The Doctor sat on the rickety couch in the console room of the TARDIS reading a book, enjoying the peace and quiet. But that came to end when he heard the sound of footsteps heading his way, "Dad! Dad! Lookit! I fixed it!" It was a young woman in her early twenties, with a strange gadget in her hands. She had a round face, dark brown eyes, red hair cut in a choppy bob, broad shoulders and she was grinning from ear to ear as she plopped down next to her father, "I replaced the antenna and replaced all of the missing buttons and I made sure it would go "ding" when it's supposed to. I know how much you like it when they go ding!"
The Doctor smiled as he pulled his glasses out of his pocket and examined the good as new gizmo, "Well done my clever girl! You've really outdone yourself this time." The girl smiled as her father beamed at her handiwork.
Her name was Larn.
She was the Doctor's daughter and she was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
"Are you hungry Larn?" The Doctor asked as he handed her the gadget.
"Always. Feed me." Larn said in her most serious voice. The Doctor chuckled, "Yeah, I'm getting a bit peckish myself, let's go see what we can whip up."
"Last one there is a gassy slitheen!" Larn exclaimed as she darted to the nearest corridor.
"Oi! I wasn't ready!" The Doctor shouted as he raced to catch up to his daughter, the TARDIS hallway echoing with laughter.
The monitor on the console lit up and gave off a low hum.
The Doctor watched as Larn enjoyed her meal. They we're having spaghetti tonight one of Larn's favorites, and he chuckled when Larn took a drink with spaghetti sauce on her face. Even after all of these years, she was still a messy eater.
Larn heard her father laughing and quickly grabbed her napkin and wiped her face, a little embarrassed and brushed it off so she could enjoy her third piece of garlic bread.
As they ate their desert, Neapolitan sundaes, Larn asked, "Hey Dad..."
"Yes love?"
"Have you ever thought about helping people again?" Larn watched her father's expression; she saw his eyes fill with sadness as he said, "Not for a long time."
"Do you ever think you will again? Or at least, travel the way you used too?" She had grown up with all of his stories, the stories of all of the places he seen, the people he traveled with, all the people he helped. She wanted to be a part of that, all she had know was the TARDIS and its seemingly unending corridors and hallways. Her father's stories we're her only clarification that there was more out there beyond the safety of the TARDIS walls.
"My traveling days are far behind me. The universe was in good hands the last time I saw it." Larn let out a frustrated sigh, her father always said that whenever he wanted to change this particular subject.
Before Larn could press him further, the TARDIS gave a sudden lurch. Larn saw her father's face pale with surprise and quite surprisingly, fear.
"Larn, go to your room and stay there until I come to get you."
"But Dad..."
"Larn please, do as I say." The Doctor didn't mean to sound so stern but it did the trick. Larn left the dining room without looking back.
"No no no! You stupid blasted ship! I turned all of the sensors off for a reason! And you had the nerve to take us out of the time lock! Damn you!" The Doctor kicked the console as he cursed.
He hung his head as he clutched the edges of the console. "I don't want this. Not anymore...."
"Dad, is everything okay?" Larn said as she approached her father. She heard him yelling and got worried, she had never seen him this upset before.
The Doctor turned to meet his daughter's concerned eyes. "Larn, I told you to stay in your room...." He muttered. Larn wasn't listening, her eyes drifted to the monitor on the TARDIS, it had never done this before.
"Dad, what does this mean? I've never seen the TARDIS do anything like this...and what's a time lock?"
The Doctor let out a defeated sigh and replied, "It's a distress signal. The TARDIS has decided to undermine my specific settings and has picked up,-''
"A call for help?" Larn finished hopefully.
"Yes. A call for help." The Doctor sighed dejectedly.
"What's a time lock?" Larn asked again.
"Not important, now, pop back to your room while I fix the TARDIS's settings..."
"But Dad, someone needs our help! I mean, your help!" Larn watched as her father stared at the monitor again. For a split second he looked drained then he finally said, "Fine, just this once! But there are going to be rules that must be followed!"
Larn smiled from ear to ear as she clung to the couch for dear life as her father pulled a lever on the console.....
"I won't be gone long. I'll just see what the fuss is about, sort it out and come straight back, are you even listening to me Larn?" The Doctor asked as he realized that Larn was staring at the TARDIS doors.
"Larn!" The Doctor barked. Larn snapped her gaze back to her father. "Yes Dad." The Doctor sighed; she was so much like him it was frightening. "Under NO circumstance are you to leave the TARDIS, do I make myself clear?"
Larn forced herself to not roll her eyes, this was the millionth time he had said this but she instead she said, "Okay."
She couldn't help but be excited by her father finally leaving the TARDIS to help someone. She even read the coordinates on the monitor and she couldn't help but feel even more excited, the TARDIS had brought them to the year 1886. London 1886.
They were in the past. They were in London 1886!
Larn would have squealed with delight had her father hadn't been glaring balefully at the monitor.
She only recalled one occasion where her father left the TARDIS, she had been really little then but her father didn't like to talk about it.
The Doctor brushed his long, nearly shoulder length unkempt fiery curls out of his eyes and placed both hands on his daughter's shoulders, "I'll be back soon." He pulled her into his embrace, her smooth cheek brushing against his short prickly beard.
"I love you."
His words seemed to echo throughout the now empty TARDIS. He had looked back at her one last time, as if taking in every detail of her before he finally shut the doors.
Larn waited a few minutes, to make sure he wouldn't come back due to him changing his mind, but when he didn't, she ran to her room to get something that she had thought she would never get a chance to try.
She was now brandishing her very own sonic screwdriver. It was a bit longer than her father's, thicker and it had a special feature that she couldn't activate as long as it was in the TARDIS.
There was only one way to test it.
She was dressed in a blue t shirt with a glow in the dark star. Her favorite shirt, with black pants and her red converse sneakers just like her fathers.
She had peeked out of the TARDIS and enjoyed the autumn night breeze that nearly blew the TARDIS door shut.
She threw on her navy duffle coat, put on an old scarf that belonged to her Dad, yanked on some purple wooly gloves, then pulled the hood over her head and with a deep breath, stepped out of the TARDIS for the first time in her life.
The door creaked as she slowly pushed it open. She peeked out from behind the blue door and was immediately hit by the cold night air, her flame colored locks scattering in different directions. It felt so strange yet wonderful. It was icy cold, yet welcoming. She looked down at the cobblestone ground and smiled as her red sneakers, her Dad's old scarf nearly touching the ground, stared back up at her. She did it.
She then took in her surroundings, she was in an alley, and she saw the light of a lone lamp post that seemed to beckon her out of the darkness and into its welcoming light. Larn didn't hesitate any more as she ran to the lamp post. She saw a puddle underneath it. She always wanted to jump in one of those.
Her pants were now soaked with ice cold water as she walked away from the lamp post and its puddle. She had been splashing away in the puddle, laughing and giggling until she realized that the streets we're completely empty. Her father's stories we're always filled with bustling cities and towns, especially when he would talk about London....
Larn started to have second thoughts; maybe she should go back to the TARDIS.
Suddenly, she heard screaming. As much as she wanted to turn away and flee, she stuck her hand deep into her pocket and gripped her sonic and ran towards the sounds of terror.
Larn came across a pub where people we're fleeing the building. Larn heard what sounded like guttural growling and snarling it was coming from behind the building. It sounded like stone against metal and it sent chills down her spine. She rounded the corner of the rickety building and saw two young men, roughly around her age, being cornered by a giant beast. It looked like some sort of hound, although it was definitely not any kind of hound or creature from this world. It was four times the size of a typical dog and it's bloodstained fangs dripped with foam.
Larn whipped out her sonic and pressed the special button. She waited so long for this. "Oi! Cujo! Over here! See the pretty light?" A bright blue laser beam of light illuminated Larn's face when her sonic's special feature was activated. Larn couldn't help but smile. It worked!
The hound turned to face her and Larn nearly dropped her sonic. It's eyes we're as red as blood and it's ears we're shredded and torn.
"I-I'm not going to hurt you....." her voice trembled as she saw, with relief that the two young men had made their escape.
"Now, I really like doggos, I love them in fact. I always wanted one; Dad said he would get me one day."
No! Don't think about Dad right now.
The hound slunk towards her and was staring at her with those wicked eyes as if it was examining her very soul.
Larn took a step back, not wanting the hound to get any closer to her, but then, she felt her hearts stop when she tripped on her father's scarf. Maybe grabbing the longest scarf in the closet was a bad idea.
She fell flat on her rump and dropped her sonic. The hound pounced and struck. Larn screamed when the hound's teeth connected with her blue duffle coat. She kicked and failed and somehow managed to grab her sonic.
The hound howled in pain when the sonic's laser blade connected with its shoulder. Larn screamed again when the hound resumed its charge angrier than ever.
But before the hound reached Larn, it let out a painful yowl and ran off. Larn watched in disbelief as it ran with its tail in between its legs. Larn's head was ringing and thrumming with pain, and now her ears with ringing. She was hearing things now...she heard her father....he sounded like he was getting closer.
"Larn! Larn! It's me! Oh my stars are you okay?" It was indeed her father, she wasn't hallucinating.
"D-Dad..."
The Doctor felt a stab of dread in his gut, Larn was hurt. Her knees we're scraped up, her duffle coat looked like it had been fed to a weedhacker and worst of all; she had a large gash in her forehead.
"Did that creature bite you?" The Doctor asked as he quickly unbuttoned the coat and let out a sigh of relief when there was no sign of injury.
"Is she alright Doctor?" said a voice. Larn was getting dizzy now.
"I'm afraid not lads, I need to get her home." Despite the dizziness, Larn could hear the worry and the fear in her father's voice.
"Where is your home Doctor?" asked another voice.
The Doctor didn't answer as he tore of his coat and wrapped it around Larn. "I'll get her there."
Larn's dizziness dulled long enough for her to finally make out the owners of the voices, it was the two young men she had saved from the hound. "Doctor, I refuse to let you risk your safety on such dangerous streets. London isn't safe anymore. I will get the carriage ready and you along with Mr. Doyle will be my esteemed guests at my family estate."
Without another word, the young man left, leaving the Doctor, Larn and Doyle alone.
Larn moaned at the pain and she felt her father tremble. "Doctor, if I may?" asked Doyle.
The Doctor gave a pleading nod. "Please, do whatever you can." Doyle handed him Larn's sonic. "She dropped this, it looks like it can emit light, and I will need as much as possible." The Doctor took the screwdriver with a grateful nod and he held it aloft and pressed the button. Larn flinched at the bright blue light shining down on her and she heard her father gasp.
Larn's face was covered in blood. Doyle remained calm and began to tend to his patient. Doyle tore his shirt to make some bandages and he ripped some larger chunks of fabric and used them to wipe away the blood. Larn must have faded out for a bit because she suddenly heard horses and the other young man returned. "The carriage is ready."
Doyle nodded and said, "It's not as serious as I feared. She just needs to keep the wound clean and rest." He wrapped her head in the makeshift bandages. "These should hold until we get to the Stoneweld Estate."
The other young man, who had introduced himself as Alexander Stoneweld added, "My mother is a nurse, she will take good care of your daughter Doctor." The Doctor gave a grateful nod, then he turned back to Larn. "Larn, you still with me?"
"Yeah." Larn murmured as she tried to stand up but her father stopped her. "Oh no you don't." He said gruffly as he scooped her up. Despite his skinny frame, he was able to lift his broad shouldered daughter easily. Larn would have been impressed if she wasn't so dizzy and her head wasn't killing her.
"Dad, I can walk..."
"Shhhhh, don't talk my Flower, just relax." The Doctor replied as he carried her to the carriage and set her on a cushioned seat. He cradled Larn in his lap as she lost conciseness.
The Doctor threw two more logs into the fireplace, bringing the flames to a roar. He was in a freezing cold bedroom, that was the only thing he hated about this time period, even in autumn, the houses would be so cold. He threw another log on the fire for good measure and returned to the bed where his daughter was sleeping.
He had gotten quite hysterical when she had passed out in his lap the night before, which prompted the carriage driver, Alexander Stoneweld, to make the horses pick up the pace and reach the Stoneweld Estate much sooner than anticipated. When they finally arrived, Mrs. Stoneweld, Alexander's mother, led the Doctor to a bed that was intended for Arthur, but Arthur insisted that it be given to his patient and he was able to treat his patient properly. It turns out Larn was fortunate enough to save an actual doctor.
She's fine. She is fine. She's going to be okay.
The Doctor kept telling himself as he watched Larn's expressionless face. His gaze drifted up to the bandages that were wrapped around Larn's head. Arthur had reassured him that Larn was indeed going to make a full recovery and that she was luckier than most. Mrs. Stoneweld then proceeded to make sure that The Doctor and Larn would have everything they would need.
The gash in her forehead wasn't that deep, but the large bump on the back of her head would need to be kept an eye on. The Doctor held his head in his hands. He did everything in his power to keep Larn safe, put them in a Time Lock, but not even that was enough! His daughter could have been killed....He felt his two hearts stop when he saw the Hound looming over Larn, her coat torn to shreds, the blood running down her face...
The Doctor reached forward and clasped Larn's hand and squeezed it tightly.
They shouldn't have come here.
Larn's throbbing head woke her up, well that and she felt something squeezing her hand. "Mmmh." She moaned.
"Larn?" It was her father.
"Dad?" she murmured as she opened her eyes. Her father looked tired; she didn't recall him ever looking so tired. His eyes had bags under them, his chestnut brown hair was unkempt and his clothes we're wrinkled. He must have been by her side all night.
"Yeah, it's me....how are you feeling?"
"Like I've been hit by a truck." Although she wasn't an expert in that department, nor did she ever want to be. She only saw trucks in books and movies.
"What the hell we're you thinking?" The question pierced the air like a knife.
"Dad I'm sorr-" Larn began.
The Doctor interrupted, "Not only did you deliberately disobey me, you could have been killed! You almost were! I was almost too late..." The Doctor's rant fizzled out as quickly as it started.
There was a moment of silence.
"I'm sorry Dad, I just wanted to take a walk and explore for a bit....but then I saw Arthur and Alexander in danger...I just couldn't stand by and do nothing."
The Doctor, still quite angry, said, "As soon as you recover, we are going straight back to the TARDIS." He got up, "I'm going to get some more firewood. Watch what you say around the Stonewelds, the staff and Mr. Doyle. They must not know anything about the future....especially Mr. Doyle. Understand?"
Larn nodded tears stinging her eyes. She already figured out who Arthur was...sadly she couldn't enjoy it.
"Stay in bed." The Doctor said gruffly as he shut the door behind him. Tears silently ran down Larn's round face.
She had never seen her father so angry. She didn't even think he could get angry, but she was obviously just proven wrong. She didn't want to go home. Not yet. There was so much she wanted to do before that would happen. Like, why was London being terrorized by a giant Hound? How long had this been going on? If she and he father did something about it, maybe more lives could be saved.
She had no idea how long she lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with tears pouring down her face when there was a knock on the door.
Larn quickly wiped her eyes and called, "Come in!"
It was Arthur Doyle, Alexander Stoneweld and a six year old girl that hid behind Alexander shyly.
"Hello Miss Larn, Doyle and I came to bring you your breakfast." Alexander and Arthur we're very handsome, Larn realized.
She was relieved that she was still wearing her clothes from last night and sat up slowly. "Oh thank you so much! You have no idea how hungry I am."
Within minutes, Larn was enjoyed her delicious English breakfast. She savored every bite. This would be her first and last meal outside of the TARDIS.
While she ate, Arthur and Alexander thanked her for saving their lives and Alexander introduced his little sister, Mary.
Larn learned that the two young men we're both twenty seven years old, only a couple of years younger than her and she felt at ease with them. She had read about this in a book....she was socializing!
But the best part was that Mary had seemed to come out of her shell and formed an instant friendship with Larn. "She's usually very shy around strangers," Alexander said when the door swung opened again.
It was the Doctor. His arms filled with logs for the fire. He shot the two young men a wary glare and placed the logs near the fireplace. The young men could tell that the Doctor wanted to be left alone with his daughter and left with Mary. The Doctor returned to his place at the bedside as Larn turned back to her breakfast, she didn't say a word to her father.
The Doctor turned around and pulled off Larn's blue duffle coat from the back of his chair and he set it on the bed as he pulled something from one of the pockets. It was her sonic screwdriver.
During these past several hours of worrying, he had been examining and studying his daughter's creation.
"You made a weapon." His voice carried a strange inflection, like he didn't approve of her sonic.
"Only for defense." Larn replied as she took a bite of toast.
"You know how I feel about weapons Larn....yet you made one...in my TARDIS....kept it from me...." The Doctor clutched the sonic in his fist.
"I wasn't able to use it at all while I was in the TARDIS. You know that..." The TARDIS had the ability to disable all weapons once inside it's chambers. She thought she would never be able to test it.
"It's non-lethal..."
"That's not the issue Larn!" The Doctor snapped. His voice rose in pitch, making his accent even thicker.
"That's why you left the TARDIS isn't it? To test your weapon!" The Doctor spat.
"That was only part of the reason! You're so daft that you don't know the real reason!" Larn pushed the tray off her lap and ran out of the room.
Larn ran through the hallway, down a flight of stairs and she bumped into someone. "OOF!"
"Oh I do beg your pardon!" It was a very surprised Arthur.
"Oh sorry Mr. Doyle, I wasn't paying attention..." Larn said but he interrupted, "It's quite alright Miss Larn, and please, call me Arthur."
"In that case, you can call me Larn. No more of that Miss nonsense."
"Of course Larn." Arthur replied with a smile. "Now, let me see to that head of yours. You are aware that you should be in bed right?"
Arthur sat her down at the bottom of the stairs and unwound the bandages. "Any headaches?"
"Just the one when I woke up this morning, although my bump still hurts."
"I'm afraid it will for some time, but at least this cut is showing no signs of infection." Arthur said, pleased as he wrapped clean bandages around Larn's head. "Although that bump with take awhile to go away. I'll have the housekeeper bring you some tea to help ease your pain."
"Thank you Arthur." said Larn gratefully as he changed her dressings.
"Although, I strongly advise you return to bed..." Arthur scolded gently as Larn made no indication that she was going to be returning to her quarters.
"My Dad and I had a fight....I think we'd be better off if we didn't see each other for a bit." Arthur sat back down next to her.
"I'm sorry to hear that Larn, but I think it's safe to assume that last nights' event has greatly upset your father....the Doctor..." he paused for a moment, "He was truly concerned for you, even though I assured him that you would make a full recovery.
"Yeah, suppose you're right."
"If you don't mind me asking, what does your name mean? It's very unusual, and lovely."
"Oh, well, it's from an old language." (Gallifreyan, but she didn't want to tell him that!)
"It means Rose."
The Doctor cursed at himself for blowing his top at Larn like that. He should have known that the temptation would have been too strong....
He examined Larn's sonic for what felt like the millionth time, it truly was a work of genius and he couldn't push away the swell of pride in his chest, he was relieved that the laser blade wasn't fatal, at the most it would just give anyone at its receiving end a minor burn.
That had brought the Doctor some relief.
He probably should go look for Larn and check on her.
But he didn't need to because Larn returned to her bed by Arthur himself, and the Doctor flashed him a grateful smile as the young doctor left the room.
There was an awkward silence until the Doctor cleared his throat and showed Larn her blue duffle coat.
"Mrs. Stoneweld fixed your coat for you, good as new." The Doctor said as he showed Larn her newly sewn coat. It was as if the hound never touched it.
"I hope that sandwich I packed didn't fall out..." Larn murmured.
"Wot?" her father asked.
"I packed a sandwich in case of an emergency." Larn said. She had wanted to be prepared.
The Doctor couldn't help but laugh, which help relieved the tension.
"I'm sorry I blew up a little bit ago. I've just been so worried..." The Doctor said as he handed Larn her sonic back. "And I must say that sonic of yours is truly marvelous. Although I wish you told me about it."
"I'm sorry too Dad. I didn't think that I would ever need to use it, so I thought there was no point in telling you."
"You can always talk with me about anything Larn, you know that."
"Not unless it's related to your past adventures." Larn said sadly.
"Larn, I've left that life behind for a reason, all those stories I've told you, you know it's not all heroics and just doing good deeds, you've just experienced how dangerous it can be. I've lost so many friends...so many I've cared about and I've seen so much death and destruction...I've even had to do some terrible things in order to keep this universe safe. Not to mention all the times I've nearly been killed myself..."
Larn gave an understanding nod as tears fell from her brown eyes, "So I guess this will be my first and only trip?"
"It's better this way, love. I don't want you to live that kind of life...." He pulled her into his arms and whispered, "Besides, I thought I would lose you last night, I think we've both had enough of danger and adventure don't you think?"
"Yeah." Larn sniffled.
"Now, let's dry those tears and I want you tell me all about how you made this sonic....I can clearly see that Star Wars was a inspiration..." said the Doctor as he wiped away his daughter's tears as she began to describe how she began the process of collecting materials and even nicking his own sonic for a bit to study it for reference.....
Three days later.....
Larn was finally allowed to leave her quarters although she still had her head wrapped in bandages, which was quite annoying but at least she wasn't stuck in bed anymore.
Larn even found out why Arthur was even here in the first place. The Stoneweld's were the silent partners of a publishing company called Ward Lock & Co. Arthur was here to show the Stoneweld's his manuscript, A Study in Scarlet.
Alexander Stoneweld was the person that had yet to read Arthur's manuscript and he had become a bundle of nerves. "I can assure you Arthur, it'll be a success! An instant classic!" Larn said confidently.
"I can only hope." Arthur had said.
To celebrate Larn's recovery, Mrs. Stoneweld was going to throw a celebration feast in honor of the young lady who had saved her son's life. Larn had begged the head of staff, Mrs. Cromwell, if she could help in the kitchen. She wanted to experience as much as she could before her and her father had to return to the TARDIS...
The Doctor watched as his daughter worked alongside the kitchen staff, even though she was doing something as simple as cooking, he could tell she was enjoying every second.
Leaving her in the care of the staff, The Doctor left the Stoneweld Estate with Alexander.
"Look at the size of these things!" The Doctor said in awe as he studied the giant paw print in the alley. The paw print was mad out of mud, which was still a bit damp due to the moisture in the air. "And judging by its size, it's no ordinary dog."
The Doctor observed with a wince as he recalled that terrible night when he saw that...thing...getting ready to take a bite out of his daughter. He pushed the frightening image out of his mind and hopped over to a puddle of drool and poked it with a curious finger.
"Dense saliva, very dense, almost like slime...." He glanced upward to make sure that Alexander hadn't left the carriage. The young man had refused to leave the carriage, the sooner the Doctor got a quick look around the sooner they could leave.
"I would dare say it's definitely not of this world. But which one is it from?" The Doctor wondered aloud as he returned to the carriage, searching his many memories and vast knowledge of alien species.
The Doctor sat next to Larn as they enjoyed the spread of food before them. The Doctor was quite relived that Larn had seemed to take a short lesson on table etiquette, Larn made sure to not be messy under any circumstance.
Sadly though, Arthur and Alexander were attending a meeting in Alexander's study. Larn had a pretty good idea what it might be about.
The Doctor was mostly quiet during the meal. Mrs. Stoneweld had taken quite a liking to Larn and he smiled boyishly as the two ladies talked.
"Do you have any other family Larn? Or is it just you and your father?" The Doctor nearly dropped his fork.
"I have an older sister." Larn said proudly, "Her name is Jenny, but she is quite a bit older than me...and there is Susan....but I hope to meet her one day....and Je-". The Doctor interrupted, "Tell me Mrs. Stoneweld, what do you know about the hound that's been terrorizing London for the past several months?"
Mrs. Stoneweld took the interruption in stride, "At first it came only for livestock, some people thought it was some sort of wild dogs or wolves....but then the kills became more....brutal?"
"Brutal how?" Larn asked curious now.
"Chickens....rabbits, that sort of thing, then it went for bigger kills like horses, mules, cattle but then..." Mrs. Stoneweld's face paled and her voice trembled. "It started coming for people."
Mrs. Stoneweld continued, "It killed the baker's daughter last month. Poor girl was going to get married..." She swallowed then continued, "The Hound seems to come after the young....you have no idea how grateful I am, if not for Larn, I would have been one of the many mothers who lost a child."
"So it's an alien?" Larn asked as the Doctor walked her back to her room.
"Definitely although I have yet to determine what kind it is....I really should write a book cataloging all of the different types of species out there, would probably make things easier..."
"Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could probably help you with that!" Larn smirked.
"Shush! Not so loud! Someone might hear!" The Doctor scolded with a chuckle.
"Are you sure you want to sleep in that wooden chair? You have your own room you know." Larn said as she pulled the covers over herself.
"I'll be fine Larn, you just focus on getting a goodnight's rest." The Doctor said as he changed her bandages. The cut was closed now. Larn was secretly hoping it would leave a scar.
The Doctor wasn't going to take any chances as long as they were here. That hound wasn't coming near his daughter ever again.
Arthur Doyle bid the Stoneweld's goodbye. He had bid his goodbyes to the Doctor and Larn a couple of hours earlier.
His manuscript was finally going to be published!
The Stoneweld's butler, Wiggins, was the carriage driver, due to the old carriage driver had fled once the hound showed up. He would be taking him back to the city.....
That is until the something rammed the carriage and snarled, "I. Must. Feed."
Larn woke to the sound of her father snoring loudly and sighed. She slipped out from underneath her blankets and tiptoed out of the room. She could do with a short walk down the hallway, she grabbed the candle that had been sitting on her bedside table and used it to light her way down the dark hallway.
Larn felt like she was in a classic monster movie, although she had hoped that nothing would jump out and scare her.
As she made her way down stairs, she heard the pitter patter of rain, which was strange. It sounded as if it was-
She made it to the base of the stairs and saw the doors were wide opened, not just opened...they had literally been torn to shreds....she jumped when she heard a guttural snarl...one she knew all too well.
When Larn jumped, she screamed and dropped her candle. "Dammit!" Larn swore as the light went out.
She heard it panting and she tried to walk back up the stairs but she froze when a flash of lightning illuminated the hound. It's fur as black as night, and its eyes and teeth as blood red as when she first saw them. It became dark again...
"I. Must. Feed."
Larn gripped the railing tightly as the hound spoke. Another flash of lightning and Larn saw the Hound crouch down, ready to pounce...
"GERONIMO!" shrieked a familiar voice and she heard a loud "WHUFF" another flash revealed her father had jumped on the Hound's back with his lanky arms wrapped around its massive neck.
"LARN! RUN! Get everyone out and run!" Everything then became a blur as Larn did as her father said. The commotion had awoken everyone, the lights were brought back on so everyone could see, it was actually not as difficult as she thought it would be to help the Stoneweld's and staff to flee the estate and head to the underground bunkers that she heard Mrs. Stoneweld mention amidst all of the chaos.
She ran back to the base of the staircase and somehow, despite it being against all logic, her father was still clinging to the hound's massive neck as the beast was still trying to thrash him off. She then heard a familiar voice, "Someone help! The Hound it's..." Arthur froze as he saw the ripped up doors and he met Larn's terrified brown eyes. Arthur darted forward and stood in front of Larn protectively as Larn wished she wasn't wearing her night gown.
Arthur's heart was still pounding from the horrible sight he saw when he crawled out from the wreckage of the carriage and screamed in horror at what was left of Wiggins.
The Hound had seemed to forget about the scrawny Time Lord still clinging to its neck as it caught the scent of the young man and woman...
Larn screamed when the Hound finally flung her father off and he crashed against the wall. "Dad!"
The Doctor felt searing white pain in his shoulder, as his head spun as he felt the Hound's rancid hot breath against his skin.
Just when the Hound was going to make the killing bite, Larn threw a silver candlestick at its head.
"Oi! He's too scrawny! If ya want a proper meal! Here ya go!" The Hound whirled around and its red eyes seemed to stare into Larn's soul.
"What are you doing?" Arthur demanded.
"Saving my father!" Larn snapped back as she stepped out from behind him, "That's it Doggo, now, don't I look delicious?" Larn hoped she sounded convincing.
Right when the Hound tried to take a step forward, The Doctor rose to his feet, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he was brandishing his sonic in his good hand. His collision against the wall did the trick; he finally knew what he was dealing with.
But before the Doctor could activate his sonic, the Hound lunged forward and grabbed Larn by the back of her night gown, it's teeths nearly grazing the back of her neck.
Larn's scream of terror was nearly drowned out by the Doctor's.
The Doctor gripped his throbbing shoulder as Arthur placed it in a sling. "You should rest Doctor..." The Doctor ignored him as he rose to his feet. Everyone had returned safely to the estate and returned to their quarters. He had been the only one injured and Arthur was able to pop his shoulder back in place. The Doctor's heart ached at the sight of little Mary, the poor girl was devastated after she was told what happened to Larn.
When the rain finally stopped, The Doctor and Arthur followed the trail the Hound left behind. Even though the rain had washed away the Hound's drool , the paw prints we're mostly intact and they led straight to the woods.
The mud nearly came up to their knees as they made their way deeper into the woods. "Doctor look!" Arthur called as he bent down and picked something off of the ground. It was a piece of white cloth from Larn's nightgown....
Larn stared up at the Hound in terror as it glowered down at her. "Please...you don't have to do this!" she said.
The Hound had dropped her in some sort of shallow pit, where it could very easily jump down and eat her, or grab her by the neck and lift her out to feast on her flesh. Larn shuddered at the thought, and the cold, she was soaking wet from the rain.
Suddenly, there was the snap of a twig and the Hound left to investigate. Larn sighed in relief and sat down on a pile of wet leaves and shivered. She hoped her father was okay, even though thinking about him made her eyes sting with tears.
"She's in that pit, but I don't see the Hound..." The Doctor murmured aloud. He hoped fervently that Larn wasn't hurt.
He handed Arthur is old scarf; the young man was quite surprised by its length. "This should be long enough for you to lower down to her so she can climb out."
"What are you going to do Doctor?" Arthur asked as the Doctor whipped out his sonic.
"I honestly have no idea." The Doctor replied.
The Doctor winced at the sound of the Hound ripping the flesh off of what was once a deer. He was peeking from behind a rotting tree, trying not to gag at the rancid smell emanating from the carcass.
Larn reached out for a rock jutting out from the pit wall, finding a couple of footholds and tried to climb out again. But as she reached out for another rock to grip, her foot slipped and her hand slid across a sharp rock.
Larn cried out from the pain and shock.
Arthur heard Larn cry out from the bush he was hiding behind, but he didn't dare come out from his hiding place until the Doctor had the Hound's attention.
The Doctor picked up a rock that was right by his shoe and he chucked it right at the Hound's black furry head.
"Larn? Larn? Are you okay? It's me, Arthur!"
Larn tore her gaze away from her bleeding palm and looked up. "Arthur?"
Arthur peeked over the edge, his eyes filled with concern, "Are you okay? I heard you cry out..."
Larn smiled as she sighed with relief, "Yeah, I'm okay, I just cut myself."
"Well, let's get you out of here so I can take a look at it." Arthur lowered her multi colored scarf down to her, "Grab on, I'll pull you up!"
As Larn grabbed the scarf and began to climb out of the pit, hoping she wasn't too heavy, she asked, "Where's my Dad? Have you seen him?"
"Uh, well...about that...."
The Doctor was running for his life. It was just as terrifying and exhilarating as he remembered it. The Hounds jaws snapped behind him, missing his neck by inches.
He felt a twinge in his shoulder as it swung violently in its sling.
"Stupid shoulder!" He spat as he hopped over a falling tree, gripping his shoulder tightly as he led the Hound into a clearing.
The Doctor whirled around and met the Hound head on. "Crogor Vurin, I hereby place you under arrest under the Shadow Proclamation's authority!"
The Hound stopped in its track and snarled, exposing its bloody fangs. "So you do know me.....Doctor..."
"Oh I know you, took me awhile to remember but I remember now. You are one of the most vicious and depraved killers in the galaxy, wanted on ninety nine planets, one hundred now that you've come to Earth!"
The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic. "Surrender now and maybe I'll consider not giving you hell for what you did to my daughter."
"I'm afraid I can't do that Doctor." Before the Doctor could react, the Hound lunged at him, knocking the Doctor flat on his back. The impact made the Doctor drop his sonic. The Doctor cried out as the Hound placed its giant paw on his aching shoulder.
"You see, I have a problem Doctor." The Hound placed its other huge paw over the Doctor's flailing arm as it tried to desperately reach his sonic screwdriver.
"I don't like prison food." As the Hound bared its teeth for the killing bite, The Doctor heard a achingly painful voice.
"DAD!"
The Hound whirled around, its red eyes glaring at Larn and Arthur as they emerged from the undergrowth.
"Larn! Arthur! Run!" The Doctor shrieked as he mentally cursed at himself. He was completely useless.
For the first time in her life, Larn felt pure rage course through her. "Let him go you stupid mutt!" She demanded. She reached into her nightgown's pocket and whipped out her sonic.
"I'm not gonna say it again. Let my Dad go!" She turned on the laser blade, and it lit up the entire clearing.
"Oh goody, my dinner is here." The Hound chuckled as he finally released the Doctor.
The Doctor crawled towards his sonic as the Hound lunged at Larn and Arthur.
The Doctor's ears rang with the horrid sound of snarling and screaming. "NO! LARN!" The Doctor wailed as he grabbed the sonic and shot to his feet.
The Hound was lying in a heap and the Doctor ran to the limp form, "Larn?! Larn! Arthur?!" The Hound wasn't moving...but then it's head twitched.
"Dad....A little help here!" The Doctor sighed with relief as he saw Larn and Arthur trying to lift the giant corpse off of them.
"Oh thank god." The Doctor said as he ran to help his daughter and Arthur.
When the Doctor made sure that Arthur wasn't hurt, he turned his attention to his daughter. "Are you okay Flower?" She didn't seem to badly hurt, just a cut on the palm of her hand, and he was relieved that even though the bandages that were once wrapped around her head were long gone, the gash in her forehead had not been reopened.
"I'm okay Dad." Larn replied but the Doctor could tell by the look in her eyes that she clearly wasn't. "Hey, it was you or the Hound, it was self defense." The one thing he had hoped would never happen came to be. Larn had taken a life. Even though it was in self defense and justified, he knew all too well how heavy it weighed on ones conscious.
The laser blade of Larn's sonic had run the Hound clear through, killing it instantly.
Larn changed the subject, "Are you okay?" she pointed at the arm resting in the sling. "It's just a little sore, flower, I'll be fine." He didn't want to admit that it was hurting like hell again which meant that it was probably dislocated again.
"Arthur, can you look give him a hand?" Larn asked. Arthur was more than happy to oblige.
"Now wait a minute!" The Doctor said as he backed away from Arthur.
"Do you really have to go?" Arthur asked as he, Larn and The Doctor walked around the crowd of people. The city of London had gone back to being a normal bustling city, it was as if the Hound had never even existed.
"I'm afraid so Arthur." Larn replied sadly as the Doctor signed for the two of them to stop as he turned into the dark alley where the TARDIS was waiting for them.
"Will you ever come back?" Arthur asked as he took in every detail of Larn, he wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life. Long scarf and all.
"I...I don't know. We live very far away...." Larn's voice cracked.
"In that case, here, take this." He took something out of his leather satchel. It was a stack of papers, bound together by a dark blue ribbon. "It's a copy of the final draft of A Study in Scarlet; I want you to have it."
Larn stared at the parchments, written in Arthur's beautiful scrawl.
"Thank you!" Larn said as she yanked Arthur into a hug. "I won't ever forget you."
"Nor I you." Arthur replied.
"It's going to be an instant classic! Just you wait!" Larn said as she beamed up at Arthur.
Larn stared up at the TARDIS, the only thing she had ever known. Her home.
It was great to see the familiar blue police box, but she looked behind her, at the fascinating world she was leaving behind....
As the TARDIS whirred and hummed, the Doctor glanced at Larn. She was sitting on the couch, her eyes never leaving the manuscript in her hands. She looked like she was going to cry.
He left the console to kneel in front on his daughter. "Are you okay my flower?"
Larn rubbed her eyes. "Fine. Just fine..." She didn't take her eyes off of the manuscript.
"You don't act fine." The Doctor said. Larn looked up and gazed into his crystal blue eyes. "Just..." she glanced at the TARDIS doors. "I just need a few minutes."
The Doctor got to his feet and planted a kiss on her forehead and returned to the console. After a few moments of thought, he pushed a few buttons and flipped some switches.
"What would you say to one more trip, Larn?"
Larn looked up and gaped in shock, "Another trip? But you said..."
"I know, I know, but you've had a rough time we could both do with some down time, outside of the TARDIS. Maybe some place quiet where we can relax and enjoy some peace."
He smiled at the shocked look of Larn's face. "So, what do ya say?"
"One more trip please!" Larn exclaimed as her face broke into a smile. The Doctor sighed with relief, there she was.
"Right then! Here we go!" The Doctor grabbed a lever and pulled it. The TARDIS whirred loudly as it gained speed as it floated through the cosmos.
"Onward and upward!" The Doctor cried as a rush of adrenaline coursed through him.