Author's Note: I am SO SORRY for the delay. My life and health has kept me from writing but I'm back to working regularly again so I'm hoping to get back to writing. I apologize for any errors. I hope you all like it. Thanks! -Writercrash
Chapter 28: Flesh and Stone
The sudden impact into the hull of the ship quaked through Arty's bones. Pain pulsed through each ligament of her body.
"Up! Look up!" The Doctor cried.
"You okay?" Matthew questioned Arty.
"What happened?" Amy questioned.
"We jumped."
"Jumped where?"
"Up, up, look up!" The Doctor yelped. Arty stumbled as she tried to right orient herself to her feet. She locked eyes with the closet Angel reaching towards them. She could feel the creature growling at her in menacingly. Matthew laid a gentle hand on her elbow to help guide her to her feet.
"Where are we?" Amy whimpered in confusion.
"Exactly where we were" River offered.
"No, we're not. Doctor, what am I looking at? Explain" The Doctor had shoved past Amy to reach the air hatch at her feet. He was scanning the access hatch with his sonic screwdriver frantically attempting to force it to open.
Matthew grumbled in frustration. "Oh, seriously Pond, think for a moment. The ship crashed with the power still on. So, what else is still on? Huh? What? The artificial gravity. You don't need a futuristic degree to figure that out."
"Matthew! Rude!" Arty chastised.
"Doctor, the statues, they look more like Angels now." Octavian reported.
"They're feeding on the radiation from the wreckage, draining all the power from the ship, restoring themselves. Within an hour they'll be an army." With one final pulse, the door opened to reveal a corridor within the ship. Arty flinched away as the light burst at her feet. "They're taking out the lights. Look at them, look at the Angels. Into the ship now, quickly, all of you!"
"But how?" Amy demanded as the Doctor leapt through the opening.
"Sorry Amy, we don't have time for scientific explanations." Arty swung in after. One by the one soldier marched into the corridor before returning their eyes to the Angels advancing below. Once the last person had entered the Doctor sealed the corridor, Arty pushed past the soldiers and began hitting keys on the far display console to try and hold the safety protocols. She clicked through a long list of menus until she found the safety protocols. She disabled all the active ones for that corridor and isolated the lighting grid before slipping back to the Doctor's side.
"The Angels, presumably they can jump up, too?" Octavian questioned.
"They're here now. In the dark were finished." An alarm sounded as the door to the primary flight deck closed.
"This whole place is a death trap."
"No, it's a time bomb. Well, it's a death trap and a time bomb. And now it's a dead end. Nobody panic. Oh, just me. Then. What's through here?"
Arty began frantically hitting the display panel. "Secondary Flight Deck. How is that possible? I overrode the safety protocols." Arty began typing through the screen again to try shutting them off again, before the entire screen sparked and shut down. She shielded her eyes before groaning in frustration. The lights began to frantically flicker throughout the corridor as the external entrance to the ship reopened. The stone arms of the Angels could be seen reaching through in the brief flickers of light. River yanked out the primary lighting cable for the sector as the Doctor soniced it. As the lights stabilized four Angels appeared at the end of the corridor.
"I've isolated the lighting grid, they can't drain the power now." The Doctor reported.
"Good work, Doctor." Octavian affirmed.
"I would hold your praises until he finishes blabbering Bishop." Arty mumbled." You might not feel so thankful."
"Okay, rude. But true. Well, Bishop it's good you like it so far… there's only one way to open the door to the secondary flight deck, as Arty has surmised. I'll need to route all the power in this section through the door control. Including the lights. All of them. I'll need to turn out the lights." The Doctor pushed past dramatically to stare at the Angels. Arty reached into her back pocket to grab her stowed flashlight. She closed her eyes and prayed to anything that was listening that Angels didn't drain it. She flicked it on, and smirked when it lit up.
"How long for?" Octavian demanded
"Fraction of a second, maybe longer. Maybe quite a bit longer."
"Maybe?"
"I'm guessing. We're being attacked by statues in a crashed ship, there isn't a manual for this!"
"Doctor, we lost the torches we'll be in total darkness." Amy cried.
"Not exactly." Arty corrected. Other than the soldiers, the entire groups eyes turned to Arty and Matthew who were holding up their flashlights/torches with playful smirks above their heads. The Doctor chuckled playful before giving her a firm kiss on the forehead.
"Dr Song, I've lost good clerics today. You trust this man?" Octavian questioned the woman as she dug through the cables.
"I absolutely trust him." River affirmed.
"He's not some kind of madman, then?"
"You don't want the answer to that question Bishop." Arty snarked. "Now if you don't mind. I'll take the lead here. Doctor focus on getting those doors open. Combat distance, ten feet. As soon as the lights go down, continuous fire. These flashlights won't hold out forever, so we need to slow them down. Matthew stand next to me."
"When the lights go down, the door should release. Spin it clockwise four turns." The Doctor continued.
"Ten." Amy agreed.
"No, four, four turns." The Doctor corrected, as he looked at the girl in confusion.
"Yeah, four, I heard you."
Arty gave Matthew's hand one last squeeze before training her flashlight on the stone creatures. "Alright y'all. On the count of three Doctor, let's get this show on the road." With one deep breath." Three, two one." The lights dropped and the soldiers began to fire upon the creatures at the end of the hall. The only lights were two thin strips emanating from the flashlights in Arty's and Matthew's hands. The door moaned and groaned with each turn behind them. Amy gave a cry in excitement when the door opened. The soldiers began to file past the pair as the flashlights began to flicker in protest. "Quickly, we don't have much longer!" The Angels began to lunge down the corridor. Arty felt a set of hands shove her out of away followed be a loud crack. Her eyes followed Matthew's light as hit the floor.
"No!" She cried, placing her hands under her arm pits dragging him through the door. The Doctor squeezed past the door after her. Once past the door, he supports Matthews by place his arms over shoulders as they ran down the corridor to the door to the primary flight deck. With a final wave of his sonic screwdriver, they passed through the last door into the control room. The pair laid Matthew onto the floor just past the door. Arty collapsed onto his chest heart retching sobs wracking through her body. He lightly ran her fingers through his hair in grief over the lost years and connection. As the door's wheel began to spin, Octavian placed a magnetizer on the door, but it wasn't enough.
"What are you doing?" Amy questioned.
"Magnetized the door. Nothing could turn that wheel now." With that the wheel began to turn behind him.
With that, Arty snapped. "When it comes to the Angels, never get cocky. Expect the unexpected. The Angels have taken everything from me. They are vicious ruthless creatures that can burn in the fiery pits of hell for all I care. Magnetize the other doors because they will try anything to get what they want. That are malicious, conniving bastards that I wish I could shatter into a million pieces." Arty's entire form crumbed upon her son's fallen form as if her strings had been cut.
She felt another presence approach her from behind. Arty could feel a strange heat radiating off floor below her. "Arty, my Angel. You need step away from Matty now." River pleaded, but she refused to move. "Arty, think for a moment. Think who is father is."
This statement caught the Doctor's attention. "What you mean? Who is his father?"
River ignored him. "I know it's hard, trust me. I love him like my own son in a way. The only thing keeping me collapsing right along you side is this, I know what is to come. I know he has his father's genetics which means you need to step away. Now!" Arty could feel the burn increase underneath. She leaned back to see a soft gold glow appear along Matthew's skin. With a sudden burst of hope, she pushed to her feet and moved away from Matthew's side to the console. As if her proximity was all he was waiting on, a burst of gold energy exploded from Matthew's skin bathing the entire room in light. As the lights dissipated, there on the floor remained the body a teenage boy, but he was different. He was broad shouldered light the eleventh Doctor, with the curly hair of his fourth reincarnation. Peeking out just past the curls were the unmistakable ears of his ninth incarnation. Arty slowly lowered to his side and placed a hand on his cheek.
Gently his eyes opened to stare at her. "Hi. Can't say that was the most pleasant experience, but I'm glad I did it."
Arty slapped him on the shoulder. "Never do that again. Do you know what you did to me? What you just put me through?"
"I can guess, but it would have been worse seeing you had gone from this world completely."
The Doctor's expression had darkened with suspicion. "While I can concur with your statement, who are you? Who are your parents?" Arty sighed at the man's jealousy.
"Two people you trust absolutely." Matthew answered as he slowly sat up.
"That's not a real answer, who are they?"
"You are going to have to trust us on this. They are good people." River agreed.
"That's not enough!"
"I love you, but we don't have time to deal with your jealousy and paranoia right now, Doctor!" Arty yelled. "We need to stay focused on getting out of this death trap."
"Doctor, how long have we got?" Octavian answered.
"Five minutes, max." The Doctor agreed tossing his hands up into the hands as he began messing with the display consoles.
"Nine." Amy agreed. Arty whimpered in pain as sharp attack rippled through her body.
"Five."
"Five, right, yeah."
"Why did you say nine?"
"I didn't." Amy insisted.
"We need another way out of here." River urged.
"There isn't one." Octavian lamented.
"Yeah, there is, 'course there is. This is a galaxy class ship, goes for years between planet-falls. So what do they need?"
"Of course." River realized.
"Can we get in there?" Octavian questioned.
"Well, it's a sealed unit, but they must have installed it somehow." An item just behind a road case caught the Doctor's attention. "Ah ha! There's clamps, release the clamps!" He shoved the boxes to the side, scanning his sonic screwdriver over each clamp.
"What's through there? What do they need?" Amy wondered.
"They need to breathe." As the Doctor soniced the last clamp, the wall released, and the wall raised to reveal a dense forest within the ship. "But it's…"
"It's an oxygen factory." River affirmed.
"It's a forest."
"Yeah, it's a forest, it's an oxygen factory."
"And if we're lucky, an escape route."
Amy gave a soft chuckle before mumbling "eight." Matthew placed her hand on the small of her back as a sharp another sharp pain rippled through her body alongside Amy words.
"What did you say?" River questioned.
"Nothing."
"Is there another exit? Scan the architecture, we don't have time to get lost in there." The Doctor demanded.
"On it! Stay where you are until I've checked the rad levels." Octavian reported.
"But trees? On a spaceship?" Amy admonished.
"More than trees, way better than trees. You're going to love this." The Doctor playful pranced off to one of the trees opening it up to show the cybernetics within. White-blue light glowed off the bark. "Tree borgs, trees plus technology. Branches become cables, become sensors on the hull, a forest sucking in starlight, breathing out air. It even rains. There's a whole mini-climate. This vault is an ecopod running right through the heart of the ship. A forest in a bottle on a spaceship in a maze. Have I impressed you yet, Amy Pond?"
"Seven." Arty's knee's wobbled unsteadily with each passing moment as the pain mounted within her bones.
"Seven?"
"Sorry, what?"
"You said seven."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did." River insisted.
"Doctor, there's an exit, far end of the ship into the Primary Flight Deck." Octavian reported.
"Good. That's where we need to go."
"Plotting a safe path now."
"Quick as you like!"
A sharp zap emanated from the communicator. A familiar voice began echoing through the room. Arty slowly shuffled over to his side as his ceremoniously plopped into the chair. "Doctor, excuse me! Doctor. Angel Bob here, sir."
"Ah! There you are, Angel Bob. How's life? Sorry, bad subject."
"Don't antagonize the homicidal villains, my love. That will only lead to trouble." Arty snarked. He playfully pulled her down to sit across his lap. She gently rested her head on his shoulder.
"The Angels are wondering what you hope to achieve."
"Achieve? We've not achieving anything. We've just hanging. It's nice in here, consoles, comfy chairs, a forest. How's things with you?"
"The Angels are feasting, sir. Soon we'll be able to absorb enough power to consume this vessel, this world and all the stars and worlds beyond."
"Well, we've got comfy chairs, did I mention?"
"We have no need of comfy chairs."
Arty rolled her eyes. "What did I say about antizoning the villains?"
"But I made him say comfy chairs?"
Amy chuckled before mumbling subconsciously "six." In tandem with Amy's words, Arty whimpered in pain rolling out of the Doctor's lap and onto the floor. Matthew and River raced across the room to her side to check on her.
The Doctor's playful demeanor melted away, replaced with malice and contempt. "Okay, Bob, enough chat. Here's what I want to know. What have you done to Amy and Arty? I don't take kindly to those who hurt the ones I love."
"In the case of Ms. Pond, there's something in here eye."
"What's in her eye?"
"We are."
"What's he talking about?" Amy demanded, but the Doctor tuned her out.
"And what have you done too Arty? And don't lie to me."
"It wasn't us specifically that caused it. But I won't say a Weeping Angel wasn't at fault. Why don't you ask her how she feels? Does she feel a little sore? A little stiff? A little petrified?"
"Doctor, we are five." Amy affirmed. Realizing her mistake, she tried to correct it, but found she couldn't get the right words out. Arty simply laid on the floor as Matthew carded his hands through her hair.
"You're counting." River observed.
"You're counting down from ten. You have been for a couple of minutes. And with each number, a sharp pain runs through Arty's system. Leaving her more debilitated than the last."
"Why?"
"I don't know. And I don't like not knowing, especially where she is concerned. I feel like we are so close to answers."
"Well, counting down to what?"
"I don't know."
There was another zap and the voice of Angel Bob reappeared through the communicator. "We shall take her. We shall take all of you. We shall have dominion over all time and space."
The Doctor plopped back in the chair. Matthew helped her sit up against the Doctor's legs so she could lean against them both. "Get a life Bob. Oops, sorry again! There's power on this ship, but nowhere near that much."
"With respect, sir, there's more power on this ship than you yet understand."
Screeching echoed all around. "What is that? Dear God, what is it?" River yelled.
"It's hard to put it in your terms, Dr Song, but as best as I understand it, the Angels are laughing."
"Laughing?" The Doctor glared off into the forest.
"Because you haven't noticed yet, sir. The Doctor with his Angel in the Tardis hasn't noticed yet.
"No, wait, there's something I've… missed." The Doctor stood to see a crack in the wall just above the console behind him. He rolled one of the cases to allow him to stand and reach it with his sonic screwdriver.
Amy ran to his side in panic concern. "That's like the crack from my bedroom wall when I was a little girl."
"Yes." As the crack began to shift, the entire ship shook in protest.
"Okay, enough, we're moving out!" Octavian ordered. Matthew gently lifted Arty to her feet and began helping her climbing through the rough terrain leaving the Doctor behind, despite her best judgement.
*******TIME SKIP*******
"Four" With Amy's words, the pair of women collapsed onto a rock formation at the center of the formation, all their energy spent. Pain rippled through Arty's body. Her bones felt like lead and her muscles felt like fire.
"Med scanners now," River demanded. Matthew wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Arty's arm gently, while placing her head on the moss-covered ground.
"Dr Song, we can't stay here, we've got to keep moving."
"We wait for the Doctor."
"Our mission is to make this wreckage safe and neutralize the Angels. Until that is achieved…"
"Father Octavian, when the Doctor's in the room, your one and only mission is to keep him alive long enough to get everyone else home. And trust me, it's not easy. Now if he's dead back there, I'll never forgive myself, and if he's alive, I'll never forgive him. And Doctor, you're standing right behind me, aren't you?"
"Oh, yeah." The Doctor was standing on the top of rock at the edge of the clearing, sans blazer.
"I hate you."
"You don't. Bishop, the Angels are in the forest." The Doctor leapt off the rock and rushed to the two prone figures sides. He tried to run to Arty first but she brushed him aside so he could focus on Amy. She was at the center of this problem.
"How did you get past them?" River whispered.
"I found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe."
"What was it?" Amy mumbled."
"The end of the universe. Let's have a look then."
"So what's wrong with me?"
"Nothing, you're fine." River placated.
"Everything, you're dying." The Doctor corrected as her heart rate speed up.
"Doctor!"
"Yes, you're right, if we lie to her, she'll get all better. Right, Amy. Amy, what's the matter with Amelia? Something's in her eye. What does that mean? How is that connected to Arty? What happened? She started at the Angel, she looked into the eyes of an Angel for too long… come on, come on, wakey, wakey! She watched an Angel climbed out of the screen, she stared at the Angel, and…"
"The image of an Angel is an Angel." Amy mumbled.
"A living mental image in a living human mind. We stare at them to stop them getting closer, we don't even blink, and that is exactly what they want, 'cause as long as our eyes are open, they can climb inside. There's an Angel in her mind!" Silence rang through the forest.
"Doctor, it's coming, I can feel it. I'm going to die!"
"Please just shut up, I'm thinking. Now counting, what's that about? Bob, why are they making her count?"
"To make her afraid, sir."
"Okay, but why, what for?"
"For fun, sir. And you know exactly when you will learn the truth about what is wrong with your precious Angel, Arty." The Doctor was filled with a burning rage he tossed the communicator across the clearing.
"Doctor, what's happening to me? Explain!"
"Inside your head, in the vision centers of your brain, there's an Angel. It's like there's a screen, a virtual screen inside your mind, and the Angel is climbing out of it and its coming… To shut you off."
"Then what I do?"
"If it was a real screen, what would we do? We'd pull the plug, kill the power. But we can't just knock her out. The Angel would just take over!"
"Then what? Quickly."
"We've got to shut down the vision centers of her brain, we've got to pull the plug starve the Angel. Otherwise, she is going to take Arty down with her. How would you starve your lungs?" Arty's breathing began to rapidly increase with the pain speeding through her body.
"I'd stop breathing."
"Amy close your eyes!"
"No, no. I don't want to." Amy whimpered.
"Good, cause that's not you, that's the Angel inside you it's afraid! Do it! Close your eyes!" With a shuddering breath, Amy snapped her eyes closed. The alarming beeping normalized on the med scanner. Arty gave a soft cry as the pain rapidly dissipated from her body.
"She's normalizing! You did it! You did it!" River sighed.
*******TIME SKIP*******
River and Matthew gave the pair a full examination. Each of Arty's muscle ached and spasmed from the pain. She quietly observed him, sad he only got a few years in his first regenerations.
"River you and I are going to find the Primary Flight Deck, which is…" The Doctor licked his finger, before holding it into the wind. He tracked it across the path before pointing off to his right. "A quarter of a mile straight ahead, and from there we're gonna stabilize the wreckage, cure Amy and figure out what the hell those creatures have done to my Angel."
"How?" River questioned in surprise.
"I'll do a thing."
"What thing?"
"I don't know. It's a thing in progress, respect the thing. Moving out!"
"Doctor, I'm coming with you. My clerics will look after Miss Pond. These are my best men; they'd lay down their lives in her protection." Octavian commanded.
"I don't need you."
"I don't care."
"Where Dr Song goes, I go."
"What? You two engaged or something?"
"Yes. In a manner of speaking."
"Oh. Stop trying to prove who's a more a man than other and grow up." Arty mumbled. "Matthew, Amy and I will be fine. Just go."
Doctor turned to her with his eyebrows furled. "Amy will be fine. You will be coming with me, Arty."
"Doctor, I can barely move. I would only slow you down. It's better if I stay with Amy." The Doctor grunted in protest but nodded in understanding before sitting by Amy side. After placating Amy's concerns, he wondered off in a dramatic fashion, as per usual. Arty's eyes slowly floated between each of the Angels that lined the outside of the clearing as she waited. She rested her head on Matthew's shoulder. They could hear the Doctor's voice gently floating from where Amy was sitting. The pair caught each other's eyes in understanding. She felt a large hand slip into hers before the Doctor appeared in her line of vision his trusty blazer back on his shoulders.
"My family. My lovely family. My Angel Arty and my marvelous Matthew. Never change. I love you both with all my heart." He gave each of them a firm kiss on the forehead.
"Don't worry, Theta. It will all be alright." Arty whispered before giving him a peck on the lips and pulling both her boys into a tight hug. The small family shared a small embrace before parting. The glanced at each other before the Doctor pulled away with a melancholy smile and slipped away into the trees just beyond. "I know that he is going to be alright. I know that the 'Big Bang Two' will be fine, but I do worry about him."
Matthew nodded in agreement. "He always put himself in harm's way if it means he can save others. No matter the expense."
"So what's happening? Anything happening out there?" Amy inquired.
"The Angels are still grouping." Pedro reported. The lights started to flicker all around them as the creatures began to rip the cybernetics out of the tree borgs. With each flicker, the group started to panic more until a bright light shown off to the right of clearing. With the appearance light, all the Angels scattered. Arty felt like she is watching a horror movie she couldn't control as each cleric wondered off into the light only to disappear from existence. They kept disappear ignoring their pleas until only the trio was left.
The communicator crackled to life with the Doctor's voice. "Amy? Arty? Matthew? Are you there? Are you alright? Where are you? Are the clerics with you?"
Arty leapt across the space and grabbed the communicator from Amy's hands. "They're gone. They walked to the light and ceased to exist. As if they were never born."
The Doctor sighed. "I'm sorry. I never should have left you all there. I made a mistake."
"No!" Arty interrupted. "You had to. Remember, I know you had. You could say it was destiny. Focus on getting us to the Primary Flight Deck, we can argue about the choices we have made later, my love." Matthew gently helped Amy to feet placing her hand in the crook of his elbow.
"You right. Turn on the spot. When it sounds like my sonic you are heading the right way." Arty could hear the sonic ringing through the communicator and began slowly following the path, periodically glancing back to check on Amy and Matthew. The rocky terrain made guiding Amy slow moving but not impossible. When they were over three fourths of the way there, the lights began to flicker as the Angels drained the power. Creatures began to appear at the edge of the tree lines.
"Doctor, we are surrounded on all sides."
"Don't blink! Don't you dare blink."
"It's kind of hard to keep your eyes on Angels when the lights are flickering."
"River, I know you can hear me. If you need to make a choice, grab Matty and Amy first. I know you will understand what I mean." Arty heard a zap and noticed Amy disappear. The other two collectively sighed before standing back-to-back keeping their eyes on the Angels.
"Are you alright?" The Doctor demanded. "Arty you will be next."
"No! Matty will be next."
"This is not up for discussion. You will be next. I don't care who his parents are. You are more important to me."
"We are his parents, Theta! Matthew is our son!" Silence rang through the communicator. Matthew grabbed his mother's hand in comfort as they kept their eyes on the Angels. Arty heard another zap and felt his hand disappear. Her breath hitch as she was left alone with the Angels. "Alright. We're alone. What do you want from me? You have ruined my life? You have taken everything from me? Are you going to tell me the truth? What have you done? What is wrong with me?!" Arty felt a pull in her navel before her vision shifted to show the Primary Flight Deck.
The Doctor's eyes were trained on Arty. As she stepped off the platform. "Our son?"
"Our son." Arty affirmed. He chuckled gleefully before grabbing the boy in his arms, but the joyful moment wasn't long lasting. Alarms started blaring through the flight deck.
"What is that?" River queried.
"The Angels are draining the last of the ship's power. Which means…" The Doctor turns back towards the forest entrance" …the shield's going to release!" Clattering could be heard beyond the shield as it released a raised to reveal a line of Angels at the edge of the forest. At the front and center was the first Angel from the ship. "Angel Bob, I presume."
"The time field is coming. It will destroy our reality." The eerie voice of the decease companion echoed through the room.
"And look at you all, running away. What can I do for you?"
"There is a rupture in time. The Angels calculate that if you throw yourself into it, it will close, and they will be saved."
"Yeah, yeah, could do, could do that. But why?"
"Your friends would also be saved."
"Including Arty?"
"Depends on your definition of safe?"
"What have you done to her?"
"When her and the Angel was transport from her reality here, their DNA was spliced together. The universal displacement couldn't recognize the difference, so they became one. The Angel DNA is why she jumps through time. As her physical structure becomes more unstable, she will continue to feel pain until well…"
"Until what?" The Doctor wrapped his arm around Arty in fear.
"Until she become one with the Angel inside of her. Until she is petrified into stone." Arty's breath hitches in fear. Her entire body screamed in protest. She could faintly hear the final alarms beeping on the control console as the gravity was beginning to fail on the ship. Matthew gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
Arty took a shuddering breath, stealing her nerves. "You know I think everyone here needs to get a grip."
"What are you talking about?" River mumbled.
"River, Amy. I think we are all starting to slip, and we need to get a grip."
The woman's eyes widen in understanding. "Oh! You two are a genius."
"Sir, the Angels need you to sacrifice yourself now." Angel Bob interrupted.
"Thing is, Bob, the Angels are draining all the power from this ship, every bit of it. And you know what? I think they've forgotten where they're standing. I think they've forgotten the gravity of the situation. Or to put it another way, Angels…night night." Arty leaned over and grabbed the handlebar alongside the Doctor. As the gravity failed, the group of five grunted as their entire weight shifted hanging from their respective handlebar
*******TIME SKIP*******
On one of the rocks, Matthew and Arty were sharing a blanket. They waited with River staring off at the waves.
"One day we will be able to go off on an adventure and not nearly die." Matty mumbled.
"With your father being the Doctor and River your Aunt, good luck with that." Arty snarked. The trio chuckled playfully. The Doctor slipped to River's side giving the group a raised eyebrow.
"You, me, handcuffs. Must it always end this way?"
"What now?"
"Prison ship's in orbit, they'll beam me up any second. I might have done enough to earn a pardon this time. We'll see."
"Octavian said you killed a man."
"Yes, I did."
"A good man."
"A very good man. The best man I've ever known."
"Who?"
"It's a long story, Doctor. Can't be told, it has to be lived. No sneak previews."
"No spoilers." Matthew joked.
"Well, except for this one. You'll see me again quite soon, when the Pandorica opens." River continues.
"The Pandorica." The Doctor chuckles, before whispering in her ear. "That's a fairy tale."
"Doctor! Aren't we all?"
"I'll see you there."
"I look forward to it."
"I remember it well." A beep cry's from the cuffs notify of her imminent departure.
"Can I trust you, River Song?"
"If you like. But where's the fun in that?" A tornado funnel appears to pull River away to the ship above leaving the four others on the rocks below.
"What are you thinking?" Amy questioned.
"Time can be rewritten." The Doctor stared off at the water beyond. He glanced Matthew in her arms. "Do you need a ride home?"
"Sure, but mom is driving otherwise I'll be late."
"I'm not that bad of a driver!"
Arty chuckled as she raced into the Tardis to set the coordinates to Coal Hill.