Chapter Twenty: Red Riding's 'Hood

It was getting late and starting to snow, and the Doctor and River had yet to reach the TARDIS, even with River leading the way; fortunately, River did lead them to a cottage. Between the cold temperatures and how dark it was becoming with the moon shielded by the clouds, River found it best to take shelter in the cottage. The lights inside showed that the cottage was in fact occupied, but River had faith in the good nature of the owner to let them in.

"We'll need to take shelter." River told the Doctor.

From beneath his snow-covered hood, the Doctor smiled. "Thought you could get us there quicker, did you?"

"Oh, shut up." River uttered before directing their horses down the path leading to the cottage. As soon as they arrived, they dismounted from their horses and approached the door. The Doctor knocked a few times and waited patiently. After a few seconds, the door finally swung open and the owner showed herself.

The face that the Doctor saw stopped him cold; the owner was Red Riding Hood, and he was not certain if this was the Red who he abandoned on the road a couple of trips ago or one before that event. The randomization of his trips in the fairy tale land made it difficult for him to determine when or where in the timeline he landed. Confident that the current time he was in was one prior to his first meeting with Red, he stepped forward and said, "Hello. I'm the Doc—"

SLAM!

The door connected right with his nose after Red had slammed it in his face. As the Doctor's hand instinctively went to his nose to check for bleeding, bruising, or breaking, River had grinned immensely. "She seems to know you very well," River bantered.

The Doctor groaned loud enough for the other owner of the cottage to hear him, prompting her to reopen the door. The other owner was Red's grandmother, simply known as "Granny," and she showed more sympathy for him than Red did. "Oh, goodness! I'm so sorry! I don't know what got into her!"

"I think I have an idea," said the Doctor as he was guided inside by Granny with River following and still grinning.

The Doctor was set down at a kitchen table with his head tilted back while Granny went to get some medical supplies, bringing Red with her to scold as she had done so. River and the Doctor could hear them in the other room, yelling back and forth over what had happened. After the two were out of earshot, River giggled like a little girl and asked, "What in blazes did you do to her?"

"We unfortunately have some history."

The Doctor's voice sounded odd and barely audible with his head tilted back as it was. "Oh, put your head back down. Your nose isn't bleeding."

"No, but it hurts." The Doctor did as she said and put his head back in its normal position, removing his hand from it to show slight bruising. "Oh! I left her behind after promising to take her away with me in the TARDIS."

River's eyebrows rose with intrigue. "You had the chance to make Red Riding Hood your companion, and you left her alone out in the middle of nowhere, heartbroken and furious?"

"Well, when you put it like that…"

"That is so not you, darling."

"Well, what else could I do? I'm from a different world than her. Taking her with me is a horrible idea, especially with my dea—"

He stopped immediately as he caught himself almost uttering the word "death" in front of a woman who either knew it had happened or had no idea it was going to happen. That was what made his relationship to River so complicated – the fact that he did not know what point in her timeline he was meeting her in; it was more puzzling than what he was experiencing with Red. From the way the Doctor saw it, River would fit in just well in this fairy tale world.

Of course, as quick as River was, not even a syllable could get past her, and the Doctor found himself caught of his own blunder. "What did you say?"

Before the Doctor could explain, Granny returned with the supplies; but the Doctor quickly protested. "Oh, there'll be no need for those. I'm quite…fine." He winced a little between "quite" and "fine."

"I-I'm so sorry, sir. I've never seen Red react to strangers that way." Granny glared at her granddaughter, who was too busy glaring at the Doctor. "I certainly hope her behavior hasn't hindered your reason for stopping by."

"No, not at all." The Doctor remarked. "My companion and I are merely looking for shelter for the night."

"Well, you won't find any here!" Red stepped in and yelled, still glaring towards the Doctor.

"Hold your tongue, girl!" Granny demanded.

"You can't trust this man, Granny." Red said, pointing to him. "He's…"

"He's staying here for the night, and that's final." Granny declared. "Besides, you heard what the men said earlier about the wolf. It's not wise to let anyone roam those woods this late at night with it around. Understood?"

Red saw the stern look that her grandmother was giving her and had no choice but to comply. Hesitantly, she nodded and said, "Yes, Granny." She shot the Doctor another intense glare, which brought a chill down his spine. Seeing the animosity between Red and the Doctor, River was thankful that they were only spending the night in the cottage and not any longer.