Her father's description of the TARDIS always intrigued her, having spoken of the hundreds of rooms connected to winding corridors, all the rooms imaginable, and many more. Although his description of the TARDIS was accurate, it didn't do the ship any justice.
The console room glowed a golden amber color, helping to emphasize the coral-like structures that connected the ceiling to the floor while the center console glowed blue. There was a gentle hum that was a subtle background noise, but it made the ship feel homey and safe.
Victoria was sitting on the console seat, switching between looking around in awe and watching the Doctor in fascination as he sent the ship into the time vortex. Having not wanted to witness Cassandra's death, she told the Doctor that she was content waiting inside, needing to mull over everything that had happened to her in the past day.
She had barely noticed the Doctor leaving with Cassandra and coming back alone, and she had also missed the Doctor guiding Rose out of the room and to the med bay to check for permanent damage. When he came back into the console room, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder, surprising the redhead out of her thoughts. Victoria stood up and threw her arms out to stretch, having gone stiff from sitting too long.
"How are you holdin' up? I know, the TARDIS can be a bit overwhelming. But once you get used to her, she's absolutely fantastic," he placed a hand on the console, grinning affectionately at it.
"Yeah, she is. She's absolutely beautiful," she told him, following suit by placing her hand on the console with a smile. As her palm touched the cold metal, the room lit up brightly, the humming got louder, and the homey feeling became stronger.
Victoria looked over at the Doctor questioning to find him staring at her thoughtfully. "Ooh, she must love you."
"If you'd like, I can give you a tour," he suggested, nodding his head towards the corridor he led Rose through earlier.
"I would like that," Victoria grinned. The Doctor grinned back and jumped forward, his hands placed comfortably in his pockets. "Well, come on!"
He led her down the hallway, pointing at random doors here and there exuberantly, making Victoria smile gently. They passed by lots of places she wouldn't have imagined, such as a bowling alley, a greenhouse, and an indoor beach. But her favorite was the library.
He nudged her towards the door, watching her with a childlike grin, waiting for her reaction. Her jaw had dropped as she took in the multiple stories tall room. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the fireplace against the wall, surrounded on two sides by bookshelves. There was a coffee table and a couch in front of it.
"This is… this is amazing," she whispered, dragging her fingers gently across the spines of books she walked past. "How are these categorized? Dewey decimal?"
He stopped beside her, surprised by her mundane question. "Well, books from Earth most likely are. But I'm sure you'll find some cataloged by UDC or LCC."
"How would alien books be categorized?" she asked, looking at the cover of one of the books she pulled from the shelf.
The Doctor plucked the book from her and placed it back on the shelf before grabbing her hand. She pulled her towards a small section in the back, maybe 20 books filling a small shelf. "Here, they use their language's alphabet, so it's somewhat similar to earth books."
As she stared at the books, she was unable to recognize the language written on the spine. "What language is this?"
He pulled one of the thinner books to show her, circles filling up the cover. "Gallifreyan. It's the language my people spoke."
"Why can't I read what it says like the other books in the room?" she asked, reaching out a finger hesitantly, wanting to trace the almost glowing circles.
He nodded absentmindedly to her as he thought about how to answer. Did he tell her everything now after having known her for only a few hours? He couldn't understand why he trusted her so easily. Maybe it was because she was Jack's daughter, or maybe it was because she seemed more knowledgeable than most. But there was a part of him screaming to tell her, talking about everything.
"The TARDIS doesn't translate Gallifreyan, and she never will," he told her after a moment, drawing the book away from Victoria to put it back on the shelf.
She stared at him quizzingly as he turned back to look at her, recognizing the subject change. "Can I stay?"
"If you want to."
"I do," she nodded, her right hand finding the zipper of her coat. "But I want to make one thing clear."
His hands found their way into his pocket and he rolled back on his heels nonchalantly even though she could tell that he was focused on what she had to say.
"I might be Jack's daughter, but I'm my own person. I love my dad, but growing up it's always been 'oh, you are your father's daughter' or 'you're so much like your dads'. I'm Victoria Harkness and nothing else."
"Oh, I like you, Victoria Harkness," the Doctor grinned at her. "Oh! Rose doesn't know that he's still alive, so if she knew you were his daughter…"
"It'd complicate everything," Victoria finished, understanding his reasoning. "Then call me Victoria Jones."
"Jones?"
"Ianto Jones was the love of my dad's life when I was a kid, and honestly, he still is. He told me stories about being a bit of a womanizer before meeting Ianto and finding me. I was about five when Ianto died, and as cliche, as it sounds, I think he took a part of my dad's heart with him when he died. I've never seen him date since then, putting all of his effort and attention into work and raising me."
"Now, before we do anything else, I have to know. How much did Jack tell you about me or Gallifrey?"
Victoria thought about it for a moment, chewing on her lip slightly as she racked her brain. "Not much really, just that you're 900 years old and a Time Lord. He mainly talked about all of your adventures together and the TARDIS."
"Really?" the Doctor was shocked. He hadn't expected Jack to keep much to himself, but he was grateful. "There are some things I need to talk to you about, and I want to do it now so that all the cards are on the table."
Victoria didn't respond, just tilting her head to the side, watching him expectantly.
"How about you go sit by the fire and I'll go make us some tea," he told her, placing his hands on her shoulder and turning her in the direction of the couch.
"Yeah, that sounds nice. Do you have peppermint? I would kill for a cup right about now."
The Doctor felt an overwhelming relief once he told her everything. She had taken the news well, or at least, as well as one could when they were told their new friend destroyed their own planet.
She listened to every detail he told her, and not once did her gaze turn furious or scared. She asked questions when necessary, but was content listening to him speak.
He had never felt so comfortable telling a human about his past, and he wanted to tell her more. He wanted Victoria to know who all of his companions were and what adventures he'd been on and what Gallifrey was like. But he also wanted to know who she was.
And that night was the first of many where they'd sit by the fire and talk all night. Sometimes they told each other things they had kept bottled up, especially Victoria. She told the Doctor about what it was like for her growing up with Jack as a parent and the loss they felt when Ianto had died.
While she and the Doctor had gotten on right from the beginning, it was different with Rose Tyler. The two women spent lots of time together, seeing as they needed girl time. But Victoria could tell that Rose was somewhat keeping her at a distance, and she assumed it was to do with her relationship with the Doctor. But Rose's jealousy didn't stand in the way of them becoming close friends.
The trio had quickly come up with a schedule to determine who picked the day's adventures. Victoria typically chose to go back in time, history having been one of her favorite subjects outside of medicine. One of her very first trips in the TARDIS had been to 18th century France to celebrate Marie Antoinette's 21st birthday. She had enjoyed herself greatly, even if the only thing she remembered about that night was the taste of alcohol and the morning after.
It was the Doctor's turn to pick an adventure and had encouraged the two girls to dress for the 1970s and said nothing else. They shared an exasperated look as they walked arm in arm to the wardrobe.
Rose found an outfit quickly, going with a denim overall dress over top of a pink t-shirt along with a pair of black tights and boots. As she rushed to put on her selection, Victoria continued flipping through the variety of options on the racks.
"What d'ya think?" Rose asked, pulling the redhead's attention.
"Looks cute," Victoria confirmed, watching as Rose spun in another circle to show off the outfit.
"Have ya found something yet?"
Victoria shook her head slightly, her eyes glossing over the different options. "Almost."
Victoria took a bit longer looking for an outfit, hoping to look that was a bit more authentic than Rose's. She ended up finding high-waisted bell-bottom jeans as well as a red, yellow, and white striped long sleeve shirt. As she was heading for the changing room, Victoria noticed a maroon corduroy jacket and black go-go boots, grabbing them as she walked past.
After slipping on the clothes, she couldn't help but smile at herself. She felt as though she had just stepped out of an old 70s catalog ad, and she was loving every minute of it.
She pushed open the door and held her arms out so Rose could inspect her choice.
"You look like you just walked straight out of the seventies!" she exclaimed, grabbing Victoria's hand and pulling her over to a mirror to quickly do her hair.
Rose early on had announced that after spending an hour on her hair to go to where she thought was Nepal, she was never going to do it again. But she insisted on helping Victoria quickly curl her hair to get the 70s look.
The blonde reached out to a nearby table and picked up a small tube of lipstick, sliding it over Victoria's lips. "Almost done."
Rose reached back and put the tube down, exchanging it for a black eye pencil. "Now if anyone can pull off the 70s look, make-up, hair, and all, it has to be you."
"What do ya think?" Rose said, pulling back to grin proudly at work.
"Oh, Rose, I absolutely love it! Thank you," Victoria pulled the girl into a tight hug. "Now come on, the Doctor's gotta be going mad by now."
"Doctor!" Victoria called to him, as they walked into the console room giggling.
"What do you think of our outfits? Will they do?" Rose finished, pointing between the two of them.
"In the late 1970s, Rose, you'd be better off in a bin bag. Victoria, you'll do quite nicely. Now hold on, listen to this," he told them, popping a CD out of its case and into a slot in the console, cranking the volume up in the process. "Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number one in 1979," the Doctor explained over the music.
Victoria's grin immediately widened as the tune hit her. "Ooh, I love this song!"
"You're both punks," Rose laughed.
"It's good to be a lunatic!" the Doctor told her, looking at the two in thought. "How would you two feel about seeing them in concert?" Victoria looked over Rose, a look of agreement passing between them.
Rose looked back at the Doctor with a smile on her face, tongue between her teeth, and nodded happily. "Alrighty! Hold on tight!" the Doctor yelled over the music, having turned it up even more, and began hitting buttons and pulling levers.
Victoria grabbed a hold of the railing behind her as the Doctor beat a mallet in time with the music. The TARDIS moved back and forth, both girls barely holding onto the rail, until it landed with a sharp thud, knocking all of them onto the floor.
Sitting up, Victoria felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, hiss slightly as she thought about landing on it.
"So," the Doctor started, walking to the door. "1979. It was a hell of a year. China invades Vietnam. The Muppet Movie. Margaret Thatcher. Skylab falls to Earth, with a little help from me. Nearly took off my thumb." Victoria looked at him with her eyebrows raised slightly in surprise."And I like my thumb. I need my thumb. And I'm very attached to-" the sound of rifles being cocked filled the air. "-my thumb."
Surrounding them were a group of redcoats, each with guns pointing towards their heads. The captain of the group rode over on top of a black horse. "1879. Same difference," he said, placing his hands in his pockets. Victoria sent him a panicked glare, not pleased at being stuck in a time where women couldn't wear pants.
The officer quickly began speaking, "You will explain the nature of your presence as well as the nakedness of the girl," he said, casting a look at Rose before landing on Victoria. "And the rebellious nature this girl has. Who do you think you are, wearing trousers?" he sneered at me.
"Are we in Scotland," the Doctor asked, switching into a Scottish accent, effectively pulling the attention from the frowning redhead.
"How can you be ignorant of that?" the officer snapped, irritated by the group already.
"Oh… I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing this wee naked child and entitled child over hill and over dale. Isn't that right, ya timorous beasties?" the Doctor asked haltingly as he said the first thing that came to mind. Victoria nodded, happy to be following his lead at the moment.
"Ay, that's right. We were traveling for days before meeting him," Victoria agreed, not bothering to use a different accent.
With a slight nod, the officer asked the Doctor who he was. "I'm Doctor James McCrimmon, from the township of Balamory. I have my credentials, if I may," the Doctor said, nodding to his pockets.
With a nod of approval, the Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his psychic paper. "As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself," the Doctor said, nodding down at the paper in his hands.
"Let them approach," an older woman spoke from the carriage stopped right next to them.
Turning to the three of us, the officer began speaking. "You will approach the carriage, and show all due deference." Once he was done, the curtain of the carriage was moved to show an older woman dressed in an elegant black dress, her greying hair pulled back into a bun.
"Victoria, Rose. Might I introduce her Majesty, Queen Victoria, Empress of India and Defender of the Faith," the Doctor introduced. Victoria immediately fell into a curtsey upon seeing the Queen sitting in front of her.
"Her Majesty, I'm Victoria Jones. I apologize for my rebellious actions," I spoke softly, still curtseying from before, not willing to look up at the angry woman.
"Tell me, Miss Jones, what makes you think it is acceptable for you to wear trousers? I could have you taken to jail right this moment," she snapped, causing Victoria to lower her head more to avoid the verbal lashing.
"Rose Tyler, ma'am. And my apologies for my nakedness," Rose curtseyed lightly, cutting in before more could be said.
"I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me," the Queen spoke after a moment, moving her gaze to Rose before shifting it to the Doctor. "But you, Doctor. Show me these credentials." The Doctor walked forward and handed her his psychic paper. "Why didn't you say so immediately," she looked at him after reading it. "It states here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector."
Upon realizing that she could trust him, the Queen quickly explained what had recently been happening to her, specifically the assassination attempts. Once she was finished explaining, she allowed us to follow behind her carriage as they walked to a nearby manor.
"It's funny though because you say assassination and you think of Kennedy and stuff. Not her," Rose told, once the carriage started moving ahead.
"There had been six attempts on her life this year," Victoria blurted out, her eyes widening before glancing over at the Doctor. When had she read about that? She had no clue where that had come from.
"She's right," the Doctor agreed, nodding as he looked at Rose.
"But guys," Rose said, her gaze flickering between the two in front of her. "We just met Queen Victoria!"
Victoria smiled slightly at Rose, unable to feel truly excited when she knew that she would receive lots of criticism throughout the night.
"What a laugh," the Doctor smiled while Rose laughed. "She was just sitting there!"
"I want her to say 'I am not amused'. I bet you five quid I can make her say it," Rose pointed at the Doctor with a laugh.
The Doctor shook his head, looking at the blonde fondly. "If I did that, I'd be abusing my privileges as a time traveler."
"Ten quid?" Rose was quick to rebut.
He thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Done."
After another moment of silence, Victoria's arms crossed tightly across her chest, the Doctor glanced over at her worriedly.
"Are you okay?"
She shrugged lightly, her excitement of meeting Queen Victoria having been squashed when she was snapped at by her. "You two didn't get a verbal lashing by the queen."
"On top of that, this look was totally wasted. I mean, who here is going to appreciate this?" Victoria gestured wildly at her outfit, not noticing the Doctor looking her over with a smile.
Rose wrapped her arm around Victoria and pulled her close, trying to ignore the fond look on the Doctor's face. "But who else can say that the Queen threatened to arrest 'em. She'll warm up to you eventually, I'm sure of it."
"You wanna bet on that too?" Victoria teased, causing Rose to shove her away with a laugh.
With her mood effectively lifted, the three of them continued to talk and joke around as their journey to the house continued. By the time they had made it, the sky had begun to turn dark with darker clouds filling it.
As the carriage came to a stop, Victoria took the opportunity to look around. The house was made of old, moss-covered stones and was three stories high. As she looked up, she noticed a large telescope on the top floor, the room having a glass ceiling.
"Your Majesty," a younger man spoke, drawing Victoria's attention.
"Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?" the Queen questioned.
The man hesitated, looking at the Queen wearily. "She's indisposed, I'm afraid. She's gone to Edinburgh for the season and she took the cook with her. The kitchens are barely stocked. I wouldn't blame you, 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," the Queen said, staring at the house briefly. "Now, shall we go inside? And please excuse the naked girl and entitled girl," she continued, gesturing towards Rose and Victoria.
Victoria bowed her head and apologized, knowing that most of these people would look down at her today.
"They're feral children. I bought them for sixpence in old London Town. It was them or the Elephant Man, so," the Doctor said, causing Rose to send him a narrow glare.
"He thinks he's funny, but I'm so not amused. What do you think, Ma'am?" Rose asked the Queen, her signature smile on her face.
The Queen, disinterested, said "It hardly matters. Shall we proceed?" She glanced briefly at the trio before going inside.
While the captain, sitting high on his horse, continued to give orders, one of the men went into the carriage to retrieve a small, locked box.
"What's in there, then?" the Doctor called out, eyeing the box as the man moved towards the house.
"Property of the Crown. You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir. The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions," the captain said, turning away to finish his orders.
As the soldiers began to disperse, the Doctor nudged Rose and Victoria towards the front door. They weren't given the opportunity to take in the beautiful interior, having been rushed to follow the Queen.
They were guided up the grand staircase and into the observatory where the telescope was sitting.
"Wow, it's beautiful," Victoria breathed softly, looking at all the different objects around the room.
"This, I take it, is the famous Endeavor," the Queen said, glancing at Sir Robert.
"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 himself or the house," he explained as the trio moved closer to inspect the device.
"I wish I'd met him. That thing's beautiful. Can I?" the Doctor asked, reaching towards the telescope.
"Help yourself."
"Do you know what he modeled it on?" the Doctor asked, looking up from the telescope.
"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," Robert explained.
"It's a bit rubbish," the Doctor said, causing Rose to grin and Victoria to facepalm. "How many prisms has it got? Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top. That's stupid, kind of a-" he stopped abruptly, leaning towards the two girls to quietly ask if he was being rude.
"Yes. Yes, you are,"
"But it's pretty! It's very pretty," the Doctor quickly backtracked, trying to correct his previous statement. Rose shook her head, patting his shoulder fondly.
"And the imagination of it should be applauded," the Queen added, giving the Doctor a pointed look.
"Mm! Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful?" Rose asked, looking at the Queen with an innocent grin. "You could easily not be amused… or something? No?"
She turned her attention to Rose, taking her statement quite seriously. "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 fairytales."
"Stars and magic. I like him more and more," the Doctor grinned, examining the telescope more.
"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company," the Queen explained, turning towards Victoria and Rose. "Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg."
"That's Bavaria," the Doctor whispered.
The Queen turned back towards Robert, and said, "When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported."
The Doctor looked up towards the two, his attention having been peaked. "What's this wolf, then?"
"It's just a story," Robert remarked with the shake of his head.
"Then tell it," the Doctor told him. Robert looked around uncomfortably to one of the men standing nearby.
"It's said that-"
The man cut him off, saying, "Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark."
Robert nodded, "Of course. Yes, of course."
The Queen looked towards Rose and me, specifically glaring at my pants. "And then supper. And... could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I am tired of her nakedness. And can we please get Miss Jones out those wretched pants?"
"It's not assuming, is it?" Rose added, and Victoria threw a glare at her. She wasn't the one getting scolded by the Queen for wearing pants.
Luckily, the Queen chose to ignore her comment and turned away to talk with Robert. The two girls turned to the Doctor, who was grinning.
"The Queen loves you two."
Victoria groaned, covering her face with her hands. "She hates me, she truly hates me. I can't believe wearing these pants has made the Queen hate me."
The Doctor started to chuckle as he patted her shoulder comfortingly. "If you'll follow me," the Queen announced, guiding them out of the observatory.
"Miss Tyler, Miss Jones. In here you will find a wardrobe," she nodded towards a door. Rose pushed open the door, holding it open for the redhead.
Rose immediately went for the closest wardrobe and pulled out the first dress she saw. Victoria shook her head, grimacing slightly.
"I'm not really feeling the brown," Victoria told her, watching as she held it up to her body. Rose scrunched her face in agreement, her tongue poking out as she concentrated.
"What about this one?" she asked, pulling a blouse out.
"Nope. Absolutely not. It's too… frilly." With a laugh, Rose placed the blouse back and pulled out a light blue dress. She held it up and twirled around.
"Oh, I like that a lot. It's cute," Victoria grinned, pulling the dress out of her hands.
"That's a good color for you, 'toria," she said, looking over her shoulder as she opened a different wardrobe in the room.
She let out a scream, causing Victoria to rush over to see what had happened. "Oh my god." There was a young maid crouched inside, breathing heavily.
"It's okay, we're not gonna hurt you," Victoria told her softly, raising her hands up. Rose looked over and quickly followed suit.
"Will you let us help you?" the redhead asked, slowly holding her hand out to the panting woman. After a moment of hesitation, she grabbed it, allowing Victoria to pull her up.
Together, the girls walked her to the bed and sat down with her, never letting go of her hand in hopes of calming her down.
"They came through the house. The incitements, they took the Steward and the Master. And my Lady," she whispered, looking down at her hands.
"Listen, we've got a friend, he's called the Doctor. He'll know what to do. You've gotta come with us," Rose told her gently.
"Oh, but I can't, Miss."
"What's your name?" Victoria spoke up, slightly squeezing her hand.
"Flora."
"I'm Rose, that's Victoria. Flora, we'll be safe. There's more people downstairs: soldiers and everything, and they can help us. I promise. Come on," Rose guided Flora slowly out of the room and into the hallway, Victoria walking behind them. They took a few steps away from the door, just enough to see a guard lying on the floor.
"Oh, Miss. I did warn you!" Flora cried softly, watching as Victoria moved in front and them and crouched down beside the guard.
She pressed two fingers to his neck to check for a pulse. "He's definitely still alive. It looks like there's a bruise on his neck," Victoria told them, turning to look at the two girls behind me.
She was shocked to see that Rose and Flora had hands over their mouths and were being dragged backward. "Ros-" A hand fell onto Victoria's mouth before she could say more and pulled her away from the body.
Victoria tried to wrestle against the arms wrapped tightly around her body, but they wouldn't budge. The grip tightened, cutting off her air slightly. She stopped struggling, knowing she didn't have the air or energy to fight back.
They brought the girls to the cellar where a group of seven people were chained to the wall, one of whom looked like a noblewoman. There was a cage on the other side of the room that housed a man who was hunched over in a black cloak. After releasing them, the captures quickly chained the three girls to the wall as quickly as possible before leaving without a word.
Victoria reached out and grabbed Rose's hand as her fear began to grow.
"Don't make a sound. They said if we scream or shout, then he will slaughter us," the noblewoman whispered, gaining their attention.
"But he's in a cage. He's a prisoner. He's the same as us," Rose said, looking over at the hunched figure.
"He's nothing like us," she said, fear straining her voice. "That creature is not mortal."
The man sat up and looked directly into Victoria's eyes, showing off his completely black eyes. "Oh my god."
Rose stared in horror, taking hesitant steps towards the cage. "Rose, what are you doing?" Victoria snapped quietly, pulling her arm to stop her. Rose didn't stop moving, pulling her arm out of the redhead's grip with ease.
"Who are you?"
"Do not enrage him."
"Where are you from? You're not from Earth. What planet are you from?" Rose asked from her kneeling position, gaining the man's attention. He looked up at her slightly, a wicked grin growing on his face.
"Oh… intelligent," he whispered, looking at her closely.
"Where were you born?"
"This body... ten miles away... a weakling, heartsick boy. Stolen away at night by the brethren from my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart," he explained with a wicked smile.
Victoria tugged at the sleeves of her shirt for a moment, working up the nerves to approach the creature.
"What are you? The body's human… but you aren't," Victoria said, slowly making her way to stand beside Rose.
"So far from home."
"If you wanna get back home, we can help," Rose offered, but Victoria looked down, unsure as to if the Doctor would help him.
"Why would I leave this place? A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose," the man said, tilting his head curiously.
"How would you do that?" Rose asked, but Victoria stared at him curiously, thinking about what was special about where they were.
"I would migrate to the Holy Monarch. And it seems that your friend already figured that out," he said, turning his dark, blank eyes to Victoria.
"You want to use Queen Victoria," she said, staring back, trying to bite back the fear she was feeling.
"With one bite, I would pass into her blood. And then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf! So many questions-" he jumped forward towards us, startling all of us in the room.
"Look! Inside your eyes! You've seen it too!" he said somewhat frantically, looking at Rose.
"Seen what?"
"The Wolf! There is something of the Wolf about you!" he said manically.
'Bad Wolf,' Victoria remembered. She had heard the Doctor talk briefly about Bad Wolf and how those words followed him and Rose everywhere.
"I don't know what you mean," she told him, confusion growing on her face.
"You burnt like the sun, but all I require is the moon," he said as the doors flew open. Moonlight began flooding the room, exciting the man. He moved towards the light, calling out for it.
"Rose, Flora! All of you! We need to get out of here!" Victoria said, turning away from him to pull at the chains connected to the wall.
"You heard her! Stop looking at it and grab hold of the chain and pull!"
"Come on!" Rose groaned, pulling as hard as could, Victoria following suit.
"I said pull! Stop your whining and listen to me! All of you! And that means you, your Ladyship! Now come on, pull!" Rose called out harshly as they pulled hard once again. Finally, the workers and the noblewoman snapped out of their daze and rushed forward to pull on the chain.
"Oh my god. He's turning into a wolf," Victoria muttered, stopping briefly to stare at the creature in horror.
"Pull!" Rose called out, and together they pulled the chain roughly. "One. Two. Three. Pull!" Rose called out again, leading the group in yanking the chain.
"One more time!" Victoria called out before Rose led the pull. With the last tug, the chain flew out of the wall, clatering to the ground heavily.
To their left, the door flew open as the Doctor stood there. "Where the hell have you been!" Rose cried out as she spotted him.
He stood there silently, his mouth agape as he watched the man transform into a wolf. "Oh, that's beautiful." The group ran for the door just as the wolf began breaking the bars off of his cage, finally breaking the Doctor from his awed look. "Out!" he repeated, ushering the group out the door.
"Come on!" Rose called out as they ran out of the room.
As Victoria was about to go through the frame, the frame of the cage crashed into the space about her head, causing her to duck down with a shriek.
Once everyone got through the door, the Doctor pulled out his sonic and locked the doors. He grabbed Victoria's hand and pulled her down the hallway, following Rose into the weapons room.
The Doctor pulled his sonic out of his pocket and unlocked everyone's manacles.
"It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths… did it say what it wanted?" he asked, looking intently at his companions
"The Queen, the Crown, the throne. You name it," Rose explained as a thumping sound began coming from the cellar door.
The Doctor took a few steps towards the door when it burst from its hinges, the wolf growling at the group.
"Doctor! Come on!" Victoria called out, unmoving as he stared at the wolf. Her voice drew his attention, growling louder as it narrowed its eyes on her. The Doctor shook his head, running back towards the group, grabbing Rose and Victoria's hand in the process.
"Fire!" the Steward ordered as the wolf got closer. Even as the bullets hit the creature, all it did was slow it down. "Fire!" he ordered again, clouds of smoke filling the air as the guns continued to fire.
"All right, you men, we should retreat upstairs, come with me," the Doctor said, looking around the room, trying to look for a sign of the wolf.
"I'll not retreat. The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault," the Steward rebutted, shaking his head.
The Doctor glared at the man, and snapped back: "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," he told the Doctor, moving away from the group to check the hallway in front of them. Victoria squeezed the Doctor's hand lightly, barely recognizing that she was doing it.
The Steward turned around, a look of triumph was set on his face as he looked at the Doctor. "Must've crawled away to die-" he let out a strangled cry as he was lifted into the air, abruptly stopping his speech. The wolf was reaching down from the ceiling, grabbing the man by the shoulder. His cries of pain mixed into the sound of the wolf eating the man.
"There's nothing we can do!" the Doctor called out to the men, pushing Rose and Victoria out of the room. Robert followed closely behind as they moved into a different room, the Doctor locking the door as soon as he was in.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Robert called, watching as the Queen descended down the stairs.
"Sir Robert! What's happening?" The Doctor moved away from the girls to check the room quickly.
Victoria turned to Rose who had her arms crossed tightly across her chest. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. How are you doin'?" she asked in response, looking at the redhead in.
"A little terrified. A werewolf… What are the odds," Victoria told her, causing Rose's lips to turn up into a small smile.
The Doctor walked back towards the girls, gesturing in the direction he had gone. "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."
The Queen nodded, moving to the window the Doctor was suggesting. "Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress," Robert said, moving in front of the Queen.
"A noble sentiment, Sir Walter Raleigh," she nodded at him, causing an impatient look to cross the Doctor's face.
"Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?" he snapped, and Robert nodded, unlatching the window before immediately crouching, having been shot at by monks. "I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside," the Doctor muttered, also surprised by their presence, moving to look at the monks outside the window.
"Do they know who I am?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The wolf… wants to bite you…" Victoria said, trailing off as the Queen sent her an incredulous look.
"Now, stop this talk. There can't be an actual wolf," she insisted, just as a howl rang through the house.
Down the hallway, the group watched the wolf scratch on one of the doors. "What do we do?" Roes cried, watching the wolf.
"We run!" the Doctor said, looking around the hallway for somewhere to go.
"Is that it?" she looked at him as if he were crazy.
"You got any silver bullets?"
"Not on me!" she snapped lightly.
"There we are then, we run. Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog," he said, turning to the Queen. He jogged in place, causing Victoria to fight a smile at his actions as she knew it wasn't the time and place. "It's good for the health."
He grabbed the Queen's hand and led her up the staircase. They could hear the sound of the door bursting open echoed behind them as they moved quickly up the stairs. The sound of paws pounding against the ground grew louder and louder with every second.
"Come on!" the Doctor called out as the wolf caught up to the group. The sound of a gunshot sounded through the room. They turned quickly to see Captain Reynolds holding a gun close to his chest.
"I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty… I went to look for the property, it was taken. The chest was empty," he urgently told the Queen.
"I have it. It is safe," she reassured him.
"Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert, you're a traitor to the crown," Reynolds said, his gun cocked at the man.
"Bullets can't stop it!" the Doctor stressed, knowing what would happen to him if he stayed.
"They'll buy you time! Now go!" he refused to budge, walking down the corridor with the gun raised high.
The Queen and Robert were already far down the hall while the time travelers were taking longer. "Thank you," Victoria nodded before running down the corridor, the Doctor was right beside her, his hand finding her's as they ran, and Rose close behind.
They raced into the library, Rose lingering in the doorway, watching Captain Reynolds. Victoria grabbed her arm and pulled her in just as the wolf reached him, hoping that she hadn't seen him get devoured by the wolf.
The Doctor slammed the door shut after she was inside and immediately began barricading the doors with chairs and wood from around the room. "Wait a minute, shh, shh, wait a minute…" the Doctor said, holding up a hand, causing everyone to stop where they were. They all heard the wolf howl before going silent.
"It stopped," he said, looking back at Rose and Victoria for a moment. He moved forward and stood on one of the chairs, leaning his ear against the door. He stood there, listening intently before letting out a sigh of relief. "It's gone."
They all stayed silent, listening to the sound of footsteps outside of the room. The Doctor slowly stepped down off of the stairs, and turned to Robert. "Is this the only door?" he whispered.
"Yes… no!" Robert responded, rushing to a door on the other side of the room, the Doctor close behind. They grabbed the surrounding chairs and barricaded that door as well.
"Why's it stopped?" Victoria questions, looking at the Doctor questioningly.
"Something inside this room. Why can't it get in?" he responded, although mainly talking to himself as Robert sat down in a chair.
"I'll tell you what, though…" Rose trailed off, glancing over at the Doctor.
"What?" he asked.
"Werewolf!" she let out a small laugh as the Doctor pulled her into a hug. Victoria stood silently to the side, watching the two with a frown, her arms crossed tightly across her chest, lightly hugging herself.
As she watched them, she could understand the Queen's fear and resentment towards the trio. She shook her head, unable to understand how her friends were being so heartless. She knew earlier she had lightly joked, but that was before… everything had truly happened.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. 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?" Robert asked, looking at the Queen with a guilty look on his face.
"Well, they were bald, athletic... your wife's away, I just thought you were happy," the Doctor said, causing Victoria to frown even more, now looking down at her feet.
"I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now," Rose said, Victoria shooting her a dark glare, unable to comprehend how they were making jokes.
"Do you think this is funny?" the Queen demanded, glaring deeply at her.
"No, Ma'am, I'm sorry," she replied meekly, looking away.
"What, exactly, I pray someone please tell… what exactly is that creature?" the Queen asked, moving her gaze from Rose.
"You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform," the Doctor explained, scratching his head as he thought.
"And should I trust you, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?" the Queen asked, causing the Doctor to shift uncomfortably.
"Oh... right, sorry-" he stammered but was cut off by the Queen.
"I'll not have it. No, sir, not you… not that thing… none of it. This is not my world," she said, staring at him. He held her gaze before walking away, moving to look at the doors. Victoria looked between the two, before following after him with a sigh.
"Mistletoe… Sir Robert, did your father put that there?" the Doctor asked, running his finger along the decor on the door he moved to.
"I don't know… I suppose."
"On the other door, too… a carving wouldn't be enough… I wonder…" he spoke, mostly to himself. He stared at the door for a moment before leaning in and licking the wood.
Victoria grimaced, not having expected that. "Ew."
"Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe - it's been worked into the wood like varnish! How clever was your dad? I love him!" he exclaimed, before turning toward Victoria and Rose. "Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins."
"So it's allergic to it?" Rose asked.
"Well, it thinks it is. The monkey monk monks need a way of controlling the wolf, maybe they trained it to react against certain things," he explained as Robert walked over to the trio, shaking his head.
"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon," he told the Doctor.
"Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?" the Doctor asked, giving him a look.
"Doctor!" Victoria snapped, sending him a glare.
"You're being rude again," Rose added with a nod.
"Good. I meant that one," he told us, causing Victoria to shake her head. She didn't understand. He was being… weird today. He wasn't normally like this. He walked up to the bookshelf and gestured to it. "You want weapons? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world." He reached inside his suit and pulled out his glasses and put them on. "This room's the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourselves," he said, throwing each person a few books.
The four got to work, flipping frantically through the books. Victoria glanced up from time to time, hearing Rose speaking to herself. She pulled another book off of the shelf and was surprised to see a picture of a rock falling through the sky. "Doctor, what about this one?"
He grabbed the book from her hand and he flipped through it.
"Great catch, Victoria. Robert, look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth," he placed the book open on the table.
"A spaceship?" Rose asked, looking at the picture.
"A shooting star," Robert said before looking back at the page. '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, looking over to the Doctor.
"Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations. It survived through the humans. Host after host after host," he explained.
"But why does he want the throne?" Robert asked, shaking his head.
"He said he wants to create the 'Empire of Wolves'," Victoria spoke up.
"Imagine it… the Victorian Age accelerated… starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam… leaving history devastated in its wake…" the Doctor trailed off forebodingly.
"Sir Robert," the Queen called out, drawing Robert's attention. With a brief nod to them, he walked over to her.
None of them said anything as the Queen and Robert spoke quietly, watching as the Queen pulled a jewel from her personal bag.
"Is that-"
"The Koh-I-Noor," Victoria finished, looking at the glittering jewel in awe.
"The greatest diamond in the world," the Doctor added with a nod, taking a few steps toward her to get a better glimpse of the gem.
"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," she explained, looking at the jewel in her hand.
"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I…?" the Doctor asked, nodding down at it. She hesitated for a moment before placing it in his outstretched hand.
He held it up to the light and looked it over. "That is so beautiful."
"How much is worth?" Rose asked, trying to get a better look.
"They say… the wages of the entire planet for a whole week," he said, looking down at her.
"Good thing my mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing," Rose joked, a small smile rising on her face.
"And she'd win," the Doctor laughed, making Rose do the same. Robert began pacing around the room, an anxious look plastered on his face.
"Where is the wolf? I do not trust this silence." The Doctor ignored Robert's words and turned to the Queen.
"Why do you travel with it?"
"My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewellers at Hazlehead. The stone needs recutting," she explained.
Rose shook her head, "But it's perfect."
"My late husband never thought so."
The Doctor took his glasses and placed them back in his pocket. "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," he explained.
With a nod, the Queen said: "He always said… the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished."
A look of realization crossed the Doctor's face. "Unfinished! Yes!" He tossed the jewel back to the Queen rather carelessly. "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 said, running his hands through his hair roughly as he thought. "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," she replied, looking at him, waiting for him to continue.
"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But! What if there's a trap inside the trap?" he asked, looking back at Victoria for a moment.
"Explain yourself, Doctor," the Queen demanded.
"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," he said, and suddenly it hit Victoria, causing her to gasp.
"The telescope," she said, pointing at him, causing him to point back. "Exactly!"
Above them, flakes began raining from the ceiling as the wolf began walking on the glass ceiling
.
"That wolf there," the Doctor said, staring at it. The glass under its feet began to crack, causing them all to scramble back. They ran for the door, the Queen right beside Victoria.
"Out! Out!" the Doctor said as they pulled the barricade away from the door.
Behind them, the glass broke under the wolf's feet, causing him to land with a loud crash, followed by a loud growl. Victoria grabbed a hold of the last chair and threw it at the wolf before rushing out of the room.
The Doctor pulled her away from the door as the wolf growled, his eyes on her. "The observatory! We need to go to the observatory!" Victoria yelled as they ran down the corridor.
Beside her, Rose stopped to stare at the wolf as it got closer and closer. "Rose!" the redhead cried, grabbing her arm and tugged her away.
The noblewoman from earlier ran in front of the two girls, throwing a pan of liquid at the wolf, causing it to howl in pain and run away. "Good shot," the Doctor said, grabbing Victoria's hand and pulling her with him to investigate if the wolf was anywhere to be seen.
"Where do you think it went?" she asked, looking up at the Doctor.
"It's probably somewhere close." she glanced back to see Robert kiss the woman before she and her maids walked back in the direction they came. "Come on!" the Doctor called to the group before taking off in a run down the corridor we were in. "The observatory is this way!"
They reached a spiral staircase and we ran as quick as we could, knowing that we were close. "No mistletoe on these doors, your father wanted the wolf to get inside! Get inside I just need time! Is there any way of barricading this?" the Doctor asked, glancing around.
Robert shook his head. "Just do your work and I'll defend it." Victoria looked at Robert, her heartbreaking as she realized his wife would most likely become a widow that night.
"If we could bind them shut with rope or something!" the Doctor said, ignoring Robert's words.
"I said I'd find you time, sir," Robert said with determination. "Now get inside."
The Doctor stared at him for a moment. "Goodman," he said with a nod before walking into the room.
"Thank you, Robert. Good luck," Victoria nodded at him before running back into the room, watching as he shut the doors.
"Your Majesty, the diamond," the Doctor said, holding out his hand to the Queen.
"For what purpose?"
"What it was designed for."
The Queen reached into her bag and handed the jewel over to the Doctor. He immediately ran over to the telescope before calling Rose and Victoria over to help. "Lift it! Come on!" the Doctor said as they put all of their power into turning the wheel.
"Is this the right time for stargazing?" Rose snapped at him.
"Yes. Yes, it is," Victoria told, understanding what the Doctor was about to do.
Outside the room, a loud, strangled cry, signifying to the group that the wolf had gotten to Robert. "You said this thing doesn't work," Rose said as the gears of the telescope moved.
"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 explained but Rose shook her head.
"But there's no electricity," she noted and Victoria nodded up at the light chamber.
"Moonlight! But it needs moonlight! It's made by moonlight!" Rose exclaimed, catching on.
"You're seventy percent water but you can still drown. Come on!" the Doctor said as the moon began to align with the chamber. "Come on!"
Victoria let out a sigh of relief as the gears clicked into place and the moon and chamber aligned perfectly. However, the relief was quickly lost as the door behind them burst open, revealing the wolf.
The wolf moved towards the Queen, but the Doctor quickly rushed forward and thrust the Koh-I-Noor into the beam of light escaping the light chamber. A beam bounced off the jewel, hitting the wolf.
Victoria's mouth fell open as the wolf began rising in the air and transforming back into his human form.
"Make it brighter. Let me go," he whispered, looking the Doctor in the eyes. The Doctor slowly walked up to the light chamber and flipped a switch, causing the wolf to let out a howl.
Victoria glanced over at the Queen to see her gripped her wrist tightly. "Your Majesty? Are you okay?" she asked, her brow furrowed slightly.
"Did it bite you?" the Doctor asked, coming to stand beside the redhead.
"No… it's just a scratch," she told them, refusing to release her wrist.
"If that thing bit you…" the Doctor trailed off.
"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart," she said as the Doctor reached for her wrist.
"Let me see it," he said, but she jerked her arm away.
"It is nothing," she said, staring at him. "Now that that is over, why don't you three retire for the night," she told them, leaving before they could say anything else. They looked among each other, deciding to just follow her to the rooms she was letting them stay in for the night.
Rose entered the first room offered, looking incredibly worn out from the long day. Just down the hall, she offered the Doctor and Victoria each a room before leaving for her own. "Victoria?" he asked as she reached for the door handle to my room. "Are you okay?"
"Honestly, no. You and Rose were acting heartless this whole night. People were dying, and you guys were making jokes. And that just… it really bothered me," she told him, fiddling with the sleeve of her jacket.
The Doctor was silent for a moment, running his hand through his hair as he thought. "Humor seems to be this body's defense mechanism. But you're right… the way we acted wasn't right. I'm sorry that I, we, made you uncomfortable."
"Thank you," she whispered, leaning against her door. They stared at one another for a moment, just taking each other in.
"What happened to your cheek?" he asked, moving towards her and brushing his finger over my cheek, causing her cheek to turn red involuntarily.
"I must have been hit by a splinter or something," she reassured, smiling lightly at his concern.
He nodded as she dropped his hand, quickly placing them back in his pockets. "Good night, Victoria. Sleep well."
"Thank you, Doctor. You too," she told him before walking into her room. She pushed her door closed and jumped onto the bed, gladly accepting the sleepiness that was creeping through her whole body.
The next morning, Victoria had a bright smile on her face as she exchanged looks of excitement with Rose and the Doctor. The three of them were kneeling in front of the Queen who held a sword in her hands, having promised knighthood to them for their efforts the previous night.
"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the: Dame Rose of the Powell Estate," she said, tapping the blonde on each shoulder with the sword.
"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Sir Doctor of TARDIS," she said, moving the sword to the Doctor's shoulders.
Victoria took a deep breath, her excitement getting the best of her. "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee: Dame Victoria of TARDIS," she said, tapping my shoulders.
Victoria was an early riser, much earlier than Rose, and had spent most of the early morning talking to the Doctor. One topic that came up was what she would call the TARDIS. The life that she had in London was a distant memory to her at this point, not that she had cared for most of it anyway.
She had gone through medical school, and still required her residency, but she didn't have any friends, not any that would notice her disappearance.
Victoria loved her dad more than anyone in the world, but she hadn't called his tiny flat home for some time, having just floated from one place to the next. However, being on the TARDIS, it just felt right, like she was supposed to be there.
"You may stand," the Queen told them, removing the sword from Victoria's shoulder. The trio stood, Rose and Victoria curtseying in thanks.
"Thank you! Oh my god, Dad's not gonna believe this!" Victoria exclaimed, turning to the Doctor with a smile.
"Thanks! They're never going to believe this back home," Rose agreed, shared a smile with Victoria.
"Many thanks," the Doctor nodded. "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."
"Indeed. Then you may think on this, also: that I am not amused." Rose immediately grinned, shooting the Doctor a pleased grin. To my right, the Doctor leaned his head back and let out a groan. "Not remotely amused. And henceforth... I banish you."
While Rose's draw dropped in shock, Victoria could understand why. Rose and the Doctor acted awfully, and she had been complacent, not doing enough to stop them from their jokes.
"I'm sorry?" the Doctor asked, more than shocked at her decree.
"I rewarded you, Sir Doctor. And now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the three 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 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. Now leave my world. And never return."
The three of them left the house as quickly as possible after that, and they were lucky enough to find a carriage that was willing to give them a ride back.
However, the man would only take them so far, and they were stuck walking for a while before they arrived at the TARDIS. During that time, the Doctor had told the girls that the haemophilia that ran in the royal family began with Queen Victoria, meaning that she most likely was bit by the wolf last night.
"I can't believe they're werewolves!" Victoria said with a laugh as she entered the TARDIS, no longer feeling tense from the events of last night.
"Actual werewolves!" Rose laughed, wrapping her arms around Victoria in pulling her into a hug, though the girl flinched backwards, her nose scrunched in disgust.
"We all need to shower. Badly. I'm going to take mine, and then I am going to have a nice relaxing evening in my room. I'll see you two tomorrow," Victoria told them, leaving room for no argument.
Victoria watched with a smile as they picked up their shirts and sniffed them lightly and immediately grimaced. "Night, guys!" she said with a wave, walking out of the room.
When she got back to her room, she took a quick, hot shower, washing off all the grim from running through the house. When she finished getting dressed, she noticed that she had a missed call from her dad and quickly called him back, putting the phone between her shoulder and ear.
"Hey, Dad. Sorry I missed your call," she apologized once he picked up.
"Hey, Sweetheart. No worries, I just wanted to check in on you, see how you were doing," he reassured.
"Oh, Dad, I'm doing great. We just met Queen Victoria," she told him, though frowning slightly. "I got a good tongue lashing from her for wearing pants."
She heard him laugh through the phone, making her smile. "Good ole Vicky… I remember her," he told her, causing her to fake throw up.
"With the Queen? Really?" she moaned, both knowing she was only teasing.
"It was a long time ago, " he waved off, trying to be nonchalant about it.
"Why don't you stop by soon, bring the Doctor with you while you're at it," he said after a moment of silence.
"I'll get him to stop by soon, I promise," she said, reaching over for her comb that was sitting on her bedside table. "I miss you."
"I miss you too, Sweetheart," he told her, and in the background, she could hear the doorbell going off. "I have to go, I love you."
She smiled sadly. "I love you, too. I'll talk to you soon, bye."
She flopped backward into her bed, staring up at her ceiling when she heard a knock. Victoria glanced over to see the Doctor and Rose peak through, both having showered and wearing pajamas. The Doctor was holding a movie, but she couldn't read what it said, and Rose was holding a bowl of popcorn and a few drinks.
"Wanna watch some Indiana Jones?" the Doctor asked, shaking the case in his hand.
With a small grin, Victoria moved to the center of her bed, allowing them to sit on either side of her after the Doctor put the DVD in disc tray in her tv.
After settling down, both placed their heads on Victoria's shoulder, a blanket covering their legs. She smiled to herself, wishing slightly that she had a picture of this moment.
"Harrison Ford looks hotter as Indy than he does as Han."
Rose immediately lifted her head up to give the redhead an incredulous look. "No way, he's way hotter in Star Wars."
Victoria shook her head violently. "No, his hair is too long in Star Wars. Everything about him in Indiana Jones makes him hotter."
The Doctor looked to his left to watch as his companions argued, a content smile coming to his face. Maybe they should do this more often.
"Come on, Rose. Look at him!"