The Master Chronicles

by Sage1988

The Master, unrestrained, uncontrolled, unstoppable. With the universe in chaos from the Time War the Master has a new sense of purpose and is keen to make his mark. What does he do without the Doctor around? Many X-overs but mainly Doctor Who based. M just to be safe. Dark Story but with a sort of happy ending. M Rated to be safe

22. The Master Chronicles 22

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any fandoms in this story. This is not intended for profit.

Here we are at the last chapter, I have enjoyed writing this story and hope people have enjoyed reading it.

On we go.

The Master Chronicles 22 - Last of the Time Lords Part 2

The Valiant, One Hour After the Master's Death…

The atmosphere aboard the ship was tense, none of those onboard were sure just how to deal with their memories of what had happened. While it had all been undone the memory of it remained for them and it haunted them all deeply. The Doctor had moved the Master's body and they left him alone, none of them trusting themselves to say anything around him right now.

Not least the Actives and Jaime who had been the enforcers of the Master's will. The only ones of them absent were the four former companions of the Doctor.

"You know." Echo or Caroline said as she and the other actives sat around one of the empty cargo holds, when she had their full attention Echo continued. "I only ended up in the Dollhouse because I was trying to shut it down. And then I end up chained to an even worse asshole. Guess I must have pissed somebody off or have really bad judgement."

"You had good intentions." Sierra said, known now as Priya as she cuddled into Victor otherwise known as Anthony. Their feelings for each other at least had not been a creation of the Dollhouse or the Master.

"At least he cured our mental trauma." November or Madeline as she really known. "I was a wreck after my daughter died."

"Speak for yourself." Whiskey said as she sighed. "We killed so many people and helped him take over the world! I think we all have some real new trauma to come to terms with." She hadn't been so open about her identity but had admitted she had been called Samantha before the Dollhouse.

"None of that was your fault." Jaime told them as she leant against the wall. "You were all forced into this, had your minds rewritten by him. He took the real parts of you that matter away and left you with nothing but the worst. Believe me, I understand." Jaime said with her own incredible guilt mounting. She had done far worse than any of them and she would have to deal with that for the rest of her life which might be a lot longer than all of them. They all listened and sat as they absorbed it all.

"So, what happens now?" Tango/Emily asked, breaking the silence and Kilo/Melissa grimaced before telling them.

"UNIT will take us into custody, lock us up until they are satisfied that we are no longer under his control which they will never be. In the meantime, they will dangle privileges in front of us in exchange for completing missions for them. That's the most likely or hopeful scenario."

They all hated the sounds of that especially Lila.

"I was born in the 23rd century! I don't want to be stuck here; I've got a company there." Lila told them with anger but Jaime then seemed to have an idea.

"And you can. I can get you back there." Jaime told her as she held up the Vortex Manipulator she had secretly taken from the Master's body. "And the rest of you, you still have the aliases we made for you before the Master rose to power, right?" Jaime asked and Echo looked around the room, sharing confused looks with the others.

"Yeah, why?" Jaime smirked before using her pad, fingers flying across it before telling them all.

"Because I just wiped the Master's database of them. No way for UNIT to track you now. Not to mention I took the liberty of transferring a large sum of money from the Master's personal accounts into your emergency ones. Enough for you all to live free and how you want." Jaime told them, the Master had stolen or gathered vast sums of money in the build up to his rise to power. More than enough to give them all a good life.

And with no record of them in the Master's database and all of them knowing how to disappear, UNIT would never find them.

They all looked between them, all of them wondering if it was worth it but soon, they all started smiling as they decided to do it, they had been controlled by others for far too long…it was time to live their own lives.

"The Master's plane is in the hanger, disable the beacon and go where you will." Jaime told them. They all looked at her with confusion.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Priya asked but Jaime shook her head.

"My sister is here; I swore to take care of her. Besides, someone needs to pay the price." She told the former actives. She had no intention of taking Becca on the run, subjecting her to that kind of life and if they had her, perhaps they might not chase the Actives so intently. With the Master dead someone would need to be punished for this and she would likely be the one they blamed as his accomplice.

She had to stay, regardless of what happened.

The Actives didn't like but they all agreed, each shaking her hand and giving her a nod or a hug as they boarded the plane and she smiled to them alongside Lila and waved them off. She didn't know where they were going and it was better that she didn't, besides she knew how to find them if she had too.

They had all the skills and ability to survive, to make whatever life they wanted wherever they wanted.

It was something good to come out of the bad Jaime thought with some relief.

She turned to Lila who nodded and Jaime set the Vortex Manipulator for the 23rd Century, grabbing Lila's hand and placing it on the manipulator before it engaged.

The transport was rough, leaving them both with aches all over and a headache but they landed in the CEO's office of Drake Interplanetary, looking out over the much-changed city of London below.

"Home." Lila said with smile on her face, she looked a film star Jaime thought absentmindedly. She turned back to Jaime and told her. "Thank you! I can do a lot of good with the resources here and I have so many new ideas. I guess this is goodbye." Lila said sadly, knowing she was likely to never see her or the others again but Jaime smiled with a knowing look in her eyes.

"Don't be so sure. You just live your life and make the most of what you've been given." Jaime told her and gave her a last shake of the hand before returning to the present and leaving Lila wondering just what she had meant.

But Jaime didn't go back to Valiant straight away, no she made a few…detours along the way to fix some other wrongs that needed righting.

---

While Jaime did what she needed to do, the Doctor sat down with his own former companions who were still dealing with what happened.

"He took everything we were…and twisted it." Charlotte or Charley as she preferred to be known said as she sat on the floor with her head pressed against her knees to avoid looking the Doctor in the eye given what he had seen her do.

"We killed innocent people. Helped him take over the world." Zoe said with distress from her seat on the table where she sat dejected at how far she had fallen.

"He had me seduce people only to use and kill them when they weren't useful anymore or just for his amusement. Oh Doctor, what has become of us?" Constance Clarke said from her position standing in the corner with despair as she had been used by him for a variety of horrible missions that she really didn't want to think about. She had always prided herself on being a woman of strong moral principle and firm unshakable values but now…she was a monster. Oh, what would her parents and Flip think of her now Constance thought sadly.

"He made me his tea lady!" Lucie said with disgust in her Blackpool accent as she sat in one of the chairs. "Not to mention dress me up like a maid when I wasn't doing the same stuff of you."

"None of it was your fault." The Doctor said sternly to them. "He took all the good parts of you away and left just the bad parts under his control. You weren't in control of yourselves." He told them eager to make them believe it.

The foursome was all quiet as they listened to him, not able to fully accept that as everything they had done and felt had come from them. All that anger, lust, greed, thrill of being bad…that had been them. Somewhere inside them they wanted those things and they didn't really want to think about it but it was always on their minds.

"I suppose." Charley said as she got up from the floor and managed to look into his eyes for the first in what felt like centuries. "But don't expect us to forgive him. Not after all he did."

"Hear hear." The other three echoed in agreement and the Doctor wanted to argue and make them show respect to the Master but Zoe came up to him and then surprisingly slapped him right on the face. Her small pixie like frame shaking with rage.

"That was for leaving me and Jamie without our memories. You just left us like that! No memory of all the traveling we did with you. You just left us." Zoe said with anger and the Doctor, massaging his cheek as despite being small, she could hit with quite a lot of force.

"I thought you'd be living your lives." He said trying to defend himself but Zoe was still angry and revealed what had happened after being left back in their own times.

"I always knew I had lost two years of my life and had no idea why, bits of memory always coming to the surface before disappearing like they were never there! It tormented me my entire life. Who knows if Jamie went through the same thing?" Zoe said remembering all the years she had struggled to get her memory back only to be frustrated until the Master had found her and kidnapped her.

He had ironically done what the Doctor wasn't willing to do and return her memories to her.

The Doctor did look ashamed at how he had neglected his friends by leaving them without their memories after all the amazing things they did. That Zoe had discovered some of it didn't surprise him, she was very smart he thought with some pride and that old annoyance at not necessarily being the smartest person in the room anymore.

Jamie McCrimmon? The Doctor thought with depression, had he suffered as she had? He was so strong willed he would have fought so hard for those memories; he would never give them up. The door parted at the wrong moment as he thought about that and wondered if he should go and check on all his old companions to make sure they were alright?

The door opened and Jaime Sommers singlehandedly wheeled in Nyssa's stasis unit, it normally took four people to move it and yet she could do it on her own. He had to admit she was pretty strong he thought impressed.

But as he went to open the chamber and release Nyssa, Jaime slapped his hands away.

"Just wait, will you? The Master rigged this thing so if it isn't opened in a certain way it explodes. Another of his nasty little precautions." Jaime told him with scorn for his rush and not checking, he was supposed to know the Master but he was so arrogant that he just rushed in without thinking or taking precautions. Jaime honestly worried given the arrogance of this man and given what she had seen Martha Jones would likely be leaving him soon. Given how she had been treated by the Doctor it was surprising it hadn't happened before. He would need a new companion or that arrogance of his would get out of control.

Jaime managed to disengage the last of the hidden traps and the pod disengaged, its door opening with hiss and a small cloud of white coloured gas escaping it. All those present held their breath as Jaime pulled it open, Nyssa stood there like a statue for a moment before slowly awakening, opening her eyes and looking around in a daze before taking an unsteady step out. Her legs were not quite ready to support her weight and she fell, the Doctor catching her as the four freed companions all crowded around her.

"Doctor?" Nyssa asked, her voice weak and tired having not yet recovered from Cryo-sleep yet. The Doctor, already relieved to have four of his old friends' back was delighted to welcome a fifth, amazed even more that Nyssa recognised him even though he had regenerated several times since they last met. "Where? What happened?"

"It's alright Nyssa. You're safe and with friends." The Doctor said with a smile, he had always had a soft spot for Nyssa, she had been vital to his sanity back when he, her, Adric and Tegan had been travelling together. Playing peacemaker between them all and when Adric had died and they had parted company with Tegan for the first time she had been his sole companion for a few years, becoming a very good one. She had managed the trauma of being the last of her kind much better than he had the Doctor thought impressed at her even more now he knew what that felt like.

"I was in E-Space, then…the old man…the Master!" She said suddenly getting agitated as she remembered what had happened.

"He's gone. You're safe." Charley said quickly to reassure her while the Doctor and Jaime shared a look as they both were very at odds over that statement, especially as Jaime knew he had back up plans to return, plans she would take a good amount of pleasure from shutting down.

He would return though she thought with depression, you couldn't keep a monster like the Master gone forever however much you tried but she would delay his return for as long as possible Jaime thought, the longer the world went without the Master…the better off it would be she thought to herself.

She knew better than to say that to the Doctor though, right now she wasn't sure if he would help the man return merely so he wouldn't be alone anymore. She would hope not but who knows? She thought.

"Twentieth First Century Earth. You're among friends." Zoe told her with a smile, knowing she was welcoming her to a part of the largest extended family spread across all of time and space. They who had travelled with the Doctor were a family in a way she thought with a sense of comfort, sharing a life that few could even imagine.

"Unfortunately, there are other people that need to be freed." Constance reminded them, remembering two other prisoners were held aboard this ship. Martha had made a comment that Constance reminded her of Tallulah from 1930 New York and the Doctor had to admit there was a bit of a resemblance but why he had no idea.

"What people?" Nyssa asked confused still as to what was going on. Jaime sighed knowing the next two were not going to be as pleasant as this one had been.

"Come with me, I'll show you." Jaime told them with resignation and guided them down to the secured storage rooms. Inside were two containers, one larger than the other.

"When I was connecting to the Archangel Network." The Doctor said as they approached the small container. "I sensed there was a person at the centre of it."

"There is." Jaime told them as they surrounded the pod and saw the young blonde woman inside. "Cassandra Anderson, Judge Anderson to give her title. She comes from a parallel world where the planet was devastated in a brutal war. Mega Cities contain the human race and are riddled with crime. The only thing keeping any sense of order is her and people like her. Judge, jury and executioner all rolled into one. Cassandra happens to be a human psychic born of radiation and the Master used her as the corner stone of the Archangel Network."

"Then she can't go home." The Doctor said sadly as he could never take the young woman home even if he didn't like the sound of these judges at all. "The Walls-".

"Are closed we know." Zoe told him having learnt that much from the Master. "Guess she will have a make a new life here now. As we all must." Zoe said sadly.

"Well, time we let her out." Charley said, making all of them turn to Jaime who sighed before she activated the wakeup process.

"She's been in a medically induced coma for two years plus, it will take a while for her to come round. In the meantime, the next one has a rather nasty story to it." Jaime said with a disgust.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked before Lucie answered the question this time.

"He's called Kudlak, he's a bug." Lucie said with anger given what the General had done.

"Uvodni." Constance corrected matter of factly although she didn't look any more comfortable than Lucie did over letting him out.

"Uvodni. Love an Uvodni, they built their cities like an insect hive." The Doctor said in his offhand way. "Towns bigger than London and cities bigger than most countries. Each one just a single family…imagine the reunions." He said with a goofy smile but he didn't get much beyond a grim stare back.

"Well." Charley said, trying to get them back on topic as this one made them far too unsettled to enjoy the Doctor's endless wittering. "This Uvodni was injured in the Ghost Wars but rather than retire he went recruiting and because he thinks humans have a gift for war, that he should conscript humans to fight in their wars, against their will."

The Doctor became grim himself as he heard that but they hadn't gotten to the worst part yet.

"But adults in his mind wouldn't be the best soldiers." Zoe said with disgust having known a similar experience when the Company had taken her away from her parents as a child to exploit her in their elite program. "Instead, he took children and not just one group but many over years. Thousands before we stopped him."

The Doctor's eyes became positively stormy as he heard what Kudlak had done, the distaste he had for people who do such things to children was particularly strong and he might have left him there but instead he had a better role for him, knowing the Ghost Wars were over.

Jaime opened the container and they saw the General sat in his chair, numbly staring at the screen of the parents of the missing children which shut off at Jaime's flicking the switch. The screen went blank and Kudlak didn't react at first, he seemed to have retreated inside himself but the lack of input finally seemed to register with him and the Doctor stepped forward, standing between the General and the screen.

They stood there for quite a while as they waited for Kudlak to come back but he looked up eventually and the Doctor told him.

"General Kudlak, I'm the Doctor. I once saved the Uvodni species from the Krynoids once, a long time ago. And you repay that by kidnapping children, do I need to save the universe from you now?" The Doctor demanded and Kudlak who had long known the legend of the Doctor sat in fear of his judgement.

"I know that your people are peace loving now, after all they lost in the Ghost Wars." The Doctor continued to speak. "They are rebuilding their great civilisation; it will be beautiful again. But you have a job to do before you get to be a part of that. To be able to look in the mirror." The Doctor said with a cold and stern voice that was terrifying in its intensity.

"To go out into the universe, find those that still live and return them to Earth. To restore them to those they love and find closure for those that do not." Kudlak said, doing whatever it took to ease this pain and misery that had been his world for over two years now.

"Yes. All of them." The Doctor told him with complete seriousness and with his sonic screwdriver, opened the restraints still holding Kudlak to the chair.

The ability to move after being a prisoner for so long took a while for Kudlak to truly grasp but slowly he got to his feet and as they all looked on, he got used to being able to stand again and when he was sure enough on his feet he knelt before the Doctor.

"Your ship is right where you left it. We had little use for it so we just left it where it was but it would be best to let UNIT know what has been going on. Handling the returned people will be easier with their help." Jaime told them, thinking there were going to be a lot of damaged people coming back some of whom had been away from home for years.

"It will be fine-" The Doctor started saying before Jaime cut him off.

"For a man who calls himself a doctor, you have little idea about real healing." Jaime told him with a harsh anger that seemed to unnerve him. "Do you think I am healed after all that happened? That Zoe, Constance, Charley and Lucie are? The Joneses? True healing takes time and effort, rather than just ignoring the pain till it breaks you or twists you into something else. Something you do a lot, those children if they can even be called children anymore will be damaged and broken by what they have likely experienced. They will need help to find something of life again and to regain even the smallest part of what they had…of what they lost. I would have thought by your eleventh incarnation and being over two thousand six hundred years old you would have figured that out by now." Jaime said bitterly as she remembered all the times the Doctor's carelessness and running away had caused even more pain.

"Tenth, he is the tenth Doctor." Lucie said having learned that much but Jaime looked at him strangely as she knew that wasn't right. Had he hidden the War Incarnation completely? She wondered.

The two stared at each other, the Doctor alarmed that she knew his darkest secret and had a figure for his age that to be honest was probably more accurate than the nine hundred years he had decided on, from the Master she already knew he had destroyed Gallifrey and now had the rest of the pieces or enough of them anyway. She knew enough to understand it. She was a Time War veteran too, had fought in most of the harshest and worst battles and survived it.

You don't come through something like that the same as you used to be, the Doctor thought bitterly.

"Either way." Jaime said, not sure what exactly to make of this decision of his to hide an entire incarnation from view. "We should get UNIT in on this, they might be able to arrange counselling for those that do return and a cover story for where they've been. It is a far better idea than just dumping them back on Earth and expecting things to be alright." Jaime told them all and they nodded before moving the still sleeping Cassandra to the med bay.

---

The Doctor stood with Martha, Captain Jack, his former companions, the rest of the Joneses, Becca and John as they waited to greet the UNIT team that had been sent. Kudlak was standing nearby as he had agreed it would be best to work with UNIT on this and had much to say. The Joneses were still not used to actual aliens so looked at him with unease.

The Doctor would have just left by now but the Tardis was still healing and would need more time to restore herself. So, for the moment he was stuck here and given how grief stricken he was after losing the Master, to be the last of the Timelords again as he was certain Jaime Sommers must be wrong as he must be able to tell if any were still out there surely.

No, he was the last the Doctor decided with stubbornness and not willing to allow any thought otherwise.

Looking over to John Conner again he was confused as time seemed to be somewhat erratic around him, like he shouldn't be here but was. Regardless though the Doctor saw a great future ahead of him, he wouldn't be just an aide for long he reasoned.

Jaime Sommers came up to them and took Becca's hand, the sisters smiling somewhat awkwardly to each other as they were still trying to deal with the huge shifts in the world.

The UNIT plane finally landed and its people disembarked, as normal the soldiers moved out in typical brutish fashion but then a smile was brought to his face as two familiar faces disembarked the plane.

"Brigadier Alister Gordan Lethbridge-Steward. Welcome to the Valiant." The Doctor said brightly as he met his dear old friend again, looking much older than the last time but the Doctor didn't care, just taking a great deal of comfort in the sight of one of his best human friends.

The Brigadier smiled at the sight of the Doctor, not an incarnation he was familiar with but the Doctor regardless of what face he wore was pretty much the same, the energy they had was unmistakable. However, he noticed that the weight the Doctor had always carried was much greater than when he had last seen him, there was a great sadness in his eyes that had not been there before. Something terrible had happened to him the Brigadier thought to himself.

"Doctor." The Brigadier said joyfully as he shook his hand and then the second person came up to him.

"Doctor, are you alright?" Sarah Jane asked the Doctor who smiled for her before saying.

"Fine, just fine." The Doctor said but neither the Brigadier or Sarah fell for it, they both knew him too well for that but saw however much they pried he was not going to talk about it.

"Well, I take it the Master is dead or has fled." The Brigadier, annoyed that old nemesis had returned but Martha Jones stepped forward and told them with complete certainty.

"He's dead."

They both listened, not sure they believed that but accepted it for now.

"Miss Smith was kind enough to join us so we can write a suitable cover story for what has happened. The scale of this is too big to be simply covered up so we need a good story to deflect people away from the truth." The Brigadier said before looking around and asking.

"I was led to understand there was a number of accomplices that need to be taken into custody?" The Brigadier asked and that was when the Doctor and others realised that most of the Actives were gone. Jaime stepped forward and all the UNIT soldiers pointed their guns at her, she stopped pained by the reaction but spoke all the same.

"The former Actives are gone. They were never in control of their own actions and deserve to live free of him now. Don't bother looking, you won't find them. We confined the Master's real accomplices in the brig." Jaime told him and Brigadier would very much like to challenge her about that but pressed on.

"What about his wife? Lucy Saxon?" He asked noticing she wasn't here either and Jaime told him.

"She's gone too. He broke her long ago; Lucy deserves a second chance. I can reassure you though she will never be a threat again." Jaime told them and they all wondered just when she had been able to arrange that.

The Brigadier nodded grimly, knowing UNIT had a massive manhunt to start before gesturing to the sergeant at his side. The man walked forward and slapped a pair of handcuffs onto Jaime who didn't resist.

The Doctor and the others all started to object but none louder than Becca.

"Leave her alone! It wasn't her fault he was controlling her." Becca yelled but the Brigadier was unmoved.

"We can't be sure of that and even if she wasn't, she's a danger UNIT is uncomfortable just being out in the world. She already helped the others escape and it isn't something that will be forgotten." The Brigadier told them, the limited amount of information he had on the situation was not showing Jaime Sommers in a good light and UNIT would need to investigate further before deciding just what to do with her.

"It's alright Becca." Jaime said to reassure her scared sister, to be honest she could get out of this situation quite easily if she wanted too but she wasn't going to go on the run. She would play along with the authorities as she knew she had useful skills and knowledge to offer them. "We'll see each other soon; I just have to be debriefed and tell them about Blackfield."

"Blackfield?" Jack asked confused.

"The Master's house." Jaime said with a smirk as she knew just how they were going to react to this.

---

Blackfield…A Short While Later…

"This is his house!" Martha exclaimed in disbelief as she, the Doctor, Jack, Jaime, Becca, John, the Brigadier and Sarah all stood on the lawn with UNIT soldiers all around them. They all looked shocked at the scale of it except Jaime, Zoe, Charlotte, Constance and Lucie as they all knew about this place already.

"Yeah, I mean a huge manor or palace is the only thing he is content with." Jaime said with disdain for his over-the-top tastes but couldn't help but made a dig at the Doctor at the same time. "Better than a cottage in Stockbridge or a house on Baker Street in London though."

"Isn't that where Sherlock Holmes lived?" Becca asked in confusion but John told her sternly.

"He was a fictional character Becca. He's not real."

"Well…" Jack said with a shrug as he knew the reality was more complicated than that, the Doctor couldn't help boasting though.

"Met Arthur Conan Doyle once. Gave him the idea for Holmes." The Doctor told the others but Jaime scoffed.

"He based his exploits on the adventures of two groups operating in London at the time, The Paternoster Gang and Jago & Litefoot while also drawing on an actual Sherlock Holmes who was much more secretive about his work." Jaime told them as she had lived through that time and knew the story all too well.

"Sherlock Holmes really existed!?" Sarah Jane asked surprised and Jaime shrugged.

"Maybe not exactly the version you know, Doyle did make some alterations especially when he started copying the cases of the others into his work. Madam Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax not to mention Henry Gordon Jago and George Litefoot all had some pretty impressive adventures that he took inspiration from." Jaime told them off hand.

"It's true, a lot of the stuff came from their escapades." Jack said having lived through those times too and knew what was real. He looked at her and realised she like him had been forced to wait.

"That is insane, I always enjoyed a good Holmes Story, hard to believe they were real." Charley said as she stood with the others.

"How do you know all this? Like you encountered them first hand." Constance asked and Jaime bit her lip as she didn't really want to admit what she had gotten up too back then but Jack unfortunately answered that question.

"Wait a minute." He said with a chuckle as if he realised something funny. "There was this series of crimes back in 1894, some big crime kingpin that no one ever saw. They outwitted the Great Madam Vastra and her gang, not to mention Jago, Litefoot and their small team. Was that you?" Jack asked and Jaime as she felt the eyes of everyone on her she wished the ground would swallow her up, Jack however realised it was and laughed again.

"It was you! Oh, that drove them mad! They never even came close to catching you. You inspired Irene Adler and Moriarty." Jack said proudly while everyone looked at her with astonishment.

"You were there?" Becca asked her and Jaime sighed before telling her sister.

"I was dropped off here in 1826." She admitted, surprising them all. "I had to live through most of the Nineteenth Century, the whole of the Twentieth Century and the first few years of this one. I…I wasn't exactly quiet during that time either." Jaime told them feeling a great deal of shame at some of the actions she'd taken while she'd been waiting for the Master.

That went down with silence, most of them had not known she had been waiting for so long and wondered just what else she had gotten up to in that time. Regardless they all looked up towards the house and walked the many steps.

"I've disabled the security systems. Welcome to Blackfield." Jaime said as she led them inside the enormous manor.

Jaime though was quick to grab something from what had been her bedroom here and the library too before going to the Doctor. He looked at her with confusion as she placed a pile of books, small black box and a necklace in his hand.

"These belong to you now; the necklace has a White Point Star." Jaime said sadly knowing it was likely the last one in existence which shocked the Doctor who looked at the last diamond of Gallifrey with a mournful look in his eyes but Jaime wasn't done yet.

"The books, well the Master had them in his collection. The Green, Red and Black Books of Rassilon along with the Black Scrolls and the Scrolls of Antiquity. It seems only right you have them, a little piece of home." Jaime said, knowing them by heart and wanting to give them to someone who would appreciate them.

The Doctor honestly was too choked up for words, lost pieces of Gallifrey where now in his hands and honestly the connection they gave him to his lost home was worth more than any fortune in the entire universe. He smiled at her and she smiled back, glad to have done something right.

- x -

As they moved through the ridiculous displays of opulence, they all found themselves distracted. John was standing with Martha and looking around with disdain for all of this wealth most of it likely stolen by the Master from who knows where and when.

He turned to Martha and Becca who were studying a rather elaborate portraits of past incarnations of the Master. They had watched the man burn but seeing his past lives was haunting, knowing they were out there somewhere.

"I'll be heading back to the US soon; I want to go and see my wife and daughter. God knows it's been long enough." John said with sad smile having been with them for so long. They both were a little upset too but having reconnected with their families after so long they completely understood.

"What will you do when you go home?" Becca asked him, knowing with the President dead he was out of his job but John then admitted to them.

"I was thinking of running for office myself. Maybe for Congress or Senate, not sure which yet but I think if you are going to make change then you have to be in a position to do so." John said with a smile and Marth and Becca both came up to him and gave him a hug.

"You stay in touch." Martha said with a sad smile. "I can't think of anyone more qualified for the job."

"I can't wait to see you on the campaign trail." Becca told him.

They stayed quiet for a moment before Constance Clarke came in, she again reminded Martha of Tallulah from the time she and the Doctor had gone to New York in the 1930s and she wondered if they were related somehow but it didn't seem right to ask. Constance spoke in her posh old-fashioned accent.

"Just thought I should let you know; Kudlak is gone. Ser Alister sent a UNIT team with him out into space to find the missing children and bring them back to Earth while getting an apparatus in place to handle their reintegration."

"Good, hope that they might get something back of what they lost." Becca said with disgust at what the alien general had done.

"What about you and the others?" Martha asked, not sure exactly what to make of the four of them. All her peers technically but until recently had been in the thrall of the Master. With the exception of Lucie all of them came from other times and places; Charlotte Pollard came from 1930, Constance Clarke World War Two and Zoe about a century or more in the future. "What will you do now?"

"Zoe hasn't made up her mind yet but the three of us are going to stay here, in this time. Earth still needs protecting and apparently things will get rather busy in the next few years. Besides, we all feel that we need to atone for all the things we did." Constance said with regret for all the misery and death she and the others had inflicted while under the Master's control. She turned to Becca. "Your sister has given us enough money to get started. It will be strange; me, Charley and Lucie all living in a house together. Getting regular jobs while defending the Earth. How life has changed." Constance said, knowing she had never imagined herself living in the Twentieth First Century let alone finding a way to continue fighting to protect Earth and its people.

Martha meanwhile was conflicted; she knew for her own sake that she had to leave the Doctor and besides her family would need her around to start healing from this. She couldn't be there for them and travelling with the Doctor not to mention she was sick his constant mooning after Rose. She pitied the next person to travel with him or maybe he would finally have learnt his lesson and treat whoever followed her as their own person and not some poor imitation of Rose but she was still going to miss the traveling, the sights and adventures that came with travelling with the Doctor.

Would it all end? She questioned herself, would her life return to a semblance of what it had been before? Would she ever feel quite as she had again? Joyful and excited for what the next day might bring?

She now had the opportunity to ask someone who had once been in her shoes and knew at least some of the answers she needed so while walking into one of the lounge rooms and taking Constance gently by the arm which she allowed in confusion Martha asked her.

"How is it? When you leave the Doctor?" She asked with a reluctant voice. "How does your life change?"

Constance smiled as she understood the younger woman's worries immediately and told her.

"I think Charlotte might be better to answer that question than I. She left the Doctor not once but twice." Constance told kindly, knowing personally how hard it was to leave the Doctor.

Martha nodded and Constance called Charlotte Pollard to come over, it took a few moments before finally the blonde-haired young woman who was in reality over twice Martha's age even if she didn't look it appeared. Constance left them alone and Charlotte smiled at Martha.

"Miss Pollard." Martha started saying but Charlotte interrupted.

"Charlotte but my friends call me Charley and I would very much like you and I to be friends Martha." Charley said, her upper-class English accent smooth and well educated but her voice was not emotionless or arrogant as most would be, instead it was warm and friendly.

"Charley." Martha said, not entirely comfortable with that especially as they didn't really know each other well if at all. "I…know I have to leave the Doctor for my own sake if not for my family. After I leave…does life get boring again because…." Martha started saying but Charley finished after listening patiently.

"Because you can't stomach the thought of going back to a boring normal life?" Charley said with an understanding smile, knowing all too well what Martha was worried about having gone through much of the same thing herself.

"Yes." Martha said and Charley told her.

"It can get boring but only if you want it too." Charley told her with a smile. "I was a self-styled 'Edwardian Adventuress' and honestly got myself in way over my head when I posed as a boy and joined the R-101. I would have died onboard that airship if the Doctor hadn't picked me up." Charley said while Martha was astonished to learn just how Charley had ended up as a companion.

"I travelled with him much like you did and honestly…those times were…dangerous and exciting, exhilarating and fun while being terrifying all at the same time and I hoped that it would never end. Even when I separated from the Eighth Doctor and then ended up with the Sixth Doctor before finally ending up in the hands of Viyrans. It was wild ride but one thing I learned was that adventure finds you whether you want it too or not." Charley told her wisely.

"If you keep what you learned during your time in the Tardis with you, then you can find ways to make your own life extraordinary Doctor Martha Jones, just as extraordinary as you." Charley told her. "There is always more going on than appears on the surface. You just have to be open enough to see it."

Martha nodded, understanding what Charley was telling her and grateful for the reassurance. She could make her life however she wanted it to be. She didn't need to be in the Tardis to find adventure although she did wonder if she should find the other former companions on Earth and bring them together to share stories. But that reminded her that she had someone to go and see, another person who might have information on surviving Timelords.

- x -

In one of the sitting rooms nearby, the Brigadier was welcoming UNIT's newest scientist.

"Thank you, Miss Heriot. UNIT will be very glad to have you." The Brigadier said with smile as he shook the short woman's hand, her grip was surprisingly strong for her size but her smile was still the one he remembered from that business with the Cybermen back in the 1960s if a little dimmer from all the life she had lived between then and now.

"Glad to be here Brigadier, if I am going to stay in this time frame, it makes sense to be making myself useful." Zoe said, eager to put her skills to use and UNIT would give her that opportunity. She could go freelance like the others but she liked the idea of joining a bigger fight and maybe using some of her own experience to help guide UNIT and make it less judgemental and hard edged.

"Indeed, now these weapons you all had." The Brigadier said holding the Lawbringer she had been issued. "UNIT top brass has expressed interest in getting hold of these. Do you know where they come from?" The Brigadier asked her and she frowned but nodded.

"Jaime is the one who acquired weapons, she reversed engineered it I think and gave them to a company to reproduce it. You'd have to ask her." Zoe told him and the man nodded while sighing.

"I will, and I do understand about her being controlled by the Master. Saw plenty of that back in the Seventies when he was constantly trying to destroy or take over the world." The Brigadier said sadly, she was far from the only person whose life had been ruined by the Master. "But unfortunately, UNIT's top brass doesn't take such things into account or think much at all I'm afraid. But I will do what I can to help her. In fact, I think I might have an idea." The Brigadier said as he considered a way to keep the woman out of prison.

"That would be brilliant Brigadier." Zoe said with relief. "She was his prisoner for long enough, she doesn't deserve to be locked up again."

"Given her skills I have little doubt she could probably escape any prison UNIT could devise for her." The Brigadier said with a smile. "If my plan works and my friend comes through then you will be seeing her soon."

- x -

Becca meanwhile had made a call to the Berkut Group in Los Angeles to update them on all that had happened relieved that they had been brought back when time had been reversed, already they were going to try and get Jaime released into their custody but their political clout was nowhere near as good as UNIT's so she doubted that was going to happen. She knew if things didn't change that Jaime would likely be spending the rest of her life in prison.

That wasn't right Becca thought, scared her sister would be taken from her again after they had only just managed to get her back.

"Don't worry." Jaime told her, still in handcuffs as she sat on the seat near the window. She smiled gently at her and Becca sat next to her, not able to smile back as she was still worried. "It will be alright. I was thinking we might go on vacation after this, just the two of us. I was thinking Dubai. I always liked Dubai." Jaime said.

"Vacation? Dubai?" Becca said in shock. "Jaime, you're about to be sent to prison! And even if you don't, how could you afford it?"

Jaime smirked before admitting to her.

"Well, I did take advantage of a few opportunities over the years. Believe me, it's not a problem." Jaime said with a smug look in her eye. She had thought about getting rid of it and the companies she had shares in but decided in the end to keep it, she knew how to keep it hidden and it would be a good thing to keep some resources just in case she needed it. It also meant she could properly take care of Becca and give her the life that they had never been able to have before. She would even keep some of her Underworld contacts as you never know when you might need some information.

Becca was unsure that her sister could do what she said but smiled a little as saw she was being serious. She had no idea just how she was going to manage that but maybe she did have a plan. Jaime hugged her sister and was glad when Becca hugged back.

The Doctor then came in with Martha and the Brigadier and Sarah Jane, they smiled when they saw the two sisters. Martha seeing Becca hadn't exaggerated how loving and protective Jaime was. When a UNIT soldier had eyed Becca up and wolf whistled at her while staring at her ass, Jaime had been steaming with rage and grabbed the solider by the scruff of the neck and hoisting him before yelling at him to never do that again.

Becca might find dating difficult with a sister that overprotective, Martha and Sarah both thought with a smile.

"Well, Miss Sommers. It seems we have managed to make a good arrangement for you. You are still on the hook for several rather considerable crimes and refuse to tell us just where the 'Actives' as I believe they are called have gone or where Lucy Saxon is. Allow me to introduce a friend of mine." The Brigadier said as the door opened. An older man with dark skin entered wearing a nice suit and a stern expression.

"Mr Lawrence Kenwood. Pleasure to meet you." Jaime said knowing him by sight, he had been the one that stood against the Master in the election and now would be the Prime Minister, which was a good thing as he was solid, intelligent and reasoning. The man nodded.

"Miss Sommers, I have been informed of what happened and while I have to admit it goes a bit over my head, I am able to appreciate the good work you've done in Cold Fusion. Something I want to continue. So, Ser Alister and I have come an arrangement." Mr Kenwood said calmly. "You will continue your work in that field while UNIT makes use of your other…skills." Mr Kenwood said.

"You will act as an agent for UNIT for the immediate future while helping complete the third Cold Fusion plant in Ireland. A few other countries have expressed an interest in plants of their own. Something that would be good for everyone." Mr Kenwood said with a stern expression on his face.

"Good, making sure the world has clean energy. About time." The Doctor said with a distracted flippancy. He was still unnerved as the new Prime Minister appeared to be the parallel version of the President from Pete's World.

"What about the house?" Jaime asked, she had spent nearly two hundred years looking after the place and she had become a little attached to it although she would never want it for herself. Far to elaborate to be considered a home she thought with a snort.

"UNIT will be using the caverns underneath as a data storage facility while the National Trust will take over the house, perfect cover." The Brigadier said proudly before mentioning something else. "But in regards to you, I would like to introduce you to your new handler." The Brigadier said and opened a door allowing a woman with shoulder length blonde hair with sharp and intelligent eyes, wearing a rather plan white shirt, grey trousers under a beige long coat but had a black and green patterned scarf around her neck.

"Hello, delighted to meet you all. Kate, Kate Stewart." The woman said and Sarah apparently already knew her and came over with arms open.

"Kate." She said and both women hugged.

"It's been too long Sarah; we'll have to catch up later." Kate said warmly as they were apparently old friends.

"Kate is on the way up at UNIT. She has a great future there." The Brigadier said with a slight warning to Jaime in particular. "She will be your handler for the immediate future, you work for her."

The fact that Kate had at least half the same last name as the Brigadier and he was protective of her hadn't gone unnoticed by those there, it was clear to all of them that Kate was his daughter and honestly for the Doctor it was a touching moment to meet his old friend's child who was now fully grown and taking up his role at UNIT.

"I'm hoping to get science running military. Adapt for the 21st Century which sounds a lot more fun than it has been." Kate said with a smile and a tired look in her eyes. The Doctor nodded; he liked her already as one of the things he had always hated about UNIT was the heavy-handed military attitude. She looked at the Doctor and her eyes seemed to light up a bit. "So, you're the Doctor? I hoped I'd get to meet you." Kate said and the Doctor with his typical pomposity told her.

"Well, a lot of people do."

Kate was however not put off being prepared by her dad for dealing with him.

"I can see the ego grows with each regeneration. Have to watch out for the next one." She teased him right back and he smiled.

"Oh, I like you. I think you and I are going to get on just fine." The Doctor said honestly before turning to the Brigadier and asking him. "Did you get that plane for me and Martha?"

"Yes, I understand you want to see Mrs Sue Bellaver in the United States. She's come up on UNIT's radar a few times but only the same way Miss Smith has done often getting into trouble." The Brigadier said with a smirk at Sarah who preened a little.

"I investigate, I don't look for trouble." She said with a look of embarrassment which they all smiled at.

"No, it just tends to find you anyway." The Brigadier teased slightly but not heavily given how fond of her he was.

Jaime meanwhile spoke to Kate quietly.

"When I was with the War Master, the previous incarnation to the one we know as Harold Saxon we visited this century several times. Some in the immediate future and leaving people behind who will need UNIT's help but might be useful to it in the long run. I can give you dates and locations." Jaime told her while Kate looked at her with suspicion.

"What sort of people and how might they be useful to UNIT?" She asked intently and Jaime told her at least a little.

"The first is a small group with extraordinary abilities granted to them by the Master's experiments in 2012, the second is in 2018 and she is a rather gifted individual. There are a few others as well and I will give you the right time and location to find them. And Becca is going to be living with me." Jaime told Kate who realised that this wasn't her asking a request but telling her she would be. Kate had no issue with the sister staying anyway, if anything it would hopefully keep her grounded as who knows what went on inside her head. She was intrigued though and made the promise to herself to ensure that she would be there to see these people Miss Sommers was telling her about in person when the time came.

---

Private Hospital, London…Hours Later…

From her private room in the hospital Cassandra looked out at the city below, not recognising any of the sights beneath her and it was very different to the Mega Cities she had known. She put her hands on the glass as if it would change anything and she would find herself back in Mega City One.

But it stayed the same, she sighed sadly before the door opened and the pretty brunette doctor that had taking care of her since she had woken up came in. Cassandra turned around and saw her smiling which only made Cassandra feel irritated by her cheerfulness, it didn't help that she couldn't read her mind which only made her more on edge after the last people who had fooled her.

"I believe I was clear you should sit down regularly; the medical capsule might have kept you in good shape but your body has to get used to moving again." Nyssa told her calmly but firmly all the while keeping up that annoyingly warm smile of hers.

"I am fine." Cassandra said stubbornly but Nyssa was used to difficult patients and told her.

"Your body was placed in stasis, subjected to a virus that rewrote your genetic code, put back into stasis and then hotwired to a mainframe and held in a medical pod for two years. I think being careful about your recovery is a good move at this point." Nyssa told her calmly with a bit of dry wit that Cassandra again was annoyed by. Unfortunately, her glares didn't seem to affect Nyssa who unknown to her had faced far more deadly and dangerous things in her life.

There was a knock at the door and it opened to reveal Captain Jack Harkness standing there with his cheeky grin.

"Not sure about hospitals, don't like the atmosphere but love the nurses." He told them. "Went to a hospital on Serrus once, ended up having some interesting times in the dry-cleaning with the nurses there. Cute, they stayed in touch. Great guys." Jack said referring to his more risqué activities. If he was trying to get a reaction but neither Nyssa nor Cassandra reacted to his own disappointment.

Jack then turned to Nyssa and told her.

"We haven't managed to track down Tegan Jovanka yet. Apparently, she's doing something for Aboriginal rights. We're still looking though." Jack told her and Nyssa nodded.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. UNIT has already asked for me to be a consultant and I will happily extend that offer to Torchwood." Nyssa told him and he was grateful for that given that she was a genius at biochemistry, far beyond anyone else on Earth at this point in time so her skills might be invaluable.

"I am grateful, I don't suppose you might consider coming to join us permanently?" Jack asked, while he had complete faith in Owen it was a mistake not to recruit talent if you found it. Nyssa smiled gently before telling him.

"I'm sorry but no. I can do much more as a doctor than I can fighting aliens."

"Doctors without Borders. They'll be lucky to have you." Jack said knowing how important their work was. Nyssa with her skills would be able to do a lot to help people in that job. It was a rough and sometimes dangerous life but as a former companion of the Doctor he had no doubt Nyssa would be able to take care of herself.

Jack then turned to Cassandra who admitted something as she looked back out the window.

"I was aware you know. When I was in the machine." She admitted to them, her voice calm but only just. "Sort of anyway, like I was dreaming of this world. I know I can't get back to my own world."

"Me too." Jack said quietly to himself although she felt he was telling the truth; his emotions were easier to read than his feelings. But he shook himself and asked her. "Then maybe you might consider a job offer? Torchwood could use someone of your skills."

Jack wasn't kidding either, regardless of her combat skills which would mean he wouldn't have to train her the abilities as a psychic would be a great asset.

Cassandra wasn't sure, she had been thinking about maybe trying to be a Judge on this world but she could see that the law worked differently here. If she tried to be a Judge like she had been back on her world she would be the criminal here. It was jarring as although this world was far from perfect it was still a great deal calmer than her own world.

Torchwood, she thought with a considering look in her eyes and asked the captain.

"So, what is Torchwood?"

Jack smiled as he explained it to her, just what they did and why they did it. How she could be helpful and find a place here on this new world for herself. It was different to what she had known and the idea of 'being outside the government, beyond the police' didn't exactly sit right with her but the last government she had served had sold her to the Master and there was a real chance she might be able to help here.

It wasn't anything like the life she had before, but it was something she could do.

"Okay, I'll join you." Cassandra said while Nyssa looked on in slight concern given what the Captain had said but otherwise said nothing as it was up to her what she did with her life.

"Welcome aboard Miss Anderson. Welcome to Torchwood." Jack said proudly.

---

Sue Snell's Meditation Retreat, Arizona, USA...

Martha was beginning to love the Brigadier; he had managed to get them a private jet to fly her and the Doctor to the States and a jeep to get them to Sue's place. Without him it would have taken days Martha thought although the Doctor's sullen attitude wasn't exactly making things easy, he was moping around after the Master's death and dragging him here hadn't been easy.

The young doctor was starting to wonder if his determination to believe that he was the last of the Timelords was rooted in something else, like he was afraid to have any others around given how deeply he dug his heels in in refusing to believe there might be others out there.

She had decided to take him to someone that had not only met one, but travelled with one in the hopes he might finally admit he was wrong.

The cottage was just as she remembered it although how she was going to explain the 'Year that Never Was' to Sue she had no idea, but as she and Doctor climbed out of the jeep Sue seemed to know they were here and came out to meet them. The Doctor looked around the little homestead and dismissed it all which annoyed Martha but as she came up to Sue, she was stopped from saying anything by Sue speaking first.

"Now we met before, didn't we?" Sue asked her with a sly smile which shocked Martha and actually made the Doctor raise an eyebrow in surprise. "I know there was some kind of temporal event. Travel in a Tardis enough you build up a sort of resistance to timelines being changed, you can subconsciously feel it. So, may I?" Sue said to Martha who was stunned having half expected her to think they were mad and kick them out. The Doctor meanwhile was unsettled by the mention of her travelling in a Tardis as she was not one of his companions.

Martha nodded and Sue put her hands gently on the sides of Martha's head, the Doctor looking at them in worry and concern as well as curiosity.

Martha could feel Sue gently going through her memories, seeing the Year That Never was and after a short while withdrew shaking her head.

"Glad that never happened now. But for the second time, it is a pleasure to meet you, Martha Jones." Sue said warmly and Martha smiled before turning to the Doctor who immediately without thinking or asking started scanning Sue with his sonic screwdriver until Martha knocked it from his hands.

"DOCTOR!" She said scolded him and uncomfortably he told her as he scooped it back up.

"I was just…checking." He said trying to defend himself but Sue just shook her head.

"Acting without thinking, something Caleera told me about you." Sue said with exasperation. The name she mentioned struck a note with the Doctor though.

"Caleera? But she died, before Time War!" He insisted and Sue told him sternly.

"That she did but the Time Lords brought her back as a weapon to use against the Daleks. She and I escaped them and the war and we travelled together, perhaps we should all get inside and have some tea. I think this will be a long conversation and I would rather have it inside." She told him with a glint in her eyes that would allow for no argument.

The Doctor wasn't going to follow her at first but Martha wasn't in the mood for argument and grabbed his arm and dragged him into the cottage while he made small attempts at protest. She came into the same living room as before and forced the Doctor to sit down, her eyes blazing and he wisely stayed quiet while Sue got the tea and came back in. She poured three cups full and repeated the story she had told Martha and her team when they had been here all over again.

The Doctor had barely touched his actually quite nice tea as he learned that he might not indeed be the only surviving Time Lord after all. He could hardly believe it, if what he had learned was right and he was desperately hoping it was then Romana and Caleera who was admittedly an old enemy might still be alive and if they were alive…then others might be too.

That was a big leap but it was something he both wanted more than anything but was terrified of. To not be the only Time Lord any more but also if there were others out there…what would happen when they as the Master had figured out how he had survived the Time War? And what he had done to Gallifrey?

They would hate him, the Doctor thought with a deep pain stabbing at his heart. The terrible night where he had counted just how many children there had been on Gallifrey and the screams of those children, all 2.47 billion of them that had been on Gallifrey the day he had killed them all.

He had done in the name of peace and sanity, to save the universe from not only the Time Lords but the Daleks too, but he honestly wished sometimes he could have died with them.

The Doctor didn't admit that to anyone even his closest friends, none of them knew just what he had done and he had even hidden the incarnation who did it although he was worried Jaime Sommers might reveal what she knew about it. She didn't know about the Ultimate Sanction but would she understand? He pondered or would she judge him for it? She had fought in the Time War as well so at least had some idea of how bad it was but given she had missed the end of the conflict she probably had no idea of how much worse things had gotten after she had been removed from the war.

He wandered out into the garden and Martha went to follow him but Sue did instead. She looked at him and told him.

"Maybe you are the last or maybe not, but the fact remains you are the Doctor, so don't forget what that means. Whatever you've done that you are so ashamed of, oh yes, I saw that look in Caleera's eyes so I know it well, whatever you did cannot be undone, so you must atone. Better to use the pain to make yourself a better man than you were rather than wallow in the misery or lose sight of who you are."

The Doctor listened to her before she went back inside, not sure if he remembered himself sometimes just who he really was. Maybe he did need someone to remind him he considered, before Rose had come into his life, he had been determined to never have a companion again but if he had a companion during the war…a proper companion that could have helped him stay grounded…would he have found another way? He considered just what Sue had said, he couldn't undo what he'd done…he couldn't bring Gallifrey back but he could do good in their name he thought with a fresh determination. He would be the Doctor and follow the promise he made; never cruel nor cowardly, never give up, never give in.

He had a lot to atone for he thought to himself, too much but he would do his best he thought himself, making another promise in that moment.

---

Jaime Sommers' House, London…

"I can't believe you live here." Becca said in astonishment as she saw the large house her sister apparently owned in London. It was three times bigger than their old apartment! She honestly had no idea just what to do with all this space!

"Well, I needed a place of my own and since we are going to be based in London it seems like a good move. Besides, you can think about Uni or college." Jaime said with a smile as she carried in a pair of enormous boxes. She had at last gotten out of the suit she had been wearing for the Master and now was wearing some good dark jeans, a red camisole, black sensible boots and a leather jacket with some diamond earrings and a bracelet.

"More school?" Becca said with depression and Jaime smiled having missed this more than she would ever admit.

"It helps besides, you'll need to make some new friends here. But you can study whatever you want." Jaime said, eager to get her sister onboard with the idea and Becca brightened up.

"Anything?" She asked eagerly and with a sense of trepidation Jaime confirmed it.

"Anything."

Becca was excited as she had so many ideas of what to study but had no idea just what yet. She decided instead to just look around at some of the weird bits and pieces her sister had collected. The library she noticed to her astonishment was full of signed first edition books and then in a display case she saw a bunch of gold objects; a cross, a few chalices, an angel statue, and Spanish doubloons all made of gold or silver with gemstones and there was a stylish old-style telescope and a pair of old swords preserved inside. There were a few other cases like that and while she recognised some of them, some things were obviously alien.

"Those come from my pirating days." Jaime told her sister reluctantly as she had noticed them, she didn't want to go into detail. "Christina Cunningham of the Red Wind."

Becca blinked in surprise that the infamous pirate of legend was actually her sister and immediately wanted to know more but the look in Jaime's eyes made her stop. She had this haunted look there, all the things she had done going around and around her mind so she dropped it and decided to change the subject.

"So where did you hide Lucy Saxon?" Becca asked, still unsure of what to think of why her sister was being so protective of the other woman and Jaime decided to tell her sister the truth at least.

"Lucy Saxon doesn't exist anymore. I used the Imprinting Technology…well twice more." Jaime said before telling her youngest sister just what she had gotten up too while off using the Vortex Manipulator.

- x -

Flashback…Taminister Hall…The Day the Master Died…

Lord Tarminister otherwise known as extremely wealthy hotelier Damien Rushby sat on the sofa of his home alongside his good friend and fellow hotelier Donald Stern who happened to be Lucy's godfather and honorary uncle and Donald's daughter Naomi Lucy's best friend, listening to Jaime explain what had happened to Lucy who was sitting on the sofa almost catatonic while Naomi tried to take care of her.

"He broke her." Damien said horrified at what had happened to his daughter, her brothers would be too he knew with dismay. Looking at the vacant look in her eyes scared him like whatever was left of Lucy had been destroyed by Harold Saxon…the Master, he corrected himself in disgust.

"Indeed, and worse because she willingly went along with him and wasn't controlled like me or the others not to mention she shot him, she is facing spending the rest of her life in prison. A secret trial, no jury or legal counsel. UNIT will lock her up and throw away the key." Jaime told them with worry as she knew what UNIT was like. They did it to everyone without thinking or compassion like with Toshiko Sato regardless of the situation or even Miss Sato's own great intelligence.

"Over our dead bodies!" Naomi said as she hugged her best friend tightly who showed the first signs of life since Jaime had brought her here, she leant her head against Naomi who noticed and held her more tightly, glad there was something left in there. Damien and Donald both looked incensed but Jaime put her hand up and told them.

"But I have another idea, one that will give her a fresh start. A life free of all the damage inflicted on her by the Master and all those other abusive boyfriends she's had." Jaime said quickly to calm them. "There is a technology I can use to rewrite her memories and give her a new life. I can use time travel to set it all up and she will be free, she can even still have all of you in it but I need your permission so I can plan it as carefully as possible." Jaime suggested and they looked at her incredulously but then Lucy surprised them all by saying.

"Do it."

The voice had been small and brittle but its intent was clear, Damien and Naomi fussed over Lucy and Donald said.

"Lucy, who knows what you might become. We can find a way out of this." Donald told her but Lucy now looking more coherent had made up her mind.

"Take it all away. I don't want to remember! I want my family in my life. But I don't want those memories." Lucy said with a desperate look in her eyes. They all desperately looked to Jaime who nodded and told her kindly.

"I will, you will be who you were before the abuse, you will still have the same father, brothers and loved ones." Jaime reassured her.

Damien, Donald and Naomi all wanted to argue but they remembered how much Lucy had changed and how damaged she had become. Before Lucy had fallen into those abusive relationships, she had been a very different person, she had goofy, energetic, full of drive and intent on making it on her own. She was smart but had never been able to assert herself in school, she was too much of a dreamer. But she had been unfortunate enough to attract the attention of some very nasty pieces of work who only wanted to break her down and leach off her rich father. Using mental, verbal, emotional and physical abuse so slowly all her confidence, joy in life, dreams and humour had been driven out of her and then just as she had started showing some signs of recovery, she had become attached to the Master.

They had honestly all thought that he would be the man who would help her recover, all of them had been taken in by him and now he had completely broken Lucy.

Looking around they all turned to Jaime and nodded, she returned it and then told Lucy as they listened.

"I will need to give you a new name; you will be your father's daughter still but I will make it so you broke away from him and changed your name to make something of yourself. Naomi will still be your friend and Mr Stern your godfather. I will handle faking your death, along with setting up your new life. Your mother's maiden name is James, so that will be your new surname and what was your grandmother's name?" Jaime asked.

"Emily." Damien told her, she and Lucy had been very close before her death, he took her hand and she squeezed it.

"Emily James, and I know of a hotel in London that is looking for a PR woman. I can give you the skills and contacts you'll need." Jaime said giving Lucy her new name and Lucy actually smiled, really smiled not a bitter smile but a hopeful warm one. Like this was the best news she had heard in a very long time. Then she seemed to have an unpleasant thought come into her head.

"What about the Cult of Saxon?!" She asked suddenly and Jaime smiled to reassure her.

"Don't worry, I know about them and how to find them. I will deal with them, speaking of which…let's deal with the Bio-print he left behind." Jaime said and pulled out a band of metal and put it around Lucy's mouth. It hummed and clicked for a moment and Lucy moaned a little but it only lasted a moment before it pinged and Jaime removed it.

"There, all dealt with. The bio-print he left is gone and I will deal with the Cult of Saxon." Jaime reassured her.

"What do you mean? Deal with them?" Lucy asked as she felt around her mouth which was tingling a bit. Jaime kept smiling but it was much more strained and told her.

"I will deal with it. Let's leave it at that." Jaime told her and Lucy and the others all looked uncomfortable at what she was implying.

"No Jaime." Lucy said quickly, reaching forward and taking her hand urgently. "You are better than him. Better than me."

Jaime however was torn inside as she knew she was going to disappoint her. She didn't have the heart to say anything more about it though and changed the subject.

"Oh, by the way before we get started." Jaime said turning to Donald and Damien, telling them both. "Mr Stern, I know you are planning to build holiday camps in Eastern Europe but it would be a big mistake I assure you. And Mr Rushby, see a doctor about your heart. Best to be sure." Jaime told them before leaving to start the process, the two men looking at her strangely before sharing a look of confusion.

Flashback ends…

- x -

Jaime Sommers' House, London…

"You literally gave her a new life?" Becca said in shock at what her sister had done, Jaime nodded before explaining sadly.

"Lucy was twisted by other men even before she met the Master and he was the one that twisted her till she broke. I took that trauma away and gave her the skills to survive and protect herself. She still has the people she loves in her life and a real chance of making something of herself. I hurt a lot of people for the Master, seems right to try and help someone." Jaime told her with a sad smile.

"But I did make another couple of detours though, after sorting Lucy out I went to fix another one of the Doctor's mistakes." Jaime told her before explaining just where she had gone next.

- x -

Flashback…Scottish Highlands…April 1746…

Having only just been returned to his own time frame by the Time Lords Jamie was somewhat confused especially with so much of his memory gone but the missed shot of an English soldier infuriated him and he chased the fool who hadn't managed to reload his musket fast enough.

As Jamie chased the soldier down out of nowhere a blur appeared and stopped right in front of the English soldier, smacking him clean in the face so he fell down unconscious. Her sudden appearance and that she had knocked the soldier back some distance surprised Jamie but the surprise only kept coming as he saw that her clothes were incredibly inappropriate.

A jacket of some kind made of what looked like leather was fitted tightly to her body and she wasn't even wearing a skirt! She had trousers on! Tightly fitted trousers too that clung to her legs.

Scandalous but Jamie couldn't help but think she looked good; besides, she'd just knocked out the English so she couldn't be all bad he thought. She smiled at him and told him.

"Hello Mr McCrimmon, firstly I will say I am sorry for what I am about to do in advance but trust me…you'll thank me later." The woman said, her accent not one he recognised and before he could say anything she put a funny smelling cloth to his face and held it there.

The sudden attack shocked him and he struggled but whoever this lassie was she was stronger than a whole team of Highlanders and her arms were like steel bars. Jamie struggled but felt himself becoming light headed and then fell into blackness.

- x -

What must have been hours later he woke up with his head hurting like someone had been using it like a drum, he slowly sat up and looked around to find himself in a barn with a small fire burning nearby, the smell of cooked meat teased his nose. He looked over as his stomach growled in hunger but next to the fire sat the woman from earlier. She smiled at him and told him like nothing was wrong.

"Good, wondered if you'd wake up soon. Well help yourself, I've already eaten." The woman told him.

But Jamie knew far better than to simply take food, especially after she had knocked him out with that foul smelling rag of hers! He had seen how much of a rogue people could be if it suited them, Jamie thought with suspicion like that Vaughn with the Cybermen!

Wait, the fact that he remembered the Cybermen stunned him. He remembered that he hadn't known all that when he woke up on the moor and yet now, he did!

"What did you do?" He asked her and she smiled before telling him.

"I used a device from the future to remove the block the Time Lords put on your memories. I thought you deserved them back and since the Doctor didn't bother to come and do it himself, I decided to do it for you." The woman said calmly and Jamie was stunned, but immediately caught on the mention of the Doctor.

"Is he around? Can I see him?" Jamie asked her and she shook her head.

"Sorry, no you can't. The Doctor never came back here and so I decided too instead. Besides you have a life to look forward too here. I believe Miss Kirsty McLaren will be returning to Scotland soon." She added with a knowing smirk.

Jamie looked downcast at the news the Doctor wasn't coming back while blushing slightly at the mention of his laird's daughter and asked her.

"What am I supposed to do with these memories? All the things I saw." Jamie asked her and she smiled sadly.

"Take the incredible things you saw and use them as an example as to why each moment is precious. You were privileged enough to see sights and have experiences most humans can barely dream of, now you face a new adventure here and now, making a new life for yourself. Use the extraordinary things you saw to make yourself the best man you can be. Now I must leave you James Robert McCrimmon, make the most of your life, you only get one. And you were blessed with an incredible one." The woman said and then pulled out some kind of leather strap with a strange thing on it, she pressed something on it and then disappeared in a flash of purple and lightning leaving a startled Jamie behind her.

End Flashback…

- x -

Jaime Sommers' House, London…

"Back in time to Scotland? Nearly three hundred years ago!" Becca asked in astonishment, Jaime laughed before telling her.

"One day I'll see to it that you get the chance to travel in time. But for now, let's just move it. We have to get to Cardiff." Jaime said with a smile, they had an appointment to keep.

---

Outside the Millennium Centre, Cardiff…A Day Later…

The sight of many people just wandering around, living their lives as normal was strangely reassuring to those who stood next to the railing watching it going on all around them.

The Doctor stood with Martha and Jack on either side of him but Cassandra stood next to Jack while Jaime and Becca stood on Martha's side.

"Time was, every single one of these people knew your name." Martha said to the Doctor. "Now they've all forgotten you." All of them looked to him to see what he thought of that but he seemed okay with it.

"Good." The Doctor said before Jack told them sadly.

"Back to work." He said, ducking under the railing with Cassandra and went to leave but the Doctor now having gotten over his 'prejudice' stopped him.

"I really don't mind you know, come with me." The Doctor offered but Jack had other plans.

"I had plenty of time to think that last year, the Year That Never Was." He said with pride that they had beaten it and come through alive before turning to the special mirrored fountain in the distance. "And I kept thinking about that team of mine. Like you said Doctor, responsibility." Jack said, sharing a look with his newest recruit who nodded in agreement. She was somewhat stand offish with Jaime but that was to be expected given she had helped kidnap her for the Master and stranded her in a new universe.

"Defending the Earth, can't argue with that." The Doctor said with a look of slight disappointment before going for Jack's wrist only to see nothing there and Jaime smirked as she pulled the Vortex Manipulator out of her pocket and whistled to make sure they were looking, both the Doctor and Jack looked over in shock and Jack asked her.

"When? How?!"

Martha and Becca smirked alongside Jaime now while the Doctor began smirking a little too as he caught on.

"You guys really don't pay attention, do you?" Jaime said having had centuries to practice sleight of hand.

"We…need to work on that." Jack said unnerved before the Doctor took the Manipulator from Jaime and pressed his sonic screwdriver to it, annoying Jack. "Hey I need that."

"Can't have you wandering around with a time travelling teleport. You can go anywhere…twice! The second time to apologize." The Doctor said as he finished disabling it.

"What about me? Can you fix that? Will I ever be able to die?" Jack asked him suddenly desperate but the Doctor could only shrug.

"Nothing I can do. You're an impossible thing Jack." The Doctor told him. Jack however managed a smirk and told them.

"Been called that before. What about you though? Sure, that you don't need a job?" Jack asked Jaime who told him with some frustration.

"Don't think I have much choice in it but I'll be working for the British Government and UNIT for a while. Either that or prison or life on the run." Jaime told them wishing it wasn't so but if she wanted to stay free and in Becca's life then this is how it had to be. "Not to mention given my history with…certain members of your staff I wouldn't be particularly welcome." Jaime added thinking of Ianto and what had happened in London, Jack nodded as he understood just what she meant and maybe it was for the best.

"You could run. They wouldn't be able to catch you." The Doctor said, testing her carefully but she gave the right answer.

"I could, but I won't. I caused a lot damage, a lot of harm. Time that I did something right for a change." Jaime told him sadly, Becca squeezed her arm and the Doctor smiled, liking this version of her infinitely more than the one he had known before.

Jack then decided to get going and turned around, saluting the Doctor and Martha.

"Sir. Ma'am." Jack said being a little cheeky in how he said ma'am and winked to Martha who smiled and waved back. The Doctor meanwhile returned it with a single finger. He went to turn and walk away again but then spun on his heel like there was something else he needed to say while Cassandra looked on impatiently.

"But I keep wondering? What about aging? Because I can't die but I keep getting older…the odd little…grey hair you know." Jack said which was a valid point as he did age but couldn't die. "What happens if I live for a million years?" Jack asked the Doctor who just smirked before saying.

"I really don't know."

Jaime herself was lost in thought as she was reminded of her own immortality, would she live a million years? She pondered not knowing its limits and decided to keep that to herself for now.

"Okay vanity, sorry." Jack said dismissively as he decided to let the question rest for now. "Can't help it. Used to be a poster boy, back when I was living in the Boeshane Peninsula." Jack said, sharing a little of his past with them. Martha looking impressed at his admission as did Becca while Jaime and the Doctor nodded.

"I was the first one ever to be signed up for the Time Agency. They were all so proud of me." Jack told them and then dropped a bombshell.

"The Face of Boe they called me." Jack told them.

While the name meant nothing to Becca or Cassandra or Jaime, the Doctor and Martha immediately went into a look of shock.

"See ya." Jack said and ran off with Cassandra following him towards the Hub and Torchwood.

Jaime and Becca looked at the Doctor and Martha with confusion while Martha tapped the Doctor's arm as if to prompt an explanation but he was as confused as she was.

"No." The Doctor said, not able to believe it.

"Can't be." Martha said likewise as it sank in.

"Definitely not, no." The Doctor said but then it seemed to sink in and they both started laughing while Jaime and Becca wondered just what they were going on about. They guessed it was something they had seen in their travels and wisely stayed quiet until they had both calmed down. Jaime then informed the Doctor of something that needed fixing.

"Doctor, there is still a civilisation under the Master's control out there. The Twelve Colonies of Kobol." Jaime said and the Doctor nodded and told her.

"I'll look into it. Anyone want a lift back to London?" He asked but Jaime shook her head.

"We have our own transport; besides I think Martha has something to tell you." Jaime said looking pressingly at the other woman who reluctantly spoke as the Doctor listened.

"I can't go Doctor. I trained for so many years to be a doctor and now I have people to care for, things to do. Just one thing though." She said coming up to him and saying. "As much as your constant mooning for Rose got on my nerves, I wouldn't have missed travelling with you for the world." She told him and then she gave him a hug which he returned looking guilty as he realised now how badly he had treated Martha and how much more fun she should have had in the Tardis before going home.

She then handed him her phone much to his surprise.

"Here, if we need to call you, at least we can now. If there's trouble." Martha started saying but the Doctor reassured her by saying.

"I'll be there."

Martha smiled and hugged him again before reluctantly separating which was when Jaime revealed one last thing she'd got up to when she'd taken Jack's vortex manipulator.

"Since I thought Martha might be leaving, I arranged for a new companion to take over. Someone who never had the chance to travel with you, well they can now. She's waiting for you in the Tardis." Jaime told him and the Doctor told her looking affronted at her audacity.

"I don't need anyone else." The Doctor insisted before Jaime told him in no uncertain terms with her voice turning frosty.

"Only the truly arrogant think that Doctor." She said scornfully as she looked at him, both Martha and Becca looking on with concern while the Doctor subconsciously took a step back. "You are self-righteous, self-absorbed, full of guilt, full of anger and that's just for starters. You need someone to keep you grounded, to remind you that you are the Doctor. The Master was never grounded and look what he did. You have always been at your best when someone was there with you and besides, what's the point of seeing all that time and space has to offer…without someone to share it with?" Jaime told him sternly, not kidding as while he was a good man underneath, the Doctor needed someone to help keep his feet on the ground and his head on straight so to speak.

Her words had the desired effect and he nodded before wandering to the Tardis to see just who Jaime had put with him. He braced himself as he opened the door and looked around, trying to see just who he had been lumbered with when a hauntingly familiar voice called out to him.

"Hello my love."

The Doctor was sure his hearts had stopped for a brief moment as he looked over to the source of the voice, not able to believe it until he saw her with his own eyes even if he still couldn't quite accept what he was seeing.

"Reinette." He said in disbelief. He had seen her coffin leave Versailles and yet there she stood before him, although her clothes had changed into more modern 21st century ones and her hair now fell freely past her shoulders. "How?" He asked her and she smiled that wise and knowing smile of hers.

"The woman, the one that came to Versailles with the Master once. She came to my room on the night that I drew my last breath. She said that she would remove my mind and place it in a new body, one made of a different sort of human called a Cylon…she speaks almost as much nonsense as you." Reinette said with a small chuckle at the absurdity of it all. "One that was made from the blood of my old body or rather the 'cells' I believed she called them although what they might be eludes me. My body now needs no sleep and has greater strength than it did before. How this is I could not understand but she said I would discover that with time. My love, are you hurt?" Reinette asked him as she saw his eyes were now welling up with tears.

"No." The Doctor said with some joy as he finally got the chance to travel with Reinette, it was like a dream. "I just thought I would never see you again."

"Nor I you but I am glad we were both wrong. Now, should we go?" She asked him with a teasing look in her eyes as she nodded towards the console.

The Doctor smiled and pulled the lever setting the Tardis off into the vortex as he and Reinette stared with smiles at the time rotor, both eager to see just where it would take them.

---

Creevey Hall, London…A Month Later…

It had taken a month but with some help from UNIT and Jaime, Martha had finally managed to find them all. All the Doctor's former companions or close friends on Earth and convinced them to come here for the first meeting.

She had felt isolated when she had left the Tardis, despite UNIT recruiting her and even helping her get her qualifications she still had felt somewhat disconnected from those around her even her own family. All the memories she had just made her feel so 'apart' from others.

But then she remembered that she was far from the only person who had travelled with the Doctor and so the idea was planted in her head. She would find the other companions and bring them together so for the first time they could share stories of the Doctor and provide an ear that would understand to each other.

She had made contact with them all and after sharing some details to convince them she was telling the truth, they had all gathered here today…hell one of them owned the hotel venue they were meeting in and Raine Creevy as she was known had offered it for their first meeting.

Martha was nervous as she took centre stage, standing there with a microphone in hand as they all looked at her. She saw Sarah Jane and the Brigadier who were sitting at a table nearby give her a nod of encouragement while Zoe, Charley, Constance and Lucie did the same. Even Sue Snell was there, despite not being a companion to the Doctor she still had travelled in time and space and had so many stories to tell. She gave her an encouraging nod which Martha gladly returned.

She rallied her courage and spoke.

"Welcome, thank you all for coming. We all have something in common, a man who travels in a blue box across all of time and space. Fighting monsters and righting wrongs with nothing but his wits, his sonic screwdriver and some help from his friends." She said looking around to the crowd around her who all smiled as they realised for the first time they were among true peers.

The much older Ian and Barbara Chesterton sat at a table with another older couple Ben and Polly Jackson and other older woman Dodo Chaplet.

Victoria Waterfield sat at a table with Sarah Jane, the Brigadier and Zoe Heriot, staying with the Brigadier who she recognised but at the table just next to them Liz Shaw sat with Jo Jones, John Benton and Mike Yates all of whom knew the Doctor from his early days at UNIT.

Nyssa sat with Tegan Jovanka who had been over joyed to see her old friend again, they were already chatting like the old days. Peri Brown sat with them joining in the conversation.

Dorothy McShane or Ace as she was known to her friends sat with Melanie Bush, joined at their table by fellow travellers Thomas Schofield known as Hex and his wife Sally.

Josie Day sat with Maxwell Edison, Thomas Brewster and a pair called Jason and Crystal.

Elizabeth Klein sat with Raine Creevy who owned the hall and had generously let them use it, Anji Kapoor sat with them alongside Izzy Sinclair who like Martha was a doctor and Martha would eagerly like to speak to her.

Charley, Constance and Lucie all sat with Jack and Tara Mishra all eager to just enjoy the day and meet their peers for the first time.

It astonished Martha just how many of them there were, and this had been just what was on Earth in this time frame! According to Jaime who had maintained a list of all the Doctor's companions for the Master the number more than doubled if you included those that lived in other times and places.

There were so many of them, Martha thought with a smile. For all his claims to be alone the Doctor had the biggest extended family in the history of the universe and if he ever needed them, they would be there.

---

Bar in London, Later that Night…

Jaime walked into the bar under a cloud of depression, she didn't like what she had just done but it had been necessary she thought trying to convince herself it had been the only way.

She had managed to track down the Cult of Saxon and taken them down, she'd burned the only copies of the books of life and ended their chances of resurrecting the Master but however much she hated herself for killing those obsessed lunatics there was one thing that really worried her.

She hadn't found the ring!

That ring the Master always wore that carried an imprint of him. She had thought the cult would have it but apparently it had disappeared and could be anywhere by now, that she was terrified by as the Master literally could just pop up anywhere and when now as she had no idea just where the ring had gone and that was assuming he didn't have other plans that she didn't know about which was pretty much a given.

She sighed as she went to the bar, desperate for a drink as she needed some relief tonight and after having killed those lunatic women who were dedicated to the Master, she just couldn't face going home to Becca right now. Not to mention Becca had asked about Christina de Souza again and Jaime just didn't want to give her the answer as it would make things so much more complicated.

To let her sister know she had a niece that was older than her and didn't even know she existed.

Christina had been conceived in a brief fling with Lord de Souza years ago and given she had no interest in being a mother at the time since she was still under the Master's thrall and wanted to see just what a baby of hers would be like she had just handed her over to her father the moment she was born, raised by Lord de Souza's wife who couldn't have children of her own but loved her as if she was. The screwed-up genetics she had made Christina almost her physical double and seemed to have the same interest in crime and living on the edge much to Jaime's sadness. Jaime had kept a close eye on her over the years and gotten her out of trouble more than once but she didn't make contact. Christina didn't deserve to have her life upended by this and deal with the fact that instead of the warm and loving woman she had always thought was her mother, she instead would have a conflicted and damaged one that was far worse a criminal than she had ever been.

That only made her want to get drunk even more, Jaime thought with that great hollowness inside.

Before she could order though a whisky appeared before her, it had been what she had been about to order which surprised her and made her suspicious as she looked up to the bar tender and said with narrowed eyes.

"I didn't order this."

"But there it is regardless. Looks like you need it tonight." The bar tender said back, her back was turned so Jaime couldn't see her completely but she was much shorter than her with pretty dark brown hair and her voice was younger than she would have thought.

When the bar tender turned around Jaime was stunned as she looked too young to even drink! She looked seventeen if that! Jaime thought with dismay and asked her.

"Are you even old enough to work here?" Jaime questioned and rather than look offended the girl actually smiled.

"I'm much older than I look I can assure you Jaime Sommers." The girl said with a knowing look in her eyes which immediately put Jaime on edge who quickly prepared herself for a fight.

"How do you know my name?" Jaime asked suspiciously but the girl was unphased and told her calmly.

"The Doctor told me about you a long time ago, I've been waiting a long while to meet another immortal. Watched you for years waiting for the right time to make contact." The girl said which is when Jaime noticed that her eyes were much older than the rest of her, eyes that seemed as old as the Doctor somehow which confused her.

"Immortal? You look good for an immortal." Jaime said with a guarded look on her face.

"Like you I crossed paths with a Time Lord and found myself removed from the normal world forever. Also like you I found myself being left alone by them, trapped in this world and forced to watch it go by." The girl said with a smile. "It might be good for us both to get to know each other a bit, be less alone."

"If I was going to do that, I would like to know your name?" Jaime said, now really unsettled by this and intending to do some checking of her own the moment she was able. The girl shrugged before telling her.

"I've had many names in the twelve hundred years I've been around. The Knightmare, Ashildr, Lady Electra, Ash El Dir, Lady Sherade and many others that I've long forgotten but I prefer to call myself Me." The girl said calmly.

"Me?" Jaime asked in disbelief. "You call yourself 'Me'?"

"Yes, single…unattached." Me told her and Jaime was really suspicious now but asked her.

"Why hasn't the Doctor mentioned you before?"

"He hasn't met me yet, in his own personal timeline that is. I'm about two regenerations in his future." Me explained before taking the drink she'd poured Jaime and downing it in one go, handling it like a pro before telling her. "I have a little piece of Mire inside that constantly repairs my body much like your antrocytes do yours. I think the both of us are going to have a lot to talk about, especially as like you I see just how dangerous the Doctor can be to this world even if he is trying to save it. So, drink?" She asked her and Jaime with her suspicions still raised nodded, wondering if she had actually found someone who understood the problems that came with such long life.

- x -

Hotel Babylon, London…

Hotel General Manager Charlie Edwards was watching with his bubby and extremely irritating PR Manager Emily James who was smiling broadly at the coup she had arranged for the hotel.

"I know we need to court high level guests but I would appreciate being informed when we are about to book someone this important." Charlie told her sternly and with annoyance but Emily almost seemed not to hear him or at least how he felt.

"Duchess Marianne Elizabeth Wallace-Harcourt only comes to London once a year and I secured her booking into our hotel. Doesn't that sound like something worth celebrating." Emily said with eagerness to meet the famous charity running aristocrat in person.

Then the car pulled up and bodyguards appeared from out of it wearing their professional suits before opening the door, revealing the duchess, elegant and refined she got out of the car with her stylist jacket on, dangling from it was a chain and on that chain was a fob watch with interlocking circles and strange patterns. The Duchess looked around before walking over with a smile towards Charlie and Emily, eager to meet them and rest before she attended the various foundation meetings she had tomorrow.

---

Unknown Location, Unknown Time Zone…

Dalek Kaan was being thrown around wildly by the twisting flows of the vortex as it struggled to stabilize itself, the events of past, present and future all running through its mind all at once as no dalek had experienced before. Awakening feelings that no dalek had experienced in countless millennia and filling its mind with the crimes of its species since their very beginning to the end of time.

Kaan had never experienced such things before and certainly never guilt before and vowed there and then that they would be no more daleks…it had seen them and all they had done across all of time and space.

No more, it decided.

But then it felt itself being pulled off its present course, away from the war all together and found itself in the middle of a large chamber.

Kaan was confused not sure what was going on as its new sensitivity to time had been dampened somehow.

When it moved its eye stalk around and finally managed to see just what had pulled it out of the vortex and while the daleks had supposedly removed fear from their genetic makeup, Kaan felt the most incredible terror as he saw what had grabbed him.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Kaan screeched out in disbelief. "IT IS NOT POSSIBLE!"

Kaan however was still a dalek that had some logic, logic that allowed him to focus all his remaining energies to give the Doctor one weapon to fight in this coming battle. He saw his own destruction coming a fraction of a second before it hit him and he just hoped his manipulation of the time lines to bring Donna Noble into this fight would be enough.

- x -

Kaan exploded as a powerful energy bolt smashed its casing wide open and killed the mutant inside instantly.

"The Last Dalek. We can hope at least." A cold and ruthless voice said from the shadows.

She stepped out to study the dead remains of the dalek and stared dispassionately at it, her robes scarlet with golden symbols stitched into them. Around her neck was an enormous golden and decorated headdress which sat around her shoulders.

"The Time War is over." Ollistra said coldly, now turning her attention back to the matter of Gallifrey. Taking some controlled pleasure in managing to end the daleks apparently for good this time although she wouldn't hold her breath, they like the Master were born survivors and no matter however many you stamped on, some would always survive, like those Earth bugs that she couldn't be bothered to learn the names of.

She was accompanied by her guards, led by the ever-loyal Veklin as they left the containment chamber and returned to the glorious Citadel above. The sight of the two suns in the sky was reassuring as it made the mountains in the distance shine, Ollistra while a cold and manipulative person on principle could at least enjoy the beauty of her home world.

Better with the dome itself now repaired and all the crashed Dalek ships removed she thought with relief as they worked to restore their home to its full glory and beauty.

She was just glad that her 'Oracles' had proven their worth, she thought. The three humans that now perceived all timelines and outcomes had seen the end of the war and more importantly what the Doctor would do. She scowled openly at the mere thought of him and she had spread word that he had tried to kill them to every single person on Gallifrey. That he had tried to murder all their people even their children and then gone off to enjoy himself free of them in the universe after the war.

He had few friends left here now Ollistra thought with satisfaction. From a man that many had once considered a hero, he was now as loathed as the Master by many Timelords.

Thanks to her oracles though she had seen the betrayal coming and prepared for it, she had used her new Time Manipulator to bend time and remove Gallifrey from the war just before the destruction of the planet. She had managed to circumnavigate the time lock and restore Gallifrey to the universe while leaving Rassilon and his mad cronies including much of the High Council who she despised almost as much as the Daleks and the Doctor trapped in the Time War with no means of escape.

Using the Hand of Omega and her time manipulator she had recreated Gallifrey's star system on the distant edge of the galaxy where no one would find it and then re-established their defences. Secrecy would be vital for now as they rebuilt and consolidated their power, having grown so much stronger during the war and now they didn't have to devote so much temporal energy to fighting the daleks they had so much more to spare. Resurrecting lost Time Lords and rebuilding their population was a priority as was ensuring they would never be threatened again.

She had their best scientists working night and day to increase the scope of their abilities and what they could achieve, the Time War had proven how far they had stagnated and Ollistra would not be caught so off guard again she swore to herself. Already things were moving forward if slowly with the aid of their most enlightened members from history.

Artron had already made a key discovery, unlocking the secret to constant regeneration. To remove the limit of twelve times and allow their species to keep regenerating, they could still be killed but now even without the restoration fields of their home world, they were truly immortal. Not unkillable but immortal Ollistra thought with satisfaction.

But she had actually managed to create a number of new advantages herself, she thought proudly the first of which had been ironically inspired by the Master himself. When he had been creating the Rage, a failed weapon but his use of a Chronopsychos named Alice Pritchard from one of Earth's many little wars to place thoughts in the head of the Doctor and summon him into a trap, that was genius.

The Chronopsychos unfortunately were a casualty of the Time War and Alice Pritchard had been the last one they knew about, so Ollistra had summoned enough temporal energy to resurrect her and put her to much better use.

The Chronopsychos looked like humans and Timelords for the most part which was why Alice had blended in so well on Earth until the Master had stoked her powers to life. So Ollistra had strapped her into a device that kept her alive and preserved while in a constant dream state, but the device also allowed them project thoughts, dreams, ideas and even feelings into the minds of others anywhere else in time and space. This gave them the ability to influence cultures anywhere and when without hardly any effort.

She had even adapted the Master's war seeds so they could be released in spore form and alter other races as required in a short time. They could make people into their puppets and stay hidden for decades or even centuries if required.

Not to mention she had reacquired her personal favourite weapon, one of her own devising.

Caleera was back where she belonged, she thought proudly as it had taken considerable effort to capture and restrain her but they had recaptured her and now she was back inside her crystal cage, Skull Moon had been placed in a single fragment of time, held in an isolated pocket universe like the stasis cubes that her people used as art. Ready to be used if they ever needed it again.

They had even isolated the Tharil ability to time shift and navigate the vortex so they could graft that into agents, allowing them to time shift without the need of a Tardis and circumnavigate most defences or conditions that would prevent them landing in one.

Ollistra had many other projects being worked on but those at least were ready, they were still weakened by the war and they couldn't risk exposure to anyone yet which was why keeping the secret was so important.

But more so was protecting themselves from the Doctor, she thought with disgust at the mere mention of his name.

So, they were preparing some leverage to use against him should the need arise.

Ollistra coldly looked at the containment units were some 'friends' of his were kept in, should it ever be needed she thought with disdain for them. Many of them were human which she naturally thought of as a lesser species anyway, there were only a handful of them which to her mind was more than enough she thought gladly. Bringing them back had been a waste of energy but it was worth it to have some kind of hold over the Doctor.

The human responsible for the Doctor's regeneration into his War Incarnation, Cass Fermazzi had been a good choice. The Doctor's guilt over failing to save her would make him bend if needed. The woman stood as still as a statue inside the stasis chamber, unaware of Ollistra looking at her.

The second was also a source of guilt for the Doctor for the same reason, he had not saved her.

Another human female, this time with long orange hair and like the previous one in rough looking clothes, thin but muscular from a lifetime of fighting. She had been the one that had ultimately propelled the Doctor to try and end the Time War by any means possible, including the murder of his own people Ollistra thought with anger burning inside her, wondering if she shouldn't just kill the little ape but restrained herself. Cinder as she was known would be a better pawn alive than dead after all the energy that they had spent to bring her back.

She had a few of his other friends including Leela locked up but her particular favourite as she walked past them all was this one, she thought arriving at the most elaborate stasis chamber. She had been very difficult to acquire but well worth it to her mind and perhaps the only one that the Doctor would do anything to save.

Susan or whatever she called herself now stood there, her formerly dark hair greying from fighting in the war and her face more lined than in her youth, but the Doctor's granddaughter would be the best weapon against him that Ollistra could ever ask for. The woman smiled coldly, when the time was right, she would make the Doctor pay for what he had done.

- x -

Unknown to Ollistra there were those however who felt differently on her plans.

"She is mad." The General said with a shake of his bald head, doing his best not to think about all the damage Ollistra could do with all the power Gallifrey now had. He was himself wondering if he should regenerate into another incarnation so he might get the energy to deal with all this but hadn't made any decision yet.

"Mad like a Misyote Fox." Lord Cardinal Rasmus said, stroking his greying bushy beard while his darkened skin was lined with all the effort of the war even though it was now passed. "She is as cunning as she ever was and now with Rassilon gone she has no one left to really challenge her." Rasmus being one of the few time lords that had actual compassion and humility in his hearts had been an ally to the Doctor but had feinted loyalty to the regime and knew it had to stop somewhere.

"I only hope you are worth the energy it took to bring you back." The General said bitterly, turning to the third member of their little group. He had been silent in the room until now but now spoke out.

"For which I am grateful General believe me. But it will take time to remove Ollistra from power and a distraction would be a great benefit." A tall hawkish looking man said with snow white hair and crinkled face but his eyes glittered with a bright intelligence. "It is for that reason I ensured the escape of the two prisoners who might warn the Doctor of the situation. That should keep her occupied until we can remove her from power." The man said calmly and decisively.

"I only hope you are right. Just don't expect to get your old job back." The General warned the man who was unmoved and nodded in agreement.

"I completely understand, perhaps the role of president is what warped my other incarnations. Something I will not continue. A Cardinal is perhaps a better fit for me." The old man said with a smile that concealed the great cunning and intelligence behind them. Perhaps one of the most cunning men Gallifrey had ever known and perhaps the only person who might outwit Ollistra.

"You better had…Cardinal Borusa." Rasmus told him sternly although he knew better than to fully trust him. Even before he had tried to take immortality and fallen into Rassilon's trap Borusa had been an extremely cunning Time Lord. But he at least wouldn't destroy Gallifrey, Rasmus thought sadly, wishing he could trust the Doctor…but after what he had tried to do, Rasmus just couldn't risk it. The Doctor had been a friend for many years, before the war and during but now Rasmus had seen just how far the man would go when he became convinced that he was right and that he alone could do the right thing and had no one to hold him back.

Rasmus sighed and just hoped that his old friend had regained his old code and sense of morals or the universe might be in for some rough times ahead.

- x -

In the bowels of the Citadel, there was an alarm blaring as two prisoners managed to escape their stasis tubes. That should have been impossible even for these particular individuals but Borusa had managed to arrange it, largely so they could escape Gallifrey.

"Come on Abby!" Zara told her with fear as she ran down the corridor followed by her twin sister. Both had been captured by Ollistra and held as potential assets to be used given their great powers but had managed to escape the chambers and now they had to escape the Time Lords!

"I'm coming!" Abby called back as they ran, trying to follow the path their mysterious benefactor had provided to get them out of the Citadel. "I can't believe they turned out like this! They used to be…well not nice but certainly miles better...lightyears!" Abby said as they ran through the dusty old corridors of the Time Lord city.

"Well unless we want to find out just how bad they can be we need to move!" Zara said worried that the Time Lords would be on to them if they didn't hurry. They couldn't use their powers here due to the Citadel dampening them and she didn't want to be forced to be a living weapon for the Time Lords, not as they were now.

"There!" Abby cried out as she saw the maintenance hatch they were looking for; it was old and looked heavy but since they couldn't use their powers to move it, they had to do it the old-fashioned way. Both grabbed hold and with their muscles straining and pulling as hard as they could, the hatch finally came off.

Both sisters dove inside and ran through the dark and tight tunnel, pushing themselves longer and harder than they had in a long time but after what seemed an eternity and sweating like crazy, they managed to find their way out.

The orange sky of Gallifrey was a welcome sight but since they were still on the run, they didn't stop to admire it. They joined hands and with great joy, they flung themselves into the vortex and away from Gallifrey.

The freedom after being caged for what felt like an eternity was so brilliant, they laughed like madwomen, falling to the grass of the planet they landed on and just rolling about laughing with the thrill of it.

Abby and Zara would rest here for a time, just to get their full strength back and then they would need to start looking for the Doctor. Both of them sobering slightly as they considered the danger that would soon be hunting for them and that stalked the Doctor without him being aware. They both owed him and it was time to return the favour, to warn him about the return of the Time Lords.

---

Lila is a character from the Big Finish Audio Series Master! Which continues the story of the 1996 Master played by Eric Roberts. Played by Laura Aikman she serves as his companion till she realises how he is manipulating her and turns against him.

Lucy's family is based on Emily James from BBC show Hotel Babylon who was played also by Alexandra Moen.

In the Big Finish Audio Story, the All-Consuming Fire with the Seventh Doctor he actually meets Sherlock Holmes.

The new Prime Minister is this universe's version of the President from Pete's World played by Don Warrington in 'Rise of the Cybermen'. Since his name was never revealed I just made one up.

This incarnation of Borusa played by John Arnatt is the one from 'The Deadly Assassin' the 4th Doctor adventure when he returned to Gallifrey when the Master killed the President. Borusa was the teacher of the Doctor at the Academy and his reluctant ally in several stories including the Deadly Assassin and the Invasion of Time before becoming his enemy in The Five Doctors. He was turned into a statue by Rassilon as he wanted immortality which Rassilon was using as a trap.

Abby and Zara are Human Tracers created by the Grace, a species of pan dimensional beings to locate and recover the Key to Time. But started as blank slates but slowly grew their own personalities. They eventually went off to have adventures together as part of a Big Finish Audio Series called Graceless. Among their many abilities they can when they are together move through time and space without need of a Tardis or Time Ring. Funny little fact, Abby was called Amy once but when the character of Amy Pond was created, they changed her name to avoid confusion.

Sage1988 out…