Once again, I've been massively busy! I've just started studying for my Master's degree, which is super-exciting and vaguely terrifying. Plus I'm also now working nearly full time and making room in my life for a little bit of theatre! So this has taken much longer than I wanted it too, so sorry if you've been eagerly waiting (I know it's edge of the seat stuff :P) But seriously, enjoy this chapter and thank you so much to all of you who are reviewing and following this story. It means a lot :D

L_M_D

Jack flashed a charming grin.

"Darling, I've been around for a long time. There's very little that can withstand my charms." He winked at Elizabeth, nodded at the Doctor, muttered "Here goes," pushed open the door, and strode out into the ballroom.

"Well he's confident, I'll give him that one," Elizabeth smiled, stretching her limbs in the now slightly roomier antechamber. Cupboard she thought, I'm pretty sure this is actually a cupboard.

From their position, with the door positioned so as to give a slither of light, they watched Jack flirt his way to the other end of the ballroom, pausing occasionally to tuck a strand of hair behind a lady's ear, or to brush the dust off a gentleman's jacket.

Crouched in a somewhat unnatural position for gangly man such as himself, next to a girl who he barely knew and who for some reason had been acting more distressed than excited about the fact they were currently in what was her past, the Doctor once again the same apprehensiveness that he had felt in the TARDIS; unease, vague dread, the kind of dread where you're not actually sure what you're afraid of, which is categorically the worst kind. Jack had earlier dismissed it as lust, given its immediate connection with the redhead next to him, and no doubt would again, probably with a sly insinuation about the fact they were alone together in a cupboard. The Doctor once again dismissed it as ludicrous. Yet, the feeling was connected with the girl, in a way he couldn't quite dismiss with the explanation that she was being stalked by a Kitsune. He frowned, shook his hair from his face, and turned his attention back to Jack.

Jack had nearly completed a circuit of the room and was heading back towards their cupboard. Elizabeth shifted to make room for him to crouch down with them, steadying herself on the Doctor's shoulder. Finally, Jack joined them, positioning himself on the other side of Elizabeth.

"Well, guys, the good news is that there isn't a fully-fledged Kitsune out there, not one of those guys is possessed. The bad news is there's a hell of a lot of foxes outside on the lawn…"

The Doctor didn't reply, only gave Jack a loaded look, which Jack seemed to return. Confused, Elizabeth looked over at Jack, noticing, not for the first time, how incredibly handsome she found him. He had an eyelash on his cheek, just below his eye, and she had an indescribable urge to brush it away. She had reached out her had to do so when the Doctor jumped up; considering the small amount of space they had to begin with, this caused some considerable disruption.

"I have a plan!"

His flailing limbs knocked what appeared to be a bucket off a shelf, which narrowly missed Elizabeth's head. Broken from the trance induced by Jack's eyelash, she looked up at the Doctor in surprise.

"You have a plan?"

"Well… not strictly a plan… an idea!" When she continued to look sceptical, he elaborated. "Well, a thought. More of an inkling. But that's beside the point!"

Both Elizabeth and Jack smiled.

"We need to be more direct!" the Doctor continued, his elbows narrowly avoiding bringing down several more items onto his companions. "Come on, we're going outside."

They edged their way along the outskirts of the ballroom, the Doctor insistent that they didn't draw any attention to Elizabeth. The two men stood like guards on either side of her, blocking her from view as much as possible.

Once they reached the open French doors, the trio continued outside.

Scattered around the visible are of what were clearly some immense grounds, some thirty or forty foxes, all with at least two tails (one or two, Elizabeth noted, had four). Once more feeling that same, sleepy, trance-like state which had overcome her outside her house, Elizabeth continued on even after the Doctor and Jack had stopped just after the patio. In the midst of the Kitsune, underneath the fullest moon the Doctor had seen on Earth, Elizabeth's pale skin took on an unearthly glow.

The Doctor glanced at Jack, and was alarmed to see that he seemed entranced by Elizabeth, the hand that had been permanently and carefully on top of his gun, ready to draw, steadily moving back to his side.

"Elizabeth?" The Doctor called out. "Elizabeth?"

There was no response. She didn't even turn around.

"Lizzie?" He tried again. "Elizabeth Dashwood?"

Still nothing.

He took out his sonic screwdriver, and scanned.

This time, the readings were off the scale.