The Morning After - Chapter Two
Title: The Morning After - Chapter Two
Fandom: Doctor Who / Being Human (Crossover)
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/George
Rating: This Chapter - PG (rated NC-17 overall)
Spoilers: Doctor Who - Tooth and Claw / Being Human - first two episodes of series one
Disclaimer: Doctor Who and Being Human belong to the BBC, and not me. But I'll put them back in the toybox when I've finished.
Warning: This story will become darker in tone. It will eventually include m/m slash and will involve lycanthrophilia (sexual attraction to werewolves) and consensual violent sex, including biting, scratching and blood play.
Author's Note: Thanks again to adafrog and tescohatesme for beta'ing and input.
A sudden wave of calmness washed over him. That's what this man had been doing. Lulling him into a false sense of security, being nice to him. Making George trust him and then...
Oh, but he didn't even feel scared, not really. Maybe that's what this man did. Maybe he was a hero; maybe he travelled around, ridding the universe of evil creatures, like him. Maybe this was what he deserved.
Chapter Two
A month later, when George woke up in the woods the morning after the full moon, he half-expected to see the Doctor again.
He wasn't disappointed.
This time, the Doctor had not only looked after his clothes for him all night, but he'd brought two fold-out chairs, a flask of tea and some cheese sandwiches, which George wasn't too proud to take. He was famished. And it was nice to be able to sit down in some sort of comfort, for a change, while his aches and pains lingered.
The Doctor watched George, now fully dressed, as he devoured the sandwiches.
"Ooh, you're wolfing those down..." he said, with a smirk. George flashed him an acerbic look.
"Thought you'd be hungry," said the Doctor, with a kinder smile. "I saw you last night... from a safe distance," he added hastily, as George's eyes widened. "You seemed to be following a scent trail all night, but didn't kill any animals."
George nodded with his mouth full of half-chewed bread. He swallowed before replying. "That's a little trick my friend taught me. Well, he's not my friend, but anyway. I met this guy a few months ago, Tully. He's a Lyco, like me."
The Doctor raised an interested eyebrow.
"He taught me a few things. The day before I transform, I trail a cooked chicken along the ground in a big circle. Then when I'm... my other self, I follow the scent, round and round. Keeps me occupied all night. So that I don't... " George trailed off.
"So that you don't hurt anyone," said the Doctor. He sounded quietly impressed.
"I'd never forgive myself if I did," said George. He wasn't sure why he was finding it so much easier to talk to the strange man this time but... well, he hadn't done him any harm, had he?
"That's very admirable, George."
George blushed. Apart from his friends, people often weren't this nice to him.
"Didn't do that last month..." said George thoughtfully. "The last time you saw me, I mean. I cooked a chicken to do that with, but then by the time I got home from work to get my stuff, Mitchell had helpfully served it for dinner." He flashed the Doctor a wry smile. "Probably why I ended up eating your friend the weasel."
"It can't be very convenient, having to do... what you do. In the woods, all the time. In the winter, you must be in danger of hypothermia once you've turned back into yourself." The Doctor poured out more tea from the flask as he spoke.
"I used to transform in an unused store room in the basement at the hospital. I could lock myself in, and then Mitchell used to let me out in the morning. But then they decided to start building offices down there, and there were workmen about and stuff. So..."
"Who's Mitchell?"
"He's... my friend. We work together. And live together. Well, we live in the same house. We're housemates. Not... you know."
The Doctor nodded. "And is he...?"
George smiled. "Like me? No. He's... something completely different." George drained his tea. "Oh, and then Tully showed me this abandoned shack deeper in the woods, used to keep my clothes and things in there. Food and stuff for the morning, for while I recovered. But then one night I must have been in a bad state. I trashed the place. Can't use it anymore."
The Doctor nodded. "So where is this Tully now?" He sounded intrigued.
George shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care if I never see him again."
The Doctor didn't respond. But he leaned back in his rickety little chair and looked contemplative. Then he looked keenly at George. "Lupus magnus est, lupus fortis est, lupus deus est..." he murmured. George stared at him.
"Mean anything to you?" said the Doctor.
George shook his head. "It's... Latin, isn't it? Lupus... the wolf is... great? Powerful?"
"The wolf is great, the wolf is strong, the wolf is God," the Doctor recited. "As chanted by the followers of a little-known religion called the Brotherhood of the Wolf. If you've never heard of it, or of them, then that's a good thing." He looked serious. "A very long time ago, beings like you were being worshipped like deities." He suddenly flashed George a boyish grin. "Actually, I think I'd find that rather flattering."
George wasn't entirely sure what the Doctor was going on about, so he didn't bother trying to join in. He finished his last sandwich, and wiped his fingers on his trousers.
George sat back in his rickety little chair, trying not to make it wobble. "Right. So... you're an alien." He thought he might as well find out what this man wanted. Nobody was this kind and helpful without wanting anything in return.
The Doctor looked mildly surprised. "You believe me, then."
George smiled. "I might have been a bit... sceptical, the last time we met. But I've been thinking about it, and... it makes sense, I suppose. Besides... when you live like I do, know the people I know... your disbelief tends to be permanently suspended." He cleared his throat. "I thought you were like me, at first. Because... you weren't scared of me. But you don't smell like a wolf. Your scent is different to anyone else I've ever met."
The Doctor's eyes bore into George's. "I'm not a werewolf, George. But I've met one before. Maybe not quite like you... but I had to be sure. That's why I've been watching you. You see, the last time I met a werewolf... well." He tilted his head to the side, regretfully. "I had to stop him."
The Doctor took his eyes off George and looked into the middle distance, almost dreamily. "Such a shame... he was magnificent..." He spoke in a hushed tone.
George stood up. "What are you saying... that you..." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "You're going to kill me, aren't you?"
A sudden wave of calmness washed over him. That's what this man had been doing. Lulling him into a false sense of security, being nice to him. Making George trust him and then...
Oh, but he didn't even feel scared, not really. Maybe that's what this man did. Maybe he was a hero; maybe he travelled around, ridding the universe of evil creatures, like him. Maybe this was what he deserved.
The Doctor stared at him, his eyes blazing. "No, George. I'm not going to kill you. That's something I am very definitely not going to do." There was something passionate, something infinitely powerful, in his eyes and voice. George suddenly felt oddly in awe of the man.
The Doctor stood up too. He stared soulfully at George, and he felt himself melt a little.
"I've been watching you because I wanted to know what you are. A while ago, I met another man who turned into a wolf. And he was worshipped by people who wanted to use him for a very dark purpose. That's why I had to stop him. I don't suppose it was the man's fault... not in the beginning. He was only a child when he was first taken. It wasn't his choice to become what he was."
George found himself shaking his head. "It wasn't my choice, either."
The Doctor nodded. "I can see that. It... upsets you, doesn't it? Being what you are?"
"He should have killed me, and be done with it," George muttered, almost to himself.
The Doctor suddenly took a step back, and fumbled in his inside pocket. The instrument he brought out was long and metallic, and looked like a thin, over-complicated torch. He pressed a button on the side of the instrument and it lit up bright blue at the end, and made a strange whining sound.
George took a step back. "What's that?" he said nervously.
The Doctor shushed him a little impatiently, and ran the instrument up and down George's body, all over, tutting and humming at whatever results were apparently obvious.
"Wanted to do this last night," the Doctor muttered, "but thought you might have taken me for dinner." He glanced at George, to see if he looked amused. He didn't.
"As in... you might have mistaken me for food. Not taken me to a restaurant for a... it was a joke."
George was just glaring.
"Quite a clever play on words, I thought..." said the Doctor, sounding a little wounded. At last he stopped doing whatever he was doing, and slid the instrument back into his pocket.
"You're human," the Doctor announced, his forehead creased.
"Barely," said George, with a scowl.
"No, I mean... you're a human who's become... infected. With whatever it is that makes you a werewolf. You're not possessed by a lupine-like alien intelligence. Not like the last one."
George didn't really understand. The Doctor reached out and placed a hand warmly on his upper arm. For some reason, he didn't shake it off. It felt... comforting. "How did it happen, George?" the Doctor asked softly.
George shrugged. "I was on holiday, up in Scotland, a couple of years ago. One night, I was with this guy I'd met there, when we were both attacked by a wolf. He... the other man. He was killed. The wolf ripped out his..." George paled a little and shook his head. "It was horrible."
The Doctor nodded sympathetically.
"As for me... when the ambulance arrived, I was unconscious. I'd been scratched by the wolf. I think somebody must have scared him off before he could do any more damage to me. Well, it was more than just a scratch. Big... deep... claw marks..." he indicated his left shoulder. The Doctor nodded. He'd seen the scars. "A few days later, I was... different."
The Doctor looked enthralled. "How so?"
George shrugged. "My sense of smell was enhanced. It was awful at first. Made me feel sick all the time. Then as the full moon approached I... well, I never took much notice of things like that, stars and stuff. I was never interested in astronomy. So I didn't realise, at first. Didn't put the two things together. But I changed. My sense of smell at first... and then I was stronger. And then... my behaviour. I became... I don't know. Weird. I started being all moody, and lashing out, and I've never been violent. It's just not me..."
The Doctor nodded. "I'm sure you're a very good person, George."
George shrugged, a little embarrassed. "The first time... the first time I... changed..." he sounded haunted. He wrapped his arms around himself. "I started... losing it. Losing myself. I can't really remember it too well. It's all a blur."
The Doctor nodded, listening intently.
"Then... oh God, it hurt!" George closed his eyes in horror. "I thought I was dying."
"Transformation..." the Doctor breathed. "It's amazing. What happens to your body, I mean. I watched, last night. And the month before, too."
"And you weren't... scared?" George couldn't believe it.
But the Doctor was shaking his head. "No. Not really. I was just so... interested. You're very interesting, George. Fascinating." His eyes were glinting.
George snorted. "Weren't you afraid I might attack you?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Well... I had some of this on me." He pulled something out of his pocket, some sort of plant. He held it up. Green leaves, white berries. "Mistletoe," he confirmed.
George stuck his hands in his pockets. "What were you going to do, kiss me to death under it?"
The Doctor let out a hearty laugh. "Well, it's something to bear in mind for next time." He held the mistletoe out in front of George's face.
George wrinkled his nose. "It stinks!"
The Doctor pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Well, maybe, to you. But apart from the smell, it doesn't... repel you, in any way, does it?" George shook his head.
"Has it ever?"
George shrugged. "I'm Jewish. I don't do Christmas. Never had much contact with mistletoe. Besides, there's never been that many people desperate to kiss me."
The Doctor gave him a secret smile. He put the mistletoe back into his pocket. How the berries hadn't gotten all smushed in there, George had no idea.
"I wonder how aconitum napellus would affect you," the Doctor ruminated. He smiled at George, who was just looking at him like he'd lost the plot.
"A plant more commonly known as Wolfsbane," the Doctor explained. "I've been doing a bit of research on Lycanthropy. It's said that Wolfsbane can inhibit transformation. But then, if you've already transformed, that's not much good either."
The Doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The last werewolf I encountered was repelled by mistletoe. Not sure why. But it didn't bother you, which gave me an idea that you were something different. So then I just did this…"
The Doctor reached into his pocket and took out the thin, silver instrument he had previously run over George's body. He pressed a button, and it lit up and emitted a horribly loud, high-pitched screech that made George clap his hands over his ears and groan.
The Doctor turned it off. "Sorry. Sonic device. Emits soundwaves at a very high frequency. When you're transformed, your hearing is far more sensitive, like a... well, like a wolf's. That kept you at bay. So... see? I was safe, the whole time. Well... mostly." George flashed him a dark look. "As safe as I needed to be," he amended.
George shook his head. His ears were ringing. His hearing was still a little sensitive. "I don't remember." He looked up at the Doctor. "I can never remember very much about when I'm my other self. Just... feelings."
"Like... animal instincts. Hunger... the need to hunt?" The Doctor was putting the metallic instrument back into his pocket without looking. His eyes were fixed on George.
George nodded, blushing. "Yes. It all feels... feral. Just... emotions. Needs..." He looked down. "Hunger. All sorts of hungers. I'm scared that one day I won't be able to keep hold of the human part inside me. That I'll end up just... hunting someone down. Just taking what I want and not... not caring..." His eyes filled with tears.
The Doctor put his hand back on George's shoulder, and squeezed it gently. "I have a place. I'd like to take you there, and run some more tests on you, if I could."
George frowned at him. "A place? Like... your house?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Not quite. Well... I live there. But it has a laboratory. I'd like to take readings and samples from you... just before you transform."
George started fiddling with his clothes. "Why?"
The Doctor shrugged. "I could maybe find out what it is that makes you turn into a wolf. Maybe I could help you." He held out his hands as George's eyes started to shine with hope. "I'm not... promising anything. I might not be able to do anything. It's just... research. As long as you know that."
George was nodding fervently. "Yes, yes. I understand. But... oh God. Do you think? Maybe?"
The Doctor bent down and started to gather together the chairs and the other things he'd brought. He didn't answer George's question. "I'll meet you here, the night before the next full moon."
George rubbed at his grimy face and laughed softly. "My mum told me never to talk to strangers. Never mind take tea and sandwiches from them, and agree to go to their mysterious secret lab, where God knows what you might end up doing to me. But I trust you, and I have no idea why. I have no idea who you really are."
The Doctor, the folded-up camp chairs clutched awkwardly under one arm and the emptied sandwich box and flask in his hands, just smiled.
George smiled back, and fumbled in his pocket for his glasses. His perfect vision was beginning to wane slightly. In a couple of hours, it would be back to its normal blurry state. He put the spectacles on.
"I'll see you here next month, then. The night before the full moon. At about... seven o'clock?"
The Doctor nodded. "It's a date."
George grinned goofily for a moment, nodded, and turned around and walked away, through the trees. After a few seconds, he was lost from sight.
The Doctor hefted the chairs under his arm, took a tighter grip of the other paraphernalia he held, and turned around to walk in the opposite direction.
"You should always listen to your mother," he murmured softly to himself.
To be continued
Chapter One
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Fandom: Doctor Who / Being Human (Crossover)
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/George
Rating: This Chapter - PG (rated NC-17 overall)
Spoilers: Doctor Who - Tooth and Claw / Being Human - first two episodes of series one
Disclaimer: Doctor Who and Being Human belong to the BBC, and not me. But I'll put them back in the toybox when I've finished.
Warning: This story will become darker in tone. It will eventually include m/m slash and will involve lycanthrophilia (sexual attraction to werewolves) and consensual violent sex, including biting, scratching and blood play.
Author's Note: Thanks again to adafrog and tescohatesme for beta'ing and input.
A sudden wave of calmness washed over him. That's what this man had been doing. Lulling him into a false sense of security, being nice to him. Making George trust him and then...
Oh, but he didn't even feel scared, not really. Maybe that's what this man did. Maybe he was a hero; maybe he travelled around, ridding the universe of evil creatures, like him. Maybe this was what he deserved.
Chapter Two
A month later, when George woke up in the woods the morning after the full moon, he half-expected to see the Doctor again.
He wasn't disappointed.
This time, the Doctor had not only looked after his clothes for him all night, but he'd brought two fold-out chairs, a flask of tea and some cheese sandwiches, which George wasn't too proud to take. He was famished. And it was nice to be able to sit down in some sort of comfort, for a change, while his aches and pains lingered.
The Doctor watched George, now fully dressed, as he devoured the sandwiches.
"Ooh, you're wolfing those down..." he said, with a smirk. George flashed him an acerbic look.
"Thought you'd be hungry," said the Doctor, with a kinder smile. "I saw you last night... from a safe distance," he added hastily, as George's eyes widened. "You seemed to be following a scent trail all night, but didn't kill any animals."
George nodded with his mouth full of half-chewed bread. He swallowed before replying. "That's a little trick my friend taught me. Well, he's not my friend, but anyway. I met this guy a few months ago, Tully. He's a Lyco, like me."
The Doctor raised an interested eyebrow.
"He taught me a few things. The day before I transform, I trail a cooked chicken along the ground in a big circle. Then when I'm... my other self, I follow the scent, round and round. Keeps me occupied all night. So that I don't... " George trailed off.
"So that you don't hurt anyone," said the Doctor. He sounded quietly impressed.
"I'd never forgive myself if I did," said George. He wasn't sure why he was finding it so much easier to talk to the strange man this time but... well, he hadn't done him any harm, had he?
"That's very admirable, George."
George blushed. Apart from his friends, people often weren't this nice to him.
"Didn't do that last month..." said George thoughtfully. "The last time you saw me, I mean. I cooked a chicken to do that with, but then by the time I got home from work to get my stuff, Mitchell had helpfully served it for dinner." He flashed the Doctor a wry smile. "Probably why I ended up eating your friend the weasel."
"It can't be very convenient, having to do... what you do. In the woods, all the time. In the winter, you must be in danger of hypothermia once you've turned back into yourself." The Doctor poured out more tea from the flask as he spoke.
"I used to transform in an unused store room in the basement at the hospital. I could lock myself in, and then Mitchell used to let me out in the morning. But then they decided to start building offices down there, and there were workmen about and stuff. So..."
"Who's Mitchell?"
"He's... my friend. We work together. And live together. Well, we live in the same house. We're housemates. Not... you know."
The Doctor nodded. "And is he...?"
George smiled. "Like me? No. He's... something completely different." George drained his tea. "Oh, and then Tully showed me this abandoned shack deeper in the woods, used to keep my clothes and things in there. Food and stuff for the morning, for while I recovered. But then one night I must have been in a bad state. I trashed the place. Can't use it anymore."
The Doctor nodded. "So where is this Tully now?" He sounded intrigued.
George shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care if I never see him again."
The Doctor didn't respond. But he leaned back in his rickety little chair and looked contemplative. Then he looked keenly at George. "Lupus magnus est, lupus fortis est, lupus deus est..." he murmured. George stared at him.
"Mean anything to you?" said the Doctor.
George shook his head. "It's... Latin, isn't it? Lupus... the wolf is... great? Powerful?"
"The wolf is great, the wolf is strong, the wolf is God," the Doctor recited. "As chanted by the followers of a little-known religion called the Brotherhood of the Wolf. If you've never heard of it, or of them, then that's a good thing." He looked serious. "A very long time ago, beings like you were being worshipped like deities." He suddenly flashed George a boyish grin. "Actually, I think I'd find that rather flattering."
George wasn't entirely sure what the Doctor was going on about, so he didn't bother trying to join in. He finished his last sandwich, and wiped his fingers on his trousers.
George sat back in his rickety little chair, trying not to make it wobble. "Right. So... you're an alien." He thought he might as well find out what this man wanted. Nobody was this kind and helpful without wanting anything in return.
The Doctor looked mildly surprised. "You believe me, then."
George smiled. "I might have been a bit... sceptical, the last time we met. But I've been thinking about it, and... it makes sense, I suppose. Besides... when you live like I do, know the people I know... your disbelief tends to be permanently suspended." He cleared his throat. "I thought you were like me, at first. Because... you weren't scared of me. But you don't smell like a wolf. Your scent is different to anyone else I've ever met."
The Doctor's eyes bore into George's. "I'm not a werewolf, George. But I've met one before. Maybe not quite like you... but I had to be sure. That's why I've been watching you. You see, the last time I met a werewolf... well." He tilted his head to the side, regretfully. "I had to stop him."
The Doctor took his eyes off George and looked into the middle distance, almost dreamily. "Such a shame... he was magnificent..." He spoke in a hushed tone.
George stood up. "What are you saying... that you..." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "You're going to kill me, aren't you?"
A sudden wave of calmness washed over him. That's what this man had been doing. Lulling him into a false sense of security, being nice to him. Making George trust him and then...
Oh, but he didn't even feel scared, not really. Maybe that's what this man did. Maybe he was a hero; maybe he travelled around, ridding the universe of evil creatures, like him. Maybe this was what he deserved.
The Doctor stared at him, his eyes blazing. "No, George. I'm not going to kill you. That's something I am very definitely not going to do." There was something passionate, something infinitely powerful, in his eyes and voice. George suddenly felt oddly in awe of the man.
The Doctor stood up too. He stared soulfully at George, and he felt himself melt a little.
"I've been watching you because I wanted to know what you are. A while ago, I met another man who turned into a wolf. And he was worshipped by people who wanted to use him for a very dark purpose. That's why I had to stop him. I don't suppose it was the man's fault... not in the beginning. He was only a child when he was first taken. It wasn't his choice to become what he was."
George found himself shaking his head. "It wasn't my choice, either."
The Doctor nodded. "I can see that. It... upsets you, doesn't it? Being what you are?"
"He should have killed me, and be done with it," George muttered, almost to himself.
The Doctor suddenly took a step back, and fumbled in his inside pocket. The instrument he brought out was long and metallic, and looked like a thin, over-complicated torch. He pressed a button on the side of the instrument and it lit up bright blue at the end, and made a strange whining sound.
George took a step back. "What's that?" he said nervously.
The Doctor shushed him a little impatiently, and ran the instrument up and down George's body, all over, tutting and humming at whatever results were apparently obvious.
"Wanted to do this last night," the Doctor muttered, "but thought you might have taken me for dinner." He glanced at George, to see if he looked amused. He didn't.
"As in... you might have mistaken me for food. Not taken me to a restaurant for a... it was a joke."
George was just glaring.
"Quite a clever play on words, I thought..." said the Doctor, sounding a little wounded. At last he stopped doing whatever he was doing, and slid the instrument back into his pocket.
"You're human," the Doctor announced, his forehead creased.
"Barely," said George, with a scowl.
"No, I mean... you're a human who's become... infected. With whatever it is that makes you a werewolf. You're not possessed by a lupine-like alien intelligence. Not like the last one."
George didn't really understand. The Doctor reached out and placed a hand warmly on his upper arm. For some reason, he didn't shake it off. It felt... comforting. "How did it happen, George?" the Doctor asked softly.
George shrugged. "I was on holiday, up in Scotland, a couple of years ago. One night, I was with this guy I'd met there, when we were both attacked by a wolf. He... the other man. He was killed. The wolf ripped out his..." George paled a little and shook his head. "It was horrible."
The Doctor nodded sympathetically.
"As for me... when the ambulance arrived, I was unconscious. I'd been scratched by the wolf. I think somebody must have scared him off before he could do any more damage to me. Well, it was more than just a scratch. Big... deep... claw marks..." he indicated his left shoulder. The Doctor nodded. He'd seen the scars. "A few days later, I was... different."
The Doctor looked enthralled. "How so?"
George shrugged. "My sense of smell was enhanced. It was awful at first. Made me feel sick all the time. Then as the full moon approached I... well, I never took much notice of things like that, stars and stuff. I was never interested in astronomy. So I didn't realise, at first. Didn't put the two things together. But I changed. My sense of smell at first... and then I was stronger. And then... my behaviour. I became... I don't know. Weird. I started being all moody, and lashing out, and I've never been violent. It's just not me..."
The Doctor nodded. "I'm sure you're a very good person, George."
George shrugged, a little embarrassed. "The first time... the first time I... changed..." he sounded haunted. He wrapped his arms around himself. "I started... losing it. Losing myself. I can't really remember it too well. It's all a blur."
The Doctor nodded, listening intently.
"Then... oh God, it hurt!" George closed his eyes in horror. "I thought I was dying."
"Transformation..." the Doctor breathed. "It's amazing. What happens to your body, I mean. I watched, last night. And the month before, too."
"And you weren't... scared?" George couldn't believe it.
But the Doctor was shaking his head. "No. Not really. I was just so... interested. You're very interesting, George. Fascinating." His eyes were glinting.
George snorted. "Weren't you afraid I might attack you?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Well... I had some of this on me." He pulled something out of his pocket, some sort of plant. He held it up. Green leaves, white berries. "Mistletoe," he confirmed.
George stuck his hands in his pockets. "What were you going to do, kiss me to death under it?"
The Doctor let out a hearty laugh. "Well, it's something to bear in mind for next time." He held the mistletoe out in front of George's face.
George wrinkled his nose. "It stinks!"
The Doctor pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Well, maybe, to you. But apart from the smell, it doesn't... repel you, in any way, does it?" George shook his head.
"Has it ever?"
George shrugged. "I'm Jewish. I don't do Christmas. Never had much contact with mistletoe. Besides, there's never been that many people desperate to kiss me."
The Doctor gave him a secret smile. He put the mistletoe back into his pocket. How the berries hadn't gotten all smushed in there, George had no idea.
"I wonder how aconitum napellus would affect you," the Doctor ruminated. He smiled at George, who was just looking at him like he'd lost the plot.
"A plant more commonly known as Wolfsbane," the Doctor explained. "I've been doing a bit of research on Lycanthropy. It's said that Wolfsbane can inhibit transformation. But then, if you've already transformed, that's not much good either."
The Doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The last werewolf I encountered was repelled by mistletoe. Not sure why. But it didn't bother you, which gave me an idea that you were something different. So then I just did this…"
The Doctor reached into his pocket and took out the thin, silver instrument he had previously run over George's body. He pressed a button, and it lit up and emitted a horribly loud, high-pitched screech that made George clap his hands over his ears and groan.
The Doctor turned it off. "Sorry. Sonic device. Emits soundwaves at a very high frequency. When you're transformed, your hearing is far more sensitive, like a... well, like a wolf's. That kept you at bay. So... see? I was safe, the whole time. Well... mostly." George flashed him a dark look. "As safe as I needed to be," he amended.
George shook his head. His ears were ringing. His hearing was still a little sensitive. "I don't remember." He looked up at the Doctor. "I can never remember very much about when I'm my other self. Just... feelings."
"Like... animal instincts. Hunger... the need to hunt?" The Doctor was putting the metallic instrument back into his pocket without looking. His eyes were fixed on George.
George nodded, blushing. "Yes. It all feels... feral. Just... emotions. Needs..." He looked down. "Hunger. All sorts of hungers. I'm scared that one day I won't be able to keep hold of the human part inside me. That I'll end up just... hunting someone down. Just taking what I want and not... not caring..." His eyes filled with tears.
The Doctor put his hand back on George's shoulder, and squeezed it gently. "I have a place. I'd like to take you there, and run some more tests on you, if I could."
George frowned at him. "A place? Like... your house?"
The Doctor shrugged. "Not quite. Well... I live there. But it has a laboratory. I'd like to take readings and samples from you... just before you transform."
George started fiddling with his clothes. "Why?"
The Doctor shrugged. "I could maybe find out what it is that makes you turn into a wolf. Maybe I could help you." He held out his hands as George's eyes started to shine with hope. "I'm not... promising anything. I might not be able to do anything. It's just... research. As long as you know that."
George was nodding fervently. "Yes, yes. I understand. But... oh God. Do you think? Maybe?"
The Doctor bent down and started to gather together the chairs and the other things he'd brought. He didn't answer George's question. "I'll meet you here, the night before the next full moon."
George rubbed at his grimy face and laughed softly. "My mum told me never to talk to strangers. Never mind take tea and sandwiches from them, and agree to go to their mysterious secret lab, where God knows what you might end up doing to me. But I trust you, and I have no idea why. I have no idea who you really are."
The Doctor, the folded-up camp chairs clutched awkwardly under one arm and the emptied sandwich box and flask in his hands, just smiled.
George smiled back, and fumbled in his pocket for his glasses. His perfect vision was beginning to wane slightly. In a couple of hours, it would be back to its normal blurry state. He put the spectacles on.
"I'll see you here next month, then. The night before the full moon. At about... seven o'clock?"
The Doctor nodded. "It's a date."
George grinned goofily for a moment, nodded, and turned around and walked away, through the trees. After a few seconds, he was lost from sight.
The Doctor hefted the chairs under his arm, took a tighter grip of the other paraphernalia he held, and turned around to walk in the opposite direction.
"You should always listen to your mother," he murmured softly to himself.
To be continued
Chapter One
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six