Chapter Six : Tooth and Claw

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"THEY CAME THROUGH THE HOUSE," the maid explained, a frightened look on her face. Rose grabbed her hands gentle and Claudia watched her carefully. That familiar feeling tickled the back of her neck. Something was wrong. "In the excitement they took the Steward and the Master, and my Lady."

"Listen. I've got a friend. He's called the Doctor. He'll know what to do. You've got to come with me."

Claudia agreed half-heartedly, glancing around the room. She stood up quickly, walking to the doorway, trying to tune out Rose and the maid's conversation. Flora, she heard softly. That was the young woman's name.

Claudia opened the door slowly, checking to see if it was clear before gesturing for Rose and Flora to follow behind her. She tugged her knife from it's holster under her jacket and readied it in her hand. The Doctor would probably be upset if she wound up hurting anyone -- but at the cost of Rose? She had a feeling he'd forgive her.

Upon turning the corner, Claudia noticed a soldier's body on the floor and stood straighter, now on high alert. She bent down to check the man's pulse -- he was still alive, thankfully -- but heard Flora let out a strangled scream behind her. Immediately, she jumped back up and pushed herself against the wall, knife held in front of her defensively.

If they couldn't sneak behind her, she could easily get them front the front.

Rose was snatched by someone else and Claudia glanced to the left, spotting nothing, but she felt something to her right and stabbed the person immediately. A groan emitted from the man, one of the monks, and she dug her knife harder. She switched positions, her back now facing the empty hallway.

"You like to grab defenseless women? Well, I like beating creepy bald-headed monks, so this seems like a match made in heaven," she goaded.

He sneered at her, glancing behind her, but she saw it coming and ducked before the second man could grab her. She kicked his legs from under him and he toppled to the ground, glaring at her.

The first man took the knife from his side where she'd injured him and dropped it to the ground. It fell with a loud clanking noise, blood splattering the floor next to her. She looked between the two men, standing up and moving backwards quickly as the second man got up with ease.

Holding up her arms into fists, she smirked at the pair.

"Oh, this is good, I've been itching for a fight."

They lunged at her simultaneously, hoping to overpower her, but she grabbed the first man's hands, twisting them with ease, hard enough for an echoing snapping sound to ring through the halls. At the same time, she kicked back the second man, enough for him to stumble. The first man's face twisted in pain but he didn't cry out, and she sent him flying backwards with a kick to the chest, narrowly dodging the second man's punch.

"Keep trying, baldy, this is only making me day better."

The man threw another punch, then a kick, which she didn't avoid in time and she stumbled back, the wind knocked out of her. She looked up as he marched towards her quickly, sending a punch in his direction.

His head reared to the left but he recovered easily enough, sending two punches to her face, busting her lip open. She felt the blood drip down her chin and she cursed, sending him a haughty look.

"Really? The face?"

He sent another punch in her direction but she dodged, not expecting him to kick her again. She fell back with a loud groan and he looked down at her.

"You will not stop Him," he kneeled down, raising his fist.

"Oh, come on," Claudia groaned, just before his fist made contact with her face again, successfully knocking her out.

♥✰♥

Claudia woke with a groan, head throbbing and lip tingling.

"Fuck," she swore, blinking. She found her legs on something soft, like a cushion. She blinked again, trying to adjust her eyes. Her head hurt so much.

"That's very improper for a lady," someone said quietly.

Claudia's eyes adjusted finally, spotting Rose's face above her own. She was looking down at Claudia, a worried look on her face. Claudia's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

"Am I in your lap?" She asked Rose, who nodded seriously.

"You were bleeding a lot, I wanted to help. But I didn't really know what to do."

Claudia nodded, thinking for a moment. "You're quite comfortable."

Rose laughed quietly, eyes flickering around her. "This is the staff, and Isobel, the lady of the manor," she introduced Claudia.

Claudia waved, slowly sitting up, ignoring the nagging dizziness. She felt something sticky on her face. "Does anyone have a rag?"

The other women eyed her warily. "Don't make anymore sounds," Isobel said, "They said if we scream or shout, then he will slaughter us."

Claudia was about to ask who she was speaking of, but Rose answered her question, nodding to a figure in a cage on the opposite end of the cell. Her heart dropped and she suddenly felt more alert. She moved her hands, only to find them chained together.

She threw her head back in annoyance. Dean would laugh at her for losing a fight to a bald man in a cult. She'd beaten Lucifer -- she was getting soft.

"But he's in a cage. He's a prisoner. He's the same as us."

"He's nothing like us. That creature is not mortal."

The man moved his head in the cage, slowly, before opening it's eyes. They were completely black.

Claudia's eyebrows raised in surprise. All black? That was more on par for demons than werewolves.

"Cristo," she muttered, trying to stir a reaction. Nothing. Her face morphed into confusion once again. Why didn't that affect him? Claudia exchanged a look with Rose, slowly helping the other up.

"Don't, child," Isobel pleaded with Rose, her eyes flickering to Claudia nervously.

"Who are you?" Rose asked authoritatively, though her voice shook in fear. Claudia moved her hands over to the younger woman's, resting them on top of hers.

"What do you want with these people? Why are your eyes black, it's very different."

"Don't enrage him," Isobel's pleads fell on deaf ears.

"Are you a demon? You're not an actual werewolf, they don't look like you. Or are you alien? What planet are you from -- why come here?"

"Oh, intelligence," the creature replied softly, his voice echoing through the cell. It sent shivers down Claudia's spine. That was no ordinary werewolf.

"Where were you born?" Rose asked confidently.

"This body? Ten miles away. A weakling, heartsick boy, stolen away at night by the brethren for my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart."

Claudia's eyes narrowed. It had to be demonic -- had to be. What did it mean by "carve out his soul"? Nothing else she knew could do that. A werewolf carved out hearts, sure, but it didn't have all black eyes and speak a s ominous nor as powerful as this creature could.

"So you stole a human body for your own gain? I'm not a fan of that."

"So far from home," it responded in the same voice as before.

"If you want to get back home, we can help," Rose offered.

Claudia almost corrected her, but had to stop herself. She travelled with the Doctor and Rose now. They chose to help creatures first. Not hunt them.

"Why would I leave this place? A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose."

"How would you do that?" Claudia asked curiously. Now she was leaning more towards alien. Aside from Crowley and Lucifer, she hadn't met any demons that itched for any sort of throne; especially Queen Victoria's.

"I would migrate to the Holy Monarch."

But, why?

"But, why?" Claudia asked, frowning. It didn't make any sense, it was completely outside the normal realms of a demon or werewolf -- it couldn't be either one.

"With one bite, I would pass into her blood, and then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf. Many questions."

He lunged at the crate and Rose jumped back, leaning into Claudia fearfully. Claudia stood her ground, surprised by Rose's change of heart this evening. Perhaps it was because she fought against the men earlier? Did her best to protect them? She wasn't sure.

"Look. Inside your eyes," he told Rose, "you've seen it too."

"Seen what?" She asked shakily.

"The Wolf. There is something of the Wolf about you."

Claudia stared at Rose in interest, but the younger woman ignored the look. She couldn't be...no, Claudia dismissed that thought. Rose wasn't a heart-eating werewolf, absolutely not.

"I don't know what you mean," Rose shook her head, trying to dissuade the man's words.

"You burnt like the sun, but all I require is the moon."

The doors burst open and moonlight flooded the cell. Claudia's eyes widened.

"We have to get out of here," she muttered to Rose. "Now."

Or things would get very messy, very quickly.

"Moonlight..." the creature smiled, leaning it's head in between the bars of it's cage, facing the moon.

"We need to get these chains off," Claudia ordered Rose, turning back to everyone else. "Get ready to pull when I say so."

Her words had no effect on anyone else; they appeared too busy staring at the creature. Rose rolled her eyes.

"All of you! Stop looking at it!" She ordered. Claudia smiled proudly at her. "Flora, don't look. Listen to me. Grab hold of the chain and pull! Come on! With me! Pull!"

The creature removed it's hood and Claudia looked back at everyone else. The creature made growling noises, loud, rumbling, echoing through the cellar into her ears. "Hurry up, now, unless you all want to die. Let's go!"

"That means you, your Ladyship," Rose added exasperatedly to Isobel, who was seated still. She got to her feet and they all began tugging on the chain, hoping to pull it loose.

The creature's bones snapped back and Claudia glanced over, determination flooding her. She could feel her gun in her boot, she'd moved it when they were walking to the manor. The monks didn't bother checking -- what idiots. She needed to load it with silver and then take the creature down. But she had to get these chains off.

"One, two, three, four!" Claudia shouted, watching as the man shifted from man to wolf, slowly, bones snapping, snout sprouting, saliva spitting -- full-bred wolf. She'd never seen anything like it, never fully a wolf.

"One, two, three, four!" Rose continued after Claudia as they all tugged against the chains.

Claudia's body ached and protested in pain, but she fought through it. She'd been fighting the pain her entire life -- she wasn't going to stop now.

"One, two, three, four!" Claudia shouted again and finally, finally, the chain snapped off the wall.

The door busted open not a moment later and the Doctor's skinny figure rushed into the room.

"Where the hell have you been?" Rose shouted at him.

They all clambered back to their feet, and rushed from the cellar as the wolf began banging the cage bars, breaking, snapping them. Claudia let everyone else go, gesturing for Rose to go ahead and followed quickly behind.

"Doctor, come on!" She shouted back as he stared at the wolf.

"That's, beautiful," he murmured and she rolled her eyes, rushing from the cellar, him closely following behind. He used the sonic to keep the door shut and they rushed down the hall to the armory. Everyone began grabbing their weapons and Claudia shook her head.

"Bullets aren't going to work," she mumbled.

Isobel and her husband kissed, parting ways as she took the maids with her.

"It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths," the Doctor said quickly, using the sonic do undo hers and Rose's chains from their wrists. "Did it say what it wanted?"

"The Queen, the Crown, the throne - you name it," Rose answered.

Claudia reached down, pulling her pistol from her ankle holster and quickly loading it with silver bullets.

"Why are you holding a loaded gun?" The Doctor asked, his voice cold, a hard look on his face.

"Silver bullets. Keep werewolves down, along with wraiths, djinns, and I've even used it on some zombies. It's not made to hurt people."

The Doctor frowned. "There's still a person inside that wolf."

"Then I'll do my best to save that person. But these people need help, too. They're the priority."

The Doctor's frown deepened and he went to say something else, but a large crash from down the hall echoed around them. The Doctor walked outside, tucking his sonic back into his jacket, standing in the hall for a minute. Then, he rushed back into the room, grabbed Rose's hand and stood behind the line of men, armed with their own weapons.

"Fire!" The steward shouted, and they all did as told. "Fire!" Again.

Claudia held her bullets, both hands wrapped around the pistol, ready to shoot, but hesitating. The wolf ran off, frightened, or it appeared to be, and Claudia lowered her gun to her waist, flicking the safety back on.

"Why didn't you shoot?" The Doctor asked curiously.

"Not wasting the bullets unless I need to. Only brought five with me."

"You're gonna shoot that thing five times?" Rose asked, looking between Claudia and the Doctor.

Claudia shrugged. "If I have to, absolutely."

The Doctor didn't say anything, only watched her for a moment. "You're covered in blood, did it hurt you?"

Claudia rolled her eyes. "Please, Doctor, give me some credit. I got into it with two of the monks and one of them got me down and knocked me out. The other one busted my lip after I stabbed him."

Rose's eyes widened. "You stabbed someone?"

"In his side, he'll be fine if he can treat a wound."

"All right, you men," The Doctor turned back to the men. "We should retreat upstairs. Come with me."

"I'll not retreat," the steward argued, "the battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault."

Claudia rolled her eyes. "That's not a creature from this planet, let's go! Believe me, normal bullets won't take it down!"

"I'll not take orders from a bloodied up woman! Carrying a weapon!"

"I'm telling you, come upstairs!" The Doctor shouted, leaning forward.

"And I'm telling you, sir, I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall."

The steward stepped into the hall, glancing around before turning back. "It must have crawled away to die."

A hand reached down, pulling him through the ceiling, his scream loud and quickly cut off.

The Doctor stood in front of Claudia and Rose, looking up in shock. Claudia flipped the safety off of her gun.

"There's nothing we can do!" The Doctor shouted, pushing Rose ahead of him, but Claudia sent him ahead of her, running backwards and aiming at the wolf until it swiftly ran off.

They ran into the main entrance of the building, Queen Victoria walking downstairs quickly. The Doctor sonic'd the door behind them, locking it.

"You can't use that gun."

Claudia rolled her eyes. "The hell I can, Doctor, don't try and order me around."

"What if you miss and hit someone else, hmm? What then?"

She stepped closer to him, staring up at him with narrowed eyes, not liking his judgmental tone. For someone who claimed to have fought in a war, he seemed far too against guns.

"I've been hunting creatures since I was four. I've never hit an innocent person and I never will. A little trust can go a long way."

She and the Doctor stared at each other furiously until the Doctor looked away, rushing down the hall to check for another exit.

"Front door's no good," he came back a moment later. "Pardon me, your Majesty," he outstretched an arm to the drawing room. "You'll have to leg it out of a window."

Queen Victoria and Robert entered first, then Rose, the Doctor, and Claudia.

"Excuse my manners, Ma'am," Robert turned to the Queen, "but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress."

"A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh."

"Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?" The Doctor shouted.

Robert opened the door, only to have the monks outside open fire,  causing them all to duck down. The Doctor moved to the window.

"I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside."

"Do they know who I am?" Queen Victoria asked, aghast.

"Yeah, that's why they want you. The wolf's lined you up for a...a biting," Rose explained.

"Stop this talk. There can't be an actual wolf."

Claudia tilted her head in disagreement. "Apologies, ma'am, but there is and you're going to have to accept it."

A door smashed from below the stairs where they came, and the werewolf howled loudly. They rushed back into the room and watched as the door began to tear slowly.

"What do we do?" Rose asked breathlessly.

"We...run," the Doctor suggested. "Still got those silver bullets?" He asked Claudia, who smirked.

"What, do I have your approval now?"

"Sort of, yeah," he nodded, despite himself, moving back behind her. "But, on the off chance they don't work, maybe we could -- run. Your Majesty," he turned to the Queen and Claudia tightened her grip on her pistol. "As a Doctor, I recommend a vigorous jog. Good for the health. Come on," he grabbed her hand, leading her.

They rushed up the flights of stairs, and Claudia was once again grateful for her childhood, as she often was in situations like these, where she had enough endurance and skill to take on such a creature. It followed after them quickly, taking flights at a time until they reached the top.

"Come on, come on!" The Doctor shouted, gesturing them down the next hallway. They kept running, and Claudia could feel herself running out of breath. She followed quickly after everyone else, turning the corner and pointing her gun, shooting the wolf twice, straight in the chest. It cried out, stumbling back as blood squirted from the room, staining the walls.

Claudia stopped and aimed her gun as the wolf rushed back down the opposite hall, wounded. "Go ahead, Doctor," she told him.

"No, not happening, let's go."

"Stand aside, Miss," Captain Reynolds moved up to them, with his own gun. Claudia rolled her eyes. Men. "I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving, for God's sake, you're only a woman! Your Majesty, I went to look for the property and it was taken. The chest was empty."

"I have it. It's safe," Queen Victoria panted out.

Reynold's lips turned up a fraction. "Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert, you're a traitor to the crown."

Claudia peeked her head out past Reynolds, spotting the wolf's tail. She stiffened.

"Oh, hush up with all this mushy shit, will you? Some of us have things to do."

She aimed her hands up, ignoring the pain from her previous wounds, and fired another shot as the wolf moved back around the wall. It let out another whimper, scurrying off again.

"Regular bullets won't do anything," Claudia told Captain Reynolds. "I might be just a woman, but so's your Majesty. And I'm not going to let you die to prove a sexist point. It's already wounded, I have two shots left. We all run together."

The Doctor stared at her for a long moment, their eyes connecting. She smiled at him softly, nodding. She'd be fine, she'd done this before. He nodded, understanding, gesturing for Rose and the Queen to keep moving.

"Come on," the Doctor waved to Reynolds, rushing down the hall. Two bullets left: she had to make them count.

Claudia straightened, the familiar pump of adrenalin taking over. "Come out, come out, wherever you are. I got two more shots, and if it doesn't kill you, it's going to hurt like a son-of-a-bitch."

The wolf growled from down the hall, furious, bleeding all over it's chest, and she aimed another shot, shooting it in the leg. It whimpered, slowing down in pain, and she took another shot at the head, but the wolf moved to the left a hair, barely missing it. The bullet skidded across it's skin, opening it and flying straight into the wall behind it.

The wolf yowled in pain, reaching a hand up to it's face, giving her a moment to run -- and run she did, directly into the open door of the library, and they all began piling furniture in front of the door swiftly.

The Doctor hushed them all, listening closely. The wolf howled in pain, but made no effort to enter. The Doctor stood atop a chair leaning against the door, his ear flat against the door.

"It's gone," he remarked quietly in surprise.

"Listen," Rose added. Footsteps could be heard all around them, circling them like a predator and prey, growling hungrily.

"Is this the only door?" The Doctor whispered.

"Yes," Robert said immediately before his eyes widened. "No!" He rushed to the other end of the room, the Doctor quickly behind him, both piling furniture against the door again.

"It's wounded," Claudia said breathlessly. "But still alive. It moved before I could get a clean headshot. Left a pretty scar though."

The Doctor stopped his movements, looking at her for a moment. A smile found it's way to his face and he pulled her into a tight hug.

"You're alright," he breathed into her hair.

She stiffened at the hug, surprised, but hugged him back. She'd thought they were having an argument -- unless he understood now? That she would never hurt a human -- and he pulled back, staring into her eyes.

"You did brilliantly," he told her seriously.

"Appreciate it," she responded with a tight smile, "but now's maybe not the best time for hugging. What's stopping it from getting in here?"

"Something inside this room," the Doctor suggested. "But, what is it? Why can't it get in?"

"I'll tell you what, though," Rose grabbed the Doctor and Claudia's attention. "Werewolf."

Claudia smiled at the younger woman as she and the Doctor squealed, excited.

"I know!" The Doctor grinned. "You all right?" He asked her, checking her over. She nodded, resting her hand on his arm.

"I'm okay, yeah."

Claudia smiled at the two, stuffing her own feelings down. They were cute together and she meant no harm. Truly, if they were both happy, she'd be perfectly content travelling with them. She hardly knew the Doctor and she was fine being their friends, honestly. She just wanted to find companionship after her brother's death, she didn't need romance or drama. Just friendship and excitement.

Despite meeting a werewolf, albeit much larger and more wolf-like than any she'd faced before, she had more fun with the pair of them since her brother died. She liked Rose's shift in perspective, her unspoken veil of apologies -- Claudia would love to be her friend, just as much as the Doctor's.

"Oh, Claudia," the Doctor grabbed her attention, pulling a rag from his suit jacket. "Here, it's self-cleaning, so use it as much as you'd like," he gestured to her face. "You've got a bit of blood...everywhere."

She laughed quietly to herself, putting the rag to her face and scrubbing away the dried blood as conversation ensued around her.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," Robert spoke to the Queen from his seat near the piled furniture. "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?"

"I thought it was weird," Claudia spoke up. "Just saying, Rose and I thought they were weird from the start."

Rose nodded in agreement and they exchanged a brief smile. The Doctor perked up a bit, as if sensing their new shift in direction, and his smile lifted a fraction. He looked over to Claudia for confirmation, his eyebrows furrowing together. She winked.

"Well, they were bald, athletic," the Doctor disagreed and Claudia chuckled. "Your wife's away, I just thought you were happy."

"I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now," Rose tried weakly, fighting back a smile. Claudia grimaced, pinching the bridge of her nose. Really, Rose? Now?

"Do you think this funny?" Queen Victoria snapped.

"No, Ma'am. I'm sorry," Rose shook her head guiltily.

"What, exactly, I pray tell me, someone, please. What exactly is that creature?"

"You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's a more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform."

"That explains the extra hair," Claudia said quietly, "and the black eyes."

"And should I trust you, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent? Is this American even your wife?"

"Oh, we're not together," Claudia said immediately, gesturing between her and the Doctor.

"Oh, right, sorry," the Doctor tried to explain, "the accent--"

"I'll not have it. No, sir. Not you, not that thing, none of it. This is not my world."

Claudia grimaced, feeling her face to make sure it was clean of blood. "Technically, it is. I'm from your world, just America. But there are monsters here too, just as much as there. You have hunters."

"We do not," the Queen protested angrily, "they are reckless and dangerous. Such as yourself, with only a few bullets, missing the head. We have Men of Letters, and none of them are sloppy young women covered in blood and disarray."

Claudia's eyebrows raised and she took a deep breath, trying to rein in her frustration. "Sorry, ma'am," she said finally. The Queen nodded and they fell into a deep silence.

The Doctor, Rose, and Claudia walked around the room searching for clues as Queen Victoria took a seat, observing them all.

"Mistletoe," the Doctor mumbled, hand tracing over an engraved symbol on the door. "Sir Robert, did you father put that there?"

"I don't know. I suppose."

"On the other door, too. No, a carving wouldn't be enough. I wonder..." he licked the door and Claudia grimaced, exchanging a look with Rose. "Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe. It's been worked into the wood like a varnish. How clever was your dad? I love him. Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins."

"And the wolf's allergic to it?" Rose asked.

"That's a new one," Claudia commented.

"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."

"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon," Robert argued.

"Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?" The Doctor remarked sarcastically.

"Being rude again," Rose chastised.

"Good. I meant that one. You want weapons? We're in a library," he walked towards the shelves, outstretching his arms. "Books! Best weapons in the world." He placed his glasses on. "This room's the greatest arsenal we could have."

A soft smile fell on Claudia's face as she was reminded of her brother. Sam and the Doctor would probably get along swimmingly, both knowledgeable and studious. And so very, very clever. Sam would be excited to read over such old books about a new species of werewolves. Claudia felt the familiar ache in her chest, the longing once again.

The Doctor threw a few books to Rose and Claudia. "Arm yourselves."

♥✰♥

"Biology, zoology. There might be something on wolves in here..." Rose searched through book after book. Claudia's eyes found one about mistletoe and she squinted. They all spoke around each other, going over book after book, reading aloud, focusing intently.

"Hold on, mistletoe," Claudia zoned in on a specific book in brown casing.

"A book on magic."

"Some form of explosive."

"Hmm, that's the sort of thing," the Doctor peeked over Claudia's shoulder. "You just find this?"

"Not my first rodeo," she pointed to a drawing in the book with a shooting star. "Something fell to Earth. But whatever could it be?"

"Something your old dad found, Robert," he grabbed everyone's attention.

"A spaceship?" Rose questioned.

"A shooting star," Robert corrected, reading the caption. "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?" Claudia asked, frowning. "Why didn't it take over then?"

"Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations, it survived through the humans, host after host after host."

"But why does it want the throne?" Captain Reynolds asked. Claudia jumped, forgetting he was there.

"That's what it wants. It said so," Rose pointed to Robert. "The eh, what did he call it?" She asked Claudia.

"Empire of the Wolf," Claudia answered, "the Empire of the Wolf."

"Imagine it. The Victorian Age accelerated. Starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam, leaving history devastated in its wake."

"Sir Robert. If I am to die here," Queen Victoria spoke up for the first time in minutes, standing up.

"Don't say that, Your Majesty," Robert interjected, walking towards her.

"I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me. But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself."

"Hardly the time to worry about your valuables," the Doctor snarked. Claudia hit his arm.

"Rude," she addressed and he made brief eye contact with her.

"Thank you for your opinion, but there is nothing more valuable than this." She held out a very large pure diamond, about the size of her palm.

Claudia raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "It's literally a diamond."

"Americans never appreciate their values," Queen Victoria remarked and Claudia bit her tongue.

"Is that the Koh-I-Noor?"

"Wait, the one on the crown?" Claudia asked, confused. She'd heard of it but only briefly during late night history channel binges as a kid with Sam in motel rooms.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor answered both questions, "the greatest diamond in the world."

"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."

"That sounds like a cursed object to me," Claudia said quietly, "but the Queen's still kicking, so maybe she's fixed it."

"Are you quite finished mumbling?" Queen Victoria asked Claudia.

Claudia straightened, nodding, a blush taking over her cheeks. "Yes ma'am, sorry."

"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough," the Doctor outstretched his hands for the diamond. The Queen hesitated, but relented after a moment. "Can I?"

He examined it carefully, glasses resting on the tip of his nose. Claudia moved towards it, feigning her impressiveness, but she really couldn't care less about a big rock.

"That is so beautiful."

"How much is that worth?" Rose breathed out in awe.

"They say the wages of the entire planet for a whole week."

"Good job my mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing."

"And she'd win," the Doctor added and the trio laughed.

"Where is the wolf? I don't trust this silence." Robert asked, walking away from the group towards the walls of the room.

"Why do you travel with it?" Claudia asked. "Surely, it'd be safer in your castle or something?"

"My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew, the Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting."

"Oh, but it's perfect," Rose gushed.

"My late husband never thought so."

"Now, there's a fact," the Doctor took off his glasses, looking between Rose and Claudia. "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 always said the shine was not quite right," Queen Victoria agreed. "But he died with it still unfinished."

"Unfinished," the Doctor whispered, the wheels in his brain turning. He looked at the Queen suddenly, tossing the diamond to her. "Oh, yes. There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research, and your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond. Hold on, hold on. All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected. Oh, my head, my head," he clutched his head, as if figuring it all out actually caused him pain. "What if this house, it's a trap for you. Is that right, Ma'am?"

"Obviously."

"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But, what if there's a trap inside the trap?"

"Explain yourself, Doctor."

"Oh," Claudia gasped, suddenly getting it. "Oh, oh, oh, that's so smart!"

"What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories?" The Doctor questioned.

"They imagined the possibilities and they planned against it, laying the real trap for the wolf," Claudia realized, looking over at the Queen. "You sure your husband wasn't a Hunter, or Man of Letters or whatever because that's just...that is just so smart."

The Queen didn't have time to respond as dust fell from the ceiling in front of Claudia's face. They all looked up and spotted the wolf, crawling atop the glass roof.

"That wolf there," the Doctor said slowly.

The glass cracked slowly and Claudia gestured for Rose to leave.

"Out!" The Doctor called. "Out! Out! Out!"

They all grabbed the furniture barring the doors as the wolf crashed to the ground, growling and snarling at them. They rushed from the room and down the Doctor locked the library doors shut, trapping the wolf in and buying them a moment of time.

"Go to the observatory!" The Doctor shouted as they all raced down the next corridor. Rose was a bit behind Claudia and she noticed the younger woman stop. Eyes widening, she pushed Rose behind her as the wolf grew closer, growling in her face. He leaned close and she wished she hadn't used her knife -- expecting a horrible death, but someone splashed something hot onto the wolf and it snarled in pain, moving back.

"Good shot," the Doctor remarked to Isobel, who'd come out of the kitchen with a bucket full of water.

"It's mistletoe," Isobel confirmed.

Claudia let out a deep breath, rushing down the hall to make sure the wolf had truly ran. The Doctor and Rose followed quickly behind, looking out behind her. Nothing.

"You okay?" Claudia asked Rose quickly.

Rose nodded, looking at her appreciatively. "Thank you-"

"Not now, ladies, come on!"

Isobel and the servant staff rushed back to the kitchens as everyone else ran to the Observatory. They took the stairs again and Claudia took two at a time.

"No mistletoe in these doors because your father wanted the wolf to get inside," the Doctor looked at the doors, grimacing. "I just need time. Is there any way of barricading this?"

"Just do your work and I'll defend it," Robert said quietly.

"And me," Captain Reynolds added.

Claudia looked between the two, wishing she'd grabbed more bullets. But she hadn't and these men were going to die because of it.

"If we could bind them shut with rope or something," the Doctor tried.

"I said we'd find you time, Sir," Robert addressed the Doctor. "Now get inside."

"Good men," the Doctor said after a pause.

"Thank you," Claudia spoke up. "Both of you. He's wounded, you might have a chance." But she knew that wasn't true. Regular bullets didn't pierce the skin and surely Captain Reynolds was nearly out of them.

She shut the doors with another look and turned back to the Doctor, who was requesting the diamond from Queen Victoria.

"The purpose it was designed for," he held his hand out. Queen Victoria hesitated, watching him, but relented and handed it over. He spared no time and got to work. "Claudia, Rose," he moved to the giant control wheel. "Lift it, come on."

Claudia didn't waste any time, turning from one end as the Doctor turned from the other. Rose helped it move a bit faster from the middle, but she wasn't doing much. The telescope started slowly moving upwards.

"Is this the right time for stargazing?" Rose asked.

"Yes," the Doctor responded, looking over at Claudia. "It is."

They heard a scream, and then a few bullets, and then another scream. Robert and Reynolds were dead. Claudia grimaced, guilt flooding her. More people she couldn't save.

"You said this thing doesn't work," Rose argued, confusion written across her face.

"It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is," Claudia grunted. "I's a light chamber, right?"

The Doctor nodded, impressed. "It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up."

"It won't work. There's no electricity," Rose argued before looking outside, eyes widening. "Moonlight. But the wolf needs moonlight. It's made by moonlight."

"You're seventy percent water but you can still drown," the Doctor countered. "Come on! Come on!"

The moon shines down into the telescope lens and bounces between the prisms, magnifying as it goes. Just as it begins to work, the werewolf breaks in and goes for Queen Victoria. The Doctor slides the diamond over to where the light hits the floor. It refracts upwards, catching the werewolf in its beam and lifting it up off the floor. The wolf turns back into a young man, hanging as if crucified in mid air.

"Make it brighter," the outline of the young man pleaded, his voice completely different than the ominous one from before, softer, begging. Claudia nodded, reaching over and adjusting the magnification on the observation eyepiece. She could save this one. "Let me go."

The man turns back into a wolf, howling, and then vanishes. As soon as it did, the light from the moon stopped shining and the room went dim again. Queen  Victoria looked over something on her wrist and Claudia straightened.

"Your Majesty? Did it bite you?" The Doctor asked.

"No, it's a cut, that's all."

"It doesn't have to be a bite," Claudia told the Queen, "you can be infected with a scratch. And it may never touch you. But your children? Grandchildren?"

"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart," the Queen denied. The Doctor and Claudia exchanged a disbelieving look. "It's nothing."

"Let me see," the Doctor tried, moving forward but the Queen pulled her hand back.

"It's nothing."

♥✰♥

The Doctor, Rose, and Claudia kneeled in the drawing room in front of Queen Victoria, an array of guards behind them.

"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Sir Doctor of TARDIS," she tapped the sword on both sides of his shoulders. "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Dame Rose of the Powell Estate. And by the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub thee Dame Claudia of the stars. You may stand."

Claudia's head tilted a fraction as she stood. She'd asked Rose where she was from and when Claudia struggled to come up with answer, she'd made her dame of the stars. If Sam could see her now.

"Many thanks, Ma'am," the Doctor smiled up cheekily.

"Thanks," Rose smiled. "They're never going to believe this back home."

"Thank you," Claudia said finally, her eyes catching the Queen's eye. Nothing was spoken, but a form of respect and compassion was passed between the two. An understanding.

"Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving no message from the great beyond," the Doctor spoke up gently. "I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now, Ma'am, from beyond the grave."

Claudia looked down, thinking of Sam who died sacrificing his life for her and everyone else. He was still protecting her and Dean. Without his sacrifice, they'd all be dead, or worse.

"Indeed. Then you may think on this also. That I am not amused."

Claudia rolled her eyes.

"Yes!" Rose laughed, but quieted after a moment.

"Not remotely amused. And henceforth I banish you."

"I'm sorry?" The Doctor blinked in confusion.

Claudia nodded. Not the first time.

"I have 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 these shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you came to stray so far from all that is good, and how much longer you may survive this terrible life. Now leave my world, and never return."

♥✰♥

"Woah!" Dougal, the driver of the cart skidded the horses to a stop as they spotted the TARDIS.

"Thanks, Dougal!" The Doctor smiled as they hopped off.

"Cheers!" Claudia joked, laughing with the Doctor and Rose as they walked to the TARDIS.

"No, but the funny thing is, Queen Victoria did actually suffer a mutation of the blood. It's historical record. She was haemophiliac. They used to call it the Royal Disease. But it's always been a mystery because she didn't inherit it. Her mum didn't have it, her dad didn't have it. It came from nowhere."

"What, and you're saying that's a wolf bite?"

"Well, maybe haemophilia is just a Victorian euphemism."

"A euphemism for werewolf?" Claudia laughed. "I mean, stranger things have happened."

"You keep saying that," the Doctor looked to her. "What exactly do you mean? How have you possibly had stranger than a werewolf in your lifespan?"

She shrugged, looking between him and Rose's curiosity. "I've already told you. I hunt the supernatural and paranormal. Aliens are beyond my forte, but a werewolf? Easy. Hey," a thought occurred to her. "Didn't her children have the Royal Disease too?"

"Maybe she gave them a quick nip," the Doctor joked and Rose breathed out a laugh.

"So, the Royal Family are werewolves?"

"Well, maybe not yet. I mean, a single wolf cell could take a hundred years to mature. Might be ready by, oh, early 21st century?"

Claudia's eyes widened in surprise and Rose laughed.

"Nah, that's just ridiculous! Mind you, Princess Anne..." Rose trailed off, making a face.

Claudia snorted.

"I rest my case," the Doctor shrugged, bumping his shoulder with Claudia's.

"And if you think about it, they're very private. They plan everything in advance. They could schedule themselves around the moon. We'd never know. And they like hunting!"

"They love bloodsports!" Claudia pitched in as the Doctor opened the doors, letting the pair in. They all laughed and Rose nudged Claudia.

"Oh my god, they're werewolves!"

♥✰♥

Claudia tapped on the bright pink door, crossing her arms. She'd taken a long, much needed shower after all the running and fighting she'd done that day. She planned on taking a nap as well but wanted to make sure of something first.

"Oh," Rose's face flickered in surprise and she opened the door with a confused smile. "Welcome to my humble abode," she joked.

Claudia chuckled lightly. "It's very you," she looked around. Pink walls, and a pink bed, with flowers and roses planted all around. Clothes were strewn about, she appeared quite messy, and a tall white dresser sat in the corner.

"Thanks," Rose nodded, brushing a piece of hair back with her finger. "Sorry, what're you doing in here?"

Claudia shrugged, suddenly feeling smaller. "I just wanted to make sure that we're okay. I don't wanna date the Doctor or anything. I'm not looking for romance...at all." She hesitated, but decided it was better to be vulnerable rather than continue on without resolving anything. Sam would say that, anyway. "My brother died a little bit before I met your mom. He was," she swallowed thickly, looking away from Rose and fighting back tears. "Look, I've been in wars and stuff, okay? I have a lot of issues and I'm trying to get over his death and I don't want to fight with you. I'm not looking for a boyfriend. I think you guys are really cute together, it's obvious he has feelings for you too. I just...

"I just want us all to be friends."

Rose watched her for a moment, a frown on her face. But not the frown she'd seen before -- a sorrowful, guilty frown. "I didn't know about your brother, I'm sorry. I lost my dad when I was a kid, I still miss him. I can't imagine losing my mum now, she's all I've got."

"My mom died when I was six months old, it's hard."

Rose's face flashed again. "I'm sorry. I didn't know any of that. I just get...protective of the Doctor. I want what's best for him. I want to be with him. We have this really good connection, y'know? I love him."

Claudia smiled gently. "I know. I'm not blind. Sometimes, I feel like a third wheel."

Rose laughed, grimacing. "Sorry! And sorry about earlier, leaving you in here was my idea. But when you saved me and Flora...you have guts. And you're really badass," Rose let out another laugh. "Like seriously, can you teach me a thing or two?"

Claudia chuckled. "Sure, whenever you want. I don't know if the Doctor would approve of you fighting, though."

"True," Rose smiled. "But, yeah, we're friends. I'm sorry about all the drama, it probably wasn't a fun start."

Claudia waved her off. "It's okay. I just wanted to be sure."

They were quiet for a moment and Claudia sensed a growing awkwardness. "Anyway, I'm gonna take a fat nap, I'm beat. You should get some sleep too."

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I was about too. See you tomorrow."

Claudia nodded, walking outside but stopped at Rose's next words.

"I'm really happy you're travelling with us, Claudia."

Claudia smiled, grateful they could get over her jealousy issues and start a friendship.

"Me too."

♥✰♥

okay sooooo not exactly my best work sorry about that but i am happy that claud and rose are becoming friends!! i'm still not a fan of rose but idk claudia and the doctor aren't going to get together for a whileeee and it's definitely different than her and luna's relationship if you've read spaceman and the moon hahaha. anyways! terrible at fight scenes so hopefully these were okay!! thanks for all your support and i hope you guys enjoyed the update!! leave a vote if you enjoyed and comment your favorite part! stay safe! -osw