"Hello?" A young boy called as he swung open the barn door. "Is anyone here?"
When silence greeted him, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. The boy was around the age of six, clad in a simple white shirt, blue shorts and worn brown boots. His hair was a dark brown colour-easily mistaken for black-and his blue eyes always seemed to shine with idealistic wonder.
He chuckled to himself when he called out again. "Anybody home?"
Of course, he knew this place was no-one's home. No-one of importance lived here in the Drylands, after all. But still, there was someone here. Someone who was of great importance to him. Someone he cared very much for.
His best friend.
"Where could she be?" The boy pondered out loud. He guessed after running away for what must have been the eighth time by now she would have come here, like they always did. This was their secret place. A place where they could play, have fun and be themselves without having to worry about what the future might hold for either of them.
He usually ran here when he was frightened of his future. She sometimes ran here for the same reason, though it was occasionally for other reasons. Bullying, pressure from parents or simply because she knew he would come for her. He always did.
That's why he knew she was here.
But where in here?
"Hello?" He called again as he kept checking possible hiding places. Behind wooden crates, under the bed, on the roof.
"I know you're here!" The boy said. "Come out..."
Just then, a small giggle played on the boy's ear. It was a soft, sweet sound that could only come from her and it made his hearts skip a beat. He turned to see a suspicious pile of hay near the corner of the barn. Then and there he knew what she was planning. She wanted to jump out and scare him, like last time.
"Well, not this time!" He thought. "I know where you are!"
He quietly approached the hay pile, intent on diving into it and tackling his best friend into a hug. He'd get her this time. Just a little closer and-
"Hello!" A feminine voice called from behind him.
The boy let out a yelp and spun around, falling backwards into the hay pile. The golden pieces flew into the air and descended quickly back to the ground. He spat out a few bits of hay as he began brushing it off of his clothes.
"Darn. She got me again!"
But as her soft laughter filled the air once more, he knew being mad at her was an impossibility.
She stood there, wearing a soft maroon dress with matching tights and her own boots, her curly brown hair bouncing as she giggled at her prank. Her brown eyes were alit with joy as her best friend lay there, having fallen for her carefully crafted trick once again. Not for the first time and definitely not for the last.
"Hi!" She waved at him, giving him her special smile that she always saved just for him.
"Hello." He waved back. "How did you get me again?"
Another laugh from the girl. "I know you better than you know yourself."
That was partly true. The girl was six, like him, and the two had been best friends since they learned how to talk only a few years ago. She had always said she was smarter than him and that she was better at predicting him. It wasn't that he was gullible or anything, but she seemed to have this uncanny ability to know exactly what moves he'd make and plan accordingly so he'd fall right into whatever she had planned.
But then, he could also predict her to an extent. Because he always knew exactly when she needed him. He let himself be predictable, let her know how to get him because he knew whenever she did, it was because she needed her best friend.
Today was no exception.
He finished brushing off the hay and looked up at the girl. "You ran away again. Your parents are looking for you, you know."
The girl blew away a curl as she lowered a hand to lift the boy up. "Let them look. I don't want to be with them right now. Just you."
The boy took her hand and she pulled him to his feet. The joy in her chocolate eyes was gone and her smile had faded, revealing her true upset state. The boy knew something must have happened at her home. An argument with her parents, perhaps. About her future at the Academy, maybe.
Whatever it was, it had drove her here. Again. To wait for him as she had before.
"What happened?" The boy asked her, wanting to know what had upset her. "Something at home?"
The seconds hung in the air as the girl said nothing.
"Do you want to talk?" He asked. She shook her head, brown curls swinging through the air.
He gently squeezed the girl's hand, letting her know he would be there for her. She threw her arms around his neck and embraced him, needing her best friend's comfort and support. His arms wrapped themselves around her, returning the hug, telling her he wouldn't leave. That he'd stay here for as long as she needed him. That he'd do whatever it took to make her feel better.
He was her healer, after all.
Night was starting to fall, the blue sky slowly turning orange as the moons began to rise. The boy and the girl watched the sky change colour from the roof of the barn.
"How many stars do you think there are?" The girl suddenly asked.
"I don't know." The boy responded. "In this system or in general?"
"Um..." she paused for a moment as she tapped her fingers together. "The second one."
"How am I supposed to know that?"
"Because you're always looking up, trying to find them?"
Well, that was true. The boy had always been curious about life beyond his planet. He knew his civilization was far more advanced than other races in the universe, but that only piqued his curiosity about them. He so wanted to see the stars that shone above Gallifrey and the many worlds that lay beyond them.
"I guess you're right." He replied at last.
The girl turned her head to look at the boy. "Are you doing it now?"
"Doing what now?"
"Trying to see the stars?"
"I guess I am." He turned his own head to face her, a small smile forming on his lips.
"And I think I've found some."
"Oh, really?" The girl grinned. "Where?"
"I see two bright stars right in front of me. You're looking at me with them."
Her eyes widened as her face grew warm despite the chill in the coming night. "Y-you!" Was all she said as she lightly smacked his arm. He let out a chuckle as he enjoyed the sight of his best friend's blush before turning back to the colour-changing sky.
"Do you want to see them?" He asked.
"Why are you asking?"
"Do you?"
She paused, trying to think of how she should answer. Of course she wanted to see the stars and the systems they belonged to. She didn't want to be tied to Gallifrey forever. But on the other hand, she had her studies to think about and her future as a Time Lady. This planet, while she might not like its people very much and they her, was her home. It was where she belonged (or at least, was supposed to feel like she belonged).
She looked at her friend again. Into those same wonderful eyes of the boy who had comforted her and healed her so many times. His smile was warm and inviting, one of the many things she loved about this boy. Her best friend.
She slowly returned his smile as she answered his question with a small nod of her head. The boy's own smile grew as he suddenly sat up. "Then it's settled!"
The girl followed her friend's lead as she replied. "What's settled?"
"You want to see the stars, I want to see the stars. So let's see them!" He said as his bright blue eyes practically started to glow with optimism.
"We'll make a pact! A promise!" The boy spoke, confusing the girl. He rose to his feet and spread his arms out as he looked up at the orange night sky, trying to see the shining balls of gas that shone behind it.
"We'll get off here. Both of us. And then we'll see them." He looked back down at the girl. "All of them. Every star in the universe."
The girl looked into her friend's eyes, seeing the hope that lay within them. "Does he mean it?" she thought. "All of them?"
"Really? She asked. "You're not joking?"
He looked almost offended. "Me? Never!" he said as he reached a hand down towards his friend. She took his hand in her own and he lifted her up so they were both standing on the roof of the barn. From here the Drylands seemed to stretch on for miles as she gazed around.
"You want to see every star in the universe?" She asked again.
"Yep!" He said, popping the 'p' and showing his teeth in a grin.
"You want to see them... with me?"
The girl felt the boy give her hand a gentle squeeze. "I wouldn't want to see them with anyone else."
Her hearts fluttered and she couldn't help but smile.
"Alright! We'll do it. We'll see them!" She said.
His smile grew as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. She blushed at the contact, but managed to return the hug before he broke it.
"That's my promise!" He told her.
The girl giggled lightly as she shuffled her feet, unsure of how to respond to that. It didn't take her long to think of a way, though. She tucked a curly strand of hair behind her ear as she leaned in to softly peck the boy's lips with her own. A second passed before he pulled back, cheeks red with blush and shock.
"What was that?" He spoke.
The girl blushed deeper. "M-my promise."
A moment of silence before he spoke again. "Um... Can you p-promise me again?"
Another giggle from the girl made the boy feel lighter than the air they breathed. She leaned in again, and this time he did as well. Their lips met in a second, soft kiss as they sealed their promise to each other.
Voices rang out in the distance. Adult voices. Their parents. The two six-year-olds broke their kiss with a gasp before turning towards the direction the calls were coming from. They slowly moved to the edge of the barn roof, him climbing down first before helping her to descend as well. They touched ground again before moving closer to the calls of their mothers and fathers.
"I suppose we'd better go back." She said, wishing this night didn't have to end just yet. He seemed to agree as he grabbed her hand again. She turned back to face him, blue and brown eyes meeting, the memory of their rooftop promise reflecting in both of them.
"Nah." He said. "Let's run. We'll need the practice."
Her brown orbs seemed to shine in the double-moonlight and it took his breath away.
"Run where?" She questioned.
"Doesn't matter." He pulled her closer, moving her to his side as they were still joined by their hands. "Wherever you want to go, I'll take you there. We'll run, the both of us."
"And if we're caught?"
She smiled. So did he.
"Then I'll stand up for you."
The girl shook her head. "No. We'll stand together. Like we're meant to."
He let out a small chuckle. "Anything you say, mistress."
Hand-in-hand, the two ran off. The direction didn't matter, nor did the trouble they were bound to be in when they were eventually caught. All that mattered to them now was the still-fresh memory of their promise. There were so many stars in the universe, all over this galaxy and the next. And when the time came, when they were old enough and they could make their dream a reality, they would.
As long as there was world enough, and time, they would.
I think it's entirely possible that The Master was born a girl and the young boy we saw in The Sound of Drums could have been the second or third regeneration.
I was going to write this before the finale aired, but you can consider this my tribute to Missy.
Doctor Who and related characters/settings (C): BBC