Tooth and Claw Part 1

Rose defiantly hadn't expected this. What she'd hoped for was a calm day on Earth, 1979, and then followed later that night with a concert to see Ian Dury and the Blockheads. BUT! As always, she was let down, only to be perked back up again.

"STOP!" Rose yelled as she and the Doctor were spinning through the Time Vortex. She felt the whole room stiffen, the sudden stillness causing her and the Doctor to fall to the floor, laughing manically.

"1979!" the Doctor exclaimed excitedly. "Hell of a year!" he got up off of the grating and helped Rose up off the floor. Walking towards the door, he stopped by one of the TARDIS corals, his long, brown coat hanging off of it. "China invades Vietnam- The Muppet Movie! I love that film!" he put on his coat, smoothing out the creases as he walked down the ramp. "Margaret Thatcher," he made a face and a disapproving noise. "Skylab falls to Earth… with a little help from me," he added sheepishly. "Nearly took off my thumb," he opened the door and began to walk out, Rose following closely. "I like my thumb, I need my thumb, I'm very attached to…"

The Doctor looked around, seeing that he and Rose were surrounded by mounted- armed- men, he rose his hands. Behind the mounted men was a carriage, also guarded. "… my thumb," the Doctor finished. He looked at the men's clothing, the penny dropping in his head as he realised they were soldiers. "1879," Rose gave a low snort at his driving skills, muttering something to herself. "Same difference," he ended.

"Can you explain your presence?" asked on of the soldiers on horse back, his pistol pointed at the Doctor. He moved it to Rose. "And the nakedness of this girl?" He had a broad sort of accent, and the Doctor smiled. "Are we in Scotland?" he asked, putting on a Scottish accent, Rose looking down at her pink t-shirt and dungarees. Naked?

"How can you be ignorant of that?" the soldier demanded.

"Oh, I'm dazed and confused," the Doctor lied. He gestured to Rose. "I've been chasing this wee naked child over hill and over dale. Isn't that right?" he asked Rose. "Ya… timorous beastie?"

Hoping to high Heaven she wouldn't laugh at him, Rose replied, in a terrible Scottish impression, "oh… aye! I've been oot and aboot."

"Don't do that," the Doctor whispered.

"Hoots, mon," Rose replied innocently.

"No," the Doctor repeated, a smirk appearing on his lips. "Don't do that."

"Would you identify yourself, Sir?" the soldier butted in.

"I'm Dr. James McCrimmon, from the… Township of Balamory," he stuttered. "I have my credentials, if I may?" he added, reaching into his pocket for his psychic paper. The soldier gave a sharp nod, the Doctor reaching into his pocket. He opened the paper, showing the blank page to the men. "As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Dr. Bell himself." The soldier eyed the Doctor for a long while, suspicion and untrusting flooding his face.

"Let them approach," called a small voice from the carriage.

"I don't think that's wise, ma'am," the soldier replied, his eyes trained on the two.

"Let them approach," the voice insisted, more firmly this time. The soldier continued to eye the Doctor, lowering his pistol slowly. "You will approach the carriage," he told the Doctor and Rose. "And show all due difference," he ended. The Doctor gave an 'aye, aye, Captain' gesture, walking slowly to the carriage, smiling when he saw who was inside.

Inside the carriage was a small, petite looking woman. She wore a snowy white hat upon her head, her hair tucked neatly in it, the rest of her clothing was black. The Doctor smiled at her, and then turned to Rose. "May I introduce to you, her Majesty, Queen Victoria," the Doctor told Rose. "Empress of India, and Defender of the Faith,"

Upon finding she was in the presence of Royalty, Rose greeted, "Rose Tyler, ma'am," she gave a small curtsey. "And my apologize for being so naked," she added with a small giggle.

The Queen dismissed it. "I've had five daughters," she told Rose. "It's nothing to me," she turned her attention to the Doctor, who was still smiling fondly. "But you, Doctor. Show me these credentials." The Doctor gave her the Psychic Paper and waited. She gave a shocked, but pleasantly surprised expression, and handed the Paper back to him. "Why didn't you say so immediately?" the Queen asked. "It states clearly that you've been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector."

"Does it?" the Doctor asked as he studied the Paper. Where she saw the statement, he saw his own. "Have a nice day, Gramps x" The Doctor's smile broadened as he added, "Good, good," he pocketed the Paper, then turned his attention back to the Queen. "Then, may I ask, why is your Majesty travelling by road when there's a train running from Aberdeen?"

"A tree on the line," she answered calmly.

"An accident?" the Doctor asked doubtfully.

The Queen smiled. "I am the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned," she told them.

"An assassination attempt?" he asked again, more confidently this time.

"Seriously?" Rose asked. "There's people out to kill ya?"

"I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun," the Queen informed them. The soldier that had the Doctor and Rose at gunpoint a few moments ago walked the horse towards them. "Sir Robert MacLiesh lives but ten miles hence," he reported. "We'll send word ahead, he'll shelter is for tonight, and we can reach Balmoral tomorrow."

The Queen nodded. She looked back at the two new additions to her party. "This Doctor and his… 'timorous beastie' will come with us," the Doctor gave Rose a cheeky smile as the soldier replied, "Yes, ma'am, but we'd better get moving, it's almost nightfall."

"Indeed," the Queen agreed. "There are stories of wolves in these parts. Fanciful tales, intended to scare the children, but good for the blood, I think," she looked to the driver, the footman closing the door. "Drive on," she commanded, the horses going into a walk quickly.

The Doctor and Rose walked behind the carriage, surrounding them were the soldiers as they walked. "It's funny, though," Rose started as they walked. "When you think 'assassination', you think of Kennedy and stuff, not her."

"1879…" the Doctor thought. "She's had about… six attempts on her life?" he guessed. "And I'll tell you something else: we just met Queen Victoria!"

"I know," Rose replied giddily, hitting his arms in excitement. "She was jus' sittin' there! I want her to say 'we are not amused'," she told him, putting on an upper-class, posh accent. "I bet you five quid I can make her say it."

"Well, if I gamble on that, it would be an abuse on my privileges of traveller in time," the Doctor sighed. Taking the hint of a higher offer, Rose replied, "Ten quid?"

"Done," the Doctor chuckled.


They arrived at a large Estate called Torchwood House, the carriage stopping around the front. As the walked closer to the house, he got the strangest feeling he was being watched. Looking around, finding nothing too out of the ordinary, he shook off the feeling. After they'd walked into the house, after the Doctor noting the strange behaviour of Sir Robert and Rose having a crack at trying to persuade the Queen to say those four magic little words, they entered a small Observatory, a large telescope pointing out of a window and to the sky. "This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour," the Queen stated.

"All my fathers work," Robert nodded. He gestured the telescope. "Built by hand in his final years. Became somewhat of an obsession. He spent money on this rather than caring for the House or himself."

"I wish I'd met him, I like him," the Doctor smiled fondly at the telescope. "That thing is beautiful, can I…" he walked towards the telescope, looking back at Robert.

"Help yourself," he replied as the Doctor looked around the item. "I know nothing about it, to be honest. A lot of people thought him as… shall we say, eccentric," Robert added lightly. "I wish now I'd spent more time with him, listened to his stories,"

The Doctor continued to examine the telescope, peering through it. "It's a bit rubbish," he told Robert, Rose smiling at his rudeness. "How many prisms has it got?" Not waiting for Robert to reply, he continued, "Way too many. The magnification's gone right over the top, that's stupid kind of-" he walked to Rose, and said quietly to her, "Am I being rude again?"

"Yup," Rose nodded.

"But it's pretty," the Doctor tried to recover quickly. "Very pretty,"

"And the imagination of it should be applauded," Queen Victoria added.

"I thought you might disapprove, your Majesty," Rose said. "Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful?" the Queen stared at Rose, her expression un-changing. "You could easily… not be amused, or something… no?"

The Queen continued to stare at the strange girl for a few long moments before ignoring her and changing the subject. "This device is the infinite work of God," the Queen told them as the Doctor shook his head at his companion, a vague smile on his face. "What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath. Steeped in Astronomy and Sciences, yet equally inversed in folklore and fairytales."

"Stars and magic?" the Doctor quipped. "I like him more and more."

The Queen gave him a smile as she looked back at the telescope. "Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company," she said happily. Taking a few steps to Rose, she added, "Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg."

Knowing she wouldn't know what the Queen meant, the Doctor whispered in her ear, "That's Bavaria."

The Queen turned to Robert. "When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported," the Doctor frowned slightly. "So, what's this wolf, then?" he asked.

Robert shrugged uncomfortably. "It's just a story,"

"Then tell it," the Doctor urged.

Robert paled, craned his head to look back at the servants behind him, but quickly brought his head back to look at the Doctor. One of the servants, the tallest, called, "Excuse me, sir, perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark,"

Robert looked back at the man uncomfortably, then gave a tight smile. "Of course!"

"And then supper," the Queen added. "Could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler? I'm tired of nakedness."

"Not amusing, is it?" Rose attempted pointedly. The Queen gave her a look, and then turned back to Robert, leaving Rose to poke the Doctor in the chest as he whispered for her to stop in her ear.


Not an hour later, the Doctor, Queen Victoria and company were sat around the dinner table. One of the servants approached the Doctor and gave a small bow. "Your company begs an apology, Sir. Her clothing has somewhat delayed her."

"Oh, that's alright," the Doctor brushed off, however slightly concerned as Rose never really had that much trouble with finding what to wear But, it was 1879... "Save her a wee bit o' ham."

"The feral child could probably eat it raw," Queen Victoria commented. The Doctor felt a pang at the back of his mind, a small pang of anger at the Queen's comment. Yes, the Doctor was… annoyed at her statement, but not angry. It made the Doctor think, yet again, he wasn't alone, and he had a fair idea of who it was this time.

The Captain laughed manically, and replied to her, "Very wise, ma'am! Very witty!"

"Slightly witty, perhaps," the Queen nodded. "I know you rarely get the chance to dine with me, Captain, but don't get too excited. I shall contain my wit, in case I do you further injury."

The Captain looked at her meekly, replying, "Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am."

"Better?" the Doctor asked Eliza, who he was certain was watching.

"A bit…" Eliza replied sheepishly. "How'd you know I was here?"

"You need to take better care of guarding your emotions, young Apprentice," the Doctor joked.

"Of course, Master," Eliza replied, the Doctor swearing he could just see her bow mockingly. "Please tell me I don't get whippings due to my lack of concentration?"

The Doctor smiled. "I'll let you off this time," He replied mentally. He then looked about him and saw the crowd of three watched him suspiciously at he smiled at nothing. Blushing the tiniest amount, he coughed, "Besides, we're all waiting on Sir Robert! Come, Sir! Tell us a tale of nightmares," he ended spookily.

"Indeed," the Queen nodded. "Since my husband's death, I find I have a taste for supernatural fiction."

"You must miss him," the Doctor said solemnly. Giving him a tight smile, she replied, "Very much," she looked phased out, too deep in her own thoughts. "Oh, completely. And that's a charm of a ghost story, isn't it? Not the scares and chills, that's just for children, but some hope of contact of the Great Beyond. We all want some message from that place. It's the creator's greatest mystery that we are allowed no such consolation. The dead stay silent," the Queen gave a small shrug. "and we must wait," she looked down at the table for a few moments before looking over to her host, Sir Robert. "Come," she continued. "In your tales, Sir Robert, there's a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the eves. Tell us of monsters!" she demanded excitedly, eager to hear his fairytale.

Robert nodded, shifting in his seat uncomfortably, the Doctor noticed. He cleared his throat and began. "The story goes back three hundred years. Every full-moon, the howling rings through the valley. Next morning, livestock has been found, ripped apart; devoured."

The Captain scoffed. "Tales like this are the perfect disguise for thieves," he told them. "Steal the sheep, blame a wolf. Simple as that."

"Sometimes a child goes missing," Robert protested. "Once in a generation, a boy will vanish from his homestead."

"Are there descriptions of the creature?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, yes," Robert nodded. "Drawings and woodcarvings, and it's not merely a wolf, it's more than that," the Doctor edged him on as Robert began to stumble over his words, eager to hear the rest of this tale. "This is a man who becomes an animal."

The Doctor frowned for a second before remembering mythical beasts of that transformation. He gave an intrigued smile, leaning foreword in his seat. "A werewolf?" he asked.

Robert nodded as he sighed shakily. "My father didn't treat it as a story," he informed them. "He said it was fact. He even claimed to have communed with the creature to discover its purpose. I should have listened," he looked back at the servant behind him, who was walking towards the window, looking up at the moon; the beautiful full-moon that was passing ever so slowly over their heads. "His work was hindered," Robert continued, his words more quicker and desperate now. "He made enemies. There's a Monastery in the Glen of Saint Catherine, the brethren opposed my father's investigations-"

"Perhaps they thought his work ungodly?" the Queen suggested.

"That's what I thought, "Robert nodded as he replied. "But I wonder, what if there was a different reason for wanting the story kept quiet?" he looked over his shoulder at the servant, who was chanting something as he watched what ever was happening outside. "What if they turned from God, and worshiped the Wolf?" Robert looked back at the Queen's new Protector, his eyes telling the Doctor that he wasn't telling just a story. Looking behind him to the servant, who was still chanting something in Latin as he looked down at the ground below them. Understanding the message Robert was trying to deliver, the Doctor replied, "And what if they were with us right now?"

The room had turned to chaos. The servant was still chanting, the Queen standing up, as well as the Captain as he took out his gun. "Explain yourself!" he demanded Robert.

Robert shook his head, looking at the Queen. "I'm sorry, your Majesty, they've got my wife," he croaked.

The Doctor frowned as he stood. Sir Robert's wife was meant to be away from the house. Rose was meant to be in her room picking out something to wear; he was told this by the servant himself. While listening to Robert's 'story', he'd lost track of the time. Rose was a woman; it's in a woman biology to take ages picking out something to where, but not this long. Through his concern, the Doctor dropped his accent as he approached the servant. "Where's Rose?!" he demanded. The servant continued speaking in Latin, the Doctor repeated, "Where is she?!" The servant continued to ignore his, causing the Doctor the brush a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Gramps!" Eliza called. "Follow my directions- out of this room and take a right!"

"Sir Robert!" the Doctor exclaimed as he began to run. "With me!" Robert and the Doctor continued to follow Eliza's instruction, the Doctor speeding around each corner. Bumping into the girl herself, she helped him off the ground when he lost his balance, continued to run. "Nearly there!" she told them.

As they neared a room, they could just hear screams from the other side, the sound of chains accompanying said screams. Upon hearing Rose plea to calm down, the Doctor sped up, quickly overtaking Eliza as he kicked down the door, the young girl stopping as he pushed through the door.

"Where the hell have you been?" Rose demanded as she pulled off the chains that restrained her, as well as the other prisoners. The Doctor took two steps foreword before a loud growl caught his attention. He craned his neck to see a large wolf, being squished by the small space of the cage that imprisoned it. "Oh, that is beautiful…" the Doctor muttered, his eyes wide and full of awe as the wolf took hold of one of the cage bars and pulled, desperate to escape its tiny prison, while everyone else was rushing out of the room. When the wolf was starting to separate the cage merely from trying to stand up, it was then the Doctor was reminded not all beautiful things are peaceful. Ushering the remaining people out of the room, making sure he was the last to leave, he shut the door behind him, Sonicing the door shut.

"You seriously think that's gonna stop it?" Eliza scoffed as they ran back through the hallway.

They found Rose soon after, the Doctor using his Sonic Screwdriver to unlock her hand cuffs as the two women shared quick greetings. "It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths," the Doctor spoke hurriedly when Rose told him the thing inside the man wasn't from Earth. "Did it say what it wanted?"

"The Queen, the Crown, the Throne- you name it," Rose replied once he'd gotten the hand cuffs off. Before any of them could even think, there was a loud thumping sound, coming from the hallway. The Doctor cautiously walked back towards the room, stopping when he was the magnificent beast staring at him, its teeth bared. Awe was quickly replaced with fear as he ran back into the room with the rest of the people, grabbing Rose's hand and running behind a row of men, armed with guns aimed at the Wolf. The men fired, many of the bullets hitting the beast, making it scamper back through the hallway.

"All right, you men," the Doctor yelled as the smoke from the gun powder filled the air. "we should retreat upstairs, come with me."

One of the men turned to him, gun tightly fisted in his hands. "I'll not retreat. The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assult."

"The Human Race, huh?" Eliza commented, mentally sighing. "'Pride and Honour' and all that."

The Doctor nodded, anger at the man rising. "I'm telling you, come upstairs!"

"And I'm telling you, sir, that I will sleep well tonight knowing that thing's hide is on my wall!" the man replied. He turned towards the hallway, checking for the Wolf. Smiling in satisfaction, the man walked back, strutting with glee. "It must have crawled away to d-" Before he could finish his sentence, a large, hairy arm reached down, grabbing the man and pulling him to the ceiling, the sound of bones being snapped following quickly.

"There's nothing we can do," the Doctor told rest of the men, who were watching, transfixed as the Wolf finished its snack, coming down for the main course. He ushered Rose out of the room, Eliza following them quickly. They soon found Robert heading the same way, taking the front of the three.

"Your Majesty!" Robert called as he burst into a room.

"Sir Robert!" the Queen replied, coming down a set of stairs. "What's happening? I heard such terrible noises."

The Doctor dashed off towards one of the doors. "We have to get out of here," Robert told the Queen. "But what of Father Angolo? Is he still here?"

The Queen looked uncomfortable for a few moments, gripping her handbag tighter. "Captain Reynolds disposed of him."

The Doctor came back quickly, stopping next to Eliza. "Pardon me, your Majesty- you'll have to leg it out of a window."

The Queen, chin held high for the act she was about to take part in, walked passed the Doctor, into the room he'd just been in. She walked towards the window, reaching out for the latch. "Excuse my manners, ma'am, but I shall go first. The better to assist her Majesty's egress."

The Queen gave a tight smile. "A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh."

"Isn't the time for formalities, your Majesty," Eliza piped. Robert looked at her in a shameful way as she added, "Well, go on, hurry up!"

Taking hold of the latch, Robert swung the window open, revealing in the distance many men, garbed in orange, holding guns. When the window opened, the men aimed at the movement and fired, just missing Robert. The Doctor crawled to take a closer look at the men, taking in the large necklaces they wore around their necks and much of their upper torso. "I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside."

"Do they even know who I am?" the Queen hissed.

"Yeah, that's why they want you," Rose replied. The Queen looked at her in confusion, Rose adding, "The Wolf's lined you up for a biting."

At the word wolf, the Queen frowned. "Now, stop this talk," she chastised. "There can't be an actual Wolf." To answer her question, there was a loud howl coming from one of the previous rooms, making all of the party jump in surprise.

"What do we do?" Rose panicked as a sound of wood splitting echoed through the room.

"We run," the Doctor replied.

"Is that it?!" Rose demanded.

"You got any silver bullets?" the Doctor replied in frustration. Eliza looked down at the ground, a blank expression drawn on her face.

"Not on me, no!" Rose replied sarcastically.

"Well, there we are then," the Doctor said bitterly. "Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog," he began jogging up and down on the spot, demonstrating what he meant to the Queen. Soon, they were bolting up as never ending flight of stairs, the sound of the door breaking in half causing them to run even faster. The chase was halted when the wolf came face to face with the Captains gun, the Captain pressing the trigger once the Doctor was behind him. The Wolf staggered back just around the corner, recovering for another assault.

"I'll take this position and hold it," the Captain told them. "You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty, I went looking for the property, it was taken the chest was empty!"

The Queen shook her head. "I have it, it's safe," she panted, gesturing her handbag.

"Then remove yourself, ma'am," the Captain ordered. "Doctor, you're positioned as her Majesty's Protector. And Sir Robert," the Captain cocked his gun. "you are a traitor to the Crown."

The Doctor shook his head as Robert paled. "Bullets can stop it!"

"They'll buy you some time," the Captain replied. "Now, run!" He got into a sturdy position as he raised his gun back towards the corridor the Wolf had retreated behind. The Queen and Robert were the first the run into an opened door room, the other three following them, the sound of bullets ringing their ears. The Doctor and Eliza ran into the room, Rose, paralyzed as she watched the Wolf take hold of the Captain, beginning its small midnight snack. "Rose!" the Doctor called, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her into the room, holding her shaking frame in his arms as Eliza and Robert barricaded the door with anything they could find. When the door was well and truly blocked, the Doctor let go of Rose in time for the Wolf to howl. "Wait a minute…" he whispered, hushing everyone. He pressed his ear to the door, listening as the Wolf stomped to the other side of it, sniffing intently. Once he heard the wolf begin to walk away, he gave a sigh of relief. "It's gone…"

"Don't be too sure," Eliza muttered, listening as the Wolf walked to walls of the hallways, sniffing at any entrances it thought it could penetrate. A few moment of pure silence, Rose asked shakily, "What's stopping it?"

"Something inside this room," the Doctor replied, walking around. "What is it? Why can't he get in?" he asked himself.

"I'll tell you what, thought," Rose said to him. He turned to her, a smile breaking on her face. "Werewolf!"

"I know!" the Doctor smiled, walking towards her and taking her up in his arms. "Are you alright?" he asked into her hair.

"I'm okay, yeah," Rose replied, taking a breath, slipping from his embrace. The two shared a quiet moment, the Doctor nearly forgetting what had just happened, Eliza just watching with a small smile plastered on her face.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty," Robert said quietly from a chair. "It's all my fault. I should have 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?"

"Weeeelll," the Doctor started, picking up the facts. "They were bald, athletic, your wife's away, I just thought you were happy."

Rose smiled at his small joke, looking at the Queen. "I'll tell you what though, ma'am, I bet you're not amused now." Watching as Eliza, behind the Queen, placed her hand over her eyes in embarrassment, she soon realized that was not the most perfect thing to say.

The Queen stared at her for a few second, her outrage gauge getting bigger every second. "Do you think this funny?" she said harshly. "What, exactly, I pray someone, please, what was that creature?"

The Doctor scratched the back of his head. "You'd call it a werewolf," he replied to her. "but technically, it's more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform."

"And should I trust you, sir?" the Queen turned on him. "You, who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?"

The Doctor, finding she was indeed correct, continued to scratch his head as Eliza snickered at him. "Oh… right, sorry-"
"I will not have it!" the Queen exclaimed. "No, sir. Not you, not that thing, none of it!" she took a shaky breath before ending, "This is not my world."

There was a long silence after, the Queen announcing she was to sit down, retreating to the other end of the room.