This one took forever! There were so many unusable words of the day in a row! I hope this doesn't happen all the time. If you're wondering what exactly a "Dictionary Drabble" is, there is an explanation at the very bottom of my profile. Reviews, as always, are loved and appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. I can dream that the Master belongs to me, though!

ersatz (adj.):

"being a substitute or imitation, usually an inferior one"

It wasn't until Amy explained her wedding that the similarities began to surface.

He had chalked the ginger hair up to coincidence. Lots of people were ginger. Except him, of course.

Amy had a fiery personality to match that ginger hair, despite the child that was still hidden deep in her mind. It was easy for him to hide things from her, and not simply because she was easily distracted. That child still held on to the fanciful notion that he was her Raggedy Doctor, a perfect hero in his time machine. Perfect was one word that had never been accurate in describing him.

He remembered another ginger, one not so long ago, when he was a different man. She had a fiery personality as well, but one that he could hide nothing from. He had been an open book to her; admittedly, he had needed that. She knew he wasn't perfect, but she also knew he didn't have to be. He was a living being just as she was and though she always saw him as a different species, she still saw him as being like her; someone she could truly connect with. They had understood one another as two people rarely ever do; completely, without judgment.

This face didn't need anyone to understand him, he thought. This face was different. This face could cast away its past and practically ignore it. Perhaps that wasn't the best course of action, but he had always been so good at running. River's appearance always reminded him of that other ginger, the one who had been here before and had known him so well. They had met each other, after all.

But he had Amy now. Amy was fairly intelligent and brought that ginger spark back into the TARDIS, though the spark itself glowed dimly in comparison. He briefly wondered if that was why he had come back for her. He was fully aware that Amy was not Donna; she didn't even feel the same. But the similarities were right in front of his nose, almost taunting him; he couldn't leave her behind a second time, even if this version of her was completely different. He knew that those differences kept the pain away from his heart when he looked at her, but also kept Donna at the back of his mind, an acceptable balance and reminder of what he'd done. He could only run away from so much.

She was an ersatz replacement for his best friend, but Pond would certainly do.