They tumbled through the air with alarming speed. The Doctor ran all around the console room, trying to figure out how to stop it - and trying not to fall over face first in the process. Suddenly, there was a huge crashing sound which made them all flinch and cover their ears. They landed with a huge thud. Smoke started pouring out of every crack in the TARDIS.
The Doctor grabbed his handkerchief quickly, covering his mouth and nose, and then flung the door open. "Out, out, out! Everybody out! Don't breathe the smoke, just get out!"
"Where are we?" Amy coughed violently as she stumbled free.
"A room," he stated. The Doctor was more concerned about the state of his precious TARDIS than anything else.
"What room?" Rory demanded.
"I don't know what room! I haven't memorized every room in the universe yet - I had yesterday off," he retorted. Rory scowled, irritated by the Doctor's ability to always make witty remarks. The Doctor turned around just in time to see Mels try to go back in the TARDIS.
"Mels! Don't go in there!" the Doctor shouted. He shut the door before she could get in.
"Oi!" Mels snapped, offended.
"Bad smoke," the Doctor said simply. "Don't breathe the bad, bad smoke. Bad, deadly smoke because somebody shot my TARDIS!"
"Doctor!"
Rory and Amy were leaning over a man that was unconscious on the floor. "This guy, I think he's hurt."
The Doctor was rather annoyed at everyone at this point. If everyone would listen, we'd be fine! he thought sharply. He began to walk over to them.
"No, hang on," Rory mumbled, seeming surprised. "No, he's fine."
Good!
The Doctor had Mels' gun in his hand. I should hide this somewhere... He turned around to see a desk with a bowl of fruit, and quickly went over to it, gently setting the gun down. Then, someone emerged from behind the desk.
"Ooh! Hello." This, I wasn't expecting. "Sorry, is this your office? Had a sort of collision with my... vehicle. Faults on both sides, let's say no more about..."
The man stood up and turned around so they could see his face. The Doctor was shocked. "It..." he continued breathlessly.
The man standing in front of them was Adolf Hitler.
He heard Amy gasp in the background. "Is that?" she hissed, sounding bewildered. "No, it can't be. Doctor?!"
"Thank you, whoever you are," Hitler said. The Doctor still couldn't believe his eyes. "I think you have just saved my life."
Oh, no. Oh no, no, no, no. The Doctor's mind was racing. There was no way I have just saved Hitler. "Believe me," he could hardly get the words out. "It was an accident."
Hitler started towards the TARDIS. "What is this thing?"
Amy and Rory turned around so that they were facing the Doctor. They were both white as a sheet and looked as if they had just seen a ghost. The Doctor mused briefly, wishing he could see their faces if he ever showed them the Headless Models of Historic Figures from the 39th Century. It only took him a millisecond to draw himself back into focus.
"What did he mean we just saved his life?" Amy hissed. "We could not have just saved Hitler."
The Doctor couldn't answer her. Instead, he turned around to Mels. He so badly wanted to smack that smug little face. "You see? You see? Time travel. It never goes to plan."
She rolled her eyes, as if she were an annoyed teenager getting lectured by her parents.
"This box..." Hitler was still looking at the TARDIS with a confused look on his face. "What is it?"
The Doctor turned around to face Hitler. "It's a police telephone box from London, England." Then, he had an idea. He had so badly wanted to say this to someone since he stumbled across England - and now he had the chance. He grinned, an evil glint in his eye. "That's right, Adolf. The British are coming."
Hitler at first stood his ground, but suddenly looked terrified. "No," he shouted, pointing to something behind the Doctor. "Stop him!"
Hitler pulled out a gun and the Doctor ducked down to avoid getting shot. Hitler shot the gun five times before Rory punched him and knocked the gun out of his hand. Rory bent down, picked up the gun, cocked it, and pointed it at Hitler.
"Sit still. Shut up," he demanded.
Way to go Rory! the Doctor wanted to shout.
Amy ran over to the man that Hitler had been shooting at. "Are you okay?" she asked quickly.
"Yes. Yes I'm fine." The man looked stunned. "I think he missed."
"He was going to kill me!" Hitler insisted.
"Shut up, Hitler!" Rory shouted.
"Rory," the Doctor said. "Take Hitler and put him in that cupboard over there. Now, do it."
"Right," Rory looked surprised at himself. "Putting Hitler in the cupboard. Cupboard, Hitler. Hitler, cupboard. Come on." He dragged Hitler to the cupboard.
"But, I am the Fuehrer!" Hitler argued.
"Right, in you go!" Rory shoved hitler into the cupboard.
"Who are you?" Hitler demanded as Rory shut the door on him.
Satisfied, the Doctor approached the man Hitler had tried to shoot. "Are you okay?" he asked. The Doctor was getting suspicious. The man had just been shot at and looked unharmed - and wasn't in shock.
"Oh, I..." the man began to say. Instead of finishing his sentence, the man fainted. The Doctor was getting really suspicious now.
"I think he just fainted," Rory said. Even he sounded suspicious.
"Yes, that was a faint," the Doctor confirmed with a slight nod. "A perfect faint."
"Mels?" Amy said, looking concernedly at Mels.
The Doctor groaned inwardly. He had forgotten about the small problem that had landed them here in the first place.
"Hitler," Mels said slowly. She was clutching her stomach.
"What about him?"
The Doctor realized what had happened- but he didn't want to say it.
"Lousy shot," she said coyly. Mels fell on the ground, as if she could no longer hold herself up.
"Mels. Mels!" Amy was the first one to her side.
"Rory!"
The Doctor knew that Rory was a nurse and that he might be able to help.
"No, no, no, no, no!"
Rory finally realized what had happened and ran over to Mels. "All right, we got to stop the bleeding."
Mels breathing was getting heavier now.
"What is it, Rory?" Amy demanded eagerly. "What can we do?"
"Just keep her conscious," Rory said. "Stay with us, Mels!"
The Doctor took action and tried to keep her talking. "Hey, look at me.," he said with a smile.
"Just hold on!" Rory was doing everything he can to stop the bleeding.
"I used to dream about you," Mels said. Her breathing was getting heavier and heavier by the second - and the Doctor didn't like it. "All those stories Amy used to tell me."
"What stories?" the Doctor asked quickly, trying to keep her talking. "Tell me what stories. Vampires in Venice, that's a belter."
"When I was... little," Mels gasped, struggling to talk now. "I was gonna marry you."
"Good idea!" the Doctor replied. "Let's get married. You stay alive and I'll marry you, deal? Deal?"
"Shouldn't you ask my parents permission?"
"As soon as you're well, I'll get them on the phone," the Doctor promised. He didn't care if he had to tell a few white lies. He needed to save this girl's life.
"Might as well do it now."
The Doctor blinked.
"Since they're both right here."
He didn't understand. He looked up at Rory and Amy. He figured they all had the same thought at the same time.
"Penny in the air."
Mels hands had begun to glow. The Doctor had seen this before - too many times.
"Penny drops."
"What the hell is going on?" Rory looked confused.
"Back, back, back, back. Get back!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing Rory and Amy and pulling them away from Mels.
"The last time I did this," Mels said, looking at her hands in awe, "I ended up a toddler in the middle of New York."
"Okay, Doctor," Amy said frantically. "Explain what is happening, please."
"Mels is short for..." the Doctor asked no one in particular. He was still staring at Mels, knowing what was going to happen but still slightly confused as to why.
"Melody."
"Yeah, I named my daughter after her," Amy said dully.
"You named your daughter," the Doctor said slowly, "after your daughter."
"It took me years to find you two." Mels was speaking to Amy and Rory now. "I'm so glad I did. You see? It all worked out in the end, didn't it? You got to raise me after all."
"You're Melody?" Amy had never looked so stunned in all her life.
"But, if she's Melody," Rory said, putting all the pieces together out loud now. "That means that she's also -"
"Oh, shut up, Dad," Mels said. "I'm focusing on a dress size."
She began to scream and every limb glowed with time energy. Melody was regenerating - and they all knew who she was about to become.
Mels threw her new head forward and gasped. "Oh, ohh. Ah!" She shook, as if she were trying to adjust to the way her new body fit on her.
"Right, let's see, then. Ooh! It's all going on down there, isn't it?" She put her hands on her hips.
They all turned around to look at Melody. Except, she wasn't Melody any more. The person they were all looking at was River Song.
