"We all change. When you think about it, we are all different people through our lives, and that's okay. That's good. You've got to keep moving… so long as you remember all the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this. Not one day, I swear. I will always remember when the Doctor was me."

As the words left his lips, in his mind the Doctor then saw his beloved Amelia Pond appear before him, the first face his own had seen. His dearest friend and mother-in-law came to him like an echo and gently touched his cheek. "Raggedy man, goodnight." Though he hated endings and had long been running from his own, this gentle reassurance gave him peace at last.

The last time he had done this, he did not want to go. But this time, as he slid the bow tie off his neck and watched it touch the ground, he knew he was ready. And this regeneration, much like the regenerative energy River gave to bring him back to life, was a gift. For the love of Gallifrey, he had been granted a rare chance. The rules had changed and he had been granted another chance. For the first time in his many lives, he was prepared to take it. Clara's heart broke as she knew his time had come.

"No, no," she cried as she reached for his hand. "Please, don't change." In a sudden last burst of regenerative power, he transformed once more. His eyes, intensely lost and searching, pierced into Clara's, which were full of shock and fear. Speechless, she stared at a man so different from the one she had known before. He was the same Doctor, but now she felt that she had truly seen him for the first time.

Thrusting back in pain, he shouted, "KIDNEYS! I've got new kidneys! I don't like the colour."

"Of your kidneys," she asked, still in shock. The tardis jolted violently in response to the regeneration. "What's happening?"

"We're probably crashing," he replied as he flailed about anxiously.

"Into what?" she shouted back at him as he made his way around the console. He pressed buttons and flipped levers aimlessly.

"Stay calm," he said in an attempt to reassure her right before he realized how lost he truly was. "Just… one question. Do you happen to know how to fly this thing?" As if she was not panicked enough, she realized now that she was falling helplessly through time and space with a confused old man. He had become a a stranger to her now and she feared what might transpire next.

The phone rang suddenly and the Doctor shrieked unexpectedly. Rushing back to the console attempting to remember how to use it, he asked, "Would you mind getting that for me?" Clara regained her composure and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, sweetie," River purred on the other end. Clara had heard this voice before but, in all the commotion, she could not place it.

"Who's calling?" the Doctor asked as he flipped several switches, not looking up from the console.

"I'm sorry," she said to the caller,"the Doctor is a bit… busy at the moment. May I take a message?"

River pulled away from the phone in confusion. "What's going on? Where's my husband?" River tried to remain calm.

"River?" Clara remembered now, but felt more confused than before. "Sorry, he's… he's changed now and we seem to be… crashing."

"He's regenerated then."

"He seems to have forgotten how to fly the tardis."

"I have not," he shouted to her, still hopelessly pressing buttons and looking quite lost. "I'm just… taking a bit longer to remember." River rolled her eyes.

"Right then. You'll need a knowledgeable pilot pronto so stay on the phone for a moment while I lock in on your coordinates. I'll be on board shortly." Clara heard something explode behind her.

"Keep calm, there's nothing to worry about," the Doctor ran off to investigate.

"Please hurry," Clara pleaded.