The Curator stood at the control console in the TARDIS. Everything was running smoothly and the journey so far had been perfect. Despite the vow he had said to himself that he would never travel with anyone again he had so far very much enjoyed the company of Kara Grant. They had been together for three weeks so far and they had had a lot of fun. He looked up as Kara walked down the stairs carrying to steaming mugs of tea.
"You read my mind." The Curator said as he took a mug from her.
"For someone who had never had tea until you met me you've got quite a taste for it now." Kara replied with a smile.
"It must be the way you make it." The Curator replied with a smile.
"Can I ask you a question?" she asked.
"You can ask me any question you want." he replied.
"Why the Curator? How did you end up with that name?"
"I chose it." he replied.
"Why?"
"When I was growing up my favourite place on Galifray was the Time Lord museum. I could spend all day in there just looking through all the artefacts. Truthfully I chose it because I always wanted to work there. To be the curator of such a beautiful place would have been a dream come true."
"But it never happened." Kara replied.
"No it didn't. I time travelled for the first time and I became addicted. I thought that with a life span as long as a Time Lord has there would always be time later. Then the war happened and the rest as they say is history."
"Is that why you have the control room like this?" she asked.
"Yes. I love literature and historical artefacts. I thought that I could make my own museum."
"Another personal question. How many times have you regenerated?" she asked.
"I haven't, this is my original form and not a bad form it is even if I do say so myself." he said with a chuckle.
"So where are you taking me next?" she asked. She still had so many questions she wanted, no she needed to ask but they would get more and more personal and she thought they'd be better asked when they had known each other for longer.
"We are going to London." The Curator replied.
"Again?!" Kara exclaimed.
"Yes but this time to the year 3124. I have some business to attend to. Once I've done that we're going to the planet of Clearfell. The place is one giant holiday resort, you name it they have it to do."
"Sounds fun, I can work on my tan."
"Indeed." The Curator replied.
"So what is the business you need to attend to? If you don't mind me asking?"
"I don't mind you asking at all. I have to meet up with one of the other Time Lords I came through with, his name is the Messenger. He has been looking for a piece of equipment that I need."
"Will I get to meet all the Time Lords?"
"Eventually. The two I see most often are the Stationmaster and the Warden. The Stationmaster was the commanding officer of our unit during the war. He was my mentor I owe him everything. The Warden and I were his lieutenants."
"I bet there are some stories to tell." Kara said with a smile.
"There most certainly are and I'm sure one day you'll hear them all." The Curator replied with a smile.
Moments later the Curator clapped his hands together as the TARDIS fell silent, "We're here." he said with a smile. He put his hand in his pocket and took out two items. The first was a small rectangular bar of silver and he handed it to her.
"What's this?" Kara asked.
"That is basically a credit card. If there's anything you want while we're here you'll be able to buy it."
"What's my limit?" Kara asked with a smile.
"There isn't one." The Curator replied. He then handed her the next item, a small silver key, "This is the most important thing I'll ever give you. This is a key to the TARDIS."
"Seriously?" she said completely taken a back.
"Very. You need to be able to get in here in case we ever get separated."
She looked at the key in her hand, it was the final piece that made her feel as though she truly belonged.
"Thank you." she said clasping the key in her hand before she hugged him.
The Curator smiled, "You are very welcome indeed. Now I think it's time to get this trip over and done with."
He took hold of Kara's hand. They walked down the stairs and over the gantry to the TARDIS doors. The Curator opened them and they both stepped outside.
"Welcome to London." The Curator said.
Kara couldn't believe her eyes. The buildings around them reached up far into the clouds. All around them were humans and aliens going about their business, some she recognised and others she had never seen before. Cars and transports whizzed around them and high up into the sky.
"And I thought London was busy in my day!" Kara said.
"That's the thing with London, it only ever gets busier!" The Curator replied.
The Curator began to lead Kara through the crowds of people. Passing through the streets before turning down an alley way and stopping by a thick metal grated door. The Curator reached into his pocket and took out his sonic screwdriver and passed it over a hidden control panel.
"Only the nine of us Time Lords know this is here and only we can get in." The Curator said.
As he put his screwdriver away the door opened with a loud metal clang. He opened it and stood to one side.
"After you." The Curator said.
Kara felt excited that she was going to meet yet another Time Lord and walked inside. The Curator closed the heavy door and they both walked up a very long staircase to a massive open planned room. There were bits of machinery all over the place. Tools scattered around the place and sitting in the middle of the room a TARDIS that looked like it had seen better days.
"Hello." The Curator shouted.
They both heard movement coming from somewhere but there was so much stuff everywhere neither of them could see where it was coming from. Suddenly from out of nowhere a man who in human years would have looked in his 70s appeared. He was wearing a tattered pair of overalls. His white hair was a mess on his head and he was covered in oil stains. He held an old revolver out in front of him.
"Who are you!" The Messenger exclaimed.
"Surely you haven't forgotten old man, I haven't even regenerated!" The Curator said.
With his free hand he reached into a top pocket and took out a pair of cracked spectacles.
"Not you boy, her!" The Messenger shouted, his hand shaking.
"Messenger this is my travelling companion Kara Grant. Kara Grant, this is The Messenger who appears to have lost his bloody marbles!"
I'm 3,000 years old and I've had eleven regenerations, show some bloody respect boy." The Messenger replied putting his revolver down onto the table next to him, "Pleased to meet you Kara. I'd ask you how you got to know him, but honestly I couldn't care less." He turned and walked away from them.
The Curator let out a little laugh and signalled to Kara to follow him.
"Quite the charmer isn't he?" Kara said with a chuckle.
"I heard that." he bellowed from in front of them.
He stopped at a storage locker by the side of his TARDIS.
"I hate to ask but when did you go through regenerations 8 through 11? It's only been what, twenty years since I last say you." The Curator said.
"That blasted thing." The Messenger said kicking his TARDIS, "I had a mishap and before I could get back to the safety of my home I'd gone through four regenerations in seven days."
"What the hell did you do to your TARDIS to make that happen?" The Curator replied.
"You know me I like to tinker and well she didn't like what I'd done." The Messenger said, "Take a look."
The Curator opened the door on the old grey box. Inside was utter destruction. The control room was a quarter of the size of his. The Control console looked like half of it had exploded and the other half taken apart. There were burn marks and evidence of explosions everywhere.
"I'm not going to even ask." The Curator said closing the door. "You need to be more careful though, the last thing we need is for you to go through your last regeneration and then get yourself killed."
"Well that's why you've come for this." The Messenger replied handing the Curator a small box, "So I don't have to worry about only having one more regeneration."
The Curator smiled as he took the box, "Thank you old man, we're one step closer now."
"Now go, leave me to my work and do me one favour." The Messenger said.
"And what would that be?"
"Regenerate, so I don't have to look at that smug face again!"