Hope you enjoy.

Things got back to normal for the next few days, save Rory. They could go back for him a minute after they left him or never and they wouldn't feel the difference. It was just like the old days. Amy and the Doctor, laughing and smiling together again, the old team.

Amy and the Doctor stumbled into the TARDIS, exhausted but happy.

The Doctor laughed, "Did you see the look on his face? Priceless!"

Amy laughed with him, clutching her sides from laughter, "I know! Never be able to get that out of my head in a million years!"

They laughed for a bit 'til it died away.

"So, you must be pretty tired. Why don't you get some rest? Unless you're up for another adventure?"

"No, I'm fine," Amy replied cheerily, "I'll be off then. Night, Doctor," she waved at him, practically skipping up the steps to her room.

She went inside, got into her pajamas, and started reading a book by the light of her bedside lamp, feeling very comfortable.

"Books! The best weapons in the world!" a voice shouted.

Amy jumped. Skinny was back, in that same brown suit, grinning at her wildly.

She rolled her eyes, "You again."

He brilled his lips, "Oh," and shook his head.

"What?" Amy asked him.

Skinny rubbed the back of his neck.

"Who are you?"

He sighed, "I'm the Doctor, and you?"

"Amy."

He looked her up and down, "Human?"

"Yeah. Is that an option?"

"Not for me, it isn't."

"Ok…" Amy said slowly, still in her bed.

"And why are you here?"

"Because it was there. Brilliant!" he replied, grinning.

"Is all you ever say composed of riddles?"

"Four things and a lizard."

"You don't make sense!"

"Well…" he replied, laughingly.

Amy sighed and looked down, trying to go back to reading Harry Potter.

Skinny appeared next to her on the bed, "Wait 'til you read Book Seven! Oh, I cried!"

She turned to look at him. She was getting fed up with him, though she had to admit, he was funny. He kinda reminded her of the Doctor she knew.

He studied her, "I'm still not ginger."

"Is that a dream of yours?"

"Oh, yes," he breathed.

She continued reading her book. Rory's wedding ring glinted on her left hand. She smiled and turned the page. Something glinted on her right…

"That ring! It's there! What did you do?" Did this madman really "biodamp" her, whatever that meant?

"Nah! Don't worry, completely harmless!" Skinny replied.

"Well, get it off!"

He spoke through his teeth now, "I can't."

"Why not?" she demanded, alarmed at his sudden mood change.

"I can't, I just can't. I can't!"

"Ok, ok, I get it! But you still never answered my question of 'why are you here'?"

Glasses suddenly appeared on his face, "Complicated."

"Tell me," she responded through gritted teeth.

He rolled his eyes, "Very complicated."

She snorted, "I'm a grown woman. I can handle it."

He licked his lips, "People assume time is a strict progression of cause and effect, but actually, through a linear, non-subjective point of view, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly…timey-wimey…stuff."

"And does this help me?"

"Well…"

"Ugh, I've had it with you!" She thought of something, "Who is the eye-patch lady that keeps appearing?"

"I'm sorry. I am very, very sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"As consolation," he said, with a blue suit and glasses.

Amy just shook her head and turned back to her book. Maybe, if I ignore him for long enough, he'll go away…

She felt a hand placed on hers. She jumped, gasped, and turned to look at Skinny. He was wearing a leather jacket now, his hair disheveled, his glasses gone, "I took your hand."

"H-How?" she asked, breathlessly. She looked down at her right hand and saw the biodamper.

"This?" she held up her hand in front of his face.

He wore a brown suit now, "Correctamundo!"

Amy reached her hand out toward him. Surely, if he can touch her, she can touch him?

Her hand was an inch from his face, "I'm still just an image. Don't touch."

"What? Why not? You can take my hand and you're an image! Surely…"

"No, don't do that," Skinny said. Before he could stop her, her fingertips grazed his face.

He flickered and the eye-patch lady appeared in his place. Amy shrieked.

"Push!" she ordered. Amy screamed.

"Amy?! Amy!"

She opened her eyes, her shoulders shaking. The Doctor was standing in front of her, looking very worried. Her lamp was still on. Her book was on her lap. Amy raised her right hand up. No biodamper was on her finger. Amy started shaking with fright.

"What happened, Amy? Are you alright?"

"The eye-patch lady! She was here!"

He shook his head, "Amy, you must've been dreaming. What book were you reading?" He picked up the book, "Ah, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! Surely, you must have dreamt of Bellatrix! No need to worry!" he proclaimed, as if everything was settled. He turned off her light, put the book on the night-stand table, and pulled the covers up.

"There, now you get some rest. You must be exhausted."

True enough, her eyelids were drooping fast.

"Doc…tor…thanks for being…there for me…." And she was asleep.

The Doctor leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, "Amelia Pond," he whispered.

He'd been in the console room, as usual, doing some maintenance, when he'd suddenly heard Amy screaming. He'd running up the steps, opened her door, and seen her thrashing about on her bed, eyes squeezed shut. There was a gold ring on her right hand that was glowing. The Doctor had quickly run to her, took the ring off, pocketed it, and shook her 'til she awoke.

Now, the Doctor was standing in front of the sleeping form of Amelia Pond. He took the ring out of his pocket and inspected it. It was a plain, gold ring. It wasn't her wedding ring; that had a diamond and rested on the ring finger of her left hand. But then, what was this ring?

The ring somehow seemed familiar to him. He looked at Amy again. Though he'd never been a ginger himself, this was his second time having a companion who was-

"Ginger," he said, out loud. That's right! He'd given this ring to his last ginger companion, Donna, to keep the monsters away. It hadn't worked, but…

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and sonicked it.

"A biodamper," he said, astonished. Why would Amy have the biodamper he'd given Donna?

Thanks for nothing, Spaceman! Donna's words echoed at him.

"I will protect you," the Doctor vowed.