A/N: I'm picking up directly from the end of the last chapter.

"Hey, Princess?" She spun around. The horror induced adrenaline rush must have been painfully evident because Derek let out a hearty chuckle at his partner's state. "I was talkin' about Reid." He laughed again, "come on, we gotta get to that rendezvous. We wouldn't want anyone to get worried about us."

She might have let the little dig slide had he not added a wink at the end. Instead, she gave him a solid punch to the shoulder as he walked by.

They ended up being the last pair to make it to the regrouping. They walked into a heated discussion in which the FBI agents were trying to figure out just how much damage they'd done to the Bureau's image. Federal agents knocking on doors to ask if anyone had seen a statue moving through the city was bound to make waves. They'd be lucky if they could plead temporary insanity with Strauss. That was a risk they were all willing to take though. If it just meant saving one life, it'd be worth any repercussions.

The Doctor took in the condition of the team, and he could tell that the B.A.U. members were running low on steam. They'd been working on the case, or trying to figure out what to do with him, for the last 30 hours straight. They had been teetering on the edge of exhaustion before the arrival of the TARDIS, only to be reinvigorated by the series of outlandish events that had followed that incident. Of course, 48-hour shifts weren't exactly uncommon on cases with a deadline and some without.

As tired as they were, not one of them failed to react when they heard it. It was a shrill cry that ripped through the cold night air. The group bounded off in the direction that it came from, finding the subsequent howling to be a good indicator of orientation.

The Doctor ran toward the desperate scream as well; it was second nature for him. He'd always had companions to run along behind him, but he was a bit surprised by the speed of the agents with him. They ran toward the commotion with a purpose and, though they each carried weapons, he trusted that their sole intent was to save lives. That had been very clear to him. Even in the short time that he had known them, he could see that they were all virtuous people. He somehow had a great deal more confidence in the judgment they possessed than he had in anyone else he had "worked" with in recent years. He slipped into the alleyway, just behind the agents, and came to an abrupt halt. The sight he came to face with was a scenario that he had been dreading.

The agents had encircled the now quietly panicking woman, and were doing their best to mollify her. They were passed the glow of the streetlights, and the only illumination came from their individual torches. It was clear to him that they were wildly out of their depths, as they were simultaneously forming a plan of attack. He calmly breached their circle, and took control of the situation. "It's very important that you listen to me now." No one objected to the man that was now brazenly stepping closer to the odd scene. "You won't need your guns, they won't do you any good." Reid and Rossi moderately lowered their weapons, and watched the Doctor attentively. The others remained steadfast. "I'll need four of you staring at this statue at all times, and two of you watching the far end of the alley for reinforcements. Remember," he stressed, "don't blink." At Hotch's directive, JJ and Dave backed away and headed farther into the alley. The Doctor turned to his companions; "the two of you keep a lookout on the opposite end."

He slowly returned his attention to the being that stood before him. The woman in its grasp was struggling for freedom. "Look at you," he drawled as he walked behind the creature.

It appeared to be a beautifully sculpted angelic specimen. Its body covered by a full-length, ruffled, cloth robe, wings splayed as if it were about to burst into flight. The only thing foreboding about it was the screaming, devilish face. The thing seemed to be in direct conflict with itself. It was, in essence, a demonic angel.

It was disfigured by weather erosion from the visually apparent years it had spent locked in one position. The face was badly damaged, and the agents knew that they had been right about one thing; more than one of the victims had fought back. They had somehow managed to get in the smallest of defensive attacks before they were torn from their lives.

Then there were the eyes. Although they were made of stone, void of almost any human characteristics, they were teaming with emotion. There was sorrow, grief, confusion and most of all fear. Even though the creature was bearing its teeth at the Doctor, the profilers could easily read the hurt and suffering present in its eyes.

"What have you done?" He knew it had no way of replying, but he needed to voice the question anyway. "You've erased 38 people, that we know of. How do you justify that? Survival?" He turned his back to the angel, looked up to the sky, and ran his hands into his hair. He stayed like that for several long seconds, contemplating the possible outcomes.

Morgan's voice registered somewhere in the forefront. "She must have seen it before it could get to her. Then, when we showed up, she was distracted. It had to have grabbed her just as we turned the corner." He was trying to make sense of the situation, so very human.

Finally, after coming to a conclusion, he faced the woman that remained in the vice-like grip of the alien being. "I'm sorry," his voice was saturated in sadness and regret. "I know that you're scared, but there's nothing we can do. You won't feel a thing. You'll wake up, and you'll be in a different time."

"No!" The woman was sobbing uncontrollably. "My children," words failed her as she desperately tried to make sense of what was going on. "I don't understand." She pleaded helplessly to the Doctor. In response, he did the only thing he could to comfort her. He reached out and took her hand in his.

He spoke to the members of the B.A.U. that remained. "I want you all to back away as much as possible." They didn't wait for their boss' approval this time. They immediately followed the Doctor's orders, as did Hotch. "Now, I need you all to turn away."

"We can't," Emily was deeply disturbed by the idea of leaving the woman's fate in the hands of this deranged brute. They'd taken the Doctor at his word for the most part, and he hadn't betrayed them. He'd said that this thing was a ruthless murder, and vicious to no end. So why was he suddenly willing to give up and let it take another victim?

As absurd as it had seemed to be earlier, to associate those attributes with a statue, she couldn't bring herself to literally turn her back on someone that was in the clutches of this monster. "We can't just let it have her." She turned to her colleagues, hoping to gain some support. They each seemed to be in various stages of shock, not being able to decide what the best course of action was.

"Emily, I'm sorry, but we have no choice." The Doctor stepped up to her and put a hand on each of her shoulders, forcing her to lower her gun, and then bowed forward to meet her eyes. "The angel has her, we are only delaying the inevitable. They need to feed on energy to survive, and survival is their only prerogative."

She fleetingly made eye contact with Derek, and she saw the unchecked despair in his gaze as he twisted away from the beast. Spencer and Hotch did the same with an uneasy hesitation. She was determined to keep the angel in her sights, now more than ever. The woman's life depended on it. She looked past the Doctor as he continued to reason with her. Her eyes became blurry with surging tears. Then it happened. She blinked.

Her face twisted, but with shock or distress, the Doctor couldn't tell. Emily remained silent as she stared with unfocused eyes at a spot just behind him. Then a sound assaulted his ears; it was the sound of muffled crying. He turned on his heel, and vigorously looked between the angel and the woman that had been in its hold moments ago.

The wretched devil stood tall, wings peacefully tucked behind its back, hands cupping its fiendish face. It was only inches from him, but he wasn't panic-stricken in the least. The Doctor beamed widely, and proceeded to envelope Prentiss in a full-on bear hug. There was a short delay, but she returned the gesture with her free hand as the other held her Glock toward the ground. The laughter that began to trickle from the pair was enough to turn the heads of her remaining team members. He finally relinquished his hold, but remained in a stunned noiselessness. She could see it in his eyes then. She saw his age, wisdom and the pure thrill coursing through him. He was exhilarated. As if to prove her right, he jovially ran off to collect David and JJ. As he sprinted away, he shouted, "Humans!"

A/N: I may have stolen Dr. Who dialogue here, but I assure you it wasn't intentional. It's been awhile since I've watched any episodes. Some lines do sound vaguely familiar to me though. If you spot something, feel free to yell at me. One chapter left to finish this one up.