The Green Soul

Chapter 4

The Doctor threw Rose a smile right before a man opened the door.  Rose knew from the pictures that she had seen that this was not Ben Glasser, and whoever this man was seemed very, very surprised to see anyone today.

"Hello!"  The Doctor said cheerfully, a grin nearly splitting his face.  "I'm Doctor James Smith and this is my wife, Rose.  We've heard there are..."  he looked around and leaned forwards as if sharing a big secret.  "Paranormal happenings, in this house."

The man lifted his eyebrows.  "Can you help Mr. and Mrs. Glasser?" he asked in the same low tone, his voice urgent. 

The Doctor nodded solemnly.  "Yes, we want to help.  My wife and I are both well versed in the paranormal and when we heard about this house, well, it grabbed our attention with both hands so to speak."  He studied the man's face.  "Can we ask that the Glassers take us on as paranormal consultants?"

The man opened and then closed his mouth again before nodding.  "How much are you asking for your services?"  He asked politely.

"Nothing," The Doctor said simply.  "We love what we do, and we just want to help.  Is that alright?"

"That's just fine," the man said, sounding sort of flustered at the Doctor's request for absolutely no pay.  "Please, step into the parlor."

He gestured for them to enter and led them into a very grand entryway.  Rose did her best not to gape at the deep, rich colors and massive chandelier that hung above a large, Titanic-esque staircase.  The Doctor squeezed her arm with his, sharing her sentiments in the beauty of the house.

The man held his arm out for them to walk into the large doorway to the right of the entryway.  Rose's jaw almost dropped again when she entered it.  The walls were sky blue, a fireplace at the end of it and an odd white rug in the center of the room, with a table standing over it.  The couches were nothing short of Victorian and Rose was beyond elated that she'd be able to sit on it.

She looked over at the Doctor and the man (or servant?) who had led them in.  They were both looking at her expectantly, and Rose realized, with their old values, that they were waiting for her to take a seat.  She pulled her arm from the Doctor's and sat down on an end of the couch, leaving space for the Doctor. 

The man bowed his head.  "I'll bring the Glassers to you and you can speak.  Please, make yourselves comfortable."  He bowed shortly to the Doctor and went out. 

The Doctor set his suitcase next to where Rose had put hers and sat next to her, grabbing her hand again.  "We're in," he said in a mock whisper, and Rose couldn't help but giggle as he grinned at her.  She looked around the room again and squeezed his hand in excitement.

"It's so gorgeous," She said, "Everything, it's so classic, so-"

"Timeless," The Doctor finished, understanding.  Rose nodded in response. 

"It almost feels like I shouldn't be here, like I'm disrupting something beautiful by standing in the midst of all of it."

She looked over at the Doctor and saw that his eyes had softened.  "You're not disrupting anything," he said, his voice low and promising.

Rose's heart skipped a beat and she was about to ask him what he meant by that, but the servant entered again with a young man and woman, both with dark hair.  Marie Glasser had dark eyes to match her hair, but Ben had blue eyes that had to show every emotion that this man had. 

The Doctor and Rose stood.  The men shook hands and the women curtsied.  The Doctor and Mr. Glasser waited for Rose and Mrs. Glasser to sit down before joining them next to the couches, the 'Smiths' across from the Glassers.

"Matthew tells us you have some insight when it comes to the supernatural," Ben Glasser said, his tone warm and inviting. 

"My wife and I do have a lot of experience when it comes to dealing with those... Foreign to people, yes," the Doctor agreed, "And we'd very much like to help you."

The Doctor calling Rose his wife with such ease, as though it were something natural for them and easy to transition to, made shivers run down her spine.  It really shouldn't have made her so excited, knowing that they were faking it and all, but she couldn't help it, didn't miss the run of his thumb over hers, even if it was unintentional.

"The Smiths, yes?  James and Rose?"  Ben furrowed his brows, as if worried he'd got it wrong. 

Rose and the Doctor both nodded.  Ben's face relaxed, grateful his servant had given him reliable information.  "We really hate to admit we need help, Doctor, but as people of the faith, we know that demons and angels exist."

The Doctor nodded again.  "I agree with you," he said seriously.  "That's why I want to help.  I hope it wasn't presumptuous of us, but we've brought our bags."

Ben and Marie's gazes both fixed on the Doctor's and Rose's bags, which sat at their feet.  Rose wiggled her toes in her shoes, a little uncertain about what the Glassers might think of them bringing full bags into their homes.

"I think it's grand," Marie beamed, and Rose's gaze snapped up to the woman, not having heard her speak yet.  "We can show you to a guest room, and we've even got indoor latrines.  I hope it's sure to meet your needs."

"Yes, yes, we'll show them their rooms when we're done here," Ben said, fondly patting his wife's hand.  "But first, we need to tell you... What's been happening."

The Doctor leaned forwards, his elbows on his knees. "Well, go on, then." 

Ben heaved a sigh and exchanged a look with his wife.  "My family has owned this house for generations, but it only started happening recently.  It was things like doors slamming when Marie and I were on the opposite end of the house.  Smells that didn't make sense, we thought perhaps it was something like the house settling, an errant breeze..."

"But it wasn't," Rose said quietly.

"No.  It persisted, and our cook started saying she could hear these voices, and see premonitions of our lives.  And that's how it continues," Ben finished.

"That sounds like the Gelth," Rose said to the Doctor. 

"What are the Gelth?" Ben asked curiously.

"A restless spirit we took care of before we were married," The Doctor replied breezily, and his causal mention of 'before they were married', made Rose's heart give an odd leap.  "Gone now, just like the ones in this house will be.  No telling if this spirit is a Gelth or not, though, unless you've noticed the re-animation of dead bodies recently."  He grinned at the Glassers so they would think he was kidding.  They smiled nervously in response.

"Well, Doctor James Smith, Mrs. Smith, I'd say we could really use your help," Ben said firmly.  "We'd greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter.  Do you accept?"

Rose and the Doctor looked at each other and shared a huge grin.  They turned back to the Glassers.  "Yes."