Will We Meet Again?
Chapter 7 - Flesh & Stone
Entry no. 6
Toska (Russian)
(n.) an ache of the soul, sorrow and longing mixed to create a spiritual anguish.
The grief of an unshakable act.
Amy.
I had forgotten about Amy.
I could have ripped my own hair out, I was so angry at myself for forgetting. Here I was trying to think of ways to save people – somehow forgetting about the most important one there.
The three of us all shot up, finally picking up on the commotion and rushing to the drop ship. The air turned cold, as if the life in it had been completely sucked away. My limbs felt increasingly stiff, almost like they were freezing up. The guilt and panic were so overwhelming that I was physically incapable of doing anything other than staring on in dismay.
"Doctor!" Her shrieks were mostly muffled by the metal walls encasing her, "Fiona! It's in the room!"
"Amy!" The Doctor banged on the door hurriedly, trying to get her attention. "Are you all right? What's happening?"
"Doctor? Doctor, it's coming out of the television," Amy whispered in fear.
"The Angel is here."
The Doctor paled. He took out his sonic screwdriver and began using it on the keypad. "Don't take your eyes off it! It can't move if you're looking," He ordered her from behind the door.
Concentrating on moving at least one hand, I brought my shaky fingers to my side and harshly pinched the skin on my hip. Regaining my senses from the pain and mentally slapping myself awake, I unfroze.
I could have prevented this, if I just said something. This was my fault, and I'd be damned if I didn't help fix it.
I stepped forward and stopped the Doctor from working, hiding how unsure I was about this, "No good using the sonic. It's deadlocked the whole system by now."
Walking past the frantic alien timidly, I went up to the door and pressed my cheek against the cold metal.
"Amy. You need to listen to what I say very, very carefully, okay?" I tried to keep my voice fast but steady, not wanting my own anxiety slipping through. She was scared enough for the both of us.
"Fiona! What do I do?!" Amy's voice picked up on my instruction.
"Just breathe, Pond. The screen. You'll need to find a way to turn it off." I tried calming her down, speaking partially to myself, "Think you can do that?"
"I tried," She cried in frustration, her voice hitching on a sob.
"Try again," I called gently, raising my voice so that she could hear better, "But don't take your eyes off the Angel."
It didn't even occur to me that River and the Doctor had both immediately taken my word over the ship being deadlocked. They were both watching me give the red-head instructions, while River was simultaneously trying to cut through the door with her pistol torch.
The Doctor seemed to have picked up on what I was getting her to do and why – his own eyes sparking at the idea. It was strange – both the time-travelers seemed to have a great amount of trust in me and my conclusions. The thought was reassuring, and soon I found myself speaking a little more confidently.
"Each time it moves, it'll move faster. Don't even blink," The Doctor called out to Amy, his arm coming up to the wall beside my head as he strained to have his voice reach her. It all happened a bit too fast, and since my mind was a bit muddled with thoughts of Amy, I didn't register how he quickly planted a kiss on my temple, thanking me for my help.
Working a million miles a second, the Doctor ran back to the book to look something up. It took me a second, but when it hit me, fire crept up my neck and settled in my cheeks.
Frick, who just does something like that?
I rubbed the spot on my forehead, my heart beating like a hummingbird at the unfamiliar show of affection. "He'll be the death of me at this rate," I muttered to myself.
"What was that?" Amy's voice broke me out of my thoughts. "It just keeps switching back on."
"Yeah, that's the Angel," I growled silently. I knew I was changing how this scene was supposed to go, but I didn't care. All I wanted was Amelia safe. "Amy, there are four seconds of footage, right? You need to find the blip, the fraction of a second where the footage cut's out. End the video on that."
"Fiona, what's it going to do to me?" She asked bluntly, her voice laced with dread. "Just tell me."
"Just focus on ending the video, Pond. You can do it." I banged my forehead against the barrier, praying to every god I knew that she'd be safe.
I cared a lot about the snarky girl, even though I had just grown fond of her through a screen. She was as much a part of my soul as any other fan, and I was going to make sure she lived to see the wonderful life she was going to lead. I caught a glance of River; eyes alight with worry for her mother as she tried to cut through the steel.
Sympathy crashed down on me, making me pity the situation she had to be in. I looked to her beseechingly, "River, you can't cut through. It's not physically possible... but don't worry. We'll get her out."
"Amy, not the eyes!" The Doctor's voice rang through the air abruptly, yelling from his space by the book, just as River gave me a small nod. He ran back to the door with alarm clear on his face, "Look at the Angel but don't look at the eyes."
"Why?" And "What is it?" both Ponds' questioned simultaneously, River giving up on the torch and making her way to stand by my side.
"The eyes are not the windows of the soul. They are the doors. Beware what may enter there." He recited lines from the book ominously.
Before we knew it, the heavy door rose, static noise filling the air. The Doctor, River and I rushed in to meet a distraught, out-of-breath Amy. "I froze it. There was a sort of blip on the tape and I froze it on the blip. Like Fiona said. It wasn't the image of an Angel any more. That was good, yeah? It was, wasn't it? That was pretty good. "
"That was amazing," River breathed a sigh of relief, her voice proud.
The Doctor took a second, all wide-eyed and out of breath, before he pulled out his sonic and made his way to the screen. "River, hug Amy and Fiona," He asked of her, not turning to look at us.
"Why?" Amy furrowed her brows, glaring at him and crossing her arms as if offended.
"Because I'm busy," He stopped momentarily, flashing us a grin as he thought. "And because they were brilliant."
"We're fine." I grimaced slightly, noticing Amy's uncomfortable, offended expression at the thought of being comforted. A feeling that I wasn't a stranger to at the moment.
"You're brilliant. Both of you." River patted my head affectionately, throwing her other arm around Amy's shoulder.
"Thanks. Yeah, I kind of creamed it, didn't I?" Amy gloated, taking in the praise.
I took a second to think about the repercussions of having changed things. The Doctor and River were the ones who were meant to save Amelia, but I sped up the process by telling her exactly what she needed to do. Nothing changed, though – right? Everything that was supposed to happen, happened. I suppose this would be alright – making sure people were safe without taking risks that were too big.
Yeah, I could keep this up. Changing small things, moving them along faster. I'd keep them safe.
"So, it was here?" River hastily tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. "That was the Angel?"
"That was a projection of the Angel. It's reaching out, getting a good look at us. It's no longer dormant," The Doctor answered her, seemingly lost in his own thoughts and trying to think two steps ahead of the enemy.
In an instant, the loud, deafening roar of an explosion shattered the pleasant moment of triumph we were having. All of us seemed to flinch, while I almost jumped out of my skin. The nerves of what had happened were still running rampant through my blood, because I knew it wasn't over; I had no reason to feel safe yet.
The Doctor, who was already standing quite close to me, placed an arm over us almost out of instinct. River turned towards the sound, her own senses much faster than the rest of us. The Doctor, after making sure everyone was alright with a quick once-over, collected himself and rushed to the door.
"Last one positive." A cleric informed Octavian, just as the Doctor and I managed to make it outside.
Octavian met our eyes the second we emerged from the trailer, "Doctor? We're through. "
"Okay, now it starts," The Doctor uttered, letting the thought hang in the air. He gulped heavily, looking over at me with half a smile and eyes lidded with hope. There was an obvious twitch in his hand as he gazed at me somewhat hopefully.
I sighed, catching on to his silent plea and rolling my eyes.
"Fine."
I held out my hand, looking away from the doof and trying poorly to suppress an amused smile at his antics.
He smiled a big, yappy grin, all traces of dread gone. He beamed so brightly when he was happy that I couldn't help a chuckle escape at the sight of him. Regardless of who I knew him to be, this version really had a disarming quality to him. He'd persevere and push till you had to choice but to get strewn along with whatever he was going to do next. Sliding his fingers through mine, we took our first steps into the dark chamber, our hands serving as the one small connection we had as the light drowned out from around us and a chill struck the air.
All of us descended down a rope ladder, Amy being the last after River.
Soldiers began ambling about, taking all types of measurements of the surrounding area by the barely illuminated light, emanating from the hole above us.
The blackness engulfed my thoughts. Stretching out in front of me like a map – the unknown seemed to be testing my fears, my courage and my knowledge. Taking small, tentative steps further in, one thought became increasingly clear.
There was nothing good living here.
That was simple, no thriving population, and no signs of past living. The darkness had overcome any sense of purity, consumed all hope of cleanliness and had wiped out all desire in that large cave system.
"Do we have a gravity globe?" The Doctor asked Octavian.
"Grav globe." Octavian indicated to a soldier behind him, holding out his hand. One of the men took out a white, translucent sphere from his pack, handing it to Octavian.
"Where are we? What is this?" Amy asked with inquisitive eyes, looking around at the jagged walls.
"It's an Aplan mortarium. Sometimes called a maze of the dead." River explained, just as intrigued but a lot more spooked.
I broke through the tense conversation, involuntarily letting out a laugh at the look on Amy's face.
"Come on, Amelia. Gotta love a ghost story," I clicked my tongue at her, winking as I enjoyed how peeved she was at me, "Make it one for the scrapbook."
"That's the spirit." The Doctor chided, still looking out into the dark. I swear he could get enthusiastic about anything really.
Amy huffed, crossing her arms."So, what's a maze of the dead?"
"Well, if you happen to be a creature of living stone..." The Doctor swung his leg, dropping the globe and kicking it into the air like it was a football. It rose into the air, stopping and then bursting into a great big ball of light, turning the entire cave bright enough to reveal a large number of stone statues.
"…the perfect hiding place."
"I guess this makes it a bit trickier." Octavian sighed.
The Doctor nodded along, half-laughing."A bit, yeah."
"A stone angel on the loose among stone statues. A lot harder than I'd prayed for." Octavian commented.
From behind the Doctor – I breathed out in awe, taking a few steps closer.
It took a second or two for the new sight to sink it, even though it was right there before my eyes, larger than life. I could feel my lips stretch wide into a gaping grin as I savoured the feeling of seeming ant-like in relation to the towering size of it all.
"You've got to admit – it's beautiful. Terrifying, but beautiful still. Like discovering an ancient Mayan temple on earth, or any other lost civilisation, this is amazing."
And it was. Aside from the terrifying thought that all the decaying, stone statues were actually Weeping Angels.
They went on for miles; hundreds and thousands of carvings.
The Doctor smiled a smile that brought out each happy crinkle around his eyes. His lips curved as he marvelled behind me, "Humans. Never too scared to appreciate new discoveries, eh?"
I smiled at him, recognising his signature love for human beings, "Nope. Although, finding the angel in this's gonna be like trying to find a needle in a haystack."
"A needle that looks like hay. A hay-like needle. Of death. A hay-like needle of death in a haystack of, er, statues," The Doctor ranted, looking at no one and nothing in particular. I sighed dramatically, making it just obnoxious enough to let him know to get back to the situation at hand.
"Nevermind, yours was fine," He said, slightly sheepish.
"Right. Check every single statue in this chamber. You know what you're looking for. Complete visual inspection. One question, how do we fight it?"Octavian asked.
"We find it, and hope," The Doctor concluded just as he, Amy and I begun to trail down the path.
I was honestly just following them around – not really knowing about the schematics that came with exploring the area. Either my knowledge really was waning in the couple months since I had seen this episode – or T.V shows really did do a crummy job at showing a clear course of direction.
River made to follow us as we traversed farther into the maze, but Octavian grabbed her by the arm before she could move.
River was a bit slow, but she eventually caught up. I could only guess that Octavian had stopped her to have a little 'chat', since he did threaten her quite a lot this episode. This adventure – not episode, I mused, reminding myself once again that this was real life now. This adventure, Octavian would keep hassling her over what she did.
The reason she was there.
My heart clenched painfully, before I mentally face-palmed at my own forgetfulness. The Doctor doesn't die. She doesn't actually kill him. The happy-go-lucky, very alive man at my side lives to go on much longer than the people he was with now. I stuffed the nervous energy as far back in my mind as I could get it to go, my hand tightening ever so slightly around the Doctors as I dreaded possible days to come.
We were now in the heart of the maze, trailing along rock and stone ridden pathways to try and find the angel that had fallen from the Byzantium.
The four of us began to start up the terraces, Amy and River trailing behind the Doctor and me. Out the corner of my eye, I could see Amy pause to rub her eye, River momentarily stopping with her.
"You all right?"
I bit my lip nervously at that thought. Amy was sure to have gotten the angel stuck in her mind... but I couldn't have changed that, I don't think. Considering future events, there was too much depending on having the Doctor and Amelia split up, and I didn't know what I'd be messing up if I interfered. Anyway, the main thing was that she was going to be fine.
"Yeah, I'm fine. So, what's a Maze of the Dead?" She quickly changed the topic, her voice turning playful.
"Oh, it's not as bad as it sounds. It's just a labyrinth with dead people buried in the walls. Okay, that was fairly bad. Right give me your arm. This won't hurt a bit." River said as she injected Amy in the arm with a tiny gun.
"Ow!" Amelia squealed.
"There, you see. I lied. It's a viro-stabiliser. Stabilises your metabolism against radiation, drive burn, anything. You're going to need it when we get up to that ship." She ranted evenly before tugging on my wrist to halt me. "Starshine? It's your turn."
"Do I really need that thing in my arm?" I shot the gun a look of distaste. Noticing River's stern, expectant face, I sighed resignedly and rolled up my jacket sleeve. The pain was unlike any shot I'd ever had; instead of the normal prick, this was like having a jagged piece of glass tear into you.
"Son of a-"
"-Language!" The Doctor called out from in front of us. He was still busy fiddling with the device in his hands.
"So what are they like? In the future, I mean. Because you know them in the future, don't you?" Amy whispered to River after I had returned next to the Doctor.
I began to slink back into my thoughts – with no attention on me; it'd be easier getting some time to reflect.
It was strange being at the front of the group. Strange being at the front of anything really.
I had always been one to walk in the back, my head held low to avoid confrontation. Yet, it seemed like I hadn't left the Doctor's side the whole time since we left the TARDIS. As I knew, he was quite the showman, always in the centre of it all. Now it felt like I was right on stage with him, spotlight shining directly on me, making it impossible for me to slink back into the shadows.
I didn't feel like myself – it was like I was living through the eyes of a character completely unlike the girl I was back home. Something this grand would never happen to someone like me, so I couldn't help but feel disconnected.
"I wasn't listening. Neither is Moore. We're busy."
I jumped, my eyes readjusting from the glazed stare I probably had on.
I realised that they were probably having a whole conversation in the time I'd been lost in my own little bubble, "Hm?"
The Doctor furrowed his brows, his lips taking the shape of a crooked little smile, "You alright?"
"Yeah – just zoned out," I stuttered. My first trip and I was barely living in the moment, now was I?
"Sorry."
"Not a problem," He smiled, lime coloured eyes dancing around in the darkness. I noticed he was playing around with the device a bit carelessly as he continued to look my way.
I grinned, internally laughing at his strangeness. "Oh, Doctor? It's the other way up."
I took the device from his hands and flipped it around, remembering how I had seen River hold it earlier.
"Yeah," He nodded his thanks, ears turning pink as River barked a laugh from somewhere behind us.
I could hear Amy giggle alongside her, followed by some hushed whispering between the two girls.
"You're good. I'm not saying you're right, but you are very good. "
I shot them a curious look, eager to join in on the apparent gossip. Instead, both girlies just waved at the air with a look of forced casualness, leaving me alone with my biting curiosity. My heart was teetering towards thinking that I just wasn't good enough to be a part their friendly banter – but I really didn't want any glum thoughts to plague me in the moment, so I just brushed it aside.
We had just reached the entrance chamber when an almost deafeningly loud ringing noise caught the attention of everyone.
All disconnected members of the party, clerics and main characters alike, regrouped – heading to where the sound came from. We stumbled upon a young, frail man with shaky knees, his hands trembled as they stood wrapped around his rifle.
"Sorry, sorry. I thought- I thought it looked at me." The young cleric apologised profusely, his voice shaking as he looked at a statue in trepidation.
Octavian, ever the patronising prick, shot the man a horrible glare, "We know what the Angel looks like. Is that the Angel?"
The poor guy, with his head hung in shame, just seemed to wince at the words, "No, sir."
Octavian held his stony glare, his eyes cruel, "No, sir, it is not. According to the Doctor, we are facing an enemy of unknowable power and infinite evil, so it would be good, it would be very good, if we could all remain calm in the presence of decor."
I couldn't take it. It was one thing seeing an abuse of power through a screen, but it was a completely different thing watching the poor man's heartbreak reflect in his eyes – his posture slumping to a point where I wondered how he was even standing.
And maybe he just reminded me of myself a bit too much.
"You know what'd really be good? If you were to show your men some common decency and earn their respect by not mocking them," My voice was sharp – so cold it almost stung. I fixed Octavian with a glare that gave him every intention of what I thought of him. "It's a spooky cave and everyone's on high alert. I reckon his was a reasonable response."
Octavian visibly wilted before me, his pale eyebrows almost shooting off his forehead. I watched River smirk exuberantly, with some clerics having to suppress their amusement from behind us –Octavian's face turning puce as a result.
Before he could utter a stilted response, I saw the Doctor go up to the young, startled man – his face kind as he placed a hand on his shoulder, "What's your name?"
"Bob, sir," He replied timidly. Memories of the man came rushing back – and I felt my insides twist in worry.
Bob. Angel Bob. How was I going to stop that from happening?
"Ah, that's a great name. I love Bob." The Doctor smiled widely at the man. The alien seemed foolish and casual, but I couldn't help but smile at how he was undoubtedly trying to calm Bob down.
Bob blushed scarlet, a little smile working it's way onto his face, "It's a Sacred Name. We all have Sacred Names. They're given to us in the service of the Church."
The Doctor chuckled warmly, his eyes holding a wisdom that reflected his age, "Sacred Bob. More like Scared Bob now, eh?"
"Yes, sir," Bob ducked his head shyly.
The Doctor then smiled cunningly, "Ah, good. Scared keeps you fast. Anyone in this room who isn't scared is a moron." His eyes fixed on Octavian as he clearly hinted at a deeper meaning – before going back to his jovial self, "Carry on."
I couldn't help but smile from my spot in the background.
They said that kindness was a show of weakness – that it was nothing to be commended. But honestly, wasn't it just as great as bravery? Or strength? Even wisdom?
Standing there watching the Doctor look the kindest I had ever seen him look – I knew that he was someone who just loved and loved and loved. He loved the human race – anything good and anything living – with such compassion that I just couldn't even try to contain the respect I felt for him.
Even with douche-bags like Octavian, he always found something worthwhile in the eyes of other people – And that was rare.
Octavian had seemingly recovered from my words in the time in which the Doctor had talked to Bob. He straightened the lapels of his uniform with a huff.
"We'll be moving into the maze in two minutes. You stay with Christian and Angelo. Guard the approach." Octavian called out to Bob as everyone began to head back to their duties.
"No!"
I called out without thinking – I couldn't just let the boy walk to his death.
River, Amy, Octavian and the Doctor all turned to me with questioning looks.
Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit- What did I do?
"What I meant was–" I floundered, completely conflicted. I had to save them – Bob, Christian and Angelo were men who were going to die if we left them behind. But if I asked them all to stay with the group – I'd look too suspicious. I felt my heart break as I settled on an answer, "What I meant was – Sacred Bob should stay with us don't you think?"
I was met with blank stares – except the Doctor who looked at me warningly – like he knew what I was thinking.
All I could do was ignore him as I pressed on, "He's alert and cautious. It's like the Doctor said, 'scared keeps you fast' – hate me all you like but I think keeping him around would be beneficial."
Following Octavian's suspicious gaze, I looked to him knowingly, "And so you can keep an eye on the kid."
Seemingly thrown, Octavian took a second to contemplate. He didn't like me, but surely there must've been some logic to what I said if he was willing to change his orders.
He nodded his head vaguely in my direction, seemingly satisfied – before roaring another command over to his men, "Bob, stay with the main group!"
A hand shot out to grab my wrist, sparing any pressure. The Doctor looked to me with wide, skittish eyes, his voice low, "What have you done?"
I looked to him, my heart almost faltering.
What could I say to him? I didn't have anyone I could confess the truth to.
"Just trust me on this" I looked straight into his eyes – my expression concealing any and all jolts of the fear I kept feeling. I wanted to believe my own words just as much as I wanted the Doctor to.
I could just hope and pray that I was doing the right thing.
The group had travelled further into the maze until we reached a point where you couldn't walk five steps without brushing against a statue.
"Isn't there a chance this lot's just going to collapse? There's a whole ship up there," Amy called from father ahead of me.
I knew that all the time-travellers were about to banter amongst themselves until the collective penny dropped and they realised that the statues were all weeping angels. It was the pinnacle 'Oh shit!' moment in the episode – but instead of joining in, I had lagged behind the rest of the group, not really feeling up to having light-hearted rows and jokes thrown about.
I had just left two men to die. How the hell was I supposed to feel anything but shitty?
I could've – I should've found some stupid way to convince Octavian...
My heart was sunk lower than I remembered it could go in a long time. God, what I wished to just be home right now – on a Saturday night, with no work the next day – just me and Jackson eating badly-made pasta right out of the pot.
We'd probably be watching 'Mr. Bean' or 'Sponge-bob' or something... it didn't matter what we watched as long as he liked it.
The cicadas always seemed to sing for us on nights like those.
"Um- Thank you ma'am- F-for standing up for me."
A slight but familiar voice broke me out of my self-berating thoughts. Bob – Sacred Bob – stood walking beside me now, his tall frame hunched in embarrassment. He was blushing an even darker shade of red than when Octavian had been chastising him.
I felt my face involuntarily lighten – Something about the innocence in his face reminding me of the boy I had just been thinking about.
I smiled up at him sweetly, so glad that I managed to get one of them safe – "That's alright, Bob. Octavian was just being a bully to make himself look good – someone had to say something."
He shrugged slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
I looked at Bob thoughtfully, my head tilted to peer at him, "I can see it in your eyes – the panic's still there. What's gotten you so scared?"
He startled like a deer in the woods, almost toppling as he took a large step backwards – the gun almost slipping out of his hands. He took a second to recover before a half-hearted smile crept up his face, "not the angel, this time."
I looked at him expectantly, willing him to explain. He seemed almost unwilling to share whatever he was saying to me – his dark eyes darting around like a trapped animal.
"...It's the Doctor," He started, his eyes twitching, "It's just- I'd been raised on stories that he was a god."
I snorted, suppressing most of the peals of laughter that came barrelling out. Just the thought of the man being a vengeful god who had stories written about him – it was understandable – but it was a bit much.
"Don't let him hear that – I'm afraid his shoulders won't be able to support the weight of his head if you do," I sniffed, an amused grin stuck to my face. "Do tell – what do they say about him? – In your stories?"
Bob smiled at me kindly, dark eyes confused but polite, "That he could topple cities and defeat monsters of all kinds. That he was unstoppable. Some versions said only a single thing could make him weak – but I don't know much about that."
It looked like a flip had switched, with the man feeling as though he had to keep talking about what ailed him – with a trace of disappointment he continued, "But he's just a man."
I felt my smile waver. Bob looked like a kid who'd just been told Santa Claus wasn't real.
"And what's wrong with that?" I asked him meaningfully. "Isn't it inspiring that he's more like you than you thought? That you could do great things too someday?"
I was excluding the part where the Doctor was practically a step away from being immortal, but the words seemed to get the effect I wanted, after all.
Bob's eyes lit up as he turned to look at me. I saw the edges of a conceding smile start to rise before a voice rung out. It was the Doctor's voice.
"Nobody move! Nobody move! Everyone stay exactly where they are. Bishop, I am truly sorry. I've made a mistake and we are all in terrible danger."
Ah, that'd be the penny.
I lost Bob in the scattering of bodies as clerics huddled close together, after the Doctor explained not to touch any statue while they all stood still.
Though, being the rebel I was, I managed to worm myself along the line of moving soldiers – Being several inches shorter than all the hulking men working to my advantage. I stopped when I saw the familiar strands of straight, auburn hair – Amelia. I slunk to her side, tapping her shoulder to let her know I was back.
She jumped in her shoes, turning to face me, "You scared me!"
I smiled at her, seeing the wide-eyed, bushy-tailed look of a squirrel reflected on her, "Well, I am naturally terrifying."
She crossed her arms at me, "Maybe next time, try and not scare the crap out of me in a cave where we're looking for a killer statue then."
I mock saluted her, wanting to get back into the action, "Dually noted, Pond."
She turned towards me, eyes questioning as she watched my face, "Where've you been?"
"I was talking to Bob," I gave her a short answer, sending a silent thankful prayer to Bob for being a great alibi – since I knew I was shit at lying on the spot.
Amy just seemed to hum, looking entirely unconvinced. Her pink lips curled into a devious little smirk as she nodded, "The Doctor just looked a bit narked when you went off. I reckon he doesn't like this 'Bob'?"
"Hm? Oh! No, they're cool-" I was hardly paying attention to what Amelia had said, my eyes drifting to the Doctor kept pacing around only a few feet ahead of me. He was standing next to Octavian who seemed worried and suspicious, and River who seemed scared shitless.
"What danger?" Octavian practically growled.
"The Aplans" River started, standing so still it looked like she was afraid the floor would break out from under her, "They've got two heads."
Octavian looked at River like she had gone mad. "Yes, I get that. So?"
"So why don't the statues?" The Doctor almost whispered, his eyes skittering over the statues with a new sense of fear.
"Everyone, over there. Just move. Don't ask questions, don't speak."
With those words from the Doctor, we all began pushing and moving into an alcove away from the statues. It was a cave mouth of impenetrable blackness – as I stepped in I watched my shadow dissolve into the surrounding darkness. It was dank and the only sounds were that of dripping water and shuffling feet.
As we were hustling, I felt someone grab my hand.
The Doctor's grasp was almost as light as a feather, even though his posture was as stiff as a board. It was just a touch, but it still gave me all I needed – to know that he wanted me to walk with him. As I turned to look at him, what struck me was the hesitant look in his eyes – they flickered over my face, as though he were reminding himself of what I looked like.
Standing rigidly, he fidgeted with his cuffs – before his fingers ran severely through the messy, brown locks on his head. I couldn't tell if it was the stress of the situation that was getting to him, or something else entirely.
"Make sure not to wander off, yeah? Weeping Angels aren't a joke. Stay close," His voice was weirdly stilted – like his thoughts were somewhere else entirely.
All I could do was watch and wait in silent concern. How could I not be concerned?
This man – who I knew to possess a silver-tongue that reflected the glint of his sharp wit in every situation he had ever faced – had never been more unreadable.
His gaze then flickered to something past my head – and just for a single, doubtful second, his face looked so very, very cold. I almost had to rub the exhaustion out of my eyes to confirm that I wasn't tripping and simply imagined the look.
But then, as soon as it arrived – I felt the lingering trace of warmth leave my hand. He went to walk by, a peculiar static passing through and breaking me out of my shock as he brushed past me.
"Ma'am, are you alright?"
The familiar fragility of a voice filtered back into my mind. I turned to see Bob, all hunched shoulders and questioning eyes. Apparently I had stopped moving with the disappearance of the Doctor's presence.
"Yeah, I'm good Bob..." My voice trailed. "L-let's keep moving yeah?"
Without waiting for a response, I moved further and further into the alcove – towards where I knew the Doctor was progressing the story. He and River would be testing the lights to see if the statues could move or not – while me, Amy and all the clerics fled to find a safe space behind them.
I didn't want to admit it – but I was beginning to come to a conclusion that the Doctor was the one person here that I couldn't decipher, no matter how hard I tried. I drew a blank from the whole exchange we'd just had.
Knowing the character was one thing. It was something I thought that I was good at – breaking down a character to see what they lacked and what gave them strength.
But now, in this situation – the Doctor was real, with his emotions revolving around something to do with me. And now, being faced with something so unlike anything I had faced before – all I could do was draw a blank.
"Okay, I want you all to switch off your torches," The Doctor's rigid back was the only thing I could see – as he never once turned away from watching the statues. I could imagine his clever green eyes dancing around the landscape with a strange clarity.
Soldiers left and right could only pass around confused looks, none of them understanding what was wrong with him – "Sir?"
Annoyed, the Doctor almost growled, "Just do it. Okay. I'm going to turn off this one too, just for a moment."
"Are you sure about this?" River asked from behind him – her question striking a tension that forced everyone and everything else to go silent.
I couldn't see the Doctor's face, of course, but by the slight wobble of his posture and the light tilt of his head, I could tell that a small smile was playing on his face as he answered.
"No."
The lights went off, and all we were left with was the all-consuming darkness of the cave. The intensity that came with a lack of complete light was something that made all the wispy hairs on the back of my neck stand up in alarm.
Especially since I knew what was moving around in that darkness.
As soon as they went, the lights came back on – only to reveal that all the statues were now looking our way.
"Oh, my God. They've moved," Rivers voice broke through the panic that arose in the room.
Before she could even finish the thought, the Doctor began to run down the passage – it being filled with statues coming towards us, "They're Angels. All of them."
"But they can't be." River stuttered, paralysed to the spot.
"Clerics, keep watching them." The Doctor watched them with calculating eyes – his jaw grinding teeth together.
"Every statue in this Maze, every single one, is a Weeping Angel. They're coming after us."
Gathered at a vantage point that overlooked the maze, we all stood a good distance away from the newly discovered angels. My previous desire to explore the old caves had long since evaporated, leaving no trace it was ever there. Now I couldn't help but miss the salty, fresh air I had hardly even noticed on the beach.
"But there was only one Angel on the ship. Just the one, I swear."
River was panicking.
At least that's what I considered her version of panicking to be. She kept a straight face, just as she always seemed to do. But her eyes – Rory's eyes – were wide and dilated. It's no wonder she was so scared – she had the most reason to hate weeping angels out of all of us.
"Could they have been here already?" Amy asked after River, completely unbeknownst to her future daughter's alarm.
"The Aplans. What happened? How did they die out?" The Doctor waved his arm vaguely, waiting for a response.
"Nobody knows" River told him.
"We know." The Doctor looked grim. A second after, his gaze met mine and his ever-present look of curiosity seemed to grow. In a soft voice he asked me, "Did you?"
The question struck me as odd. Why wouldn't I know? Didn't he know I knew about all the adventures he went on?
Maybe it was his way of confirming I knew what this regeneration did. I had to admit that what I knew about the Doctor would stop at a certain point – after all, 'Eleven' was the last reincarnation I knew. I had heard they had got a new actor to play 'Twelve', but I had never gotten around to seeing who it was – it made me wonder if I'd ever get to meet a regeneration who was a stranger to me.
Nevertheless, I nodded my head at the Doctor – waiting for the anger I'm sure would follow. Surprisingly, all he did was nod back once, seemingly impassive to the fact that I had the answers in my head but wasn't sharing.
In fact, it was like a game had just begun for the Doctor. He began watching me, a funny little smirk playing on his lips as he did.
"They don't look like Angels," Octavian broke in – his expression unsurprised as he watched me answer the Doctor. I suppose he knew about the foreknowledge bit.
"And they're not fast. You said they were fast," Amy eyed the Angels wearily, "They should have had us by now."
"Look at them. They're dying, losing their form. They must have been down here for centuries, starving," The Doctor looked as though he were trying to peer into my mind, his eyes holding an unasked question. Did he want me to slip?
No, he was testing to see what I'd do. Of course I knew the answer, but would I tell him or not?
I put on my best poker face, my own smile making a return. I think I knew in that moment – saying 'spoilers' would've been a bit too boring.
"Image is power, isn't it?" I couldn't help myself – his energy was almost infectious, the competitive bastard.
"Their image is their power. Power..." The Doctor's eyes buzzed – his mind working a million miles per second. His glowing eyes were a great indicator that it had finally hit him, "Power!"
"Doctor?" Amy asked wearily.
"Don't you see? All that radiation spilling out the drive burn. The crash of the Byzantium wasn't an accident, it was a rescue mission for the Angels. We're in the middle of an army, and it's waking up," His eyes met mine and he absolutely beamed, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it, Doc." I shook my head at him – it wasn't like I actually did anything, he would have figured it out with or without me. "We need to get out of here fast."
"Angelo, Christian, come in, please. Either of you, come in," Octavian spoke into his radio.
Oh no.
This was it – the moment I could've waited an eternity before we got to.
What could I have done? I didn't even know the repercussions of saving one man, let alone three.
Instead of Bob's hesitant, naturally apologetic voice that rang through the radio, another less familiar one spoke up, "It's Christian, sir."
Octavian just continued to speak normally, completely in the blue about what Christian truly was, "Christian, is Angelo with you? All the statues are active. I repeat, all the statues are active."
"I know, sir. Angelo's dead, sir. The statues killed him, sir." The voice spoke back, a perfect mockery of a scared young man.
The Doctor then grabbed Octavian's walkie-talkie, "Christian, it's me, the Doctor."
"I'm talking to–"
"Where are you now?" The Doctor continued interrogating Christian.
"I'm talking to my–" Octavian tried again.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up." The Doctor snapped at him.
The speaker blared, "I'm on my way up to you, sir. I'm homing in on your signal."
"Ah, well done, Christian. It was like I was telling Bob, remember? Scared keeps you fast." The Doctor's voice was light – he looked proud to have heard the man escape. "Your friend, Christian – What did the Angel do to him?"
"Snapped his neck, sir" The voice returned monotonously.
"That's odd. That's not how the Angels kill you. They displace you in time. Unless they needed the body for something," The Doctor commented vaguely.
"Christian, did you check Angelo's data pack for vital signs? We may be able to initiate a rescue plan" Octavian offered – completely unbeknown to how Weeping Angels operated.
The Doctor just huffed, "Oh, don't be an idiot. The Angels don't leave you alive. Christian, keep running. But tell me, how did you escape?"
"I didn't escape, sir. The Angel killed me, too"
The collective silence that rang out was worse than anything I could've imagined.
It laid on the skin like a poison. It felt like it was seeping into my blood, paralysing my brain.
To make things so much worse, the Doctor's eyes flickered to me – and I had no idea how he must've felt seeing me. I felt like I was a second away from sobbing, my eyes bright with unshed tears – I'm sure I looked it to. I had crossed my arms tightly across my chest, leaving my hair to fall over my face – half concealing it.
I think I would've very much liked to disappear at that moment.
With eyes never leaving me, the Doctor asked slowly, "What do you mean, the Angel killed you?"
"Snapped my neck, sir. Wasn't as painless as I expected, but it was pretty quick, so that was something," Christian's voice said conversationally.
"If you're dead, how can I be talking to you?"
"You're not talking to me, sir. The Angel has no voice, so it stripped my cerebral cortex from my body and re-animated a version of my consciousness to communicate with you."
"So when you say you're on your way up to us..." The Doctor almost groaned, picking up on the big picture.
"It's the Angel that's coming, sir, yes. No way out."
"Then we get out through the wreckage." Octavian started, his eyes sad but his face stuck in the same stony expression. "Go! Go, go, go. All of you run."
"Doctor, Fiona?" Amy called as she made to leave. She had been shooting me inquisitive little glances the whole while – her eyes actually looking genuinely concerned. All I could do was shoot her a tiny smile that said 'I'm alright' as I felt the glossiness in my eyes dull down.
The Doctor just waved her off, practically shoo-ing her away, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're coming. Just go. Go, go, go."
Well, here it came. I expected nothing less from him than absolute fury – it was what I deserved after all.
Only a complete psychopath wouldn't have prevented two easily preventable deaths – and from the Doctor who held human life to such a high regard, what could I ever say to make it right?
The worn softness of two large palms at the sides of my face was enough to make me flinch – but not in the way I thought I would. The Doctor had both his hands over my cheeks as he looked down at me – his eyes tender.
I was just so caught-off by his eyes – thinking of them as if I were being allowed to think completely outside the situation. As if we were just two normal people who were being allowed to observe the other for the first time.
His eyes were so bright – like they were made of stardust and then cut right out of the sky.
"You alright?"
And like that – the moment was gone.
We were back in that dark, dank cave, with the lives of two men on my hands.
I looked away from his eyes, my own growing heavy again. I could only strain to look down at my feet – my voice coming out as a strangled whisper, "I'm sorry."
"Stop that – right now, love," The Doctor shut me down, his voice pressed by not angry. His face seemed pleading as he continued, "What did I tell you that night? With Shakespeare – in that crummy, old room?"
Without even waiting for a response he went on, his knees bending so that we were eye level, "I told you that it wasn't your job to save people – I'm telling you now that it's mine."
"But I could've prevented this!" I looked to him, not seeing how he could just brush this off. A life was a life – and he could not always save everyone.
"And I told you there could be consequences. The life of a single man is enough to change the course of the universe's future!" He met my eyes with equal fervour. "I know you saved, Bob. When you told Octavian to keep him – I was stupid at first, thinking... –But now I know why."
I remembered the cold look in his eye from before – that couldn't have been directed at Bob, could it?
I just shook my head at him, "So what, am I just supposed to leave people to die? Everywhere you go – there's always someone who could be saved!"
"I don't want you going around, throwing yourself into danger." His gaze was levelled, like he was putting the whole argument to an end, even though he still hadn't answered my question.
We could've gone on bickering for hours – but the sound of a single forced cough was enough to divert our attentions.
Octavian stood a few feet away – everything about him seeming awkward.
The Doctor's hands fell deftly from my face, everything about him quickly switching to that of a casual quality as he turned to address Octavian.
"Called you an idiot. Sorry, but there's no way we could have rescued your men," The Doctor spoke in that detached, yet still sympathetic way he did when he tried to console someone he didn't really like.
"Apparently there was one way, sir." Octavian looked past the Doctor – straight at me, "Apologies, but I overheard."
His face was the same way I had seen it look the whole time I had known him, but his eyes – his eyes held pure spite.
"Octavian–" The Doctor warned – his voice a low growl, willing the man to drop it.
Octavian settled the intensity of his eyes back on the Doctor, "I know, sir. And when the two of you've flown away in your little blue box, I'll explain that to their families."
And like that, Octavian brushed past us – his face hard. The Doctor and I watched him pass.
The guilt was like gasoline in my guts – my insides dying slowly in the toxicity, needing no more than a spark to set them ablaze. But I decided to suck it up – I would grieve for the young men in my own time. For now I couldn't hold up the story, perish forbid, my whining actually caused the death of someone else.
"Don't listen to him – he doesn't know what he's talking about." The Doctor tried, reaching out for my hand again before I pulled away.
"I could take him," I muttered, wanting the Doctor to know I was fine. I flashed him an unassuming smile when he snorted. To be honest, I didn't feel half the irritation towards Octavian as I had felt when I was watching this on the telly – mostly because I knew he had a point.
"Yeah, I'm sure you could."
"I'm gonna go on ahead, okay?" I looked over my shoulder, knowing full well that he still had to talk to Angel Bob– well, I suppose it was 'Angel Christian' now. Just a single worried look from him made me raise an arm to quell it, "I'll be fine."
With that I rushed along the rocky path, trying to make up for lost time. As I ran, I felt like there was a prodigious courage pushing inside me, demanding me to be brave and strong. I never had this kind of bravery before – the kind that made me realise my life was less important and that I was needed for something far bigger than myself.
In this case, the bigger thing being the thought that no one else was going to die tonight.
I bolted down the rocky path like an Olympic champion at the start gun, only slowing when I saw a familiar flash of cherry-red hair, "Amy!"
She was exactly where she was in the episode, bent over with her hand seemingly stuck to the boulder at her side. I saw normal human skin where I'm sure she was seeing stone – briefly reminding me of when Karen Gillian had first played the role of a soothsayer from the episode with Pompeii in it.
"Amy, you need to move" I looked at her with wide-eyes, my voice commanding.
"I can't. No, really, I can't," She mumbled, her eyes straying from my face to look behind me – back to where I knew the angels would come from.
"Amelia Pond, listen to me very carefully," I was so close to just yanking her hand off the rock, but I knew she needed to realise herself, "You just think that it's stone – it's all in your head!"
"I just can't!" She cried.
I huffed. The Doctor would be running past any minute now, I was sure of it.
"Oh well, you know what they say, panicking burns a shit-ton of calories – so that's a plus," I smiled at her – half-amused and half-'losing my goddamn mind'.
"Who even says that?" She asked – completely straight-faced.
I looked at her and winced, "Me. Just now."
It was then that the Doctor took the glorious moment to join us, practically running past as he yelled, "Don't wait for me. Go, run."
"She can't!" My voice stopped him.
"Why not?" His brows furrowed, his eyes doing a once-over and finding nothing wrong.
Amelia's voice was blank as she answered, "Look at it. Look at my hand. It's stone."
"You looked into the eyes of an Angel, didn't you?" The Doctor shut his eyes – completely exasperated.
Amy winched, her expression turning sheepish, "I couldn't stop myself. I tried."
"Listen to me. It's messing with your head. Your hand is not made of stone." The Doctor tried reasoning with her, moving to stand in front of her while I moved to keep watch from Amelia's side.
"That's what Fiona said, but it is. Look at it." The Doctor stared blankly at her arm, the same way I did.
"It's in your mind, I promise you. You can move that hand. You can let go."
"I can't, okay? I've tried and I can't. It's stone."
"The Angel is going to come and it's going to turn this light off, and then there's nothing I can do to stop it, so do it. Concentrate. Move your hand," The Doctor's voice was growing more and more agitated.
"I can't." Amelia's voice was strong even though her teeth were chattering in fright.
"Then we're all going to die," I voiced flatly, not as panicked since the angels weren't in sight yet.
Amy turned her head to glare at me – "You're not going to die. Neither one of you."
"They'll kill the lights, Amy," I looked to her as well, my voice soft as I pleaded.
"You've got to go. You know you have. You've got all that stuff between the two of you and that's all got to happen –" She started, her voice sad, "Fiona's told me stories of what happens on your travels when you're younger and she can't die – she hasn't gotten there yet. You know you can't die here either, Doctor."
"Time can be re-written. It doesn't work like that." The Doctor's eyes turned melancholy, as though he were considering what it'd be like if I were actually erased from his past.
I was going to bring a hand to shoulder – remind him of what we needed to do – before an angel, all decrepit and unlike its original form came blinking in at the door-way.
"Keep your eyes on it. Don't blink," The Doctor warned.
Amy was having enough as she pushed at my arm, "Run!"
"We're not leaving you, silly girl." I clamped my hand over hers, stilling her frantic fingers and trying my best to be the least bit comforting.
She just groaned in dismay, "I don't need either of you to die for me. Do I look that clingy?"
"Absolutely not, Pond," I laughed – it didn't take a regular Einstein to know that Amy was the complete opposite.
Then, in the flash of the moment, something felt off.
Maybe it was the lighting in the cave or the adrenaline pumping through my veins – maybe it was just the good old panic, but the angels seemed like they were a bit too close for comfort – far closer than they had been on the show.
"Oh Amy, you're lovely and magnificent. I'm sorry for this," My voice was low as I looked to the Doctor, winking from outside Amy's field of vision.
I could almost hear the trace of a sob in her voice as she responded, "its okay. I understand. You've got to leave me."
"Oh, no, we're not leaving you. I'm sorry about this."
And with that I bit her hand, my teeth sinking into the flesh sharply enough that she'd feel it.
She yelped like a startled Pomeranian, "Ow!"
I tugged her along as I heard the Doctor laugh beside me, "See? Not stone. Now run."
"You bit me!"
I grumbled under my breath as the three of us darted farther down the cave system, "Oh, now's not the time to be offended, Amy – also, if you noticed, you're alive."
"Look, I've got a mark. Look at my hand." She threw her hand in front of me, where an impressively large red mark was beginning to form.
"Yes, and you're alive. Problem?" I huffed at her – small smiles playing on both the Doctor and my faces.
"Blimey, your teeth. Have you got space teeth?"
All I could do was roll my eyes at the ginger-haired girl, my voice dryer than I'd ever heard it go, "Nope, a hundred percent human. And also – you're alive. Congratulations."
As we neared the end of the long path, I could almost hear the faint voices of the clerics. The pathway we had been walking – much like an abandoned tunnel – was like a great grey snake, curving and unfurling out before us – The whispers serving as some solace that we truly weren't in the belly of a great beast.
"Clerics, we're down to four men. Expect incoming." Octavian's gruffly voice faded back into clarity as the Doctor, Amy and I rounded the last corner.
"Yeah, it's the Angels. They're coming. And they're draining the power for themselves." The Doctor responded, breaking back into the group dramatically.
Surprised faces turned to great us as Octavian responded, "Which means we won't be able to see them."
"Which means we can't stay here" The Doctor corrected.
"Any suggestions?" River walked up to the Doctor, her curly blonde ringlets falling messily from her bun. I couldn't blame her – I thought the stress was getting to everybody.
God, I always had been a fan of the whole action-adventure thing about this show – it's what made it so good – but now I couldn't help wish I'd been more of a Rom-Com girl. Maybe that way I could've ended up in the lead role to a John Hughes movie, instead of in a freaking space adventure with a Time-lord.
"The statues are advancing on all sides. We don't have the climbing equipment to reach the Byzantium," Octavian surmised, looking glumly at the little supplies they did have.
"There's no way up, no way back, no way out. No pressure, but this is usually when you have a really good idea," River stressed.
"There's always a way out." The Doctor's voice rang – his eyes electric as they buzzed around for a solution. "There's always a way out."
I suppose it was slightly narcissistic to think, even for a second, that the Doctor was almost completely akin to human beings in everything except his lifespan and cardiovascular system.
I mean he did appear completely humanoid, like a young boy that still seemed to retain the innocence – yet not the naivety – of that of a child. A young boy with outstanding deductive and analytical powers yet still, at heart, a child.
But it was absolutely delusional to think that he'd be like anything from this earth.
Him standing there was what seemed to make me realise.
His thoughts seemed to trundle through his brain like a high-speed rail train, with no intention of stopping. Something about him just buzzed with such an inhuman quality – advanced in a way I wasn't sure a human could reach.
It was when he turned around did I know that he already knew exactly what he was going to do to get us out of there.
The buzzer of the extension radio rang out like an annoyed rattlesnake, promptly cutting through the panicked silence, "Doctor? Can I speak to the Doctor, please?"
"Hello, Angels. What's your problem?" The Doctor responded, breaking out of his reverie.
"Your power will not last much longer, and the Angels will be with you shortly. Sorry, sir."
The Doctor looked to the speaker, his face impassive as he asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
Angel Christian seemed almost hesitant in responding – as though a part of him was still hanging on to what he once was, "There's something the Angels are very keen you should know before the end."
"Which is?" The Doctor's voice lowered. All action from the clerics had ceased – the lot of us gathered around to watch in trepidation.
"We died for nothing."
I felt something in me slip as I stood listening – my heart already feeling like lead.
No... It couldn't be – what he was saying... That's not how it's supposed to go.
The Doctor looked as confused as I felt as he asked, "I'm sorry?"
"The Angels know about the star. They know she predicts the future. She could've saved us if she just said – but we died alone, in fear. My wife's due next month, sir – we think it's going to be a girl.
I'm not going to be there for her – all because you let us down. You're the man who's meant to save people, and when it mattered, you let us down – both of you."
It went silent.
Was it really silent or was I imagining that?
No. People were talking – I just couldn't hear.
I couldn't hear and there was this bad feeling – surging through me like acid. I knew this feeling.
Grief. That's what that was.
Feels like emptiness in your heart, a shear of nothingness that somehow takes over and holds your soul and threatens to kill you entirely.
I'd felt it before – many, many times before – but never like this.
I reached up to touch my face. Something strange was making it difficult to see well – why were my cheeks wet?
I felt an invisible hand – the ghost of the life I abandoned – grab hold of my heart wretchedly.
He had a wife – he's going to have a daughter. A little girl who's never going to meet her Dad.
"What are they doing?"
Amy's voice – a brief lull at the back of my mind – so low I could hardly register it.
"They're trying to make him angry," River, I think, whispered to her, "And going after her – he's bound to get mad. The fury of a Time-Lord in full swing."
"I'm sorry, sir. The Angels were very keen for you to know that."
It was like the energy in the room had flipped. I was back in the moment, staring blankly at my feet – but still I felt a kind of static build, growing until I felt the hair on my arms begin to rise.
"Well then, the Angels have made their second mistake because I'm not going to let that pass. I'm sorry you're dead, Christian, but I swear to whatever is left of you, they will be sorrier."
The Doctor's voice, louder than all the other voices, rang out through my mind.
He was angry.
It wasn't even anger, but rage. Though his face seemed passive, you could see it in the darkening of his eyes. His rage held all the power of a wildfire – the flames roaring in his eyes, ready to ignite anything that he came in contact with.
He had never looked this angry in the show, had he?
"But you're trapped, sir, and about to die."
"Yeah – I'm trapped. And you know what? Speaking of traps, this trap has got a great big mistake in it. A great big, whopping mistake," The Doctor turned around, his eyes meeting mine.
A thousand different things seemed to flicker in his face as he took me in – scanning the wet streaks I was desperately trying to rub away.
"What mistake, sir?"
The Doctor ignored the blaring voice on the radio, his eyes turning to Amy, "Trust me?"
"Yeah," Amy replied like it was obvious – her eyes gleaming a honey-like hazel.
The Doctor's head then swivelled to River, "Trust me?"
"Always," She returned without a single moment's worth of hesitation.
"You lot, trust me?" He turned towards the clerics. Most men just turned to each other and shrugged.
"We have faith, sir," Octavian responded bluntly for the whole lot of them.
That's when he turned to me – The Doctor – the man made of fire and ice and time. The man who had saved countless lives, but had assured the ends to many more. The oncoming storm and all other fancy titles he had earned along the way.
He was someone to be feared.
But when his face turned to meet mine, all I saw was an uncertain tenderness. He cared about me, that was something clear to see – probably for being a friend to him in the time I had yet to live through. But even so, in the moment – he just looked like a boy who was trying to make a girl not feel like utter garbage.
How could I fear him?
"Fiona. Do you trust me?"
I felt all the noise, all the guilt, all the panic – everything – fall flat the second his eyes were on me. Maybe it was my imagination – it was probably, certainly, completely my imagination – but the way he was looking at me, it seemed different.
Like there was so much history in the way he was looking at me, in the way he was saying my name.
"I hardly know you."
My voice sounded foreign to my own ears – my mind too exhausted for barriers, sitting back as it let my mouth betray the truth.
He smirked a boyish smirk, "That's never stopped you before."
A current, like an electric charge that was a little short of busting began to flow through me. Could he feel that too?
"Cheat," I grinned at him – he knew full well not to betray what other versions of me did. Placing my smaller hand in his larger one, I felt all urge to fight leave me – going for the only option that'd been playing on my mind, "Okay then."
If he had ever known failure in his life, it didn't show. Everything from the way he held himself, to the way he spoke, to that look of unassailable confidence in his eye said he could do it. What could we do but believe him? Like the others I fell in step behind him, and that was that. He was a natural leader.
"Give me your gun. I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and dangerous. When I do, jump!" He instructed the men, his voice booming as the sounds of the approaching angels became louder and louder.
"Children shouldn't play with guns, Doc," I muttered to him – the picture of the Doctor with a gun seeming too wrong to let slide.
He grinned a Cheshire grin, speaking through half-lidded, sly eyes, "Who said I was playing?"
"Jump where?" Octavian asked, looking at the Doctor like he was mad.
"Just jump, high as you can. Come on, leap of faith, Bishop. On my signal."
River turned to face him, her face worry-stricken, "What signal?"
It was the Doctor's turn to smile cunningly at her, everything about him completely self-assured, "You won't miss it."
"Sorry, can I ask again? You mentioned a mistake we made," Christian's voice came through the speaker – a perfect mockery to what I'm sure his tone would've sounded like if he was still alive.
The Doctor's tweed-clothed arm lifted to the sky – the smooth metal of the gun in his hand pointed at the hull of the Byzantium.
"Oh, big mistake. Huge. Didn't anyone every tell you there's one thing you never put in a trap? If you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap."
His hand coiled and uncoiled at his side – muscles tense. He held the pistol firmly, almost as if it were an extension of himself rather than a tool of death.
"And what would that be, sir?"
The poisonously sweet ghost of a smile that had previously adorned his face began to stretch – stretch until it became something else entirely.
A victor's smirk.
"Me."
A single gunshot rang out – and the world turned upside down.
Afterword: Wow, hello to you – whoever made it to the end of this chapter.
I hope some of you liked it since I did try to make it as interesting as possible. I hadn't initially planned on making the OC care too much about the sad parts in these episodes – like people dying – but I think her reacting this intensely the first time adds a little to her humanity and sets her apart – especially since no one really cared about the deaths so strongly this episode.
If you noticed, I have been toying around with some changeable parts in the story – like saving Bob!
I thought little plot twists that change direction of story might work to keep the reader's attention so that nothing is completely expected. I'd like to think it's a refreshing addition so that you don't have to keep reading over plot you already know.
Nevertheless, your opinions really help me figure out what's truly good – since I've mostly just been going on what I think will do. So please do leave a review if you've got any questions or suggestions.
Thank you!