Jessie walked around behind the Doctor, smirking as he kept commenting on tons of the items in the museum they'd landed in. "Sorry about the detour, Amy," she apologized to the obviously bored ginger. "It's going to be a while."

"Wrong," the Doctor pointed at one of the items in a glass case. "Wrong." He frowned at another. "Bit right . . . but mostly wrong." He grinned. "I love museums."

"I was nearly killed in one," Jessie recalled.

"Yeah, great," Amy crossed her arms impatiently. "Can we go to a planet now? Big spaceship? Churchill's bunker? You promised me a planet next!"

"Amy, this isn't any old asteroid," the Doctor beamed at her. "It's the Delerium Archive, the final resting place of the Headless Monks. The biggest museum ever!"

"You've got a time machine," Amy sighed. "What do you need museums for?"

Jessie giggled. "Wait for it."

"Wrong," the Doctor pointed. "Very wrong." He brightened. "Ooo, one of mine!" He examined another one. "Also one of mine."

"It's a very easy way to keep score," Jessie laughed.

"Jezebel, look at this one," the Doctor told her.

She walked over to take a look at the square box he was examining. "Oh, great," Amy rolled her eyes. "An old box."

"It's from one of the old starliners," the Doctor identified. So that's what they'd been tracking. "A Home Box."

"What's a Home Box?" Amy asked.

"Like a black box on a place, except it homes. Anything happens to the ship, the Home Box flies home with all the flight data."

"So?"

"Look at the writing," Jessie told her, pointing to the words burned into the box. "It's Old High Gallifreyan. The lost language of the Time Lords."

"There were days, there were many days, these words could burn stars and raise up empires and topple gods," the Doctor mused.

"What does it say?" Amy asked curiously.

Jessie took a closer look, and she blinked. "Hello, sissy," she answered in shock.

She and the Doctor exchanged looks, remembering just who had said those exact words in their past, before Jessie phased her hands through the case and grabbed the box. She yanked it out as alarms started to wail, and they ran back to the TARDIS. "What the hell was that?" Amy yelped.

"It's called being a mutant!" Jessie called back shortly. "Keep up!"

"Why are we doing this?"

"Because someone on a spaceship twelve thousand years ago is trying to attract our attention," the Doctor answered as they entered the TARDIS, working on the Home Box. "Let's see if we can get the security playback working . . . "

Jessie's eyes widened as a woman with extremely curly brown hair wearing a black dress, ridiculously high red heels, and sunglasses, walked out of a room, tipped her sunglasses down, and winked right at the camera. "That's her," she breathed, squeezing the Doctor's hand, remembering what had happened. "That's really her!"

River Song walked down the corridor, and guards followed after her. "The party's over, Doctor Song," one of them said. "Yet you're still onboard."

"Sorry, Alistair," River smiled. "I needed to see what was in your vault. Do you all know what's down there? Any of you? Because I'll tell you something. This ship won't reach its destination."

"Wait till she runs," Alistair ordered. "Don't make it look like an execution."

Jessie bristled, but River just sighed and looked at her watch. "Triple seven five slash three four nine by ten," she said loudly, and Jessie ran around the TARDIS, setting in the coordinates so quickly, even the Doctor blinked at her speed. "Zero twelve slash acorn. Oh, and I could do with an air corridor."

"What was that?" Amy asked. "What did she say?"

"Coordinates," Jessie answered.

"Can we trust her?" the Doctor asked.

"She saved our lives," she reminded him. "Even if it hasn't happened for her yet, she knew who we were."

He nodded, heading over to the door as the TARDIS materialized. He threw them open, and River crashed into him, landing on top of him. "Doctor?" Amy asked worriedly.

"River?" the Doctor asked.

River just stood up quickly and glared at the ship sailing away. "Follow that ship!" she ordered.

Jessie nodded and started piloting with the Doctor, River watching their progress on the scanner. "They've gone into warp drive," she muttered. "We're losing them. Stay close!"

"I'm trying!" the Doctor huffed.

"Use the stabilizers!"

"There aren't any stabilizers!"

"So what are the blue switches for?" Jessie asked.

"Oh, the blue ones don't do anything. They're just blue."

"Yes, they're blue," River huffed. "Look, they're the blue stabilizers." River flipped the, and the TARDIS stopped shaking. "See?"

The Doctor blinked. "Yeah. Well, it's just boring now, isn't it? They're boringers. They're blue boringers."

"Doctor, how can she fly the TARDIS?" Amy asked.

"You call that flying the TARDIS?" the Doctor scoffed. "Ha!"

River smirked at Jessie and winked before going around the console. "OK. I've mapped the probability vectors, done a fold-back on the temporal isometry, charted the ship to its destination - " She pulled a scanner over, her heels dangling off of it. "And parked us right alongside."

The Doctor blinked. "Parked us?" he repeated. "We haven't landed!"

"Actually she did," Jessie grinned, checking the scanner. "Rather well, in fact."

"I just landed her," River smirked triumphantly.

"But . . . it didn't make the noise!"

"What noise?"

"You know, the - " He did a rather feeble impersonation of the TARDIS wheezing.

River sighed. "It's not supposed to make that noise. You leave the brakes on."

"Like I've told him for years," Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well, it's a brilliant noise," the Doctor huffed. "I love that noise." He fidgeted under the dual incredulous looks he got from the two women before jumping to his feet. "Come along, Pond! Let's have a look!"

"No, wait," River called as he ran to the door. "Environment checks!"

"Oh, yes, sorry," he nodded. "Environment checks." He opened the door and looked outside. "Nice out."

Jessie snorted loudly. "Not that kind."

"We're somewhere in the Garn Belt," River reported, checking the scanner. "There's an atmosphere. Early indications suggest that - "

"We're on Alfava Metraxis, the seventh planet of the Dundra System," the Doctor said over her. "Oxygen rich atmosphere, all toxins in the soft band, eleven hour day - " He sniffed. "And chances of rain later."

River rolled her eyes. "He thinks he's so hot when he does that," she stage-whispered to Jessie, who giggled.

"How come you can fly the TARDIS?" Amy frowned.

"Oh, I had lessons from the very best."

The Doctor grinned smugly. "Well, yeah - "

"Sissy dear is an incredible teacher," River smirked, patting Jessie's shoulder, who blinked in surprise as the older woman reclaimed her heels. "And the TARDIS is wonderful, too." The Doctor squeaked indignantly, making the two women snicker. "Right, then. Why did they land here?"

"They didn't land," the Doctor told her.

"Sorry?"

"You should've checked the Home Box. It crashed."

River blinked and hurried outside. "Explain," Amy ordered. "Who is that, and how did she do that museum thing?"

"It's a long story, and I don't know most of it," he answered, heading to the console. "Off we go!"

"What are you doing, mister?" Jessie folded her arms.

"Leaving. She's got where she wants to go. Let's go where we want to go."

"Are you basically running away?" Amy asked.

"Yep," he popped the "p."

"Why?"

"Because she's the future. Our future," he nodded at Jessie.

Amy frowned, she didn't like the sound of that. "Can you run away from that?"

"I can run away from anything I like," the Doctor sniffed. "Time is not the boss of me."

"But that's another planet out there," Jessie said in a sing-song voice.

"Yes, of course it is, I know that," the Doctor rolled his eyes.

Amy grinned. "You promised me a planet," she reminded him. "Five minutes?"

The Doctor looked back and forth between the women before sighing. "OK, five minutes."

"Yes!" Amy squealed happily.

"But that's all!" the Doctor pointed at her. "Because I'm telling you now, that woman is not dragging me into anything."

***

Jessie whistled when she saw the burning wreck of the starship. "Whew," she said, impressed. "That's a wreck."

"What caused it to crash?" Amy wondered.

"Not me," River remarked, using a device she had in her hands.

"Nah," the Doctor shook his head. "The airlock would've sealed seconds after you blew it. According to the Home Box, the warp engines had a phase shift. No survivors."

"A phase shift would have to be sabotaged," River muttered. "I did warn them."

"About what?" Jessie asked curiously.

"Well, at least the building was empty," River sighed. "Aplan temple. Unoccupied for centuries."

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Amy asked.

"Amy Pond, Professor River Song," the Doctor introduced.

"Ah, I'm going to be a Professor some day, am I?" River grinned, and the Doctor winced. "How exciting!" She grinned, turning back around. "Spoilers!"

"Yeah, but who is she, and how did she do that? She just left you a note in a museum!"

"Two things always guaranteed to show up in a museum: the Home Box of category four starliner, and sooner or later, them. It's how they keep score."

"I know," Amy grinned.

"It's hilarious, isn't it?"

"I'm nobody's taxi service," the Doctor warned her. "I'm not going to be there to catch you ever time you feel like jumping out of a spaceship."

"And you are so wrong," River smirked, winking at Jessie before looking at her communicator. "There's one survivor. There's a thing in the belly of that ship that can't ever die. Now he's listening." She held up her communicator, walking down the beach. "You lot in orbit yet?" she asked. "Yeah, I saw it land. I'm at the crash site. Try and home in on my signal." She turned. "Bad Wolf?" she called, making Jessie straighten. "Can you sonic me? I need to boost the signal so we can use it as a beacon."

Jessie held up her sonic screwdriver, and River curtsied. "Ooo, Bad Wolf, you sonicked her," Amy teased flirtatiously.

"Stop it," Jessie frowned at her.

"We have a minute," River said, walking up. "Shall we?" She pulled out her TARDIS diary and flipped through the pages. "Where are we up to? Have we done the Bone Meadows?"

"No," Jessie answered.

"What's the book?" Amy asked.

"Stay away from it," the Doctor warned.

"What is it, though?"

"Her diary."

"Our diary," River corrected.

"Her past, our future," the Doctor amended. "Time travel. We keep meeting in the wrong order."

"Hence the professor spoiler," Jessie explained.

She turned when small whirlwind tornados formed, and four soldiers appeared with guns. Their obvious leader frowned when he saw River. "You promised me an army, Doctor Song."

"No, I promised you the equivalent of an army," River corrected. "This is the Bad Wolf."

Jessie nodded, and the Doctor blinked. "Oi!" he complained.

River rolled her eyes. "And this is the Doctor."

"Father Octavian, sir, ma'am," the leader saluted, which Jessie returned. "Bishop, second class. Twenty Clerics at my command. The troops are already in the drop ship and landing shortly. Doctor Song was helping us with a covert operation. Has Doctor Song explained what we're dealing with?"

River smiled. "Doctor, Bad Wolf, what do you know of the Weeping Angels?"

Jessie instantly blanched and the Doctor's eyes narrowed. That alone said it.

They knew them well.

***

"The Angel, as far as we know, is still trapped in the ship," Octavian told the Doctor as Jessie inspected around the camp, getting to know the other soldiers, River gone. "Our mission is to get inside and neutralize it. We can't get through up top. We'd be too close to the drives. According to this, behind the cliff face, there's a network of catacombs leading right up to the temple. We can blow through the base of the cliffs, get into the entrance chamber, then make our way up."

"Oh, good," the Doctor sighed.

"Good, sir?"

"Catacombs. Probably dark ones. Dark catacombs. Great."

"Technically, I think it's called a maze of the dead."

"You can stop any time you like."

"Father Octavian?" Jessie called from where she was talking with a few of the soldiers.

Octavian nodded. "Excuse me, sir," he apologized, heading over.

"You're letting people call you 'sir,'" Amy noted. "You never do that. So, whatever a Weeping Angel is, it's really bad, yeah?"

"Now, that's interesting," the Doctor eyed her. "You're still here. Which part of 'wait in the TARDIS till I tell you it's safe' was so confusing?"

"The part where you have that face nobody listens to," Jessie answered, her back turned to them.

The Doctor frowned. "Shut it."

"I'll shut it when I like."

"Ooo, you are all Mr. Grumpy Face today," Amy rolled her eyes.

"A Weeping Angel, Amy, is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life form evolution has ever produced, and right now, one of them is trapped inside that wreckage, and the Bad Wolf and I are supposed to climb in after it with screwdrivers and torches, and assuming we survive the radiation long enough, and assuming the whole ship doesn't explode in our faces, do something incredibly clever, which at least I haven't actually thought of yet. That's my day. That's what I'm up to. Any questions?"

Amy grinned. "Is River Song your wife?" she asked eagerly, making the Doctor blink in surprise. "Because she's someone from your future, and the way she talks about you, I've never seen anyone do that! She's kind of like, you know, heel, boy!" The Doctor was still blinking in surprise. "She's Mrs. Doctor from the future, isn't she? Is she going to be your wife one day?"

The Doctor stared at her. "No, she isn't," the Doctor shook his head. "She could never be my wife. That's - "

"Doctor!" River called, poking her head out of the drop unit, the command center. "Bad Wolf!"

"Oops," Amy smirked. "Her indoors."

"Father Octavian," River nodded as Jessie and Octavian headed for her.

"Why do they call him Father?" Amy wondered as they headed in.

"He's their Bishop, they're his Clerics," the Doctor answered. "It's the 51st century. The Church has moved on."

***

"Oh, this brings back memories," Jessie sighed, folding her arms as she stared at the monitor on the far wall, a Weeping Angel with its back turned on the screen. "And none of it is good."

"No, it isn't," the Doctor shook his head, remembering their last encounter with the Weeping Angels. They had gotten separated almost fifty years apart from each other, and Jessie had to rely on Sally Sparrow and Laurence Nightingale to help get him and Martha back.

"What do you think?" River asked. "It's from the security cameras in the Byzantium vault. I ripped it when I was onboard. Sorry about the quality. It's four seconds. I've put it on a loop."

"Yeah, it's an Angel," the Doctor confirmed. "Hands covering its face."

"You've encountered the Angels before," Octavian assumed.

"She's had the most experience, I'm not happy to say," the Doctor nodded at Jessie. "But yes, it was once on Earth, long ago. But those were scavengers, barely surviving."

"But it's just a statue," Amy frowned in confusion.

"It's a statue when you see it," River told her.

"Where did it come from?" Jessie asked.

"Oh, pulled from the ruins of Razbahan, end of last century," River answered. "It's been in private hands ever since. Dormant all that time."

"Last I checked, there's a difference between dormant and patient," Jessie mumbled.

"What's that mean, it's a statue when you see it?" Amy asked.

"The Weeping Angels can only move if they're unseen," River answered. "In the sight of any living creature, the Angels literally cease to exist. They're just stone. The ultimate defense mechanism."

"What, being a stone?" Amy snorted in disbelief.

"Being a stone until you turn your back," the Doctor pointed out.

***

"The hyperdrive would've split on impact," the Doctor explained as he and Jessie talked to Octavian. "That whole ship's going to be flooded with drive burn radiation, cracked electrons, gravity storms. Deadly to almost any living thing."

"Deadly to an Angel?" Octavian asked hopefully.

"Dinner to an Angel," the Doctor shook his head. "The longer we leave it there, the stronger it will grow. Who built that temple? Are they still around?"

"The Aplans," River answered. "Indigenous life form. They died out four hundred years ago."

"Two hundred years later, the planet was terraformed," Octavian explained. "Currently, there are six billion human colonists."

Jessie whistled. "Boy, you lot move everywhere quick. It's like rabbits." She frowned at the Doctor. "We're never going to get a break, are we?"

"Nope," the Doctor popped the "p," grinning. "No, we won't."

Octavian frowned. "Sir, ma'am, if there is a clear and present danger to the local population - "

"Oh, there is," Jessie laughed darkly. "Trust me, it's as bad as bad can get. Lock and load, Bishop."

Octavian turned to a soldier as River sifted through her backpack. "Verger, how are we doing with those explosives? Doctor Song, with me."

"Two minutes," River answered before looking up. "Sweetie? I need you!"

The Doctor blinked. "Sweetie?"

"Not the way you think," River assured him quickly.

The Doctor beamed at the statement and walked over to her. "Let's go wait inside," Jessie suggested to Amy, heading into the control ship -

And she stopped short, staring at the monitor. The Angel was now looking over its shoulder slightly, head raised from its hands. "Crap," she breathed.

"What?" Amy frowned, coming up behind her.

"Ask River if there's a different clip."

"Why?"

"Because the Angel's moved."

Amy's eyes widened, and she hurried to the door.

***

"I found this," River told the Doctor, pulling out an old book and showing it to him. "Definitive work on the Angels. Well, the only one. Written by a madman. It's barely readable, but I've marked a few passages."

The Doctor frowned, flipping through. "Not bad," he admitted. "Bit slow in the middle. Didn't you hate his girlfriend?" He blinked. "No. No, hang on. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait."

He took a deep whiff of the book as Amy poked her head outside. "Doctor Song?" she asked. "Did you have more than one clip of the Angel?"

"No, just the four seconds," River answered.

Amy frowned and went back inside. "This book is wrong," the Doctor decided. "What's wrong with this book? It's wrong!"

"It's so strange when you go all baby face," River mused. "How early is this for you?"

"Very early," the Doctor answered.

River frowned. "So neither of you know who I am yet?"

"How do you know who we are?" the Doctor asked. "We don't always look the same."

"I've got pictures of all your faces," River answered. "Even hers. You never show up in the right order, though. I need the spotter's guide."

The Doctor blinked. "Pictures," he realized, flipping back through the book. "Why aren't there pictures?"

***

"It's just the one - " Amy began, stepping inside before freezing. "Clip," she breathed, seeing that the Angel was now looking right at the camera, hands lowered.

The Bad Wolf frowned and looked at her. "You're sure?" she asked.

Amy blinked. "It moved!"

The Bad Wolf whipped around to see the Angel was now closer to the camera, and the door swung closed behind them. "Crap!" she shouted, running to the door, pulling out her sonic screwdriver and trying to get out.

Amy picked up the remote and tried to turn the monitor off, but it kept flipping on. "But you're just a recording! You can't move!"

"Turn it off!" the Bad Wolf called.

"I'm trying!" Amy yelped, trying to pull on the cable running to the monitor. When she looked back, the Angel was up close to the camera. "Bad Wolf!" she screamed.

The Bad Wolf looked over, eyes wide. "Turn it off!"

"I'm trying!" Amy repeated, trying furiously, but when she looked back, the Angel was even closer, mouth open. "DOCTOR!" she screamed.

***

"This whole book, it's a warning about the Weeping Angels," the Doctor frowned. "So why no pictures? Why not show us what to look out for?"

"There was a bit about images," River told him. "What was that?"

"Yes! Hang on." The Doctor flipped to the page. "That which holds the image of an Angel becomes itself an angel."

"What does that mean? An image of an Angel becomes itself an angel?" River frowned.

"Kasterborous!" Jessie's voice shouted. "Kasterborous, it's inside the room!"

"Bad Wolf!" the Doctor shouted, running to the door and banging on it.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted.

"Are you all right? What's happening?"

"It's out of the TV!" Jessie answered. "The Angel is here!"

"Don't take your eyes off it," the Doctor ordered. "Keep looking! It can't move if you're looking!"

"You can't get through!" Jessie called. "It's deadlocked!"

River blinked. "There is no deadlock!"

"Don't blink, you two!" the Doctor warned. "Don't even blink!"

"What are you doing?" River asked as he ran to try the keypad.

"Cutting the power," the Doctor answered. "It's using the screen, I'm turning the screen off." He snarled angrily. "No good. It's deadlocked the whole system."

"There's no deadlock," River repeated.

"There is now."

"Help us!" Amy shouted.

"Can you turn it off?" the Doctor asked.

"Doctor - "

"The screen, can you turn it off?"

"I tried!"

"Try again, but don't take your eyes off the Angel."

"I'm not."

"Each time it moves, it'll move faster. Don't even blink."

River moved to the door and started using a flame torch to try and cut through. So that's how she carved the words into the Home Box. "I'm not blinking," Amy answered. "Have you ever tried not blinking?"

"Pain in the ass," Jessie answered.

"It just keeps switching back on!"

"Yeah, it's the Angel," the Doctor told them.

"But it's just a recording!"

"No. Anything that takes the image of an Angel is an Angel." He frowned at River. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to cut through," River shook her head. "It's not even warm!"

"There is no way in," the Doctor said. "It's not physically possible."

"Doctor, what's it going to do to me?" Amy asked fearfully.

"Don't look away from it, Amy!" Jessie warned as the Doctor ran back to get the book.

"Just tell me! Tell me. Tell me!"

"Amy, not the eyes!" the Doctor warned, looking through the book. "Look at the Angel, but don't look at the eyes."

"Why?"

"What is it?" River asked.

"The eyes are not the windows of the soul," he read. "They are the doors. Beware what may enter there."

"Doctor, what did you say?" Amy asked.

"Don't look at the eyes!"

"No, she means about the images!" Jessie said.

"Whatever holds the image of an Angel is an Angel," River recited.

"Right, then. One, two, three, four."

The door suddenly opened, and the two of them scrambled in as the monitor shut off. "Pause button," Jessie smiled. "Blip at the end of the loop. No more image of the Angel."

"That was amazing!" River grinned, giving her a hug.

"River, hug Amy," the Doctor told her.

"Why?" Amy frowned.

"Because I want to hug her."

River laughed and moved to hug Amy as the Doctor nearly crushed Jessie in a hug. "I'm not getting sent to 1969," she told him.

"I know," he whispered. "But still."

"You're a big baby when I'm not around, aren't you?"

"Oh, always," he winked, moving to check the monitor.

"So it was here?" River asked. "That was the Angel?"

"That was a projection of the Angel," the Doctor said. "It's reaching out, getting a good look at us. It's no longer dormant."

An explosion made the bunker rattle a bit, then Octavian called, "Doctor? Bad Wolf? We're through!"

The Doctor blew out a breath. "OK. Now it starts."

River frowned as Amy hung a bit behind, rubbing at her eye. "Coming?"

"Yeah, coming," Amy nodded, walking after her. "There's just something in my eye."

***

The Doctor made sure that Jessie went down first, then Amy, being the two skirt wearers and Jessie having her blaster, before the Clerics, River, and he descended. "Do we have a gravity globe?" he asked.

"Grav globe," Octavian ordered.

"Where are we?" Amy asked as they looked around the deep underground area. "What is this?"

"It's an Aplan Mortarium," River answered. "Sometimes called a Maze of the Dead."

"What's that?" Amy asked.

"It means that it's a very good hiding place for a creature of living stone," Jessie answered as the Doctor kicked the gravity globe into the air, revealing the mausoleums and statuary everywhere.

"I guess this makes it a bit trickier," Octavian frowned.

"Gee, you think?" Jessie asked sarcastically.

"A stone Angel on the loose amongst stone statues," Octavian shook his head. "A lot harder than I'd prayed for."

"A needle in a haystack," River mused.

"A needle that looks like hay," the Doctor thought. "A hay-like needle of death. A hay-alike needle of death in a haystack of . . . er . . . statues." He winced when he got a swat by Jessie. "No, yours was fine."

"Right," Octavian turned. "Check every single statue in this chamber. You know what you're looking for. Complete visual inspection. One question. How do we fight it?"

"We find it, and hope," the Doctor answered, moving off to help inspect, Jessie going another way, Amy just . . . staying put, a bit surprised at how fast they'd gone.

Octavian, however, stopped River. "He doesn't know yet, does he?" he asked. "Who and what you are?"

"It's too early in their timestream," River answered.

"Well, make sure he doesn't work it out, or he's not going to help us, no matter what she says."

"I won't let you down," River promised. "Believe me, I have no intention of going back to prison."

"Sir?" one of the Clerics called. "Side chamber, one visible exit."

"Check it out," Octavian ordered. "Angelo, go with him."

***

Amy frowned, rubbing her eye again, and she blinked, swearing she saw grey dust fall between her fingers. "You all right?" River asked, walking up to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded, watching the Doctor and the Bad Wolf inspect around a few statues. "So, what's a Maze of the Dead?"

"Oh, it's not as bad as it sounds," River laughed. "It's just a labyrinth with dead people buried in the walls." Amy stared at her, wide-eyed, and River sighed. "OK, that was fairly bad. Right, give me your arm. This won't hurt a bit."

Amy handed River her arm, and she recoiled when River injected something into her. "Ow!" she shouted.

"There, you see?" River smirked. "I lied. It's a viro-stabilizer. Stabilizes your metabolism against radiation, drive burn, anything. You're going to need it when we get up to that ship."

Amy folded her arms, watching the Doctor. "So, what's he like?" she asked. "In the future, I mean. Because you know him in the future, don't you?"

"And the Bad Wolf," River smiled, looking fondly at the girl. "She's just amazing. And the Doctor? Well, the Doctor's the Doctor."

"Oh," Amy frowned, a bit put off by how willing River was to talk about the Bad Wolf, but vague about the Doctor. "Well, that's very helpful. Mind if I write that down?"

"Yes, we are," River smirked.

Amy blinked, about to say something, when the Bad Wolf poked her head around a statue. "Say what?"

"Talking about you."

The Bad Wolf blinked. "That wasn't me."

"I wasn't listening," the Doctor huffed, hitting River's portable computer. "I'm busy."

"Ah," River smirked. "The other way up."

The Doctor blinked before turning it around. "Yeah . . . "

Amy laughed. "You're so his wife!"

River frowned, turning to her. "Oh, Amy, Amy, Amy," she chided, shaking her head. "This is the Doctor we're talking about. Do you really think it could be anything that simple?"

"Yep," Amy smirked.

River actually scowled at her, making Amy blinked, before she turned. "Bad Wolf?" she called. "Can you come here for a minute?"

The Bad Wolf frowned. "Yeah, sure," she nodded, climbing back down the stones to reach their sides. "What is it?"

"Hands," River ordered.

The Bad Wolf blinked. "What about them?"

River rolled her eyes and grabbed them, showing Amy the glittering rings she had on. "See?" she asked before calling to the Doctor. "Doctor!"

He turned as well, blinking a bit, but when River held up his wife's left hand, he nodded in understanding and raised his own left hand, his ring catching in the light of the gravity globe.

Amy's eyes widened in shock. How had she never noticed those? She narrowed her eyes a bit, pouting. They'd never even mentioned it!

The Bad Wolf sighed, seeing her reaction, and pulled her hands away from River. "Companion envy," she mumbled as she rejoined her husband.

He grinned. "But that means we're free to show emotion whenever we want, am I right?"

She eyed him. "Not in catacombs, capeche? You can kiss me all you want when we get out of here."

"Deal."

***

Jessie's head whipped around when she heard the spitting of gunfire. She ran back to the main group, one of the Clerics staring wide-eyed at one of the statues. "Sorry, sorry," he apologized quickly. "I thought it looked at me!"

"We know what the Angel looks like," Octavian frowned at him. "Is that the Angel?"

"No, sir."

"No, sir, it is not," Octavian snapped. "According to the Doctor and the Bad Wolf, we are facing an enemy of unknowable power and infinite evil, so it would be good, it would be very good, if we could all remain calm in the presence of decor."

"Now, now, hang on," Jessie reprimanded, walking up. "What's your name, soldier?"

"Bob, ma'am," he answered.

"Good name," she smiled.

"It's a Sacred Name. We all have Sacred Names. They're given to us in the service of the Church."

"Sacred Bob," Jessie nodded. "I'll bet it's more like Sacred Bob now, eh?"

Bob bowed his head. "Yes, ma'am."

"That's good," Jessie clapped him on the back. "Scared keeps you going fast. If there's anyone in this room who isn't scared, they're a moron." Bob smiled a bit, and Jessie winked. "Carry on."

"We'll be moving into the maze in two minutes," Octavian ordered as the Doctor beamed at Jessie. "You stay here with Christian and Angelo," he told Bob. "Guard the approach."

***

"Isn't there a chance this lot's just going to collapse?" Amy asked as they climbed up the stairs. "There's a whole ship up there!"

"Incredible builders, the Aplans," River admired.

"Had dinner with their Chief Architect once," the Doctor nodded. "Two heads are better than one."

"What, you mean you helped him?" Amy asked.

"No, I mean he had two heads," the Doctor grinned.

Jessie frowned, slowing down a bit as she looked from statue to statue. Why was there something bugging her about that statement?

The Doctor looked back at River. "That book, the very end. What did it say?"

"Hang on," River said, swinging her pack off of her back to get it out.

"Read it to me."

"What if we had ideas that could think for themselves?" River read aloud. "what if one day, our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The time of Angels."

Jessie blinked. "That sucks," she summed up.

The Doctor burst out laughing, and River chuckled as well, putting the book away.

Good old Jessie.

***

"Are we there yet?" Amy complained later. "It's a hell of a climb!"

"The Maze is on six levels, representing the ascent of the soul," River told her. "Only two levels to go."

"Lovely species, the Aplans," the Doctor sighed appreciatively. "We should visit them some time."

"I thought they were all dead?" Amy frowned.

"So is Virginia Woolf, and he's on her bowling team," Jessie shook her head. "Very relaxed, sort of cheerful. That's having two . . . heads . . . " She paused. "Wait a minute . . . "

Everyone turned to her. "What?"

"Does anyone else have a feeling like something's wrong?"

"Yeah," River nodded.

"Well, here's the thing." Jessie frowned, folding her arms, though her fingers were itching to get to her blaster. "The Church has laws against self-marrying, so Aplans wouldn't be short of a snog. That's the Church for you - no offense to the Bishop - "

"Quite a lot taken, if that's all right, Bad Wolf," Octavian muttered. "Lowest point in the wreckage is only about fifty feet up from here. That way."

"But the Church had a point. Divorces would have been messy if you had two heads. So, here's the million dollar question." She had her blaster out instantly, pointing at one of the statues. "Why do these statues only have one head?"

The Doctor's eyes widened as he spun around. "Oh," he said blankly.

"What?" Amy blinked.

"Oh," River breathed.

"Exactly," Jessie nodded.

"How could we have not noticed that?"

"Low level perception filter," Jessie answered. "I've used them on my rings and on the TARDIS keys before, so maybe I'm just more used to them."

"Or maybe we're all thick," the Doctor suggested.

"What's wrong, sir?" Octavian asked.

"Nobody move," the Doctor ordered. "Nobody move. Everyone stay exactly where they are." The Clerics froze in confusion. "Bishop, I am truly sorry. I've made a mistake, and we are all in terrible danger."

"What danger?"

"You're still missing it," Jessie sighed. "The Aplans have got two heads."

"Yes, I get that," Octavian frowned. "So?"

"The statues only have one," Jessie repeated.

"Everyone, over there," the Doctor ordered, pointing. "Just move. Don't ask questions, don't speak." They backed into the alcove. "OK, I want you all to switch off your torches."

"Sir?" one of the Clerics asked.

"Just do it." One by one, everyone did, except for the Doctor. "OK, I'm going to turn off this one, too, just for a moment."

"Are you sure about this?" River asked.

"No," the Doctor answered truthfully, flicking the light off for a second before quickly turning it back on.

Jessie's blaster was up a split second later as all of the statues turned to face them. "Oh, my God," Amy gasped. "They've moved!"

The Doctor ran back down one of the passages and swallowed. "They're Angels," he breathed. "All of them!"

"But they can't be!" River protested.

"Clerics, keep watching them," the Doctor ordered, running back another way. "Every single statue in this Maze, every single one, is a Weeping Angel," he breathed. "They're coming after us!"

"But there was only one Angel on the ship!" River protested. "Just the one, I swear!"

"Could they have been here already?" Amy suggested.

"The Aplans," the Doctor turned to River. "What happened? How did they die out?"

"Nobody knows."

Jessie frowned. "I think we do now."

"They don't look like Angels," Octavian frowned.

"And they're not fast," Amy added. "You said they were fast. They should have had us by now."

"Look at them," the Doctor held out his arms. "They're dying, losing their form. They must have been down here for centuries, starving."

"Losing their image?"

"And their image is power . . . "

"Power!" Jessie shouted.

The Doctor beamed. "Power!" he agreed, giving her a hug.

"Doctor?" Amy asked.

"Don't you see?" the Doctor beamed. "All that radiation spilling out the drive burn. The crash of the Byzantium wasn't an accident. It was a rescue mission for the Angels. We're in the middle of an army, and it's waking up."

"We need to get out of here, fast," River decided.

Octavian nodded, taking out his radio. "Bob, Angelo, Christian, come in, please," he said. "Any of you, come in."

"It's Bob, sir," Bob's voice said. "Sorry, sir."

"Bob, are Angelo and Christian with you? All the statues are active. I repeat, all the statues are active."

"I know, sir." Jessie frowned, turning. "Angelo and Christian are dead, sir. The statues killed them, sir."

Jessie grabbed the radio. "Bob, it's me," she said. "It's the Bad Wolf."

"I'm talking to - " Octavian began.

"Where are you now?" Jessie interrupted.

"I'm talking to my - !"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up!" Jessie snapped at him, making the Doctor chuckle and River roll her eyes fondly.

"I'm on my way up to you, ma'am," Bob said. "I'm honing in on your signal."

"Well done," Jessie smiled. "What did the Angels do to your friends?"

"Snapped their necks, sir."

The Doctor frowned, walking over. "That's odd," he said. "That's not how the Angels kill you. They displace you in time . . . unless they needed the bodies for something."

"Bob, did you check their data packs for vital signs?" Octavian asked. "We may be able to initiate a rescue plan - "

"Oh, don't be an idiot," the Doctor rolled his eyes. "The Angels don't leave you alive. Bob, keep running. But tell me, how did you escape?"

"I didn't escape, sir. The Angel killed me, too."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "What do you mean, the Angel killed you?"

"Snapped my neck, sir. Wasn't as painless as I expected, but it was pretty quick, so that was something."

"If you're dead, how can we be talking to you?"

"You're not talking to me, sir. The Angel has no voice. It stripped my cerebral cortex from my body and reanimated a version of y consciousness to communicate with you. Sorry about the confusion."

"So in other words, the Angel's coming after us," Jessie deduced.

"Yes, ma'am," Bob answered. "No way out."

"Then we get out through the wreckage," Octavian ordered. "Go! Go, go, go! All of you, run!"

"Doctor," Amy began, her hand on one of the shelves.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm coming," the Doctor waved at her as the Clerics retreated. "Just go. Go, go, go!" He turned to Octavian. "Yeah, called you an idiot. Sorry, but there's no way we could have rescued your men."

"I know that, sir," Octavian scowled. "And when you've flown away in your little blue box, I'll explain that to their families."

Jessie thwacked him on the back of the head before turning back to the radio. "Angel Bob, which Angel is this? The one from the ship?"

"Yes, ma'am. And the other Angels are still restoring."

"So the Angel's not in the wreckage. Thank you!"

She ran past Amy, but the girl still stayed behind. "Don't wait for me," the Doctor told her. "Go! Run!"

"I can't," Amy panted. "No, really, I can't!"

"Why not?"

"Look at it!" Amy wheezed, nodding at her still normal hand. "Look at my hand! It's stone!"

***

Jessie looked up at the wreckage above them. "Well, I take it that's the Byzantium."

"It's got to be thirty feet," River breathed. "How do we get up there?"

"Check all these exits," Octavian ordered the Clerics. "I want them all secure."

***

The Doctor sighed. "You looked into the eyes of an Angel, didn't you?" he asked.

"I couldn't stop myself," Amy admitted. "I tried."

"Listen to me. It's messing with your head. Your hand is not made of stone."

"It is! Look at it!"

"It's in your mind, I promise you. You can move that hand. You can let go."

"I can't, OK? I've tried, and I can't. It's stone."

"The Angel is going to come, and it's going to turn this light off, and then there's nothing I can do to stop it, so do it. Concentrate. Move your hand."

"I can't!"

The Doctor blew out a breath. "And I am not killing my wife," he said firmly. "So move your hand."

"It's stone!" Amy insisted.

"It's not stone!"

"You've got to go," Amy insisted. "Those people up there will die without you! If you stay here with me, you'll have as good as killed them!"

"No, I won't," the Doctor told her. "Amy Pond, you are magnificent, and I'm sorry."

Amy blew out a breath. "It's OK. I understand. You've got to leave me."

"Oh, no," the Doctor shook his head. "I'm not leaving you, never. I'm sorry about this."

Amy shouted when he bit her hand, yanking it away. "Ow!"

"See?" he grinned. "Not stone! Now run!"

"You bit me!" Amy yelped as they ran from the statues.

"Yeah, and you're alive."

"Look, I've got a mark! Look at my hand!"

"Yes, and you're alive. Did I mention?"

"Blimey, your teeth! Have you got space teeth?"

"Wife never complained," the Doctor smirked. "Yeah, and you're alive. All I'm saying."

***

"The statues are advancing along all corridors," one of the Clerics reported as the duo finally returned. "And, sir? My torch keeps flickering."

"They all do," Octavian nodded.

"So does the gravity globe," River pointed at the ball.

"Clerics, we're down to four men," Octavian told them. "Expect incoming."

"Yeah, it's the Angels," the Doctor told them. "They're coming. And they're draining the power for themselves."

"Which means we won't be able to see them," Octavian guessed.

"Which means we can't stay here," Jessie nodded. "What did I say? It sucks."

"Two more incoming," Octavian reported, eyeing an exit.

"Any suggestions?" River asked.

"The statues are advancing on all sides. We don't have the climbing equipment to reach the Byzantium."

"There's now ay up, no way back, no way out. No pressure, but this is usually when you two have a really good idea."

"There's a way out," the Doctor nodded. "There's always a way out."

"Doctor? Bad Wolf?" Bob's voice called. "Can I speak to the Doctor and the Bad Wolf, please?"

The Doctor frowned, taking the radio. "Hello, Angels. What's your problem?"

"Your power will not last uch longer, and the Angels will be with you shortly. Sorry, sir."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"There's something the Angels were very keen you should know before the end."

"Which is?"

"I died in fear."

Jessie narrowed her eyes. "Say that again?" she requested, her voice low and even.

"You told me my fear would keep me alive, but I died afraid, in pain and alone. You made me trust you, and when it mattered, you let me down."

Amy watched in fear as Jessie's eyes narrowed to slits, hands clenching. "What are they doing?" she whispered to River.

"They're trying to make her angry," River answered.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Bob apologized. "The Angels were very keen for you to know that."

"Well, then, the Angels have made their second mistake," the Doctor said. "Because we're not going to let that pass. I'm sorry you're dead, Bob, but I swear to whatever is left of you, they will be sorrier."

"But you're trapped, sir, and about to die."

"Yeah, I'm trapped," the Doctor grinned. "And you know what? Speaking of traps, this trap has got a great big mistake in it. A great big whopping mistake!"

"What mistake, sir?"

The Doctor turned to Amy. "Trust us," he requested.

"Yeah," Amy nodded.

"Trust us?" Jessie asked River.

She grinned. "Always, sissy."

"You lot, trust us?" the Doctor asked the Clerics.

"Sir, two more incoming!" one of them called.

Octavian nodded. "We have faith, sir," he nodded.

"Then all of you, stand back." Octavian nodded and did so as Jessie stepped forward and readjusted her blaster settings. "My wife is about to do something incredibly dangerous, but never incredibly stupid because it's her, and when she does . . . jump!"

Octavian frowned. "Jump where?"

"Just jump, high as you can," the Doctor answered. "Come on, leap of faith, Bishop! On her signal."

"What signal?"

"You're not going to miss it," Jessie assured him, raising her blaster.

"Sorry, can I ask again?" Bob spoke up. "You mentioned a mistake we made."

"Oh, big mistake," the Doctor smirked. "Huge! Didn't anyone ever tell you there's one thing you never put in a trap? If you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap, especially if you've got me in there as well."

"And what would that be, sir?"

The Doctor gave a feral grin. "My wife!"

Jessie shot at the gravity globe, and white sparks flew everywhere.

***

So, Amy definitely now knows that the Doctor and Jessie are married. But we definitely still will get that kiss at the end of "Flesh and Stone." Let's just say the interlude following is going to be hilarious to write. :P

I love River. I don't like her as much as Rose, but I definitely love her. River, however, will be one of the few characters that will get it rough from me in the future, like Mickey. I won't say what she'll be like to the Apocalypse and the Alchemist, but she will be very important to both of them in some way, whether it's good or bad. I will never, however, be evil to: Rose, Jack, Donna, Amy, Rory, or Clara. No offense to Martha or anything, but I had a feeling she was very dovey-eyed on the Doctor, so for one of my OCs, she's going to remain that way quite a bit, and there's a reason why it's that OC in particular. The Ponds will switch on and off who's the most important, but Rory will definitely be favored by Jessie in this one. And Clara . . . gosh, I can't hate her even if I tried. :) I'm telling you, I am going to love writing her into "Apocalypse Rising." :D

"Flesh and Stone" will be up ASAP (code for most likely Friday).