First Who Fic - Test
Title: Curiosity
Characters/Pairing: Doctor (10), Rose, Ten/Rose
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The Doctor and Rose don’t belong to me, I just borrowed them for a bit.
Summary: Rose and the Doctor go looking for ghosts and they might just find one. Written for the The Bump in the Night Ficathon on never_ever_will
The night was cold and clear with a scattering of distant, sparking stars and wispy black clouds. A waning moon shone overhead, bathing the world in soft silvery light. The wind was sharp, prickling the soul and making those outdoors yearn for the happy glow of home and the warmth of shared laughter.
“By the pricking of my thumb something wicked this way comes.” A low ominous voice intoned. “Wait...is that a... oh it is! Look, Rose! A vomiting pumpkin.” He said excitedly. “ I told you, this was going to be brilliant.” The Doctor strode through the crisp evening, his overcoat swirling behind him.
At his side was a blond girl in her early 20’s. She was wearing a short red jacket and was bundled against the sharp chill.
“So this is Halloween in... wait, sorry... where are we?” Her breath puffed out in a tiny cloud.
“Portland, Maine...1993.”
They paused at the edge of the street.
“Doctor?’
“Mm?”
“You said somethn’ about candy?”
“So I did, didn’t I.” He looked around thoughtfully. “Pick a house, Rose, any house!”
Her eyes traveled over the row of homes. Most were bright and welcoming, but a few she touched on had darkened windows. “Any house?”
“All right, any house with the lights on,” he amended.
She bit her lip and chose. “That one!”
“That one?” he sounded skeptical.
She shot him a look.
“Err. Ok, yes, that one.” He was off again and heading up the front walk. She hurried to keep up.
Rose reached out with a slight hesitation and rang the doorbell. “Just a minute!” a muffled voice called and they could hear movement inside before the door opened. A woman in her late 50’s appeared with a huge bowl of miniature candy bars.
She looked down as if searching for a child and then back up at their faces.
“Trick or Treat?” They called out together, trying to overwhelm her by the sheer force of their combined charm.
The woman sniffed as she handed them candy. “Aren’t you both a little old for trick or treating?”
Rose’s eyes cut to the Doctor and then she choked on a laugh. He elbowed her, keeping his face a mask of innocence and polite expectation. When he smiled brightly and thanked the woman she gave him an extra piece. Rose’s mouth dropped open and he shot her a smug smile.
They strolled back down to the side walk hand in hand. As they went on their way, they passed groups of children and harried adults with flashlights. Slow moving cars drove slowly down the street, stopping periodically to let a tiny ghost or goblin out to ask for treats.
They went to a dozen more houses, one man wouldn’t give them anything but a hard time. But most people were generous and they soon accumulated quite a collection. They didn’t have bags so they put their candy in his coat pockets, saving them for later. You never knew when a mini Snickers might be a welcome addition to one’s bowl of prison gruel.
They had walked a few blocks and Rose was about ready to head back to the TARDIS when the Doctor used his hold on her hand to tow her across the street. She hadn’t even noticed it, but under a street lamp that had burnt out, there was a house, hidden in the shadows.
Around the perimeter was a decorative gate with signs stuck to it warning that it was Condemned and Trespassers would be Prosecuted.
“Doesn’t it just look like the archetypal haunted house?” He asked her.
“Reminds me of a haunted house, yeah.” she agreed.
“Look at that! A great big old abandoned looking house with a ‘Keep Out’ sign.” They stopped in front of
the forbidding exterior. “You know what that makes me want to do?”
“Break in and see what’s inside it?” She flashed him a huge smile.
“Exactly.” He was already pressing the sonic screwdriver against the padlock on the wrought iron gate. It slipped open and fell to the ground.
The house was run down and looked long abandoned. The shingles were gray and weathered and the windows dark and drooping like so many sad, empty eyes. They ambled up to the sagging porch, their trainers crunching the dead leaves blanketing the neglected walkway.
“Ooh this does look promising.” His eyes traced over the design. “1930’s maybe?”
“Should we at least knock?” Rose asked.
“Oh, no need.” The Doctor dismissed the idea. He reached for the door knob and gingerly tested it. To his surprise it turned easily. He pushed against the warped doorframe and the hinges groaned in protest.
“Creepy.” Rose said approvingly. “Seems abandoned, yeah?”
As the door swung open, years worth of dust swirled up from the floor, creating a misty, gray cloud.
“Well, Rose Tyler, fancy a jaunt into a possibly, but not likely, haunted house?”
Rose grinned. “Of course.”
“Knew you would.”
She laughed and followed him into the foyer.
He closed the door and turned to have a look around.“Well, I won’t say much for the housekeeping.”
“You always take me to the nicest places.” Rose observed.
“Oh I don’t know, it seems to have a certain dank charm” He took a few steps forward, his trainers scuffing the worn wooden floor.
Together they moved deeper into the house, her hand finding his, their fingers tangling with familiar ease.
“You know this reminds me of the time I explored these ruins in Lima.”
“Lima the city or Lima the planet?”
“No...” He looked bemused, “Lima the city. Why would you assume it’s a planet? A planet named Lima? That’d be a bit silly wouldn’t it?” He searched through the darkness, the street lamps outside providing them with a small amount of light.
She nudged him hard with her shoulder. “Well, there’s Barcelona.”
“Yeah, but that’s Barcelona- the planet. Doesn’t mean there’s....” There was a soft whoosh, almost like an air conditioner kicking on and then dying suddenly.
He stopped mid sentence, he heard Rose’s breath hitch.
“Did you hear somthin’?” she whispered, pressing against his back.
“Wait, listen.” he said softly. They froze. Silence greeted them. He let go of her hand and stepped further into the front room, then stood, straining to catch the faint sound. He started to turn back to her…
The temperature plummeted suddenly and he heard a rushing in his ears. Something brushed past him, through him. The presence swirled around him and for a moment he was frozen to the spot as the otherworldly chill overloaded all of his senses. He forgot to breathe. A ghost…well, a spirit. Actually, some sort of energy field emanating from the astral plane. But this was all neither here nor there. Semantics aside - they’d found an actual ghost!
He sucked in air with a start, overriding his respiratory bypass and filling his lungs with musty, stale air. This was unusual, could be terrifying even. It was Brillant! Now where was Rose? Apparently wandered off, as was to be expected.
“Rose?” He called. “ROSE!”
“Yes?” She appeared a couple of feet behind him.
“Oh there you are. Did you feel that?” He couldn’t keep the excitement out of his question.
She returned his smile wanly, her eyes flickering around. “Feel what?”
“The ghost!”
She shook her head and bit her lip. For a moment her hazel eyes looked longingly back at the foyer they’d come through. “Ghost?” she repeated questioningly.
The moment was shattered by a sudden burst of noise. There was the sound of cabinets being opened and closed and then a metallic crash off to the left as something fell and then rolled across the floor.
“Oh! Sounds like that’s our cue! Come on then.” He bounded toward the source of the activity, finding himself in the kitchen. It was a typical 30’s look with checkered floors. An old, stained Formica table was pushed up against the wall, its metal edging dull from neglect. Remnants of cobwebs clung to every surface.
The Doctor scanned the floor, searching for prints in the dust.
Rose stood in the doorway, not really in the room, but not outside of it either.
“There’s nothing here.” She stated with a forced smile. “That’s a relief, now we can go.”
“Well, there must have been something here. Don’t know for sure about Cardiff, but in my considerable experience cooking pots don’t go flying about by themselves.”
He squatted down and picked up the pot, it was disappointingly normal. He turned it over in his hands and then set it back on the table. He frowned.
“Whatever it is, it’s gone now. Let’s keep looking.”
“I don’t know…don’t you think it might be time to go home?”
“Back to the TARDIS?” He turned to look at her in surprise that she was so quick to give up this adventure. “Not yet I should think. No, there’s someone or something here. Oooh maybe like Scooby Doo, the grumpy old caretaker” He rubbed his chin, “But what I felt before…definitely not corporeal…could be alien I suppose…”
“Alien?” she echoed.
A soft creaking began to echo through the empty house. It sounded almost like footsteps. He went very still, turning his head slightly to try to follow the sound.
The scraping footfalls started up the stairs and he turned to race after it, grabbing Rose’s hand and pulling her along with him. He dashed back through the house toward the stairs and bounded up three steps when she tripped and his arm shot out, catching himself.
“Well, that was rubbish,” he muttered. “Some ghost hunter you’re turning out to be, Rose Tyler.” His tone was teasing, but his frustration was leaking through. He wasn’t used to having to drag her along every step of the way.
The creaking started again, overhead.
Her eyes were wide and dark in her pale face. “Maybe whatever it is wants to be left alone.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” he complained, and started climbing again. She followed behind him much less enthusiastically.
The upper level was in worse condition than the downstairs, the floor was uneven and sloped down in places where the boards threatened to cave. He stepped lightly, gingerly distributing his weight.
“This way.” He called over his shoulder to Rose. She followed slowly.
The first room he came to was a small, grungy water closet. There were rust and hard water stains on the old porcelain. He wrinkled his nose in distaste and tried to close the door again, but it stuck so he abandoned it.
He eased down the hallway to a large open room. A huge mirror hung on the wall and something fluttered in its reflective surface. He heard Rose’s breath hitch. Stealthily he crept forward, his eyes adjusting quickly to the dim light,
There was a flicker of something white and perhaps otherworldly in the glass. His eyes were suddenly drawn to Rose’s face. She looked worried. He took a cautious step into the room. The curtains billowed out in the moonlight that was streaming through the window. If he thought about it, he could center on an unnatural stillness that permeated this space. Something…something was definitely not right here. He just couldn’t put his finger on it.
“I..I think we should go.” She whispered.
“But we only just got here.” He tried to keep the disappointment from his voice and failed. “There’s some sort of presence here. It’d be rude to leave before we’ve even said hello. You know how I love to say hello.” He flashed a grin and waited for her rejoinder, it never came because there was now a faint moaning sound carrying from somewhere in the house. It seemed to float through the air, an indistinct cry. Something… calling out.
They both looked around wildly trying to pinpoint the source.
“Stay here.” He said firmly and stepped back out into the hall. He set the sonic screwdriver on torch setting and began to move through the rooms, checking each one. Nothing. He was turning to go back to Rose when he heard her scream.
He took off for the spot where he’d left her and slid to a stop in the doorway. A huge column of green energy was churning through the large room. He could feel it on a visceral level, vibrating through time and space. It caused chills up his spine. Rose dropped to the floor huddling against the wall and above her the large mirror shattered, raining shards down on her blonde hair.
“Come on!” He shouted over the roar and held out his hand. She fumbled for it, but he had her, dragging her out of the room. Just as suddenly as it had appeared it vanished and he was left staring wild eyed into an empty room.
“What?” his voice was full of confused awe.
He heard a sound on the staircase. Rose was halfway down, she didn’t even look back.
“Rose! Rose, wait!” She didn’t stop. He caught up to her just as her hand touched the door knob.
“Hold on!” He sad as he caught her elbow. “Wait a minute, just hold on.”
Something wild flashed in her eyes, the last vestiges of panic from the fright she’d had, he supposed.
It took a moment but her grip on the brass to relax.
“It’s all right.” He soothed, “Nothing worse that what we’ve faced before, is it?”
She nodded slowly, allowing herself to be drawn away from the door.
“Come on then, one last look,” he cajoled, giving her a beseeching look. “Purely academic. I’m even going to break out my specs.” He pulled out his glasses and slipped them on. He smiled at her and she seemed to relent. She followed a step behind him, her eyes searching the darkness warily.
Just then there was a low hum of electricity and a light flashed on in a nearby room before dimming and going out again. There was a quick succession of flashes almost as if someone were rapidly flicking the switch. There was a loud pop and the light winked out.
When they reached the room, he could immediately smell the acrid scent of a a burnt out filiment from what was likely a decades old bulb.
The dust was stirring slightly as if someone or something had been there just moments before.
He felt like he could figure this out if he just had time to think, yanking off his glasses he hurriedly replaced them in his pocket. He pulled out his screwdriver and began scanning for energy distortions. The soft buzzing echoed off the walls of the desolate and empty space. He checked his readings - nothing.
“What’s that?” Rose had her arms wrapped around herself, rubbing at her shoulders. Her eyes darting around wildly.
“Just the sonic.” He answered distractedly.
She was edging away from him, backing toward the front door. “Hold on.” He snapped impatiently. She froze. He immediately felt bad. “I’m sorry Rose. Just let me get to the bottom of this and then we’ll go.”
“It’s just… it’s scary.” She answered in a small voice. “ And I…”
“Scary?” He repeated as if he couldn’t quite understand the concept. He switched tack then, trying to comfort her and lighten the mood. “Oh it’s not that scary. Well, maybe a little scary, but not like that rabid fruit bat from OTP 4AVR. Oooh and not like Claxaporian roulette or that planet Phanwim where they almost made us “ He rubbed at his neck, suddenly looking anywhere but her “made us ...well, you know or DIE!” He was emphasized death because it was the concept he was far more comfortable with. He tugged at his ear and looked down at her hoping to see a ghost of a smile.
Her cheeks were pale and she had circles under her eyes. She looked exhausted. She was staring past him toward the foyer again.
His brow furrowed with concern. “Rose, are you all right?”
“Just tired. So tired is all. Maybe a good night of sleep?” Her voice held a hopeful note. “Can’t we just go?”
His need to protect her warred with his need to know and it was a first. Usually he and Rose were on the same wavelength when it came to adventure. They had been running pretty hard lately, it was true she hadn’t been getting much sleep, maybe it was beginning to take its toll on not just her body, but her mind. So many simultaneous thoughts swarmed through his brain that he momentarily lost the capacity for speech.
“I… I just need to get out of this place.” She finished and her voice held a curious note of bitterness.
His mouth opened but before he could even speak something behind her caught his attention. At first he thought his eyes might be playing a trick on him. The air in the center of the room seemed to be bubbling.
“Oh. Oh hello again.” He breathed softly. The power began to coalesce, coming toward them, becoming longer and more three dimensional.
She whirled then, her eyes widening in fear. “No!”
The phenomenon approached them, seeming to get larger and give off more power as it advanced into the room with them.
Rose was backing away from it… she was stopped from further retreat when her back hit the wall.
“No.” she moaned. She looked at him with pleading eyes. “Don’t let it get me.”
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you. “ He said earnestly.
She was sliding along the wall now, until she reached the corner of the room. He stepped in front of her, his body shielding hers.
The closer the being came, the brighter it got. Green light coalescing around its form and bringing it further into the physical world
He used his most authoritative voice. “What do you want?”
“What are you doing!” Her voice went up in panic.
“Trying to communicate with it!” He snapped. “Now just wait.”
“Don’t let it touch me!” She shrieked twisting around behind him and clawing at the wall to get away. Something clicked into place. Her voice was different, her London accent abandoned in favor of crisper pronunciation. Like Cassandra, like Bad Wolf. And for the last half hour she hadn’t once called him ’Doctor.’
That was when he knew. He yanked her from behind him, his hand like a vice around her arm. She screamed trying to twist away. The sound of Rose’s voice screaming in so much terror tore at his hearts, but he held her out. The glowing greenish form moved forward and merged with the girl in his arms. The scream rose in pitch to that of a tea kettle and then further to a register well beyond anything human. A glowing green face pressed out of the of the darkness in front of him, keening with rage and despair as the creature was drawn from Rose’s body like a poison. It clawed at him desperately but it hands could no longer find purchase in the physical world.
He took a step back still holding onto Rose, anchoring her to him. Deftly he extracted the Sonic Screwdriver and thumbed to the correct setting. He aimed and a wide beam shot out blowing the entity back into the ether and beginning to cauterize the portal it had come through.
As it was banished, it unleashed a psychic strike that raged across his psyche. The closest comparison was like the sharp spikes of the very worst ice cream headache lancing through his forebrain. ‘Not human? Time Lord, Time Lord, Time Lord.’ His eyes dilated and darkened as he fired back. The onslaught shattered its defenses and he could hear the roar of his own psychic energy, like the howl of the wind and the rumble of thunder. The storm raged for a moment and then with a blinding flash of white light it was over.
Rose was still in his arms and still screaming when he gave her a gentle shake and spoke quickly to reassure her. “It’s just me, Rose.” He flashed her a warm smile when she looked at him. “Hello?”
She blinked. “Doctor?” Her voice was low and raspy and she choked. She covered her mouth as she coughed. “I’m sorry… you must have startled me. I don’t know why I screamed.” She looked confused.
“Quite all right.”
She turned on him.“Where have you been? I’ve been looking through this entire place for you. I’d think I heard something but every time I got there I was too late. I even called and you didn’t answer.” This last part was said a little accusingly.
“Rose.” He suddenly looked overjoyed as if he hadn’t seen her for a long time. He couldn’t stop the grin that split his face as he gathered her in a hug.
“Doctor? What happened?” She murmured against his shoulder.
“When we came in something was trying to get out. We’ve been in that same place, this house, but traveling on different planes of existence.”
“What’d you say?” She asked sharply, pulling back and giving him a look that said she wasn’t quite sure if he was having her on or not.
“There was something here. It needed a physical presence to cross the threshold and it took yours. It bumped you right out of your own body. It had to have been lurking here for years to build up that much strength.”
She licked her lips, her eyes darted to the side. “And where is it now?”
His eyes hardened. “Gone.” She searched his face for a moment, her hand reaching for his.
“Well that’s it then.” She sighed, tugging at her hoodie, her brows wrinkling with disappointment. “There was a real live ghost and I missed it.”
“Wasn’t much to miss really. It came through and didn’t close the door behind it so every time you and it were in the same place, you began to manifest. Just needed to get you both in the same spot to switch places again. You hear these stories, they filter down about people have their bodies stolen by noncorporeal beings.”
“You mean possessed?”
“In a way,” he allowed.
She let out a sad little sigh.
“Something wrong?”
“Well, ‘S like why am I always getting my body taken?”
“Because it’s a nice body.” He answered quickly. Brown eyes shot open wide as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just said. “I mean as far as bodies go. If you were in need of one that is, which I don’t. Well, I do quite like the one I have now. Not your body, mind, I mean mine.”
“It’s al’right, Doctor.” Rose patted the pin striped arm with a knowing smile. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
He pulled his hands up and stuffed them into his pockets. It really was a good thing that Time Lords didn’t embarrass easily.
“So how long did it take you to realize it wasn’t me?”
“Oooh.” He let out a breath. “Right away, really.” He reached up and straightened his tie.
“Yeah?”
“Clever, me.”
She rolled her eyes. “And so impressive.”
End
Characters/Pairing: Doctor (10), Rose, Ten/Rose
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The Doctor and Rose don’t belong to me, I just borrowed them for a bit.
Summary: Rose and the Doctor go looking for ghosts and they might just find one. Written for the The Bump in the Night Ficathon on never_ever_will
The night was cold and clear with a scattering of distant, sparking stars and wispy black clouds. A waning moon shone overhead, bathing the world in soft silvery light. The wind was sharp, prickling the soul and making those outdoors yearn for the happy glow of home and the warmth of shared laughter.
“By the pricking of my thumb something wicked this way comes.” A low ominous voice intoned. “Wait...is that a... oh it is! Look, Rose! A vomiting pumpkin.” He said excitedly. “ I told you, this was going to be brilliant.” The Doctor strode through the crisp evening, his overcoat swirling behind him.
At his side was a blond girl in her early 20’s. She was wearing a short red jacket and was bundled against the sharp chill.
“So this is Halloween in... wait, sorry... where are we?” Her breath puffed out in a tiny cloud.
“Portland, Maine...1993.”
They paused at the edge of the street.
“Doctor?’
“Mm?”
“You said somethn’ about candy?”
“So I did, didn’t I.” He looked around thoughtfully. “Pick a house, Rose, any house!”
Her eyes traveled over the row of homes. Most were bright and welcoming, but a few she touched on had darkened windows. “Any house?”
“All right, any house with the lights on,” he amended.
She bit her lip and chose. “That one!”
“That one?” he sounded skeptical.
She shot him a look.
“Err. Ok, yes, that one.” He was off again and heading up the front walk. She hurried to keep up.
Rose reached out with a slight hesitation and rang the doorbell. “Just a minute!” a muffled voice called and they could hear movement inside before the door opened. A woman in her late 50’s appeared with a huge bowl of miniature candy bars.
She looked down as if searching for a child and then back up at their faces.
“Trick or Treat?” They called out together, trying to overwhelm her by the sheer force of their combined charm.
The woman sniffed as she handed them candy. “Aren’t you both a little old for trick or treating?”
Rose’s eyes cut to the Doctor and then she choked on a laugh. He elbowed her, keeping his face a mask of innocence and polite expectation. When he smiled brightly and thanked the woman she gave him an extra piece. Rose’s mouth dropped open and he shot her a smug smile.
They strolled back down to the side walk hand in hand. As they went on their way, they passed groups of children and harried adults with flashlights. Slow moving cars drove slowly down the street, stopping periodically to let a tiny ghost or goblin out to ask for treats.
They went to a dozen more houses, one man wouldn’t give them anything but a hard time. But most people were generous and they soon accumulated quite a collection. They didn’t have bags so they put their candy in his coat pockets, saving them for later. You never knew when a mini Snickers might be a welcome addition to one’s bowl of prison gruel.
They had walked a few blocks and Rose was about ready to head back to the TARDIS when the Doctor used his hold on her hand to tow her across the street. She hadn’t even noticed it, but under a street lamp that had burnt out, there was a house, hidden in the shadows.
Around the perimeter was a decorative gate with signs stuck to it warning that it was Condemned and Trespassers would be Prosecuted.
“Doesn’t it just look like the archetypal haunted house?” He asked her.
“Reminds me of a haunted house, yeah.” she agreed.
“Look at that! A great big old abandoned looking house with a ‘Keep Out’ sign.” They stopped in front of
the forbidding exterior. “You know what that makes me want to do?”
“Break in and see what’s inside it?” She flashed him a huge smile.
“Exactly.” He was already pressing the sonic screwdriver against the padlock on the wrought iron gate. It slipped open and fell to the ground.
The house was run down and looked long abandoned. The shingles were gray and weathered and the windows dark and drooping like so many sad, empty eyes. They ambled up to the sagging porch, their trainers crunching the dead leaves blanketing the neglected walkway.
“Ooh this does look promising.” His eyes traced over the design. “1930’s maybe?”
“Should we at least knock?” Rose asked.
“Oh, no need.” The Doctor dismissed the idea. He reached for the door knob and gingerly tested it. To his surprise it turned easily. He pushed against the warped doorframe and the hinges groaned in protest.
“Creepy.” Rose said approvingly. “Seems abandoned, yeah?”
As the door swung open, years worth of dust swirled up from the floor, creating a misty, gray cloud.
“Well, Rose Tyler, fancy a jaunt into a possibly, but not likely, haunted house?”
Rose grinned. “Of course.”
“Knew you would.”
She laughed and followed him into the foyer.
He closed the door and turned to have a look around.“Well, I won’t say much for the housekeeping.”
“You always take me to the nicest places.” Rose observed.
“Oh I don’t know, it seems to have a certain dank charm” He took a few steps forward, his trainers scuffing the worn wooden floor.
Together they moved deeper into the house, her hand finding his, their fingers tangling with familiar ease.
“You know this reminds me of the time I explored these ruins in Lima.”
“Lima the city or Lima the planet?”
“No...” He looked bemused, “Lima the city. Why would you assume it’s a planet? A planet named Lima? That’d be a bit silly wouldn’t it?” He searched through the darkness, the street lamps outside providing them with a small amount of light.
She nudged him hard with her shoulder. “Well, there’s Barcelona.”
“Yeah, but that’s Barcelona- the planet. Doesn’t mean there’s....” There was a soft whoosh, almost like an air conditioner kicking on and then dying suddenly.
He stopped mid sentence, he heard Rose’s breath hitch.
“Did you hear somthin’?” she whispered, pressing against his back.
“Wait, listen.” he said softly. They froze. Silence greeted them. He let go of her hand and stepped further into the front room, then stood, straining to catch the faint sound. He started to turn back to her…
The temperature plummeted suddenly and he heard a rushing in his ears. Something brushed past him, through him. The presence swirled around him and for a moment he was frozen to the spot as the otherworldly chill overloaded all of his senses. He forgot to breathe. A ghost…well, a spirit. Actually, some sort of energy field emanating from the astral plane. But this was all neither here nor there. Semantics aside - they’d found an actual ghost!
He sucked in air with a start, overriding his respiratory bypass and filling his lungs with musty, stale air. This was unusual, could be terrifying even. It was Brillant! Now where was Rose? Apparently wandered off, as was to be expected.
“Rose?” He called. “ROSE!”
“Yes?” She appeared a couple of feet behind him.
“Oh there you are. Did you feel that?” He couldn’t keep the excitement out of his question.
She returned his smile wanly, her eyes flickering around. “Feel what?”
“The ghost!”
She shook her head and bit her lip. For a moment her hazel eyes looked longingly back at the foyer they’d come through. “Ghost?” she repeated questioningly.
The moment was shattered by a sudden burst of noise. There was the sound of cabinets being opened and closed and then a metallic crash off to the left as something fell and then rolled across the floor.
“Oh! Sounds like that’s our cue! Come on then.” He bounded toward the source of the activity, finding himself in the kitchen. It was a typical 30’s look with checkered floors. An old, stained Formica table was pushed up against the wall, its metal edging dull from neglect. Remnants of cobwebs clung to every surface.
The Doctor scanned the floor, searching for prints in the dust.
Rose stood in the doorway, not really in the room, but not outside of it either.
“There’s nothing here.” She stated with a forced smile. “That’s a relief, now we can go.”
“Well, there must have been something here. Don’t know for sure about Cardiff, but in my considerable experience cooking pots don’t go flying about by themselves.”
He squatted down and picked up the pot, it was disappointingly normal. He turned it over in his hands and then set it back on the table. He frowned.
“Whatever it is, it’s gone now. Let’s keep looking.”
“I don’t know…don’t you think it might be time to go home?”
“Back to the TARDIS?” He turned to look at her in surprise that she was so quick to give up this adventure. “Not yet I should think. No, there’s someone or something here. Oooh maybe like Scooby Doo, the grumpy old caretaker” He rubbed his chin, “But what I felt before…definitely not corporeal…could be alien I suppose…”
“Alien?” she echoed.
A soft creaking began to echo through the empty house. It sounded almost like footsteps. He went very still, turning his head slightly to try to follow the sound.
The scraping footfalls started up the stairs and he turned to race after it, grabbing Rose’s hand and pulling her along with him. He dashed back through the house toward the stairs and bounded up three steps when she tripped and his arm shot out, catching himself.
“Well, that was rubbish,” he muttered. “Some ghost hunter you’re turning out to be, Rose Tyler.” His tone was teasing, but his frustration was leaking through. He wasn’t used to having to drag her along every step of the way.
The creaking started again, overhead.
Her eyes were wide and dark in her pale face. “Maybe whatever it is wants to be left alone.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” he complained, and started climbing again. She followed behind him much less enthusiastically.
The upper level was in worse condition than the downstairs, the floor was uneven and sloped down in places where the boards threatened to cave. He stepped lightly, gingerly distributing his weight.
“This way.” He called over his shoulder to Rose. She followed slowly.
The first room he came to was a small, grungy water closet. There were rust and hard water stains on the old porcelain. He wrinkled his nose in distaste and tried to close the door again, but it stuck so he abandoned it.
He eased down the hallway to a large open room. A huge mirror hung on the wall and something fluttered in its reflective surface. He heard Rose’s breath hitch. Stealthily he crept forward, his eyes adjusting quickly to the dim light,
There was a flicker of something white and perhaps otherworldly in the glass. His eyes were suddenly drawn to Rose’s face. She looked worried. He took a cautious step into the room. The curtains billowed out in the moonlight that was streaming through the window. If he thought about it, he could center on an unnatural stillness that permeated this space. Something…something was definitely not right here. He just couldn’t put his finger on it.
“I..I think we should go.” She whispered.
“But we only just got here.” He tried to keep the disappointment from his voice and failed. “There’s some sort of presence here. It’d be rude to leave before we’ve even said hello. You know how I love to say hello.” He flashed a grin and waited for her rejoinder, it never came because there was now a faint moaning sound carrying from somewhere in the house. It seemed to float through the air, an indistinct cry. Something… calling out.
They both looked around wildly trying to pinpoint the source.
“Stay here.” He said firmly and stepped back out into the hall. He set the sonic screwdriver on torch setting and began to move through the rooms, checking each one. Nothing. He was turning to go back to Rose when he heard her scream.
He took off for the spot where he’d left her and slid to a stop in the doorway. A huge column of green energy was churning through the large room. He could feel it on a visceral level, vibrating through time and space. It caused chills up his spine. Rose dropped to the floor huddling against the wall and above her the large mirror shattered, raining shards down on her blonde hair.
“Come on!” He shouted over the roar and held out his hand. She fumbled for it, but he had her, dragging her out of the room. Just as suddenly as it had appeared it vanished and he was left staring wild eyed into an empty room.
“What?” his voice was full of confused awe.
He heard a sound on the staircase. Rose was halfway down, she didn’t even look back.
“Rose! Rose, wait!” She didn’t stop. He caught up to her just as her hand touched the door knob.
“Hold on!” He sad as he caught her elbow. “Wait a minute, just hold on.”
Something wild flashed in her eyes, the last vestiges of panic from the fright she’d had, he supposed.
It took a moment but her grip on the brass to relax.
“It’s all right.” He soothed, “Nothing worse that what we’ve faced before, is it?”
She nodded slowly, allowing herself to be drawn away from the door.
“Come on then, one last look,” he cajoled, giving her a beseeching look. “Purely academic. I’m even going to break out my specs.” He pulled out his glasses and slipped them on. He smiled at her and she seemed to relent. She followed a step behind him, her eyes searching the darkness warily.
Just then there was a low hum of electricity and a light flashed on in a nearby room before dimming and going out again. There was a quick succession of flashes almost as if someone were rapidly flicking the switch. There was a loud pop and the light winked out.
When they reached the room, he could immediately smell the acrid scent of a a burnt out filiment from what was likely a decades old bulb.
The dust was stirring slightly as if someone or something had been there just moments before.
He felt like he could figure this out if he just had time to think, yanking off his glasses he hurriedly replaced them in his pocket. He pulled out his screwdriver and began scanning for energy distortions. The soft buzzing echoed off the walls of the desolate and empty space. He checked his readings - nothing.
“What’s that?” Rose had her arms wrapped around herself, rubbing at her shoulders. Her eyes darting around wildly.
“Just the sonic.” He answered distractedly.
She was edging away from him, backing toward the front door. “Hold on.” He snapped impatiently. She froze. He immediately felt bad. “I’m sorry Rose. Just let me get to the bottom of this and then we’ll go.”
“It’s just… it’s scary.” She answered in a small voice. “ And I…”
“Scary?” He repeated as if he couldn’t quite understand the concept. He switched tack then, trying to comfort her and lighten the mood. “Oh it’s not that scary. Well, maybe a little scary, but not like that rabid fruit bat from OTP 4AVR. Oooh and not like Claxaporian roulette or that planet Phanwim where they almost made us “ He rubbed at his neck, suddenly looking anywhere but her “made us ...well, you know or DIE!” He was emphasized death because it was the concept he was far more comfortable with. He tugged at his ear and looked down at her hoping to see a ghost of a smile.
Her cheeks were pale and she had circles under her eyes. She looked exhausted. She was staring past him toward the foyer again.
His brow furrowed with concern. “Rose, are you all right?”
“Just tired. So tired is all. Maybe a good night of sleep?” Her voice held a hopeful note. “Can’t we just go?”
His need to protect her warred with his need to know and it was a first. Usually he and Rose were on the same wavelength when it came to adventure. They had been running pretty hard lately, it was true she hadn’t been getting much sleep, maybe it was beginning to take its toll on not just her body, but her mind. So many simultaneous thoughts swarmed through his brain that he momentarily lost the capacity for speech.
“I… I just need to get out of this place.” She finished and her voice held a curious note of bitterness.
His mouth opened but before he could even speak something behind her caught his attention. At first he thought his eyes might be playing a trick on him. The air in the center of the room seemed to be bubbling.
“Oh. Oh hello again.” He breathed softly. The power began to coalesce, coming toward them, becoming longer and more three dimensional.
She whirled then, her eyes widening in fear. “No!”
The phenomenon approached them, seeming to get larger and give off more power as it advanced into the room with them.
Rose was backing away from it… she was stopped from further retreat when her back hit the wall.
“No.” she moaned. She looked at him with pleading eyes. “Don’t let it get me.”
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you. “ He said earnestly.
She was sliding along the wall now, until she reached the corner of the room. He stepped in front of her, his body shielding hers.
The closer the being came, the brighter it got. Green light coalescing around its form and bringing it further into the physical world
He used his most authoritative voice. “What do you want?”
“What are you doing!” Her voice went up in panic.
“Trying to communicate with it!” He snapped. “Now just wait.”
“Don’t let it touch me!” She shrieked twisting around behind him and clawing at the wall to get away. Something clicked into place. Her voice was different, her London accent abandoned in favor of crisper pronunciation. Like Cassandra, like Bad Wolf. And for the last half hour she hadn’t once called him ’Doctor.’
That was when he knew. He yanked her from behind him, his hand like a vice around her arm. She screamed trying to twist away. The sound of Rose’s voice screaming in so much terror tore at his hearts, but he held her out. The glowing greenish form moved forward and merged with the girl in his arms. The scream rose in pitch to that of a tea kettle and then further to a register well beyond anything human. A glowing green face pressed out of the of the darkness in front of him, keening with rage and despair as the creature was drawn from Rose’s body like a poison. It clawed at him desperately but it hands could no longer find purchase in the physical world.
He took a step back still holding onto Rose, anchoring her to him. Deftly he extracted the Sonic Screwdriver and thumbed to the correct setting. He aimed and a wide beam shot out blowing the entity back into the ether and beginning to cauterize the portal it had come through.
As it was banished, it unleashed a psychic strike that raged across his psyche. The closest comparison was like the sharp spikes of the very worst ice cream headache lancing through his forebrain. ‘Not human? Time Lord, Time Lord, Time Lord.’ His eyes dilated and darkened as he fired back. The onslaught shattered its defenses and he could hear the roar of his own psychic energy, like the howl of the wind and the rumble of thunder. The storm raged for a moment and then with a blinding flash of white light it was over.
Rose was still in his arms and still screaming when he gave her a gentle shake and spoke quickly to reassure her. “It’s just me, Rose.” He flashed her a warm smile when she looked at him. “Hello?”
She blinked. “Doctor?” Her voice was low and raspy and she choked. She covered her mouth as she coughed. “I’m sorry… you must have startled me. I don’t know why I screamed.” She looked confused.
“Quite all right.”
She turned on him.“Where have you been? I’ve been looking through this entire place for you. I’d think I heard something but every time I got there I was too late. I even called and you didn’t answer.” This last part was said a little accusingly.
“Rose.” He suddenly looked overjoyed as if he hadn’t seen her for a long time. He couldn’t stop the grin that split his face as he gathered her in a hug.
“Doctor? What happened?” She murmured against his shoulder.
“When we came in something was trying to get out. We’ve been in that same place, this house, but traveling on different planes of existence.”
“What’d you say?” She asked sharply, pulling back and giving him a look that said she wasn’t quite sure if he was having her on or not.
“There was something here. It needed a physical presence to cross the threshold and it took yours. It bumped you right out of your own body. It had to have been lurking here for years to build up that much strength.”
She licked her lips, her eyes darted to the side. “And where is it now?”
His eyes hardened. “Gone.” She searched his face for a moment, her hand reaching for his.
“Well that’s it then.” She sighed, tugging at her hoodie, her brows wrinkling with disappointment. “There was a real live ghost and I missed it.”
“Wasn’t much to miss really. It came through and didn’t close the door behind it so every time you and it were in the same place, you began to manifest. Just needed to get you both in the same spot to switch places again. You hear these stories, they filter down about people have their bodies stolen by noncorporeal beings.”
“You mean possessed?”
“In a way,” he allowed.
She let out a sad little sigh.
“Something wrong?”
“Well, ‘S like why am I always getting my body taken?”
“Because it’s a nice body.” He answered quickly. Brown eyes shot open wide as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just said. “I mean as far as bodies go. If you were in need of one that is, which I don’t. Well, I do quite like the one I have now. Not your body, mind, I mean mine.”
“It’s al’right, Doctor.” Rose patted the pin striped arm with a knowing smile. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
He pulled his hands up and stuffed them into his pockets. It really was a good thing that Time Lords didn’t embarrass easily.
“So how long did it take you to realize it wasn’t me?”
“Oooh.” He let out a breath. “Right away, really.” He reached up and straightened his tie.
“Yeah?”
“Clever, me.”
She rolled her eyes. “And so impressive.”
End