A/N 1: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. This Easter holiday, I've just gotten myself thoroughly disorganised. But enough of that - new chapter for you.

Science & History Lesson

"D'you know what strikes me as odd?" the Doctor asked Romana, as she was selecting a dress she liked for the Union.

"What's that, Doctor?" she replied, turning her head to face him.

"It's how these Time Lords are less...well...reserved than the Time Lords of Old," he told her, frowning in confusion. "I don't understand how they could have gone from that to this."

"Well, you could always ask one of the scientifically-oriented people here," Romana offered. "They might be able to tell you."

"Great idea," he exclaimed, the frown becoming a Cheshire cat grin worthy of his 4th incarnation. "When you find the dress you want, call me." With that, he set off to find a Time Lord who had the answers to his queries...

*DW*

The trouble with doing that, though, was that the Doctor knew hardly anyone on this planet. The only Crimson Cub he'd got the name of was Angekatrina, but looking for her had proven to be akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. Ariva Lykos harboured everything required for a dominant species to develop, but the species itself – the New Time Lords – was likely limited to a few million at most...likely scattered all over the planet – that was, if they had Genodiversity Extrapolation available to them.

However, by some twist of fate, he crossed paths with a group of other Time Lords. "Excuse me!" he called over to them. They turned their head to show they were listening. "Mind if I talk to you people for a moment?!"

It took a moment for them to react, as they turned to each other to evidently decide whether or not everyone wanted to talk. But eventually, they turned back to him again. "None of us see any reason why not," one of them called back. "Feel free."

"Thank you," replied the Doctor, who walked over to the group.

"You are the one called 'the Doctor?'" one of the New Time Lords asked.

"That's me," he confirmed with a wink of acknowledgement. "How did you know?"

"Angekatrina told me," the New Time Lord replied. "She described you as; 'a Pretty-Boy in sandshoes with hair that looked like it had never been groomed.' I'm Alejansebastianovus, by the way, but call me Alejan, saves a lot of Time – I'm her Match. And a word of advice – if you make the decision to wink in a conspiring manner at your partner, best save it for the Union. You'll know why when you do."

The Doctor gulped, getting the gist of the words. "Riiiiiight," he simple said, before changing subject. "A few questions for you. How is it that you New Time Lords are less...well, less-?"

"Cold and calculating, more subject to emotion and more welcoming?" finished Alejan, to which the Doctor nodded. "Well Doctor, to fill you in, the New Time Lords have actually been for several hundreds of thousands of years – Lykan years, for the sake of clarity. During that period, our Crimson Cub ancestors experienced accelerated evolution due to the Lykos Radiation from the planet's host star, which gets caught up in the Electromagnetic Field of the planet. Approximately once every 70 Lykan years, the Sun goes through a heightened period of Lykos Radiation emission. This emission lasts for a few days and reaches its peak before falling rapidly in a matter of hours. We synchronise these emissions with our Unions."

"And the Lykos Radiation has been affecting the genetic development of the New Time Lords for that long?" finished the Doctor, thought he phrased it as a question. "But how can the star emit Lykos Radiation? I've never heard of it anywhere else."

"The Science Council of Ariva Lykos analysed the Elemental Composition of the Sun," Alejan explained. "They did this by using the entire Visible Light Spectrum and the whole breadth of the Electromagnetic. They found a hidden wavelength between the Violet and Ultraviolet parts – the Lykos Ray.

"And it was found to have mutagenic properties that altered the course of your evolution," the Doctor finished in realisation. "Accelerated by the Unions you've had over the centuries. The result – less emotional inhibition." Alejan nodded. "Thanks for telling me, Alejan. Hopefully Romana and I will see you at the Union. Allons-y." He moved to leave.

"Doctor?!" Alejan called after him as he left. The Doctor turned round to show he was listening. The other Time Lord walked up to him to have a quiet word. "At the Union, you may experience a few...urges regarding Romana. Don't act on them...until the two of you are alone. Got it?" The Doctor gave a serious nod before continuing on his way. "See you there!"

Inwardly thanking Alejan for the word of advice, the Time Lord set off back to the TARDIS...

*DW* in the TARDIS... *DW*

How accurate were we in arriving when we'd wanted to be, Old Girl? Romana asked of the TARDIS via telepathy. By now, she had chosen the dress she wanted – the one she had worn on Chloris when she, the Doctor and K-9 had freed the Tythonian, Erato, from the Pit – and she had, with the help of the TARDIS, made a pair of shoes to force on the Doctor when he got back, which looked like a pair of Converse All Stars made of materials one would find on a pair of Black Tie shoes.

We weren't aiming for a Time period of any kind when heading for Ariva Lykos, Romana, the TARDIS told her. But due to the turbulence in the Vortex during the journey, we are several hundreds of thousands of years late.

So the original Crimson Cubs are dead and gone, save for me, Romana surmised sadly. I thought there was a reason the Crimson Cubs of this era were more forthcoming.

Elementary evolution, love, the Doctor cut in, at which Romana turned round to the TARDIS door to see him standing there. As should have been – the Time Lords of Old were stagnant, cold and calculating at the best of times. And don't get me started on the worst of times.

The last words were spoken in a tone that made it abundantly clear that the Doctor did not want to talk about such times. Consequently, Romana steered the topic of conversation elsewhere, this time with word of mouth.

"What did you learn?" Romana asked with a smile of curiosity.

"The Unions are synchronised with periods of heightened solar activity," the Doctor told her, walking up to the Console. "Lykos Radiation is emitted regularly from the Sun, but it only reaches its peak every 70 Lykan years. The Lykos Photons are caught in the Electromagnetic Field regularly, but they only have any effect when there are a lot of them. The Radiation was found to be mutagenic. Result – the Crimson Pack has become less emotionally restricted. Add to that the hundreds of millennia of evolution, and it's not hard to understand why they've lost the xenophobic attitude of the Old Time Lords." He smiled as he ceased his anecdote. "But enough about that – you found the dress you want?"

Romana nodded as a secretive grin crept onto her face. "You'll get to see it once the Union comes along," she assured him. "And by the way – I've got a pair of shoes for you to try."

"Oh no," the Doctor groaned. "Do we have to do this? What's wrong with black All Stars?!"

"If you wear All Stars, I'll be dancing with a Time Lord wearing canvas duff-ups," she scolded him. "Yes, Doctor – the first part is a dance. Besides, the TARDIS and I made these, so you are wearing them."

When Romana showed him the shoes, he was torn. While he was glad that they weren't court pumps (he shuddered at the thought of the unmanly silk bows) or Oxfords (too much ouch on the feet), he'd clearly never entertained the thought of asking the TARDIS to help him make a pair of patent leather shoes styled to resemble his Converse All Stars. However, he didn't want to risk letting Romana down – he was touched at the thoughtfulness of the homage gesture – so he smiled a toothy smile.

"You haven't tried them yet," Romana reminded him sternly...

A/N 2: This chapter was necessary to address an issue brought up by sss979 (thanks for pointing it up, by the way). But I hope it was good reading for you.