The Doctor stared at the statue in open shock, firmly putting a hand on Rimmer's shoulder to keep him in place. "Keep still. Don't blink."

"What?"

"Keep looking at it. Don't move."

"But what is it? Where'd it come from?"

"That's not a statue. It's a Weeping Angel."

"A what?"

"Quantum-locked being. It turns to stone as soon as someone's observing it. But if you so much as blink, they're so fast they can catch you."

Rimmer swallowed, hoping the fact that he was a hologram meant he could go longer without blinking. "And what happens when they catch you?"

"In my experience, one of two things. They either kill you outright, or they displace you in time."

"Displace you in time?"

"Yes, they can feed on temporal energy. They live off the potential timeline that might've been. And I don't have my TARDIS with me, so I couldn't pop back and rescue you, so we've got to keep it in our line of vision. So long as we're both looking at it, it should be safe to blink for now."

A zillion questions were zooming through Rimmer's mind, but he wasn't sure where to start, so he decided on something more immediate. "We need to do something. We can't just stand here in the snow forever. Pigeons will start to roost on all three of us!"

The Doctor's mind raced until he thought something. He knew it wasn't going to be pretty, but he had to do something to save them. "Okay… I think I've got a plan."

"Is it a good plan?"

"Possibly. I haven't finished thinking of it yet."

Rimmer grinded the worry balls a little more. His vision was beginning to blur.

"Okay… Arnold, I've got it. But it's not going to be nice."

"What is it?"

"The Angels can be trapped under anyone's gaze – even each other's. We've got one shot at this. I need a mirror."

"A mirror?"

"Yes, if the Angel sees its own reflection, it'll be trapped here. I need a decent-sized mirror to trap the angel."

If only the Cat were here, Rimmer thought ruefully. "Well, how can we get one?"

"Oh, there's bound to be someone in town who can lend us one."

"Okay… How do we get it without moving from this spot, genius?"

"Well, therein is the problem. I'm going to have to leave you here for a bit while I get one."

Rimmer's eyes widened but still didn't leave the Angel. "What?!"

"Don't worry. I'll come back."

"And how the hell do I know that?"

"Because you can trust me! I keep telling you!"

"No! I absolutely refuse! Besides, how the hell can I stand here for the long without blinking? I can't not blink! It's hardwired into my body to blink!"

"Well, that's the bit I'm sorry about…"

"What?"

The Doctor wordlessly pulled out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at Rimmer. His entire image froze, leaving him perpetually staring at the Weeping Angel, eyes fully aware but not blinking.

"Arnold, I'm sorry. I truly am. But the Angel needs to be neutralized before it has a chance to get to the town. Okay?"

Rimmer didn't respond. He couldn't. His mouth was frozen. He was essentially "paused". But it was working. The Angel registered him as looking at him, and it remained a statue.

The Doctor patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. "I'll be back. Fifteen minutes at most. I promise." And he turned and ran into the woods, back towards Christmas.

Rimmer was forced to stand there like a stupid scarecrow in the snow for a long time. It was hell. It was just completely hell dipped in hell with a little extra hell sprinkled on it for texture. This was like having root canals for each tooth independently. All he could do was stare at the stupid sodding statue and wonder how much longer it would take. He had no idea how long it was taking or what was happening behind him. Every noise he heard, he couldn't turn to look. For all he knew, he was surrounded by these Weeping Angels, and they had just been waiting for the Doctor to leave before they attacked.

The snow was once again piling on top of him. He wished he had some sort of body temperature, but he was just as cold as the statue in front of him. It too was becoming piled with snow, but it probably wasn't all that aware of its surroundings.

In fact… maybe it wasn't alive at all. Maybe it was just an ordinary statue he'd failed to notice and the Doctor was playing some sort of game with him. Yeah, that was it. The Doctor was playing a trick on him. He would be abandoned in the woods forever now, staring at this stupid statue. At least the statue would erode over time and decay into nothing. Rimmer's light bee would probably stay active until Lister and the others rescued him.

If they ever rescued him. He knew that for them, only hours would have passed and they'd be coming as fast as they could, but a lot can happen in a few hours. Maybe those ungrateful bastards were planning to just abandon him. Why bother saving him? They didn't like him. They didn't like his personality. They'd just as soon see him dead. Why shouldn't they? After all they had been through together, they were going to just abandon him when he needed them the most! How could anyone be so selfish?!

After all the crap we've gone through together, how the hell could I just abandon them like this?!

Wait… no… how could they abandon me…?

Rimmer mentally screamed in frustration. He needed to kick something. He needed a distraction from these thoughts. He had abandoned them out of a need to survive. Basic instinct. That's all there was to it. Nothing personal. Just recognizing that trying to save them would have probably gotten him killed. There was no point. To abandon him would just be spiteful.

Spiting him because he abandoned them…

Oh shut up!

He was so lost in his thoughts he almost didn't notice the footsteps coming from behind him.

"… Good grief! What'd you do to him?"

The Doctor's voice now. "Sorry, yes. I told you I froze him. It was the only way. Now come on! Get everything in position!"

Rimmer couldn't even turn his eyes in his head, so he had to rely on peripheral vision to see what was happening. First, some men brought a large end table with two long poles on either end of it. Then some children came around and passed them a wide mirror, and they all worked together to latch it between the two poles, holding it up in front of the Angel.

The Doctor fastened it into place with his sonic screwdriver. "There! That's done it! Bravo, everyone!"

Everyone nodded in appreciation.

One child pulled on the Doctor's coat and pointed at Rimmer.

"Oh! Yes! Thank you, Tyrene! My fault!" He quickly aimed the sonic at Rimmer, and the hologram let out a yell of pain before collapsing on the ground, letting the snow that had piled on him fall off.

The Doctor quickly went to his side and tried to help him up. "Arnold, come on. Stay with me. Just keep calm. I know. Your blood pressure. Just take deep breaths. Grind the balls."

Rimmer gasped for breath, doing as he was told. He clutched the worry balls as tightly as he could, rubbing his chest as he allowed himself to be helped to his feet.

"Well done, Arnold," the Doctor said, patting him on the shoulder. "The Angel's trapped now! Not going anywhere!"

Rimmer just nodded, trying to get over the ordeal. It was getting difficult to see straight.

"Arnold, just calm down. It's going to be okay. You just need to release that stress. Maybe the balls aren't enough right now. Release that energy. Run around a bit. Do some power sit-ups? Maybe hit something…"

As if on cue, Rimmer suddenly rounded on the Doctor and punched him square in his square jaw. The bow-tied man went flying backwards and landed in the snow, having been caught off-guard. He rubbed his sore chin and looked up at the hologram, who was still breathing heavily but more or less stabilized. He squeezed the balls a few more times.

The people looked between them uncertainly, waiting to see if Rimmer did anything else. While they were concerned for the Doctor, they all had to silently admit – they'd probably have done the same thing his position.

The Doctor didn't look angry or surprised. In fact, he just nodded like he'd been expecting it. "… Better?"

Rimmer just savaged him with a glare.

"… No…?"

"…. You… just… left me there…"

"Arnold, I had to – "

"Like hell you did! Is this how you protect people? You endanger them so you can saunter off and be clever?! Well, I don't buy it! I don't care how a little twerp like you considers himself so high and mighty! Just stay the hell away from me and don't drag me into anymore of your ridiculous escapades!"

And on that note, he stormed off back towards the town, following the various footprints everyone had made.

The Doctor sat in the snow, watching him leave and nursing his chin, feeling particularly low. He knew he'd only done what he'd done for Arnold's own protection and the protection of the town, but he had to admit that he could've gone about it a bit differently.

Whatever the case, he knew that any hope of making progress with the stubborn hologram had been set back considerably.

The Doctor ended up not seeing Rimmer again for several days.

The hologram had locked himself in his room in the clock tower, and as he didn't require food or drink or trips to the loo, he didn't need to leave at all. The door was locked, and the Doctor didn't feel it right to try and open it. He'd knocked a few times, but he never got a reply, so he decided to give the other man his space. Instead, he'd spent time acclimatizing himself to Christmas.

The people of the town were very friendly. He decided to get to know them by arranging the odd gathering once a week. A weekly meal wherein they could talk, get to know each other, and more importantly, discuss the dangers that were going to be descending on them soon. These were a very loving and peaceful people – something the Doctor greatly admired. The thought of having to turn these people into a gang of soldiers didn't appeal to him at all. He had to find a way of helping develop some fighting skills while still maintaining their principles. He didn't have a lot of experience in this field. His usual shtick was "show up, take a side, help that side and, after winning, leave them to figure out a new way of life". It wasn't a bad way of doing things. It ensured that the people were given a chance to stand on their own two feet rather than telling them how to live. Now that he was staying, he was going to have to do a lot more directing than he was used to.

Still, it wasn't all bad. There were plenty of children here. They cheered him up considerably. He didn't know what it was about children in this incarnation of his, but he found he was particularly fluent in "child" in a way his previous selves hadn't quite mastered. There were plenty of boys and girls of various ages that he enjoyed playing with. They had simple games that he was rarely any good at, but they appreciated his effort and were willing to teach him.

Despite his growing bond with the townspeople, he still worried about Rimmer. As days turned to weeks, he refused to leave his room. He had no idea how to approach him. The hologram's personality was so disagreeable he wasn't sure how to approach him. It had only taken a few minutes of talking to him to realize he was a complete jobsworth with an obsessive love for order and regulation. A man with a huge ego without the skill or ability to back it up. What made it worse was that there didn't seem to be anything particularly redeeming about him. He was just so convinced he was better than everyone else that he couldn't be bothered to consider the possibility that he might be wrong about something.

Knowing all of this, the Doctor knew there had to be something decent deep down inside of him. Something that hadn't received any attention and needed something to kick it going. He just didn't know how to proceed, and he still had the matter of looking after Christmas to consider.

So he decided that at some point, Rimmer would either get over what had happened or grow bored enough that he left his room. He had to think of something.

Rimmer had spent the first few days curled up in a ball on his bed, grinding the worry balls for hours on end. Then, once he felt like he was getting arthritis, he switched himself to soft-light so he could stop feeling anything, particularly the cold. It helped to calm him down, keep him from grinding his teeth into a find powder.

Soon, before he even realized it, an entire week had gone by. He figured he should go out and do something, but that would entail having to face the Doctor, and he was supposed to be angry with him, so he stayed. He was determined to make that little gimp come crawling to him, all ashamed and apologetic and begging for forgiveness. He could wait. He was a hologram. He didn't need anything.

Except, he'd been here for over a week now, and he needed some kind of stimulus. He'd switched himself back to hard-light so he could find something to do. He'd found a nail and started carving into the stone floor a few crude doodles. That had always been his way of doing things when life slowed down too much for his attention span. Start doodling. It was probably part of the reason why he never did well in school, constantly distracted by his doodles, but it was helping him here.

Soon, another week had gone by, and the nail he'd been using had been ground down into a stub. Just as well, he figured. The entire room was like a massive mosaic of his scrawls. Time to find something else to do. Maybe he could build himself a window so he could escape without the Doctor seeing, complete with a large camouflaged shade that would blend in with the wall. He could Shawshank his way out of here.

Trouble was, the only thing he had to possibly do this with was the nail, which had been ground down to nothing.

Sighing to himself, he slumped against the wall, reflecting that at least he felt relaxed.

He was just about to nod off into yet another nap when he was jolted awake by a knock on the door. Momentarily startled, he just stared at it in a stupor. Then he realized – someone was knocking. Someone was looking for him. The Doctor had finally decided to apologize properly.

Rimmer smirked. Time to load up the smarm. He'd get the floppy haired git looking like a pathetic idiot in no time. Getting to his feet, he smartened himself up and took five great strides to the door. Flaring his nostrils smugly, he put his hand on the handle and pulled it open, and he was promptly disappointed.

It wasn't the Doctor. It was a boy. He was carrying a tray with some food on it.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded, not bothering to hide his irritation.

"Tyrene, sir," the boy said. "I was one of the ones that brought the mirror two weeks ago. Remember?"

"Yes, I certainly remember that rotten…," he started, but then he came up short. "Did you say two weeks?"

"Yes, sir."

Rimmer leaned against the doorframe. "No wonder I've almost gone insane… Where the hell's the Doctor?"

"Outside somewhere."

"Did he send you?"

"No, sir."

"… What the hell are you here for?"

Tyrene held up the plate. "I thought you might like something to eat."

Rimmer shook his head. "I'm a hologram. I don't eat."

"Are you sure? My mum made it. She's a really good cook."

Rimmer eyed the food. Looked like some kind of poultry with some fruit on the side. He didn't feel hunger like humans did, but he had to admit, he missed the sensation sometimes. Sighing heavily, he took the plate and fiddled with the provided fork. He shuffled awkwardly. He wanted to slam the door angrily, but… well, the kid just looked so damned innocent and genuine.

"Thank you," he said awkwardly.

"You're welcome, Mr…," he trailed off.

"Rimmer. Arnold Rimmer."

"You're welcome, Mr. Rimmer!"

Nodding, the hologram carried the plate over to his chair, putting it in his lap and starting in on it. He took a few nibbles. He nodded in affirmation. "You're right. She is good."

Tyrene beamed. "I know." Then he looked around the room, noticing all the drawings that had been carved into the walls, floor and even the ceiling, and looked at him with concern. "Why have you been in here for two weeks, sir?"

"Because I'm angry."

"Can you really be angry for two whole weeks?"

Rimmer gave him a look. "I've been angry my entire life."

Tyrene shuffled a bit. "Are you ever happy?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

Rimmer chewed a little harder. "Because life is terrible."

"That's not what my parents. They say that life is a treasure, and we get out of it what we put into it."

Rimmer looked at him like he was speaking Chinese. "Well, far be it from me to speak against your parents, but…," he began, but he trailed off, remembering the plate in his lap and the innocent expression on the boy's face, and he decided to bite his tongue. "Never mind," he said quickly, conscious of the truth field.

Tyrene stood in the doorway for a moment before clearing his throat. "Where did you come from, sir?"

Rimmer sighed. "I came from another universe, I think. The Doctor said I was, but he's a raving lunatic, so I wouldn't take what he says seriously."

"You don't like the Doctor, do you?"

"No."

"Why not? He's very nice."

"He's an idiot in a bowtie."

"He still nice to us. He's helping our friends and neighbors."

"Yeah, he's got you lot railroaded into a war of his own making."

"I know. But he's still trying to help us."

Rimmer scoffed. "Some help. What's a purple git like him doing to run a war? Making sure all of you wear bowties? Growing your hair into a quiff long enough to whip the enemy in the eye?"

"He's been showing how to us protect ourselves. He's put up a bell in the town square so we can call him when something comes into the town."

"And what's his strategy? You tell him something's coming, and then what?"

"He said we call him, and he'll deal with it."

"… What, that's it?"

Tyrene shrugged. "He said it was all we would need for now."

"Why?"

"He said all the monsters above us were all too scared to go first."

"What, of him?"

"No, of the message."

"What message?"

"The one coming through the crack in the wall."

Rimmer sat up a little straighter. "Yes… what's that crack?"

"I don't know, but the Doctor said the truth field was coming through it. You'll have to ask him about it."

"I can't. I'm still not speaking to him."

"Why not? He saved you."

"He abandoned me. He froze me in position, unable to move, unable to run, he just left me there."

"He came back. He brought help. I think if he could've thought of a better way, he'd have done it. He's too nice to just leave someone on purpose."

Rimmer glared at him as he finished the food. "He didn't even tell me he was going to do it. He just left me there."

Tyrene shuffled a bit before walking closer to him, looking up to him with his large innocent eyes. "He didn't leave you. He was just… doing what he had to do."

"What he had to do?"

"Sure, so he could save everyone. I mean, he wouldn't be so mean as to abandon everyone when they needed him most."

Rimmer winced. Without realizing it, Tyrene had it that tender spot on his miniscule conscience. The kid was so earnest it hurt. He couldn't help but wonder what the kid had done to become so empathic.

Sighing heavily, he passed the empty plate back to him and stood up. "Right. Fine. I'll go talk to him."

Tyrene smiled, showing he had a tooth missing. It was oddly charming.

Mentally tucking away his pride, Rimmer walked out the door. Time for some answers.