Lucy fell onto the ground with a hard thud as Caan flew overhead, cackling once again at her landing. With a sigh, she stood and dusted herself off. Luckily the suit seemed to repair itself, which seemed to be a small but useful quirk of falling through time. That woman had given Lucy new clothes, but she felt better when she was in the clothes Missy gave her. She grabbed her backpack and took a quick look around to figure out where she had landed.

Every new world came with different dangers. New disasters. This one would likely be the same. She seemed to be in a garden of some kind; blood red roses blossomed around her and filled the air with their aroma. Caan had disappeared into the skies as Lucy walked around. He'd probably alert her to any danger. Probably.

Birds chirped as Lucy walked through the garden. Large hedges obstructed her view, but she felt safer with Caan in the air. While prone to weird bouts of madness, he was pretty reliable when necessary. As she rounded a corner, she ran straight into something. Or rather someone.

"Ah, sorry!" Lucy apologized as she looked up. She froze in hear when she caught sight of the face staring back at her. Dark. The weird entity she'd met in that world.

"Apologies as well. Although I must ask… what are you doing here?"

"Ah, sorry," Lucy stammered, trying to regain her composure. He clearly didn't recognize her. "I was looking for my cat… he got scared and ran in here. He must have left. Sorry to intrude. I didn't see a sign."

The man smiled and replied, "No problem. This is normally public property anyway. I rented it for a party of sorts. It's over now…" The man trailed off, and he quickly hid a look of sadness. He continued, "My name is Damien."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lucy," Lucy responded and shook his outstretched hand. "I'm sorry to disturb you. I'll just go for now."

"Don't you need to find your cat? I'll help you."

"Ah, thank you, but that's not necessary. I'm sure he'll come back if I wait long enough."

"Nonsense. I have nothing better to do today. Besides… my party didn't quite go as planned, so this may make me feel better," Damien said and looked at her with those sad eyes.

When he looked away, Lucy quickly took off her tie. D'Artagnan rose from his slumber and jumped from her hand and into the bushes. Changing forms lasted less than a few seconds, but it caused some noise. The rustling caught Damien's attention. D'Artagnan came out of the bushes and ran into Lucy's arms.

"Ah, there's your friend," Damien said happily as he walked closer to Lucy. "I'm glad."

Even though he certainly looked relieved; his voice sounded strange. Lucy thought for a moment and while Damien looked away, she gestured for D'Artagnan to escape. He leapt out of Lucy's arms and ran back into hiding.

"Oh," Damien said with surprise. "Slippery little guy."

"Yeah, he is," Lucy said with a sigh. "Thanks for your help anyway… are you alright?"

"What?"

"You just seem a bit dejected. Sorry if I was too forward. I'll go now. Odds are he'll come running if he sees me leaving."

"Uh, no. No, you weren't too forward. I apologize…"

"How about this: you tell me what's wrong while we find D'Artagnan? That way you can get something off your chest, and I can get help finding my friend," Lucy volunteered. Normally, she wouldn't go to this length to deal with another person, but she was curious. He looked so similar to Dark. However, he gave off a very different aura. She'd met different versions of people before, but this was the most drastically different. "Or are you afraid that I'll tell the press, Mr. 'Mayor'?"

Damien looked at her as though flustered until he seemed to remember the ribbon he was wearing. He blushed and explained, "Yes, today was the celebration. I won, and one of my friends got me this. I couldn't ask for a better district attorney… but there were a few who couldn't, or rather wouldn't, come."

"Ah, I suppose I'd be sad as well then…" Lucy replied, remembering that she'd missed at least a few of her friends' celebrations to travel time and space with a sociopathic Time Lady. "I can't really give you much advise on that. Especially not when I've done the same."

"Why?" Damien asked then seemed to get flustered. "I mean, if you don't want to say anything, that is fine. I'm sure that you had your reasons."

"I was… in a dark place, and I didn't really want to deal with anyone," Lucy confided in him, much to her own surprise. "But that's not really much of an excuse. I pushed them away because I didn't want to drag them down with me, but I probably ended up doing that a little anyway. Who wouldn't be worried about their friend?"

Damien seemed more relieved and replied, "I agree. My friend, Mark, has gotten distant lately. I realized today that I may have neglected him in a time of need… I was so busy with the campaign. And my friend, William… he and Mark had a falling out. Things haven't been the same since."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Lucy asked, and Damien gave her a confused look in return. "You want things to change, so change them. Are you going to reach out to them again? Sure, they might not have responded this time, but will you really give up so easily?"

"No," Damien replied with determination. "I will not. Life is ours to choose. And I choose to not 'give up so easily.' I will create the change that I wish to see. Thank you, Lucy."

Damien gave Lucy a smile that made her blush, and she replied, "No problem. You should get to work on that. I'll find my friend. Good luck."

Lucy took advantage of his hesitation and ran back toward where she had landed. Rustling told her that D'Artagnan was following close behind. Why hadn't Caan warned her that someone was here? Idiotic tin can. A hand on her arm startled her, and she stopped. Damien's hair was now messy from running.

"I'm sorry," he apologized and removed his hand. "I just… do I unsettle you? Why did you run? I mean you no harm."

"Yeah, I think I just panicked. Sorry about that," Lucy admitted. "You look a lot like someone I met… Your mannerisms are actually a bit similar as well, but you're the exact opposite really. You seem like a good person, Mr. Mayor."

"So this person like me… wasn't a good person?"

"Yeah, that's putting it lightly," Lucy muttered. "You don't need to worry about that. Just worry about yourself and your friends. And… if they're too stupid to realize what kind of a person you are… then don't worry. This attorney general friend you have. They were there when you needed them. Don't forget your new friends when trying to reach out to your old ones."

"Thank you, Lucy. Is there a way I can help? Something I can do in return for your advice? About this man you seem to be afraid of?" Damien asked.

"No, I'll be fine. I have friends of my own. Although there is one thing you can do for me."

"What is it?"

"You remind me of someone very close to me… I think that might be why I wanted to understand you. Or at least a small part of the reason I wanted to talk to you. He became a cop to help people, which I assume is the reason you fought so hard to become Mayor."

"Of course," Damien said, and Lucy could tell that he meant it with every fiber of his being.

Lucy looked away from him and answered, "The thing you can do for me… 'Don't change.' The world is going to slam everything it can at you, but please don't let it get the best of you. I am ridiculously jealous of you. Of your mentality. Instead of being angry at the friends who abandoned you, you worried about their welfare. You're a good person, Damien. If 'life is what you choose,' then choose to always be better. I know that what I'm asking for isn't something easy but…"

Damien gently rested a hand on her shoulder, and Lucy looked back to his face. A gentle smile had spread over his face and lit up his eyes. He replied, "I understand… And that's what I would like as well. Shall we shake on it then?"

Lucy held out her hand, but Damien hesitated.

He looked at her almost timidly and said, "But I have a small condition as well. Forgive yourself… The sins of the past are just that. In the past. Let us both look toward the future with hope."

"Now you're just being sappy," Lucy joked and extended her hand in agreement.

As they shook hands, Lucy heard Caan cackling from above. With a sigh Lucy looked up to see Caan hovering above them.

"LET'S GO, TIME CHILD!" Caan shrieked, and Lucy let go of Damien's hand.

"Bye, Mr. Mayor!"

Lucy felt D'Artagnan land on her shoulder as she sprinted to keep up with the Dalek soaring overhead.