Amy hesitated for a long time. Clara nicely waited for her encouraging her, watching her pacing up and down the street, seated on the little wall in front of the house. Finally Amy stopped and stood right in front of the house's door.
"Ready?" asked Clara.
"Yes" replied Amy still not sure about it. "Geronimo!"
That last word gave her strength to go right to the front door and knock energetically. She regretted it the second after: she wasn't ready yet.
But it wasn't Rory who opened; it was a little boy aged around 5 or 6. Surprised and confused Amy could only say "What?" A woman's voice came from behind "Frank, how many times did I say to you: you don't open the door to strangers". A woman with long blond hair showed behind the little boy. "Hi, sorry for that, can I help you?" she asked nicely.
"What?" was, again, all that Amy had to say.
Next to her Clara didn't seem to understand better but tried to help Amy "Hi, we're looking for 'Rory Williams' "
"Oh sure!" the lady replied "Sweetie, come down here's two British ladies who want to talk to you"
"Sweetie?!" Amy repeated feeling the anger starting from her stomach.
"You two are Rory's friends from UK? That's nice to make him a surprise he doesn't have a lot of British friends who's calling him. He doesn't like to talk about it much" the lady said.
Clara awkwardly faked a smile to her while Amy was staring at the inside of the house to see if this Rory was hers … Now she was hoping it wasn't him.
But it was. She saw her husband come to the door, smiling at this blond lady who called him 'sweetie' and who kissed him on the cheek. When he saw Amy he lost his smile … "Amy?" he mumbled. "Amy is that you?"
Amy, speechless, stared at him the time the blond one and her kid walked away. She didn't know if she should yell at him, break into tears or laugh about it. "a-Amy … I…" tried Rory certainly as much confused as her. Amy looked down, holding back her tears, "Yeah" she said laughing ironically to avoid crying, and she turned her back and walked away the faster she could to take her far far away from that stupid house, leaving Clara in a very awkward situation.
Rory hadn't moved still trying to figure out what just happened "…what?" he continued.
Clara stared at the floor eyes wide open trying to find something to say. "I… I think she's upset" she finally said. "You should leave her alone for now, come see her later. I'm Clara by the way".
"Yes, thanks, I know who you are Clara" said Rory.
Clara thought she had heard wrong. "I'm sorry what?"
"I know you Clara, you serve me a drink almost every day at Rick's bar" continued Rory a bit annoyed.
"No I don't" she replied quickly. That was the most absurd thing she had ever heard. "I can't know you I'm technically not even born yet"
"Did Amy tell you weird story about a mad man in a blue box?" Rory tried to understand
"She didn't, I've traveled in this box and now I'm stuck here. I'm from 2013!" Clara started to lose her temper.
"2013? Isn't the year Prince George born, with the incredibly hot summer?"
"Stop spoiling me what will happen on this year! I haven't even lived the beginning of the spring!"
"You mean you're really not Clara from Rick's bar?"
"No I'm not! I don't even understand what you're referring to!"
Rory stopped for a minute to think. "So what with Amy?" he finally asked.
"She saw the TARDIS materialize in Central Park and I was stuck here so I decided to help her find you" Clara tried to explain. Shitty summary she thought.
"I don't understand I looked for her for months… She was nowhere."
"And that's a reason to make out with some blond American?"
"That's between me and Amy… I haven't even…" he sighed "I've never stopped thinking of her every day, I thought she abandoned me. I thought living with another woman will make me forget. And she just show like that 3 years later."
Clara just understood something "What did you say?"
"'She just shows like that 3 years later' "Rory repeated.
"Exactly" Clara said more for herself than for Rory.
"Exactly what?" Rory tried to understand
"Amy is her for only 2 years now. You spent 3 years there. You two just missed each other. While you were looking for her she wasn't there. And when she was looking for you, you abandoned" Clara explained.
"Oh." Rory said "So she did look for me?"
Clara smile "Of course she did! Why do you think we went here? … By the way… What's with Chicago?" Clara asked.
"I just followed Mary…" he answered.
The blond woman, so she was called Mary, came out the house. "Why don't you come in with your friends? Oh- where's the ginger one?"
"I have to go" said Rory. "Don't wait for me"
"What's happening? You're worrying me, Rory"
"I just have something to do" he replied. He stepped outside the door. "Clara, are you coming or not?"
Clara hurried to follow him; she didn't want to stay here.

They started to go the way Amy went. After a few minutes Clara asked "Where are we going exactly?"
"I don't know I was following you" answered Rory.
"No, I was following you"
Rory stopped walking "I thought you were taking me to where Amy went"
"Well I don't know where she went! She could be wandering in the streets, crying in an alleyway or in our hotel room: I have no idea because I only know her for 3 days"
"Take me to your hotel. She will be there I know it" Rory said.
Clara smile at his last sentence. She could feel their years married together in it. At this moment she assumed that she succeeded, that she helped them.

So they went along to the taxi driver's cousin hotel. When they arrived Clara turned to Rory. "Here we are. Room 45, first floor to left."
"What? You're not going with me" he said.
"I had enough of awkward situations today, thanks." Clara smirked. "Furthermore that's none of my business"
Rory nodded and turned to face the hotel but didn't walk in.
"A bit anxious?" asked Clara.
"Yes, I'm always" replied Rory.
"I don't know if that helps but you don't imagine how much time Amy hesitated before knocking at your door too"
Rory smiled and slowly entered in the hotel. "I bet he's going to hesitate again at least 10minutes once arrived in front of the door" Clara thought.

Clara decided to wait outside. She looked at the building in front of her. "Remind me to go back to Chicago then" she said for herself. She started to wonder what she was doing there: she was supposed to find a way to go back into the TARDIS to the Doctor. And now she was in Chicago with a woman she met 3 days ago. She should take care of her own problems; she was too nice that always was her problem… Her problem, she remembered now that Rory took her for a bartender. "Rick's bar" he said… Wasn't it the bar mentioned in Amy's book? None of this was a coincidence she had to take a look at Rick's bar. She saw the hotel's owner walk to her. "Everything's ok, ma'am?" the woman asked.
"Do you know any 'Rick Bar' around here?" Clara asked.
"Yes of course!" The woman answered. "It's just 10 minutes from here"
She explained to Clara how to get there and Clara directly went looking for it.
How could she be a bar tender in 60's Chicago? That was absurd. Something was wrong she could feel it.

She finally saw a bar named "Rick Bar" and went straight for it. But she wasn't even in when she saw what she wanted to see. She saw the bartender and immediately hid behind a wall. She just saw herself, like it was her but it couldn't be because Clara was right here but it was. Same height, same nose, same hair, everything was the same… but it couldn't be.
Clara decided to go closer to hear something. She heard her talk and recognized her voice and her accent. This was not even someone who looked like her, it was her exactly the same. Clara noticed there was soufflés written on the menu. "You really are me" Clara whispered. "But how? Who the hell are you?"