Doctor's POV

I did not like that note. Not one bit.

I sat in numb shock, digesting what I had just read. Emma had gone back to work on the antidote, and Amy and Rory went to help her, leaving me alone with my TARDIS. The poison was clearly paining her; more wood grains had fallen off and she shuddered when someone touched her. I hoped they could cure her.

I went back to watching the screen. The Child hadn't moved. I sighed and buried my face in my arms. "Please let my TARDIS be okay, please..."

Emma came in. "What you say?"

"Nothing," I mumbled. "The she-demon hasn't moved. Should we investigate?"

"Suicide mission? Yes. But worth the risk? Yes."

"Everything for you is worth the risk," I murmured.

"Yeah, that's why I call it my fatal flaw," Emma clamped a hand over her mouth. "I didn't say that."

"Everyone's got a fatal flaw, Emma. Nothing to be ashamed of," I said. She looked away. "I'm going. Don't tell Amy and Rory."

I stood up. "You are not leaving without me, Emma. No way." I paused, and said, "What about the antidote?"

"Needs to stew for seven hours. Should give us enough time," she cocked her head. "Should we bring Amy and Rory?"

"I think we should ask them," I suggested. Emma nodded and left. I sat back. The screen flickered and another message appeared.

I warned you. You paid no heed. You will regret it.

I read this message a couple of times, then yelled, "EMMA!!!"

Emma's POV

I heard the Doctor yell, "Emma!!!" and I ran down the last corridor, Amy and Rory following. I burst into the control room and looked at the mini screen. I read the message, and my eyes widened.  "Doctor we have to go. She's trying to scare us. Doctor, we need to go!"

He turned to face me. Then he stood up. "Let's go." I turned to the Doctor. "Use the TARDIS?"

He nodded. I pulled it into motion, and we were off.

Doctor's POV

Emma stepped out of the TARDIS. She would call if the coast was clear. If not, then... well, there's no point in explaining.

She didn't. I stepped out, and a horrible sight met my eyes.

The Child was holding Emma by the scruff of her neck. There was a hole in the thin ice covering the Hudson. The US army was there, but they looked... dazed. Possessed. Like Amy, so many months ago. All of the sudden, a bunch of army people grabbed me and tied me to a tree. I fought and kicked, but they were so much stronger.

Now, now. Stop fighting, Doctor, or watch your friend die! I heard the voice in my head, but I knew it was coming from the Child. I looked at the TARDIS, where Amy and Rory where waiting in the doorway. I mouthed two words: Stay inside. They stepped in and shut the door before I had rope tied over my mouth then had it duct-taped shut.

Emma's POV

When I slowly woke up, I realized what had happened. The Doctor and I were captured and I didn't know where Amy and Rory were. I struggled against the Child, trying to kick her, punch her, but she only tightened her grip harder. Now, now, Emma, stop fighting or I'll make your little friend watch you die!, chided the she-demon.

I screamed, "Never!"

She laughed. So predictable. My sister, Emma. I saw the Doctor's eyes widen in disbelief. I struggled harder, but she swung her scythe at me. I grabbed it and yanked her off her feet. This was the distraction I needed, but I had nowhere to run. Except... the river. I sprinted across the ice, only to slip and find myself splashing into the hole. I forced my head back in the hole and screamed, "Doctor! The Child's scythe-" a pair of hands shoved me back under, but I clawed at them until they got off. I resurfaced, took a great gulp of air and continued yelling, "drains of her power-" once more I was pushed back under, but I managed to come back up. Spitting hair and water out of my mouth, I screamed, "And she becomes Time Lord again!"

This time, the Child used the handle of her scythe to shove me back under, and under the ice, nearly breaking my neck in the process. My foot caught on something, but I couldn't pull it back out. I continued to yell warnings to the Doctor, my lungs filling with water, my vision dimming, and soon I was no more, just a corpse, floating in the Hudson River, my watery grave.

Doctor's POV

I struggled against my bindings as I watched Emma repeatedly get pushed back under. When she didn't resurface, I lost hope. She was dead. I could feel tears trickling down my face, but I couldn't wipe away; my hands were tied to the tree. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amy and Rory coming out of the TARDIS. They rushed to my side, trying to undo my bindings. Amy ripped the duct tape off my mouth-which hurt- and removed the rope that was in my mouth. I gasped, "We have to find her,"

"But Doctor, she dro-" began Amy, but cut her off angrily. "We have to find her! I don't care if she drowned. We have to find her!" my voice had risen to a scream. I struggled against my bindings. Rory ran to the TARDIS and came out holding a knife. "Doctor, stop struggling, I don't want to cut you," said Rory. To my surprise, I stopped. He saw desperately at the rope, but it was very thick and wouldn't cut very well. They both kept at it, and eventually, I was free. I shook my wrists and faced the Child, who had came over to investigate. I wiped off my face and said, "You just killed my friend, and now you are facing a very angry Time Lord. Not a good spot to stand, mate," and I surprised her by a nice punch to the face. I ran to the hole Emma had gone down and plunged in.

I had not expected the water to be this cold, but then, it was winter. It felt like thousands of knifes were poking at my skin. I ignored the frigidness and focused on finding Emma. Unfortunately, it was so pitch black, I could hardly see a foot in front of me. I groped with my hands, feeling for a body, never going to far from the hole, but with no luck. My lungs started burning, and I realized I needed air. I felt the ice for the hole, then hit the ice hard with both hands. It cracked. I continued hitting it with my fists until I made a hole large enough for my body. I took a great gulp of icy cold air, then plunged back under. I felt something hard hit my head, then I caught something. A flashlight. I switched it on.

The flashlight helped pierce the darkness. I found her, foot caught on a tire from a car, hair swirling around her like the robes of the Child. I grabbed her and pulled her to the hole. I hauled myself out, keeping one hand on her arm, then pulled her out. Rory came over. I gasped, "Rory, take her to the TARDIS... do CPR... remember, Time Lords... have... two hearts... I'll deal with the Child." He nodded, scooped Emma in his arms, and ran to the TARDIS, Amy following. I faced the Child. "You said something, about Emma being your sister. Is that true? Is there something she never told me?"

Yes, my Doctor. Emma Lair. She was the one who found me, oh yes. Emma hides everything. Emma isn't her real name. I would share it, but it would kill you. she threw her head back and laughed, a nerve-racking, bone chilling laugh. I faced her and fought the urge to bolt. "Emma said something... before she died. About your scythe. What would happen if I took it away from you? You never seem to part with it. You even held it in your prison. Why is that?"

You'll never find out. Do you want to know why? she swung her scythe at me. Because you will be dead by then!

I was expecting it, though. I caught right below the blade- one wrong move, and I died- and twisted just right. The Child was sent flying off her feet into her army. I sprinted towards the TARDIS, feeling my frozen clothing scratching at my skin.

Rory's POV

It was Amy's idea to give him the flashlight. It proved helpful for him, though he dropped it in the river.

I dropped Emma on the TARDIS floor. In the corner of my eye, I could see the Doctor's TARDIS. Bits of wood grain was in a pile by one side. I ignore that and started CPR on Emma. One, two, three, four. I did the same for the other heart. One, two, three, four. Then I took a deep breath and-

I got shoved away from her by the Doctor. He did the same thing I had been doing, only a tad harder, tears dripping down from his nose onto Emma's chest. As he worked on reviving Emma, I could hear him muttering, "Come on, come on, Emma, you can do this, just please, don't leave me...." over and over. As he lifted his head from doing the lip-to-lip thing, Emma suddenly gave a great shudder and threw up all the water she had inhaled. The Doctor sat back on the TARDIS floor, smiling, then, after Emma gave a few more coughs, hugged her so tightly she was gasping for breath. I looked at Amy, and she got the message: Leave them be. She nodded, and we left the room.

Emma's POV

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break from the Doctor's rib-crushing hug. He held me there so long I fell asleep, not believing that only a few minutes before I had been dead, that I was alive, and it just all hit me so hard that I slumped in the Doctor's arms and passed out.

Doctor's POV

Emma was alive! I was so happy, I couldn't stop hugging her. She fell asleep, and I laid her down and found a blanket, which I used to cover her. She looked so peaceful, so calm. I didn't like thinking of that same face on a dead body. I knelt down, gently kissed her on the cheek, then set off to find Amy and Rory.