A/N: Apologies for how short this chapter is heh.

Forcefully thrown into the cell, Clara Oswin and Koschei looked up from the ground on whence they fell to see five other souls staring back at them. After a moment, a girl with a kindly complexion walked over and helped Clara Oswin up as a man, who appeared to be her brother, offered Koschei a hand.

Koschei spoke first, nodding to the man before him. "Thank you," he said.

"My pleasure," the man responded with a broad smile.

Koschei narrowed his eyes at him, then looked at all the other faces. "What's wrong with you people? You're being executed tomorrow. Why do you look so happy?"

The girl who had helped Clara up, who looked like she couldn't be more than fourteen, chuckled at him. Her eyes looked frightened, but she stood strong, determined to be brave. "I suppose you haven't heard the Good News?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Good news? I suppose I haven't. Are we being freed?"

Clara Oswin just rolled her eyes at him, completely understanding what was going on. She waited for the others to explain first.

"We're going to be martyrs. We'll attain the baptism of blood and enter into the Heavenly Kingdom after the arena tomorrow," said another voice. He smiled at them. "My name's Timothy. This is Lucina and this is Thomas, my children." He gestured towards the two who had helped them up, then referred to the people behind them. "This is our sister Agatha and her husband, our brother Ovidius."

"So you're all related?" Clara Oswin asked.

"In Christ, anyway," said Ovidius.

Clara Oswin smiled. "I'm Clara Oswin, and this is Koschei. It's nice to meet you all. I'm sorry it isn't under better circumstances."

Koschei still looked rather confused, but he shrugged and turned away to examine the locked gate.

"What's he doing?" asked Lucina, tilting her head. There was a glint of something silver in Koschei's hand and a faint buzzing noise.

Clara Oswin shrugged. "Not sure, exactly."

All but Koschei sat down in a circle a few minutes later and began conversing, telling Clara Oswin about their lives and asking about hers, although they didn't get more than vague answers about where she was from. They were shocked and amazed when they found out why she and Koschei had ended up on the roster for public execution, and commended her for standing up for what was right. In learning that Clara Oswin herself was a Christian, they joined hands to pray for a few minutes before continuing on with their conversation.

After an hour or two of tinkering with the door and mostly ignoring them, Koschei turned to the group with a grin. "I have some good news of my own. Turns out we won't be martyrs tomorrow after all!" With that, he pushed open the gate for all to see.

They all gasped, and Clara Oswin just smirked. She'd had a feeling he would save the day.

"Are you an angel?" Agatha asked in amazement.

Koschei scoffed. "I'm probably the furthest you could get from an angel." He glanced over at Clara Oswin, who had stood and taken his hand gently. "But this one might be," he murmured, really only audible to the two of them.

The group looked at him, confused but excited. "So we're getting more time? More time to spread the Good News?" asked Timothy.

"Yeah," said Clara Oswin. "Yeah you are." She grinned at them widely and pulled Koschei out of the cell, and the rest of them followed suit.

With Koschei's power of hypnotism, they easily made it past the guards and out into the evening streets of Rome.

"We praise the Lord for sending you to help us," Timothy told them, smiling profusely at the two of them as they stood outside the home in which a large group of Christians had gathered, a group quite overjoyed to see their comrades. "You are welcome to join us for our evening meal."

Koschei and Clara Oswin accepted graciously, and they enjoyed the food and celebration.

Later that night, the Time Lord and the Echo walked down the dimly lit streets, hand in hand. A sweet sense of peace descended over them as they strolled without speaking, her head resting on his shoulder. Clara Oswin marveled at how the day had gone. She certainly hadn't expected the events of the day, and she simply loved learning how the early Christians had lived and getting to know them. She honestly hoped they would return one day. She felt she'd fast become good friends with a few of them.

They stealthily made their way back into the Coliseum to get back the TARDIS. Koschei made use of his hypnotism at the entrance, and they were soon powering up the time machine to travel to another era.

A/N: Please, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Reviews make me ever so happy, and I haven't been getting very many lately :/ Many thanks to those of you who have reviewed recently!