The Slow Path
The Wolf quickly ushered John down a hall and stopped at a large mirror similar to the one they had been in front of before. "Okay, I need you to warn Reinette," she told him.
"What, you're going to trust me to be alone with the girl? Won't I wreck history?" John said a bit snappishly.
"Oh, hush," the Wolf flapped a hand at him. "We don't have a lot of time, so listen. In there, near as I can make out, she's thirty-two. That means the robots will be there in five years to take her. I don't have time to find a time window nearer. Tell Reinette that she has to keep them talking until we get there. They'll respond to her, so she can slow them down," she instructed.
"Where will you be?" John asked nervously.
"Searching for the right time window. Now hurry. I'll need your help as well." Without another word, the Wolf ran off, leaving John alone.
John stared after her for a moment before he took a deep breath, fortifying himself. "Here goes nothing," he muttered, and walked through the mirror. A drape blocked his path, and when he pushed past it, Reinette started at his sudden appearance. "Madame de Pompadour," he greeted cautiously, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "Please, don't scream – and don't kiss me again. We don't have a lot of time. I've come to warn you that they'll be here in five years."
"Five years?" Reinette inquired, confused, but making no move to jump him, to John's relief.
"Some time after your thirty-seventh birthday. I – I can't give you an exact date. It's a bit random. But they're coming. It's going to happen. In a way, for us, it's already happening. I'm sorry," John apologized. "It's hard to explain. The Wolf does this part better."
"Then be exact, and I will be attentive," Reinette said patiently.
"There isn't time," John denied.
"There are five years," she pointed out.
John shook his head. "For you. I haven't got five minutes."
"Then also be concise," Reinette amended.
"Erm, there's a kind of ship, a sort of sky ship, and it's full of – well – you. Different bits of your life in different rooms, all jumbled up," John tried to explain, stumbling along. "I told you it was complicated. Sorry."
"There is a vessel in your world where the days of my life are pressed together like the chapters of a book, so that you and she may step from one to the other without increase of age while I, weary traveler, must always take the slower path," Reinette described accurately.
John stared at her, surprised by her astute declaration. "She was right about you," he murmured.
"So, in five years this creature will return. What can be done?" she wanted to know.
"The Wolf said to keep them talking. They're kind of programmed to respond to you now. You won't be able to stop them, but you might be able to delay them a bit," John informed her.
"Why do this?" Reinette asked suddenly.
John paused. "What?"
"This. Saving me," she elaborated. "Why do any of it?"
"It's what she does," John said, shrugging.
"And you?"
He hesitated. "I – I'm there."
Reinette nodded, seeming to have come to an understanding inside herself. "That explains it, then. You belong to her, and she to you," she asserted.
John was quiet for a long moment, biting his lip, uncertain where he had lost track of the conversation. "She'll be there when you need her," he finally said. "She promises."
Reinette sighed. "It is the way it's always been. The monsters and the Wolf. It seems you cannot have one without the other."
John huffed a laugh. "Tell me about it," he agreed. "The thing is, though, you weren't supposed to have either. Those creatures are messing with history. None of this was ever supposed to happen to you."
"Supposed to happen? What does that mean?" Reinette questioned. "It happened, and that is all there is to it. This is all I know. You tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel. And if I must, so shall I."
"Will you be okay?" John asked kindly.
Reinette took a deep breath. "No. I'm very afraid. But you know, don't you John? The Wolf is worth the monsters to you. So I will put my trust in both of you as I walk the slower path. I will await your return."
"We'll be there," John promised as he went back through the tapestry and onto the ship. He was greeted by screams filling the air.
"John! John, I found it! You have to get over here, now!" the Wolf's voice sounded above the screams.
"What's that noise?" John yelled over the voices.
"I fixed an audio link. That's how you can hear me. I'm two decks up, down area sixteen. Hurry up!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" John dashed down the corresponding corridors, reaching the Wolf within minutes. "You found it then?" he asked as he got to her side, out of breath.
"They knew I was coming," the Wolf replied grimly. "They blocked it off."
John looked up at the time window that showed an overhead view of a ballroom. People were gathered in one large group with androids surrounding them. Many women were screaming, with the men yelling at the robots angrily. John could see at least one woman on the ground, fainted dead away. However, he couldn't see Reinette anywhere.
"I don't get it," he finally said. "How come they got in there? Reinette's nowhere to be seen. And how come they could and not you?"
"They teleported. You saw them," was the Wolf's short reply. "As long as the ship and the ballroom are linked, their short range teleports will do the trick."
"Dumb question then, but why can't we just go in the TARDIS?" he asked.
The Wolf shook her head. "Can't use the TARDIS. We're part of events now."
"Right, of course. Obvious, really," John nodded. "Alright then, can't we just smash through?"
"Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We need a truck," the Wolf explained.
"We don't have a truck," John stated the obvious.
"I know we don't have a truck!" the Wolf yelled. "Don't you think I noticed that?!"
John was taken aback by the Wolf's explosion. Fully looking at her, he noticed that she was practically vibrating from having to be still. People were about to die, and as far as he could see, there was nothing she could do but watch it happen. It was driving her spare. "Okay, then," he said gently, "we'll try something else."
The Wolf scoffed. "No. Smash the glass, smash the time window," she explained jerkily. "There'd be no way back."
"Could everyone just calm down please?" Reinette had arrived, several more droids in tow.
John watched as Reinette admonished the crowd into silence, impressed with her regal manner. "That's it," the Wolf's whisper distracted him away from the scene in the ballroom. He turned to see her eying Arthur, who had reappeared from God knew where after disappearing when John had been captured.
"What's it?" he asked warily. The Wolf ignored him, going over to the horse and grabbing his saddle, preparing to mount up. John snatched her arm, pulling her away from the animal. "Are you insane, Wolf?" he protested. "You can't! You won't be able to come back, you said so yourself." There was no way she was stranding herself in the past without a way back to him.
The Wolf sighed. "John, if Reinette dies in that ballroom, somehow, all of time will unravel," she explained in a quiet tone. "She is pivotal to history. I have to go through."
John thought it over for a moment before nodding decisively. "Then I'm coming with you," he told her.
The Wolf's eyes widened. "No, you're not," she denied vehemently. "I am not stranding you in seventeenth century France," she said, unknowingly parroting his thoughts. "I won't do that to you."
"So you're trapping me in fifty-first century space instead?" John countered. "How is that better? At least there, we'll be together."
The Wolf took his hand, holding it tightly. "John, go back to the TARDIS," she said firmly. "Wait for me in there. All the droids are in France right now. You should be safe." John tried to protest again, but she cut him off. "John. I swear I will do everything in my power to get back to you as soon as I can," she promised.
John stared at her for a long moment before swallowing hard and giving her a quick kiss to the forehead. "You'd better," was his simple reply. "Good luck." He backed away as the Wolf mounted Arthur.
Just before she urged Arthur through, she looked down at him and gave him a quick wink. "You won't even have time to miss me," she said with a small, but real, grin. Without waiting for a reply, she kicked Arthur in the ribs, pointing him straight through the time window. As soon as they had disappeared, the wall bricked up, as if the window had never been there.
Taking deep breaths to try and control small bursts of panic that were attempting to break through, John turned and ran as fast as he could back to the TARDIS.
The Wolf took a second to enjoy everyone's shocked looks as she rode a horse through a mirror before she dismounted. "Madame de Pompadour," she greeted, "you look younger every day." Reinette smiled brightly at her timely entrance.
"What the hell is going on?" the King asked exasperatedly.
Reinette sobered momentarily, but then a teasing glint formed in her eye. "Oh. Wolf, this is my lover, the King of France."
The Wolf eyed the man up and down with a smug smirk on her face. "Yeah? Well I'm the Lady of Time, and I'm here to fix the clock." She walked over and removed the mask from the ever present robotic man that had been stalking Reinette her whole life. "Forget it. It's over," she told him. "For you and for me. Talk about seven years bad luck. Try three thousand." She indicated the mirror, which was now walled over. "The link with the ship is broken. No way back. You don't have the parts. How many ticks left in that clockwork heart, huh?" she asked them. "A day? An hour? It's over. Accept that. I'm not winding you up."
The androids were all still for a moment before they simultaneously wound down, bending in half. One even fell backwards and broke into pieces.
The Wolf turned to Reinette, who was picking herself up off the floor. "You alright?" she asked, concerned.
Reinette nodded. "What's happened to them?"
"They've stopped," the Wolf answered with a shrug. "They have no purpose now."
John paced around the console room, stewing, trying to think of any alternatives to what he could have done. How he could have gone with the Wolf. Time had been of the essence, so he had caved to her reasoning, but now, all he could think of was how he should have been there with her. Sure, he had the TARDIS, but – "Lot of good that does me, huh?" he asked the air. "Not like I can fly you there anymore. I should have just gotten on that damn horse with her. How is she going to get back? All the windows are blocked up now, I saw them coming here." He growled, continuing his pacing.
All will be well.
"I don't know that, now do I?" John yelled at himself, angry at the positive thought that had come out of nowhere. The TARDIS hummed in what seemed like a reassuring manner, not for the first time. "We don't know that, do we, TARDIS?" he asked the ship.
The TARDIS gave a frustrated and impatient sounding chime before practically squawking, startling John so much he stumbled over the grating and fell to the floor. "What was that for?" he complained. The ship merely gave another angry chime, as though she was scolding him. "Well if you're going to be like that, I'm just going to go wait outside," John muttered darkly, doing just that.
The Wolf stared up at the night sky, wishing she was both light years and thousands of years away. She hadn't lied to John – she would have tried as hard as she could to get back to him, but there was no way. She'd known that going in. But if she was gone long enough, Emergency Program One would restart and take him home. She'd modified the program after her regeneration, in case she was ever too far away to take care of John. He would be fine. Furious, most definitely, but fine.
"You know all their names, don't you?" Reinette's voice broke through the Wolf's dark thoughts. "I saw that in your mind. The name of every star."
The Wolf sighed. "What's in a name?" she asked rhetorically. "Names are just titles. Titles don't tell you anything."
"Like the Bad Wolf," Reinette said with a smile.
The Wolf couldn't help smiling a bit back despite the hopelessness of the situation, deprecating though it was. "Like Madame de Pompadour," she agreed.
"You have seen those stars from a much closer distance than I ever will, I think," Reinette observed.
"From time to time."
Reinette changed the subject. "In saving me, you trapped yourself, separated yourself from John. Did you know that would happen?"
The Wolf shrugged. "Mmm. Pretty much."
"Yet, still you came."
"Yeah, I did, didn't I? Catch me doing that again," the Wolf teased slightly.
"There were many doors between my world and yours," Reinette pointed out. "Could you not use one of the others?"
The Wolf shook her head. "When the mirror broke, the shock would have severed all the links with my ship. There'll be a few more broken mirrors and torn tapestries around here, I'm afraid," she apologized. "Wherever there was a time window. I'll – I'll pay for any damage," she offered before pausing. "Erm, there's a thought. I'm going to need money. I was always a bit vague on money," she said sheepishly. "Where do you get money?"
Reinette let out a small laugh at the Wolf's babbling. "Despite the fact that I think we could have become good friends, my guardian angel," she began kindly, "there is – I believe – another angel who will be anxiously awaiting your return."
"My ship will take him home," the Wolf said. "We'll all just have to adjust to taking the slow path."
"I will always be on the slow path," Reinette agreed. "But you, on the other hand, must return to the quick route. To John."
The Wolf contemplated the younger woman, wondering what she had up her sleeve. "How do you propose I do that?" she asked, eying the growing smile on Reinette's face.
Reinette just took the Wolf's hand and tugged, gently urging her to follow. She led the Wolf through a maze of hallways until they finally reached a large and spacious bedchamber. The Wolf's eyes widened when she saw the fireplace set in the wall, mantle and all, and immediately went over to inspect it with her sonic screwdriver. "It's not a copy, it's the original," Reinette informed her as she examined it. "I had it moved here and was exact in every detail."
"The fireplace," the Wolf murmured in awe. "The fireplace from your bedroom. When did you do this?" she asked over her shoulder.
"Many years ago, in the hope that a door once opened, may someday open again. One never quite knows when one will need their fireplace examined," Reinette said with a small smile. "It appears undamaged. Do you think it will still work?" she asked hopefully.
The Wolf tapped around the edges, searching for answers. "You broke the bond with the ship when you moved it, which means it was offline when the mirror broke. That's what saved it. But the link is basically physical," she thought out loud, "and it's still physically here. Which might just mean, if I'm lucky – if I'm very, very, very, very, very, very, lucky...Ah ha!" she shouted triumphantly.
"What?" Reinette asked eagerly.
The Wolf grinned. "Loose connection." She used her sonic screwdriver to reactivate the portal. "Need to get a man in," she teased. She thumped the mantle, and one last loose part clunked into place. "Wish me luck."
Reinette gave a sad smile, going over to give her a brief hug. "I will miss you my angel – my friend," she said in farewell, backing away. The Wolf stepped onto the platform, but Reinette spoke up one more time. "Bad Wolf."
She turned back. "What?"
"Remember, please. A storm cannot be stopped, but it can be weathered. Please, remember," Reinette begged.
"I will," the Wolf promised soberly before flipping the switch that would take her away. Reinette kept eye contact as the fireplace turned, returning the Wolf to the fifty-first century.
"Wolf!" A yell came from behind her. She barely had time to turn around before she was snatched into a tight hug, her feet hanging off the ground. "Don't you ever do that again," John muttered into her shoulder, his arms not loosening their hold on her.
The Wolf held onto him just as tightly, relieved to be back. "How long did you wait?" she finally asked when John's arms relaxed a fraction, allowing her to look him in the face, although he didn't put her down.
"Five and a half hours," he replied.
"Great," the Wolf said cheerfully, giving him the tongue-in-teeth smile that he loved. "Always wait five and a half hours."
"Where have you been? How did it go? Did you save Reinette? What now?" John asked quickly as he set her down, all the questions and worries that had been building up over the last few hours coming out all at once.
The Wolf chuckled at his tumbling words. "Reinette, his Majesty, and all other nobles are safe and accounted for," she told him. "Reinette got me back, clever girl that she is."
"The fireplace still worked?" John asked, amazed. "How?"
The Wolf shrugged, her mind still on Reinette's parting words. "Loose connection. She had it moved to her rooms in the palace. Really clever girl, she is," she said again. It bore repeating. "Anyway, good byes are said, time we shove off, eh?"
"Are you alright, Wolf?" he asked. "Everything's okay?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't they be?" she wondered.
John shook his head. "I don't know, you just seem – a little off. Worried, maybe."
"Just – glad to back," the Wolf told him with a smile.
Reassured, John grinned back. "You might want to go in first," he said warily. "I think she's mad at me."
The Wolf's eyes widened. "What did you do?" she asked reprovingly.
John held up his hands, placating. "Nothing! I didn't even kick her after this time of you leaving me behind." The Wolf winced at the reminder. "I swear, all I was doing was pacing, and she – she squawked at me. Like a chicken!"
The Wolf tried to keep a straight face, she did, but at John's words and incredulous expression, she burst into laughter. Uncontrollably.
"What does that mean?" John asked, sounding a little desperate. "Did I do something?"
The Wolf tried to pull herself together and failed miserably. "I have no idea," she told him between fits of laughter. "No clue. I can't imagine her making that noise. What did he do, love?" she asked, still chuckling.
The TARDIS merely hummed in reply, sounding happy and smug.
A/N: I'm wondering if people are catching on to something I'm hinting at. I know one person has - Angela - but since I don't have people yelling at me about it, I'm wondering if the rest of you are and just not saying anything. I feel like I was pretty obvious about it the last couple of chapters.