"If we only had a piece of the statue, that'd be something," the Doctor said, pacing in front of the Tardis console. If they had some material of it, they could track the stone to the source, but that would be easy, wouldn't it.
Gabriel sat on the steps near the console and sighed, "What use is finding the thing if we don't know how to kill it?"
The Doctor faced the archangel sharply, "Who said anything about killing it? This is a creature older than time itself, and you're thinking of destroying it?"
Gabriel stood up and matched the Doctor's intense stare. "I am a creature older than time itself," he said, voice low, "And I've watched my brothers die. Just because you're untouched by time doesn't mean you're beyond death. If the weeping angel keeps killing people, we will have to stop it, destroying it if necessary."
Sam stepped up and put a hand on Gabriel's chest to put space between him and the Doctor. The Doctor returned to pacing, trying not to think about killing such a fascinating creature. There was a difference between dying and never existing. He hoped they'd find another way.
"Well, as far as doing something with the statue, we should have a plan," Sam said.
Gabriel walked quickly to the control panel, agitated. "What is that?" he snapped.
The Doctor looked at Gabriel curiously. Something was clearly bothering the angel other than the weeping angel situation.
"There's a soul in here," Gabriel said, feeling the Tardis console, "Why is there a soul in here?"
The Doctor replied quickly, "I told you before, the Tardis is alive."
Gabriel faced the Time Lord and said through gritted teeth, "No. I know that. I can feel the heartbeat. But there is a soul, a living human soul, in there. No, not human. It feels like you, but it's close. Why do you have a soul here?"
Fantastic.
The Doctor looked from Gabriel to Sam, and tried to think so something that would appease their confusion without giving away River.
Sherlock and John walked back into the Tardis with food from a shop down the street.
"Did we miss something?" John asked.
"No," the Doctor said.
"I may be a shitty excuse for an archangel," Gabriel said quickly, "But you have a freaking soul in there, and I want to know why."
The Doctor looked at Gabriel. He saved Sherlock earlier without a second thought. He obviously cared about the Winchesters. And he would undoubtedly be a threat if further provoked. The threat outweighed the risks.
"It's my wife," the Doctor said quietly. He begged the angel silently not to pry any further.
Sherlock asked with a subdued amount of shock, "Your what?"
The Doctor sighed. He preferred keeping things on a need to know basis, and this was something none of them needed to know.
"My wife. She died. It's complicated," the Doctor said quickly.
Gabriel asked, "How did she die?"
The Doctor pushed old memories of River electrocuting herself from his thoughts. "I would really rather not-" he started.
"I can save her," Gabriel said.
"I already saved her," the Doctor said, defensively, "She's safe in the Tardis. It's not a permanent-we have more pressing..."
Sam gave the Doctor a soft, sympathetic look he'd seen on his companions a thousand times. The Doctor braced himself for something he obviously didn't want to hear.
"Doctor, if her soul is in there, even dormant, it needs a body," Sam said, "I've seen plenty of spirits. When they're not in their meat suits, it never ends well."
"What do you expect me to do, then? I don't have any spare bodies, and right now the angel problem takes slight priority over finding a flesh duplicate or something to that effect," the Doctor said quickly, returning to the console. Maybe he could track temporal displacement in the city. Maybe if weeping angels traveled fast enough, the angel would pop up on a scan.
"I can save her," Gabriel said, "Right here, right now. Body and everything. The whole shebang."
That wasn't possible, and the Doctor knew it. But he only had one questions. "Why?" he asked.
Gabriel grinned, "Mostly, because having such a bright soul humming about is very distracting, but I am dying to see who in the world married you. And we could probably use the help. Say the word, Doc."
The Doctor pulled up the scan of the heart of the Tardis and saw where River's energy was saved. It was still there, glowing bright as day. There were more important things to be focusing on. River was safe. It was a temporary solution, but there was a weeping angel out there killing people. They had no idea how to deal with it, though. River might be able to come up with a plan they hadn't thought of. But what Gabriel was talking about was impossible.
"What if it doesn't work?" the Doctor asked, "I can't take that chance."
Gabriel shook his head, "Nope. Works every time."
John raised his hand half way to get their attention and stepped over to the time lord. "If it works like it's described in the books, it does work every time. Angels pull recreated people out of the ground all the time. It worked with Dean and Sam, even...if it helps," he said.
The Doctor looked from John to Sam. "You died and were pulled up out of the ground?" the Doctor asked Sam.
Sam nodded, "Yeah. It was just after I went to Hell the first time."
The Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "That's just not possible," he said to himself.
He quickly scanned Sam Winchester again with the Tardis computer. There was just no way in any universe to just beat death like that. You couldn't just create something from nothing. That went against every law of physics, even the ones that still applied to the Doctor. He enhanced the scan and saw that Sam's skin was only four years old. That wasn't possible. This was all completely impossible. But yet it seemed to be the case. They were already chasing a statue that could send people back in time and absorb their potential energy; what was one more impossible thing? And they could really use River's help.
"Do it," the Doctor said, slowly walking away from the impossible scan, "But if it doesn't work, put her right back in the Tardis."
Gabriel grinned widely and snapped his fingers. River's energy signature from her save space disappeared, and the Doctor felt his hearts race. What had he done?
Sam, John, and Gabriel rushed outside the Tardis with the Doctor and Sherlock following closely. Quickly, Gabriel stuck his hand in the ground and pulled up a pale, dirt covered arm. Sam helped Gabriel pull her out, rushing to wipe the dirt away from her face. The Doctor ran forward as River gasped for breath.
"Fascinating. How did you do this?" the Doctor asked Gabriel quickly as he felt River's pulse and shined a pen light in her eyes.
"If it helps, you can think of it as my ability to manipulate atoms to create a new body from the molecular structure of dirt based on the energy imprint from the soul," Gabriel said.
The Doctor continued to examine River as he asked, "But is that how you do it?"
Gabriel smiled impishly, "No, but it might help to think of it like that."
River coughed and said, "Doctor?"
The Doctor felt horribly conflicted. River was back, she was right there, but she came back in the most unnatural way that defied all reason, logic, and universal truth there was. She sat up and wiped dirt away from her face.
She fixed the Doctor with a hard stare and said, "Don't look at me like that. How many times have you died and come back?"
"That's not the same thing," the Doctor argued.
"You're just upset, because you don't know how he did it. I'm just grateful he did it. Being dead is awfully boring," she said, standing up and brushing herself off a bit.
"Thank you," River said to Gabriel, "Now, why are we all still outside, and why am I wearing a spacesuit?"
"It's what you died in," Sam supplied, helpfully.
"Well," River said, "It's covered in dirt. I'm changing. Are my clothes still in the Tardis?" The Doctor had no time to reply before River was already in the Tardis and heading to her room. The method was still uncomfortable, but it was good to have River back.
"And that's Professor River Song," the Doctor said to his companions who were still staring after the resurrected woman.
About an hour later, River, now comfortable in a beige tank top, black leggings, and knee high boots, was completely caught up on the weeping angel situation they were facing in London.
"So, what's the plan?" River asked, "How are we going to stop it? We can't exactly keep creating paradoxes wherever we go to keep angels at bay."
The Doctor answered, "We don't have one yet. Working on it, River."
"Don't get short with me, Doctor," River said, a teasing smile on her lips, "It's not my fault I've been dead and not able to help you think of brilliant plans all the time."
The Doctor turned to her and tried to keep his distance when he said, "Actually, River, it is your fault."
Before she could reply, much to the Doctor's relief, Dean and Cas walked into the Tardis holding a box.
"Who's this?" Dean asked.
River hopped down towards the door and smiled at Dean, "I'm River Song, and, my goodness, you are just delicious, aren't you?"
The Doctor sighed. If River weren't the one person he trusted in all the universe, he'd worry about her flirty behavior. Dean didn't seem to know how to react to her. Cas, however, took the box from Dean, walked forcibly between River and Dean, and gave the box to Sherlock.
"You need to see this," Cas said. Sherlock took the box and opened it as the Doctor and the rest of them edged closer.
John saw the face on the tv screen within, and said, "No. Sorry. No. That's not happening."
"John," Sherlock said.
"I can't lose you again, Sherlock," John shouted. He walked straight out of the Tardis, angrily.
"Who is that?" the Doctor asked, looking at the box.
Sherlock, staring after John, quietly answered, "Jim Moriarty."