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Chapter Text

"I think you need a Doctor." The Doctor whispered to Rose before kissing her soundly on the lips, drawing the time vortex into himself. Rose collapses against him as The Doctor exhales the energy, watching as it flows back into the TARDIS. The console closes silently, sealing the energy away.

"Ew!" A young female voice exclaims as golden energy, not dissimilar to what just exited The Doctor's lips, dances along his arms. Glancing around, The Doctor doesn't see anybody as he hurries Rose into the TARDIS and sets it to dematerialize before Jack Harkness can reach the ship.

"You know? I don't think I've ever seen you without hair before." The same young voice as before mused. "I don't like it."

The Doctor looks around wildly. "Who are you? Where are you? How did you get on my ship?"

The voice scoffed in return. "Give me a few minutes, I'm still getting the hang of this materializing thing."

"What are you?" The Doctor yelled at the TARDIS ceiling.

Rose groaned from the floor and he immediately refocused his attention. "What happened?" She asks.

"Don't you remember?" The Doctor asks cautiously in reply.

"It's like there was this singing..." She responded groggily.

"That's right. I sang a song and the Daleks ran away." The Doctor replied, resigned.

"I was at home. No, I wasn't, I was in the Tardis, and there was this light. I can't remember anything else."

Golden light flared brighter along The Doctor's skin.

"Rose Tyler. I was going take you to so many places. Barcelona. Not the city Barcelona, the planet Barcelona. You'd love it. Fantastic place. They've got dogs with no noses. Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke, and it's still funny." He mourned.

A snort could be heard from the ceiling. "Overrated."

"Then, why can't we go?" Rose inquired.

"Maybe you will, and maybe I will. But not like this." He sighed, before calling to the voice. "It is not overrated!"

"Doctor, you're not making sense." Rose replied, "and who are you talking to?"

"I might never make sense again. I might have two heads, or no head. Imagine me with no head. And don't say that's an improvement. But it's a bit dodgy, this process. You never know what you're going to end up with." The Doctor replied, distractedly. "Can't you hear that voice?"

"I see you are always this dramatic." The voice commented, "You'll be fine. I assure you, you will have a head. A cockamamie head, but a head."

Suddenly The Doctor doubled over in pain and Rose rushed towards him, yelling for him.

"No!" The Doctor responds, "Stay away!"

"Doctor, tell me what's going on." Rose pleaded.

"I absorbed all the energy of the Time Vortex, and no one's meant to do that. Every cell in my body's dying." He exhaled in pain.

"Can't you do something?" Rose asked, anxiously.

"Oh, where'd you pick this one up, then?" The voice snarked, "Should be obvious you're doing everything you can."

The Doctor glared out at the room. "Excuse me, I only take the best! But, yeah, I'm doing what I can now. Time Lords have this little trick, you see, it's sort of a way of cheating death. Except it means I'm going to change, and I'm not going to see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face. And before I go..."

"Don't say that." Rose sniffled.

"Rose, before I go, I just want to tell you, you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what? So was I."

The Doctor leaned back, embracing the regeneration as golden light burst from every uncovered section of skin. The Doctor's image wavered as a new face appeared.

"See! I told you, face." The voice pointed out. Out of the corner of his eye, The Doctor could see a wavering shadow, slowly becoming more prominent.

"Hello. Okay. Ooo, new teeth. That's weird." The Doctor licked his teeth, seeming to feel the difference in them with his tongue. "So, where was I? Oh, that's right. Barcelona. Oh, and a mysterious voice."

"Six pm... Tuesday..."The Doctor busies himself setting navigation, "October... 5006... On the way to Barcelona!"

Suddenly he wheels on Rose, a feverish look in his eyes. "Now then... What do I look like?" Before the overwhelmed girl can answer, The Doctor moves on. "No, no no, no no no no no no no. No. Don't tell me."

The Doctor starts patting himself down. "Let's see... two legs, two arms, two hands... Slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle. Hair! I'm not bald!" He exuberates.

"I did tell you." The voice comments drily.

"Ooh, and a hallucination! Never had one of those before. Can't forget the hallucination."

"Oh, thanks." The hallucination sassed, "How degrading. I am a ghost, thank you very much."

"Oh, Oh! Big hair!" The Doctor continued, feeling up his face and wiggling around. "Sideburns, I've got sideburns! Or really bad skin. Little bit thinner... That's weird. Give me time, I'll get used to it. I... have got... a mole. I can feel it. Between my shoulder blades, there's a mole. That's all right. Love the mole."

"Go on then, tell me." The Doctor wheels on Rose, grinning maniacally. He straightens for assessment. "What do you think?"

Suddenly The Doctor stiffens and turns to where the voice came from before. "Wait a minute, ghosts don't exist!"

"Unless they do." The voice responded, once again behind him.

"Who are you?" Rose asked, unable to hold it in longer.

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor responded, deflating.

"No... Where is he? Where's the Doctor?" Her voice rises with her panic, "What have you done to him?"

"You saw me, I, I changed..." The Doctor fidgeted uncomfortably as he gestures to where he regenerated, "right in front of you."

"I saw him sort of explode, and then you replaced him, like a... a teleport or a transmat or a body swap or something." Rose stubbornly demands.

The Doctor shifts in place, uncertain. The voice, which has resolved into a green glow, has no such reservations. "He regenerated, you cow! How would you like it if someone told you they wished you were never born when you were fresh from hatching."

"You're not fooling me." Rose declared.

The Doctor rocks backwards, disappointed in the girl.

"I've seen all sorts of things. Nanogenes... Gelth... Slitheen..." Rose reaches for an explanation, giving him suspicious looks. "Oh, my God, are you a Slitheen?"

"I'm not a Slitheen."

"Send him back. I'm warning you; send the Doctor back right now!" Rose shouts in fear.

"Rose, it's me." The Doctor pleads, leaning towards the distressed girl. "Honestly, it's me. I was dying. To save my own life I changed my body. Every single cell, but... it's still me."

"You can't be." Rose whispers.

The Doctor pointedly ignores a "Wow, you really know how to pick 'em!" from the peanut gallery.

The Doctor steps back. "Then how could I remember this? Very first word I ever said to you. Trapped in that cellar. Surrounded by shop window dummies.... Oh..." The Doctor reminisces, "... such a long time ago. I took your hand" He reaches down, interlocking their hands. "I said one word... just one word, I said... 'Run'."

The two stare into each others eyes for a minute before Rose admits to what's in front of her eyes. "Doctor." She whispers.

The Doctor grins, gently. "Hello."

The manic air comes back over the man in a flash as he runs to the console, flipping switches, giddy on regeneration energy. "And we never stopped, did we? All across the universe. Running, running, running... One time we had to hop. Do you remember? Hopping for our lives." The Doctor hopped around the console, continuing to flip switches and press buttons. "Yeah? All that hopping? Remember hopping for your life? Yeah?! Hop? With the..." The Doctor turns to Rose, seeing her unresponsive. "No?" He asked, innocently.

"Can you change back?" Rose interrupts.

"Do you want me to?" The Doctor asks, insecurely.

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Can you?"

"No." He turns, disappointed.

"Do you want me to leave?" Rose asks, shocked and hesitant.

"No!" The Doctor hurries to reassure the upset girl. "But... your choice... if you want to go home..." The Doctor sees the answer on her face. "Cancel Barcelona. Change to... London... the Powell Estate... ah... let's say the 24th of December. Consider it a Christmas present." He grins at her sadly as Rose edges closer to the console.

"There." The Doctor steps back from the console, arms tucked defensively. He glances surreptitiously between the nervous girl and the green blob. He turns to the green glow, waving his sonic screwdriver at it. "Glancing at the readout, his eyes narrow. "Impossible, what are you?"

"I'm going home?" Rose interrupts, "And who are you talking to? There's no one there!"

"Up to you." The Doctor replied, "Back to your mum... it's all waiting. Fish and chips, sausage and mash, beans on toast... no, Christmas! Turkey! Although... having met your mother... nut loaf would be more appropriate."

"Was that a smile?" The Doctor asks, relaxing his defensive posture.

"No." Rose smiled at her shoes.

"That was a smile..." The Doctor teased lightly.

"No it wasn't." Rose insisted.

"You smiled." The Doctor declared, suddenly sure.

"No I didn't." Rose demanded, "and who were you talking to?"

"It seems this regeneration comes with a hallucination. One who is very adamant in not being a hallucination. She claims to be a ghost. Well, I assume she, sounds like a she, and I imagine she'd correct me otherwise. Possibly helpful in organizing my thoughts, almost like there are two of me! Oh, what a day that would be." The Doctor notices he's losing Rose. "Oh, come on, all I did was change, I didn't..." He cuts himself off to gag, the TARDIS shuddering with him.

"What?" Rose asked, surprised at his sudden cut off.

"I said I didn't..." He gags again and can hear the apparition repeating "Oh shit" Over and over in the corner.

"Uh oh." The Doctor agrees with the hallucination.

"Er... are you alright?" Rose cautiously approaches him as gold vapours come out of his mouth, "What's that?"

"Oh... the change is going a bit wrong and all." The Doctor grits out in pain, gagging as he falls to the floor.

"Look... maybe we should go back. Let's go and find Captain Jack, he'd know what to do." Rose insists anxiously.

"Gah, he's busy! He's got plenty to do rebuilding the Earth!" The Doctor replies shiftily, examining the TARDIS console only to flick a button. "I haven't used this one in years."

"What're you doing?!" Rose asks fearfully as the TARDIS shutters and seems to pick up speed.

"Putting on a bit of speed! That's it!" The Doctor grins crazily, messing with more knobs and buttons. "My beautiful ship! Come on, faster! That's a girl! Faster! Wanna break the time limit?!"

"Stop it!" Rose pleaded as she hung on for dear life.

"I've got to agree with her this time." The ghost adds, "SLOW DOWN!"

"Ah, don't be so dull... let's have a bit of fun! Let's rip through that vortex!" The Doctor almost snarls at the two of them before seeming to have a moment of calm and grimacing in pain. "The regeneration's going wrong. I can't stop myself. Ah, my head..." And like that the calm is over as he flips back to his reckless personality. "Faster! Let's open those engines!"

The Cloister bell sounds. "What's that?" Rose asks in distress.

"Not again!" The ghost groans.

"We're gonna crash land!" The Doctor laughs maniacally as he pops up next to the human girl.

"Well then, do something!" Rose responds.

"Too late! Out of control!" The Doctor responds, still hopping around. "Oh, I love it! Hot dawg!"

"You're gonna kill us!" Rose responds.

"Again!" The ghost girl snarls.

"Hold on tight, here we go!" Is The Time Lord's only response as he grinned madly at Rose across the console. "Christmas Eve...!"

"Nope!" The ghost girl responded. "I'll see you after Christmas, there's no way I'm spending another Christmas with you!" The green glow faded as the TARDIS hurtled towards its impromptu landing.

Chapter Text

The Doctor awoke to a dense cloud of steam. A voice whispered through his mind, barely registering the words. "Connection made, bridgehead established."

The Doctor felt a finger poking him in the face and opened his eyes to a young girl hovering over him. She looked about 15, but he had never been good at estimating ages, particularly with how short human lives were. This girl didn't look particularly human though, despite her humanoid structure.

She had blonde hair floating around her head and solid green eyes, the same color as the glow outlining her. "You know, for a hallucination, you are quite persistent." He commented, "and we both know I only felt you touch my face as my brain is convinced you are real and sent junk signals to reinforce the conclusion."

The apparition rolled her eyes. "Still on that, are we? Never mind, now's not the time, your friends are in trouble and believe you've ghosted them. Might want to correct 'em."

The Doctor swung his attention to the door, stepping up and swinging the wooden panels open. "Did you miss me?" He asked, smiling crookedly.

The gathered humans stared at him in a mix of disbelief and confusion. The Sycorax leader, snarling at the intrusion, slashed a whip at The Doctor.

"You could have someone's eye out with that." The Doctor rebuked the fleshy-faced alien. The floating girl laughed at his comment, temporarily drawing The Doctor's attention. No one else seemed to see or hear her.

"How dare!" The Sycorax leader snarled in reply as one of his kinsmen brandished a staff at The Doctor.

"You just can't get the staff." The Doctor punned to the Sycorax, stealing the club and snapping it in two. "Now, you, just wait. I'm busy."

"Sit Sycorax," The supposed ghost girl teased the sinew-y aliens. "There's a good Sycorax!"

The Doctor completely ignored the apparition and turned to the cluster of humans. "Mickey, hello! And Harriet Jones MP for Flydale North. Blimey, it's like This Is Your Life. Tea! That's all I needed, a good cup of tea! Superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin. Just the thing for healing the synapses." He narrowed in specifically on Rose. "Now, first thing's first. Be honest, how do I look?"

"Err, different." Rose replied uncertainly.

"Like you got electrocuted." The green girl deadpanned, reaching for his hair.

"Good different or bad different?" The Doctor questioned, swatting at the fingers near his hair.

"Just different."

The Doctor leaned in conspiratorially "Am I ginger?"

"No, you're just sort of brown." Rose replied, not leaning away from him, but not moving closer either.

The Doctor dropped the secretive pretense of the question by explosively complaining. "Aww, I wanted to be ginger. I've never been ginger."

Suddenly something seemed to suddenly occur to him. "And you, Rose Tyler, fat lot of good you were. You gave up on me. I had to wake up with my hallucination hovering in my face. Fat lot of good it did." As if on a pin made of ADHD, The Doctor switched topics again. "Oh, that's rude. That's the sort of man I am now, am I? Rude. Rude and not ginger."

"Don't worry, they're not preclusive to each other." The apparition rolled her eyes.

"Hallucination?" Rose asked as Harriet cut in over her.

"I'm sorry. Who is this?" She asked with a shrill intonation.

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor replied.

"He's the Doctor." Rose added.

"Duh." The ghost supplied with implied stupidity as only a teenager could.

"But what happened to my Doctor? Or is it a title that's just passed on?" Harriet inquired, still feeling wrong footed.

"He's always The Doctor." The floating girl huffed. "Same software, different computer, but still the same."

"I'm him. I'm literally him. Same man, new face. Well, new everything." The Doctor explained, throwing the girl a suspicious look. She returned it with a look of disgust.

"But you can't be." Harriet protested.

"Harriet Jones," The Doctor mused, "we were trapped in Downing Street and the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens, it wasn't the war, it was the thought of your mother being on her own."

"Oh, my God." Harriet rescinded with dawning realization.

"Did you win the election?" The Doctor asked, his grin betraying that he already knows the answer.

"Landslide majority." Harriet crowed.

"If I might interrupt." The Sycorax Leader sneered.

"I can't keep calling him 'The Sycorax Leader' in my head." The girl sighed. "For one, he doesn't deserve it and two, it's long. I'mma call him Steve."

"Yes, sorry. Hello, big fellow. Mind if I call you Steve? You seem like a Steve."The Doctor replied gregariously.

A 'Hey, I said that!' was surreptitiously ignored by The Doctor.

"Who exactly are you?" Steve hissed.

"Well, that's the question, Steve!" The Doctor snarked.

"I demand to know who you are!" Steve roared.

"I don't know!" The Doctor roared back. "See, there's the thing. I'm The Doctor, but beyond that, I just don't know. I literally do not know who I am. It's all untested. Am I funny? Am I sarcastic? Sexy? Right old misery? Life and soul? Right handed? Left handed? A gambler? A fighter? A coward? A traitor? A liar? A nervous wreck? I mean, judging by the evidence, I've certainly got a gob."

"You always have a gob. Though I see this generation really likes ignoring me." The girl threw over her shoulder, following The Doctor up the stairs to the Sycoraxic throne and a large button on a pedestal.

"And how am I going to react when I see this, a great big threatening button." The Doctor continued, messing around with the base of the pedestal. "A great big threatening button which must not be pressed under any circumstances, am I right? Let me guess. It's some sort of control matrix, hmm? Hold on, what's feeding it? Ah, what've we got here? Blood? Yeah, definitely blood. Human blood. A Positive, with just a dash of iron. Ah, but that means blood control. Blood control! Oh, I haven't seen blood control for years. You're controlling all the A Positives. Which leaves us with a great big stinking problem. Because I really don't know who I am. I don't know when to stop. So if I see a great big threatening button which should never, ever, ever be pressed, then I just want to do this."

"No!" Rose and Harriet yelled at The Doctor as he pressed the button.

"You killed them!" Harriet's translator exclaimed in horror.

"What do you think, big fellow? Are they dead?" The Doctor rebutted.

"We allow them to live." Steve begrudged.

"Allow?" The Doctor laughed, "You've no choice. I mean, that's all blood control is. A cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes. It's like hypnosis. You can hypnotise someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis. You can't hypnotise them to death. Survival instinct's too strong."

"Blood control was just one form of conquest. I can summon the armada and take this world by force." Steve replied.

"Well, yeah, you could, yeah, you could do that, of course you could." The Doctor blurted, dropping back down to the first level. "But why? Look at these people. These human beings. Consider their potential. From the day they arrive on the planet and blinking step into the sun, there is more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than..." The Doctor paused, "No, hold on. Sorry, that's The Lion King. But the point still stands. Leave them alone!"

"Or what?" Steve hissed.

"Now you've done it." The girl smirked.

"Or" The Doctor smiled, it was a devious smile. "I challenge you."

The Sycorax all erupted in laughter.

"Oh, that struck a chord." The Doctor scoffed, "Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?"

"You stand as this world's champion." Steve snarled in disbelief.

"Thank you, Steve." The Doctor replied, taking off his dressing gown and tossing it to Rose. "I've no idea who I am, but you just summed me up."

"So, you accept my challenge? Or are you just a cranak pel casacree salvak?" The Doctor teased.

"You said I wasn't allowed to say that word." The ghost girl muttered with a pout.

"For the planet?" Steve growled.

"For the planet." The Doctor agreed.

The two took a moment to drop into ready stances before charging at each other. Steve quickly backed The Doctor up the stairs.

"Look out!" Rose called in worry.

"Oh, yeah, that helps." The Doctor replied sarcastically. "Wouldn't have thought of that otherwise, thanks."

"Stop talking and focus." The ghost girl rebuffed.

The Doctor backed all the way up to the inner hull before triggering a door to open onto the outside of the ship. "Bit of fresh air?" He cheeked at Steve. Rose and the floating girl followed them out of the ship.

The Doctor and Steve exchanged blows, slashing and stabbing at each other. The Sycorax pushed the advantage. Rose started forward. "Stay back! Invalidate the challenge and he wins the planet." The Doctor warned her back.

Steve pushed forward with The Doctor distracted, throwing him to the ground, half off the edge of the ship. Steve swung the sword with precision, severing the Doctor's right hand from his arm at the wrist. The blade must have been quite sharp or wielded with impressive strength to cut straight through bone and sinew as easily as it did.

"D-Doctor!" The girl exclaimed, fear wavering in her voice.

The Doctor is contrast seemed more offended than mad. "You cut my hand off!"

"Ya! Sycorax!" Steve cheered, like a gladiator to the crowds, looking for praise from his countrymen.

"And now I know what sort of man I am." The Doctor decided, "I'm lucky. Because quite by chance I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle, which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy to do this.

"Witchcraft." Steve snarled in slight fear.

"Time Lord." The Doctor corrected.

"You're going to be missing a hand one of these regenerations now, aren't you." The ghost girl sighed.

"Doctor!" Rose called, stealing a sword from the nearest Sycorax and tossing it to him.

The Doctor somehow manages to catch it by the handle just in time to block a blow from Steve. "Oh, so I'm still the Doctor, then?"

"No arguments from me!" Rose replied.

"Arguments from me!" The girl snarked in response. "Pay attention so you don't have to try and regrow a head!"

The Doctor obligingly turned back to Steve. "Want to know the best bit? This new hand? It's a fighting hand!" The two dive back into the fight, exchanging forceful blows. This time The Doctor takes the advantage, driving Steve back to the edge of the ship, dropping him into the same position he previously held.

"I win." The Doctor declared.

"Then kill me." Steve replied in defeat.

"I'll spare your life if you'll take this Champion's command." The Doctor offered. "Leave this planet, and never return. What do you say?"

"Yes." Steve sneered in defeat.

"Swear on the blood of your species." The Doctor insisted.

"I swear." Steve acquiesced.

"There we are, then. Thanks for that." The Doctor straightened, suddenly cheerful. "Cheers, big fellow."

"Bravo!" Harriet cheered in relief.

"That says it all. Bravo!" Rose added her own cheer.

"Oh good, you survived." The girl added.

"Ah, not bad for a man in his jim-jams." The Doctor smiled.

Rose holds the Doctor's dressing gown, helping him back into it. The Doctor shrugged the article of clothing back on, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Very Arthur Dent. Now, there was a nice man. Hold on, what have I got in here?" He pulled an orange out of his pocket. "A satsuma. Ah, that friend of your mothers, he does like his snacks doesn't he? But doesn't that just sum up Christmas?" He mused.

"You go through all those presents and right at the end, tucked away at the bottom, there's always one stupid old satsuma. Who wants a satsuma?" He raised the orange in offering. Suddenly, Steve gets up, grabbing a fallen sword and snarling as he charges at The Doctor's back. The Doctor throws the satsuma at a button on the ship, retracting part of the wing. Steve drops towards the earth, snarling. The floating girl took in a sharp breath. "No second chances. I'm that sort of a man."

The Doctor reenters the ship, standing in front of the Sycoraxic parliament. "By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time. And when go you back to the stars and tell others of this planet, when you tell them of it's riches, it's people, it's potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure that you tell them this. It is defended."

The Sycorax acquiesce and a blue light fills the ship again, depositing the humans, Time Lord, floating girl, and T.A.R.D.I.S. back on earth.

"Where are we?" Rose asked, glancing around the road they appeared on.

"We're just off Bloxom Road!" Mickey exclaimed in dismay. "We're just round the corner, we did it!"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute." The Doctor cautioned, still watching the alien ship.

"It's not over until all the pieces are put away." The girl added grimly.

The ship lifted off, back towards deep space and Mickey can no long hold in his celebrations "Go on, my son! Oh, yeah!"

"Yeah! Don't come back!" Rose adds.

"It is defended!" Mickey continued, jumping and hugging Rose. Rose hugs back before including Harriet's aide in the celebrations. The aide just looks happy to be included.

"My Doctor." Harriet clucks affectionately at him.

"Prime Minister." The Doctor replies smartly, hugging her.

"Absolutely the same man." Harriet pats his cheek before starting to ask questions. "Are there many more out there?"

"Oh, not just Sycorax. Hundreds of species. Thousands of them." The Doctor replies, wonder at the universe, saturating his voice. "And the human race is drawing attention to itself. Every day you're sending out probes and messages and signals. This planet's so noisy. You're getting noticed more and more. You'd better get used to it."

"Rose!" Jackie gasps, running to her daughter.

"Mum!" Rose gasps in joy.

"Oh, talking of trouble." The Doctor cracked.

"Oh, my God! You did it, Rose! Oh!" Jackie celebrated.

Behind her, Harriet and her aide start a hushed conversation over a phone.

"You did it too! It was the tea. Fixed his head." Rose revealed.

"That was all I needed, cup of tea." The Doctor agreed.

"I said so." Jackie replied, proud.

"Look at him." Rose gestured to The Doctor.

"Is it him, though? Is it really the Doctor?" Jackie questioned her daughter before realizing who else was in the alley they appeared in. "Oh, my God, it's the bleeding Prime Minister!

"Come here, you." The Doctor called, pulling everyone into a group hug. The floating girl didn't join, just floated longingly above and being careful not to touch anyone.

"Are you better?" Jackie asked The Doctor.

"I am, yeah." The Doctor responded, smiling in thanks to her concern.

"You better be." The girl muttered.

"You left me." Jackie scoffed in remembered affront.

"I'm sorry." Rose responded.

"I had all the food." Jackie reproached.

Suddenly, green beams shot into the air, striking down the Sycorax ship. "What is that? What's happening?" Rose asked in surprise. The ghost girl drifted to behind The Doctor, hiding.

"That was murder." The Doctor turned on Harriet.

"That was defence." Harriet sniffed in response. "It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."

"But they were leaving." The Doctor threw back at her.

Harriet maintained her position. "You said yourself, Doctor, they'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not here all the time. You come and go. It happened today. Mister Llewellyn and the Major, they were murdered. They died right in front of me while you were sleeping. In which case we have to defend ourselves."

"Britain's Golden Age." The Doctor scoffed.

"It comes with a price." Harriet agreed.

"I gave them the wrong warning." The Doctor responded, disgust saturating his voice. "I should've told them to run as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming. The human race."

"Those are the people I represent. I did it on their behalf." Harriet maintained.

"Then I should have stopped you."

"What does that make you, Doctor? Another alien threat?" Harriet narrowed her eyes in provocation.

"Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones, because I'm a completely new man. I could bring down your Government with a single word." The Doctor warned.

"You're the most remarkable man I've ever met, but I don't think you're quite capable of that." Harriet reproached.

"No, you're right. Not a single word, just six." The Doctor stood his ground.

"I don't think so." Harriet scoffed.

"Six words."

"Stop it!"

"Six." The Doctor reaffirmed, walking to the aide and whispering in his ear. Then he left. No fanfare, just left.

>>>>>> ? <<<<<<

The ghost girl sat on the railing along the walkway between the apartments. Rose had already gone into her mother's apartment, but The Doctor paused by her form. "What are you?" He asked.

"I told you, I'm a ghost." She sighed.

"There's no such thing as ghosts." The Doctor replied. "What are you really? Chronovore? Gelth? Leviathan?"

"Is it really so hard to believe in ghosts? With everything you've seen?" The girl spat back, curling further into a ball. "I have nothing else to say about any of it. I am tied to you so I will travel with you, but I don't want to talk about it! Have a good Christmas, Doctor."

The girl faded from view and The Doctor sighed. He needed answers, not to make her shut down. He would figure out who she is and if what she said was true, well no children were dying if he could help it.

Chapter Text

The Doctor was going over the T.A.R.D.I.S. controls when the ghost girl reappeared. “Ahh, you’re back.” He grinned at her.

“Yes…” She replied cautiously.

“Well, welcome aboard the good ship T.A.R.D.I.S. or Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. That’s her name, what’s yours?” The Doctor probably thought he was being subtle.

“Well, what’s your name?” She asked.

“I told you, I’m The Doctor. And you are?” He replied, straightening his suit coat.

“I’m not telling you. You’re still trying to track me down.” She huffed.

“You can’t just not have a name.” The Doctor blustered.

“Why not?” She replied in disbelief. “Seems to work for you.”

The Doctor hesitated. “I now see how annoying that can be. But that doesn’t change the fact I still have something people can call me.”

“Fine.” She snapped, “You can call me The Apparition. Happy?”

“Hmm, a title in the Gallifreyan tradition.” The Doctor mused, “You wouldn't happen to have two hearts, do you?”

The Apparition opened her mouth to respond when the door to the T.A.R.D.I.S. opened. “Spoilers.” She smirked.

The Doctor turned to Rose as she stepped through the doors, putting the mystery of The Apparition out of his mind. “So where are we going?” Rose asked.

The Doctor grinned at her. “Further than we've ever gone before.”

Pulling the take off lever, the ship started shaking and groaning as it took off. Rose left the control room, placing her stuff down. By the time she made it back to the control room the T.A.R.D.I.S. was just landing.

Rose giggled as she stepped onto the new planet. The Doctor stepped out of the ship behind her and started monologuing. ”It's the year five billion and twenty three. We're in the galaxy M87, and this? This is New Earth.”

“That's just. That's just.” Rose tried, speechless.

“Not bad. Not bad at all.” The Doctor humbly complemented himself.

“That's amazing!” Rose marveled, “I'll never get used to this. Never. Different ground beneath my feet, different sky. What's that smell?”

“Apple grass.” The Doctor informed her, laying out his coat for the two to sit on. Glancing back, he could see The Apparition rolling in some grass.

“Apple grass.” Rose sighed in amazement, turning in place to admire everything. “It's beautiful. Oh, I love this. Can I just say, travelling with you, I love it.”

The Apparition sits up in the grass, sneezing before something seems to catch her eye.

“So, the year five billion, the sun expands, the Earth gets roasted.” The Doctor continues his monologue, oblivious.

“That was our first date.” Rose giggled, scooting closer to him.

“We had chips.” The Doctor agreed. “So anyway, planet gone, all rocks and dust, but the human race lives on, spread out across the stars. Soon as the Earth burns up, oh yeah, they get all nostalgic, big revival movement, but then find this place. Same size as the Earth, same air, same orbit. Lovely. Call goes out, the humans move in.”

The Apparition waves her hand through a metal spider crawling in the grass. The spider sparks and dies.

“What's the city called?” Rose queried.

“New New York.”

“Oh, come on.” Rose raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

“It is.” The Doctor insisted. “It's the city of New New York. Strictly speaking, it's the fifteenth New York since the original, so that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. What?”

“You're so different.” Rose defended.

“New New Doctor.” The Doctor explained tritely.

“Please.” The Apparition muttered, inaudible to Rose but not The Doctor. “He’s not that different. Trouble magnet? Check. Magpie brain? Check. Memories? Check.”

The Doctor smiled slightly at his shoes.

“Can we go and visit New New York, so good they named it twice?” Rose asked.

“Well, I thought we might go there first.” The Doctor pointed to a towered building on the edge of a cliff by a river, separated from the city of New New York. A green moon decorates the side of the building.

“Why, what is it?” Rose asked.

“Some sort of hospital.” The Doctor evaluated, pulling his psychic paper out. “Green moon on the side. That's the universal symbol for hospitals. I got this. A message on the psychic paper.” The paper says ‘Ward 26 Please Come’. There is no signature on the message.

“Someone wants to see me.” The Doctor’s eyes glinted in excitement.

“Hmm. And I thought we were just sight-seeing.” Rose’s eyes held affection and indulgence. She stood and started for the building. “Come on, then. Let's go and buy some grapes.”

The Apparition followed the two of them, twirling through the air. A dead metal spider is left on the apple grass hill.

“We’re being watched.” The Apparition whispered to The Doctor. “Something’s wrong.”

The Doctor dipped his head in acknowledgement, scratching his nose. “Hospitals are horrible, all the doctors, running around, telling you what to do.”

“Bit rich, coming from you.” Rose chuckled at his hypocrisy.

“I can't help it. I don't like hospitals.” The Doctor defended, glancing around surreptitiously. “They give me the creeps.”

An announcement came over the tannoy. ‘The Pleasure Gardens will now take visitors carrying green or blue identification cards for the next fifteen minutes. Visitors are reminded that cuttings from the gardens are not permitted.’

“Very smart. Not exactly NHS.” Rose comments.

The Doctor continued to survey the area. “No shop. I like the little shop.”

“I thought this far in the future, they'd have cured everything.” Rose observed.

“The human race moves on, but so do the viruses. It's an ongoing war.” The Doctor explains.

“Yeah, people always think they can defeat viruses, yet only two have been successfully eradicated in the history of earth, ‘least by Rose’s time. ‘Course the people of Raxacoricofallapatorius have defeated many more viruses that affect their kind, but that doesn’t exactly help humans.” The Apparition muses.

“They're cats!” Rose exclaims as one of the nuns turns, revealing the feline face under the wimple.

“Now, don't stare.” The Doctor admonished. “Think what you look like to them, all pink and yellow.” Still distracted, The Doctor continued surveying the area, “That's where I'd put the shop. Right there.”

The Doctor continued into the lift, feigning nonchalance a little too hard and missing Rose’s distraction. “Ward 26, thanks!” He informed the system, the doors closing behind him. The Apparition phased through the closed doors, following him into the lift.

“Hold on! Doctor!” Rose called, hurrying to the closed doors.

“Oh, too late! I’m going up.” The Doctor called before turning to The Apparition. “Could you stick with Rose?”

“As trouble-prone as she is, I think you’re more likely to run into trouble. You sure you don’t want me with you? She can’t see me, I can’t help.”

“You make a good point.” The Doctor conceded.

“It's all right, there's another lift.” Rose called.

“Ward 26.” The Doctor reminded her.

“Don’t forget to tell her about the disinfectant.” The ghost girl reminded.

“Don’t tell me what to do.” The Doctor huffed at her. “She’ll enjoy the surprise.”

“Right.” She replied, disbelieving.

The lift doors opened to the ward and The Doctor approached the help desk. “Hello! I’m The Doctor! I’m here to visit a patient.”

The nurse, whose name tag read Jatt, stepped out from behind the desk, leading The Doctor further into the ward. “This way, Doctor. Do you know who you are visiting?”

“No, nope.” The Doctor exhaled. “Kind of, It’s a ‘I’ll know it when I see it’ kind of situation.” He switched topics, aiming for distraction and glancing around. “Nice place. No shop, downstairs. I'd have a shop. Not a big one. Just a shop, so people can shop.”

The nurse removed her veil, revealing another cat. “The hospital is a place of healing.” She sniffed.

“A shop does some people a world of good. Not me. Other people.” The Doctor justified.

“The Sisters of Plenitude take a lifelong vow to help and to mend.” Sister Jatt replied stiffly.

“Don’t know about you, Doc, but I feel a cultish air to all this.” The Apparition scoffed jadedly.

The Doctor glanced into an open cubicle seeing a blunted man and a sharp assistant. An assistant that quickly rebuffed the action. “Excuse me! Members of the public may only gaze upon the Duke of Manhattan with written permission from the Senate of New New York.”

“That's Petrifold Regression, right?” The Doctor observed. The Apparition moved in closer in interest.

“I'm dying, sir.” The Duke extolled. “A lifetime of charity and abstinence, and it ends like this.”

“Uhh” The Apparition hummed. “Isn’t Petrifold Regression sexually transmitted?”

“Yes.” The Doctor muttered under his breath to the ghost. “What would you know about that? You’re ten!”

“I am not!” The Apparition pouted, looking away. “I’m an adult.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Any statements made by the Duke of Manhattan may not be made public without official clearance.” The assistant sniffed.

“Frau Clovis! I'm so weak.” The Duke cried.

“Sister Jatt. A little privacy, please.” Frau Clovis demanded.

“He'll be up and about in no time.” The sister told The Doctor, drawing curtains around the patient.

“I doubt it.” The Doctor scoffed in response. “Petrifold Regression? He's turning to stone. There won't be a cure for oh, a thousand years? He might be up and about, but only as a statue.”

“Have faith in the Sisterhood.” Sister Jatt dismissed. “But is there no one here you recognise? It's rather unusual to visit without knowing the patient.”

The Doctor spotted a face in a jar near the back of the ward. “No, I think I've found him.” He headed for the patient.

“Boe!” The Apparition squealed.

“Novice Hame,” Sister Jatt called to another cat-nun who was helping The Face of Boe. “if I can leave this gentleman in your care?”

“Oh, I think my friend got lost. Rose Tyler. Could you ask at reception?” The Doctor absentmindedly asked the cat as he examined The Face.

“Certainly, sir.” The cat left.

“I'm afraid the Face of Boe's asleep.” Novice Hame excused. “That's all he tends to do these days. Are you a friend, or…”

“ We met just the once on Platform One.” The Doctor interrupted. “What's wrong with him?”

“I'm so sorry. I thought you knew. The Face of Boe is dying.” Hame responded.

“What?” The Apparition breathed, eyes glistening.

“Of what?” The Doctor questioned.

“Old age.” Hame reveals. “The one thing we can't cure. He's thousands of years old. Some people say millions, although that's impossible.”

“Oh, I don't know.” The Doctor smiled ruefully. “I like impossible. I'm here. I look a bit different, but it's me, It's the Doctor.” The Face of Boe merely smiled slightly in his sleep as he continued to doze.

The Doctor soon grew bored of watching the big face sleep and wandered towards a water dispenser.

The Apparition took the opportunity to float closer to the tank. “Jack? You aren’t actually dying are you? Jack, please. You can’t go.”

A faint, faded voice responded to her in her mind. “It’s good to see you again, Kit. Everything has its time and everything has its end. You will have many more adventures with me, though I fear I will only have one more with you. I am dying, but it is not my time yet, Little One. Now pay attention, I have known what is to come for centuries. This is not why I have summoned you.”

She harrumphed, slightly reassured, and tried a sad smile as he continued to feign sleep. “You’re overdoing the wise all-knowing being bit and just look like a know-it-all.”

‘Hope, Harmony, and Health.’ The tannoy reminded everyone. ‘Hope, Harmony, and Health.’

The Doctor popped up again, handing Novice Hame a cone of water.

“That's very kind. There's no need.” Hame reproached

“You're the one working.” The Doctor reminded her in response.

“There's not much to do, just maintain his smoke.” Hame admitted sadly. “And I suppose I'm company. I can hear him singing, sometimes, in my mind. Such ancient songs.” The Apparition snorted in response and started muttering to herself.

“Am I the only visitor?” The Doctor queried, moving on from the uncomfortable topic.

“The rest of Boe-kind became extinct long ago.” Hame explained. “He's the only one left. Though his ‘niece’ visits from time-to-time. Cute little one, her father though…” She tisked, “Anywho, legend says that the Face of Boe has watched the universe grow old. There's all sorts of superstitions around him. One story says that just before his death, the Face of Boe will impart his great secret, that he will speak those words only to ones like himself.”

“What does that mean?” The Doctor pried.

“It's just a story.” Hame hedged.

“I do love a story.” The Doctor pressed. “Tell me the rest.”

“It's said he'll talk to a wanderer. To the man without a home. The lonely God.”

The Doctor blinked at her. “...And? What’s the rest? You said ones like himself, that implies multiple.”

“If there is more, it has been lost to time and memory.” Hame replied.

“Well that’s rubbish. Can’t even get a proper legend anymore, can ya, big fella?” The Doctor turned like he expected The Face of Boe to answer. The Face didn’t even twitch.

The Doctor huffed before whirling and pulling out a phone. “I’m calling Rose, find out where she’s gotten to.”

“Have you been telling stories, Jack? Not mine, I hope. Never liked a story with a sad ending.” The Apparition chided. “Though, I suppose it’s happy for a time. Maybe just end mine early when you tell it.”

The Face of Boe snorted, but didn’t answer her questions. “I think the Duke of Manhattan has something he wants to say to you.”

“You’re getting worse at subtle hints, old man.” She sighed, floating back towards the large man.

“Winch me up. Up! Look at me. No sign of infection.” The Duke demanded.

“Champagne, sir?” A Waiter politely offered around.

“No, thanks.” The Doctor scrunched his nose at the alcohol before turning back to the mystery of the Duke. “You had Petrifold Regression, right?”

“That being the operative word.” The Duke stressed, taking on a jolly tone. “Past tense. Completely cured.”

“But that's impossible.” The Doctor combatted.

“Primitive species would accuse us of magic, but it's merely the tender application of science.” The Matron replied primly.

“How on Earth did you cure him?” The Doctor asked.

“How on New Earth, you might say.” She corrected him facetiously.

“What's in that solution?”

“A simple remedy.” The Matron evaded.

“Then tell me what it is.” The Doctor insisted.

“I'm sorry. Patient confidentiality. I don't believe we've met. My name is Matron Casp.” The cat sniffed.

“I'm the Doctor.” The man replied, suspicions brewing.

“I think you'll find that we're the doctors here.” Matron Casp rebuffed.

“Ooh, feel the tension.” The Apparition added to The Doctor. “You’re not a cat person, are you?”

“Matron Casp, you're needed in Intensive Care.” The cat from before, Sister Jatt, interrupted the standoff.

“If you would excuse me.” Matron Casp told The Doctor blandly before immediately turning and walking off.

The Doctor grinned sarcastically at their backs. “Something’s fishy here.” He muttered to The Apparition.

“No, really?” She asked, rolling her eyes. “I thought the smell was just your socks.”

The Doctor waved her comment off and darted between the other patients in the ward muttering to himself. Not long after his investigation started, Rose exited the elevator.

The Doctor immediately dragged her towards a cubicle. “There you are. Come and look at this patient. Marconi's Disease. Should take years to recover. Two days. I've never seen anything like it. They've invented a cell washing cascade. It's amazing. Their medical science is way advanced. And this one.”

The Doctor dragged her towards another bed. “Doctor.” The Apparition called. “There’s something wrong with Rose. she’s glowing a little, well, rose coloured.”

The Doctor ignored her to look at a very pallid man. His skin appears to have been bleached of color as he lays still. “Pallidome Pancrosis. Kills you in ten minutes, and he's fine. I need to find a terminal. I've got to see how they do this. Because if they've got the best medicine in the world, then why is it such a secret?”

“I can't Adam and Eve it.” ‘Rose’ tries.

The Doctor pauses as he processes the ghost girl’s words and his own suspicions rise. “What's, what's. what's with the voice?”

“Oh, I don't know. Just larking about. New Earth, new me.”

“Liar.” The Apparition hissed.

“Am not!” The suspicious girl hissed at her under her breath. The Apparition froze.

“Well, I can talk.” The Doctor obliviously replied, fixing his suit jacket. “New New Doctor.”

“Mmm, aren't you just.” Whatever’s inhabiting Rose croons, grabbing The Doctor and reeling him in and planting a passionate kiss on him. Pulling back, the entity gathered herself, turning and sauntering back towards the elevators. “Terminal's this way. Phew.”

The Doctor took a minute to pull himself back together before following her. “Yep, still got it.”

“Doctor!” The Apparition called, “One, I’m scarred for life. Two, that’s not Rose. Whatever that is, can hear me!” Doctor!” She growled as he continued wandering away after Rose. “Do I just have a face no one listens to? Doctor!” She floated angrily after him.

>>>>>> ? <<<<<<

The Apparition reaches them just as the wall slides open. “Secret passages, eh? Let’s see what’s behind door number one.” They peered down at a dark, dripping spiral staircase as she keeps snarking. “Right, let’s just ignore all of my reservations and all the concerns I have expressed and head down into the dungeon. Nice and homey looking.”

At the bottom of the stairs cells line either side of the corridors. Opening one of the cell doors reveals a man, pustules and rashy patches decorating his skin. The man is hunched in pain, eyes hopeless. “That's disgusting. What's wrong with him?” Not-Rose curled her lip at the sight.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” The Doctor apologized to the man. He then shuts the door softly to investigate the other cells.

“What disease is that?” Not-Rose asked, disgusted.

“All of them.” The Apparition whispered. 

The Doctor nodded slightly in agreement. “Every single disease in the galaxy. They've been infected with everything.”

Not-Rose recoiled sharply. “What about us? Are we safe?”

Bitterness coated The Doctor’s voice as he responded, closing another cell door. “The air's sterile. Just don't touch them.”

“How many patients are there?” The Apparition asked, horrified.

“They're not patients.” The Doctor sighed.

“But they're sick.” Not-Rose insisted.

“They were born sick.” The Doctor threw back. “They're meant to be sick. They exist to be sick. Lab rats. No wonder the Sisters have got a cure for everything. They've built the ultimate research laboratory. A human farm.”

“Why don't they just die?” Not-Rose wrinkled her nose and The Apparition scoffed at her heartlessness.

“Plague carriers. The last to go.” The Doctor explained shortly.

“It's for the greater cause.” A cat appeared at the end of the catwalk lining the row of cells.

“Novice Hame, When you took your vows, did you agree to this?” The Doctor questioned sadly.

“The Sisterhood has sworn to help.” The novice non-answered.

“What, by killing?” The Doctor asked incredulously.

“You must feel guilty. You must know this isn’t right. You’re sentient and self-aware. You must know this torturous existence is never justified. The ends do not justify the means.” The Apparition beseeched the unhearing cat, as ineffective as the motes drifting on the wind. Less effective if that mote happened to be one of the Vashta Nerada.

“Oh shut it, floating green girl. You’re no better than any of us.” Not-Rose sneered at the girl under her breath.

“But they're not real people. They're specially grown. They have no proper existence.” Hame justified to The Doctor, defending her beliefs.

“What's the turnover, hmm?” The Doctor questioned, bitterness and disappointment seeping from every syllable. “Thousand a day? Thousand the next? Thousand the next? How many thousands? For how many years? How many!”

“Mankind needed us.” Hame maintained, “They came to this planet with so many illnesses. We couldn't cope. We did try. We tried everything. We tried using clone-meat and bio-cattle, but the results were too slow, so the Sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are. Flesh.”

“Seriously? The mere presence of humans caused the cats to have, what? A psychotic break? Humans are good, but not that good. Well, bad in this case.” The Apparition questioned in disbelief before glancing at Not-Rose again. “Never mind, I see it.”

Not-Rose waved a hand through the ghost girl, causing her particles to scatter a little before reforming in a huff. “Stop that."

“These people are alive.” The Doctor explained, ignoring the spat behind him.

“But think of those Humans out there, healthy and happy, because of us.” Hame justified.

“If they live because of this, then life is worthless.” The Doctor philosophized back.

“It’s always like this, no matter where you go. Some people are valued over others.” The Apparition noted sadly.

“But who are you to decide that?” Hame questioned in a blatant attempt to maintain her perceived moral superiority.

The Doctor tilted his head at a confident angle and straightened up. “I'm the Doctor. And if you don't like it, if you want to take it to a higher authority, then there isn't one. It stops with me.”

Not-Rose decided to cut in at that moment. “Just to confirm. None of the humans in the city actually know about this?”

“We thought it best not.” Hame skirted the topic delicately.

The Apparition snorted. “If you have to keep it a secret, it’s a pretty good sign you’re doing something you’re not supposed to be.”

The Doctor nodded to her before going for the new topic. “Hold on. I can understand the bodies. I can understand your vows. One thing I can't understand. What have you done to Rose?”

“I don't know what you mean.” Surprise flashed across Hame’s face for the first time in the whole conversation.

“And I'm being very, very calm.” The Doctor forced his tone to stay even. “You want to be aware of that. Very, very calm. And the only reason I'm being so very, very calm is that the brain is a delicate thing. Whatever you've done to Rose's head, I want it reversed.”

“You believed me.” The Apparition breathed. “You listened.”

The Doctor gave her a crooked smile, straightening his suit jacket in self-satisfaction. “I knew as soon as she saw you, I just couldn’t tip her off. You may be a mystery, but I’m a pretty good judge of character and I did take you with me.”

“We haven't done anything.” Hame insisted. “Who are you speaking to, there’s no one there?”

“You didn’t have a choice in my coming, I’m linked to you.” The Apparition giggled. “Besides, I think she’s telling the truth. It wasn’t the cats.”

The Doctor released a large explosion of air. “Well, yeah, technically. But I still chose to invite you.”

“I'm perfectly fine.” Not-Rose cut in, drawing attention back to her.

“These people are dying, and Rose would care.” The Doctor veered abruptly back on topic.

“You are literally glowing pink and Rose doesn’t do that. There’s no way you’re her.”

“Oh, all right, clever clogs.” Not-Rose threw at the floating girl before zeroing in on The Doctor and crowding into his space. “Smarty pants. Lady-killer.” She twisted his tie around her fist, pulling him close.

“What's happened to you?” The Doctor whispered to her as he towered over her.

“I knew something was going on in this hospital, but I needed this body and your mind to find it out.” Not-Rose tried to justify her choices, keeping him just as close and flirting with his lips.

“Who are you?” The Doctor questioned, breathing her air.

“And can we please get a little further away, unknown enemy and all?” The Apparition questioned sweetly. “I believe the saying is ‘leave room for Jesus’, no?

“The last human.” Not-Rose smiled in victory.

“Cassandra?” The Doctor questioned, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“Wake up and smell the perfume.” She cackled, fishing through her cleavage to retrieve a perfume bottle and spraying it straight up his nostrils. The Doctor has no choice but to breathe it in as he collapses at her feet.

“You've hurt him.” Hame questioned, confusion coloring her voice. “I don't understand. I'll have to fetch Matron.”

The Apparition huffed. “It’s obvious to anyone not brainwashed; this is a stick up!”

“You do that, because I want to see her. Now, run along. Sound the alarm!” Cassandra directed, pulling a cable. Soon sirens sounded through the whole dreary complex. She then turned to The Apparition. “And you, button it. Or I’ll find some way to stuff you back in your bottle.”

“I’m not a djinn. I’m a ghost.” The Apparition muttered.

“Perfect.” Cassandra sneered before yelling after Novice Hame. “And bring me some salt!”

>>>>>> ? <<<<<<

The Doctor groaned as he woke up. Glancing around, all he saw was green light and metal. His eyes widened as everything rushed back to him. “Let me out! Let me out!”

Looking through the viewport he could just see Cassandra and maybe the edge of a green glow.

“Aren't you lucky there was a spare? Standing room only.” Cassandra cackled.

“You've stolen Rose's body.” The Doctor stated with cold calm.

Cassandra ignored him. “Over the years, I've thought of a thousand ways to kill you, Doctor. And now, that's exactly what I've got. One thousand diseases. They pump the patients with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about three minutes left. Enjoy.”

“Oh, yes.” The Apparition deadpanned, currently encircled by a ring of salt. “Please monologue like any other budget villain.”

“Just let Rose go, Cassandra.” The Doctor demanded.

“I am not some budget villain. I do this to preserve the human race. Without me, they are extinct. Very heroic, aren’t I? And I will.” Cassandra pouted. “As soon as I've found someone younger, and less common, then I'll junk her with the waste. Now hushaby. It's showtime.”

“Anything we can do to help?” Sister Jatt asked imperiously.

“Straight to the point, Whiskers.” Cassandra praised, “I want money.”

“The Sisterhood is a charity. We don't give money. We only accept.” Matron Casp smiled condescendingly at the Last Human.

“The humans across the water pay you a fortune,” Cassandra scoffed, “and that's exactly what I need. A one-off payment, that's all I want. Oh, and perhaps a yacht. In return for which, I shall tell the city nothing of your institutional murder. Is that a deal?” She stuck her hand out expectantly.

“I'm afraid not.” Matron Casp declined.

“I'd really advise you to think about this.” Cassandra tutted.

“Oh, there's no need. I have to decline.” Matron Casp smiled a business smile.

“I'll tell them, and you've no way of stopping me.” Cassandra threatened, “You're not exactly Nuns with Guns. You're not even armed.”

“Who needs arms when we have claws?” The Matron demonstrated her point, unsheathing her claws.

“You know, Cassandra.” The Apparition mused, “I’ve seen what even a house cat can do to human flesh when upset. She’s about twenty times the size of a house cat.”

“If I could have a hush from the salted peanuts?” Cassandra retorted, turning for her minion. “Well, it was a nice try. Chip? Plan B.”

Chip hurries out from some hidden corner he was lurking in just to pull a heavy leaver. The leaver moved with a clunk, only to be outshined by the clunking of every single door unbolting.

The Doctor pushed his door open, stepping back onto the catwalk. “What've you done?” 

“Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just to wake them up. See you!” Cassandra smiled deviously before running from the sounds of affected patients.

“Don't touch them! Whatever you do, don't touch!” The Doctor yelled at her before turning to The Apparition. “And you, fat lot of good you were.”

“Oi!” She huffed back, “It’s not like I can do much and can’t you see? I’m contained by salt.” The Apparition floated over the salt line towards The Doctor. “Shouldn’t we run too? I certainly don’t want any of these diseases and she’s getting away.”

The Doctor huffed and started running. “You could’ve escaped at any point. Since when did salt affect any kind of psychic energy, some toasters, yeah, but salt? Give me some credit. And don’t lie. You have to be at least partially made of psychic energy. I can’t get a proper read on you, but that comes up loud and clear.”

“Doctor?” She asked in reply. “Focus. Cassandra, running.”

“Right.” He determines.

“Oh, he was so close to forgetting me.” Cassandra grumbles.

A scream draws everyone's attention back to Sister Jatt as an Infected reaches her. Welts and sickness travel up her arm as she shrivels before their eyes, collapsing from the myriad of diseases. “Oh, my God.” Cassandra gasps in horror.

“Admiring your work?” The Apparition sneers.

“What the hell have you done?” The Doctor demands in turn.

“It wasn't me.” Cassandra defends herself weakly.

“One touch and you get every disease in the world, and I want that body safe, Cassandra. We've got to go down.” The Doctor demands, grabbing Rose’s body and heading for stairs down. Chip follows the duo, sticking as close to Cassandra as possible.

“But there's thousands of them!” Cassandra protests.

“Run! Down! Down! Go down!” The Doctor ignores her protests, dragging her after him.

Somewhere, high above their heads, an announcement echoes down to them. This building is under quarantine.

The Apparition flitted ahead. “This way!” She motioned to a hallway.

The Doctor hesitated before dragging Cassandra after him. 

“Mistress!” Chip calls desperately, cut off from the others. 

The Doctor turns back for him, only to be dragged onward by Cassandra. “Leave him! He's just a clone thing. He's only got a half life. Come on!”

“I’m sorry!” The Doctor called, hesitating in his run.

“Chip, the chute!” The Apparition called, gesturing to the trash chute. The clone follows her direction, taking his chances. 

The Apparition guides the remaining duo to a small foyer for the lifts. “The lifts have closed down. That's the quarantine. Nothing's moving.” The Doctor declares, frustration thick in his voice as he drags Cassandra away from the doors.

Cassandra huffs in reluctant acquiescence, stopping her attempt to use them. “This way!” She directs, dragging The Doctor into a room with a bunch of defunct medical equipment, including a stretch of skin on a frame in a corner. She immediately goes for the back door, only to be pulled away as Infected try to get through the door.

“We're trapped! What am I going to do?” Cassandra complains, Infected surrounding them.

“Well, for starters, you're going to leave that body.” The Doctor blusters, “That psychograft is banned on every civilised planet! You're compressing Rose to death.”

“But I've got nowhere to go. My original skin's dead.” Cassandra pouted.

“Yeah, and I don’t want her company.” The Apparition added, rolling her eyes.

“Not my problem. You can float as atoms in the air and you, it’s not like she’d have to stay. Now, get out. Give her back to me.” The Doctor demanded.

“You asked for it.” Cassandra smiled slyly, taking a last lung-full of breath before exhaling her pink psychic mist in The Doctor’s face. In his surprise, he breathed it in.

“Blimey, my head.” Rose groaned, stumbling a little. “Where'd she go?”

“Oh, my. This is different.” Cassandra mused, tracing her new outline.

“Cassandra?” Rose asked in disbelief.

“Goodness me, I'm a man.” Cassandra gasped, exploring the new form. “Yum. So many parts. And hardly used. Oh, oh, two hearts! Oh, baby, I'm beating out a samba!” Her eyes widened at the discovery as she flexed her chest to demonstrate the beats of the heart.

“Get out of him.” Rose demanded.

“Yeah, get out.” The Apparition called half-heartedly, holding a cellphone turned to video mode on Cassandra.

“Oo, he's slim, and a little bit foxy.” Cassandra admired, turning to view herself from the side. “You've thought so too. I've been inside your head. You've been looking. You like it.”

“Ugh.” The Apparition complained. “Seriously, TMI.”

Suddenly, the infected patients break through the doors on either side, surprising the distracted women. “What do we do? What would he do? The Doctor, what the hell would he do?” Cassandra panics.

Rose, in contrast, is determined, her eyes catching on a ladder, heading towards it. “Ladder. We've got to get up.”

“Out of the way, blondie!” Cassandra snarls, ripping Rose from the ladder and scrambling up it. The Apparition tucks her phone somewhere in the ether and follows Rose and Cassandra, now as The Doctor, up though the hole in the ceiling.

“If you get out of the Doctor's body, he can think of something.” Rose cajoled Cassandra.

“Yap, yap, yap. God, it was tedious inside your head. Hormone city.” Cassandra dismissed.

“We're going to die if~” Rose protested, only to gasp in surprise.

Looking down, a cat-nun had her claws around Rose’s ankle. She ripped her ankle around in an attempt to dislodge the nun. “Get off!”

Matron Casp snarled in response. “All our good work. All that healing. The good name of the Sisterhood. You have destroyed everything.”

“Go and play with a ball of string.” Cassandra scoffed dismissively.

“Everywhere, disease. This is the human world. Sickness!” The cat retorted, a light of insanity crackling in her eyes. She starts tightening her grip, digging sharp claws into tender muscles and complex ligaments. A hand clasping her own ankle distracts her. The nun’s eyes widen in horror as one of her own test subjects drags her down. She releases Rose’s ankle in her surprise as she falls to her death.

“Move!” Rose calls in panic.

“Maximum quarantine. Divert all shuttles.” The tannoy announces, sounding calm for the situation at hand.

Cassandra reaches up to the next level, prying at the sealed elevator doors. They resist her attempts. “Now what do we do?”

“Use the sonic screwdriver.” Rose coaches desperately.

“You mean this thing?” Cassandra asks, dangling the tube from two fingers.

“Don’t drop it.” The Apparition demands.

“Yes, I mean that thing.” Rose affirms.

“Well, I don't know how.” Cassandra huffs. “That Doctor's hidden away all his thoughts. Hold on, maybe the floating green girl can tell me.”

“Cassandra.” The Apparition lowered her tone to a surprisingly sinister register for how she’s dressed as a green flower fairy. “If you don’t get out of The Doctor’s body and never return, I will crush your pretty pink mist to smithereens. I may not be able to touch the physical world, but you are no longer part of it.”

Rose had come to a similar conclusion. “Cassandra, go back in to me. The Doctor can open it. Do it!”

“Hold on tight.” Cassandra agrees immediately. The Doctor exhales the pink mist, which floats away from him and back to Rose.

“Oh, chavtastic again.” Cassandra, now back to Rose, complains. “Open it!”

The Doctor grits his teeth. “Not ‘til you get out of her.”

“We need the Doctor.” Cassandra protests. “And the green girl said she’d shred my psychic graft.”

The Doctor glanced at The Apparition with a raised eyebrow. The Apparition sighed in defeat. “Fine, safe passage. Just this once and as long as you don’t enter The Doctor.”

Satisfied, The Doctor turns back to Cassandra. “I order you to leave her.”

“Oh, I am so going to regret this.” Cassandra complains, looking down and breathing herself back into the air, this time landing in the infected woman below Rose on the ladder. “Oh, sweet Lord. I look disgusting.”

The Doctor ignores her, instead looking at Rose. “Nice to have you back.”

“Nice to be back.” Rose blushes as The Doctor tries to force the doors closed again.

“No, you don't.” Cassandra snarls, breathing herself back into the air and floating for the doors. 

She makes it through just before they close and narrowly dodges The Apparition’s hand as she dives into Rose.

“Sorry, Doc.” The Apparition apologized. “I tried to get her, but I missed.”

“I’ll get her. That was her last warning.” The Doctor replies, determined. “And don’t call me Doc, Bugs.”

“Inside her head. They're so alone. They keep reaching out, just to hold us. All their lives and they've never been touched.” Cassandra seemed to have lost everything. Pure sadness echoed in her borrowed eyes, mimicking what her last host felt. For the first time in a long time, another living thing made it past her defenses and she felt for it.

Determination hardens in The Doctor’s eyes. He offers Cassandra his hand and pulls her back towards the ward.

Entering the ward, a blur approaches them, swinging a metal IV stand at their heads. “We're safe! We're safe! We're safe!” The Doctor yelps, holding his hands up in proof and defense. “We're clean! We're clean! Look, look.”

“Show me your skin!” The metal wielding Frau Clovis demands.

“Look, clean.” The Doctor insisted, holding up his hands and Cassandra’s. “Look, if we'd been touched, we'd be dead. So how's it going up here? What's the status?”

Frau Clovis relaxed at his proof of health. “There's nothing but silence from the other wards. I think we're the only ones left. And I've been trying to override the quarantine. If I can trip a signal over to New New York, they can send a private executive squad.

“You can't do that. If they forced entry, they'd break quarantine.” The Doctor rebuts fiercely.

“I am not dying in here.” Frau Clovis insists.

“We can't let a single particle of disease get out. There are ten million people in that city. They'd all be at risk. Now, turn that off!”

“Not if it gets me out.”

“All right, fine.” The Doctor determines, taking stock of who’s there and scooting around the Duke. “So I have to stop you lot as well. Suits me. Cassandra, Novice Hame, everyone! Excuse me, Your Grace. Get me intravenous solutions for every single disease. Move it!”

Everyone jumps to The Doctor’s command as he retrieves a winch wheel and starts lashing bags of cure drips to himself.

“You know those are intravenous solutions.” The Apparition pointed out. “You can’t just douse them. Topical and intravenous solutions are not substitutional. You need a carrier medium.”

“I’m aware. I have a plan.” The Doctor replies, tightening down the bags. He turns to Cassandra once the bags are secure. “How's that? Will that do?”

“I don't know. Will it do for what?” Cassandra asked, confused about where this plan was going. The Doctor doesn’t respond, instead running to the lift doors and pulling them open.

“The lifts aren't working.” Cassandra reminds him.

“Not moving.” The Doctor corrected. “Different thing. Here we go.” He ran at the lift, sonic between his teeth, jumping to the middle cable. He quickly wrapped his legs around the cable, holding tight to the lift cable as he secured his winch around the cable, tightening the mechanism and repairing it with his sonic screwdriver.

Cassandra is left in the ward lobby, her mouth open in surprise before she remembers her manners.

The Doctor grins wildly. “I'm going down! Come on!”

The Apparition whoops loudly as she dives down the lift shaft. “Not in a million years.” Cassandra sniffs, turning from the opportunity.

“I need another pair of hands and The Apparition doesn’t count. What do you think? If you're so desperate to stay alive, why don't you live a little?” 

A call of “Seal the door!” comes before Cassandra makes her decision. The woman, trapped by Infected, decides to take her chances with The Doctor. She jumps, screaming.

>>>>>> ? <<<<<<

The two meet The Apparition on the top of the grounded lift. Which is also the next time Cassandra opens her eyes.

“Well, that's one way to lose weight.” Cassandra comments, self-consciously.

The Doctor ignores her. “Now, listen. When I say so, take hold of that lever.”

“There's still a quarantine down there, we can't!” Cassandra protests.

“Hold that lever!” The Doctor insists, pouring the bags of cure and a catalyst agent into the disinfectant tank. “I'm cooking up a cocktail. I know a bit about medicine myself.” The Doctor sonics the mixture, exciting the alcohol molecules in the disinfectant to bond as carriers to the cure molecules and acting as a vehicle for them.

“That’s not going to work.” The Apparition worries. “The cure molecules are too large, they’ll be excluded by the skin’s semi-permeable membrane.”

“No,” The Doctor responded, distractedly. “The patients all have cuts and open sores, that’s an open line to the bloodstream. The liquid will also protect anyone coated in it from contracting it, neutralizing any particles.”

“That’s assuming everything these patients have, the sisters have found a cure for, we have a bag of every cure the sisters have made, and that none of the diseases have developed resistance to them.” The Apparition retorted.

“Well, what’s life without a little fun.” The Doctor grinned at her before turning to Cassandra. “Now, that lever's going to resist. But keep it in position. Hold onto it with everything you've got.”

“What about you?” Cassandra asked.

“I've got an appointment. The Doctor is in.” He shouted, swinging down into the lift.

“He’s decided to be an idiot. A genius idiot, but still an idiot.” The Apparition informed Cassandra before yelling at him. “Hey bozo, you don’t have to be down there to lure them in! You could’a just stuck your head down. We kinda need you to get home, designated driver and all that.”

The Doctor ignored her, sonicing the doors open, revealing the Infected wandering in the lobby. “I’m in here! Come on!” He yelled to them.

“Don’t tell them!” Cassandra gasped.

The Doctor ignored her, continuing to encourage them into the lift. “Pull the lever!” He calls back up as they start to reach him.

Cassandra pulls the lever as hard as possible. “Commence phase one decontamination.” The lift tannoy announces as the cure pours down, coating The Doctor and the first few infected to enter. Each person coated has their symptoms slowly fade, turning to the ones behind them to cure each other.

“That should not be working that fast,” The Apparition muttered, “I bet he shoved some time juice in there.”

“All they want to do is pass it on!” The Doctor exclaims, hugging as many of the cured people as possible.

“What happened?” Cassandra asks, unable to see from her position by the lever, hiding. “Did you kill them?”

“No, that’s your way of doing things.” The Doctor responds, disgusted at the thought. “I’m The Doctor and I cured them.”

Cassandra peeks down into the lift, just in time for The Doctor to haul her into it. “Look at that, it's a new sub-species, Cassandra. A brand new form of life. New humans! Look at them. Look! Grown by cats, kept in the dark, fed by tubes, but completely, completely alive. You can't deny them, because you helped create them. The human race just keeps on going, keeps on changing. Life will out! Ha!” The Doctor runs out of the lift, dodging from new human to new human, hugging them all.

>>>>>> ? <<<<<<

The Apparition took the opportunity of The Doctor’s distraction to return to Ward 26. The floating girl approached The Face of Boe. “Is she ok? Does my mom make it in the end?”

The Face opened his eyes to look at the girl in front of him. “You know I can’t tell you that, Kit. It’s all…” A fond smile curved his lips. “Spoilers.”

The Apparition huffed, half turning away. “You don’t have to call me ‘Kit’ anymore. I’m not a baby.”

“You’ll always be a little kit to me. Just a little mischievous fox sticking her nose into trouble. You’re just like your parents.”

“The Face of Boe!” The Doctor calls, interrupting them. “You were supposed to be dying.”

“There are better things to do today. Dying can wait.” Boe telepathically broadcasted to the group.

“Oh, I hate telepathy.” Cassandra, still in Rose’s body scoffed. “Just what I need, a head full of big face.”

The Doctor shushed her, distractedly. He looked like his brain was processing a million things at once.

“I have grown tired with the universe, Doctor, but you have taught me to look at it anew.” The Face of Boe intoned.

“There are legends, you know, saying that you're millions of years old.” The Doctor wheedled.

“There are? That would be impossible.” Boe returned facetiously.

The Doctor smiled at the new mystery. “Wouldn't it just. I got the impression there was something you wanted to tell me. Perhaps related to how you can see The Apparition.”

“A great secret.” The Face agreed, coy.

“So the legend says.” The Doctor prompted.

“It can wait.” Boe concluded.

“Oh, does it have to?” The Doctor whined.

“We shall meet again, Doctor, for the third time, for the last time, and the truth shall be told. Until that day…”

“That is enigmatic.” The Doctor marveled. “That, that is, that is textbook enigmatic.” Some movement behind him attracted his attention and he whirled to Cassandra. “And now for you.”

“But everything's happy. Everything's fine. Can't you just leave me?” Cassandra whined.

“You've lived long enough. Leave that body and end it, Cassandra.”

“I don't want to die.” Cassandra cried.

“No one does.” The Doctor replied, grimly.

“Help me.”

“I can't.”

“Mistress!” Chip called, hurrying towards them.

“Oh, you're alive.” Cassandra commented, disinterested.

“I kept myself safe for you, mistress.” Chip entreated.

“A body.” Cassandra almost cackled in realization. “And not just that, a volunteer.”

“Don't you dare. He's got a life of his own.” The Doctor warned.

“If you try it, Cassandra, I will rip you to pieces.” The Apparition added.

“You’ve been given a chance, Cassandra. No second chances.” The Doctor confirmed.

“But I worship the mistress. I welcome her.” Chip argued in wide-eyed innocence.

“You can't, Cassandra, you~” The Doctor is cut off by Cassandra exiting Rose and swirling towards Chip. The Apparition, surprised, misses her swipe at the mist as it settles in Chip. Meanwhile, Rose collapses in The Doctor’s arms and he checks on her.

“Oh, sweet Lord. I'm a walking doodle.” Cassandra complained.

“You can't stay in there.” The Doctor erupted at her. “I'm sorry, Cassandra, but that's not fair. I can take you to the city. They can build you a skin tank and you can stand trial for what you've done.”

“No.” The Apparition cut in. “It’s too late for her. It has been for a while.”

“Well, that would be rather dramatic. Possibly my finest hour, and certainly my finest hat, but I'm afraid The Apparition is correct.” Cassandra mourned. “Poor little Chip is only a half-life, and he's been through so much. His heart is racing so. He's failing. I don't think he's going to last~” Cassandra gasps as she falls to her knees.

“Are you all right?” The Doctor asked, still compassionate.

“I'm fine.” Cassandra gasped back with a sudden change of heart. “I'm dying, but that's fine.”

“Wish you’d realized that earlier.” The Apparition scoffed.

“I can take you to the city.” The Doctor offered.

“No, you won't. Everything's new on this planet. There's no place for Chip and me any more. You're right, Doctor. It's time to die, and that's good.” Cassandra was resigned to her death. She had lived past her time. She turned to The Apparition. “You’ve known for a long time, haven’t you?”

“Yes.” She confirmed. “I knew as soon as you could see me.”

“Come on. There's one last thing I can do.” The Doctor offered, shooing everyone towards his T.A.R.D.I.S.

“Apparition.” He asked as he programmed their course to drop Cassandra off in her past. “Who can see you?”

The Apparition hummed in thought. “Anyone who’s dead or on the brink of death, like Cassandra. When her brain died and she was reduced to her psychograft, she was essentially dead, like me. So she could see me. There are also some telepathic species that can see me. Really anyone with a strong psychic ability or tie to me.”

“What about me?” The Doctor pressed. “You said we are tethered. Do you have a strong tie to me? How do I know you?”

“That’s kind of a spoiler, Doctor.” The Apparition sighed. “But, I can only tether with someone who’s a part of my death.”

“You mean I…” The Doctor trailed off.

“Kill me.” The Apparition confirmed.

Chapter Text

Loud music pounds through the T.A.R.D.I.S., drowning out The Apparition’s attempts to get The Doctor’s attention. “Doctor!” She yells.

“I can’t hear you!” The Doctor yells back over the music, “I’m singing along!”

The Apparition huffs as Rose skips into the console room, hands in the pockets of her denim mini-dungarees. “What do you think of this? Will it do?” She twirled, showing off her outfit.

“In the late 1970s? You'd be better off in a bin bag.” The Doctor scoffed, redirecting her and switching out the CD. “Hold on, listen to this.”

“Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number One in 1979.” The Doctor proclaimed proudly.

“You're a punk!” Rose giggled.

“It's good to be a lunatic!” The Doctor agreed, singing along to the song.

“That's what you are.” Rose proclaimed. “A big old punk with a bit of rockabilly thrown in.”

“Would you like to see him?” The Doctor asked, already turning to his controls.

“How'd you mean?” Rose furrowed her brows. “In concert?”

The Doctor grinned. “What else is a Tardis for? I can take you to the Battle of Trafalgar, the first anti-gravity Olympics, Caesar crossing the Rubicon or Ian Dury at the Top Rank, Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979. What do you think?”

“Sheffield it is.”

The Apparition scoffed. “Please, you don’t want her to see the anti-gravity Olympics and if we’re going to 1979, I’d prefer to see The Who, oh they are just fantastic. ‘Baba O’Riley’? Awesome.” She then turned to an unaware Rose. “And what The Doctor was failing to say earlier is that mini-dungarees aren’t very 1970. You’d be better off in bell bottoms and tie dye.” She held up two fingers. “Give peace a chance.”

The Doctor stared at the floating girl, the green aura surrounding her seeming to flare with her words and her eyes burned a brighter green. “Right.” The Doctor edged. “I’m just going too…” He gestured to the console. “Just, hold on tight.”

The T.A.R.D.I.S. rocks wildly as it careens through the timeline, Rose holding on for dear life as The Doctor hums and twirls around the console. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend.” The Apparition mutters, just loud enough for The Doctor to hear.

The Doctor beats the console with a mallet to the beat of the song as Rose holds on for dear life. It all comes to a stop though as Rose yells out for mercy and both tangible time travelers tumble to the T.A.R.D.I.S. grating. The Doctor pops up immediately, none the worse for wear and starts gabbing. “1979. Hell of a year. China invades Vietnam. The Muppet Movie. Love that film. Margaret Thatcher. Urgh. Skylab falls to Earth, with a little help from me. Nearly took off my thumb.”

The Doctor continues rattling on as he heads for the T.A.R.D.I.S. door. “And I like my thumb. I need my thumb. I'm very attached to… my thumb.” The Doctor trails off as rifles are cocked in his face.

The Apparition slips through the door, in front of The Doctor. “Doctor, what’s the call?”

“1879. Same difference.” The Doctor continues with a practiced blaséness. Rose pops out of the T.A.R.D.I.S. behind him.

“Really?” The Apparition complained. “You hear guns and think, ‘Oh, I don’t know, let’s run into danger, that’ll be fun!’”

“You will explain your presence. And the nakedness of this girl.” One of the Red Coats, who happens to be in a particularly fancy jacket demands. 

“Are we in Scotland?” The Doctor asks, affecting a Scottish brogue. 

The Apparition scoffs, drifting off to the side in sudden disinterest. “This is so going to bite us.”

“How can you be ignorant of that?” The Red Coat demands.

“Oh, I'm, I'm dazed and confused.” The Doctor improvised, “I've been chasing this, this wee naked child over hill and over dale. Isn't that right, ya timorous beastie?”

“Och, aye! I've been oot and aboot.” Rose tried.

The Apparition winced behind her. “I couldn’t make this up if I tried, and you couldn’t live this down if you tried.”

“No, don't do that.” The Doctor muttered to Rose, in agreement with the ghost girl.

“Hoots mon.” Rose winces with her own try.

“No, really don't. Really.” The Doctor entreats again.

“Will you identify yourself, sir?” The Red Coat demands, returning attention to his armed stance.

The Doctor pulls himself together straightening up. “I'm Doctor James McCrimmon, from the township of Balamory. I have my credentials, if I may.” The Red Coat nods in acquiescence and The Doctor retrieves his psychic paper from his pocket. “As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself.”

“Let them approach.” A clipped, female voice comes from the carriage.

“I don't think that's wise, ma'am.” The Red Coat Captain protests.

“Let them approach.” The voice demands.

“You will approach the carriage, and show all due deference.” The Red Coat reluctantly allows.

The Doctor and Rose approach the carriage, The Apparition floating behind them. “Rose, might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith.” The Doctor announces proudly.

“Rose Tyler, Ma'am.” Rose curtseys, “And my apologies for being so naked.”

The Queen waves her off. “I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me. But you, Doctor. Show me these credentials.”

The Apparition hummed contemplatively. “If we’re here and the Queen is, our business likely has to do with hers. You know the T.A.R.D.I.S. only throws us off course this far for a good reason. We didn’t run immediately, so we may as well see it through.”

The Doctor dips his head in agreement as he hands over the psychic paper.

“Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector.” The Queen admonishes.

“Does it?” The Doctor feigns surprise. “Yes, it does. Good. Good. Then let me ask - why is Your Majesty travelling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?”

“A tree on the line.” The Queen waves off the inquiry.

“An accident?” The Doctor asks, rhetorically.

There’s no way it’s an accident if they had to reroute this much.” The Apparition replies grimly. “Good news is, she can’t see me. It doesn’t look like it’ll be very successful, She’s not near death. In fact, none of them can see me.”

“I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned.” The Queen replied drily, unable to hear The Apparition’s comments.

“An assassination attempt?”

“What, seriously? There's people out to kill you?” Rose asked in surprise.

“I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun.” The Queen replied primly.

“Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence.” The fancy Red Coat cuts in. “We've sent word ahead. He'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow.”

“This Doctor and his timorous beastie will come with us.” The Queen declares.

The Red Coat salutes. “Yes, Ma'am. We'd better get moving - it's almost nightfall.”

“Indeed.” She replies gravely, “And there are stories of wolves in these parts. Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think. Drive on!”

Rose and the Doctor take up behind the carriage, but within the grouping of soldiers with The Apparition floating on The Doctor’s other side. “If this were a story, I’d think that was foreshadowing.” The floating girl mused. “It better not be a werewolf, that’s so cliche! Plus, with me, you’d think it was Halloween.”

“There’s no such thing as werewolves.” The Doctor scoffed at her. “It’s some drab legend some human invented.”

“Good to know about werewolves.”  Rose cut in, before her two traveling companions could devolve into an argument. “It's funny though, because you say assassination, and you just think of Kennedy and stuff. Not her.” Rose wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, only hearing half of the conversation, but ever since the end of the last adventure The Doctor was more snappy with the ghost he claimed was following him around. 

“1879?” The Doctor jumped on the new conversation. “She's had, oh, six attempts on her life? And I'll tell you something else. We just met Queen Victoria!”

“I know!” Rose giggled.

“What a laugh!”

“She was just sitting there.

“Like a stamp!” The Doctor added giddily.

“I want her to say we are not amused.” Rose decided, “I bet you five quid I can make her say it.”

“Well, if I gambled on that, it'd be an abuse of my privileges as a traveller in time.” The Doctor drawled.

“Ten quid?” Rose offered.

“Don’t do it, Doc” The Apparition warned, “We need to be focused. Using Rose as a distraction for our hosts puts everyone in danger, especially her. It may have worked on New Earth, but it’s a risk. I know how your brain works. You’re never this reckless, never put a companion in additional danger."

The Doctor turned away from the ghost girl. “Done.” He acquiesced.

“Sometimes I really hate you.” The Apparition spat. “Don’t trust me now you know about our connection? Fine. Don’t let it lead you to bad decisions, though.” The girl floated higher, out of direct conversation reach and drifted onto her back, playing with a phone and giggling, back to seeming not to have a care in the world.

>>>>>> ? <<<<<<

As the group approached the house, The Apparition floated down to look as if she was walking next to the group. Walking next to everyone, she almost looked normal. If you discounted her violently green glow, Completely green eyes, and her green fairy dress and hair drifting in a nonexistent wind. All normal things.

“Your Majesty.” The laird of the estate bowed, his staff lined up behind him, each bald as a cue ball and with a serious countenance.

“Anyone else expecting the bald guys to suddenly break into a song and dance number?” The Apparition cracked, “They look match-y enough to. Maybe with some staff stomping and rolls. A couple martial arts moves for fun too. Just me? Okay…?”

Sir Robert’s eyes twitched to the ghost girl at her comments, widening at what he saw. He shivered and wiped his suddenly sweating forehead when no one else reacted. His attention snapped back to The Queen as she started talking. “Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?”

If possible, Sir Robert looked even sweatier at the question. “She's indisposed, I'm afraid. She's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her. The kitchens are barely stocked. I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on.”

“Oh, not at all. I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is charming, if rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate. Now, shall we go inside? And please excuse the naked girl.”

The Apparition’s green glow paled to a light, sick grass color. “Torchwood?” She breathed, too quiet for anyone to hear.

Sir Robert looked at The Apparition once more, before his attention settled on the aforementioned girl in dungerees.

“Sorry.” Rose winced.

“She's a feral child. I bought her for sixpence in old London Town.” The Doctor rambled as his eyes narrowed in contemplation of the knight and ghost. “It's was her or the Elephant Man, so–”

“Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused. What do you think, Ma'am?” Rose cuts him off, making an attempt on her bet.

“Does it count if Rose prods her into saying it?” The Apparition asked, “She’s cheating!”

“It hardly matters.” The Queen dismisses, turning to enter the estate. “Shall we proceed?”

“So close!” Rose cheers quietly, the three travelers and Sir Robert following the monarch into the estate.

>>>>>> ? <<<<<<

“This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour.” Queen Victoria inferred, examining a large bronze telescope in the observatory located in one of the estate’s turrets. The Apparition floats up to look at the elevated side of the structure. Sir Robert blinks at her, startling at her movement.

“All my father's work.” Sir Robert blustered proudly, seeming to have decided to pretend he doesn’t notice what he probably believes to be a stress induced hallucination. “Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession. He spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself.”

“I wish I'd met him. I like him. That thing's beautiful. Can I?” The Doctor asks before approaching the bronze structure and examining it.

“Help yourself.”

“What did he model it on?” The Doctor nerded out.

Sir Robert waved off his question, mopping his brow. “I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little, shall we say, eccentric. I wish now I'd spent more time with him and listened to his stories.”

The Doctor’s face twists in disappointment. “It's a bit rubbish. How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top. That's stupid kind of–” The Doctor cuts himself off, turning to Rose for direction. “Am I being rude again?”

“Yep.” Rose smiles fondly, before joking, “Maybe they just want to get close enough to see the moon people?”

The Apparition scoffs. “Everyone knows the moon is an egg, no one lives there.”

The Doctor scoffs. “The Moon? Boring, it doesn’t have quite the right atmosphere. Midnight, now that’s a place, it glitters like nowhere else and has an amazing spa. We should go one day.” The Doctor turns back to their unwilling audience. “But it's pretty. It's very pretty.”

“And the imagination of it should be applauded.” The Queen determined, steadfastly ignoring Rose and The Doctor’s asides.

Rose hums in a scheming tone. “Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful? You could easily not be amused, or something? No?”

“When is something going to attack? What’s with all this buildup?” The Apparition complained, floating over to Queen Victoria and snapping a selfie. “We know it’s coming, so let’s just skip to the running and screaming.” Sir Robert shakes his head, coughing.

“This device surveys the infinite work of God.” The Queen replies to the interloper stiffly. “What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath, steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales.”

“Stars and magic. I like him more and more.” The Doctor cheeks.

Queen Victoria turns almost wistful. “Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company. Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg.”

“That's Bavaria.” The Doctor informs Rose, “Germany.”

“You.” The Apparition zeroes in on Sir Robert, still on her own tangent. “You know something.” Sir Robert flicks his eyes to the bald backup dancer behind him and the ghost girl redirects her attention, zooming into the man’s unaware face.

“When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported.” The Queen continues.

“So, what's this wolf, then?” The Doctor continues prodding.

The Apparition’s attention snaps back to Sir Robert. “It's just a story.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” She deadpans.

“Then tell it.” The Doctor agrees.

“It's said that–” The laird starts.

“–Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark.” The solemn servant interrupts.

“Of course. Yes, of course.” Sir Robert immediately backs down at his servants' words.

“I’m on to you.” The Apparition whispers in the servant’s ear, leaning invisibly into his personal space. He down’t react, as he can’t hear her.

“And then supper.” The Queen states, “And could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I'm tired of nakedness.”

“It's not amusing, is it?” Rose tries weakly again.

“Sir Robert, your wife must have left some clothes. See to it. We shall dine at seven, and talk some more of this wolf. After all, there is a full moon tonight.”

“So there is, Ma'am.” Sir Robert agrees miserably, starting to usher everyone out of the observatory. He stepped in front of The Apparition, keeping her in the room. “I’ll just be second.”

Sir Robert turned to The Apparition, sketching a bow and keeping his gaze lowered. “Are you one of the Sidhe? Have you come to help?”

“She?” The Apparition asked, doing a floating loop-de-loop and drifting closer to the door. Her image seems to flicker a little. “She who?”

“The Sidhe, The People of the Mounds, the Fair Folk, the Faeries.” Sir Robert strained in a whisper, begging. “Have you come to help with the wolf? I offer you and your people a bargain to help us.”

The Apparition’s mouth twisted at the thought of being a fairy, before her eyes gleamed at the opportunity. “I knew there was a wolf. Tell me everything and we will come to a deal.”

>>>>>> ? <<<<<<

“Your companion begs an apology, Doctor. Her clothing has somewhat delayed her.” Sir Robert’s manservant’s tone was the grinding of gravel as he informs The Doctor, The laird of the manor slipping in to take his seat.

“Oh, that's all right.” The Doctor dismissed. “Save her a wee bit of ham.”

The Apparition floated over to him. “Doctor, I really think you should find Rose. Now.”

“The feral child could probably eat it raw.” The Queen derided.

“Very wise, Ma'am. Very witty.” Captain Reynolds rushed to reassure.

“Slightly witty, perhaps.” The Queen rebuffed his flattery. “I know you rarely get the chance to dine with me, Captain, but don't get too excited. I shall contain my wit in case I do you further injury.”

“Yes, Ma'am. Sorry, Ma'am.”

The Apparition snorted. “I think I like her better now, she doesn’t take any brown nosing.” She turned back to The Doctor, her green aura flared, almost seeming to lick the air around her like flames. “And you better not be ignoring me, or next time something tries to take a bite out of you, I’ll let it.”

The Doctor pretends she didn’t say anything. “Besides, we're all waiting on Sir Robert. Come, sir. You promised us a tale of nightmares.”

“I assure you, there is something here.” The Apparition stomps her foot, crossing her arms and pouting. “If you’d just listen to me, I’d be the one getting ten quid for being right.”

“Indeed. Since my husband's death, I find myself with more of a taste for supernatural fiction.” The Queen confides.

“You must miss him.” The Doctor sympathizes.

The Apparition’s arms drop and she sighs, her face falling in remembrance and placing a hand on The Doctor’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I know how it hurts to lose a family.” She tenses again. “But if you don’t buck up, you’re about to lose another person!”

“Very much. Oh, completely. And that's the charm of a ghost story, isn't it? Not the scares and chills, that's just for children, but the hope of some contact with the great beyond. We all want some message from that place. It's the Creator's greatest mystery that we're allowed no such consolation. The dead stay silent, and we must wait.” She pauses, pulling herself back together. “Come. Begin your tale, Sir Robert. There's a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the eaves. Tell us of monsters.”

Sir Robert clears his throat, sliding a surreptitious glance at The Apparition. “The story goes back three hundred years. Every full moon, the howling rings through the valley. The next morning, livestock is found ripped apart and devoured.”

Captain Reynolds interrupts the telling. “Tales like this just disguise the work of thieves. Steal a sheep and blame a wolf, simple as that.”

Sir Robert shifts uncomfortably. “But sometimes a child goes missing. Once in a generation, a boy will vanish from his homestead.”

Captain Reynolds scoffs. “And now you wish for us to believe in Changelings and Fairies? We are men of God, sir.” Sir Robert puffs up, looking nervously at The Apparition, waiting for some kind of retribution or mischief.

“Are there descriptions of the creature?” The Doctor cuts the inevitable theological debate off.

“Oh, yes, Doctor.” Sir Robert deflates. “Drawings and woodcarvings. And it's not merely a wolf. It's more than that. This is a man who becomes an animal.”

“A werewolf?” The Doctor breathes, adventure glinting in his eyes.

“A werewolf, a loup garou, a rougarou, whatever you want to call it.” The Apparition threw her hands up. “It’s in the basement, it’s trying to kill people, and if you had listened to me, we could have already dealt with it and been on our way.”

“My father didn't treat it as a story. He said it was fact. He even claimed to have communed with the beast, to have learned its purpose. I should have listened. His work was hindered. He made enemies. There's a monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine. The Brethren opposed my father's investigations.” Sir Robert’s eyes rolled wide, showing the whites like a horse about to bolt.

The manservant in the room started chanting. “Are you saying ‘The wolf is God’ in latin?” The Apparition questions. “Man, they don’t make crazy like they used to. Will do. Whatever.”

“Perhaps they thought his work ungodly.” Queen Victoria sniffs.

“That's what I thought, but now I wonder. What if they had a different reason for wanting the story kept quiet? What if they turned from God and worshipped the wolf?”

“Uh, pretty sure that’s not a hypothetical.” The Apparition added. “I’ve reviewed my Latin lessons and he is indeed calling ‘The Wolf’ as ‘God’.”

“And what if they were with us right now?” The Doctor breathed, climactically.

“That’s what I said!” The Apparition whined.

“What is the meaning of this?” Queen Victoria demanded, standing.

“Explain yourself, Sir Robert!” Reynolds growls, also getting to his feet and flanking his queen, his revolver trained on the chanting monk.

“What's happening?”

“I'm sorry, Your Majesty, they've got my wife.” Sir Robert whimpers.

“Rose!” The Doctor breathes, remembering his missing companion, turning to Sir Robert. “Where's Rose? Where is she? Sir Robert, come on!”

“Tell me, sir. I demand to know your intention!” Reynolds demands, gripping his revolver tighter and pulling back on the safety.

“Lupus deus est. Lupus deus est.” The monk chants.

“What is it that you want?”

The monk pauses as a sinister smiler curls his lips. “The throne.” He replies.

The Doctor, The Apparition, and Sir Robert dart for the hallway as Reynolds and the monk clash in the dining room. The Queen steps back from the conflict.

The Doctor and Sir Robert reach the cellar door, finding it locked. The Apparition pokes her face through the door before pulling back. “Yep, they’re in there. They’re not waiting around to be rescued either, good on them. And someone left a bad dog in a crate guarding them.”

The Doctor waves his sonic screwdriver at the wooden door before groaning. He puts it away, grumbling about fixing it to work for wooden objects. He coordinates with Sir Robert to break the door down.

The door crumbles just as Rose and the others imprisoned in the basement rip the bolts securing their chains to the wall and the werewolf starts to bang against its cage walls.

“Oh, that's beautiful.” The Doctor breathes, watching the werewolf slaver through the bars, looking to make them all its next meal.

“I was right!” The Apparition crows, unashamedly. “You owe me ten quid!”

“Come on, go. Get out!” Sir Robert roars, ushering everyone out.

“Well,” The Doctor argues, ducking a piece of cage the wolf throws at him. “Technically it has to be an alien. There’s no such thing as werewolves. And I don’t have ten quid, so you’re out of luck. Not that you could touch it if I did.”

The Apparition’s aura flares in anger as The Doctor is dragged out the door by Rose. “So what if I can’t touch it, and why would you take a bet you couldn’t pay out for? See if I save you next time you find yourself in a sticky spot!”

The Apparition turns to wolf, the only other being still in the room. “Can I join your team?”

The wolf howls and swipes his claws through her, dripping drool as he drops to all fours. “Is that a no?” She asks, rhetorically, wincing in disgust at the dripping drool and floating back through the door. “Fine. Doctor, I’ll help you with the wolf, but after that, you’re on your own.”

The Apparition flies down the hallway to find the steward handing out guns to all of the men. The Doctor argues with him, trying to remove everyone’s shackles with his sonic screwdriver. “Arms, and you five. Ready, everyone?” He coordinates his men, turning to Lady Isobel and the female staff. “Take the girls. Get them out through the kitchen.”

“I can't leave you.” Lady Isobel protested, appealing to her husband, Sir Robert. “What will you do?”

Sir Robert squares his shoulders, taking on a dark but determined mien and brushing her off. “I must defend her Majesty. Don’t worry for me, I’ve made a Faerie Deal. Now, don't think of me, just go.”

Lady Isobel’s shoulders sink. “You know no deal with one of the Fair Folk ends well, the cautionary tales are legendary.”  She gathers her ladies with a shaky edge. “Be careful. All of you, at my side. Come on!” She leaves out towards the kitchens, leaving the men to deal with the danger.

Rose grabs Flora, the maid who told her about the danger and was captured with her, before she can be ushered away. “The adventure is here, if you want it.” Flora hesitates before deciding to stay with Rose.

“It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths.” The Doctor babbles, “Did it say what it wanted?”

“It’s a werewolf.” The Apparition ground out, “You still owe me ten quid, which I will take in the currency of deciding our next trip, and the monk literally said ‘the throne’ earlier, so, you know, obviously they want a little girl in a red hood, bringing sweets to her granny.”

“The Queen, the Crown, the throne - you name it.” Rose offered, not hearing the ghost girl’s snark.

A crash from the hallway draws The Doctor’s attention and he darts back out, sees the wolf and takes cover again.

The steward steps up in front of The Doctor, ushering the last few men into formation. “Fire! Fire!”

As the last retort and plume of smoke rise to pollute the crowded hallway, The Doctor starts marshalling the group together. “All right, you men. We should retreat upstairs. Come with me.”

The Steward snorts at the request. “I'll not retreat. The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault.”

“Pretty sure that thing’s not from Earth.” The Apparition drifted, pulling out her phone and shifting it in her hands nervously.

“I'm telling you, come upstairs!”

“And I'm telling you, sir,” The Steward rebuked,  “I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall.” He trots self-assuredly down the hallway, turning back to speak over his shoulder. “It must have crawled away to die.”

Suddenly, the steward vanishes and the gore of his remains rains down from the ceiling. Rose lunges for him, dragging Flora behind her. “There’s nothing we can do for ‘im, miss!” the maid protests.

“There's nothing we can do!” The Doctor agrees, hauling Rose back and dragging the two behind him with The Apparition floating behind. The rest of the household staff stay behind to hold the wolf back, the beast tearing through them like paper and leaving mincemeat behind.

“Your Majesty? Your Majesty!” Sir Robert calls ahead as the group of survivors head deeper into the estate and toward the monarch.

“Sir Robert? What's happening?” The Queen smooths her skirts as she steps down the stairs and out into the open. “I heard such terrible noises.”

“Your Majesty, we've got to get out. But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?” Sir Robert inquires.

“Captain Reynolds disposed of him.” The Queen dismissed, a tinge of lie to her tone.

“The front door's no good, it's been boarded shut.” The Doctor assessed the situation, “Pardon me, Your Majesty. You'll have to leg it out of a window.”

Sir Robert snaps to attention with the direction, straightening to an alert position, tapping his heels together, and extending his hand. “Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress.”

“A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh.” The Queen accepts, draping her hand over his offered one and using it as a guide.

“I thought his name was Sir Robert?” The Apparition mused, “Who’s Walter? Or is it ‘where’s Walter?’ or is it ‘where’s Wally?’”

In irritation, The Doctor lapses back into his London accent. “Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?”

“Ooh, you’ve done it now!” The Apparition chortles.

“Hush you!” He demands.

“Make me!” She sticks her tongue out at him.

Flora leans over to Rose. “Who’s he talking to? Is that a Balamory thing?”

“No, he says there’s a ghost, but I’ve never seen her. He might just be going a bit barmy.” Rose paused, contemplating. “More barmy.”

Sir Robert turns on his heel, approaching the window with a genteel air. The monks, who have taken the time to form a ring around the building and hang mistletoe from their necks, take aim and fire on him. “I reckon the monk-y boys want us to stay inside.” The Doctor comments facetiously.

“Do they know who I am??” The Queen asks, indignance dripping from her tone.

“Do you know who my father is?” The Apparition mocks. “I’ll have you strung up by your toes before you can say ‘ice cream’!”

“Yeah, that's why they want you. The wolf's lined you up for a- a biting.” Rose stutters.

“My greatest sympathies, Your Majesty.” Flora murmurs, curtseying.

“Stop this talk” Queen Victoria blusters, “There can't be an actual wolf…”

Anything else she can say is cut off by a loud and drawn out howl. “One point for dramatic irony.” The Apparition snorts. “I really hope he’s not signalling his pack about some nice, yummy morsels here.” She eyes the door and windows nervously.

“What do we do?” Flora asks Rose, who turns, directing the question to The Doctor.

“We run.” The Doctor replies grimly.

“Is that it?” Rose wrinkles her nose.

“You got any silver bullets?” The Doctor asks rhetorically.

“Not on me, no.” Rose smiles self-depricatingly.

The Apparition wrinkles her nose. “You have practically bottomless pockets, why don’t you have silver bullets? Also, if you claim it’s not a werewolf, why would silver hurt it?” She concludes innocently.

“There are some silver candlesticks in the dining room!” Flora adds, helpfully. A dining room down a floor and past the wolf.

“There we are then, we run.” The Doctor decides, “Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog. Good for the health. Come on!” The group trots up the stairs as the wolf scrambles up behind them, hindered by the staircase’s tight turns.

The group tumbles into a hallway at the top of the stairs, running down the long corridor, the wolf close on their heels.

Halfway down the hallway, Captain Reynolds turns, leveling his pistol at the beast. “I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty, I went to look for the property and it was taken. The chest was empty.”

“I have it. It's safe.” The Queen nods.

“Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert, you're a traitor to the crown.”

“Bullets can't stop it!” The Doctor protests.

“They'll buy you time. Now run!”

“I’ll stay and help.” The Apparition sets her jaw, turning to face the wolf loping towards them. She floats in front of the soldier. Further down the hallway a scuffle breaks out, ending in Flora and The Doctor dragging Rose bodily into the library.

Flying into the wolf’s face, she pulls out her phone and starts snapping pictures, flashes erupting from the device. “Pics or it didn’t happen!”

The wolf flinches back at the assault of light into his sensitive eyes. Captain Reynolds fires, backing up into the library and shutting the door as the wolf continues swiping at what looks like nothing to him. Once the door is secured, The Apparition floats backwards. “Take that, you parasite!”

The wolf snarls at her. “Ancient and yet so young, I wonder what your companions would do if they could smell the truth of you like I can. You and me, we are the same."

Green light streaks as The Apparition beelines for the library, passing through the doors. A wolfish chuckle follows her in.

The Apparition flies into the room, just as The Doctor throws a last chair on a barricade on the opposing door.

“Shush.” Rose hushes as everyone listens to the wolf stomping around outside. 

“Little pigs, little pigs, let me in…” He chuffs.

“I don't understand. What's stopping it?” Rose whispers as the wolf’s noises fade away.

“Something inside this room.” The Doctor concludes, “What is it? Why can't it get in?”

“I'll tell you what, though.” Rose exclaims, giddy on adrenaline.

“What?”

“Werewolf.” Rose jumps excitedly, The Doctor joining her in her small party in the center of the room.

“I know. You all right?” The Doctor checks.

“Oh, now that she says it, it’s a ‘werewolf’?” The Apparition complains, looking through her phone and deleting all of the wolf pictures except one she seemed to have deemed ‘the absolute best shot.’ The wolf is mid snap, mouth wide open, fangs on full display with squinted eyes and claws on the edge of the picture.

“I'm okay, yeah.” Rose, breathless.

“Is it always like that?” Flora asks.

The Doctor wheels on her, grabbing her in a big hug. “Oh, Flora, Flora, Flora, you’ve just scraped the beginning!” Rose giggles, joining in on the hug.

“I'm sorry, Ma'am. It's all my fault. I should have sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong. I thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?” Sir Robert pleads his case, Captain Reynolds taking up a post between the laird and his monarch.

“Well, they were bald, athletic. Your wife's away, I just thought you were happy.” The Doctor hams, purposefully irreverent to the danger.

“I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now.” Rose cuts in, matching his energy.

“Do you think this is funny?” The affronted Queen demands.

Rose shrinks into herself in a belated cringe. “No, Ma'am. I'm sorry.”

“What, exactly, I pray tell me, someone, please. What exactly is that creature?” The Queen steamrolls.

“You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform.” The Doctor responds, thinking himself smart.

“And should I trust you, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?” 

“Oh right, sorry, that's…” The Doctor waffles.

“I'll not have it. No, sir. Not you, not that thing, none of it. This is not my world.” The Queen pointedly takes a seat and The Doctor attempts to look anywhere except her. An effort that proves fruitful when a carving on the newly barricaded door draws his attention.

The Doctor leaps out of the awkward moment and on to the drawing, running his fingers over the surface. “Mistletoe. Sir Robert, did your father put that there?”

“I don't know. I suppose.” The man responds halfheartedly.

“On the other door, too. No, a carving wouldn't be enough. I wonder.” The Doctor drags his tongue over the surface, tasting the finish. “Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe. It's been worked into the wood like a varnish. How clever was your dad? I love him. Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins.”

“You are so gross.” The Apparition deadpans, “And aren’t viscotoxins, you know, toxic? I kind of need you to make it long enough to get us out of here, so it better be a slow acting toxin. If you die, I’ll kill you myself in the next regeneration."

“And the wolf's allergic to it?” Rose asks, still on topic as she can’t hear The Apparition’s asides.

“Well, it thinks it is. The monk-y, monk, monks need a way of controlling the wolf, maybe they trained it to react against certain things.” The Doctor theorizes, waving his hand dismissively through The Apparition to her displeasure and Sir Robert’s concern.

“Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon.” Sir Robert depresses everyone.

“Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?” The Doctor shoots back.

“Being rude again.” Rose chides.

“Good. I meant that one. You want weapons? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world. This room's the greatest arsenal we could have.” The Doctor luxuriates in his favorite resource. “Remind me to take you to The Library some time.” He muses.

“I’ve been to the library back home before.” Rose corrects, confusedly. "I'm not particularly bookish though."

The Doctor waves her off, throwing books to her and the rest of their companions. “Arm yourself.”

“Biology, zoology. There might be something on wolves in here.” Rose huffs. Flora sits next to her, keeping an eye out for the wolf. She had admitted to not being able to read fairly sheepishly. Rose was looking through the more recently published books, as some of the old ones were from before English was standardized and even more were in other languages.

“Hold on,” The Doctor interjects, popping up from his spot beside her. “What about this? A book on mistletoe.”

“A book on magic.” Rose pipes up.

“Some form of explosive.” Sir Robert mutters.

“Hmm, that's the sort of thing.” The Doctor grinned.

“Wolf's bane, what about that?” Rose added.

“Oh yes, if only we had some way to get wolf’s bane into the creature.” The Apparition commented drily, seemingly recovered from her experience with the wolf. “All we have to do is shoot it with a plant we don’t have, stuffed into hollow point bullets that aren’t invented for at least another five years!”

“Look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth.” The Doctor traced the page he found in his book, ignoring The Apparition in her little snit.

“A spaceship?” Rose queried.

“A shooting star.” Sir Robert corrects, reading the old book over The Doctor’s shoulder, “... In the Year of our Lord 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit…” The laird scrutinizes the picture, “That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the monastery.”

“But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?” Rose questions incredulously.

“Maybe just a single cell survived.” The Doctor posits, “Adapting slowly down the generations, it survived through the humans, host after host after host.”

“But why does it want the throne?” Captain Reynolds questions, drawn in by The Doctor’s energy.

“That's what it wants. It said so. The.. the Empire of the Wolf.” Rose remembers.

The Doctor spins, taking in everyone in the room, drawing them to him with the addictive energy of adventure. “Imagine it, the Victorian Age accelerated. Starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam, leaving history devastated in its wake.”

Silence pervades the room as the group soaks in the picture The Doctor just painted for them.

Queen Victoria breaks the silence, straightening and setting her jaw. “Captain Reynolds, if I am to die here…”

“Don't say that, Your Majesty.” Sir Robert cuts her off, shaking his head. His eyes cut to The Apparition. “I’ve made a faerie deal, you see; my mistake rectified, for some unnamed favour later. This will not be your end.”

“I will not take part in heathen deals, I am a woman of God. I would destroy myself rather than let that creature or any other infect me. But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself.”

The Doctor scoffs dismissively. “Hardly the time to worry about your valuables.”

The Queen sniffs. “Thank you for your opinion, but there is nothing more valuable than this.” She takes out a velvet bag, revealing a gleaming white diamond within.

“Is that the Koh-I-Noor?” Rose breathes in disbelief.

“Oh, yes. The greatest diamond in the world.” The Doctor hums dismissively. “Well, this world.”

“Given to me as the spoils of war.” Queen Victoria agrees, “Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die.”

“Right.” The Apparition raises an eyebrow. “Given to you. You know, perhaps your ‘great empire’ is to blame for the diamond’s reputation.”

“Well, that's true of anything if you wait long enough.” The Doctor responds for everyone to hear slightly more diplomatically. “Can I?” He asks for the diamond. The Queen hands it over and The Doctor and Rose peer at it curiously. “That is so beautiful.”

“I think you mean bloody.” The Apparition corrects.

“How much is that worth?” Rose asks.

“They say the wages of the entire planet for a whole week.”

“Good job my mum's not here.” Rose laughs giddily, “She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing.”

“And she'd win.” The Doctor cheeks.

“Where is the wolf? I don't trust this silence.” Captain Reynolds asks, eyeing the doors carefully.

“Why do you travel with it?” The Doctor ignores.

“My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew, the Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting.” Queen Victoria replies.

“Oh, but it's perfect.” Rose awes.

“My late husband never thought so.”

The Doctor spins once again, lighting up with exuberance over history. “Now, there's a fact. Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. ‘Kept on cutting and cutting.”

Queen Victoria smiles in reminiscence. “He always said the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished.”

“Unfinished. Oh, yes.” The Doctor’s smile turns dangerous, plotting. He turns back to the bookshelf, chucking the diamond back to The Queen. She fumbles before catching it, her small sad smile turning into a harsh frown. “There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research, and your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond. Hold on, hold on. All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected. Oh, my head, my head. What if this house, it's a trap for you. Is that right, Ma'am?”

“Obviously.” Queen Victoria retorts hawkishly.

“At least, that's what the wolf intended. But, what if there's a trap inside the trap?”

“Explain yourself, Doctor.”

The Doctor’s coat swings wide as he scuffs his shoes along the floor, almost dancing at his own brilliance. “What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true, and they planned against it, laying the real trap not for you but for the wolf.”

Silence sounds throughout the room, quiet enough to see some dust rain down from the ceiling. The atmosphere turns thick with fear as everyone's eyes slowly rise to the forgotten skylight. “That wolf there.” The Doctor’s eyes widen as a fissure travels through the clear, unleaded glass which must have cost a fortune with how unique and large a singular piece it is. “Out! Out! Out!” The Doctor yells, appropriate fear finally tinting his tone.

The group of survivors break down the barricade, whirling through the second door into the library, piling out into the hallway. The wolf drops to the floor, claws bared and muzzle snarling. The Doctor smiles before slamming the double doors marked with mistletoe in his face. 

“Your Majesty!” Sir Robert and Captain Reynolds chorus, checking on their monarch.

“Get to the observatory!” The Doctor yells, barging through their huddle. The Doctor drags the grouping along, ushering them towards the observatory.

As the group runs, Rose and Flora fall behind. Flora grips her skirts behind Rose, the sheer mass of fabric slowing her down. The maid looks behind her, just in time for the wolf to strike out at her. The beast’s claws cut through the skin of her cheek as she screams.

Before the wolf can make another move, a pot of boiling water laced with mistletoe pours down over him, soaking and burning Flora as well. Burning hot water and blood join tears in running down her face. The wolf scatters backwards, disappearing for now.

“Good shot!” The Doctor compliments the contingent of women who had appeared from a servant’s stair behind the beast.

“It was mistletoe.” Lady Isobel admits as Rose helps Flora up, checking her cheek. Wiping the blood away, the two find three cuts along the maid’s cheek and down to her mouth. The cuts are disproportionately shallow for the amount of blood dripping from her face.

“Isobel!” Lord Robert breathes. His eyes run over every inch of his lady love like a starving man with his last meal. The two crash together, kissing like it’s the end of everything.

The kiss breaks and Sir Robert cups Lady Isobel’s face like he can’t bear to let her go. “Take this, it’ll explain everything.” He murmurs, slipping her a piece of paper. “Now, get back downstairs.”

“Keep yourself safe.” The two reluctantly separate, fingers dragging reluctantly behind, reaching for each other.

“Now go.”

Lady Isobel turns, gathering the remaining staff, including Flora. “Girls, come with me. Down the back stairs, back to the kitchens. Quickly!”

“Come on!” The Doctor calls impatiently, dragging The Queen, Captain, Laird, and Companion along with him.

“The observatory's this way.” Sir Robert determines, passing the others to lead the charge up the staircase and to the correct door.

The company bursts into the room at the top of the highest tower. “No mistletoe in these doors because your father wanted the wolf to get inside.” The Doctor concludes. “I just need time. Is there any way of barricading this?”

“Just do your work and I'll defend it.” Sir Robert presses his lips into a thin line of determination. “Captain Reynolds, keep your post at The Queen. This is my redemption.”

The Captain snaps his heels together, giving Sir Robert a crisp salute of respect for his sacrifice and takes his place by his monarch.

“If we could bind them shut with rope or something.” The Doctor tries one last time, desperately.

“I said I'd find you time, Sir. Now get inside.”

“Good man.” The Doctor says, clasping arms with him in a last acknowledgment.

“I’ll stay with him, try and help.” The Apparition determines. The Doctor makes eye contact with her, searching her gaze. What he sees in her eyes must reassure him, as he nods once to her in acknowledgment.

The Doctor closes the doors to the observatory solemnly before gaining his usual manic edge once more. “Your Majesty, the diamond.”

“For what purpose?” Queen Victoria asks incredulously, pulling the bag and gem closer to herself.

“The purpose it was designed for.” The Queen, with all the speed of molasses, gives The Doctor the diamond.

The Doctor takes in, turning to Rose and calling her to help with the wheel to open the roof. With prompting, Captain Reynolds joins her, both pulling with all of their might. The Doctor spins another wheel, adjusting the angle of the ‘telescope’ to match the moon.

“Lift it. Come on.” The Doctor encourages his two grunts.

“Is this the right time for stargazing?” Rose complains, turning the wheel.

“Yes it is.”

“You said this thing doesn't work.” Rose continues.

It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is. It's a light chamber. It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up.” The Doctor explains, less than patient.

“It won't work. There's no electricity.” Rose decides, before realization colours her tone. “Moonlight. But the wolf needs moonlight. It's made by moonlight.”

“You're seventy percent water but you can still drown.” The Doctor reasons, “All things in moderation.” He makes one more adjustment as Captain Reynolds and Rose finish turning the wheel for the roof.

Across the room, the door bursts into a million splinters, the wolf flying through. The Apparition follows him, swiping her arms ineffectually through him and tears soaking her cheeks. The wolf’s fur is matted with blood. The wolf lunges for The Queen, claws extended and jaw open for a bite.

The Doctor tosses the priceless diamond under the telescope, allowing a concentrated beam of moonlight to refract off the stone and hit the wolf. The light throws the wolf against the wall and sends The Apparition flying out into the hallway.

The wolf hangs motionless in the beam of light as he slowly sheds his fur, leaving a man in his place. “Make it brighter. Let me go.” The man under the wolf pleads.

The Doctor grimly adjusts the telescope. The beam brightens, the being a black shape against the light. The man returns to his beastly visage before finally fading away into star dust, immolated from the intensity of the beam of light.

The Doctor notices The Queen inspecting her wrist. “Your Majesty? Did it bite you?”

“No, it's, it's a cut, that's all.”

“If that thing bit you– ” The Doctor started.

The Apparition floats back into the room, checking over each member before settling on the light chamber. Her smile is a little too wide, a little too bright, a little too purposefully distracted by inspecting the machine.

“It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart. It's nothing.” The Queen brushes off, interrupting him decisively.

“Let me see.” The Doctor insists.

“It is nothing.” The Queen replies, daring him to challenge her again. Captain Reynolds takes up his post beside her.

“If it’s nothing, why won’t you let him look at it?” The Apparition asks lightly, floating in lazy loop-de-loops. “So much for being willing to destroy yourself, huh. Also, I’m not sure what kind of drowning you’re used to, Doc. But that’s not what it looks like.”

>>>>>> ? <<<<<<

The Apparition floats over the gathered household. Queen Victoria stands a step up from everyone else, a longsword clutched in her hand. The Doctor, Rose, and Captain Reynolds kneel in front of her.

The Queen carefully rests the sword on each of their shoulders, one at a time. “By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Sir Doctor of Tardis. By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Dame Rose of the Powell Estate. By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Sir Thomas Reynolds, Commander of the Torchwood Charter. You may stand.”

“Say thank you!” The Apparition coos at The Doctor.

“Many thanks, Ma'am.” The Doctor begrudgingly thanks the monarch, rising to his feet. “Don’t tell me what to do!” He hisses at the ghost girl.

“Thanks.” Rose almost vibrates with giddiness, also rising to her feet. “They're never going to believe this back home!”

Sir Reynolds bows his head even lower if possible, “As Your Majesty commands, I will wear this honor with pride and take your every direction with unwavering loyalty.” The Queen nods at him and he rises, stepping to the side.

“Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving no message from the great beyond. I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now, Ma'am, from beyond the grave.” The Doctor informs the monarch with all the sagacity he can muster.

“Indeed.” The Queen looks down over her nose at the new knight. “Then you may think on this also. That I am not amused.”

“Yes!” Rose exclaims, jumping and doing a little shimmy.

“Not remotely amused. And henceforth I banish you.”

“I'm sorry?” The Doctor asks, his jaw bobbing in disbelief.

“I have rewarded you, Sir Doctor,” The Queen monologues, “And now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the two of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars and magic and think it fun. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death, and I will not allow it. You will leave these shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you came to stray so far from all that is good, and how much longer you may survive this terrible life. Now leave my world, and never return.”

Rose slumps, turning with The Doctor and heading for the door. They reach as far as the main gate before their walk of shame is interrupted.

“Wait!” Flora calls, gripping her skirts as she runs to catch up. Overnight, the rest of the wolf’s claw marks have healed. All that’s left are three scars running along her cheek.

The two pause, turning to her. “Take me with you.” Flora asks, “The other maids believe I am corrupted, that next full moon the wolf will still be among them. They fear me, Sir Doctor. I fear me.”

The Doctor scrutinizes her, gaze lingering on the fully healed claw marks. The Apparition hums, her full attention on The Doctor. “You already have a ghost, Doctor. You may as well add a werewolf. Now all we need is a witch and you’ll have the trifecta.”

Suddenly, he breaks into a smile. “Oh, why not! Always good to have another companion! Maybe we’ll run you through the med bay while we’re at it too. I’m sure I have something for, well, everything!”

Flora releases a breath, falling in step with the other two. “So, Sir Doctor, whither shall we go?”

A bright smile takes over The Doctor’s face as The Apparition giggles above them.