Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Which Who Am I? – Part 3

The Doctor and the Corsair returned to the others, waved off their questions and ushered everyone (minus Terekia, of course) into the TARDIS. As they were piloting the TARDIS back to Sarah Jane's house, Romana directed her telepathy towards the Corsair and told him I don't think your plan is working out.

I couldn't agree more he replied, so, you're firing me as your wingman?

Sorry

No, I understand. I suppose my methods just won't work for everyone

I think they might only work for you, actually

Ha! Fair enough. If I can offer one last bit of advice – don't give up. I think you might be onto something

You mean the Doctor might fall in love with me?!

I think there's a very high chance he already is. He punched me and called me a Dalek, all because he thought your flirting was a joke I had talked you into doing. He was quite offended on your behalf.

Romana was touched by this revelation…then something occurred to her. You didn't tell him what was really going on, did you?

No, I didn't tell him you have feelings for him. His exact words were, I believe, "she's never shown any interest in me before, why would she start now?" I'm afraid you've got your work cut out for you

Then they were flying through a Time Squall and had to curtail their conversation to prevent the TARDIS from being shaken to pieces. As it was, everyone felt like they'd been in a cocktail mixer by the time they stumbled out of the time machine. "I never want that to happen again" announced Clyde, a sentiment echoed by everyone present, Time Lord and human alike. They shared goodbyes, and Sarah Jane assured Romana (out of the Doctor's earshot) that she could always come and visit if she needed someone to talk to.

"All your friends are so wonderful, Doctor" said Romana, and the Doctor smiled. "I only take the best, like you" he pointed out, giving her a fond tap on the nose. "Right then, where next?"

Where next turned out to be the planet Deimasin, where they were thrown in jail by a dictator, escaped, overthrew the dictator (he was literally punched over the castle wall by a treacherous and bad tempered guard) and liberated the people of Deimos City. Then came a short detour to the Butterfly Nebula, to make up for getting them arrested…or as the Doctor more significantly put it to Romana, "Just a nice little treat to make up for getting you – and the others, naturally – stuck in that horrid dungeon".

"It's okay, Doctor. Being arrested is all part of the fun…but this is really sweet of you, thank you" she'd said, before daring to give him a small kiss on the cheek. They'd both been blushing and smiling and avoiding each other's gaze for hours afterwards. Romana finally found a spare moment in which the Doctor, Corsair and Flavia were all otherwise occupied – the perfect time to go visit Amy and Rory.

She landed on the opposite street in bright sunshine, crossed over to the light blue house, and rapped smartly on the door. Amy opened it, her eyes widening in surprise to see Romana standing there. "Oh, hey, come in- but be quiet, okay, Melody's having her nap" she explained as she invited them in. They gathered in the kitchen, where Amy busied herself making tea, and a bottle of warm milk for Melody. "So what brings you here?" she asked as she poured boiling water into a couple of mugs.

"I wanted to ask you and Rory something…is he home?" Romana inquired, noting his absence for the first time. "He's at work. What did you want to ask us?" wondered Amy. Romana was just beginning to reply when an unmistakable squall began to emanate from the upstairs nursery. Amy picked up the milk bottle, tested the temperature on her wrist, deemed it acceptable and went to see to Melody. "You can come and see the nursery, if you like" she said to Romana.

The nursery was lovely, painted in bright pastel yellow and cream. A basket was overflowing with soft toys, there was a play-mat on the floor, and a mobile hanging above Melody's crib designed to look like the solar system. "We got a DIY mobile kit, came with paints and everything. We want Melody to grow up loving the stars as much as we do" smiled Amy as she scooped the whining infant up and began to feed her. "Where are the others?" she asked as she gently rocked her daughter back and forth.

"They're um, still in the TARDIS. I wanted to talk to you in private, you see" explained Romana. They returned to the living room with cups of tea, Melody propped up on Amy's lap. She watched Romana curiously, her large brown eyes blinking. "She's three months old now" Amy said proudly, dropping a kiss onto the wisps of brown hair on Melody's head. "It's funny; I thought I'd go stir crazy here on Earth with no adventures, but Melody has kept us both busy…I do miss the travelling, but I'd not give this up for anything".

Amy took a sip of her tea and asked Romana, "So, what did you want to ask us? Is it something you can just ask me?"

"Oh, yes I think so. It's just…it's about the Doctor" Romana explained, and Amy perked up in interest. "Yes, um…I think I…I might be in love with him" she admitted shyly. A grin spread across the Scot's face. "Oh my gosh! That's wonderful!" Amy enthused, giving Melody a squeeze in her excitement. Melody squirmed and grumbled, kicking her legs against Amy's thighs. "Does he know?" she asked eagerly as she bounced the fussy infant.

Romana tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and replied, "No, he doesn't know. I…you see I'm not sure if I am in love with him. I've never been in love before" she explained sheepishly. "Yeah, but…when you're in love you just know, don't you?" she asked rhetorically, but Romana answered anyway, with a question of her own. "But how do you know? There must be some…objective way to define what being in love means" she protested.

Amy sighed and shook her head. "You're as bad as the Doctor, trying to turn everything into some scientific nonsense. Romana, this is love we're talking about. It's the most subjective thing there is…though I guess there are a few…common signs, you could say. Like…do you get butterflies when he holds your hand?" she asked. Romana nodded. "And do you blush when he says something sweet to you?" Another nod; "Okay, one more thing…does the thought of not being with him make you feel so, so sad?"

Romana swallowed. "I think…if something happened to him…I would be heartbroken" she admitted hesitantly. Amy grinned in delight once more. "Yep, you are definitely in love with him. This is so exciting! – what's wrong? Don't tell me you're still unsure. Okay, um, what if I tell you about how I realised I was in love with Rory?" she suggested, and Romana nodded in agreement.

Amy shifted Melody's weight on her lap and let her mind drift to the past. "It was actually Mels who got us together. She said 'cut to the song, it's getting boring' and 'it's got to be you two', called Rory my 'Mr. Perfect'…I err, kind of thought he was gay. It's just, all the years I'd known him he'd never seemed to notice any other girls, and I guess I was too young and stupid to notice he'd been paying attention to me.

"So, we talked, he told me he loved me and asked me out to this party some guy in our class was throwing. They were playing the Macarena – it's this Spanish song – and Rory, bless him, turned the wrong way…we ended up facing each other and we had our first kiss", she smiled in reminiscence. "And that's how you realised you were in love with him?" Romana guessed. She didn't bother correcting Amy that she already knew what the Macarena was.

Now it was Amy's turn to blush. "Not exactly…see, I first met the Doctor when I was seven. He said he had to jump into the future, to stop the TARDIS engines phasing out or something, and he'd be back in five minutes…turned out to be twelve years". The two women shared knowing looks, both all too familiar with the Doctor's piloting skills, or rather lack thereof. "So he came back eventually, and saved the world…then he disappeared again. Rory proposed a year after he left, and I said yes, but I was so unsure…

"So anyway, the Doctor did come back, after two years, on the night before my wedding. I ran away with him, and I…well, long story short, he brought Rory on board as well. This psychic pollen stuff got into the Time Rotor, and we were trapped in these dream worlds. One on the TARDIS falling into a cold star, and one in Leadworth, our home village, with alien infested old people on the loose. There was this man, the Dream Lord…the Doctor said it was him, his darkness.

"That's not the point though, the point is, Rory died. He died and the Doctor couldn't save him and I realised, the Doctor wasn't this amazing hero I always thought he was; he wasn't always going to be there for me…but Rory was. The Dream Lord had told us, the only way to escape was to decide which world was the dream and die in it, so we'd wake up in reality. I didn't know for sure, I couldn't know if that world was real or not…but I didn't want to live without Rory. That's how I realised I was in love with him" Amy finished her story at last.

Romana smiled as she realised, "That's sort of how I realised – looking back I think I fell in love with him when he rescued us from that wretched asteroid; when he was dying, back in Berlin, that was when I admitted it to myself. I just…I don't know if I can admit it to him. The Corsair thinks he might feel the same way, but what if he doesn't?" she worried, biting her lip.

"The Doctor told me once that he couldn't have that sort of a relationship with a human because they'd age and die and he'd just go on. But you, you're a Time Lady. You understand what he's been through and you could stay with him forever; why wouldn't he fall in love with you?" Amy pointed out. The logic of the argument was inescapable, and that made Romana feel just a tiny bit better. She still didn't think she could bring herself to admit her feelings to him, but it was nice to think he might come to share them.

Just then, Rory arrived home. "Amy! Amy, the TARDIS is…oh, hi Romana" Rory blinked in surprise. Romana smiled politely and replied "Hello, Rory. I'm sorry to come here unannounced, but I wanted to talk to you and Amy. Amy has helped a lot, though" she added with a grateful smile in the ginger's direction. "Talk to us about what?" asked Rory, picking Melody off of his wife's knees and cuddling her. The baby cooed happily, grabbing with her little hands at Rory's shirt.

"I just needed some advice…you see, I'm kind of…it seems I'm in love with the Doctor" she admitted. Now that Amy had spelt it out, more or less, she felt a little more confident in saying that. Rory's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Really? Well, congratulations…where is he?" Rory inquired; after all, the absence of that particular Time Lord wasn't exactly difficult to miss. "He's still on board the TARDIS. The others don't know I'm here, I…I haven't told him about it yet" explained Romana.

She drank more of her now lukewarm tea as Amy brought Rory up to speed on what they'd been discussing. "I can't believe you told her you thought I was gay" he groused, and she gave him a peck on the lips. "Oh, shut up. I had to make her understand somehow! Besides, I don't really think she cares much whether you're gay or not" Amy said nonchalantly.

Rory face-palmed in embarrassment, and Romana actually giggled a little. "I really wouldn't mind. Still, perhaps we should change the subject" she suggested, and Amy eagerly suggested that Romana tell them both what adventures they'd been getting up to. The Scot's smile faded as Romana described how, soon after dropping the Ponds off at home, the Doctor had taken them to meet two of his former companions. "Amy? What's wrong?" asked Romana, seeing the slightly hurt expression on her friend's face.

Before Amy could answer, they could the unmistakable whirr of a sonic screwdriver and the door clicking open. "Hello, Ponds! I would've knocked but I figured since Romana was here we could just walk in" the Doctor announced cheerfully as he strolled in and plonked himself down on the sofa next to Romana. "Hey, how come you didn't tell us you were visiting the Ponds?" he asked her.

"Um, I wanted to talk to them in private" Romana explained, hoping to halt the Doctor's curiosity, but to no avail of course. "Really, what about?" he asked. "What part of 'in private' don't you get, Doctor?" asked the Corsair as he and Flavia entered. "Hello Scottie, Rory, and how's my favourite little honorary grand-niece? You're such a big girl now, aren't you? Yes you are, yes you are" he cooed, tickling Melody's tummy. The baby squealed and giggled in delight.

"Are you still talking in private?" the Doctor asked Romana, who blinked and explained, "Um, no. I was just telling them how you took us to meet your old companions, and err, Amy looked a bit put out". The Doctor's brow furrowed, as he looked at his best friend (aside from Romana, of course) in concern. "Amelia?" he asked quietly.

Amy smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "It's nothing, really. I just wish we'd gotten a chance to talk to them" she admitted. "You can. I got their numbers" the Corsair informed her, reaching past Rory to hand her two pieces of paper. Amy gave him a grateful smile and jumped up to hug him. Then she turned to the Doctor, who got to his feet in front of her. "Pond, look, I would have taken you both to meet Martha and Mickey, but you were raising Melody and you had stuff to talk about…I just didn't want to pull you out of your normal lives, again" he explained.

"Raggedy man, my life hasn't been normal since you dropped into it all those years ago, and that's not a bad thing. I do understand though; but I'm still going to call these friends of yours up and have a good long chat about how much of an idiot you can be" she teased him, before pulling him into a hug. The six of them spent the rest of the day telling the Ponds about their adventures, whilst Amy and Rory described the reactions of their family and friends to finding Amy coming back from 'Thailand' with a baby.

Romana kept shooting glances at the Doctor, her hearts warming at seeing him so carefree and happy. She was feeling pretty good herself; she really was in love, she was starting to become sure of it, and now…now she just had to work up the courage to tell him.