He was too late to reach George though. The boy had covered his face as the window shattered, but now he was standing, the look on his face shouting anger.
"It won't be so easy for you this time," said George, the end of the sentence dissolving into a snarl as he too transformed, the shape of his spine changing, his jaw lengthening. There was a crackle of snapping bones as he fell forward, hair sprouting out of his skin. He snarled once, and then leapt at his brother.
They rolled across the floor together, a mess of teeth and claws and strangled cries. The Doctor and Jamie watched, horrified, but unable to help either one. The Doctor doubted that either would bother who they hurt at this moment, so intent were they on the kill.
The Doctor's expression suddenly changed and he leapt out of the room, swiftly followed by Jamie.
"Quickly, quickly!" shouted the Doctor as he headed for the kitchen. He scrabbled around the cupboards for a few moments before retrieving a bucket and filling it with cold water. "See if you can find another!" he called to Jamie as he left the room.
Jamie did as he was told and took his own full bucket back to the foyer. The fighting was still going on, but at least one child now injured. The carpet was stained with specks of bright red blood. As the Doctor saw Jamie approach, he stepped through the open door and threw the water over the wolves. Jamie immediately followed suit, soaking them both again.
They leapt apart, instinctively shaking the water off. One of them turned to the Doctor, a low growl in his throat. The Doctor glanced at Jamie. "When I say run..."
"Aye, I know," muttered Jamie. The wolf's back legs contracted.
"Run!" shouted the Doctor as the wolf leapt forward.
They ran for the front door, Jamie opened it and ran through. He felt the Doctor grab his arm as his friend overtook him and began to tug him forwards. The sound of the wolf's snarls followed them into the black night.
"Now where!" shouted Jamie.
"Keep running!" was the Doctor's helpful reply, but the sound of a second, lower growl brought them to a sudden standstill.
"There's more out here," hissed Jamie.
"Well of course there are," snapped the Doctor. "But we need to know who it is." Jamie felt the Doctor move, and wondered if he could see where the animal was. He knew that the Time Lord's eyesight was far better than his. "Hello!" called the Doctor. "It's the Doctor and Jamie here. We don't mean any harm."
The snarl grew louder and Jamie sensed a rush of movement. He crouched low, ready to defencd himself and the Doctor, but the movement rushed past them. All he felt was a brush of cool fur against his legs.
Torchlight lit them up, and the pair blinked as they saw a figure approach.
"Doctor! Jamie! Are you alright!" It was Vanya. Her clothes were dirty and torn, and she looked as though she had dressed quickly.
"Aye, but George isn't!" Jamie called back as the woman ran up to them.
"I told Hamilton to get back to the house," muttered Vanya, eye darting to her home. "Come on."
They arrived in the foyer to see Hamilton crouched over George, who had not yet reverted to human form. There was a sharp gasp from Vanya and Jamie saw that she had gone white.
"He's alive," said Hamilton.
"We didn't see anyone go back in the house," said Jamie.
"I took the back window," Hamilton told him. "There's no serious injury, but the fact that he was still recovering from the last attack isn't helpful."
"Can you treat him here?" asked Vanya.
Hamilton nodded. "I should be able to, barring complications. There's nothing you can do here, best to get some rest."
"I think a cup of tea might be the best thing," suggested the Doctor.
"An excellent idea, Doctor," agreed Vanya.
The Doctor, Jamie and Vanya sat in the dining room, a pot of hot tea sitting in the table beside a jug of milk and a bowl of sugar cubes. The Doctor had just poured tea for all of them and was at this moment adding milk and sugar to his own tea.
Vanya sipped at hers without any additions, resting her head on one hand, she stared across the table. She looked older now, more worn and lines of worry were clearly visible on her forehead. Several times she had looked as though she had been about to speak, but she had remained silent since they had sat down.
"I don't think the artist exaggerated," said the Doctor gently.
"I'm sorry?" Vanya woke from her daze, staring at the Doctor. He nodded at the painting above her head.
"Robert's eyes were the same green when he...influenced me, and Jamie."
"I don't understand." Her voice was very quiet, almost afraid.
"He psychically attacked both Jamie and I. I suspect whatever gifts your grandmother had have been passed onto your son."
Vanya stared into her tea for a moment, before looking up and meeting the Doctor's level gaze. "For whatever harm my family has done you, I apologise. You are my guests. This lapse in courtesy is unforgivable."
"Courtesy!" said Jamie. "He tried to tear us to pieces!"
"I know." It was a strangled whisper, and Jamie could see she was on the verge of tears. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I thought...I thought..."
"You thought your daughter was the dangerous one."
"We never got along very well. She was...is difficult, headstrong, stubborn. She refuses to accept the point of view of others. She seemed to harbour dangerous ideas of what our position in society should be, and was not afraid to voice them. When the attacks started, I naturally thought that she was acting on her beliefs."
"Place in society?" asked Jamie. Vanya's eyes flicked to his, before returning to her tea as she took a sip.
"There is an element of lycanthrope civilisation that does not believe we should see humans as anything other than prey. It is a foolish and outdated idea, but that has never stopped bigotry before."
"Did you find her?" asked the Doctor.
"We spoke. She is not returning home, but decided that it would be best before she left to inform me about the truth, and her brother's gifts. Paul is hunting Robert now." She was silent for a moment. "I have lost a son and a daughter tonight."
"I'm sorry," said the Doctor, leaning forward and touching her gently on the arm. She clasped his hand and shook her head.
"Were it not for you, Doctor, I would have lost George too, and the truth may still have been hidden. I thank you for your help, I only wish you could have been shown greater hospitality here."
Jamie felt uncomfortable interrupting, but there were things that he needed to know the answer too. "What he did to me," he began hesitantly. "How did he know all those things? Why was Zoe so real to me?"
"I suppose he read your mind, your memories and called them into being. My clan has been without a mystic for many years, and I am not schooled in their ways. My mother told me of my grandmother though, of how she could see into your soul and cast out the demons within, or call them into being. If I had known what to look for...but I thought the gift lost. It had skipped two generations after all." Her fingers were clasped round her teacup, her eyes staring at the tea. "That is the limit of my knowledge, save for anecdotal tales, and I'm afraid they would be of little use to you. Perhaps I could direct you towards one who still practices the art?"
Jamie was about to reply, but the Doctor jumped in first.
"That's alright," he said. "Jamie will be fine, and we really should be leaving soon."
"Doctor, it's the middle of the night!" protested Jamie.
"I meant in the morning. An early start for us, I think."
"Of course. I understand. I'll make sure there is an early breakfast ready for you. I wish you a good night's sleep."
Jamie and the Doctor walked back to their rooms unescorted. The excitement of the night's events had worn off on Jamie and he felt very tired, and ready to collapse into a deep sleep. He wasn't looking forward to having to wake early in the morning and doubted that he'd get much rest once they got back to the TARDIS.
"Will they be all right?" he asked.
"Eventually," the Doctor replied. "Some time, and perhaps a chance to talk will do some good, I think. The same with many families, so I'm told."
They stopped outside Jamie's door. "This wasn't a holiday, was it Doctor?"
"I doubt that very much."
"Why did they send us here?"
The Doctor looked skywards and sighed before replying. "I don't know, I suppose they couldn't risk humanity finding out about the lycanthropes, and they thought we could do some good here."
"I don't feel so great."
"Neither do I, Jamie. Get some sleep, we'll be on our way in the morning."
He nodded goodnight, and turned towards his own room, hoping that they'd both feel better after a few hours sleep.