Continuing from 'The Unquiet Dead - Part III'

✧

LILY HELPED GWYNETH ONTO THE CHAISE LOUNGE- PATTING DOWN HER HAIR AS SHE FLUTTERED HER EYES. "You're okay," she cooed. "Just sleep."

"But my angels, miss." Lily couldn't help but frown at Gwyneth's poor attempt to talk through the exhaustion. "They came, didn't they? They need me?"

"They do need you, Gwyneth." Lily looked at the Doctor over her shoulder. "You're their only chance of survival."

She scowled at him and said in a hiss. "I just told you to leave her alone." He didn't seem fazed at all by her outburst. "She's exhausted and she's not fighting your battles." Looking back at Gwyneth, Lily could feel the Doctor's eyes. "Drink this." She said as she handed her a glass of water that she fixed for her prior. Her eyes met the Doctor's as Gwyneth lifted her head to carefully sip her tea. But when they met only a second passed before he looked away from her- crossing his arms. She wasn't fazed- let him be upset at her, she thought.

"Well, what did you say, Doctor?" Sneed asks awkwardly, walking up to him. "Explain it again. What are they?"

"Aliens." The Doctor said casually. Like the man from 1869 should know aliens existed.

"Like foreigners you mean?"

"Pretty foreign, yeah," The Doctor nodded, then pointed upwards. "From up there."

Sneed followed his finger and gulped. "Brecon?"

Now that Gwyneth was finished with her water Lily took it and rose, placing it down on the nearby table. "Close," She was now fully facing them as they spoke. "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"

"Which is why they need the girl." Dickens came to the realization, walking up closer to the group.

Lily chose to voice more of her thoughts on this matter to the men. "Well, they aren't getting her!"

"But she can help." He said like he was trying to convince Lily to convert to his plan. "Living on the rift, she's become part of it. She can open it up, make a bridge, and let them through."

"Incredible," Dickens muttered. "Ghosts that are not ghosts but beings from another world, who can only exist in our world by inhabiting cadavers."

The Doctor pointed at Dickins. "Good system. Might work."

"Unbelievable." Lily shook her head and took a step back- laughing in disbelief at what she was hearing. "Are you kidding me?" She voiced to the Doctor. "You can't let them run around inside of dead people!"

"Why can't I?" The Doctor shrugged and flashed what Lily could only describe as 'crazy eyes' and a matching grin. "It's like recycling."

"I can't believe you just compared disrespecting the dead to being green." Her laughing got louder and her insanity at hearing this from him grew worse. "Those bodies were living people. We should respect them even in death. I thought you had morals but you know nothing of the word."

"It's a different morality, Lily." She crossed her arms and pursed her lips- trying to think before she spoke next. "Get used to it or go home." Lily's eyes narrowed and could see in his eyes he didn't mean that last part. "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."

"Don't I get a say, miss?" Mid-argument between Lily and the Doctor, Gwyneth had gotten up from where she lay and touched Lily's shoulder to get her attention.

Lily melted. "Of course you do. It's your life, but I just-"

"Things might be very different where you're from, but here and now, I know my own mind, and the angels need me." Lily noticed Gwyneth now spoke like she had a sense of belonging. "Doctor." Her eyes met the Doctor. "What do I have to do?"

He took a second to look at Lily. If he was waiting for her approval she didn't know. But she still let him know what she was thinking in the way her face changed. She softened it and chewed on her bottom lip as she took a step back. "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." He turned to the owner of the house. "Mr. Sneed, what's the weakest point in the house? The place where the more ghosts have been seen?"

It did not take Sneed long to answer. "That would be the morgue."

Lily sighed at the irony. "Of course it is." She muttered.

✧

The five of them took the short journey and entered the morgue. It looked just as Lily envisioned it to be and nothing nice came to mind when she thought of words to detail it. "Urgh, talk about Bleak House." The Doctor commented and Lily silently agreed- bunching up her skirts and watching where she stepped.

"The thing is Doctor, the Gelth don't succeed," Lily spoke, stopping beside a casket and trying hard to not let her hand even graze it. "I know for a fact there weren't any corpses walking around in 1869."

"Time's in flux, changing every second. Remember what you've seen of my past lives and travels." She frowned and was sure she looked horrified when the memories came to mind. "Your cozy little world can be rewritten like that. Nothing is safe. Remember that." He then took her forearm. "But, hey," The Doctor pulled her to the side to give them as much privacy as they could. "My points .." Lily's smile widened into a grin- that being the last thing she expected him to say. "Are we still-"

"You're fine." She remembered where they were and what the situation was so she dropped the grin and lowered her voice. "One more point to go actually." The Doctor's eyes widened. "Just don't let me die and you're good as golden, Doc."

"Where did that extra point come from?" He questioned, remembering he was only at eight before.

"Girls gotta have some secrets. Just be happy you're closer than you thought."

"Doctor." Dickins cut in to get the Time Lord's attention. "I think the room is getting colder."

Lily, as well, felt it in the air. It made her shiver. "Here they come."

One of the Gelth appeared out of a gas lamp and glided through the room. It formed into the same human-like body as before, though much larger, and halted in the archway. "You've come to help!" It cried in the same eerie voice that made Lily unnerved. "Praise the Doctor! Praise him!"

"Promise you won't hurt her?" Lily pleaded to it.

"Hurry!" It completely ignored her. "Please, so little time. Pity the Gelth."

"I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer." The Doctor told it, stepping up in front of Lily and the rest of the group. "Somewhere you can build proper bodies. This isn't a permanent solution, all right?"

"My angels," Gwyneth spoke from Lily's side. "I can help them live."

"Okay, where's the weak point?" The Doctor asked.

"Here, beneath the arch."

"Beneath the arch," Gwyneth repeated their words and went to stand below the arch- the Gelth towering over her was a terrifying sight to Lily.

"Gwyneth, please." Lily stepped up to her. One last attempt to make her see reasoning. "You don't have to do this."

Gwyneth smiled and lifted her hands to cradle Lily's face. "My angels."

Lily shook her head and pried her fingers off her cheeks. She recalls a memory from her childhood- of her weeping angels. "Not all angels are good." She pleaded. "Please,"

"Establish the bridge!" The Gelth screamed and Lily jumped back as the sound rang in her ears. She inched back behind the Doctor as it carried on. "Reach out to the void." It encouraged Gwyneth. "Let us through!"

"Yes, I can see you." Gwyneth sighed and Lily watched, for the first time since they met, smiled ear to ear. "I can see you. Come!"

"Bridgehead establishing!"

"Come to me." She welcomed them like a mother speaking to her child.  "Come to this world, poor lost souls!"

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Please leave your wonderful comments below and don't forget to vote :)

- Kayleigh