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Chapter 124 - Chapter 122: The Word of Warning

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Gwyneth went through with the séance, but Danni knew she would. Unfortunately the girls beliefs were too far ingrained to convince her otherwise. She would try to help her, give her all the options and tell her all the risks, but out and out telling someone that the things that they believe to be angels are going to kill them never seemed to work. It was only after seeing the devastation that the Gelth were going to cause that convinced her in the first place, so Danni had to focus on the more manageable casualties. Sneed, for one. Her mission was to save the undertaker, even if he had drugged Rose. Having the blonde rant and rave at him had been punishment enough.

So, she settled on helping Rose tend to the young lass as she slept on the couch in Sneed's parlour. Rose mopped her forehead with a cool cloth as she tried to bring down her temperature that had flared from bridging the connection. Rose kept glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, obviously wanting to say something.

"You said it would be dangerous." Rose whispered, accusingly, "If you knew that, why would you let her do it?"

"Because I have very little in this universe." Danni replied, "A husband I've just been forced to leave on my wedding night is about it. No family, no home, no real possessions. All I have is free will, and I'm not letting anyone take that away from me or anyone else." She squeezed Gwyneth's hand gently, letting her know she was there, "If she wants to do this, I'll give her all the details, but it will be her choice." Rose continued to stare at her, as if she was trying to work out if she was a danger or not.

"Is it really your wedding night?" She settled on and Danni nodded, showing her the ring that sat on her finger, watching it shine in the candlelight. What would Eleven do once she'd jumped away? She hoped he wasn't too disappointed, she can't be too far away from him. There was only one way to head after the Power of Three, and as much as she dreaded saying goodbye to Amy and Rory, as much as she spent her nights reading that godforsaken Afterword to remind herself she can never change it, a large part of her hoped that she would be there with him for the aftermath of it. Maybe skipping the episode, but she'd never been that lucky before.

"It's a White Point Star." She explained quietly, so Nine didn't hear, "The only one in the universe, now." She smiled at Rose, "He's the last one of his kind, you see, and he wanted to give me something from his home planet. He can be very sweet when he wants to be." Rose glanced over at the Doctor, who had been leaning in the doorway, watching the trio with a stern look on his face. So different from the man who had genuinely looked stunned as she entered the console room, declaring she looked beautiful.

"Sounds like someone I know." She muttered as Gwyneth began to stir. The two women turned their attentions back to her as her eyes flickered open and she looked around, disorientated.

"It's all right. You just sleep." Rose soothed gently, taking her hand. Gwyneth squeezed it back, as if grounding herself as a smile spread across her face.

"But my angels, miss. They came, didn't they? They need me?" She asked, tired and excitedly.

"They do need you, Gwyneth. You're they're only chance of survival." The Doctor called over enticingly and Rose turned to glare at him.

"I've told you, leave her alone. She's exhausted and she's not fighting your battles." She snapped and Danni sighed as she turned back, picking up a glass of water and handing it to Gwyneth, "Drink this." Gwyneth did as she was told.

"Well, what did you say, Doctor? Explain it again. What are they?" Sneed asked and Rose's attention was taken back to the three men across the room. Maybe she hadn't understood him right, because the image of the dead walking around like zombies, her own father walking around with someone else controlling him freaked her out beyond belief.

Danni, on the other hand, took the glass off Gwyneth and gently nudged Rose out of the way. Rose stood up and moved closer to the Doctor, ready to argue her point.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Danni asked Gwyneth with a smile.

"Yes, ma'am." The girl answered with a weak smile of her own.

"A bit overwhelmed?" Danni asked knowingly an Gwyneth nodded guiltily, "Don't worry, happens to the best of us." She reassured before taking a deep breath, "Right, whilst they argue over what they think is best for you." Danni motioned behind her, "Which, by the way, is always a bonus. Nothing better than being fought over, is there?" She winked and Gwyneth giggled, "We'll have a talk of our own. Because I know you're clever, and it might seem they don't but they're both just concerned, okay?"

"My angels need me, don't they ma'am?" Gwyneth asked and Danni glanced over her shoulder, watching Rose stand up to the Doctor.

"I'd love to have your faith, Gwyneth." Danni admitted, "However, I don't and I have to speak of what I know." She turned back, "The danger I spoke of, this," she waved over Gwyneth, "this wasn't it. It's to come and if it goes wrong, it will be fatal for you." Gwyneth blinked, surprised by her bluntness, "And I know you can tell I'm not lying. I also know that you will make the right choice for you, and not for anyone else. If you want to walk away, no one will think any less of you for it." Gwyneth stared at her, a small frown of confusion appearing on her face.

"What is that metal box you watch the Doctor on, ma'am?" She eventually asked and Danni smiled sadly.

"It's called a television." She explained, "It won't be invented for many, many years yet."

"You're from the future." Gwyneth stated rather than asked and Danni nodded, "Does it turn out fine, ma'am?"

"Yes." Danni replied honestly and Gwyneth fell silent for a moment. This out of place woman had taken the time to explain the risks of what she wanted to do, reassuring her that it was her choice as the rest argued for her amongst themselves.

"Would you do it, ma'am?" Gwyneth asked her and she shook her head.

"No." Danni replied instantly, "But I'm not doing it, am I?" She then held her finger up, smiling cheekily at Gwyneth and nodding over her shoulder.

"I don't care, they're not using her." Rose shouted at the Doctor from the other side, adamant in her anger.

"Maybe," Danni called loudly, the fighting duo turning as one to look at her, "you should ask Gwyneth what she wants."

"But she doesn't understand..." Rose started and Danni shot her an annoyed look.

"This is not your choice, Rose." She snapped, catching the Doctor smirking triumphantly and Danni glared at him, "It's not yours either!" She told her angrily, "You may still be fighting the Time War..."

"What do you know about the Time War?" The Doctor scoffed, defensive and Danni pointed at him.

"Shush!" She demanded and he fell silent, his hackles up at the way she spoke to him, "You may still be fighting the Time War, but no one else is and I will not let you put innocent people in danger every time it is brought up, do you understand me?" She turned back to Gwyneth, the anger gone off her face, "Now, sweetie, what do you want to do?"

"The angels need me." Gwyneth replied and Rose shook her head hopelessly, "Doctor, what do I have to do?"

"You don't have to do anything." The Doctor reminded her gently, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the red-head's glare again.

"They've been singing to me since I was a child. Sent by my mum on a holy mission. So tell me." Gwyneth told him and he nodded, smiling and walking off towards Sneed.

"We need to find the rift." He explained, not liking the fact he was taking advantage of the girl's faith but having very little choice if he was to save the Gelth, "This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other. Mr. Sneed. What's the weakest part of this house? The place where most of the ghosts have been seen?" He asked and Sneed looked thoughtful for a moment.

"That would be the Morgue." He replied.

"No chance you were gonna say 'gazebo', was there?" Rose grumbled and they all looked at her, Danni giggling at the idea.

"Word of warning, Rose." She told the blonde, "It's never a gazebo."

~0~0~0~

It was strange how very aware Danni had become of her lack of choice in her life since she'd been torn away from Eleven and chucked in with a Doctor who'd never met her. He kept shooting her suspicious looks as he explained what was going to happen to Gwyneth, making sure that she understood her role in the events that were to follow. All she wanted was to go back to her husband and she was actually eager of this adventure to end which, while rare, was normally reserved for Rose-Ten, not Rose-Nine.

The fact was the was no guarantee she'd even land with Eleven the next time the manipulator went off, and even if she did there was even a smaller chance of it being the Eleven who was married to her. It didn't matter what she would choose to do, it wasn't up to her. She still didn't know if it was even up to anyone, or if it was all a giant coincidence or if there was even a plan for her. And seeing Gwyneth having stuff thrust at her without anyone considering what she might have wanted to do frustrated her because Danni wished that it was a problem she had. There was a fine line between foreshadowing and forewarning, and she couldn't just out and out tell Gwyneth she was going to die. It wasn't how foreknowledge worked, she couldn't change the course of time. All she could do was try and prod her in the right direction, and she'd failed.

"So, you see the future?" She looked up, surprised to see the Doctor propped against the wall next to her. Danni shook her head.

"No, I have seen the future." She corrected, "There's a difference." She looked over at Rose and Gwyneth, Rose trying to convince her to change her mind. This time, however, it was quite half-hearted, maybe she'd realised that it was hopeless as well.

"Is she going to be okay?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No." She replied, "She's not. But you won't believe me, you never do." She ran a hand through her hair, "I just wish you'd stop trying to make up for it." He frowned, confused, which was a cute look on Nine's face.

"Make up for what?" He asked.

"For pressing the button and ending the Time War." She explained before pushing off the wall, "You ready?" He didn't trust her at all, she could tell by the way he didn't move for a moment, his mind flying through all the ways a woman he'd never met knew about his involvement in the end of the Time War, before realising he had other things planned.

"To the Morgue." He declared, Rose pulling Gwyneth closer in fright of what was to come.

~0~0~0~

The Gelth flooded the Morgue, trapped by an archway in the stonework. Their leader floated in blue light, hair made of light floating in a breeze no one else could feel.

"Okay, where's the weak point?" The Doctor asked the alien, eyeing it closely. Danni's words floated in his head, past the block of suspicion at the strange woman who argued with him like she'd known him all her life. Maybe she had, but there was only a few people who stood up to him like that. And no one in a deep blue dress that made their hair shine so brightly.

"Here, beneath the arch." The Gelth replied and Gwyneth dashed forward before anyone could stop her, standing in place under the arch. Rose followed her, grabbing her hands tightly.

"You don't have to do this." She pleaded. Gwyneth cupped the girl's cheeks, smiling warmly at her.

"My angels." She replied, certain in her choice. Rose staggered backwards, terrified and Danni pulled her close. Despite her uncertainty of the red-head, Rose was grateful for the comfort and clung to Danni just as hard in reply.

"Establish the bridge, reach out of the void, let us through!" The Gelth commanded and all the could do was watch as Gwyneth established the bridge, keening at them to follow her through to their world.

"It is begun! The bridge is made!" The Gelth suddenly declared and Gwyneth's mouth fell open, a bright white light pouring out as Gelth began to flood out into the room, "She has given herself to the Gelth!"

"There's rather a lot of them, eh?" Dickens commented nervously as they began swirling around the room, faster and faster. Danni, knowing what was going to happen, or at least had a vague memory of the Gelth turning, searched the room from Rose's arms. There, on an table, was a metal wash basin for tending to the corpses. That would do quite nicely.

"The bridge is open. We descend." The Gelth declared suddenly before the blue light gave way to evil red flames, and creature roared demoniacally, "The Gelth will come through in force."

"You said that you were few in number!" Dickens protested angrily.

"A few billion. And all of us in need of corpses." It snarled as the other Gelth began entering the corpses littering the room. Now realising his error, the Doctor pulled Rose closer into his protection as Sneed stepped closer.

"Gwyneth... stop this!" He half-begged, "Listen to your master! This has gone far enough. Stop dabbling, child, leave these things alone. I beg of you-"

"Oh no you don't!" Danni screamed, startling everyone as she pounced from on top of the table , wash basin in hand as she smashed it over the head of the corpse about to attack Mr Sneed. It stumbled slightly, taken more unaware than injured and Danni pulled Sneed away.

"I think it's gone a little bit wrong." The Doctor stated redundantly and Danni glared at him.

"You think?" She snapped, "We need to get to safety." She stood in front of Mr Sneed who was, admittedly, taller than her. Still, one more life she saved in place of those she couldn't. The corpses swaggered ever closer, much like zombies in movies she'd refused to watch at university for fear of them being too frightening.

"Gwyneth, stop them! Send them back! Now!" The Doctor told her firmly as they backed towards a gate in the other side of the room.

"Three more bodies. Make them vessels for the Gelth." The Gelth replied instead.

"I- I can't! I'm sorry!" Dickens sobbed as Danni pushed Sneed into the small dungeon. The Doctor pushed Rose in, then the pair dived in after them. The Doctor pulled the door shut, slamming it closed with a click of the lock, "It's too much for me! I'm so-" Dickens rushed up the stairs, leaving the foursome to their fate.

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