Some in such a situation might begin to panic. After all, all the clerics had mysteriously disappeared, a creepy crack was starting to expand, a bunch of murdering angel statues were running all around, and the guy who could most likely navigate you around these numerous obstacles was on the other side of the forest with an annoying bishop and an equally annoying woman who clearly needed to go out on a date to release all that sexual frustration that was coming off of her like cheap perfume.

But not everyone was Alex Locke. Alex didn't do panicking. She needed to keep calm in order to think on how to get her and Amy out of this situation. She paced up and down, reviewing the past few minutes in her mind, before abruptly stopping and pulling Amy to her feet.

"Whoa!" Amy cried, clutching the communicator close to her chest. "Alex! What are you—"

"We have to start moving!" Alex interrupted. She looked over her shoulder at the crack, which was still expanding towards them. "That crack is expanding, right out towards us, and we need to stay ahead of it to make sure what happened to the clerics doesn't happen to us."

Amy nodded and began fiddling with the communicator again. "Where are we going exactly?"

"To wherever the Doctor is," Alex answered. She reached out and wrapped an arm around one of Amy's, carefully leading her out of the clearing. "He said they were going to the primary flight deck. It's on the other side of the oxygen factory. If we walk far enough, I'm sure we'll get there." She looked down and noticed Amy messing with the com. "What're you doing?"

"Maybe we can contact the Doctor with this," Amy explained. Alex stopped so Amy could fiddle with the knob some more. "Hello?" she hesitantly called into the com. "Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?"

"Amy? Amy?" the Doctor's voice sounded from the receiver. "Is that you?"

"Doctor!" Amy exclaimed happily.

"Where are you?" he demanded, getting right to the point. By the tone in his voice, Alex guessed that he had figured some things out regarding the crack. "Are the clerics with you? Is Alex there?"

Alex reached out and gently took the com from Amy's hand. "Right here, Doc!" she chirped. She was suddenly reminded of their passionate kiss but pushed that to the back of her mind. There were more important matters at hand right now than her love life - or lack thereof.

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Now, where are the clerics? Are they still with you?"

Alex gulped. "Um, no, they're not. They walked into this light - pretty sure it's the crack expanding by the way - and when they did, they didn't remember each-other."

"No, they wouldn't," the Doctor replied grimly. Alex raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything. She knew he would come across some new information.

"What is that light?" she heard River distantly call out. Somehow, Alex managed not to have a look of discontent appear on her face.

"Time running out," the Doctor cryptically answered. Alex and Amy exchanged baffled looks. What did that mean? But their pondering was quickly put on the back burner when the Doctor came back and said, "Amy, Alex, I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I should never have left you two there."

Amy took the communicator back and questioned into it, "Well, what do we do now?"

"You come to us," the Doctor told her. "Primary flight deck, the other end of the forest."

Amy grinned. "We were already doing that. Alex said that the crack was expanding and that we needed to get to you to keep ahead of it so that what happened to the clerics wouldn't happen to us."

Alex could practically feel the Doctor's smile and sense of pride through the communicator. "Good job, Ally!" he cheered. "But do you actually know the way here?"

"No," Alex admitted, reaching over and leaning into the speaker so that she could talk. "We just planned on walking straight." There was a comment from River and it didn't seem to be a polite one, judging by the way the Doctor snapped, "Shut up! No one asked your opinion!" Amy pursed her lips at this, but wisely chose not to say anything. After a moment, Alex added, "And Amy can't see. She used up her countdown."

"Alex, have Amy turn on the spot with the communicator," the Doctor instructed. Alex grabbed Amy's shoulders and carefully began to turn her. The Doctor's voice rang out again. "When the communicator sounds like my screwdriver that means you're facing the right way. Follow the sound."

Alex continued maneuvering Amy around in a circle. When Amy had almost completely turned around, the familiar hum of the sonic screwdriver rang out from the communicator. Amy stopped moving and Alex quickly took position right beside her. "You have to start moving now. There's time energy spilling out of that crack and you two have to stay ahead of it."

"That's what I thought," Alex muttered. She linked arms with Amy again and the two started walking in the direction of the primary flight deck.

"But the Angels, they're everywhere!" Amy objected into the com.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but the Angels can only kill you."

"What does the time energy do?" Amy quizzed.

"Just keep moving!" the Doctor urged, deliberately avoiding the question.

Alex huffed and wrenched the communicator out of Amy's hands. "Doctor, just tell us," she said calmly. She figured maybe the Doctor would tell her instead of Amy, knowing that she'd probably react better to whatever it was.

"If the time energy catches up with you, you'll never have been born. It will erase every moment of your existence. You will never have lived at all."

Both girls were shocked by this revelation and stopped in their tracks. They looked at each-other, fear etched on their faces as the total truth about what happened to the clerics sank upon them like a sack of bricks. They were only pulled out of their trance when the Doctor ordered, "Now, Amy, keep your eyes shut . . . and keep moving." There was what sounded like him releasing a breath he had been holding and then nothing.

Alex swallowed and clenched her teeth before helping Amy along again. "You're doing good, Amy," she assured her. "Just keep walking normally. We'll be there soon."

"What about the Angels?" Amy asked nervously.

"I'm watching for them," Alex replied. Of course, between making sure their path was clear and checking every few seconds on the crack's progress, there wasn't enough time to look out for any Angels. As she was pondering this, the Doctor's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Amy, Alex, listen to me. I'm sending a bit of software to your communicator. It's a proximity detector. It'll beep if there's something in your way. You just maneuver until the beeping stops."

"Why do we need one?" Amy asked. "Alex is watching."

"Knowing Alex as well as I do now," there was a mutter from River at this but the Doctor pointedly ignored it, "she's probably watching to make sure your path is clear and to see how much progress the crack is making. Therefore, she can't keep a close eye out for Angels. Now, Amy, this is important. The forest is full of Angels . . . you're going to have to walk like you can see."

Amy and Alex stopped again, considering this frightening instruction. "What do you mean?" Amy questioned.

"Look, just keep moving."

The girls sighed and continued walking. They went along in silence for a few moments until a bunch of beeping came from the com and the lights began flickering. "Shit," Alex declared. She gripped Amy's arm tightly, which didn't serve to reassure Amy at all.

"What's that?" Amy asked nervously, already knowing she wasn't going to like the answer.

"It's a warning," the Doctor explained. "There are Angels round you now."

As he said this, the lights faded, leaving the girls in near darkness. When the lights came back up, Alex nearly screamed. Surrounding them were a bunch of Angels, too many for Alex to keep her eyes on at once. Her eyes darted around to each of them, but that was when she noticed something. The Angels weren't paying attention to her. Actually, they weren't even looking at her. They seemed to be looking back at the crack, expressions of alarm on their stone faces.

"Amy, Ally, listen to me. This is gonna be hard but I know you can do it. Both of you. The Angels are scared and running and right now, they're not that interested in you. They'll assume that both of you can see them and their instincts will kick in. All you've got to do, Amy, is walk like you can see. Just don't open your eyes. Walk like you can see. Ally, make sure she does this."

Alex bit her lip and nervously looked around at the Angels. Beside her, Amy was far too frightened to move. "You're not moving," the Doctor observed. "You HAVE to do this! Now! You have to do this!"

Alex swallowed thickly and set her face into an expression of determination. She wasn't going to let a bunch of statues that looked like they belonged on the rooftop of a church frighten her or her best friend. Still keeping an eye on a few of them, she kept her arm looped through Amy's and started walking slowly away from them. "Just go forward and I'll direct you," she whispered. "We can do this."

Amy was affected by Alex's optimism and determination and nodded her affirmation. Alex kept her eyes on a few of the Angels, in case the Doctor proved to be wrong and they really were interested in her and Amy after all. Whenever the beeping on the com sped up, Alex subtly steered Amy away from an Angel she was about to run into. This happened a few more times until Alex, preoccupied with watching the Angels, failed to notice a huge exposed root in the ground that Amy was trying to step over. The girls, their arms still linked together, tumbled to the ground when Amy tripped, the com knocked from her hand. Alex was about to reach out and grab her when a sudden splitting pain resonated throughout her head.

"AH!" she screamed, shutting her eyes and curling into a ball on the ground. Tears of absolute pain ran down her cheeks and she furiously rubbed them away. She screamed again for she could literally feel the Angel in her mind forcing its way past her mental barriers, trying to shut her off. . .

"Alex!" Amy called worriedly as she heard her friend scream in pain.

"Amy, get the communicator," Alex instructed weakly before screaming again. "AHHH! Please, stop!"

Amy got to her knees and pawed around the worn path. "Doctor? I can't find the communicator! I dropped it and Alex is screaming! She's in pain! I can't find it, Doctor! Doctor!" Unbeknownst to the girls, an Angel turned its head towards them, now figuring out that they couldn't see them.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Alex joined in. She attempted to get to her knees but instantly collapsed in pain again. Behind her, two more Angels turned to face them.

"Doctor!" Amy called once more, managing to get to her feet. She turned to find Alex just as an Angel reached for her throat. Alex weakly opened her eyes just in time to see a large flash of light, taking Amy with it.

~Living the Life of Ally~

Meanwhile, on the primary flight deck, Amy found herself stumbling, only to be caught by someone. She first assumed it was Alex, having recovered from the attack the Angel made on her mind, but this was quickly disproven when she heard a familiar voice say, "Don't open your eyes!"

River held Amy, letting the young woman lean on her shoulder. "You're on the flight deck, the Doctor's here. I teleported you." She turned to give the Doctor a triumphant look. "Told you I could get it working."

"Get Alex!" Amy begged. "She started screaming suddenly. I think the Angel attacked her again." Though she couldn't see anything, Amy could tell that the Doctor was scowling in River's direction. The air had become very tense and sharp. She then heard him say in a stiff and pissed-off voice, "River, get Ally out of there now." Amy shivered and made a mental note to herself to never get in-between the Doctor and Alex.

"I was getting to her!" River cried. She carefully positioned Amy away from the teleport and set to work.

~Living the Life of Ally~

As this was going on, Alex was desperately trying to crawl along the path to the Doctor. She wasn't sure what had happened to Amy, but was trying not to think about it. She was still incredibly weak and she knew the Angels were behind her, but she refused to let that deter her. All she had to do was go a little further and she'd be fine . . . right?

~Living the Life of Ally~

Back on the primary flight deck, River worked hastily at the controls but they weren't responding as well to Alex as they had to Amy. "Work, you stupid contraption!" she cried, slapping the machine with a BANG! She knew very well that the Doctor would kill her if she failed to save Alex, especially when she had already shown some dislike of the girl.

The Doctor's face was set in a hard scowl, a scowl that grew even harder as he watched River struggle with the teleport. He knew he couldn't trust her, especially after what Octavian had told him before his death. "River," he said quietly, holding back his fury, "I swear to God, if anything happens to Alex—" But he was cut off as a bright light flashed in the teleport. When it faded, it revealed the still, curled up figure of Alex Locke.

The Doctor rushed forward and quickly scanned Alex's body. She was still breathing, but her pulse was faint and nearly all of her body functions had shut down. At the moment, she was unconscious. He knelt down and picked her up. He smoothed the hair away from her face and watched as her face fell from a scrunched-up expression to a calm and serene one. Still looking at her, he announced, "River Song, I could bloody kiss you." Not that I'm actually going to, he thought.

"Ah, well, maybe when you're a little older," River smiled, pleased at the comment.

The Doctor carefully deposited Alex in a chair and was pleased to see her stir a little. Hopefully, she'd regain consciousness soon. This hope intensified as an alarm began to blare, the lights flickering along with it.

"What's that?" River wondered, who had gone back to holding Amy.

"The Angels are draining the last of the ship's power," the Doctor explained as he stepped to the front of the room, positioning himself right in front of Alex. "Which means . . . the shield's going to release." At that moment, the door leading to the oxygen factory rose, revealing not only the forest, but a whole Weeping Angel population. One of them was holding a communicator.

"Angel Bob, I presume." The Doctor nodded at the angel with the com.

"The time field is coming," Angel Bob said. "It will destroy our reality."

"Yeah, look at you all, running away," the Doctor scoffed. "What can I do for you?"

"There is a rupture in time. The Angels calculate that if you or Alex throws yourselves into it, it will close and they will be saved."

"No!" Amy objected, not wanting to see either of her friends sacrifice themselves.

"Why would Alex be a possibility?" River asked.

"She's a fixed point," the Doctor answered, not moving his eyes away from the Angels. "According to the Daleks, at least."

"Alex is the most powerful fixed point in all of time," Angel Bob explained. He almost seemed awed by this. "Her timeline and destiny has been pre-set for centuries, since the beginning of time itself. If she throws herself in, time would not be able to handle the discrepancy and restore, thus saving the Angels."

"Would that be the same with me?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes," Angel Bob replied. "You must throw yourself or Alex into the crack."

"Yeah, yeah, could do," the Doctor mused. "Could do that. But why?"

"Your friends would also be saved," Angel Bob pointed out.

"Well, there is that," the Doctor considered, shrugging.

River couldn't believe what she was hearing. She highly doubted the Doctor would throw Alex into a crack in time but himself? Surely he knew that Alex would be devastated . . . and also herself if she was being honest. "I've traveled in time!" she announced, marching to his side. "I'm a complicated space-time event too, throw me in!"

"Oh, be serious!" the Doctor mocked. "Compared to me, these Angels are more complicated than you, and it would take every single one of them to amount to me or Alex, so get a grip."

"Doctor, I can't let you do this," River argued.

"No, seriously, get a grip!" Honestly, doesn't she get it?!

Behind him, he heard Alex weakly say, "Where am I?" He felt an overwhelming sense of relief wash over him that she was awake but before he could check on her, he needed to make sure River understood his plan.

"You're not going to die here!" River cried.

"No, I mean it!" he ordered. "River, Amy, Ally . . . get a grip."

A light-bulb clicked on in River's head and realization flashed in her eyes. "Oh, you're a genius!" she breathed before rushing off to get Amy and Alex situated. She guided Amy over to a handle and told her, "You hold on tight and don't you let go for anything." She looked over at Alex, who still looked too weak to try and hold onto anything. Rushing over to her, River quickly strapped Alex to the chair she was in with the seatbelts and, snitching the sonic from the Doctor, reinforced the whole contraption.

"Hold on as tightly as you can," she said gently to the still slightly unconscious girl. "And stay still." She paused to see if Alex had heard her and was quickly relieved with a slight nod of understanding.

"Sir, ma'am, the Angels need you to sacrifice yourselves now," Angel Bob insisted.

"Thing is, Bob," the Doctor began, demonstrating that his clever plan was about to go into effect, "the Angels are draining all the power from this ship. Every last 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."

The Doctor swiftly turned around and hastily checked to see that Alex was strapped in tightly enough. Satisfied that she was, he gripped a hand on the console right when the alarm blared again, the screens around them announcing that the gravity had failed. Amy, River, and the Doctor became weightless and gripped their respective handles tightly as they were pulled towards the crack that was currently sucking all the Angels in. Behind them, Alex felt herself being pulled upwards, but something was stopping her. Glancing down, she saw that several seatbelts had been strapped around her chest, keeping her in a chair. Now fully conscious, she tilted her head to see a bunch of Weeping Angels whizzing towards the crack at the other end of the forest.

The Doctor briefly glanced back to see an alarmed looking Alex watching the scene before her. Now fully alert, she was gripping the ends of the chair so hard that her knuckles were turning white. He called back to her, "Ally, just hold on! It's almost over!" Alex cocked her head to try and look at him but was unable to due to her angle. Nevertheless, she relaxed slightly, taking comfort in the knowledge that the Doctor was with her again and that he had somehow fixed everything.

A few seconds later, the crack closed and the gravity went back online. Alex breathed a sigh of relief when the Doctor rushed over to her and started undoing the belts. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Never better," Alex assured him. And weirdly enough, she was. She could no longer feel the Angel in her head. It must've been the crack, she mused. All the Angels going into it erased them from time. Technically, the Angel in my mind never existed. But Alex knew she would never forget this ordeal, no matter how hard time tried to make her.

~Living the Life of Ally~

Sometime later, all four of them were back out on the beach. Alex and the Doctor were standing in front of Amy, who was sitting on a rock, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

Amy gritted her teeth and moaned, "Ah, bruised everywhere!"

"Me too," the Doctor retorted dryly. Amy had been convinced that the Angel was still in her mind and had forced the Doctor to carry her on his back the last two levels. Apparently, judging by the Doctor's repeated cursing during the ordeal, Amy was heavier than she looked. Alex had been cackling madly during it and she and River even managed to bond a bit, teasing the Doctor about his plight while he just responded by giving them filthy looks.

"You didn't have to climb out with your eyes shut," Amy pointed out.

"No, but I had to carry you," the Doctor reminded her. "And I kept saying, the Angels all fell into the time field. The Angel in your memory never existed. It can't harm you now."

"Then why do I remember it all? Those guys on the ship didn't remember each-other."

The Doctor smiled at them. "You're a time-traveler now, Amy. It changes the way you see the universe. Forever. Good, isn't it?"

Amy laughed slightly and Alex bounced a little. Looking at her, you'd never even know she had been unconscious multiple times that day. "It's amazing!" she smiled, bouncing again.

"Will you please stop bouncing?" the Doctor begged. "You're making me nervous."

"And giving me a headache with all that cheerful optimism of yours," Amy smirked at her.

Alex obliged and stuck her tongue out at Amy before turning to the Doctor. "I keep telling you, I'm fine. I don't feel any pain at all."

"Well, I'm still checking your mind when we get back to the TARDIS," the Doctor informed her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and looked into her pupils, relieved to no longer see an Angel in them. "And possibly teaching you how to use mental barriers. You really need them."

"Think I can actually do that?" Alex questioned. While she knew she was capable of many things, she doubted that she could conjure up mental barriers at will. Maybe if she wasn't human, it was possible, but right now, it seemed too good to be true.

The Doctor shrugged. "I would think so. We'll see." Alex nodded, accepting his answer, and curled into his side, hearing one of his hearts beating beneath her head. It was strangely comforting.

Amy looked at him expectantly. "And the crack? Is that gone, too?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking down at her. "For now. But the explosion that caused it is . . . still happening . . . somewhere out there. Somewhere in time."

All three looked at one another, wondering what exploded in the future. All of them knew that it would have to be something pretty big and powerful in order to create cracks that were spread out all across time and space. What was it? And would they have to encounter it?

The Doctor abruptly broke away from Alex and started walking in the direction where River was, now handcuffed near a group of rocks. He glanced at the clerics around them before continuing on. Alex frowned and quickly raced after him. Something had happened with River during his walk to the flight deck. He seemed a bit more hesitant around her and as Alex approached them, she didn't miss the way he put himself in front of her. Amy, meanwhile, stood a little off to the side, observing the scene.

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at River. "What now?"

"The prison ship's in orbit," River told him, with a brief glance up at the sky as she said this. "They'll beam me up any second." She smiled slightly. "I might have done enough to earn a pardon this time. We'll see."

Alex raised her eyebrows, but stayed silent. The Doctor had found out about River being a prisoner? Interesting. . .

"Octavian said you killed a man," the Doctor reported, interrupting her thoughts. "And attempted to kill his girlfriend."

River's smile fell and she hesitantly replied, "Yes, I did."

"A good man," the Doctor added, staring at her critically.

"A very good man," River corrected. "The best man I've ever known."

"And the girl?" Alex quizzed, stepping out from behind the Doctor.

River smiled at her and for the first time, Alex could see regret and pain in her eyes. What had happened to her to cause her that much pain and regret? "An amazing girl," River breathed. "One you could only hope to aspire to. And their connection with each-other . . . it was unlike other couples. It was unique."

"Who were they?" the Doctor demanded.

"It's a long story, Doctor." River smiled again in apology. "Can't be told. It has to be lived. No sneak previews." She paused, considering something. "Well . . . except for this one. You'll see me again quite soon . . . when the Pandorica opens."

The Doctor laughed, seemingly amused by the end of her sentence. "The Pandorica. . ." he murmured. He shook his head and leaned down to whisper in River's ear, "That's a fairy tale." Even though this action seemed innocent enough, Alex still felt a hot burn run through her veins, even though, as she kept reminding herself, she had no. Reason. To. Be. JEALOUS!

River laughed as he stepped away. "Oh, Doctor, aren't we all?" she said mysteriously. "I'll see you there."

"I look forward to it," he nodded.

"I remember it well," River smirked.

Amy finally stepped up to her. "Bye, River," she smiled softly.

River laughed again. Out of all of them, she seemed to get along with Amy the best. "See you, Amy," she said. She then looked over at Alex. "Bye, Ally," she said, winking. At that moment, her handcuffs beeped, causing the Doctor and Alex to look back at her. "Oh! I think that's my ride."

As Amy stepped over to them, the Doctor asked, "Can I trust you, River Song?"

River simply shrugged. "If you like." She then smiled at them deviously. "But where's the fun in that?"

Alex resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Well, we'd feel a lot safer around you, for starters. Alex had a feeling that the man River had killed was the Doctor, but who was the girlfriend?

The group watched as a large whirlwind swirled around River, like how the clerics had first arrived. When it faded, she was gone. The Doctor turned to look out at the sea, Alex and Amy on either side of him. Alex watched his expression, deep in thought.

"What are you thinking?" she asked quietly.

The Doctor looked down at her, a slight smile on his lips. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Time can be rewritten," he answered. Alex stared at him and was about to ask what he meant by that, but then he was pulling her along after him towards the TARDIS, calling for Amy, off to their next adventure.

~Living the Life of Ally~

They had been in the TARDIS for about five minutes. Alex was leaning against the railing, watching as the Doctor pressed a few buttons on the console. He seemed to be thinking something over, although he was trying not to show it. Amy was watching him as well, also deep in thought. Alex had never seen her like that. She seemed to be seriously considering something.

A few moments later, she spoke. "I want to go home," she quietly announced.

The Doctor looked up from the console, purposely not turning around to face her. Alex could almost see the pain etched onto his face and damned if she didn't feel some herself. Did Amy want to leave because of the ordeal with the Angels or because the whole experience had finally made her realize that she loved Rory? Alex seriously hoped it was the latter. She hadn't spent two years urging Rory to propose to her for nothing!

"Okay," the Doctor said, trying not to let sadness cake his voice.

Amy smiled and sidled up to him. "No, not like that," she assured him. "I just wanna show you something. Alex already knows. You're running from River . . . I'm running, too."

Alex sensed that this was a conversation she didn't need to be around for. "I'm . . . going to go try and rest," she said as smoothly as possible. "Surprisingly, it's exhausting getting knocked unconscious so many times." The Doctor and Amy rolled their eyes at her, but didn't say anything as Alex quickly darted to her room, leaving them alone.

A/N: And that's 'Flesh and Stone' over and done with. The next chapter will be 'Meanwhile in the TARDIS 2' and then we get 'Vampires in Venice' and Rory! I'm glad you all liked the kissing scene. It was so much fun to write! :)

Notes on reviews. . .

hp1525 - I'm glad you love the story! And thanks for the luck on my history homework. It wasn't horrible, but who likes doing homework? :)

Kay Erin - Good observations on the Doctor's intentions in the kissing scene. Like you said, I can't give spoilers! Just keep reading and you'll find out! :)

ElysiumPhoenix - It is about time, isn't it, lol? And that's a good observation. Can you imagine the look on this Doctor's face if Alex told him his future self snogged her? Don't worry. We'll see Alex's thoughts about that kiss in the next chapter. :)

Thank you to hp1525, ElysiumPhoenix, and Gwilwillith for reviewing and thank you to those who followed/favored this story and me as the author. :) It means a lot! Please review and see you tomorrow!