James opened his eyes and sat up. He gazed around the room. Penthouse. He was in the penthouse, but…no, he shouldn't be there. Shouldn't even be…alive. His last memory was of the consulting detective shooting him. He looked at his chest, no blood, no bullet hole. How was that possible? Unless…he jumped to his feet and raced into the bathroom.

No, nothing changed. He was still him. Still the meta-crisis. Or was he? Well, he hadn't regenerated and that's how Time Lords healed, but maybe…maybe he wasn't as human as the Doctor claimed.

"Rule one," he said to his reflection, "The Doctor lies."

It had been him after all, the Time Lord who created him, the same man who abandoned him, who told him that he was human. Maybe he wasn't. Maybe he was like Jack and that's why he was left behind. He knew how the Doctor felt about temporal anomalies. Maybe that's what he was.

"Oh, yes, that changes things."

Well, not his plan to destroy the Doctor. He was going ahead with that, but his plan for the TARDIS. If he had enough Time Lord DNA she would have to listen to him, have to let him pilot her and then…well, all of space and time, but not to help, not like the Doctor. Oh, there were so many things he could do, so many possibilities.

But first thing's first. Take care of the Doctor then he could decide what he'd do for the rest of his life, which, if surviving a bullet to the heart was any indication, would be quite a long life.

Rose would be gone. The Time Lord and the detective would've taken her, but that was easily rectified. There were preparations to make first. He gave the Doctor the place and time, only the Time Lord believed that was where he was keeping Rose, but that's not what the coordinates and date were about. That was where one of them would die. Didn't matter which one. The Doctor would either be dead or destroyed.

James smiled. Not long now. Three days. That's all the time the Time Lord had left and then it would be over. James would have his revenge and a new life, a very long life.


Standard Disclaimer.

Thank you to all my brilliant readers!

If you have time reviews are always welcome...and chocolate. :)