The Time of Angels I

Callie woke up confused, until the events of the day prior crashed in on her. She laid there, in her new bed inside the TARDIS. God. She was in the TARDIS. Yesterday, she had started out a normal girl, and then ended up traveling to the year she was born and then to an alien planet. Yesterday, her life changed forever.

Tears pricked her eyes. No matter how amazing or wonderful this new life would be, it was going to be hard to accept she would never go home. Never see her mom again. Never get that dog she always wanted. The life she'd always envisioned for herself- gone.

She rubbed her eyes hard before pushing herself off the bed. There was no need to think about things she wasn't going to do or have anymore. It was over and done with. The best she could do was move on.

She collected her outfit from the wardrobe (the TARDIS had kindly put out a pretty pink dress and some sandals for the day) and went to the bathroom. She hadn't had much time in there before, but was pleasantly surprised to see it fully stocked and ready for her. The soaps and shampoos were all her favorite scents, the towels soft and fluffy, and the water warmed immediately.

She felt better after a hot shower and some lotion on her skin. Taking a moment, she took stock of her appearance.

It was never not going to be weird, looking in the mirror and seeing someone else. The golden blonde curls, the cinnamon brown eyes, the freckles… It was a stranger in the mirror. How did the Doctor do it? How long did it take after a regeneration for the face in the mirror to feel like himself?

Callie contemplated drying her hair, but before she could start searching for a blow dryer there was a brisk knock at her door. She hurried over, fastening the sandals tight before opening the door.

She'd expected Donna or the Doctor (obviously), but that was not who was on the other side of the door. She gaped at the person for a moment before collecting herself.

"Uh, hi?" She said uncertainly. River Song, all dolled up in a black dress and red lipstick, smiled at her.

"Hello, sweetie," she said in that smooth way she always did. Callie blinked, staring. "I'm so glad you're already up and ready. The Doctor didn't even think you were here, so he's in for a treat and a half."

"What-" Callie started, stammering a little. "What are you doing here?"

"The Doctor's giving me a ride," River answered. She tilted her head, looking Callie up and down. Carefully, she added, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, this is just weird," Callie said. "I mean, today's only my second day in this universe, so it's all weird. And also, this Doctor hasn't met you yet, so that's extra weird. But maybe things are different here than in the show I mean…" Callie sometimes stammered on and on when she was nervous, especially early in the morning. Her voice trailed off when she saw River's perfectly-crafted eyebrows rise.

"Ah," she said knowingly. She pressed her lips together for a moment, self-editing and reassessing. "I see. Both of you, so young. That doesn't happen often. Callie, darling, I hate to be the one to tell you, but this isn't the same place you went to sleep."

Dread washed over Callie. "How do you mean?"

"The Doctor and Amy just picked me up by using a home box from an old starliner," River explained. "We just landed at the crash site."

"Oh," Callie said uneasily. "I jumped in my sleep?"

River nodded. "That happens sometimes," she said. "Not often. Well, grab your bag and your journal so we can get to work."

"My journal? I don't have a journal," Callie said. "I don't have much of anything, really."

"Of course you have a journal," River said. She took a step forward. "May I?"

Callie stepped aside. River walked inside as though she'd been in there loads of times in the past. Her red heels clicked and clacked on the wooden floor. Callie hung by the door and River rummaged through the drawers on Callie's desk.

Callie felt shaken, to be honest. She'd gone to sleep in one point in time and woke up somewhere completely different. Different Doctor, different companion, different TARDIS. Everything had changed yesterday, and now she still felt disoriented. Would the surprises ever stop coming?

It kind of scared her that she could jump in her sleep.

"Aha!" River shouted in triumph as she pulled out a sleek black notebook from the bottom drawer. She had a pen in her hand, as well. She held them out for Callie to take. "There you go, sweetie. Any chance you get, you should take the time to write about your experiences and adventures."

"To keep timelines straight?"

"Mostly. But also because life is long and your memory is fallible. Best to have a back-up," River replied. She tapped Callie on the nose gently. "Now, let's get moving. We've got a Weeping Angel to deal with."

Callie felt like a bucket of ice cold water had just been poured all over her. A Weeping Angel? That meant... Suddenly, she knew which episode she was in, and she was not happy about it. Weeping Angels scared her more than anything else in Doctor Who. And now she was about to walk into a temple full of them.

It took her a moment to collect herself and hurry off after River. River walked so assuredly, as if she knew the TARDIS like the back of her hand. Callie wondered if she would ever feel that way or if she would need the TARDIS to light the way for her forever.

"Told you she was here," River sang as soon as she crossed into the console room. Callie faltered in her steps, taking in the gorgeous orange console room she hadn't gotten see last time. It was easily twice the size of the yellow one from Ten's TARDIS, with the beautiful glass floors and stairs all around. She ran her fingers on the wall; it was cool to the touch. While she loved all of the TARDIS's console rooms, this one was definitely her favorite.

"Hey, Callie," Amy called from the captain's chair. She had a bright smile on her face and seemed totally at ease with the weirdness around her. Callie quickly surmised that she must have seen Amy at least once, if not more times, since she was seven. Amy, though, was even more stunning in person than on screen. Her long red hair was straight today, tucked behind her ears. Callie couldn't help but smile back.

"Look at you, all grown up," she said jokingly as she walked up. "You were just a little girl yesterday."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Ha ha."

"What do you mean, yesterday?" The Doctor asked, wrapping Callie into a hug. He held onto her for just a second too long. His tweed jacket scratched her cheek a little.

"Um, I met her as little Amelia literally yesterday," Callie said, stepping back. The Doctor clearly bit back a comment. Or maybe a swear. Did the Doctor ever swear? Either way, Callie hated the sad look in his eyes.

"So, you just came from…"

"Starlight Farm," Callie said lightly. "And now that I have a journal, I'll need to find time to write about it."

"Callie, we need to get moving," River called, opening up the TARDIS doors. She walked out, clearly expecting them all to follow her.

"Wait, no, no, no," The Doctor said, grabbing the crook of Callie's elbow as she made to follow. The momentum spun her around until she faced him, her wet curls slapping her cheek. "We dropped her off, we have no reason to stay."

Callie's eyebrows knit together. "River needs our help."

"Who is she, anyway?" Amy asked, crossing her arms. "She seems awful chummy with the Doctor. I don't like it."

"What?" Callie asked. Since when did Amy not like River? If her memory served, Amy teased the Doctor constantly in this episode about River possibly being his future wife. Callie's mind spun, trying to make sense of this. Of things being different here than in the show. She shook her head. "And that's spoilers, anyway."

"Look, we dropped her off. She can deal with the mess out there if she likes, but we can go somewhere fun," the Doctor said hopefully. He gave Callie's arm a squeeze. "Anywhere you like."

It sounded tempting, given that Callie knew what was waiting for them out there. But she couldn't leave River on her own, not when she needed them. Resolutely, Callie pulled her arm from the Doctor's grasp. "I'm going to help River," she said archly. "You two can do whatever you want."

She twirled on her heels and marched out onto the alien planet outside.

This was officially the third planet Callie had ever been on, including Earth. It was a little chilly and windy. Her hair kept blowing in her face, and she kept spitting out wet curls. The planet, at least this part of it, was rocky and fairly barren. There was a huge building carved from rock with a burning spaceship on top. Goosebumps littered Callie's arms, but they weren't from the cold.

There was a whole host of Weeping Angels up in there. Plus a crack in the universe, ready to devour the planet and everyone on it. And Callie was just about to waltz right up there and- do what? Hope the Doctor came to his senses and saved the day, as usual. If not, try her hardest to remember what the Doctor did in the episode and have River help her replicate it.

It didn't sound like a very solid plan, if she was being honest. Callie couldn't fool herself into thinking she could pull off half of what the Doctor managed. Hopefully, he'd show up.

River was standing not too far away from the TARDIS, typing something on some sort of gadget. She shot Callie a quick smile before pressing send.

"It's sad," Callie said after a moment. "A place like that destroyed so recklessly."

River hummed in agreement. "Everything has its time, I suppose. It's not like anyone's used it lately."

"Still."

"So, what caused it to crash?" Amy asked from behind them.

"Not me," River said quickly. The Doctor shook his head, coming up on Callie's other side.

"Nah, the airlock would've sealed seconds after you blew it. According to the Home Box, the warp engines had a phase shift." He paused. "No survivors."

How sad. And, if things went correctly, by the end of the day, the Angels would be gone and their deaths would have been for nothing.

Callie shivered at the thought.

"A phase shift would have been sabotage," River clucked. "I did warn them."

"About what?" The Doctor asked. He slung his jacket over Callie's shoulders without a word, leaving him in just his salmon button-up shirt and bowtie. Callie flushed, but slid her arms through the sleeves. She was grateful for the warmth.

"Well, at least the building was empty," River said, deftly not answering the Doctor's questions. "Aplan temple, unoccupied for centuries."

"A holy place, destroyed," Callie said.

"Well," Amy said, waving her hand at Callie and the Doctor. "Aren't one of you going to introduce us?"

"Oh, sorry," Callie said. "I forgot you two haven't met yet."

River raised her eyebrow teasingly and Callie couldn't help but smirk. That sentence wasn't quite true, but that was spoilers, now wasn't it?

"Amy Pond, Professor River Song," The Doctor said blithely. His eyes never left the wreckage. Callie could practically see his brain whirring, trying to make sense of it all.

"Ah, I'm going to be a professor someday, am I?" River said brightly. "How exciting."

Callie hit the Doctor lightly in the stomach. "Spoilers, alienboy."

"I hate it when you call me that," he muttered, but he was smirking. Callie rolled her eyes and met Amy's gaze. They shared a look before laughing.

It was nice to see that they were friends already. Callie dreaded the day that she might meet a companion who didn't appreciate her intrusions.

River's gadget buzzed and she busied herself with the touchscreen once more. Amy, her giggles ceasing, decided she wasn't satisfied with the introduction. "Yeah, but who is she and how did she do that?" She pressed. "She just left him a note in a museum."

"Two things always guaranteed to show up in a museum. The Home Box of a category four starliner and, sooner or later, him. It's how he keeps score," River said absently.

"I know," Callie and Amy said unison. Amy laughed again.

"It's hilarious, isn't it?" River said over her shoulder. The Doctor frowned.

"I'm nobody's taxi service, Ms. Song. I'm not going to be there to catch you every time you feel like jumping out of a spaceship."

River looked over at Callie, her eyes comically big, and pouted. Callie pinched the Doctor on the arm.

"Oh yes, you will," she said, "if I have anything to say about it."

He whined a little about her abuse while rubbing his arm. Callie stuck her tongue out at him.

"Anyways, you're wrong, Doctor," River said, pulling the attention back to her. "There's one survivor. There's a thing in the belly of that ship that can't ever die."

The Doctor finally looked interested.

"Now he's listening." River said wryly. She held up her gadget to her ear like a phone, walking towards the crash site. Ah, right, it was a communicator. "You lot in orbit yet? Yeah, I saw it land. I'm at the crash site. Try to home in on my signal. Doctor, can you sonic me? I need to boost the signal so we can use it as a beacon."

"But what about-" The Doctor cut himself off. With a frown, he pointed his sonic at her and pressed the button. Amy snorted.

"Ooh, Doctor, you sonicked her," Amy teased, though it sounded a lot meaner than Callie remembered from the show. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"We have a minute until they land," River said, pocketing her communicator. "Callie, follow me?"

Callie shook off her thoughts and nodded. River looped her arm through Callie's and pulled her forward.

"So, you're very young," River started. Callie huffed.

"I'm already getting tired of hearing that," she said. River smiled ruefully.

"I know the feeling. Though it's been quite a few years for me, at this point." They could hear Amy and the Doctor talking at they followed behind. "Anyway, I have something for you. I'll give it to you once we set up camp."

"What is it?"

River gave her a look. Callie pouted.

"Spoilers?"

"No, silly," River said. "It's a surprise."

They walked closer to the crash site before stopping. River dug her journal out from her bag and opened it.

"Time to compare," she told the Doctor.

"I can help with that," Callie cut in quickly. "He's only met you once before, in your future."

"Oh." River blinked. "That's- well, I suppose that makes sense, given…"

"What's that book?" Amy asked. River flipped it closed, and the TARDIS-inspired cover was in perfect view. Callie touched it softly.

"It's her diary," she explained to Amy. "River and the Doctor, they always meet in the wrong order."

"Like you and the Doctor?"

"Kind of? But in my case, I'm the one who bounces around his timeline. They're just two time travelers whose paths cross often, but never in the right order."

River frowned at that, but didn't say anything.

Four small tornados whipped the air nearby, and after moment they turned into four soldiers in camo wear. The leader frowned.

"You promised me an army, Dr. Song," he said.

"No," River disagreed, "I promised you the equivalent of an army. This is the Doctor and Callie. I think you'll find them more than satisfactory."

Callie pulled the tweed sleeves and pulled it tight around her. She didn't know what to think of River including her with the Doctor as the equivalent of an army. She'd have to ask later, and hope she got a better answer than "spoilers".

The leader nodded to the two of them respectively. "Father Octavian, Sr. Bishop, second class. Twenty clerics at my command. The troops are already in the drop ship and landing shortly. Dr. Song was helping us with a covert investigation. Has she explained what we're dealing with?"

Callie ground her teeth.

"Doctor," River said ominously, "what do you know of the Weeping Angels?"

The camp was set up quickly, with Callie and Amy hanging back while the clerics worked. The two women found a couple of rocks to sit on where they would be out of the way.

"So who is she, really?" Amy asked suddenly.

"Who, River?"

"Well, duh. I mean, she barges in, orders the Doctor around. She can fly the TARDIS, did you know?" Amy was at a loss for words for a moment. "I thought you and the Doctor were…" She trailed off, eyes wide. Clearly, she realized she'd made a mistake.

"The Doctor and I are what?" Callie asked. She scooted closer to Amy, hoping proximity might compel her to speak.

"Nothing- uh, spoilers," Amy said sheepishly. Callie narrowed her eyes.

"What aren't you telling me, Amelia?"

Amy made a face. "Ugh, don't call me that. I hate that name. And I really don't think I should say. I don't want to, like, mess up your future or something." She paused. "The Doctor would probably kill me if I did."

"No, he wouldn't," Callie said, rolling her eyes. "He's all," she wagged her fingers, "big fancy Time Lord, the Oncoming Storm, blah blah, but he's a softie inside. He wouldn't do more than maybe yell, and only if it were bad."

"If you say so," Amy said, but she wouldn't say more.

"Well, anyway, River's past is all spoilers for you," Callie said finally. She was a little grumpy that Amy wouldn't say anything, that everyone seemed to be keeping things from her. "But you can trust her with your life. I know I will, when the time comes."

"And if she's… too touchy with the Doctor?" Amy asked carefully.

Callie shrugged. She knew River's relationship with the Doctor, and it wasn't her place to judge. "It's whatever."

Amy made a dissatisfied noise in the back of her throat, but let the matter drop.

Night fell quickly on them. Callie couldn't tell if they just happened to arrive in the early evening or if the days were shorter here, but by the time the camp was fully set up and operational, it was pitch black everywhere else.

"Girls, this way!" River called, waving from a table near one of the campers. Callie and Amy hurried over in time to hear Father Octavian's explanation about the Angel on the ship. He had a large map sprawled out in front of him.

"The Angel, as far as we know, is still trapped in the ship. Our mission is to get inside and neutralize is. We can't get through up top- we'd be too close to the drives. According to this, behind the cliff face there is a network of catacombs leading right up to the temple. We can blow through the base of the cliffs, get into the entrance chamber, and then make our way up."

Callie froze. Bits and pieces of this episode- a two-parter, if her memory served- came back to her. The maze inside leading up to the temple was full of inert Angels, all waiting to feast on the wreckage and then on them. The clerics, Father Octavian, River… they all thought there was only one threat. But really, the entire place was a threat. The entire planet.

"Oh, good," the Doctor said dryly. Father Octavian shot him a look.

"Good, sir?"

"Catacombs. Probably dark ones. Dark catacombs. Great."

"Technically, I think it's called a Maze of the Dead."

"Even better," Callie muttered sarcastically. She wrung her hands together.

She hadn't gone through an adventure that was in an actual episode yet- not really. What was the protocol here? Did she tell the Doctor about the other Angels? Would the clerics believe her if she did? Would the Doctor even believe her? River? And what happened if they did believe her, and everyone left? The Angels would feed on the radiation energy and become so powerful they could take over the universe, she was pretty sure.

But there was the crack somewhere in the wreckage, too. Would the crack get the Angels before they could leave the planet? Or would they be able to leave quicker without little humans to run after? Didn't the Angels stop the crack from spreading further? So if they didn't stop all the Angels, would the crack consume this planet? More?

Could she risk it?

She swallowed hard, but decided to keep her mouth shut. For now, at least. She knew this ended- well, not well, given at least three clerics died and four were erased from existence. But she could at least stop the clerics from splitting up, stop the three from dying-

"Callie?"

The Doctor's voice, low and careful, brought her out of her deep thoughts. He looked at her, clearly worried.

"Yeah?" She asked. She noticed he still only had his pink shirt. Then she realized she was gripping the ends of the jacket sleeves so tight they were wrinkling. "Oh, um, I guess I never thanked you for letting me wear your jacket. Thanks."

"Of course. Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, 'course I am. Weeping Angels, though. Not fun," she said, shuddering.

"Just the one," he corrected her. She pressed her lips together. She almost said something, almost.

"But that's still really bad, isn't it?" Amy asked. "You're letting people call you sir. You never do that."

The Doctor sighed sharply, torn between worrying about Callie and worrying about the Angel. Finally, he snapped, "A Weeping Angel, Amy, is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life for evolution has ever produced. And right now, one of them is trapped inside a wreckage and I'm supposed to climb in after it with a screwdriver and a torch, and assuming I survive the radiation and, assuming the whole ship doesn't explode in my face, do something incredibly clever which I haven't actually thought of yet. That's my day. That's what I'm up to. So, yes, it's bad."

Callie whimpered.

"Callie?" River called from the camper. She had changed into camo fatigues, similar to what the clerics wore. "Can I see you a moment?"

"I guess I'll be back in a bit," Callie mumbled to Amy and the Doctor. The Doctor held out his hand for her to stop.

"If you want, you can wait in the TARDIS," he told her quickly. "No one will judge if you want to sit this one out."

"I think you might need my knowledge," she said grimly. "I'm just trying to figure out how much I can say and when. It's just- this isn't a fun one."

"That doesn't matter," he pressed. Cringing, he backtracked. "I mean, your knowledge and help is invaluable, of course, but I care more about you being safe and comfortable. We can figure things out without you if need be."

"Callie!" River called again.

"I'll be fine, Doctor," Callie said, trying to sound braver than she felt. "This is my life now, right? I just gotta get used to it."

"That's not what I…" His voice trailed off and she walked away. She tried to think of what that full sentence would have been. That's not what I meant? Or maybe, That's not what I want for you?

River closed the camper door behind them. It was just the two of them in there, in a bare camper stocked only with the bare necessities for a fifty-first century army.

"What's up?" Callie asked, sitting on the table attached to the wall.

"I think you'll need this before we go in," River said. She produced a small, clear rectangle. It was no bigger than the iPhone Callie had back home, and about as thick. But it was completely clear, like a plain piece of plastic.

"Uh, thanks," Callie said lamely. She took it from River. "I've always wanted one of these."

River glared at her. "You think you're so funny. Tap it."

Callie tapped the middle of it. It lit up, looking very much like an iPhone with various apps on the screen.

"This is a phone?"

"Your phone, a sixty-third century model," River said. "You gave it to me to hold onto about a year ago. Said I should give it to you 'when the angels descended'."

Callie snorted, which made River laugh a little.

"The riddles we have to use," she said fondly. "But I hope I'm picking the right moment. I think so, since you don't have it yet, do you?"

Callie shook her head. "Nope. I actually got into a fight with the Doctor yesterday about it- he and Donna were being so weird about it. It's just a phone, though. A phone four hundred years more advanced than any I've had before, but just a phone."

"Not quite," River said. "You should take a look at some of the apps."

Callie paid better attention to the apps on the screen. There were a lot of the normal ones- text messaging, phone calls, contacts, camera, and photo roll. But then there were some weirder ones, like 'coordinates', 'perception filter', 'translator', and-

"Sonic screwdriver app?" Callie asked incredulously. River smirked. "Psychic paper app?"

"What were you expecting? Some ordinary smartphone from Earth?" She teased. She brushed Callie's curls back- they'd gone fluffy and wild with the wind. "The phone's one of the few gadgets the TARDIS bestows."

"What the hell," Callie murmured. She pressed the sonic screwdriver app, and the screen showed a blue light, not unlike Nine and Ten's screwdriver. She tapped and held the button at the bottom and- yep, that sounded exactly like the Doctor's screwdriver. "This is kind of incredible."

"And very useful," River added. She patted Callie's knee. "Be sure to keep it in your backpack when you're not using it. No pockets. The TARDIS won't be making you another."

"Got it," Callie said absently. She fiddled with some of the other apps, welcoming the distraction from the task at hand. It delighted her to see different things appearing on the screen with the psychic paper app. "But how does it work-?" She tried to ask, but River was already opening the door and shouting for the Doctor and Amy to join them.

"You can play with it later," she said. "We need to discuss the Angel now."

Callie's stomach twisted. The Angel was the last thing she wanted to discuss, but there was no time to waste. The longer they waited, the faster the other Angels would become.

River called Amy and the Doctor into the camper. Father Octavian followed closely behind. Callie noticed that he never really let River out of his sight. Even when they were in the camper alone, he'd been stationed just on the other side of the window.

Once they were all situated, River turned on the television on the far wall. Callie jumped when the Angel appeared. It stood there, frozen, its hands covering its eyes. Its back was to them, but it still gave Callie the creeps. Especially because she knew the video was just as dangerous as the actual Angel itself.

"So, what do you think?" River asked the three of them. "It's from the security cameras in the Byzantium vault. I ripped it when I was on board. Sorry about the quality; it's four seconds put on a loop."

"Yeah, that's an Angel," the Doctor said grimly. "Hands covering its face."

Father Octavian spoke from the door. "You've encountered Angels before." It wasn't a question. Callie didn't take her eyes off the Angel's back.

"Once," the Doctor said. Callie couldn't see, but he hadn't taken his eyes off of her. "On Earth a long time ago. But those were scavengers, barely surviving."

"But it's just a statue," Amy protested.

"It's a statue when you see it," River told her.

"Where did it come from?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, pulled from the Ruins of of Razbahan, end of last century. It's been in private hands ever since."

"Idiots," Callie muttered. Her eyes watered, but she refused to blink.

Don't blink, the tenth Doctor's voice rung in her head. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead.

A/N: And so the first proper episode begins! I worked really hard on writing this two-parter and I really hope you enjoy it. Callie definitely struggles a lot through it and I hope you can all see why and understand. Please leave some reviews with your thoughts, as well as any episodes you might want to see featured!