AN – Hi, finally a new update :) Admittedly, this isn't one of my favourite episodes and I haven't enjoyed writing it as much as others so I decided to add a twist, which I hope you all like. Been a bit hectic for me because I've had my exams, I've also started a new story so, anyone who likes Sherlock, check it out and, as always, let me know what you think :)
Disclaimed – I own Lucia ONLY!
...
Lucia frowned at the brown haired, dull brown eyed woman staring back at her from the mirror, twisting and turning as she tried to get the best angle. Eventually, she gave up. The Doctor and Rose would be getting bored of waiting for her, and they really wouldn't care what she was wearing. She looked back at her reflection in the mirror, facing it head on as she sighed heavily, focusing mainly on one of the new skirts that Jackie had picked out. Like most things Jackie Tyler had picked out for her, it was a bit short. Ending a few inches above her knees. It was a little bit tight but loose enough for her to be able to move, so she could run if she needed to – which was an improvement from some of Jackie's original choices. They'd had to use a clothes hanger to actually get the clothes on in the first place. Maybe it was a bit risky wearing something this short, especially while travelling with the Doctor. She was bound to end up flashing something. Although, it was probably a lot safer to wear things like that around the TARDIS now that Jack Harkness wasn't there, from what she'd seen of the former con man in the Doctor's memories. Lucia went to move away but halted when she caught sight of her eyes once again, and cringed.
Ever since the Cassandra incident they had a slight golden rim around them. The same shade of gold that her eyes had been when she been created, the Doctor had told her. It was barely noticeable unless you looked at her properly, long enough to notice every small detail, Rose hadn't even noticed because she never even spared her a glance. Rose still liking to pretend that Lucia was invisible. The Doctor, on the other hand, would often stare at her with a strange look on his face that made Lucia self-conscious. Surely her eyes weren't that noticeable. She hadn't spoken to Mickey or Jackie since they left Earth so she couldn't ask them for any advice – but then, what was she going to ask them? 'Hi, how are you doing? Yeah, my eyes are really weird, aren't they? Tell me, what would you do if you had a strange reaction to a bitchy trampoline taking over your body and causing you to technically die?' Yeah, that would really be the best conversation in the world. Chances are, she'd probably lose the only friends she had due to that comment.
Lucia shook her head to clear it, trying to put the whole thing out of her mind - best not dwell on things you have no control over - before making her way to the console room.
There was music she vaguely recognised from the Doctor's memories (something from the seventies, maybe?) blaring from the room and she walked in to find Rose and the Doctor doing a little dance routine around the console.
"I can take you to the Battle of Trafalgar..." the Doctor called to the blonde over the music. "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!"
"Hold on ti - " the Doctor suddenly cut off and Lucia glanced over at him to see him staring at her, his mouth hanging open. "What the hell are you wearing?"
She frowned. "Clothes."
"Yes, but what is that?!" he pointed down to the skirt.
"It's a skirt."
"It's a belt!"
"Are we really having a fight over what I'm wearing?" Lucia raised an eyebrow at him, though she was a little bit flattered that he cared enough to make comment. "Sorry Dad, but I like it. Are you going to have a go at Rose, while you're at it?"
Rose, who was currently wearing a short dungaree skirt that was even shorter than Lucia's too-short skirt, scowled at them. "There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing." She muttered to herself, though she pulled the hem down slightly.
"You don't hear me having a go at you because of your dress sense." Lucia eyed his clothes pointedly, despite the fact she actually liked how he dressed. It worked well, it suited him. The Doctor pouted and murmured quietly to himself as he walked back to the console, ending the discussion.
Once his back was turned however, Lucia looked down at the skirt. Suddenly feeling even more self-conscious than she did before she left the room. Did she have time to change? Before she could even consider going back to her room to change, the Doctor pulled down a lever and she was knocked clear off her feet. After a while, the shaking stopped and the trio lay on the floor, the three of them all laughing.
"1979. Hell of a year!" The Doctor said as he got up, turning to help the girls up while he was at it before walking to the door, grabbing his trench coat along the way. "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. I like my thumb. I need my thumb. I'm very attached to..." he trailed off when the stepped outside to find themselves surrounded by soldier, their guns raised. Lucia's hand instantly shot up while the Doctor and Rose looked round confused before doing the same a moment later, when they finally registered the guns. "...my thumb. 1879. Same difference."
Lucia frowned at him. "Yeah, only a century difference. No biggie." She muttered.
The captain, ignoring their comments, instead demanded, "You will explain your presence. And the nakedness of these girls." Lucia blushed, maybe not the best idea to wear this skirt… in fact, she needed to rethink her entire wardrobe and make an excuse the next time she saw Jackie. Maybe she could say that the TARDIS lost it. The TARDIS hummed irritably behind her and Lucia cringed. 'Sorry' she thought.
The Doctor stared at them for a moment, a slow smile appearing on his face. "Are we in Scotland?" he asked, putting on a Scottish accent.
"How can you be ignorant of that?" the Captain looked at him oddly.
"Oh, I'm... I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing these... these wee naked children over the hill and over the dale. In't right, ya... timorous beasties?"
"Ooch, aye! I've been oot and aboot." Rose said, making the Doctor and Lucia stare at her.
"Don't do that." Lucia pleaded, knowing she would not be able to stop herself from laughing while they we there if Rose tried to keep that up the whole time. At least the Doctor's sounded realistic.
"Hoots mon!"
"No, really don't." The Doctor also pleaded, trying to fight a smirk. "Really."
The Captain looked between the suspiciously. "Will you identify yourself, sir?"
"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon. From the... Township of Bal Amory. Eh... I have my credentials, if I may..." the Doctor gestured towards his pocket and, after a moment, the Captain nodded. The trio lowered their hands and the Doctor searched through his pocket, pulling out the psychic paper. "As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself."
"Let them approach." A woman said from the carriage that Lucia had only just noticed was there. Funny the things you miss when you're being held at gun point.
The Captain didn't take his eyes off them as he answered her. "I don't think that's wise, ma'am."
"Let them approach." The woman said again, more firmly this time. The Captain reluctantly let them past.
"You will approach the carriage. And show all due deference." The threat was clear in his voice, though Lucia ignored it. They were putting their guns down, that was all she cared about.
"Thank you." Lucia said quietly, gaining a small nod in return. The three of them walked towards the carriage and the doors opened just as they reached it. Lucia eyes widened as she stared at the person inside.
"Rose, might I introduce - "
"Oh my god, its Queen Victoria." Lucia blurted out, earning a mock glare from the Doctor who had just been about to introduce the Queen, and a smile from the Queen herself. "Oh, sorry err, Lucia... McCrimmon, Ma'am. His sister." She invented quickly, nodding to the Doctor as she curtseyed.
"Rose Tyler, Ma'am." Rose said as she did the same. "And my apologies... for being so naked." She laughed nervously as Lucia blushed again. And she was meeting one of the most famous Queen's in Earth's history… dressed like this. Brilliant. Fantastic. She was absolutely thrilled about this situation.
Queen Victoria shrugged. "I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me. But you, Doctor... show me these credentials." The Doctor handed over the psychic paper with a smile and Queen Victoria studied it for a moment, her eyebrows raising. "Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you and your sister have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protectors." Lucia glanced at the Doctor, who looked just as surprised as she felt.
"Does it?" he asked, as it was handed back. "Does it? Yes, it does! Good! Good! Um... 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."
"Was it an accident?" Lucia asked, though she doubted it. The small smile the Queen gave her told her that the matriarch felt the same way.
"I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned."
"An assassination attempt?" the Doctor asked carefully, eyeing the Captain who seemed to be getting more and more wary by every passing second. Obviously already doubting their story.
"What, seriously? There's people out to kill ya?" Rose exclaimed, her eyes wide in alarm.
"Well, she is the Queen." Lucia pointed out, not sure why Rose found it so unbelievable.
Queen Victoria nodded. "I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun." Was all she said. Despite the fact that the Queen was obviously used to these attempts, Lucia was saddened by how matter-of-fact that statement sounded. It must be horrible, living your life knowing that someone out there wants you dead – not knowing if, one day, they'd actually succeed.
"Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence." The Captain said, effectively changing the subject. "We'll send word ahead, he'll shelter us for tonight, and then we can reach Bal moral tomorrow."
"This Doctor, Miss McCrimmon and his... timorous beastie will come with us." Queen Victoria decided and the Captain nodded in agreement.
"Yes, Ma'am. We'd better get moving - it's almost nightfall."
"Indeed. 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!"
Lucia frowned at the mention of wolves but shrugged it off as the followed behind the carriage. "Don't suppose there's any chance of us getting a lift." Lucia sighed quietly to herself, though everyone had heard her.
"No, there isn't." The Captain snapped before riding off, not noticing the glare he was getting from the Doctor.
"It's funny though," Rose said, having noticed the exchange and wasn't happy with the Doctor reaction to it, "'cos you say 'assassination' and you just think of Kennedy and stuff. Not her."
"1879 - she's had... oo... six attempts on her life? And I'll tell you something else: we just met Queen Victoria!" The Doctor said, suddenly sounding like an excited teenager.
"I know!" Lucia replied, almost bouncing. While in the TARDIS, after all the adventures they've had; the Doctor was often in the console room fixing things that didn't need to be fixed, Rose was either with him or off doing her own thing leaving Lucia was a lot of spare time on her hands. She was often left in her own little world, alone with her thoughts - and since she got quite a lot of memories of history buried in her mind thanks to the TARDIS, it was almost like she was travelling through time even when she was just lying on her bed. Queen Victoria was one of her favourites. Along with Vincent Van Gogh, Agatha Christy, Queen Elizabeth 1, and quite a few others.
"What a laugh!"
"I cannot believe I just met her!"
"I want her to say 'we are not amused'." Rose said, putting on an upper-classed accent. "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 of traveller in time."
"... Ten quid?"
"Done."
"Bet you ten quid you can't keep up that accent." Lucia nudged the Doctor with a smirk, knowing that sooner or later they'd be pulled into an adventure and the accent would be forgotten. Rose clenched her teeth together with an audible snap - she just had to get involved in something that was between her and the Doctor! Had to bring the Doctor's attention away from her!
The Doctor laughed. "You're on, sis." He nudged her back teasingly and she rolled her eyes at him, her smile dimming slightly when she saw the look on Rose's face.
...
They arrived at an old, large house a few hours later and a middle aged man, who Lucia guessed was Sir Robert, walked out with his butler following.
"Your Majesty." Sir Robert bowed, with a small smile.
"Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?"
Sir Robert's smile faltered for a moment and Lucia frowned. "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."
Lucia peeked at the Doctor quickly, noticing that his head was tilted to one side as he watched Sir Robert intently. She wasn't the only one who noticed, then. Queen Victoria, however, seemed completely oblivious. "Oh, not at all!" She said cheerfully. "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." Lucia paused for a moment, where had she heard that before? She frowned, trying to remember but coming up blank. "Now, shall we go inside? And please excuse the naked girls. Miss McCrimmon clearly felt pressured by her friend."
Rose's eyes narrowed. "Sorry." She almost spat.
The Doctor didn't notice her tone, he nodded sadly as he put an arm around Lucia and pulled her further away from Rose, playing along. "Yes, she's a feral child. I should've thought of my poor dear sister when I bought her for sixpence in old London Town. It was her or the Elephant Man, so..."
Rose forced a smile on her face as she looked pointedly at the Queen. "Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused. What do you think, Ma'am?"
Queen Victoria stared at her blankly. "It hardly matters. Shall we proceed?" Sir Robert nodded as they made their way into the house.
"So close." Rose muttered to the Doctor who laughed quietly.
"Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the Property. Hurry up." The Captain ordered, still on his house.
"Yes, sir." They both said before one of them went into the carriage and came out with a big, wooden box.
"What's in there, then?" the Doctor asked interested as they watched it get carried into the house.
"Property of the Crown. You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir." The Captain ordered sternly, ignoring the Doctor when he pulled a face at Rose, who bit her lip to stop herself from giggling.
Lucia was looking at the house, at the sign that said 'Torchwood'. She shook her head as she followed the Doctor and Rose into the house, it was probably nothing.
The Queen and Sir Robert lead them up the stairs and into a room. The room looked like an Observatory with what appeared to be a huge telescope in the middle of the room.
"This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour." Queen Victoria said, studying it curiously, a slight vacancy in her eyes. Lost in her own thoughts, something Lucia could related to often.
Sir Robert nodded. "All my father's work. 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."
The Doctor smiled. "I wish I'd met him, I like him. That thing's beautiful, can I um...?" he gestured towards it and Sir Robert nodded again.
"Help yourself."
The trio instantly walked over to it at these words; the Doctor and Lucia looking at certain parts of it while Rose looked at everything, not knowing what to look for in the telescope.
"What did he model it on?" Lucia asked as she tried to move the wheel next to it but gave up when she found that it was too heavy for her. Her eyes narrowed when she saw a hint of a smirk on Sir Robert's face as he watched her.
"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." Lucia looked over at Sir Robert when she heard the sadness in his voice.
"You must miss him." She said softly.
"Very much so." He replied, looking down at his shoes but glancing out the corner of his eye at the butler. Lucia glanced at the butler too, but looked away quickly when his eyes turned to her. They looked dead, empty. Lucia shifted uncomfortably, busying herself with the telescope once again.
"It's a bit rubbish." The Doctor said, making Lucia look up at him sharply. "How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top, that's stupid kind of a—" he cut himself off when he saw Lucia's expression and shifted under it. "But it's pretty! It's very... pretty."
"And the imagination of it should be applauded." Queen Victoria added, glancing between the 'siblings' in amusement.
"Mm! Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful? You could easily... not be amused, or something...? No?" Rose tried again but Queen Victoria just stared at her. The Doctor and Lucia shared a smile.
"This device surveys the infinite work of God. 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 fairy tales."
"Stars and magic. I like him more and more." The Doctor muttered as he examined the telescope even more.
"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company." The Queen's smile turned sad. "Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg."
"Bavaria." Lucia whispered to Rose.
Queen Victoria turned to Sir Robert. "When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported."
"Wolf? What wolf?" Lucia asked, looking between the two of them, her interest perking up.
"It's just a story." Sir Robert shrugged it off but even the Doctor was also interested now.
"Then tell it." He urged.
Sir Robert looked almost nervous as he glanced out of the corner of his eye again. "It's said that - "
"Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark." The Butler interrupted calmly.
"And I call you rude." Lucia muttered to the Doctor, making sure to keep her eyes off the staff that were unnerving her more and more.
Sir Robert paused for a moment before nodding. "Of course. Yes, of course."
"And then supper. And... Could we find some clothes for Miss McCrimmon and Miss Tyler? I'm tired of nakedness."
"It's not amusing, is it?" Rose said pointedly but Queen Victoria just gave her a look before turning away. Lucia let out a snort before quickly covering her mouth with her hand when nearly everyone turned to her, her face reddening in embarrassment. The Doctor just smirked.
"Sir Robert, your wife must've 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." Queen Victoria said gleefully as Sir Robert bowed.
...
Lucia looked at the clothing cautiously, even more unsure about the clothes owned by the Lady of the house than she was about her skirt. "What about this one?" she asked Rose, holding up a long, blue dress which she liked a lot more than any of the others.
Rose didn't even look at it. "Whatever." She said shortly, shrugging.
Lucia bit her lip as she looked at the blonde. The most conversation she'd had with Rose was while Cassandra had possessed her, despite the way she had been treating her Lucia needed to at least be on civil terms with Rose. "That one looks nice." She said, pointing to one of the two dresses the blonde was looking at.
Rose pursed her lips before picking up the other dress, holding it against her as she looked in the mirror. Lucia sighed, should've seen that one coming no matter how immature it was.
"Do you think you'll win the bet?" she asked, Rose stiffened.
"Yes." She snapped, sounding defensive.
Lucia frowned. "Rose, I wasn't - "
"That looks hideous." Rose spat, glaring at the dress in Lucia's hands as she opened the wardrobe. Lucia gasped, seeing what was inside first. Rose's eyes shot up to Lucia's for a moment, confused, before her head snapped back around. She gasped too, jumping away from the wardrobe when she saw someone cowering inside.
The dark-haired girl inside whimpered, flinching to the back of the wardrobe, clearly terrified. Lucia dropped the dress she was still holding in an instant, snapping into actions as she rushed to the girl's side. "Shh. It's okay." She murmured softly as the girl cried out in fear, getting louder the closer she got. "We're not going to hurt you. I promise."
She put her arm around the girl and, after freezing more a second, the girl relaxed against her as she led her to the bed. She held onto the girl while Rose knelt down in front of her.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Lucia asked.
The girl let out a shaky breath. "They came through the house. The incitements, they took the Steward and the Master. And my Lady." She cried.
"Listen - I've got a friend, he's called the Doctor - he'll know what to do. You've gotta come with us." Rose said to her softly, gently taking her hand. Lucia smiled slightly – she liked this side of Rose Tyler. The caring side, she couldn't help but wish she saw this Rose more than the bitter, snappy Rose she'd had to deal with since the day she was created. She'd seen this Rose a lot in the Doctor's memories, she just didn't understand why she'd never seen her herself.
"Oh, but I can't, Miss." The girl's eyes widened, her whole body tensing.
Lucia rubbed her back gently. "My name's Lucia. What's yours?"
"Flora."
"Flora, we won't let anything happen to you. Between the Doctor and the soldiers, nothing and no one will have the chance to hurt you. I promise."
Rose glanced at Lucia for a brief moment before turning her attention back to Flora. "Come on." She whispered, standing up. Flora turned to look at Lucia before standing up, holding on tightly to her hand.
Rose peered out of the room cautiously, knowing that whoever the 'they' that Flora was so scared off were, they were in the house. She gestured for the others to the follow as she made her way down the hallway, freezing when she saw an unconscious guard lying around the corner.
"Oh, I did warn you." Flora moaned tearfully.
Rose knelt down next to the guard while Flora and Lucia watched on. "He's not dead... I don't think - he must be drugged or something." The blonde muttered.
Lucia let out a scream that was quickly muffled as she was suddenly grabbed from behind. She struggled as hard as she could until the guard had had enough and hit her over the head, knocking her out.
...
Lucia winced as she opened her eyes, everything was blurry and she could barely make out the voices around her because of how muffled they sounded. She lay there for a moment, waiting for everything to become clear.
She had no idea how long she'd waited but the first thing she heard was a man say, "So far from home." The voice was so quiet, but clear due to the silence of the room. It wasn't someone she recognised.
"If you wanna get back home, we can help." She heard Rose tell him. Was he an alien, then? One that was stuck here and needed to go home?
"Why would I leave this place?" There goes that theory. "A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose." The man replied.
She lay listening, not wanting to move because of how much her body ached. The phrase 'felt like she'd been hit by a car' ran through her mind, and she wondered whether that would apply to how she felt now.
"How would you do that?"
"I would migrate to the Holy Monarch."
Queen Victoria, Lucia thought to herself as she moved her head to see Rose knelt a few feet away, in front of her a man wearing rags in a cage.
"You mean Queen Victoria?"
"With one bite, I would pass into her blood. And then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf! So many questions..." the man suddenly lunged forwards at Rose, making her and all the other prisoners jump back. Lucia, on the other hand, shot up into a sitting position - ready to pull Rose back if she needed to - ignoring the throbbing in her head and the way the room swayed slightly from side to side. "It's her! Look in her eyes! She's seen it to!"
Lucia frowned, blinking hard to focus. The man was looking past Rose. Looking right at her, straight into her gold rimmed eyes.
Lucia frowned at him. "What?" What had she seen?
"The Wolf! There is something of the Wolf about you!"
Rose and Lucia glanced at each other. How could he possibly know that? "I don't know what you're talking about." Lucia lied as convincingly as she could but the man smiled, showing the group his yellow teeth.
"You burnt like the sun, but all I require is the moon." The man growled when the doors of the cellar were suddenly thrown open, letting in the light from the moon. The man moved to the side of the cage, smiling blissfully. "Moonlight..." he whispered as he shed his cloak.
"What do we do?" Rose asked Lucia urgently but the girl couldn't stop staring, watching the man change in fascination. "Lucia!"
Lucia shook her head, trying to clear it, before looking at Rose. "Err, we have to get out of here." She muttered.
Rose rolled her eyes impatiently. "Yes, but how?"
Lucia looked around, knowing that the doors that had just opened were out of the question because she could see people outside of them, monks who were waiting the man in the cage as if it was the most natural thing on planet Earth. She looked down at the chain around her wrists, following the chain to see that they were all chained up to the same hook. Very strong for one person, but with a group they couldn't be as strong – more flimsy, breakable. With enough force, they'd be able to break free. "The chains." She told Rose simply who nodded.
"All of you! Stop looking at it! Flora, don't look - listen to me. Grab hold of the chain and pull!" She ordered as she began to pull on the chain with Lucia but everyone else carried on staring. "Come on! With me! Pull! I said pull! Stop your whining and listen to me! All of you!" Rose caught sight of someone who was clearly Lady Isobel judging by her clothing (Lucia would recognise that lace anywhere, she shuddered at the thought), who was gaping at the man howling in pain while everyone else had snapped out of it, standing up to help. "And that means you, your Ladyship! Now come on. Pull!"
All of them tugged on the chain, trying to ignore the man's screams turning into vicious growls. "One - two - three - pull!" Rose ordered and they pulled as hard as they could, finally breaking free just as the door opened, the Doctor and Sir Robert running in.
"What time do you call this?!" Lucia snapped at the Doctor half-heartedly but he'd turned to stare at the man in the cage, who was now most definitely a werewolf.
"Oh, that's beautiful." He whispered, his eyes wide and an amazed smile on his face.
"Yeah, beautiful. And about to kill us so before you try chatting it up, do you mind getting us out of here?" Lucia asked sarcastically, as the wolf moved suddenly and broke the bars of the cage.
The Doctor, thankfully, snapped out of it and rushed to help. "Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out!" He yelled, helping them up and pushing them out of the room until the Doctor and Lucia were the only ones left.
Lucia rolled her eyes exasperatingly as the Doctor looked back at the wolf curiously, grabbing his arm and forcing him out of the room, snatching the sonic screwdriver off him to lock the door as the wolf howled.
...
"It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths - did it say what it wanted?" the Doctor asked as he unlocked the handcuffs while all of the men started setting up guns.
"The Queen, the Crown, the throne. You name it." Rose told him before there was silence after a loud crashing came from down the hall, in the room where the wolf was. The Doctor crept forward to investigate.
"No," Lucia hissed, grabbing hold of his arm but he easily pulled her off.
The Doctor gaped down the hall in amazement as the wolf stumbled forwards. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before the wolf growled, breaking the Doctor out of his daze. He ran back to Lucia, Rose and Sir Robert, behind the men with the guns who began shooting the moment the wolf came into the room. The wolf stumbled backwards, it growls getting louder – showing its building anger.
The men continued shooting for a little while longer, until there was no sign of the wolf.
"All right, you men, we should retreat upstairs, come with me." The Doctor demanded but none of them moved.
"I'll not retreat." The Stewart said firmly. "The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault."
The Doctor exhaled angrily. "I'm telling you, come upstairs!"
"And I'm telling you, sir, that I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall." The old man strode towards the doorway and looked down the hall, smirking smugly when he didn't see the wolf. He turned back to them. "Must've crawled away to die - " he let out a yell as he was pulled through the ceiling by the wolf. Lucia cringed as she listened to him being ripped apart before the men started shooting again.
"There's nothing we can do!" The Doctor grabbed hold of both Rose and Lucia's hands, dragging them from the room with Sir Robert following, ignoring the screams of the men as the wolf turned on them. They hurried from the room, the Doctor locking the door behind them with the sonic screwdriver.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Sir Robert called up the stairs urgently while the Doctor ran into another room.
"Sir Robert! What's happening?" Queen Victoria called back as she came down the stairs, looking calmer than any of them felt. "I heard such terrible noises."
"Your Majesty - we've got to get out." He asked, glancing behind her. "But what of Father Angelo? Is he still here?"
"Captain Reynolds disposed of him."
The Doctor walked back over to them. "The front door's no good, it's been boarded shut. Pardon me, Your Majesty, you'll have to leg it out of a window."
Queen Victoria held her head high as she walked into the room that he gestured to, quickly followed by Rose and Sir Robert. Lucia glanced at the Doctor for a moment before following, muttering over her shoulder to him, "You owe me a tenner."
He frowned in confusion before realising that he'd dropped his Scottish accent. He rolled his eyes at her. "Is now really the time?" he muttered back. She just shrugged – she could die within the next few minutes, might as well get it in while she had the chance.
Sir Robert turned to Queen Victoria. "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." She replied while the trio waited impatiently.
"Yeah, kinda about to be killed by a wolf." Lucia snapped. "Mind hurrying up?"
Sir Robert climbed onto the windowsill only to jump back down again when he was shot at. They all crouched down quickly, peering out of the window to see the monks standing outside with guns.
"I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside." The Doctor said, wide eyed.
"Do they know who I am?!" Queen Victoria hissed, outraged.
"Yeah, that's why they want ya." Rose said, making the monarch turn to look at her. Rose looked back at her awkwardly as she explained. "The wolf's lined you up for a... a biting."
Queen Victoria rolled her eyes. "Now, stop this talk. There can't be an actual wolf." Just as the words left her mouth, there was a loud howl echoing from the other room that made them all jump.
"Wanna bet?" Lucia asked. "I'm already on a role today."
The group ran out into the hallway as the wolf tried to break down the door. "What do we do?" Rose asked the Doctor.
The Doctor looked around, searching for a place to go. "We... run."
"Is that it?!"
"You got any silver bullets?"
"Not on me, no!"
"There we are then, we run. Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog." The Doctor told her, jogging on the spot to demonstrate. "Good for the health. Come on!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs, the others following just as the wolf crashed through the door. "Come on! Come on!"
They had ran up the stairs and down a corridor when Lucia screamed as she was sent flying to the floor, an agonizing pain down her left side. She looked up and her eyes widened when she saw the wolf standing above her, its paw raised. She was going to die… she closed her eyes tightly when she saw the paw drawing in on her.
"LUCIA!" She heard the Doctor yell before a few bangs sent the wolf stumbling backwards before turning and running back the way they'd came. The wolf was quickly replaced by the Doctor, who looked more worried than she'd ever seen him. He wrapped his arms around her, apologising when she cried out in pain, and carried her over to the rest of the group.
"She'll slow us down." Sir Robert protested. The Doctor glared at him.
"I am not leaving her!"
"I'll take this position and hold it." Captain Reynolds told them, reloading his gun. "You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty, I went to look for the property, it was taken. The chest was empty."
"I have it. It's safe." Queen Victoria gasped for breath.
Captain Reynolds nodded. "Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert, you're a traitor to the crown." He cocked his gun.
"Bullets can't stop it!" The Doctor yelled, cringing when Lucia moaned softly; her arms, while tight around his neck, where gradually loosening.
"They'll buy you time. Now, run!" He held his gun ready as they heard the wolf coming back. Queen Victoria and Sir Robert had already ran in the opposite direction, the Doctor looked at Captain Reynolds one more time before following with Rose.
They ran into the library as Captain Reynolds began shooting, the Doctor placing Lucia on the table before turning to close the door; only to see Rose standing outside of it, staring in horror as the Captain's screams reached them.
"Rose!" He yelled, rushing back out, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her into the room. Sir Robert, the Doctor and Rose barricaded the door while Lucia lay on the table and Queen Victoria watched on nervously.
"Wait a minute, shh, shh." The Doctor muttered, listening carefully as the noises behind the door disappeared. "It's stopped. It's gone." They listened, holding their breath, as the wolf's footsteps echoed around the room. "Is this the only door?" the Doctor whispered to Sir Robert.
"Yes." The man nodded before his eyes widened. "No!" He dashed to the other side of the room, the Doctor following, and they barricaded it the same way as the last. They looked around uneasily as the noises continued until they stopped completely. They all let out a breath of relief.
"What's stopping it?" Lucia moaned, her eyes closed tightly.
"Something inside this room." The Doctor looked around before making his way to Lucia. The girl had three very long and very deep gashed trailing down her small body from the side of her ribs, down to just above her knee. An enormous amount of blood that didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
"I'll tell you what, though..." Rose said slowly.
"What?"
"Werewolf..." A smile spread across her face which soon faded when the Doctor didn't even look up.
"Yeah." He muttered, he forced his eyes away from the mess on Lucia's left side for a moment to look up at Lucia's face, which was scrunched up in a grimace.
"So, how bad is it?" Lucia asked, when she saw him looking at her but before he even had the chance to reply a flash of gold caught his eye. He glanced back down at the cuts and his eyes widened when he saw a blinding gold light had appeared through the cuts. The light slowly dimmed until it was completely gone, the cuts healed completely.
There was a deafening silence as everyone stared at Lucia who was beyond confused. What the hell just happened? One moment she was dying, there didn't seem to be any chance of survival, and she'd been experiencing the worst pain she'd ever felt before in her short life, before it disappeared completely in an instant.
"What is this?" Queen Victoria cried out as the Doctor helped Lucia sit up, examining only to find that, other than the ripped clothing, there was no sign that she'd even been hurt in the first place. Even the blood was gone.
"Doctor, how is that possible?" Rose asked, not taking her eyes off the Doctor face.
"Must be the Time Vortex in here." The Doctor said though he looked like he couldn't believe what had just happened. "Are you okay?"
Lucia nodded slowly. "Been better." She admitted. Also been worse, though, as she thought of the Cassandra incident. What was the time vortex doing to her?
The Doctor nodded as he took a step away from her automatically, every part of his body telling him that what had just happened was wrong. That she was wrong. But he didn't want to feel like that. Lucia was sweet and kind and funny. She was his friend, and he didn't want to be disgusted by her. Which was hard at the present moment since he couldn't actually look her in the eye, the eyes that were currently even more gold than they had been before.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am." Sir Robert said suddenly, making them all turn to them. He was sat down, looking as though his world was collapsing in on him. Like the fact that he'd just witnessed a girl heal herself was at the bottom of his list of problems. "It's all my fault. I should've 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?"
"You looked afraid of them." Lucia said softly. "Always glancing out the corner of your eye at them, cringing when any of them spoke. I didn't understand why though."
There was silence for a moment before Rose looked at Queen Victoria. "I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now."
"Do you think this is funny?" the woman snapped, her eyes narrowed on the blonde that cringed, looking down quickly.
"No, Ma'am, I'm sorry."
"What, exactly, I pray someone please - what exactly is that creature?"
"You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's a more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform." The Doctor scratched the back of his head uncomfortably.
"And should I trust you, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?"
The Doctor winced as he remembered the accent, and trying to stop himself from smiling when he thought of the bet he'd made with Lucia. She already knew him so well. "Oh... right, sorry - "
"Or you." Queen Victoria turned to Lucia, who backed up a step when she saw the terror on the Queen's face, contrasting against the gleam in her eyes. It was almost like excitement, intense curiosity… Lucia wasn't sure she liked that look very much. "How did you do that? You were injured, the amount of blood you'd lost you would have surely died, but yet here you are. Completely healed. How should I trust any of you?" she turned back to the Doctor. "I'll not have it. No sir, not you, not her, not that thing, none of it. This is not my world."
There was another silence, this one awkward as the trio shifted under the Queen's glare, when the Doctor caught sight of something on the door.
"Mistletoe," he murmured, gazing at the carving. "Sir Robert, did you father put that there?"
Sir Robert shrugged, not understanding why that was so important. "I don't know, I suppose..."
"On the other door, too... a carving wouldn't be enough... I wonder..." he leant forward and, to Lucia and Rose's disgust, licked the woodwork. "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."
"The monks needed a way of controlling the wolf so they must've trained it, they must've convinced it that it's allergic to it." Lucia mused as she made her way over to the Doctor's side, not noticing Queen Victoria back away ever so slightly, despite being on the other side of the room.
"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, and we still don't possess an actual weapon." Sir Robert pointed out.
The Doctor pulled a face. "Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?" he muttered harshly, earning himself a smack around the back on the head from Lucia. "Ow."
"There was no need for that." She told him.
"Free country." Rose added, glaring at the back of Lucia's head, wishing she could get away with doing the same with her.
"You want weapons? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world." The Doctor said as he walked to the book shelves, rubbing his head slightly before he put on his glasses. "This room's the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourself." He handed a load of books out and they got to work.
The Doctor, Rose, Lucia and Sir Robert frantically flicked through the books, trying to find something before the werewolf managed to find a way in. Queen Victoria wandered around the room, making no effort to help, which Lucia was becoming increasingly annoyed with; after all, the wolf was after her and yet she expected everyone else to save her. Yes, she may be Queen, but surely she could still read.
"Ooh," the Doctor said suddenly, a book in his hand. "Look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth."
Lucia looked at the page the book was open on to see a drawing of a rock falling from the sky.
"A spaceship?" Rose asked.
"Could be the werewolf itself," Lucia said, knowing that some creatures were able to shoot themselves across the galaxy.
"A shooting star." Sir Robert corrected. ""In the year of our Lord, 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit." 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 asked.
"Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations. It survived through the humans. Host after host after host." The Doctor explained.
"But why does it want the throne?"
"All that power." Lucia suggested. "It'll be able to rule the entire country and if it bites enough people, able to create an army. Within a few centuries it could take over the planet. 'The Empire of the Wolf'."
"The Victorian Age accelerated... star ships and missiles fuelled by coal and driven by steam... leaving history devastated in its wake..." the Doctor muttered, looking lost in thought.
"Sir Robert!" Queen Victoria called to the man, standing up suddenly. Sir Robert walked over to her instantly. "If I am to die here..."
Sir Robert interrupted. "Don't say that, Your Majesty."
"I would destroy myself rather than let that creature 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." She opened her bag.
"Hardly the time to worry about your valuables." The Doctor said and she glared at him.
"Thank you for your opinion. But there is nothing more valuable than this." She pulled out the Koh-I-Noor from her bag, holding it in the palm of her hand. Lucia stood up straight, her eyes wide as she stared at the diamond.
"Bloody hell, never thought I'd see that in real life." She breathed.
"The greatest diamond in the world." The Doctor muttered as the three of them made their way forward.
"Given to me as the spoils of war. Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die."
"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I...?" he held out his hand to take it. Queen Victoria hesitated for a moment before handing it over. "That is so beautiful."
"How much is that worth?" Rose asked as her fingers hovered over it.
"They say... the wages of the entire planet for a whole week."
Rose's eyes widened. "Good job my mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing."
"And she'd win." Lucia said, making the Doctor laugh while Rose bit her lip to stop herself from doing the same. They continued to study it, ignoring Sir Robert's mutterings about the wolf. "Why do you travel with it, Ma'am? Wouldn't that be a bit dangerous with something so precious?"
"My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs re-cutting." The Queen said, pointedly avoiding looking Lucia directly in the eyes.
"Oh, but it's perfect." Rose said sadly, not understanding why anyone would want to change something that was already so beautiful.
The Queen smiled sadly. "My late husband never thought so."
"Prince Albert kept having it cut down," Lucia explained and the Doctor nodded in agreement.
"It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting."
"He always said... the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished." Queen Victoria looked at the diamond mournfully, not noticing the Doctor's eyes widened.
"Unfinished... oh, yes!" He chucked the Koh-I-Noor back to the Queen, who caught it swiftly. "There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research - your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond, hold on, hold on - "he ran his hands through his hair as he spoke quickly. Queen Victoria, Sir Robert and Rose watched bemused, trying desperately to keep up, while Lucia watched fondly. She always loved how he could work things out over nothing. "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?" he asked Queen Victoria.
"Obviously."
"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But! What if there's a trap inside the trap?" he asked, confusing everyone except Lucia who began to work it out as well.
"Explain yourself, Doctor."
"The telescope." Lucia muttered. "And the Koh-I-Noor. It's all connected."
The Doctor nodded. "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."
Lucia froze when she saw sprinklings of plaster fall from the ceiling and reluctantly looked up, already knowing what was up there and dreading it. "That wolf there."
The rest of the group followed her gaze to see the wolf walked over the glass, looking down at them growling.
"Yep, that's the one." The Doctor said, his eyes wide as the glass began to crack. "Out! Out! Out!"
He grabbed hold of Lucia's elbow and dragged her from the room, not willing to leave the girl with the wolf for a moment longer - especially not with what happened the last time. The group destroyed their barricade and ran from the room just as the wolf hit the floor. The Doctor took one last look at the wolf and glared. He would die before he let it get her, he thought to himself, before closing the doors shut. "Get to the Observatory!" He ordered as they ran down the corridor. They ran round the corner, only realising that the wolf was right behind them when Rose suddenly stopped, staring transfixed on the wolf. She let out a scream as the wolf raised its paw.
"Rose!" Lucia and the Doctor yelled together, knowing that at any second the blonde would be dead for sure. She had no time vortex or regeneration to save her.
Before the wolf had a chance to strike, Lady Isobel appeared beside them, throwing a pan full of water on it. It let out a howl and ran off in the opposite direction.
"Good shot!" The Doctor exclaimed happily as he went to check where the wolf went.
Lucia walked over to Rose and put a comforting hand on her arm. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.
Rose flinched out the way. "I'm fine." She muttered.
"It was mistletoe!" Lady Isobel explained, Sir Robert was at her side in an instant, kissing her deeply.
"Get back downstairs." He whispered to her.
"Keep yourself safe." She whispered back.
He nodded, kissing her again. "You go."
"Girls, come with me. Down the Back stairs, back to the kitchen. Quickly!" She ordered to the rest of the maids before they made their way down stairs. Sir Robert stared after her, wondering whether that was the last time he'd see her.
"Come on!" The Doctor said, rushing down the corridor. They reach a staircase and hurry up it, hearing the wolf behind them.
"No mistletoe on these doors, your father wanted the wolf to get inside!" The Doctor told Sir Robert once they'd made it to the room.
"All part of the plan." Lucia said breathlessly.
"Get inside, I just need time! Is there any way of barricading this?!"
"Just do your work and I'll defend it." Sir Robert said, showing no sign that he was about to join them.
The Doctor hadn't heard him but Lucia stared at him in horror. "If we could bind them shut with rope or something!"
"I said I'd find you time, sir. Now get inside" Sir Robert said firmly, finally making the Doctor turn to him.
The Doctor stared at him for a moment. "Good man." He said, shutting the doors.
"He isn't going to survive." Lucia pointed out, looking worriedly at the closed door.
"Yeah." The Doctor muttered, moving past her to get to Queen Victoria. "Your Majesty, the diamond."
She frowned. "For what purpose?"
"The purpose it was designed for." The Doctor held out his hand and the Queen reluctantly handed it over to him, watching as he ran over to the wheel beside the telescope. "Rose!" Rose rushed to his side to help, despite the situation she was happy that he had asked for her instead of Lucia. "Lift it. Come on."
The two of them struggling to turn the wheel and Lucia, not wanting to feel completely useless, move to help the best she could. Queen Victoria stared at the door nervously.
"Is this the right time for stargazing?" Rose asked sarcastically.
"Yes, it is." The Doctor replied through his teeth, before the sound of Sir Robert's screams reached them. Lucia closed her eyes sadly, trying to stop the tears from falling down her face. How were they going to tell his wife?
Queen Victoria held up her crucifix as the wolf began banging on the door, trying to get in to them.
"You said this thing doesn't work!" Rose pointed out to the Doctor.
"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!"
"But there's no electricity!" Both the Doctor or Lucia didn't answer her, both busy with what they were doing, and Rose looked up at the moon, the telescope slowly moving to reach it. "Moonlight. But it needs moonlight! It's made by moonlight!"
"You're seventy percent water but you can still drown." Lucia pointed out.
"Come on!" The Doctor grunted as the wolf barged into the room in front of Queen Victoria, who cowered before it.
Finally, they got it aligned and stepped back as the moonlight bounced off the prisms, hitting the floor. "Lucia, catch!" He threw the Koh-I-Noor to her and Lucia, trying to ignore the excitement of having the famous diamond in her hands, placed it on the floor at the point where the moonlight was hitting. The moonlight hit the diamond and shot straight at the wolf.
He was lifted from the floor and hung there for a few moments, returning to his human form. "Make it brighter. Let me go." He said quietly.
The Doctor slowly walked over the telescope and flicked a switch, making the light noticeable brighter. With a howl, the man disappeared, leaving only Queen Victoria and the trio in the room.
Lucia looked at the Queen, about to ask whether she was alright but froze when she saw that the she was staring at something on her wrists. "Your Majesty?" she stepped forward. "Did it bite you?"
The Queen didn't say anything for a moment. "No, it's... it's a cut."
The Doctor placed a hand on Lucia's shoulder to stop her from taking another step. "If that thing bit you - "
"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart." Queen Victoria insisted.
The Doctor moved to have a look. "Let me see."
"It is nothing!" Queen Victoria pulled her arm away sharply. The two of them stared at each other, the Doctor not believing her one bit.
...
The next morning, the trio were completely recovered from the night's adventure as they knelt before Queen Victoria.
"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Sir Doctor of TARDIS." The Queen said, holding up a sword and tapping it on each shoulder before turning to Lucia and did the same.
"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Dame Lucia of TARDIS."
And then to Rose. "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Dame Rose of the Powell Estate. You may stand."
The trio stood, all of them beaming. "Many thanks, Ma'am." The Doctor said.
"Yes, thank you." Lucia added.
"Thanks! They're never going to believe this back home." Rose gushed.
"Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving a message from the great beyond; I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now Ma'am, even from beyond the grave." The Doctor told her softly.
Queen Victoria nodded. "Indeed. Then you may think on this, also: that I am not amused."
The Doctor groaned as Rose laughed. "That's twice now." Lucia teased, smirking at him.
"Not remotely amused!" Queen Victoria glared, focused mostly on Lucia who quickly looked down. "And henceforth... I banish you."
The three of them stare at her stunned. "I'm sorry..?" the Doctor questioned, not sure he'd heard her right. After all, they'd never been banished for saving someone's life before.
"I rewarded you, Sir Doctor. And now you are exiled from this empire, never to return."
"But... what exactly have we done?" Lucia asked confused.
Queen Victoria took a step towards her, glaring so viciously that Lucia backed away. "I don't know who or what you are. But I saw what happened last night, I saw what you did and I will not have it in my world. Your world is seeped in terror and blasphemy and death and I WILL NOT allow it! You will leave this shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you managed to stray so far from all that is good. And how much longer you will survive this... terrible life." She took a step back. "Now leave my world. And never return."
...
The Doctor, Lucia and Rose jumped off the farmer's cart as it stopped. "Cheers, Dougal!" The Doctor called to the farmer, waving as he drove off.
"Queen Victoria did actually have a blood disease, though." Lucia mentioned as they made their way to the TARDIS. "But she was the first one in her family to get it, her mother and father didn't have it. It just came from nowhere."
"What, and you're saying that's a wolf bite?" Rose asked Lucia, for the first time not sounding judging or annoyed, just curious.
The Doctor shrugged. "Well, maybe Haemophilia is just a Victorian euphemism."
"For werewolf?" Rose's eyebrows shot up.
"Could be."
"Queen Victoria's a werewolf?!"
"Could be! And, her children had the Royal Disease. Maybe she gave them a quick nip."
Rose gaped. "So, the Royal Family are werewolves?"
"Perhaps not yet, it would take a while for a wolf cell to mature."
The Doctor smirked teasingly. "Might be ready by… oooh… early 21st century...?"
"Nah! That's just ridiculous!" Rose laughed but then paused. "Mind you… Princess Anne."
The Doctor and Lucia laughed. "I'll say no more."
Rose laughed with them. "And if you think about it... they're very private. They plan everything in advance. They could schedule themselves around the moon, we'd never know! They like hunting! They love blood sports!" The three of them walked into the TARDIS, the Doctor and Lucia setting the TARDIS into flight. "Oh my God, they're werewolves!"
...
The Doctor sat alone in the console room that night, thinking over everything that happened.
Lucia should've died today, but she didn't. She came back to him... but it should've been impossible.
Yes, there was a lot of time vortex in Lucia's system, too much in fact, considering he took quite a lot out of her. It was like it was building back up.
But it still shouldn't have healed her. If anything it should've had the opposite effect. If the Doctor was right about the amount of time vortex inside Lucia, it would've stop her from regenerating. There would've been no way around it, Lucia would've died. A painful and slow death.
The Doctor shivered, even the idea of that killed him inside. No one deserved that but especially not someone like Lucia. So maybe it was a good thing, maybe his instincts were wrong... and all he could was hope that nothing bad happened to Lucia because of the vortex. Or if anyone else got hurt because of Lucia.
…
AN – And just when Lucia's confidence started to grow, something happens that can change everything… I know, I'm evil. I also need to clear up something quickly, Lucia will be able to regenerate. She is a full time lord despite what the Doctor may think, she just has time vortex added (bit like River is a human with time lord added). Whether or not the effects of the time vortex on Lucia is a permanent or temporary thing… you'll just have to wait and see :)
Reviews…
Counting Sinful Stars – I've always kinda felt bad for Jackie, especially after Love and Monsters where we saw what Rose's absence was really doing to her :( I agree about Lucia, it's something that is a problem with the Doctor at the moment and will be looked further into in a new chapters. Unfortunately, what happened in this chapter isn't going to help much… I'm glad that you liked Jack's bit, I love Jack :) I'm kinda eager to get to series three so that Lucia can meet him properly… How do you feel about the twist with the time vortex, personally I think it's better than what happened last chapter (she healed, it's moving towards a good thing right?) but I wasn't sure how everyone else would feel about it, whether they would see it as a worrying thing like the Doctor… I agree, I would love a Jackie/TARDIS mum :)
myfandomshaveruinedme –Lol, glad you were so eager for an update and I hope this was good enough for you :) Thanks for reviewing :)
Amelia – Glad you 'love, love, love, love' this story :) And I hope you loved this chapter too… This series is a bit of a rollercoaster with the effects of the time vortex, Rose and the Doctor starting to doubt Lucia. But there will be fluffy moments :)
So… next up, we get an outside view of Lucia, Rose and the Doctor…