INT: TARDIS - NIGHT
THE DOCTOR leans on the console. Total silence. A good 10 seconds of silence. AMY doesn't know what to say. She's silently crying. The Doctor stares at the console. Mourning the life he's about to give up. The Doctor looks up. He's smiling again.
He limps around the console and flicks a few buttons.
Amy is silent. In shock.
THE DOCTOR
Oi, Pond.
Amy looks up, her eyes filling with tears.
THE DOCTOR
What you crying for? It's all over now. No doubt The Masters a billion light years away. Oh come on Pond! No need to cry about it. (He jokes)
AMY
Doctor, please.
THE DOCTOR
What was one of the very first things I told you? Do you remember? (beat) I told you to believe. Believe in everything. Believe in yourself, believe in me. You need to trust me Amelia.
AMY
I trust you more than anything else in the world.
The Doctor gives a slight chuckle. His smile fades as he is thrust back, a cold blue energy blasting him back away from the TARDIS console. Amy screams and rushes to his aid.
AMY
Doctor!? What's happening?
THE DOCTOR
Time Lords… aren't like regular humans. We may look the same physically, but our life cycle is incredibly different to yours…
BLAST. The Doctor screams again. His hands gripping onto the console. Amy rushes to him. The Doctor pushes her back.
THE DOCTOR
….We have more than one life. We can change our face, our personality. It's.. It's called Regeneration.
The Doctor falls to his knees. He gasps. An ice blue glow spirals out of his mouth, it angelically wraps itself around his head, then disappears.
Amy is shocked. The Doctor notices this, and gives a faint chuckle.
THE DOCTOR
Pre-Regenerative Energy. Nothing that can't be helped. (beat) Ohhhh. Oh Amy Pond. The girl who waited. The girl who travelled through time and space. Who saw the stars and it's wonders within. Stuck in an old Blue Box, with a dying man.
AMY
You're… you're dying…?
THE DOCTOR
Well. Yes and no. (beat) A friend once told me something, and old and wise friend. Sarah Jane, she was called. Sarah Jane Smith. "Everything has it's time. And Everything ends."
The Doctor gracefully pulls himself up to his feet.
AMY
How long have you got?
THE DOCTOR
Well judging by the sheer force of that energy I'll say about 5 minutes.
AMY
But.. but you said you can change your face?
THE DOCTOR
I know I did. I'll become a totally different person. That's good in a way. It lets me start a fresh. Broaden my horizons!
The Doctor goes to do his trademark swirl around the console room. He can't. It's too much. He collapses. In pain. Unbearable agony. Amy screams. The Doctor splutters. Fighting the pain back. A few seconds of silence. He looks at Amy.
THE DOCTOR
Do you remember when we first met, Amelia?
AMY
You crashed in my back garden.
THE DOCTOR
Do you even wonder why I crashed in your back garden? How it actually happened? (beat) You were the first person I saw with these eyes. A little girl, in her dressing gown. Praying to Father Christmas to get her wall fixed.
AMY
You mean. Whats happening now, happened then? Before you met me, you looked different? When you met me, you'd just changed?
THE DOCTOR
Oh, Amy Pond. Impossible Amy Pond. You wouldn't have liked him… well me. Long coat, silly hair. Well you might have liked him. Everyone else seemed to. Except me. (beat) Fish fingers! Remember the fish fingers Amelia? Custard. Lovely. Prisoner Zero. Whales. Vampires. VAN GOGH. Churchill. Remember old Winston? RORY THE ROMAN.
BLAST. Another bust of energy. Amy yelps, The Doctor grits his teeth. He doesn't want to show it. The pain. Oh, the pain.
THE DOCTOR
PIRATES! Remember the Pirates Amelia!?
AMY
Doctor.
THE DOCTOR
(even faster) Creepy Dolls. Creepy Cowboys. THE DOCTOR IN A DOCTORS SUIT. Oh, if only I had one now.
AMY
Doctor.
THE DOCTOR
DINOSAURS ON A SPACESHIP!
AMY
DOCTOR!
BLAST. Another blast of energy. Unendurable pain. The Doctor runs his hands through his hair. Fighting the urge the scream. But… the pain seems to have dissapeared. Could it? Could it have been a false alarm? The Doctor feels fine. Brillaint. More brilliant and amazing could he have ever been. He looks up at Amy and smiles. How could he think he was dying? He'd cheated death so many times before. The 900 year old man. The brilliant impossible man. Happiness rose up in The Doctor, more happiness he could've ever had thought possible. All the years of fear, of self loathing, how could a man this scarred be this happy? The Doctor beaming, gets to his feet. He looks at Amy, grinning with joy.
THE DOCTOR
I'm… it's… all okay. It….
Amy isn't smiling. She looks sadder than ever. So close to crying again. The Doctors smile fades. He notices it too, and looks down at his hand.
THE DOCTOR
…. Always catches up…
The ice blue energy spirals around his fingers. He gives a faint smile. Of course. The stupid old bastard. How could he possibly think it was all ok? Did the regeneration stop, and give him one last moment of happiness, and then rip it away with such force that… no. Regeneration didn't work that that. He was an idiot. A massive idiot. To think he'd cheated death once again. He was a fool. He looked up at Amy, smiling. Finally accepting his fate. Amys bottom lip quivvers. She starts to cry. This was it. This was the moment.
THE DOCTOR
(weakly) What did I say about crying? It ruins your features. Makes you look ever so wrinkled.
Amy lets out a timid laugh. She's hurting so much. Her best friend. Leaving for good. She leans forward and hugs him. He hugs her back. Holding her in his arms.
AMY
Thank you.
THE DOCTOR
For what?
AMY
You showed me time and space. Planets and stars. What can I not thank you for?
The Doctor laughs. A genuine laugh. He wipes the tears from Amy's cheek. She buries herself in his hand. Holding it ever so gently. She knows it's time. Amy kisses his hand, and steps away. So hurt and afraid. The Doctor smiles to her, reassuringly. It's all okay. He starts to laugh. Her laughs stop. She's still smiling though. Her eyes give it away. How hurt she is. Her pain.
AMY
Is there anything I can do? Please.
THE DOCTOR
No. YES!
Amy is startled. The Doctor looks her straight in the eyes. He knows it's time. He smiles to her.
THE DOCTOR
Stick around, Pond.
The Glow appears again, this time around his head. He's ready. It's time. Amy smiles, a sad smile. The Doctor laughs, so warmly. The glow becomes more and more intense. He lifts his arm to his face. Amazed at the sight. He looks at Amy, one final time. He mouths "Geronimo.", He closes his eyes, and tilts his head back. His features are completely engulfed.
The Doctor begins his regeneration. Streams of blue energy flow out of his arms and head. Amy covers her face, shielding herself from the light. We cut back to The Doctor. 11's features begin to slowly disappear, a new face is forming. Something new. Something fresh.
The New Man.