Hello, me again. As I said before at the beginning of "The Final Day", this story has been revised. Why? For the simple reason that I feel you guys and gals deserve the best possible reading experience I can give you. The changes in the previous story carry over to this one, naturally.

Now, on with the story - please enjoy!

Prologue

Gallifrey – the Lost Planet of the Time Lords…where they began...where they ascended to the height of their power...where they descended into darkness...and where they fell. But they also spawned their share of Renegades...discontent mavericks…power-hungry lunatics…ruthless researchers…and a man who never truly belonged in any vein…the Doctor.

Planet Earth had long been a favourite spot for this Man of Many Contradictions…almost to the point of it being a second home. Countless times were the Human Race delivered from Damnation by the Time Lord who could turn certain death into a chance to live. But he struggled…not only against the Monsters that ran rampant in the Universe…but against the Demon that lurked within the depths of his Time Lord soul.

Time's Champion…the Oncoming Storm…the Lonely God…the Destroyer of Worlds. It has been given many names…far more than it should ever have had. It has only been kept in check by the emotional and spiritual guidance of the Children of Time…those lucky people that were presented the chance to have the Trip of a Lifetime.

Eventually, all of them left…because they had to…because they chose to…because they found their happy ending…or because they made the sacrifice. And I knew that one day my time would come…

But it did not come in the way I expected…for then came the Master…and the End of Humanity…and the Opening of the Gateway to Hell.

My name is Frederica Shepherd…and this is the story of my Rebirth…

*DW*

Gallifrey was a ruin, her Citizenry – Time Lord or otherwise – in disarray. The ground outside the Citadel was strewn with wrecked Dalek Saucers, leftover from earlier stages of the latest battle to take place on the Shining World of the Seven Systems, serving only as a reminder of what would happen if the Daleks chose to attack once more. Even the Citadel itself had been shattered open, with smoke rising from more than a few buildings. But this was far from the worst of it in the Lord President's mind…

The President knew that the Doctor – though the Renegade had long since forsaken that name, much like his precious War Queen long before him – had been up to something since his interference in the outcome of the Battle of the Eye of Tantalus…something that was almost certainly a danger to everything his influence on Time Lord Society had resulted in. How did he know this? Because the Eye of Tantalus had not been closed…and because Karlax had either failed or neglected to return and report back to him. Neither option boded well for the Time Lord. He had yet to learn of the Warrior's current dealings…which was why he was currently in the Inner Council Chambers…

"What news of the Doctor?" he demanded of them, taking note of their intimidated appearances as he slammed him Gauntlet down on the Table. Good – just as they should be, subservient to me alone, he thought with an inward smile.

"Disappeared, my Lord President," the Chancellor reported to him from his left.

"But we know his intention," the Partisan – a Time Lady opposite the Chancellor on his right – added, looking a little stronger than the Time Lord who'd spoken before her. "He still possesses the Moment – and he'll use it to destroy Daleks and Time Lords alike." Privately, she wasn't surprised – the Time Lords had proven, time and again, that they were barely any better than their enemies.

"The Visionary confirms it," the Chancellor confirmed the Partisan's words.

"Ending…burning, falling…all of it falling!" the Visionary – a woman covered in tattoos sat opposite the President – muttered in hysteria. "The black…and pitch…and screaming fire, so burning!"

"All of her prophecies say the same," the Chancellor continued. "That this is the Last Day of the Time War…that Gallifrey falls…that we die, today," he finished with heavy hearts, almost terrified of saying the words to the President.

"Ending, ending, ending, ending…" the Visionary continued rambling as though no one had interrupted. Then a voice cut through – one whose words made everyone, including the Visionary, stop and stare.

"Perhaps…it's time," the Partisan suggested, knowing that she was doomed one way or another. If she was to die on the Last Day of the Time War…it was going to be as a Time Lady who remained true to the Oath of Universal Stewardship. "This is only the furthest edge of the Time War…but at its heart, millions die every second…lost in bloodlust and insanity…with Time itself resurrecting them…to find new ways of dying…over and over again…a travesty of life." She then delivered the words that were guaranteed to be her death knell. "Isn't it better to end it, at last?"

"Thank you for your opinion," the President growled with a menace in his voice. He stood, exuding every ounce of gravitas that he could call on, pointed his Gauntlet at the dissenting Time Lady and activated it with naught but his will. Not a moment later, the Partisan screamed as the Gauntlet's power struck her…and nothing remained where she had once been when it was over. "I…will NOT…DIE!" he roared in a fury that shook the room. "DO. YOU. HEAR. ME?! A billion years of Time Lord History riding on our backs…I will not let this perish. I. Will. NOT!"

With that, he sat down again, leaving his words to sink again, wordlessly instructing them to think carefully before they spoke. There could be no doubt in any of their minds now – they'd really messed up resurrecting him. He'd been locked in the Dark Tower for a reason – and with all that he'd done in the Time War, they now knew why. In the long-term, they may have been better off with the War Queen running the war effort…but there was no way of knowing now. They were stuck…with a madman who had long since proven himself to be no better than Morbius. The silence in the Inner Council was awful…until the Chancellor broke it.

"There is, er…there is…one part of the prophecy, my Lord," he stuttered in abject terror as he proceeded to retrieve one of the Visionary's scrawlings and bring it over to the President. "Forgive me, I'm sorry…" He almost stopped at the stare his superior gave him to continue. "It's rather difficult to decipher…but it talks of three survivors beyond the Final Day. Two Sons and one Daughter of Gallifrey…"

"Does it name them?" the President pressed for him to elaborate.

"It foresees the two Sons locked in their Final Confrontation…the Enmity of Ages…which would suggest-"

"The Doctor," the President practically spat the name, before adding as an afterthought, "…and the Master."

"One word keeps being repeated, my Lord…one constant word," the Chancellor continued. "Earth…"

"Earth! Earth! Earth! Earth! Earth! Earth!" the Visionary chanted, repeating the word over and over.

"Planet Earth…" the Chancellor elaborated, a hologram of the blue-green world of which the Doctor was so fond appearing before them, "…indigenous species, the Human Race."

"Then maybe that's where the answer lies…our Salvation," the President mused, "…on Earth…"

"But there is still the matter of the Daughter of Gallifrey, my Lord. Her name is unspoken of by the prophecy…the only clue to her identity is the following line; 'She will return to stand with her Doctor…'"

"And together, she and her Doctor shall fly, fall and fight unto the End of Time itself!" the Visionary's voice finished the line with a shout, creating a seed of fear in the minds of all present in the Inner Council. Who was this Time Lady who would stand with the Doctor after the foretold Fall of Gallifrey?