The Doctor fiddled with the communicator and soon, Amy's voice came through. "Hello? Hello?"
"Amy? Amy? Is that you?" the Doctor asked her.
"Doctor?"
"Where are you? Are the Clerics with you?"
"They've gone. There was a light and they walked into the light. Doctor, they didn't even remember each other".
"No, they wouldn't".
"What is that light?" River asked.
"Time running out. Amy, I'm sorry, I made a mistake. I should never have left you there", the Doctor said.
"Well, what do I do now?" Amy asked.
"You come to us. The Primary Flight Deck, the other end of the forest".
"I can't see. I can't open my eyes".
"Turn on the spot".
"Sorry, what?"
"Just do it. Turn on the spot". He held his sonic screwdriver up to the communicator. "When the communicator sounds like my screwdriver that means you're facing the right way. Follow the sound. You have to start moving now. There's Time Energy spilling out of that crack, and you have to stay ahead of it".
"But the Angels, they're everywhere".
"I'm sorry, I really am, but the Angels can only kill you".
"What does the Time Energy do?"
"Just keep moving!"
"Tell me".
"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. Now, keep your eyes shut and keep moving".
"It's never going to work", River told him.
"What else have you got! River! Tell me!"
Elise hid behind River's legs and the Doctor sighed.
He hadn't meant to scare her. He knew he shouldn't lash out when he got angry, but sometimes he couldn't help himself. He had to be better about that in the future.
"What's that?" River asked, hearing a clanging noise coming from above them in the ship.
"The Angels running from the fire", the Doctor told her, "They came here to feed on the Time Energy, now it's going to feed on them. Amy, listen to me". He soniced the communicator. "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 till the beeping stops. Because, Amy, this is important. The forest is full of Angels. You're going to have to walk like you can see".
"Well, what do you mean?"
"Look, just keep moving".
"That Time Energy, what's it going to do?" River asked.
The Doctor rubbed his eyes. "Keep eating".
"How do we stop it?"
"Feed it".
"Feed it what?"
"A big, complicated space time event should shut it up for a while".
"Like what, for instance?"
"Like me, for instance!"
Elise started to cry, clutching onto River's legs. She wanted to go back to the TARDIS. This wasn't fun anymore.
A high pitched beeping noise came over the communicator.
"What's that?" Amy asked.
"It's a warning. There are Angels round you now", the Doctor told her, "Amy, listen to me. This is going to be hard but I know you can do it. The Angels are scared and running, and right now they're not that interested in you. They'll assume you can see them and their instincts will kick in. All you've got to do is walk like you can see. Just don't open your eyes. Walk like you can see".
The beeping continued.
"You're not moving. You have to do this. Now". The Doctor slammed his hand down on the monitor repeatedly. "You have to do this!"
A few seconds later, Amy appeared next to Elise and River in a flash of light.
River grabbed her. "Don't open your eyes. You're on the Flight Deck", she told her.
"The Doctor's here. I teleported you". River gave the Doctor a smug smile. "See? Told you I could get it working".
"River Song, I could bloody kiss you".
"Ah well, maybe when you're older".
An alarm started going off.
"What's that?" River asked.
"The Angels are draining the last of the ship's power, which means the shield's going to release", the Doctor said.
The wall in front of them rose and an army of angels stood there.
"Angel Bob, I presume", he said, addressing the angel in front holding a communicator.
"The Time Field is coming. It will destroy our reality".
"Yeah, and look at you all, running away. What can I do for you?"
"There is a rupture in time. The Angels calculate that if you throw yourself into it, it will close, and they will be saved".
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Could do, could do that. But why?"
"Your friends will also be saved".
"Well, there is that".
River walked up to the Doctor. "I've traveled in time. I'm a complicated space time event too. Throw me in".
"Oh, be serious. Compared to me, these Angels are more complicated than you, and it would take every one of them to amount to me, so get a grip".
"Doctor, I can't let you do this".
"No, seriously, get a grip".
"You're not going to die here!"
"No, I mean it. River, Amy, get a grip".
River finally realized his plan. "Oh, you genius".
"Sir, the Angels need you to sacrifice yourself now", Angel Bob told him.
"Thing is, Bob, 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..."
River grabbed Amy's hand and placed it on a handle attached to the console. "You hold on tight and don't you let go for anything", she told her. River grabbed Elise and placed her in front of her. "Hold on tight, sweetie".
"Night, night", the Doctor said as the gravity failed.
One by one the angels fell back into the crack and it snapped shut.
Amy sat on the beach with a blanket over her shoulders while Elise stood over by River. "Ah. Bruised everywhere", Amy groaned.
"Me too", the Doctor said.
"You didn't have to climb out with your eyes shut".
"Neither did you. 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 at all? Those guys on the ship didn't remember each other".
"You're a time traveler now. Amy. It changes the way you see the universe, forever. Good, isn't it?"
Amy laughed. "And the crack, is that gone too?"
"Yeah, for now. But the explosion that caused it is still happening. Somewhere out there, somewhere in time".
The Doctor walked over to River and Elise.
"You, me, handcuffs", River said, raising her hands, "Must it always end this way?"
"What now?" the Doctor asked her.
"The prison ship's in orbit. They'll beam me up any second. I might have done enough to earn a pardon this time. We'll see".
"Octavian said you killed a man".
"Yes, I did".
"A good man".
"A very good man. The best man I've ever known".
"Who?"
River laughed. "It's a long story. Doctor. It can't be told, it has to be lived. No sneak previews. Well, except for this one. You'll see me again quite soon, when the Pandorica opens".
"The Pandorica". The Doctor laughed and then leaned in towards River's ear. "That's a fairy tale".
"Doctor, aren't we all? I'll see you there".
"I look forward to it".
"I remember it well". River knelt down in front of Elise. "Be a good girl for daddy, okay?"
Elise nodded and lightly tapped River's forehead with her own.
River got a burst of memories and feelings from it and smiled. She kissed the little girl's forehead as Amy walked up to them.
"Bye, River".
"See you, Amy". River's handcuffs started to beep continuously. "Oh, I think that's my ride".
"Can I trust you, River Song?" the Doctor asked.
"If you like. Ha, but where's the fun in that?" River disappeared in a tornado of smoke.
The Doctor turned to stare out across the water.
"What are you thinking?" Amy asked him.
"Time can be rewritten".
When they entered the TARDIS, the Doctor carried Elise to her room. "Okay, little one. Time for bed", he told her.
Elise whined as the Doctor laid her down in her bed.
"No, none of that. Go to sleep", he said.
Elise's big blue eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip quivered.
The Doctor sighed and picked her up again. "I'm sorry about today. I didn't mean to get so upset", he told her as he rubbed her back.
Elise wrapped her arms around his neck.
He grabbed her blanket and her bear and sat down in a rocking chair.
The TARDIS had created a large window that allowed Elise to see the stars.
The Doctor covered Elise with the blanket and stroked her head where it lay on his chest as he thought about how to help her fall asleep the fastest. An idea hit him. "Why are there so many songs about rainbows? And what's on the other side..." he sang.
The song was from an old Disney movie.
He'd have to sit Elise down and watch it with her one day. He gently rocked back and forth as he sang and soon enough, Elise was fast asleep in his arms.
The Doctor carefully stood up and carried her to her bed. "Goodnight Elise". He leaned down and kissed her head, before leaving the room.