About the same size as the last chapter. Hmm. I can assure you the chapters will get longer and more interesting.

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Chapter 3

Rory panicked. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He opened his eyes again. Yeah, still the same reflection.

He looked down. He was dressed in the Doctor's outfit, tweed and bowtie and all. Otherwise, he still looked like he had his own body.

That nauseated feeling was still there. Plus, his chest felt like he was having a ping-pong tournament in it.

Right, he decided, first things first. He needed to find out if there was anything he needed to know medically about the Doctor.

As if by habit, he took out the sonic screwdriver and gave himself a quick scan. With a start, he realized he understood what the device was saying.

Two hearts? Well, that certainly would explain the ping-pong feeling. He closed his eyes and listened.

Thump-thump-thump-thump. Left-Right-Left-Right.

It was almost hypnotic, a quick 1-2-3-4 double heartbeat.

Otherwise, his biology seemed unchanged. Well, except for that presence in the back of his head. It was like someone was sharing his mind, but not completely. Realization hit him. That was the TARDIS he felt in the head. There was the translation bit, of course, but this was a different sensation. It was like singing, but he couldn't understand it.

"Better then?"

He gave a start as Amy popped back in, wearing a two-piece swimsuit and a towel around her waist. In his chest, both hearts seemed to leap in excitement. It felt really weird.

"Yeah, all good. Where to next?"

She grinned, gesturing at herself. "Well, I am dressed for Rio."

Ah, good, she'd asked for one he'd seen the Doctor program in. Grateful for that, he began pulling levers and flipping switches. With a final throw, the central column began to move up and down.

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Two hours after that, they were both collapsed inside the TARDIS, out of breath.

"Well, at least it was Rio," said Rory helpfully.

"Yeah, well, you were a couple of million years off," muttered Amy, pulling leaves and twigs out of her hair. At least she had changed into regular clothes before they set off into the pre-historical forest.

Rory sighed, hurt by the insinuation that it was his fault the TARDIS had thought Rio circa 75 million BC would be more enjoyable than lounging on a beach. Was this how the Doctor felt every time he tried to get them somewhere, but ended up in a completely different environment?

If so, he hated to think what the old ship would think of next.

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Amy stared at the Doctor, her eyes wide. He stared right back, green eyes puzzled. She swallowed.

"You're serious," he stated.

"Where's Rory?" she rebutted.

Again, the blank stare. "Rory who?"

"Rory, my husband – well, he was my husband – he is my husband – oh, this is very confusing."

He helped her up. "Shall I do a search on him?"

She rubbed her forehead. "Please."

"Name? Probably lots of Rorys in the universe."

"Rory Williams, um, born in Leadworth like me, same time."

There was a clickity-clack of the old typewriter cum computer. A ding.

"Here we go. Rory Williams."

He swung the screen around to her. Her eyes drank in her husband's face, glad to know he existed here.

"Says here he died when he was 17."

Her heart froze. "Died?"

"Car accident. Swerved to avoid something in the road and hit a tree."

She gently touched his face on the screen. A tear slid down her cheek.

This was as bad as the Dream Lord's world. Except here, she hadn't even gotten the chance to say goodbye.

And without Rory, that meant she never had Melody.

She turned and ran into the belly of the TARDIS.

At the console, the Doctor's reflection in the screen twisted as the image cut out.

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The twin suns shone on the face as he drank in the sights of bustling Time Lords and glistening towers. For a moment, he just stood there, staring. Then…

"Lord President!"

A smile broke across his face. "Romana!"

She had regenerated again, he noted as he welcomed her with open arms. She laughed as he realized that hugging her was different in this incarnation than his fourth. For one thing, they were roughly the same height. And secondly, his hat chose that moment to pitch forward and he had to let go of her to catch it.

"Whoops, sorry there."

"Honestly, have you tried pins? They work wonders."

He hmmed. "I'll have to try that."

The two walked off, one a figment, the other wishing it was more than that.

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In the room the three were in, a switch was flipped. The tubes began to glow.

Inside their tubes, the hair on Amy and Rory's temples began to turn white. In the Doctor's tube, the tip of his hair flop turned white.

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So, one thing I am curious about, who would play Romana in a new incarnation? I've read stories with Kate Beckinsale in the role. What other British actress would you like to see in her role?