I apologise so much for this story. ( originally posted Jan 2014 )
"Constantinople!" the Doctor cries, flinging open the doors of the TARDIS.
"Constantinople?" Amy asks, peering around him on one side, Rory a step or two behind. The city gleams in the late afternoon, orange and gold. It's a beautiful sight — but she can also see cars and telephone wires; if she had to guess, they weren't more than a few years outside of her and Rory's own time. She wrinkles her brow. "That's not right — this is Istanbul, isn't it? I can see the Hagia Sophia." It's hard to miss; she'd actually quite like to visit it while they're here.
"Istanbul was Constantinople," Rory supplies, just as impressed by the view from the rooftop they've landed upon. "They changed it… I dunno, a hundred years ago?" Although he doesn't mention it now, he spent some time in the city in the alternate timeline. It looks completely different now, and he's glad of it.
"Been a long time gone, Constantinople," the Doctor says gravely, taking the first steps outside. The evening is balmy and pleasant, with just a hint of a breeze. Rory is about to ask why he keeps calling it Constantinople. Amy sees the gleam in the Doctor's eyes and feels the first sinkings of dread, although she has no idea why. The Doctor claps his hands together in delight. "Now it's a Turkish delight!" He spins a hundred and eighty degrees to face them again, spreading his arms out as if to say all of this is yours. "On a moonlit night!" They're a bit too early for that — can't be past six — but it's a strangely charming gesture in the way that the Doctor's often are.
"It's like New York," Rory says conversationally — then he stops short for a beat before continuing, "It… was once New Amsterdam."
"Why'd they change it?" Amy asks. They're on some sort of rooftop garden; there's a railing at the edge of the roof and she leans her arms on it and looks out at the city.
"I can't say," the Doctor replies, humming with excitement, "People must have liked it better that way."
Amy gives him a sidelong look; he is possibly a bit too excited for the circumstances. She gives Rory a look, but he's frowning at the Doctor in suspicion. "Soo, let's go back to Constantinople," she suggests, since obviously there is something going on with that city that isn't going on here.
"No; you can't go back to Constantinople," the Doctor says, practically leaping from really suspicious excitement to Amy's side. "Been a long time gone," he slings an arm around her shoulder, "Constantinople." He stares at her expectantly, but Amy is starting to feeling pretty confused about this whole trip, to be honest.
It's Rory who, with a sigh, breaks the silence as though he's reading a line; "Why did Constantinople get the works?" he asks, leaning backwards against the railing on the Doctor's other side, crossing his arms over his chest.
The Doctor grins like it's Christmas; disengages from Amy and grabs Rory's face in both hands before giving him a rather wet kiss on the forehead in one swift movement. "That's nobody's business but the Turks!"