A/N: Can I just say OH MY JESUS MOTHER OF MARY I AM SO SORRY. I have all sorts of semi-legitimate excuses, but I think the most convincing one is that I'm a total loser jerk who enjoys watching people suffer. No. Really though. Am sorry about the horrid lack of updates. I did lose my notes, and then found them, and then lost them, and now have converted them into a sexy excel sheet (which was mostly an effective procrastination exercise) so they can never be lost again. Unless the apocalypse DOES occur, in which case I imagine we'll all have better things to be doing with our time.

All of the regulars, I'm so sorry. To the maxx! Thanks for sticking with me (er...that is supposing you're still here) And to any new people who reviewed and I failed to respond, I'm also sorry, I do appreciate the time and effort you put into reviewing, but as I gradually fell further and further behind I became entirely too frightened to respond and then be confronted with the "So you are alive...why aren't you updating?" because my only response would have been "BLAAAARGGGHHHHHHIIIIIISSSSSS SSS" Which, frankly, isn't very socially polite.

...Also sorry about the excessive authors note. . SORRY'S ALL AROUND.


-1918-

-Siberia-


The walk back was almost pleasant, it was cool, but sunny, the gentle warmth spread down her shoulders through her cloak. But even that wasn't enough to make Calypso forget that she was heading back to a place that was little more than a prison. She was fortunate enough to have been allowed to leave, the rest of the family had not been so lucky. Things had been strict before, but with the change of their guards, it had gotten much worse. These new soldiers had no patience for the family, or the servants. It was very clear to them that they were to keep the people in the house contained, as opposed to the original excuse of keeping them safe.

Olga, the eldest of the daughters, seemed to sense it the most. She had been depressed these past weeks, but it grew worse every day. She seemed to be the only one who fully understood that the family was in serious peril. It was why she had scribbled out a quick letter, hoping that her pleas might make it out to anyone who still could be loyal to the old regime. She'd entrusted Calypso to carry it with her while she escorted the kitchen boy back home. He seemed sympathetic to the family, and had become a good friend to Alexi who was still restricted to his chair from his earlier injury.

Still, Calypso had been nervous as she handed over the letter to the boy's father, for a moment, certain he would shout out for help, or expose her some other way. But he hadn't. Instead, he had nodded seriously, and even packed up a few loaves of bread in the shoulders of her cloak, wishing her a safe journey back.

So there was hope yet. If he could get the word out, perhaps to some higher ranking general in the White army, they might yet be rescued. Really they needed anyone who would stand against the Bolsheviks and save the ex-tsar's family from their imprisonment. They were in desperate need of it, all of them were ailing, growing thinner by the day. Calypso too, had wasted away. Her clothes now hung loose off her diminishing frame and every night she went to sleep with a gnawing in her belly. That the men tasked as their warden's cared so little for their health was even more of a concern. But there was no one she could voice that concern to, Olga was just a girl, and Nicholas, no matter how fairly he treated his servants, would have no interest in the ramblings of the staff.

She was within sight of the house when she heard the rustling of the trees to her left. There was no breeze to speak of, so she looked cautiously over, worried that some animal might be lurking. She had heard the wolves howling at night, this far on the outskirts of town, and she had no desire to become any more familiar with them than that. She took a deep breath and continued on, hoping whatever it was could see that she would make a rather poor meal and let her pass unheeded.

"Psst." This time she came to a stop. There were no animals she knew of that could give a hissed warning, other than a snake. And that was no snake.

"Hello?" Her thoughts briefly considered that it could be one of the guards having a go, but these new men were not jokers. They hardly seemed human at all, so devoid of both humor and sympathy.

"Well, fancy meeting you here," instead of a uniformed soldier, it was a tall grinning man with wild hair. He didn't have his long brown coat, but she saw he was still dressed in his blue pinstriped suit.

"Doctor!" She said, throwing her arms around his neck, a relieved laugh bubbling up from her throat. He squeezed her tightly and for a moment they just held each other, something Calypso hadn't realized how badly she'd needed until just then. How long had it been since she'd seen him last? Several months at least, maybe even a year. Much too long. He finally pulled back to get a good look at her, but the grin on his face faltered and turned to a frown.

"What's wrong? Blimey, you look…you look…"

"Awful, I know." She shook her head.

"Well, no. You don't look awful. But you certainly don't look well. What's happened?"

"The revolution." She said with a bitter laugh.

"Tutor!" One of the guards must have noticed her lack of progress, a reminder that she was being watched.

"Tutor? In there?" The Doctor's eyes flickered to the Ipatiev House. "Are you…tutoring the Romanov's?" He asked incredulously.

"As much as I can. I'm afraid no one is much in the mood for it anymore, but we try to keep ourselves busy."

"Who's there?" The guard shouted again, starting to hustle down the unpaved road with his weapon at the ready.

"Just a man from the village," she called back. "I'm sorry Doctor. I have to go-"

"No." He said very deliberately as his grip tightened on her arms. "Absolutely not. You're not going back there."

"I must. The guards have been ruthless. It was lucky enough that they let me on this short walk. Please, if there's anything you can do to help them, I'm worried. I fear they're in danger here."

"Well, yes. You're not wrong about that." He said grimly, still trying to pull her with him, into the woods. "Trust me on this Calypso, you need to come with me."

"Why?" She started to follow, a bit haltingly. She couldn't go with him, couldn't just leave them behind. But his tone was starting to frighten her. "What's the matter?"

"Calypso, I'm so sorry, but we've got to go. They're going to-"

"Hands in the air!" The guard had arrived, his rifle aimed directly at the Doctor. He released his grip on Calypso, but reluctantly. His brown eyes warning her of some impending doom.

"It's okay," it took Calypso a moment to recall the man's name. "Rolf, it's alright. He's just a man from the village." The new men had been so unfriendly and less than social, but his thick beard had made him somewhat unique so she believed she'd remembered correctly. "He's just asking after their health." Rolf eyed the Doctor uncertainly, the urge to use the weapon in his hands clearly a strong one from the way his mustache bristled, but he gave a short nod.

"Get to the gates," he jerked his chin over his shoulder, sparing Calypso a glance. "And you, back to the village." His voice was much sharper with the Doctor, though she would have hardly described the tone he'd used with her as 'warm' or even 'friendly'.

"Calypso…" The Doctor pleaded, but Rolf encouraged him to move with the butt of his rifle. "Just…just be careful." He said as he took one step and then another back in retreat. She felt the growing distance as a tightness in her chest, the only real hope she'd had was now drifting away. And really, it wasn't just the hope for escape, but the hope of seeing him again. Of spending time with him. But she was going to walk away. "And stay out of the basement!" He shouted. Rolf chased him another few feet in an effort to convince the Doctor to leave once and for all, which he finally did.

Rolf turned and marched her back to the home, leaving her side once she was within the confines of the walled garden. Olga was waiting for her just inside as she removed her cloak, careful to keep the bread still tucked away. She could see pure desperation in the girl's eyes as they practically begged Calypso to tell her if the letter had successfully met with the right hands. But she was clever enough to keep her mouth shut until they were in a safer location. Who knew who might be listening in the entryway?

"Did you have a fair trip?" She asked instead. Maria and Anastasia both looked up from their sewing and nodded a greeting to Calypso, but otherwise were disinterested in her reappearance.

"I did. Though I might have overexerted myself a bit."

"Oh dear, you should probably lie down." Olga tsked her imagined exhaustion and shooed Calypso upstairs. "I'll help get you settled." They both headed up the stairs in silence and didn't speak again until they were safely within the girls rooms. Olga looked out the door once before shutting it behind her and turning her attention to Calypso. Her, more recently, dulled eyes were now a vibrant color of blue, their intensity briefly fueled by the excitement of an executed secret.

"Did you deliver it?" Her voice, while excited, was still hushed. Always mindful of the men who watched their every move.

"Yes. His father seems happy enough to pass it along. He even gave us a bit of help so that we might not starve." Calypso said with a smile as she unfolded her cloak and revealed the small feast on top of the dresser.

"The Lord has heard our prayers," Olga sighed with a serene smile, her hands clasped together against her chest. While Calypso had her doubts, who was she to say that the families prayers hadn't helped their circumstances. "I pray that He continues to hear us, and bring us salvation."

"As do I." Calypso said, not thinking of some unseen god, but of the Doctor.

"Who was that man who accosted you on the road?" Olga asked with a curious smile pulling at her lips.

"A friend." Any explanation more than that would be entirely too complicated. Olga was a clever woman, but not so clever that time travel would be an easy concept for her to accept. Nor would Calypso's own alien heritage.

"A friend? From the village? You work quickly to make friends on so short a trip, Callie."

"No. He's not from the village. I've known him for some time."

"Oh," Olga said, her finger tapping against her chin thoughtfully. Her eyes grew wider. "Oh. Is he your sweetheart?"

Calypso allowed herself a smile, she knew her own answer for that, but she truly didn't know his. Not at this point, anyway. They hadn't had time to exchange their visit count. "Sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Olga asked aghast, but then she started to giggle. "Only when it pleases you, I suppose? You must be quite the forward woman to beat back your suitors when they are quarrelsome." Calypso laughed along with her, because it was as good an answer as any. "He was quite handsome."

"Yes. He is."

"He came all this way for you? He must be romantic to chase you across the whole of Russia." Her voice grew sad at the end, but Calypso couldn't be sure if it was because Olga longed for a similar suitor herself, of because it became apparent just how far away from home she really was. She couldn't explain that the Doctor wasn't really here for her, so she didn't try. She crossed to the window and looked out at the garden below, and even to the forest beyond that. Wondering if there was a flash of blue somewhere there in the shadows. Olga joined her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps you should go with him."

"I doubt very much that the guards would allow that." Calypso said with a snort, but Olga didn't share her amusement.

"Maybe you should go tonight. At least someone should be able to escape this gray prison."

"Don't be silly," Calypso took her hand, worried about the girl's somber tone. "I'm not going to just run off. I will see him again when we all leave this prison. And then we will find you a handsome soldier of your own." She tweaked the princess' nose, a very unladylike gesture, but it managed to coax a small smile from Olga.

"I fear that the longer we stay here, the more sure it is that we will never escape." Her words were sobering and Calypso felt a chill run down her spine.

"That's nonsense and you know it." She said the words firmly, both for the girl's benefit and her own. Olga caught the intent in her eyes and pasted a more convincing smile on her face.

"You may be right. I'm turning into a bitter old woman. It just feels like the walls have begun to close in on us."

"Keep to your prayers," If it was an empty gesture, she couldn't say, but it seemed to bring the girl peace. "Help is coming." Her voice sounded more sure than she truly felt, but there had to be hope. The Doctor was here; surely he could help them if things were to get too dire.

"I hope you are right." Olga nodded shortly, but the uncertainty hung from her like wet leaves. "I'll let you rest." She said as she scooped up the cloak, along with the bread and disappeared out the door.

Calypso was left staring out the window, wondering what could be going so wrong for the Doctor to have arrived.

"I hope so too." She whispered so faintly it was hardly more than an exhale of breath. There was a part of her that believed what she had told the young woman. But there was a larger part that suspected Olga was right. The sudden appearance of the Doctor, along with his cryptic warnings, were more than enough to support their worst fears.