CHAPTER ONE: The Caged Angel

"No! Let me go! Let me go!" The man screamed and struggled against two robed men. "I've done nothing wrong! Let me go!" He was pushed down to kneel before a figure.

"My lady." The two men bowed and retreated out of the dark room.

"No, please…" The man tried to run away, but the door was locked. He banged on the wood and cried for help. "I have children! My family is waiting for me to come home." It was futile. "Let me go! Let me go!"

D*O*C*T*O*R W*H*O

The Doctor and Rose had just seen the last glimpse of Pete Tyler and retreated back into the TARDIS to go on their next adventure. Rose was sitting in the jump seat while the Doctor was using his mallet on the console.

"You know, you really need to start learning how to fly the TARDIS properly," Rose said, laughing away at the foolish man.

The Doctor quickly dismissed her, still hammering away. The TARDIS continued to shake as it flew through the time vortex until finally, it came to an abrupt stop, sending them both on to the floor. "There we go! Didn't I tell you, I know exactly how to drive her."

"Right, Doctor."

"Of course." He grinned.

"So where are we this time?"

"Paris, France – seventeen ninety. Just the beginning of the French Revolution." He opened the door and saw a small garden leading to a quaint house. "Oooh... Back into the TARDIS."

Rose gave him an odd look. "What? Why?"

"Wrong time. Off by two hundred years," he explained. "It's the twenty-first century."

Rose smiled widely at him. "Well, that's alright. It's Paris! Who cares what time it is? I'd much rather go shopping here than seeing mobs of people roam the streets in old, dirty clothes any day!"

The Doctor looked at her for a moment before shrugging. They skipped off towards a random direction.

Rose slipped in and out of shops and by the end of the day no stores were safe from her. As they made their way back to the TARDIS, a loud scream rang through the night air. They looked at each other and charged towards the source.

A crowd of teenagers were gathered in front of the entrance of an alley.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Rose asked around.

They looked at her and pointed at the motionless body. The Doctor rushed over, took his sonic screwdriver, and checked over the corpse. "No signs of how he died. Did you see what killed him?"

"When we arrived, he was already... dead," one said.

"But there are many stories," another added. "That there is a reaper among us. Killing people who are meant to die."

A dark look crossed the Doctor's face. "And who gives them the right to play God - to judge who deserves to live and who doesn't?"

The teenagers took a step back, not quite sure how to react to the sudden change.

"Come on, Rose. We're going to do some investigating and find this... reaper."

Despite the situation, the blonde was unable to resist the grin that was tugging at her lips. Never a dull moment with the Doctor!

D*O*C*T*O*R W*H*O

Not a day later, another victim was found in the Jardin du Luxembourg - one of Paris' most popular parks. The woman was in her mid-twenties with long brown hair that was scattered around her in waves. Her face was gaunt with hollow cheeks and dark bags sagged under her unblinking eyes. A shocked look was plastered on her face.

The paramedics were perplexed. There was no cause of death.

D*O*C*T*O*R W*H*O

The Doctor rang the doorbell. A man of forty opened the door. He was dressed in a white sleeveless shirt with a cigarette between his lips. He grunted, "What do you want?"

"Hello, Rob Leroy. John Smith. I'm investigating the death of your late wife, Felix Leroy. " The Doctor flashed his psychic paper at the man who grunted again and gestured him in.

"And her?"

"My partner, Rose Tyler."

"What do you want to talk about? I already told the police that I know nothing."

"How long has it been since people started dropping dead without a reason?" the Doctor inquired.

Rob sighed. "Years and years. Decades. Centuries. The police has always been trying to cover it up - keep the civilians out of control, but we have gotten smart, you know? Not like those idiots back in the days who are willing to accept anything the media throws at them. Something has been killing those people and their bloodlust is unquenchable."

"Their? So you think this is a group?" The Doctor leaned forward.

"How else would they have lasted for so long? No one lives forever and the murders have been dated back to the late eighteenth century."

"So the French Revolution?"

"Somewhere there." Rob shrugged. "It's nothing definite."

"And no one has found this person, even though it has been two hundred years?" Rose found it very hard to believe.

Rob shook his head. "Nothing, but there have been sightings of a black cloak and scythe."

"All these deaths..." the Doctor muttered. "Why hasn't it been popularized? Novels! Movies! There had to have been hundreds for Jack the Ripper. Why not this? But of course, someone who looks like a reaper, probably dismissed as such – just another myth."

"I'm sorry, but I really don't know any more."

The Doctor gave the slanted coffee table in front of him one last stare before standing up. "Well, it has been great talking with you. My partner and I will be leaving, now."

"Do you have a card? I'll call you if I find out anything else," Rob offered. "She is – was – my wife and... we have been through much together. I thought we could finally have a happy ending, you know? She just got out of rehab and everything was great again, and now..."

"Rehab?" A spark appeared in the Doctor's grey eyes. "A history of drugs?"

Rob looked down at his holey socks, rubbing his feet against each other. "Yeah, but she had been clean for two years, now. The coroner said that there were no drugs in her system at the time."

The Doctor and Rose shared a look before they said their farewells to Rob Leroy and left the man to his grieving.

"So we can rule out drugs," Rose said.

"Human drugs," the Doctor corrected. "Twenty-first century technology isn't as advanced as you think. Felix Leroy may have tried alien drugs without knowing that it is alien."

"May? So you're not sure?"

"Nope!" He grinned at her.

D*O*C*T*O*R W*H*O

After a good night's rest in the TARDIS, followed by another day of investigating, they finally had a lead. There had been unusual reports regarding an old mansion at the edge of the city, but when they arrived. The mansion didn't look old at all. It stood proud and strong in the middle of a large garden. Tall, black iron fenced away intruders, but nothing could outsmart the Doctor. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and unlocked the gate. The two slipped in as it creaked open.

The Doctor rapped on the silver cross-shaped knocker. Moments later, one side of the grand door swung open. A tall man with a pale complexion and dark hair stood in front of them. His light grey eyes silently observed the two visitors. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, yes. May we come in? I'm John Smith, investigator for the murder of Felix Leroy. This is my partner, Rose Tyler, also an investigator." He gave the man a smile.

In return, they were granted access into the mansion. The man led them into a sitting room with a white velvet Victorian-styled sofa set. The white marble fireplace, adorned with figurines, was unlit. Plush red carpet laid under their feet, soft and warm.

"What is it that you wish to know?" the man inquired.

"Well, firstly, I would like to know how to address you," the Doctor started.

"You may call me William," he answered.

"Alright, William. I have heard some interesting rumours regarding this house - well, not a house really, this mansion. How long has it been around?"

"How is that important?" William said.

"Let's just say I like to have a little background information," was the reply.

William stared at the strange man for a minute, wondering what he was trying to find out with that insignificant piece of knowledge. "This manor has been here for the greater part of the nineteenth century."

Nearly two hundred years - not bad. "Have you seen any strange... occurrences?"

"Depends what is classified as strange, Investigator Smith."

"How about people clad in black cloaks, armed with a scythe?"

The Doctor watched as William's eyes darkened. Gotcha! "I do not believe it is I that you need to speak to."

"Then who?"

"Stay here and I will come fetch you if permitted," with that said, he disappeared out the door.

They could hear his footsteps ascending up a set of stairs.

"Do you think we've finally found the murderers?" Rose asked.

"Oh, I do hope so." The excited gleam in the Doctor's eyes returned. "If not, they will have knowledge about these reapers."

For several minutes, the Doctor bounced restlessly on the sofa before William reentered the sitting room. "Follow me."

They followed the man up the stairs and through the corridors, wondering who they were going to meet. When they reached a dead end, William pulled a cord, revealing a set of stairs that continued to lead upward.

The Doctor and Rose were met with darkness. They saw tall dark shadows everywhere around them.

"My Lady, John Smith and Rose Tyler have arrived," William announced to an unknown character. He was on his knees with a hand over his heart and his head bowed down.

Bright light filled the room, illuminating every crevice. Everything was made of white marble. Pillars lined a long red carpet that led to the a woman sitting on a silver throne, cushioned with red velvet. Platinum blonde hair with loose curls framed her face, which was as pale as William's. Her eyes were like grey that shone almost white from the surroundings. "You wish to speak with me?" Her voice was monotone - robotic.

"Yes, well. I really don't want to be rude, but have you been killing the civilians?"

"No." It was a simple answer, but one that the Doctor and Rose had expected. Who would blatantly admit to killing people?

"Then do you know who did it?" The Doctor tilted his head back and looked at her accusingly.

She shook her head, but said no more.

"Come on! Give me something!" He was sure that she knew something about it. He was sure!

"My Lady, would you like for me to escort them out?" William intervened.

"No!" the Doctor protested. "I'm not done, yet!"

"Investigator John Smith and Rose Tyler, this way."

"I still have-"

"This way." There was a small tremor that shook the manor.

The Doctor, realizing that he would get nothing more for the time being, followed the man. He saw the light fade back into darkness as the stairs disappeared back into the ceiling, perfectly concealed amongst the intricate designs.

They reached the entrance before William spoke, again. "You must help her, Doctor."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "How did you- ?"

"I have heard about you. Many stories and you are the only one who can help her," he said.

"I don't understand. Why does she need helping?"

"She has been cursed with the sight of death by him. For two centuries, she has been given the responsibility of giving them peace, but even with my help, there have been many who were left behind. Some fade away into the abyss, while others are captured by lesser beings." William closed his eyes. "It is not a responsibility that she desires. She can't express it, but it kills her inside, Doctor.

"The first few years were too much for her to handle. She summoned a demon to take the pain away, but... everyone knows that it is unwise to make a deal with the devil. The plan backfired and it took everything away from her - all her emotions. All her happiness and her love. It was all gone and it wouldn't give them back." A single tear slid down his cheek. "I could not help her, then. All I could do now, is to stand beside her and assist her with her duty."

"You love her," the Doctor whispered.

"But someone such as her will never love someone like me. I am merely a servant and nothing more." William took a deep breath. "Help her, Doctor. Help her..."

The Time Lord, not one to leave someone asking for aid, agreed. They were as much victims as the murdered, but how? How can he help when he has no clue what to do?

"There is a church north from here," William started, once more. "I suspect that there will be answers there, but I have not been able to go in. Something prevents me from entering its doors."

"Alright, church. North. Got it!" The Doctor was renewed with energy. "Come on, Rose!"

D*O*C*T*O*R W*H*O

The church didn't look ominous. It didn't have evil-looking gargoyles. It didn't have guards surrounding it. All that's unusual was the word 'Bad Wolf' graffiti on it, but kids these days would vandalize anything.

"I guess we'd better start our investigation!" He walked through the front doors with Rose close behind. The door slammed open and dozens of heads turned to stare at them. "Ohh... Sorry! Don't mind us. We're just... going to go over there and sit..."

The preacher began the verses once everything was quiet, again. The Doctor slipped away part way through, leaving Rose at the pews.

Where would whatever he was looking for be? His sonic screwdriver had not been picking up anything out of the ordinary.

"What are you doing here?" A voice suddenly rang from behind him. "Service is still in session."

The Doctor turned around with a smile on his face. "Sorry! I was looking for the bathroom. You don't happen to know where it is, would you?"

The Father pursed his lips. "It is to the left in the entrance way."

"Right! Thank you very much. I'll be on my way now!" He wandered off, rounded the corner, and peeked back to see that the Father was already gone. "Well, now. Where could he have come from...?" His hands rapped on different parts of the wall and finally found a hollow spot. He pulled on a nearby lamp and the wall slid away. "Fantastic!"

There was a long spiral staircase that led down into the unknown. It was a long trek, but the trip was absolutely worth it. There were stone tablets and alien technology just waiting to be explored by the Doctor, but it would have to wait for three very unhappy priests with shining blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and large white wings were behind him. "Oh. Hello!"

"Who are you?" they spoke in unison.

"I'm the Doctor. Nice to meet you!"

"Leave. You are unwelcome."

"Yes, well... I'll be going as soon as I find..." He quickly looked around and grinned widely. "This!" He ran towards a glowing orb on a pedestal. "The Orb of Cathlaya..." His eyes wanted back to the priests. "That would make you the Seraphixians - a long forgotten species that were mistaken for angels. Ooh... But you are nothing like them. You're more like... the angels of death - no mercy in you. None at all." He turned to the orb that was now in his hand. "Now, what would happen if I do... this!"

The orb shattered as it reached the floor. Wisps of silver mist spiraled upward and disappeared.

"You have defied God. Now you shall be judged!" They were holding hands, shining gold. "You shall be punished!"

A beam of light made its way towards the Doctor. He ducked and ran towards the stairs, they were blasted by another beam. "Okay, not this way. Not this way..."

"You shall be judged!" they roared, again.

"No," another voice intercepted. "It is you who shall be judged."

The Doctor dove behind one of the machines as bright light filled the entire room before disappearing. He peeked out and saw only one glowing figure. "Hello, again."

"Thank you, Doctor." She turned towards him. "Come, let us depart." White feathered wings burst from her back.

He took her hand and the two of them began to ascend, but he suddenly stopped her. He dropped three feet down and ran to the other side of the room. "Ah ha!" He held another orb in his hand. "The Orb of Durasia." It, too, fell to the ground and burst into hundreds of shards.

A gasp reached his ears. He turned to see the woman crumble on to the ground. "Are you alright?" he asked, kneeling before her, screwdriver already in hand.

"I-" Her voice cracked. "It... hurts... Hurts..." Tears fell from her grey eyes, pouring down her cheeks. "Why does it hurt...?"

He held her against him. "It'll pass. It's just the contract breaking. Your emotions are returning and it'll take some time to get used to them. You'll be alright, soon. Right as rain! Or... maybe left as rain..." He rocked her in his arms as she continued to cry. "It's alright. You'll be alright."

"Doctor!" He heard Rose's voice echo down. "Doctor, are you there?"

"Just a moment!" he replied.

The woman before him took a deep breath and stood up. "Come, let us get out of here." Her voice was soft and airy. Much different from how she spoke before. She stretched out her wings and the two of them began to ascend, once more.

"You are not leaving, Adreanna." She let out a gasp as a burst of light went through her right wing.

"Fly, Doctor..." He felt a force push him upward, straight into Rose who was learning against the doorway.

He scrambled to his feet, just in time to see her glowing body hit the ground with a sickening crack. "No! No, no, no, no, no!" Another glowing figure was near her. Why hadn't it occurred to him that there could have been more than just three priests?! "Oooh... Now I'm really angry! And you won't like it when I'm angry."

The Seraphixian flew up towards him at an alarming pace.

"Run, Rose!"

"What?!" the blonde exclaimed. "You're angry! Shouldn't you have a plan?!"

"Nope! No plan, yet," he replied. "Just have to make it up as we go along."

They found the back door and rounded it to head back to the TARDIS, but another winged-alien blocked their path. "This way! This way!"

Familiar black iron gates reached their sight as they continued to run. "William! William! Gate! Gate!"

The man walked out from behind the door as the gates opened. "Daclaneron. Taclaneron. It was a mistake to show yourselves here. You were better off hiding behind your church walls." The earth began to tremor. Vines shot up from the rose bushes and wound themselves around the flying beings. "Perish!"

"Rose, duck!"

They dove under two benches just as a rain of blood and entrails poured around them.

D*O*C*T*O*R W*H*O

William sat on the bed beside the platinum blonde who laid lifelessly. "My lady…"

The Doctor closed his eyes. Not another one. Why couldn't he just save one? Just one…

A warm hand touched his shoulder comfortingly. Rose looked at him with doe-like eyes and smiled warming at him. "She's going to be alright, Doctor."

He didn't reply, but stroked her hand in appreciation.

William took one last look at Adreanna before walking off.

Not long after, Adreanna's fingers twitched. The Doctor rushed over and watched her intently. "Come on. Come on, you amazing girl! You can do it!"

Her body shuddered before her eyes fluttered open. "W-william?"

The Doctor grinned widely at her. "Nope!"

She gasped and jerked up at the foreign face. Her head collided with his chin and they both groaned in pain. "Ow…" She rubbed her head. "That hurt…"

"Well, yeah. Hurt me, too," the Doctor said, a hand on his chin. "Why did you go and do that for?"

"You frightened me!" she blurted out before blinking in confusion. "Oh…" She felt fear. She moved a hand to rest above her heart, which was pounding from the startle. "It feels… familiar… wonderful!" Her eyes brightened.

"What?" Rose looked at her in surprise. Why would fear feel wonderful?

The Doctor grinned at her. "It does, doesn't it? Makes you feel alive!"

Adreanna beamed at him. "Oh, I am happy. I like feeling happy." She touched her face experimentally, feeling the edges of her quirked lips. "Happy's good."

"Happy's fantastic!"

After a moment of celebrating she frowned and looked around. "Where is William?"

They shrugged. "He walked out."

Adreanna slowly got out of bed and balanced on her wobbly legs. She walked out without a word. "William?" She looked through every room in the spacious mansion. "William, where are you?"

Eventually, she found him standing in the library with his back towards her. "William?"

His dark hair was flowing gently in the wind that seemed to be coming from a source in front of him. "My Lady, I am glad that you are feeling better."

She smiled and began to walk towards him, but when he turned, she froze. In his hand was an orb that was glowing blue. With him facing her, she could feel the power that was pulsing from the sphere. "I am very glad that you are feeling better. He would kill me if I let you go."

"What are you speaking of?" Adreanna frowned. "Who is going to kill you?"

William gave her a mirthless smile. "I cannot tell you, My Lady, and I apologise for what I must do."

Adreanna took a step back when she spotted two hooded figures in front of her. "Why…?'

He said nothing.

She turned and ran towards the door, but had to stop when two more appeared, blocking her way. They began to cage her. "William, please. Do not do this. We will leave. We can find somewhere to hide where no one can find us."

"Do not worry, My Lady, you will not feel fear, any longer."

From the other side of the door, there was an odd whirling sound before a click. The Doctor and Rose burst through the door. "Leave her alone, William."

"Get rid of them," William ordered.

The Doctor looked at him before spotting a radio. "Perfect!"

"What?" Rose asked. "What's perfect?"

"What are you doing?" William frowned when he saw the mad man stand beside the radio.

"Never ever let me stand by the radio!" He activated his screwdriver, again, and the small electronic device let out a high pitch sound. "Come on!" He rushed over and grabbed Adreanna's hand.

"We cannot out run him."

"Of course, we can," the Doctor argued. "Watch, here we are out running hi-"

Suddenly, the plants in the vases around them burst into life. They grew in an inexplicable rate and the path in front of them was completely blocked. "This way! This way!" He led them into a room and locked the door. "Alright, three floors down. I'll go down first and…" He trailed off when he saw the grass begin to grow. "And I will wait here…"

Adreanna let out a slow breath of air before releasing her wings, unfortunately, while her body was alright, one of her wings still had a hole in it.

The Doctor slowly walked over and looked at it. "Why isn't it healing?"

"I am half human, Doctor. Most of the powers that you saw came from the orbs," she explained. "When they were destroyed, I used the last of it in the church. My normal healing factor is rather… slow. Much slower than one in a human being, even. I will be alright, soon enough."

"That's great, but how are we gonna get out?" Rose asked, looking anxiously at the door. Vines were starting to creep from the bottom crevice.

"This house is old," Adreanna said. "There are secrets here that even I do not know."

"What does that mean?" Rose frowned.

"It means that there are hidden passages!" the Doctor exclaimed, excitedly. "Touch everything! Every book, every candle holder, every chair!"

They scrambled around, leaving a mess in their wake before Rose finally cried out in triumph. "I found it!"

The glass table began to sink down, revealing a steep staircase. Without a second thought, the three ran down into the darkness. The spiral staircase led to a shrine with a large mirror. There were seven unlit candles sitting in front of the mirror on a marble table.

"What is that?" Rose asked, staring at the setup.

Above them, they could hear that the hooded figures had found out where they went. There was a descent of white feathers.

"No time!" the Doctor exclaimed and they were running, again. "Come on!"

They didn't know where they were running, but eventually, they found a wooden door. The Doctor wrenched it open and saw that it led into a beautiful rose garden. He was hesitant to enter, but with their pursuers so close behind, he led the girls through.

"This is my favourite part of the garden," Adreanna murmured. "I spent so much time to William here…"

The Doctor looked back to see her downcast eyes. "No time to reminisce."

Eventually, the three of them arrived on the streets outside of the gates of the manor. The sound of flapping wings signified that they had no time to slow down. "This way! This way!" The Doctor ducked to dodge a ball of blue light. "Haven't had this much exercise in a while!"

"I could do with less, Doctor!" Rose commented jokingly, knowing full well that if she were to keep travelling with the Doctor, this was inevitable. Her eyes quickly lit up when she spotted the familiar blue box around the corner. "The TARDIS!"

The Doctor raced forward and quickly inserted the key into the keyhole. He opened the door and ushered the two girls in. Before he was able to close the door, another ball of light flew towards him and hit the console. The console sparked and the TARDIS let out a sickening groan. The Doctor slammed the door shut and began to crank the wheel and pulled the lever.

Adreanna's widened when the TARDIS shook violently, making her lose balance and crashed on to the metal grated floor.

"Well, that was… fun," Rose ended with a grin at the Doctor who grinned back at her.

"That was fantastic!" he replied.

Adreanna still seemed to be in a state of shock as she looked around. "It… This was a small blue box!"

The Doctor waited expectantly at her. "Mon dieu, it is bigger on the inside! What is this place?"

"We're inside the TARDIS," he stated. "That is Time and Relative Dimensions in Space."

"So we're… technically in another dimension?"

"Exactly."

Adreanna breathed in deeply and exhaled several times. "Where… are you going to take me, now?"

"Anywhere you want to go," he replied, happily. "I can take you to seventeen ninety – the start of the French Revolution or – "

"Let's not, Doctor." Rose laughed. "Last time you tried to go there, we ended up here!"

"This is a time machine?" He couldn't possibly be serious.

"And a space machine. It's in the name – Time and Relative Dimensions in Space." The Doctor gave her an appraising look. "Or… if you have nowhere else to go, you can stay here… with us."

Adreanna wasn't sure if she would be able to handle living with them. From what she could tell, the Doctor and Rose lived a very dangerous life. Was it something she wanted? Her long two and a half century life had been relatively monotonous up until this point. "Alright. If you will have me, I will stay."

The Doctor grinned happily and pulled down another lever.

Maybe this wasn't exactly what she wanted, but perhaps it is exactly what she needed.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Doctor Who or anything you recognise!

This is actually a story I've written three years ago. I've gone over and changed some things. Hopefully it's to your liking.

For this story, I'm hoping to still abide by the canon plot, but putting my own original twists to weave in and out of what you are already familiar with.

I welcome constructive feedback and will always strive to do better.

S.A.K.