âI didnât mean to! I regenerated, got chucked out over Earth and then she vanished.â The Doctor insisted, pouting. âI managed to find her again though eventually. Which is good, I was worried about her.â
The Doctor wasnât expecting a huge amount of gratitude from Romana, but that reaction was the last thing she expected. She flinched away, the regeneration energy fading away quickly as she stared up in shock.
âIâm trying to help!â She replied, voice the same volume as Romanaâs. âI have an extra set of regenerations, Iâve got energy to waste. And itâs not a waste if itâs to help you!â She insisted. âIâve spent years mourning you, let me remove a few scars. Please, itâs the least I can do.â
It was difficult for Romana to explain just why she didnât want them goneâwhat they meant to her, what they served to remind her of.
âDoctor, you donâtâknow what they are, alright?â She told her, eyes shutting tight. Her voice remained loud, though, even if it broke halfway through, going quieter. âThey remind me of a large part of my life, and I donât want to forget about it, because then Iâll justâmake the same mistakes that got me there in the first place.â
Clearing her throat, she tried not to think about it, tried to move past it all. But Romana slowly opened her eyes, her voice far more level now. âTwenty years, Doctor. Twenty years canât be erased by regeneration energy.â










