It's me, Alyssa, blimey, why do I always regenerate before I see this version of you," Alyssa said, as she held out her hand to Rose, who reluctantly took it, and Alyssa pulled her up.
"Alyssa?" The Doctor said, and Alyssa only nodded, "Great,"
"Where are we?" Alyssa asked, and the Doctor rushed over to the controls to answer that question. " I did it. Give the man a medal. Earth, Naples, December 24th, 1860." The Doctor said,
"That's so weird. It's Christmas." Rose said as she and Alyssa both looked at the screen, the Doctor was looking at.
"All yours." The Doctor said, holding his arm out to the door looking at Rose.
"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,
"Not a bad life." The Doctor said,
"Come on, then," Rose said, rushing towards the door,
"Oi, Rose, you can't go out looking like that; neither can I looking like this; come on," Alyssa said, holding her hand out to her.
"What do you mean?"
"Go out there dressed like that; you'll start a riot, Barbarella. 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!" The Doctor said; realizing that Alyssa was right, Rose took Alyssa's hand and went to the Wardrobe.
It took them a couple minutes before they had changed into something more appropriate to the era and went back to the Console room. The Doctor was under the control panel when they walked in. he looked up at the two as they walked over to him.
"Blimey." He said, his eyes flickering between Rose and Alyssa.
"Don't laugh," Rose muttered,
"You look beautiful," The Doctor said, before his eyes trained on Rose, "considering."
"Considering what?"
"That you're human." The Doctor said,
"Take that as a compliment Rose, he still has a bias against humans. Have you changed Doctor?" Alyssa said,
"I've changed my jumper. Come on." The Doctor said, beginning to use the grating they were standing on to boost himself up.
"Are you sure that will be enough?" Alyssa said, but he didn't answer.
"You two stay there. You've done this before. This is mine." Rose said and ran towards the Tardis doors and out of the Tardis. Alyssa and the Doctor following as they went out into a town, the ground covered in snow. "Ready for this? Here we go. History." the Doctor said, offering his arms to both Rose and Alyssa, who took it before they began walking. They entered a more active part of the town, and the Doctor grabbed a newspaper as they passed a person handing them out as Rose and Alyssa continued walking.
" I got the flight a bit wrong." As he walked to catch up with them, Alyssa let out a giggle as she walked to look at the newspaper he was holding. Before he folded it up.
"I don't care," Rose said,
"It's not 1860; it's 1869," Alyssa stated,
"I don't care," Rose stated once again,
"And it's not Naples." The Doctor said,
"I don't care," Rose stated again,
"It's Cardiff," Alyssa said, which made Rose stop, but the Doctor and Alyssa kept going.
"Right," Rose said before she started walking again; they continued walking for a while before screams came from one of the nearby buildings.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding," Alyssa said,
"That's more like it!" The Doctor said, throwing the newspaper away and rushing forward. Alyssa and Rose following. They pushed their way into the building as the others ran out and saw a blue humanoid creature flying around. "Fantastic." The Doctor said, as he pushed himself up to the stage, "Did you see where it came from?" he asked the man that was on the scene,
"Ah, the wag reveals himself, does he? I trust you're satisfied, sir!" The man said; Alyssa looked around the room and saw a man and a woman dragging away an old woman,
"Oi, leave her alone!" She yelled, "Doctor, I'll get them!" before she rushed over to the two and left the building to find them putting her in the back of a horse-drawn carriage.
"What are you doing?" She said as the woman stopped her from looking at the body,
"Oh, it's a tragedy, miss. Don't worry yourself. Me and the master will deal with it. The fact is, this poor lady's been taken with the brain fever, and we have to get her to the infirmary." The woman said, but Alyssa just rolled her eyes as she pushed passed her and saw the pale old lady,
"What did you do to her? She's cold," she said as her fingers found her neck, there was no heartbeat. "She's dead!" An arm went around her neck, and a cloth was pressed to her mouth and nose, and she struggled against and stomped down on the person's foot, which only gave her a moment of reprieve before the cloth was once against her mouth and nose, she slumped down unconscious.
Alyssa woke up in a room surrounded by coffins. She put her hand to her head. "I really need to stop doing that." She muttered as she sat up and got off the table; she was on. She heard a groan as she turned around and saw a blue mist enter a man who was sitting up. she stumbled back as her hands went down to where her gun normal was to find it not there. "It's back on the Tardis," She said as she looked at the man who tried to get out of the coffin. She stared at the man as it began advancing on her, and she turned around and rushed to the door. She turned around as the old lady that the two people had taken sit up as well. She ran forward, grabbed a pot, and threw it at one of the people. Before trying the door again, "Let me out!" She yelled, she continued yelling as the people continued advancing on her until the man grabbed her and pulled her back. She let out a scream as she threw her head back in hopes of breaking out of its hold. The door was kicked open, and the Doctor rushed forward,
"I think this is my dance," he said as he reached forward, grabbed Alyssa's hand, and pulled her away from him. As the man who was on the stage and Rose appeared. Keeping his arm around her,
"It's a prank. It must be. We're under some mesmeric influence." The man said,
"No, we're not. The dead are walking." The Doctor said before he looked down at Alyssa, who was gripping his side hard, "Hi."
"Hello Doctor, sorry about that," She turned around and waved at Rose before her eyes fell upon a man. "Who's your friend?"
"Charles Dickens." The Doctor said, making Alyssa blink,
"Okay. I love your work." Alyssa said before she turned back to the two humans,
"My name's the Doctor. Who are you, then? What do you want?" The Doctor asked,
"Failing. Open the rift. We're dying. Trapped in this form. Cannot sustain. Help us. Argh!" A female voice said before a scream sounded, and a blue mist left the bodies, and they collapsed.
They were soon in the living room as the woman dressed in servant clothes poured some tea. They had learned the names of who kidnapped Alyssa. Rose yelled at the man who had abducted Alyssa, "First of all, you drug her, then you kidnap her,"
"I also felt your hands do a quick wander," Alyssa said,
"You Dirty Old man!" Rose yelled, mad about the new revelation
"I won't be spoken to like this!" Sneed cried, making Alyssa stand up
"Tough since you kidnapped me, stuck me in a room full of zombies, and left me to die! So we are not leaving here till you tell us what's going on!" Alyssa yelled,
"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,
"Tommyrot," Dickens said, and Alyssa let out an exasperated sigh,
"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 said; Alyssa looked up at the Doctor as Gwyneth put a teacup on the mantle he was standing near. "Two sugars, sir, just how you like it." She said before walking away; the Doctor's face turned confused as he glanced up at Alyssa, who just shrugged
"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." The man said,
"Morbid fancy," Dickens said before he stood up
"You can't deny something you've seen with your own eyes Charles," Alyssa said,
"I saw nothing but an illusion," Charles said, as he walked over to her,
"Are you sure it was an illusion?" Alyssa said, and Charles was about to say something,
"If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time. Just shut up. What about the gas?" The Doctor said,
"That's new, sir. Never seen anything like that." Sneed said,
"Means it's getting stronger, the rift's getting wider, and something's sneaking through." The Doctor said,
"What's the rift?" Rose asked
"It's a weak point in time and space, Rose; it's literally a connecting from this place and another," Alyssa said,
"That's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time." The Doctor added,
"That's how I got the house so cheap. Stories going back generations." The man said as Dickens left the room, "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."
They soon stopped talking, The Doctor going to find where Charles got off to while Alyssa stayed with Rose as she joined Gwyneth to help her,
"Please, miss, you shouldn't be helping. It's not right." Gywneth said, as she looked behind her and saw Rose then walked over.
"Don't be daft. Sneed works you to death. How much do you get paid?" Rose asked as Gwyneth held out her hand for the towel Rose was holding. Rose handed it to her,
"Eight pounds a year, miss," Gwyneth said,
"How much?" Rose said,
"Is that a lot?" Alyssa said, and Gwyenth nodded,
"I would've been happy with six." She said,
"So, did you go to school or what?" Rose asked,
"Of course, I did. What do you think I am, an urchin? I went every Sunday, nice and proper." Gwyneth
"What, once a week?" Rose asked
"Rose, it's not like where you are from," Alyssa said, which made Rose nod,
"We did sums and everything. To be honest, I hated every second." Gwyneth
"I think we all can agree that we all hate school," Alyssa said as the three left,
"Don't tell anyone, but one week, I didn't go and ran on the heath all on my own," Gwyneth said,
"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, the laughing suddenly cut off,
"Well, I don't know much about that, miss," Gwyneth said, before turning around,
"Come on, times haven't changed that much. I bet you've done the same." Rose said,
"I don't think so, miss," Gwyneth said,
"You don't have your eye on anyone Gwyneth, not one person?" Alyssa said, and she turned back to the two,
"I suppose. There is one lad. The butcher's boy. He comes by every Tuesday. Such a lovely smile on him." Gwyneth admitted,
"I like a nice smile. Good smile, nice bum." Rose said,
"Well, I have never heard the like," Gwyneth said, which made the two laugh and Alyssa smile,
"Ask him out. Give him a cup of tea or something; that's a start." Rose said,
"I swear it is the strangest thing, miss. You've got all the clothes and the breeding, but you talk like some sort of wild thing." Gwyneth said,
"Maybe I am. Maybe that's a good thing. You need a bit more in your life than Mister Sneed." Rose said,
"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."
"I'm sorry, losing your family is tough," Alyssa said,
"Oh, I'm sorry," Rose said,
"Thank you, both of you, 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." Gwyneth said, making Alyssa pause as she looked up at Gwyneth,
"Maybe. Er, who told you he was dead?" Rose said,
"I don't know. Must have been the Doctor." Gwyneth said,
"My father died years back," Rose said,
"But you've been thinking about him lately more than ever," Gwyneth said,
"Gwyneth," Alyssa started before she was interrupted by Rose,
"I suppose so. How do you know all this?" Rose said.
"Mister Sneed says I think too much. I'm all alone down here. I bet you two got dozens of servants, haven't you, miss?" Gwyneth said,
"No, no servants where I'm from," Rose said, shaking her head,
"And you've come such a long way," Gwyneth said,
"What makes you think so?" Rose asked,
"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." Gwyneth said; Alyssa placed a hand on her shoulder. Gwyneth turned to her, "you, you fly farther than anyone, hardly ever stopping. The golden Angel, the things you've seen, so much darkness, the silence," Gwyneth said, making Alyssa freeze "the big bad wolf," Gwyneth said, before she reeled back, she took notice of how Alyssa looked before she said, "I'm sorry miss, I'm sorry to both of you."
"It's okay," Alyssa whispered,
"It's all right," Rose said,
"I can't help it. Ever since I was a little girl, my mom said I had the sight. She told me to hide it." Gwyneth said,
"But it's getting stronger, more powerful, is that right?" the Doctor said from the doorway. Him sneaking in while they were talking, making the three jump.
"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,
"Well, that should help. You can show us what to do." The Doctor said,
"What to do where, sir?" Gwyneth said,
"We're going to have a seance."
They soon were sitting around a table as Gwyneth explained what they were doing, while Alyssa racked her brain for what this episode was.
"This is how Madam Mortlock summons those from the Land of Mists, down in Big Town. Come, we must all join hands." Gwyneth said,
"I can't take part in this," Charles said,
"Come on, Charles, have an open mind," Alyssa said,
"This is precisely the sort of cheap mummery I strive to unmask. Seances? Nothing but luminous tambourines and a squeezebox concealed between the knees. This girl knows nothing." Charles said,
"Now, don't antagonize her. I love a happy medium." The Doctor said, smiling
"You had to say that, didn't you, Doctor?" Alyssa said, but couldn't help smiling herself,
"Come on, we might need you." The Doctor said to Charles, who soon sat down at the table with them, then all of them grabbed each other's hands, "Good man. Now, Gwyneth, reach out."
"Speak to us. Are you there? Spirits, come. Speak to us that we may relieve your burden." Gwyneth said, and whispering started as Gwyneth looked up at the ceiling.
"Can you hear that?" Rose said, asking Charles,
"Nothing can happen. This is sheer folly." Charles said,
"Want to bet, Charles?" Alyssa said, jerking her head toward Gwyneth, who was still looking at the ceiling,
"I see them. I feel them." She said as blue wisps of gas floated above them,
"What's it saying?" Rose said,
"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 said,
"I can't!" Gwyneth said,
"Yes, you can. Just believe it. I have faith in you, Gwyneth. Make the link." The Doctor said, and Gwyneth closed her eyes before dropping her head and facing forward, opening her eyes.
"Yes." She said as a blue female humanoid made of gas appeared behind her, and two to each side.
"Great God! Spirits from the other side." Sneed said,
"The other side of the universe," Alyssa said,
"Pity us. Pity the Gelth. There is so little time. Help us." the Gelth said, Gwyneth, speaking with them,
"What do you want us to do?" The Doctor asked,
"The rift. Take the girl to the rift. Make the bridge." The Gelth said,
"What for?" The Doctor asked,
"We are so very few. The last of our kind. We face extinction." The Gelth said,
"Why, what happened?" the Doctor said,
"Once we had a physical form like you, but then the war came." The Gelth said,
"War? What war?" Charles asked,
"The Time 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." The Gelth said as the Doctor and Alyssa glanced at each other before the Doctor looked back at the Gelth.
"So, that's why you need the corpses." The Doctor said,
"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." The Gelth said,
"But, we can't," Rose said, Alyssa, nodding with her,
"Why not?" The Doctor said, and only Rose answered,
"It's not. I mean, it's not," Rose said,
"Not decent? Not polite? It could save their lives." the Doctor said,
"Open the rift. Let the Gelth through. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth." The Gelth said before they disappeared and Gwyneth collapsed,
"Gwyneth?" Rose said, getting up and walking over to her and grabbing her, Alyssa getting up to and walking over.
"All true," Charles said,
"Charles, is it really time for you to realize all of this is true?" Alyssa said as she looked Gwyneth over,
"Are you okay?" Rose asked Gwyneth,
"It's all true," Charles said, once again.
They soon moved away from the table, and Gwyneth laid on the couch, Rose taking care of her. Her eyes opened, and Rose instantly said, "It's all right. You just sleep."
"But my angels, miss. They came, didn't they? They need me?" Gwyneth said,
"Are you sure they are Angels?" Alyssa said from where she was standing by the Doctor, "Angels don't make you fall unconscious or harm you just so they can get help."
"They do need you, Gwyneth. You're their only chance of survival." The Doctor said, glaring at Alyssa, who reeled back at the look he was giving her; while they were waiting for her to wake up, she remembered the episode she was in.
"I've told you, leave her alone. She's exhausted, and she's not fighting your battles. Drink this." Rose said, producing a glass to Gwyneth, as the Doctor let out a sigh.
"Well, what did you say, Doctor? Explain it again. What are they?" Sneed asked,
"Aliens." The Doctor said,
"Like foreigners, you mean?" Sneed said,
"Pretty foreign, yeah. From up there." The Doctor said, pointing up towards the sky
"Brecon?" Sneed said,
"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 said,
"Which is why they need the girl," Charles said,
"Well, too bad, they are not having her," Alyssa said, ignoring the glare the Doctor was giving her,
"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.
"Incredible. Ghosts that are not ghosts but beings from another world, who can only exist in our world by inhabiting cadavers." Charles said,
"Good system. It might work." The Doctor said,
"You can't let them run around inside of dead people," Rose said, standing up and walking over to the Doctor,
"Why not? It's like recycling." The Doctor said
"Oh no, it's not anything like recycling," Alyssa said,
"Seriously, though, you can't," Rose said,
"Seriously, though, I can." The Doctor said
"Not without warning the Human race first don't you think they should have an opinion on whether or not they have their dead relatives, friends, lovers walking around? Not being the same person they cared about?" Alyssa said, Rose, nodding along with what she said,
"It's just wrong. Those bodies were living people. We should respect them, even in death." Rose said,
"Do you carry a donor card?" The Doctor asked as he turned to her,
"That's different. That's" Rose started only to be interrupted by the Doctor,
"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."
"It is not a different morality, Doctor!" Alyssa yelled, "When it comes to a Donor card, they make a choice in whether or not they have a Donor card, and you are trying to take away any choice the humans have when it comes to this! There are other options we can take than just handing the dead over to them and giving humans no choice!" Alyssa said as they glared at each other, this being the first time they had actively disagreed with each other,
"If you are all about choice, Miss, Don't I get a say, miss?" Gwyneth said, Alyssa, glancing behind her,
"Yes, of course, you do, but you do not fully understand what's going on. Gwyneth, I am sort of psychic in my own right, and this will not end well." Alyssa said, turning back to the Doctor, "Please just trust me."
"Trust you?" The Doctor said, "Trust the person who appeared on my Tardis claimed to know everything about my life, and her face keeps changing but won't tell me anything. Why should I trust you?" The Doctor said, and Alyssa just reeled back as if he had slapped her,
"If that's how you feel." She whispered, holding back tears,
"Yes, it is,"
"Then what happens here is on your head," she said, walking away from him. Rose picking up where Alyssa failed,
"Look, you don't understand what's going on," Rose said, talking directly to Gwyneth,
"You would say that, miss, because that's very clear inside your head, that you think I'm stupid," Gwyneth said,
"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 said,
"You don't have to do anything." The Doctor said,
"They've been singing to me since I was a child, sent by my mom on a holy mission. So tell me." Gwyneth said,
"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 said,
"That would be the morgue," Sneed said,
"No chance you were going to say gazebo, is there?" Rose said as she walked over to Alyssa, who just stared blankly at the rest.
They went to the morgue, " Urgh. Talk about Bleak House." The Doctor said as he looked around the room,
"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."
"Time is in flux, it changes every second, the world you know can be rewritten faster than you can say Oops." Alyssa said, as she entered the Morgue staying as far away from the Doctor as she could.
"Doctor, I think the room is getting colder." Charles said, and the others looked around and whispers started filling the air around them,
"Here they come." Rose said, as blue gas flew out of a nearby gas lamp and appeared under an archway,
"You've come to help. Praise the Doctor. Praise him." the Gelth said,
"Promise you won't hurt her." Rose said,
"Hurry! Please, so little time. Pity the Gelth." Gelth said,
"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 said,
"My angels. I can help them live." Gwyneth said,
"Okay, where's the weak point?" The Doctor said,
"Here, beneath the arch." The Gelth said, and Gwyneth walked forward and stood under it the Gelth floating behind her,
"Beneath the arch." Gwyneth said,
"You don't have to do this." Rose said as she ran forward to her,
"My angels" Gwyneth said, cupping her face and Rose stumbled back,
"Establish the bridge. Reach out to the void. Let us through!" The Gelth said,
"Yes, I can see you. I can see you. Come!" Gwyneth said,
"Bridgehead establishing." The Gelth said,
"Come to me. Come to this world, poor lost souls!" Gwyneth said,
"It is begun. The bridge is made.' The Gelth said, as Gwyneth opened her mouth and blue gas started flying out of it "She has given herself to the Gelth. The bridge is open. We descend." The Gelth said before it turned orange and its teeth changed to become sharp teeth, "The Gelth will come through in force." it said its voice deepening,
"You said that you were few in number." Charles said,
"A few billion. And all of us in need of corpses." The Gelth said, and the Doctor glanced down at Alyssa before quickly looking back at them, as the dead around them began to get up.
"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 said as a dead person walked forward and behind him
"Mister Sneed, get back!" Rose said, before both Alyssa and the Doctor pulled her back as Sneed was grabbed and the dead person snapped his neck, a Gelth immediately rushed in.
"I think it's gone a little bit wrong." The Doctor said,
"You think!" Alyssa yelled "You think! I tried to warn you!"
"I have joined the legions of the Gelth. Come, march with us." the Gelth inhabiting Sneed said,
"Oh glory." Charles said,
"We need bodies. All of you. Dead. The human race. Dead." The gelth in Sneed said as the dead began advancing on them, the Doctor, Rose and Alyssa backing up,
"Gwyneth, stop them! Send them back now!" The Doctor said,
"Three more bodies. Convert them. Make them vessels for the Gelth." The gelth under the arch said, as the three were
"Doctor, I can't. I'm sorry. This new world of yours is too much for me. I'm so" Charles started,
"It's okay Charles go save yourself," Alyssa said as the three went behind a metal gate and closed to keep the Gelth at bay. As Charles rushed out of the Morgue
"Give yourself to glory. Sacrifice your lives for the Gelth." The Gelth said,
"I trusted you. I pitied you!" The Doctor said,
"We don't want your pity. We want this world and all it's flesh." The Gelth said,
"Not while I'm alive." The Doctor said
"Not while We are alive," Alyssa said, as gold danced through her eyes,
"Then live no more." the Gelth said,
"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 said,
"It doesn't work like that." Alyssa said,
"I'm sorry." The Doctor added,
"But it's 1869. How can I die now?" Rose said,
"Time isn't a straight line. It can twist into any shape. You can be born in the twentieth century and die in the nineteenth and it's all my fault. I brought you here." The Doctor said,
"It's not your fault. I wanted to come." Rose said,
"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."
"Really, Doctor this is your fault, can't trust the things you just met can you." Alyssa said, glancing at the Gelth,
"It's not just dying. We'll become one of them. We'll go down fighting, yeah?"
"Of course." Alyssa said,
"Yeah." The Doctor said,
"Together?" Rose said,
"Yeah." The Doctor said, before he took Rose's hand he looked at Alyssa who was staring at the Gelth before he took hers as well. Alyssa jumped at the contact and looked up at him,
"I'm so glad I met you two." he admitted,
"Me too." Rose said, while Alyssa could only offer a small smile,
"Doctor! Doctor! Turn off the flame, turn up the gas! Now, fill the room, all of it, now!" Dicken said as he rushed back into the room.
"What're you doing?" The Doctor said,
"Turn it all on. Flood the place!" Dickens said and Alyssa laughed
"Now you getting it Dickens!" Alyssa said,
"Brilliant. Gas." The Doctor said,
"What, so we choke to death instead?" Rose asked and Alyssa instantly shook her head,
"Am I correct, Doctor? These creatures are gaseous." Dickens said,
"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 said as the Gelth in front of them turned towards Dickens and started advancing on him.
"I hope, oh Lord, I hope that this theory will be validated soon, if not immediately." Dickens said,
"Plenty more!" The Doctor said before he ripped a gas pipe that Alyssa was in front of, from the wall releasing more gas. The gelth left the bodies they were inhabiting and swirled through the air.
"It's working." Dickens said, as the three left the alcove they were in,
"Gwyneth, send them back. They lied. They're not angels." The Doctor said,
"Liars?" Gwyneth said, as she lowered her arms and stared at the three,
"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!"
" I can't breathe." Rose said,
"Charles, get her out." The Doctor instantly said, and Charles went to grab Rose but she just brushed off his arm.
"I'm not leaving her." She said,
"They're too strong." Gwyneth said,
"Remember that world you saw? Rose's world? All those people. None of it will exist unless you send them back through the rift." the Doctor said,
"I can't send them back. But I can hold them. Hold them in this place, hold them here. Get out." Gwyneth said as she produced a box of matches from her apron.
"You can't!" Rose said, rushing forward only for the Doctor to grab her and stop her,
"Leave this place!" Gwyneth said,
"Rose, get out. Go now. I won't leave her while she's still in danger. Now go!"
"Neither will I!" Alyssa said as she walked to the Doctor's side, and Rose and Dickens left.
"Come on, leave that to me." The Doctor said, holding his hand out for the box. Before he realized something. He looked at Alyssa who was just staring at her sadly. The Doctor rose his hand to Gwyneth's neck to feel no heartbeat. "Im sorry," he said as he closed the gap between them and kissed her head, "Thank you." before he turned around grabbed Alyssa's hand and the two rushed out. Them leaving the house just as it exploded. The Doctor grabbed Alyssa and turned his body as they flew to the ground, shrapnel flying over their heads as they landed on the ground Alyssa underneath the Doctor.
"Doctor?" She whispered, as he got up and pulled her to her feet. Rose and Charles joining the two,
"She didn't make it." Rose said, as she realized Gwyneth wasn't with them,
"I'm sorry. She closed the rift." The Doctor said,
"At such a cost. The poor child." Charles said,
"I did try, Rose, but Gwyneth was already dead. She had been for at least five minutes." The Doctor said,
"What do you mean?" Rose asked,
"She was dead the moment she stepped foot under that arch." Alyssa said,
"But she can't have. She spoke to us. She helped us. She saved us. How could she have done that?" Rose asked,
"There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Even for you, Doctor." Charles said,
"She saved the world. A servant girl. No one will ever know." Rose said as they stared at the fire.
They made their way back to the Tardis—Charles following them. "Right then, Charlie boy, I've just got to go into my, er, shed. Won't be long." the Doctor said as he dug through his jacket for his key.
"What are you going to do now?" Rose asked Charles,
"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 said,
"You've cheered up." The Doctor commented,
"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." Charles said, making Alyssa smile softly
"Do you think that's wise?" Rose asked,
"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." Charles said,
"Good luck with it. Nice to meet you. Fantastic." The Doctor said,
"Bye, then, and thanks," Rose said, shaking his hand then kissing his cheek, as the Doctor opened the Tardis door.
"Oh, my dear. How modern. Thank you, but I don't understand. In what way is this goodbye? Where are you going?" Charles said, confused,
"You'll see. In the shed." The Doctor said,
"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?" Charles said,
"Just a friend passing through." The Doctor said,
"But you have such knowledge of future times. I don't wish to impose on you, but I must ask you. My books. Doctor, do they last?" Charles said
"I can answer this one," Alyssa said, holding up her finger. "Yes, they last forever. You become one of the greatest authors to have ever lived." making Charles smile as he held his hand out to her, she happily taking it as he shook it.
"Right. Shed. Come on, Rose. Alyssa." The Doctor said,
"In the box? All three of you?" Charles said,
"Down boy. See you." The Doctor said, and the three entered the Tardis.
Alyssa instantly disappeared into the Wardrobe, putting on her regular clothes and strapping her gun back to her hip. "Alyssa?" The Doctor called out,
"In here," Alyssa said, and the Doctor entered the Wardrobe.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry."
"Say sorry about what, the fact that you told me you distrust me or the fact that you meant it." she said, crossing her arms, "because it is going to take more than an 'I'm sorry' to make this right." The Doctor began to say something, but Alyssa held up her finger and said. "No, you don't get to say anything right now. I know you feel guilty about the Time War and all the death that came with it, but that does not mean you can give a part of one race up for grabs to save another to make yourself feel better. You can be better than that, and I KNOW you are better than that. Both of us have no authority to speak and make deals when it comes to aliens that power only relies with the humans. Also, you trusted the Gelth right away because of their involvement in the Time War. However, you can't trust me because you saw different versions of me back to back. Oh, guess what, Doctor, I go through the same thing you just went to. I could be with this version of you and then jump to a future version of you. But does that mean I don't trust you! No! You will see a younger version of myself very soon, and when you see her, I want you to ask yourself, does that version of me trust you? Does she say anything that makes you think I don't trust you? You can answer that question after you see that version of me. But for now, I have given you no reason for you not to trust me. I don't tell you what I know about these adventures because that could have disastrous consequences that could cause a paradox." She stopped to jab a finger into his chest
"you should know that better than anyone! And let me admit one more thing, Doctor, my first jump is way in your future, and you know what I trusted you, even then, when you knew so much about me, but I didn't know jack about you other than what I've watched in the show. You want to know why I trusted you because I know deep down that you always seem to get us out even if we get in trouble. So you can say sorry all you want right now, but it is going to take a lot more than 'i'm sorry' to make it right. Because from where I'm standing, I have given you no reason for you not to trust me." she said, and a headache ripped through her, "I just wanted to save one person, but you couldn't even let me do that." she said right before she disappeared in a flash of gold
Authors Note: When I was writing this chapter. I realized that it was really unrealistic for the Doctor to trust Alyssa right away.