Chapter 2 - New Year's

Aiden lay next to his father under one of the TARDIS control panels. It wasn't fair, he thought? It was New Year's Eve tonight and he was still grounded. His sister had taken a great deal of delight in rubbing that in. The twins were off to an open rave with Jake, who normally wouldn't be seen dead at something so upbeat; but he had a job to do - watching over his brother and sister. Aiden could get in at no cost, his friend Jimmy was the DJ and he had supplied the MP3s with his great hacking abilities; long gone were the days of free pirate downloads.

Actually that was what got him into this mess, he was just back at school and got bored. Well he hacked into UNIT to have a look around, and the trace went back to that old bitch of an IT teacher; who was now in jail under interrogation. Some democracy. He got the blame as soon as his parents heard and now here he was, grounded all over again. That's how things worked around here, he thought. Something goes wrong it's all my fault.

It wasn't long before Romana came into the console room with her twin brother Kyle.

"We're off now Dad. Got to meet up with the gang first."

The Doctor moved out from his position under the console and took one look at what Romana was wearing.

"Not like that you're not!"

"This coming from the man that went to Woodstalk naked?" Romana grinned, folding her arms over her low-cut dress.

"Now come on! That was a long time ago and ,besides everyone else was doing it," the Doctor defended "You're a smart girl Romana. You should be smart enough to know what will happen if you turn up at a rave like that!"

"I can look after myself," Romana huffed.

"You are sixteen years old!"

Aiden sighed and went back to work. Romana always was 'daddy's little girl' and probably always would be. Their father worried about her more than he did any of the rest of his children. She apparently was just like an old friend of his father's that he'd seen in a photo taken on Earth in the 1980's; from the blond hair right down to her toenails. It was probably another reason his Dad protected her so much - he didn't want to lose Romana twice.

After a good half hour, involving much arguing, and an intervention from their mother; the twins were away, Jake following not long behind at a discrete distance. Aiden really didn't want to get out from his position under the console because he could hear and smell his parents 'making out' at the other side of the room.

"God will you two get a room!" He protested. "Not all the kids are gone!"

The Doctor disentangled himself from his wife, and looked at the pair of legs sticking out from under the central column. "Fine, off you go then."

"He is supposed to be grounded," Rose reminded her distracted husband.

"Na, I got a feeling he'd come back feeling a little more responsible."

"Yeah, like letting him go out to a rave the night before a full moon is going to do that." Rose replied sarcastically.

Aiden pulled himself out from his position, and rubbed his head as he banged it on the way out. His father was looking at him in that way where he knew something he didn't.

"Oh come on Mum, I'll behave," he said at his most innocent.

"You know how he gets before a full moon, he's better spending his energy out there than in here," the doctor added, blatantly putting a hand on Rose's thigh.

Aiden rolled his eyes; he could smell it getting hot in here. He scratched his neck where a flea had just bit him.

" I've not had any air for a while, and I long to run... Tomorrow night I will be a wolf and need to stay inside for everyone's safety."

"Fine go out, but if I hear of any trouble I'll hear about it," Rose replied.

Aiden didn't waste any time, he ran full speed into his room and pulled on his best pair of faded blue jeans, a white t-shirt with a Gallifreyan symbol on it he had printed himself, and his black 'bad wolf' hoodie. Turning his room apart he couldn't find his shoes so he ran into Kyle's room and soon found a pair of black combat boots that Kyle had outgrown but still fit him. Running out to the console room he was about to say goodbye to his parents, when his Dad grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.

"Dad!"

"I love you son, remember that," the doctor said strangely then he reached into his pocket and handed him something. "Sonic Screwdriver. Never know when you're going to need it."

"Em thanks," Aiden replied a little bewildered, and pocketed the sonic screwdriver. His father could be so weird sometimes.

As his dad let go his mother pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek.

"Be home before 1am OK? You can stay for the turn of the year but that's it."

"OK," Aiden replied, at least his mother was acting normally. Turning he ran out of the TARDIS and left his parents behind.

"So what was all that about?"

"All what?" The Doctor asked distractedly.

"The 'I love you son remember that", and the sonic screwdriver?" Rose fixed her husband with a look that meant she wanted the truth.

The Doctor sighed. "We won't see him till next week, but a lot longer will pass for him."

"Where's he going?"

"Where he belongs."


Aiden took a deep breath of the cool night air. He could smell everything, the whole atmosphere on the estate, poverty, the partying. It was one of the things about the human race that made him proud to say he was part of it. They had a way of surprising you, and despite how desperate things might be they could bounce up again from it.

Then he noticed something else. Blood. It was faint and getting stronger... burning... but not human blood... he sniffed a little trying to catch the scent. Gallifreyan blood. There wasn't much time, if he waited for the emergency services they would be killed by the drugs, if the fire didn't get them first. Pulling off his jumper and t-shirt he shoved them into a bag he pulled from his pocket, which was much like the TARDIS bending the rules of time and space so it could fit anything into his pocket. There was only one way he was going to get there in time. And he breathed in deeply, letting the fear and rage overtake him.

Feeling immense pain he cried out, nose getting longer taking the form of a snout, sharp pointed teeth taking the place of his human incisors. His body got bigger, arms and legs extending, hands and feet forming into paws with massive claws, and there was a rip as a big furry tail made it's way out of his jeans. Then the last stages of the transformation completed as the rest of his body grew fur, black in colour with a funny new moon pattern in white on one shoulder; his eyes turned yellow, and what was a human sounding cry turned into an unearthly howl.

Aiden struggled with the inner-beast, fighting for control of his fogged mind. He needed to concentrate on the task at hand, and couldn't afford to let the beast take over. In wolf-form his already enhanced senses were even more acute. He let his eyes scan the area; he knew it was clear and he took off in the direction of the scent of the smoke and blood. Heavy paws thudding, he sprang into the burning building and looked around. It was hot, and the blood smell made it hard to concentrate, but getting closer to the source he smelled his father... but it wasn't his father. This man was different, he was shorter, rounder face, brown averagely cut hair. This had to be one of the Doctor's previous regenerations, as he thought he recognised him from old photos, was his seventh incarnation if he guessed right.

Wasting no more time, he grabbed the man's clothes with his teeth, and swung him like a rag-doll onto his back. The Doctor was heavy but not overly so in his current form. Aiden ran as fast as he could, hearts beating wildly. He was almost out, and could hear Ace over the roaring sound of the flames, crying and shouting for the Doctor.. Beams and flaming debris fell all around him, and he had trouble avoiding them, his dexterity and agility impaired by the heavy weight balanced on his back. With one final jump he and his 'father-to-be' were out, and clear of the building, just as the doorway fell in.

Not pausing for Ace to keep up, he ignored his her protests and ran towards where he sensed the TARDIS to be. Seeing the familiar blue box down an alleyway he stopped at the door of it, and gently dropped the Doctor off his back just in time for Ace to catch up.

"What are you doing with him!" Ace screamed. "Leave the Doctor alone!"

Aiden let himself calm and the familiar pain started again, and he howled, which turned into a scream as he changed back to his normal self, and stood in front of Ace,; shirtless, jeans more tattered and torn than before.

"We need to get him in the TARDIS and to the medlab now," he panted.

Shaking herself from shock Ace ruffled through her pockets and pulled out a TARDIS key. "Right."

She opened the door and Aiden grabbed hold of the Doctor and pulled to his feet. He was much heavier now without Aiden's added strength of wolf form.

"Come on, give me a hand. I can't shift him by myself."

Grabbing the other arm, Ace and Aiden dragged the Doctor into the TARDIS and to the medlab, and hoisted him onto a bed.

Ace stared at the Doctor frantically. "He's bleeding badly, I don't know how to use the equipment... or treat him..."

"It's ok I do." Aiden wasn't anywhere near as proficient as his father in medicine, it was Romana who had taken up that path of learning; but he knew enough to help. Attaching the sensors he scanned the readouts and sighed with relief.

"All wounds are superficial. He's had a bad knock to the head but no permanent damage." Aiden used the tissue regenerators to heal the wounds. "He'll come around on his own accord soon enough."

He made his way out but was stopped by Ace from leaving the TARDIS.

"Hang on! Who are you? How do you know the Professor, and how come you can change into a dog?"

Aiden sighed, "Look lets just say it's best if I don't tell you too much. Laws of time and all."

"Screw the time laws. Who are you?"

"My name is Aiden, I'm a werewolf. That's all you need to know."

But Ace wasn't shifting, so he sat himself down on the floor next to the console, and took in the changes. He was in for a long night.


Big thanks to wildcate. Please review