None of them know how it happens.

Koschei refused to tell them.

It's months after Demon's Run and the Silence and River/Melody Song/Pond. They're just having a nice little adventure around Christmas and Koschei had wandered off. He usually did, and usually ended up saving everyone because of it.

They were in nineteen thirties America though. Crime was not uncommon.

The story they would never know involved a young girl, her father, and some branch of the Mafia. Or something like that. Koschei couldn't remember the details himself. All he knew for sure is that he was stupid and got himself shot trying to save the human girl who could have been no older than eight. He didn't know why he interfered - it was a human thing anyway, nothing to do with him. But he had, and look where he was now.

He'd been shot just above one of his hearts. His lung had been punctured in the process. It gave him fifteen minutes to get to the TARDIS before he bled out where he could hope and pray the Doctor made it in time. He didn't want to regenerate alone again.

He made it in five.

When the Doctor and Amy (Rory had bluntly refused and decided to go back home) finally made it back it had been almost ten minutes since Koschei stumbled in to the TARDIS. There had been blood on the door, the coat rack, the railing, the consol, and all over the glass floor. Clearly he'd had a rough time making it to the chair where he'd sat, a hand over his shoulder and sobbing despite the extra pain it brought. It hurt more than you'd expect, being shot. Or maybe that was just because of his life slowly draining out and on to the floor.

Wish I'd gotten the leather jacket off sooner, he thought. It was the only one the Doctor had from Nine.

"Oh God," the Doctor whispered. "Oh my God." He rushed to his friends side, placing a hand over Koschei's bloodied one. "Can you regenerate? Good Lord, Koschei, how did this happen? Do you think you'll be able to regenerate?"

As though answering for him Koschei's hand glowed, the light slowly engulfing him. The Doctor took a hurried step back. Regeneration energy could be detrimental if one was close enough - the sudden life going through someone's body could overwhelm their system and simply stop their heart(s).

"Doctor, he'll be okay, right?" Amy questioned, voice shaking as she watched Koschei collapse from the chair, curling up as the golden waves surrounded him. She had a feeling a regeneration wasn't supposed to look like that.

"His body is trying to make up for the lost blood," the Time Lord answered tonelessly. "He should be fine. I had a friend back in school who died the same way. He got a nasty gash and refused to go to the infirmary. It looked a lot like this but…"

Amy's head snapped over to him. "But what?"

"But his body hadn't been through so much strain." The Doctor looked down at his friend. He should have been fine know. He should have been sleeping it off. A regeneration wasn't supposed to take nearly a minute. "Koschei… Koschei's been through a lot in this one - more than I've ever seen. He regenerated into it because he was shot with a laser, then he was shot and died, then brought back to life in a dying body that was healed, and then he nearly died again from his heart stopping. I don't know if he'll be okay, Amy."

Just as he said this Koschei's body stopped glowing. He was smaller now, probably a bit shorter too, and his hair was a soft brown. The Doctor held his breath for a second, waiting, when Koschei's new body shuddered. He let out a sigh of relief, dropping to the other Time Lord's side. "Are you okay, Kosch? Do you need anything?"

The small body beside him slowly unfurled and large brown eyes blinked up at him. "Doctor?" The new voice was strange and oddly Irish accented. "Doctor, am I okay?"

Overcome with relief the Doctor pulled him into a tight hug. "Perfectly fine now, Kosch." He said. "You're okay now."

{][][}

A/N: ...because I simply can't add enough angst. XD

For those that are curious, this regeneration bares a striking resemblance to Andrew Scott when he played Jones in My Life in Film. *gives brief thumbs up with a cheeky grin*

~Piki :B