Day of the Trinity

By Michael Weyer

The Doctor marched right to one of the woman in a suit and began speaking in a hard tone. "Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, just what in the name of sanity are you doing?!"

"The countdown can only be halted at my personal command," stated the other woman as the Doctor realized he'd been addressing the Zygon. "There's nothing you can do."

"Except make you stop it."

She shook her head. "No. Not even for all of you."

"Killing millions to save billions?" The Rani sniffed. "The way the human mind can justify genocide is truly a stunning trait."

"It's a sacrifice," Kate defended herself. "How many times have you made that, Doctor?"

"Once," he replied softly, his face drawn. "Turned me into the man I am today." He felt the other Time Lords staring at him. "Not even sure who that is anymore…"

The War Doctor glanced over to see the image of Romana giving him a meaningful look. He tried to ignore it, turning back to his other self.

"Go on, tell yourself it's justified," the Master snapped. "That doesn't make it right."

"And you know what's right?" Kate snorted. "My father used to tell me stories about you, called you one of the absolutely worst creatures he ever clashed with."

Instead of being insulted, the Master bowed his head as if honored. "Perhaps…But at least I had cause, if only in my own mind, to do what I did." He studied her. "I would never have said this to him when he was alive…but I respected your father. Oh, he was an insect to me but he never backed down from a fight, he always gave his all and wasn't afraid of me. I had to admire that, despite myself. He was a soldier."

"So you know why I'm doing this."

The Master's eyes flashed. "He wouldn't. Because whatever else, your father fought for life. He may have taken some in the process but he put his race first. What you're doing…you're throwing away the lives of millions of innocents without their knowledge. That's not the act of a soldier, it's an act of lunacy." He raised an eyebrow. "Believe me, I know all about that as well."

The Rani moved to the head of the table to face both sides. "There are millions of people above who have no idea they're about to be killed. Millions of women and children and such, an entire city. You really think they'll be 'honored' by your wonderful sacrifice?" She shook her head as she looked at both sides. "This is a waste. Both of you are wasting so much potential and I despise waste."

Kate glared at her. "We've heard of you. You're almost as bad as the Master. You treat innocent creatures as lab rats."

The Rani smiled. "Had we more time, I would love to debate on the intelligence of the 'beasts' you humans use for your own means. The fact remains that I never stooped to cold-blooded murder." She ignored the "really?" looks from the others. "Not like what you're doing. This is an absolute waste of lives and won't do either of you any good."

"I made a mistake that day." The Doctor glanced to his other self. "What I did was wrong. And because I made the wrong choice…I'm going to make sure you make the right one." He plopped himself down into a chair, his feet up on the table, arms crossed. The Master moved to hop onto the table itself as the Rani stood behind them. "Any minute now, you two are going to stop the countdown, together."

"You are then going to sit down and work out the most perfect peace treaty imaginable," the Rani continued.

"Safe guards all around, ensure lasting effects and we'll be overseeing each and every item," the Master added.

"And the key to the perfect negotiations?" the Doctor asked.

"Aside from killing those who disagree?" the Master retorted.

"Aside from that, yes."

"Not knowing what side you're on," the Rani stated.

Nodding, the Doctor leapt up to his feet as he and the other Time Lords removed a set of devices. "So, for the next few hours…"

"Until we decide to let you lot out…"

"Depending on whether or not we've killed any of you…"

"No one in this room will be able to remember if they're human…"

"Or Zygon."

With that, they raised their screwdrivers, the sound of whirring through the air as the Master's fired out a beam of light at the nearest memory filter. A white flash filled the room, as everyone else blinked in confusion. The two Kates exchanged stunned looks before yelling in unison "Cancel the detonation!" The red clock on the nearby wall stopped with five seconds remaining.

"Peace in our time," the Doctor smirked.

"No, no, this won't do," the Rani sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose as she pointed to one part of the document in front of her. "Full amnesty is nice but still doesn't leave proper protections from prosecution by Earth government." She made a note with a red marker. "Now, just agree to put in another layer and we have something."

"Don't forget sharing of technology," the Master added over her shoulder. "I know, giving major holographic technology to humans is a risk but a bit of sharing is nice, especially if you limit the ability to use it."

The two Kates seemed unsure but each was willing to go along with the requests. After all, given how neither was sure who they were, they weren't in any position to argue.

The Doctor was pacing a bit as he watched them make the few marks, doing his best to seem calm. Finally, the Rani and the Master looked over the paper and then to the Doctor, each nodding.

"Splendid!" the Doctor said as he perused the agreement himself. "There we go, best to wait until the effect wears off before you make your signatures and legally binding and all that but sure to be work out!"

He placed the paper on the table to smile at the two Kates. "Now, then, I'm sure the Zygons will find a way off planet, sure to be hospitable worlds out there, no need to come back to Earth and no reason for UNIT to go after them." The smile tightened. "I will be looking into it to be sure…so do try not to let me down."

The Rani crossed her arms. "I dislike when my input is ignored so I would also refrain from breaking this word."

The Doctor turned to see Clara nearby, frowning as he looked around. "Hold a mo…where's…"

"The other you?" She shrugged as she nodded to the TARDIS nearby, the blue box solid as ever. "He stepped into that, then it seemed to…well…duplicate before the other part of it vanished."

The Doctor was jarred, realizing he'd been so into working out the treaty, he'd ignored that familiar sound. "Huh. Did he say…"

"I was talking to him and…well…he said it was time to grow up."

The Doctor's face fell at that. "Ah. Well, then. I know where he's gone."

The shack was exactly the same except for the Moment. Before it had been a steampunk box, now it resembled a lotus blossom, spread out in white and gold with a large flower-shaped stem with a large red gem at its center. "You said you wanted a big red button," the projection of Romana said. Her gentle tone hardened. "Press that…and it's over. No more Daleks. No more Time Lords." She leaned in. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I was," the War Doctor softly answered. "There's no other way."

"Even after seeing the man you become?'

"That man?" A soft smile came to the elderly face. "Extraordinary."

"He's you."

"No. He's the Doctor."

"As are you."

The old man shook his head. "Great men are forged in fire. It is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame…whatever the cost."

Romana sighed. "You weren't so philosophical when I knew you. You were child-like, a fool was my first impression. A man who could travel the universe and time and yet treated it like a game." She smiled. "But you showed me the universe was more than what the Time Lords taught us in school. I realized why you left, why you wanted to explore and to help others. You…were an amazing man, Doctor. You still are."

He just stared at the red button, lost in his thoughts. "That man…was a child. And now…it's past time I grew up at last." He lifted up his hand toward the button.

"Remember how I used to chide you on the TARDIS sounds?" Romana asked. "The grinding and the wheezing, how it drove me mad at first? I realize now why it is, why you never fixed it. Because that sound…that sound of your arrival…That sound brings hope to those who hear it." She leaned forward. "Anyone. Anyone who is lost."

At that moment, he heard it, that grinding and wheezing echoing through the shack with the familiar gusts of wind. He turned his head as he saw it come into view. It wasn't alone as another box came to be, resembling a large wardrobe, its grinding far softer. There was a pause before the Doctor exited his TARDIS with Clara behind him, the Master and the Rani coming from the other.

The old man sighed deeply. "What are you doing here?"

"A good question," the Rani stated. "The whole war should be time-locked. We shouldn't have been able to arrive here."

"Unless something let us," the Master related.

"Clever boy," Romana smiled.

The War Doctor turned his back. "Go away. Be the Doctor I never could. And you two…you shouldn't be here."

"I had to be," the Master said, leaning on a wall. "I had to see it myself. The Doctor turned into the killer."

"Just to know," the Rani agreed. "Just to know it was true…"

The Doctor moved to his younger self that looked so old, his face somber. "All this time," he softly said. "Through three lives…Burying you in my memory. Pretending you didn't exist, even from myself." His eyes were misty. "Pretending you weren't the Doctor when you were the Doctor more than anybody else." He put a hand on the older man. "You were the Doctor on the way it wasn't possible to get it right."

He put a hand over the button. "This time…you don't have to do it alone."

The War Doctor looked to this other self and saw the determination in his eyes, the regret but the desire to see it through. And for the first time, he felt this man truly was him. "Thank you."

Another hand came over the gem and the two looked up to see the Master beside them, his face drawn. "I've killed so many worlds in my past…What's one more?"

"Master…" the Doctor began.

"You know what that bastard Rassilon did to me, Doctor," his old foe put in. "He helped make me into what I became. It only makes sense that he reaps what he sows with the rest of them." That tight smile came to his face. "At least now, you can assuage yourself a bit. Tell yourself it wasn't just you. Because may I say, this martyr bit gets very, very tiring to listen to."

"This is our choice," the Doctor snapped. "Our decision. Our guilt."

"Gods above and below, your ego is unmatched." The Rani moved next to them. "Become the last of your kind, to wipe out our people and you think you can just let that be your legacy? That somehow you're the only one deserving to carry that with you? And now the Master joining in, that makes it even more ludicrous." She shook her head. "The hell with it. I'm not letting you two morons drag your infantile rivalry to this length by yourselves." She placed her hand on theirs, all over the red button.

The War Doctor looked at them and suddenly chuckled. "They always said at the Academy that the three of us together would be the death of so many teachers…" The others chuckled with, more out of nerves than true humor. "What we do today," the Doctor began. "Is not out of fear or hatred. It is done because there is no other way…"

"Can we please just stop the speeches and do it?" the Rani snapped. The look in her eyes wasn't her usual clinical coldness. It was something even her long-conditioned control could not prevent from coming to the fore. It was the fear of a woman about to see her world die once more…and this time, she would be a cause of it.

"Right," the Doctor said. "Right…just…press it down…" He stopped as he saw Clara nearby, her face crestfallen with tears in her eyes. "What?"

"It's just…" She swallowed. "You told me you wiped out your own people. But…I never actually imagined…you doing it."

"She's right." The Romana image was sitting on a nearby box, staring at the tableau before her. "This is the Moment, Doctor, my moment but yours as well. And theirs." In a flash, the group was surrounded by a holographic image of the battlefields of Arcadia.

"What is this?" Clara asked, startled.

"Just a projection," the War Doctor tried to brush off.

"It's reality," Romana corrected. "It's happening now."

They stared out at the chaos, the blasts of lasers, the illumination of skeletons as bodies were struck, explosions ripping apart flesh and stone alike. The images of soldiers were there but also civilians, women and children crying as they ran in mostly vain for shelter.

"This…this is it?" Clara stared at a crying girl who appeared to be barely seven. "These are the people you're going to burn?"

"There's no other way," the War Doctor said.

"He's right," her Doctor added, his voice tight. "There's nothing I can do. There's nothing else. It's either end Gallifrey or the universe burns."

"No."

It was the Master who had spoken, his face now firm and resolute as he looked to the Doctor. "No, it's not."

"Master…"

"You said you did your best to forget him," the Master said, motioning to the War Doctor. "But that meant forgetting yourself. And that's what you're doing right now, you're forgetting yourself."

"He's right," the Rani intoned, her eyes warmer than the Doctor had ever seen them. "You say nothing can be done but look at us. We shouldn't be here but we are. Maybe because we're meant to be. Meant to remind you of what you can be."

"She's the scientist," the Master said. "I'm the warrior. Any old fool can be a hero," he nodded to the War Doctor again. "But you…"

"What?" the Doctor asked, not angry but truly wondering. "What about me? What should I do?"

"What you've always done," she answered.

"Be a Doctor," the Master said.

"When you told us the name you'd chosen, we laughed," the Rani said. "But you explained it was a promise. A promise you made to yourself and the universe."

"Never cruel or cowardly," he whispered under his breath.

"Never give up," the War Doctor rasped. "Never give in…"

The hologram winked away, leaving them back in the shack. They stared at the man in the bow tie as he mused over their words. "Four hundred years, I've thought about this," he stated. "And I think it's time to do something dangerous."

"Change history?" the Master asked.

"No." A smile came to his old enemy's face. "Change my mind."

He pulled out his screwdriver and aimed it at the Moment, causing the red button to lower itself down. Despite themselves, the Rani and the Master both let out sighs of obvious relief. "About damn time," the Master had to say.

From her box, the image of Romana was beaming ear to ear. The mood in the shack suddenly changed. The melancholy was gone now as the four Time Lords began to pace, each tight in thought. Clara felt her heart race as she realized she was witnessing the rare event of four incredible geniuses working together.

"There's still a billion billion Daleks up there," the War Doctor stated.

"Yes, there is," the Doctor noted as he paced about. "But, there's one thing those billion billion Daleks don't know."

"Because if they did, they'd send for reinforcements," the Rani said as she got a stick from a nearby pile.

"This time, there's all of us together," the Master said, rubbing his chin.

The Rani was scratching on the dirt, creating a circle and then various small x's and dots around it. "All right," she began as she crouched down. "Gallifrey in the center, Dalek fleet surrounding it, constant barrage without letup. The question is exactly how can we protect the planet from those attacks? Especially considering I saw it wiped out."

"Did you?" the Doctor pressed.

She glared at him. "That's not something I forget, Doctor. I saw the explosions, I saw the flash, I saw it vanish as if it never was."

"As if never was…" the War Doctor whispered. He let out a loud gasp, his hands to his forehead. "Oh! Oh, yes! Yes, of course! Of course! Oh, that is good, that is brilliant!"

The other three looked at him in confusion as he moved forward, placing his foot on the drawing of the planet and swept it out to wipe the circle away. The other three looked at the spot before their eyes widened. "Oh…oh, that is...brilliant!" the Master laughed loudly.

"I've been thinking about it for centuries!" the elder Doctor laughed with a surfer's pose as the Master stood up.

The Rani stared at the spot blankly. "That….that's insane. It's completely…" She stopped as her lips pulled upward. "It…could work. It could…actually…work." She laughed out loud herself as she rose, slapping a hand at her TARDIS. "That's amazing!"

"She didn't just show me any old future!" the War Doctor cried out. "She showed me exactly the future I needed to see!"

"Takes a while but you get there," Romana smiled warmly.

"Oh, Romanadvoratrelundar, you wonderful, wonderful girl, I could kiss you!"

"Keep dreaming," the image chuckled.

"Wait," the Doctor said, his face in confusion. "Romana?"

"So, what are we doing?" Clara asked. "What's the plan?"

The War Doctor was quick to answer, hoping to distract his other self. "The Dalek fleet is surrounding Gallifrey, firing on it constantly."

"It's holding for now but buckling," the Rani added.

"But," the Master said. "What if the whole planet just…disappeared?" He made a "whoosh" motion with his hands.

"Tiny bit of an ask," Clara said, baffled.

"Gallifrey goes and the Dalek fleet finds nothing to be unleashing their barrage on," the Rani clarified. "They'd destroy each other in the crossfire, a massive explosion!"

"Gallifrey would be gone, the Daleks destroyed and it would look to the rest of the universe as if they annihilated each other!" the War Doctor finished.

"But…where would it go?"

"Frozen," the Rani said, a smug smile on her lips. "Frozen in a single instant of time."

"Exactly…" the Master added.

"Like a painting," the War Doctor threw in.

As Clara reeled from this realization, the Master turned to the others. "We need it to work…I'm going to need a transport."

"I know just the place," the Doctor stated as he headed to his own TARDIS. "Ever been to a cosmic junkyard?"

The War Doctor paused to look at the Moment. The image of Romana gave a warm smile as she started to fade away. "Go, now. Today, you are the Doctor. You always were, you just needed to remember."

"Thank you," the War Doctor whispered. He turned and took a breath, feeling more like himself than he had in far too many centuries.

The War Council room was set up with a huge holographic table, Time Lords in dark red uniforms surrounding it. The room shook with each savage barrage from above, dust flowing about as screens showed the countless skirmishes breaking out. The High General marched in, his cloak billowing, his face with bald head intense as he spoke. "Are you sure it's him?"

"Oh, yes, sir," his aide said as he pointed to the table. A single panel showed a screen with two simple words.

GALLIFREY STANDS.

The General shook his head. "What's the mad fool up to now?"

There was a buzzing as a holographic screen flashed to show a familiar bearded face. "Hello, War Council of Gallifrey! This is the Doctor."

Another screen appeared to show a younger man with a bow tie. "Hello there! Also the Doctor!"

A third screen formed to show a white-haired man in the interior of a TARDIS that looked far less put together than one normally would be. "This is the Master. Standing by."

A final screen flashed to show a woman nodding to them. "The Rani reporting, standing by."

The General groaned in dismay. "Oh, dear God, the Unholy Trinity, together again! All my worst nightmares at once!"

"Gentlemen, we have a plan," the Doctor announced.

"It should be pointed out at this moment that it is a rather terrible plan," the Rani added.

"And it probably won't work," the Master threw in.

"I was going to be satisfied with just terrible."

"Right, sorry."

"We're flying our TARDISes into your lower atmosphere," the Doctor stated. A nearby screen showed the image of four craft sweeping over the planet.

The Master cursed a bit as he adjusted a control. "Damn, this is roughshod work."

"You planned it," the Rani stated. "And still better than the antique the Doctor uses."

"True."

OI!"

"We're positioned at equidistant intervals around the globe." The Rani adjusted her controls.

"Just about ready to do it," the War Doctor said.

"Do what?" the General asked, baffled.

"We're going to freeze Gallifrey."

"I'm sorry…you're…what?"

"Using our TARDISes, we're going to freeze Gallifrey in a single moment of time," the Rani explained.

"You know, like those stasis cubes?" the War Doctor clarified. "A single moment in time, held in a parallel pocket universe."

"Except we're going to do it to an entire planet and everyone one it."

The General shook his head, trying to wrap himself around the concept. "But…even if that were possible…which it's not…why would you do this?" He looked to the Master especially. "Any of you?"

"Because the alternative is burning," the Master said.

"And we've seen that," the Rani added with a flash of pain.

"And none of us ever want to see it again." The Doctor's tone was hard, making it clear that this was something he considered quite serious.

The general was still in denial about this. "We'd be lost in another universe…frozen in a single moment. We'd…we'd have nothing!"

"You would have hope!" the Doctor insisted. "And right now, that's the one thing you don't have!"

"It's delusional!" the General exclaimed. "The calculations alone would take…hundreds of years!"

"Eight hundred and seventeen to be exact," the Rani said.

"But don't worry," the Master said with a smirk. "We started work on this a very long time ago."

The scanners suddenly came alive with various colored dots. Many were in the shape of blue police boxes but other forms were about as well: A Roman column, cabinets, a grandfather clock, a tree, and more. The screens above came to life with the images of various men and women of assorted ages and appearances. All had a cube on their consoles and all were working frantically at their various controls.

"Calling the War Council of Gallifrey, this is the Doctor."

"In fact…you might say we've been planning this all our lives."

"This is the Rani, standing ready."

"The Master, working calculations."

"Easy with that turn!"

"No need to be snippy with me."

"Across the boundaries that divide one universe from another…"

"Soon there…soon there…"

"No, no, you head to the north side!"

"East!"

"I'm three hundred years older than you, Rani, trust me, it's north."

"Trust you?"

"What? Can't trust yourself?"

"Would you?"

"True."

"This had better be worth the effort…"

"Saving Gallifrey. Talk about ironic…"

"And for my next trick…"

In his TARDIS, the eldest Doctor noted the scanners and how the various craft were coming into formation. "I'm surprised," he said in the channel to the Master he knew. "You've never been the type to play well with others. And that includes yourself."

"I may have given them the impression it's a massive power grab," his old foe said. "They'd never believe me if it was altruistic. Which they shouldn't."

"Less talk, boys, more preparation," the Rani stated. "At least my side has things done in a professional manner."

The General closed his eyes in pain. "I didn't know when I was well off! All their past personas!"

"No, sir!" an aide called out. "Their future ones too!"

In one police box, a pair of grey eyebrows arched up as a switch was thrown.

In a black cabinet, a man dressed in a dark suit, gloves and curly black hair smirked as he spun a lever.

Inside an elaborate statue, a regal-looking woman with dark blonde hair slammed down on a button.

The control room shook hard. "Sir!" the aide called out. "The Daleks know something is happening! They're increasing their firepower!"

The General stared at the readouts of the planet under siege and then up at the screens. "Do it," he whispered, his voice now accepting and hopeful. "Doctor, Master, Rani…just do it."

Inside his TARDIS, the Doctor nodded as he made sure the cube on his console was set. "Gentlemen…ladies…we're ready." He grinned as he yanked back on a lever. "Geronimo!"

The Master smirked as he leaned to his own lever. "Here…come… the drums!"

The Rani couldn't help it as she yanked back on her controls. "Tally-ho!"

"Oh, for God's sake…" the War Doctor muttered. "Gallifrey stands!"

He threw his lever, the motion repeated in various other craft. As one, the TARDISes surrounding the planet stopped at one exact spot, each emitting a blast of energy. There was one massive flash of white…

And the universe was never the same again.

"I don't suppose we'll know if we actually succeeded," the War Doctor said as he sipped his tea. "But at worst, we failed doing the right thing, as opposed to succeeding in doing the wrong."

He, the Doctor, the Master and the Rani were sitting in the National Gallery within London, all staring at the painting of Gallifrey. "What was this called again?" the Rani asked.

"Well, there's some debate," the Doctor told her. "Either No More or Gallifrey Falls."

"How'd it get here?"

"No idea."

"There's always something we don't know, isn't there?" the Master intoned.

"It's our lot." The War Doctor rose to his feet. "Well…it has been…" He paused to consider his words. "An honor. And a privilege." He shook hands with his older self. "If I grow up half the man Clara Oswald is, I will be happy."

"Aim high," the woman smiled.

The War Doctor paused before the Master. "You and I…to think how much you change…"

"Don't worry," the Master said. "You probably won't remember any of this."

"The time streams are out of sync," the Rani noted. "You won't be able to retain the memories."

"So I won't remember that I tried to save Gallifrey rather than burn it." The War Doctor sighed. "I'll have to live with that." He brightened. "But for now…for this moment…I am the Doctor again. Thank you." He looked to the four TARDISes standing side by side. "Now which one…ah." He stepped into it and with the familiar grinding and groaning, it faded away.

The Doctor looked over to the other two Time Lords. "So…all this time…all this trouble…in the end, it's the three of us."

"I suppose I should be going," the Master said. "It probably won't be long before someone notices my resemblance to an insane late Prime Minister."

The Doctor stared at him. "What will you do?"

"You mean, am I going to start on a murder spree?" The Master considered. "To be honest…I'm not sure. You can't expect me to change that much, Doctor. I'm thinking clearer than I ever had before but…I'm still me."

"Yes," the Doctor softly said. "But…you've been given so many second chances, Master. Maybe for once…you actually use one right?"

"You could stop me."

"After what we just went through…It wouldn't be right."

The Master moved to his TARDIS, fumbling with the lock. "Have to improve this damn thing…" He stopped at the doorway to look at the Doctor and smiled. "I have to admit…you and me…We made a good team for once, Doctor. In the future…who knows?" He entered, shutting the door behind him. With a slightly louder grinding, his cabinet vanished away.

The Rani was moving to her own TARDIS. "This has been…an eye-opener in many ways." She looked to the Doctor. "You're going to regret letting him go like that."

"I regret a great many things, Rani. Are you going to be added to that list?"

"Perhaps…" She considered herself. "But then…this experience has taught me that sometimes…helping others isn't that bad a thing after all. Something to consider in my work later on." She moved to open the door. "But, for now, I need to keep a promise to a Queen."

The Doctor chuckled. "Ah, can't wait to see how the historians record that one…"

"I make my own history, Doctor. I'm not stopping now." She shut the door and with a cool buzzing, her column disappeared.

The Doctor sat down, staring at the spot they had gone. "Are you sure you're ok?" Clara asked. "I mean, given what those two have done…"

"They helped, Clara. In the end…they helped."

"You're going to look at the painting, right?"

"How did you know?"

"Those big sad eyes. I always know." She started to back away. "Oh, by the way, there was an old man looking for you, I think he was the curator."

She walked away as the Doctor gazed at the painting, smiling to himself. "I could be a curator," he said to the air. "I'd be great at curating. I could be the Great Curator, retire and work at a place like this."

"You know, I really think you might."

The Doctor froze as he heard the voice. It was old but so, so familiar. He turned his head as a figure walked to him, a white-haired man in a tweed suit leaning on a cane. The Doctor slowly rose to pace to the other man, staring intently at his image. "I know you. I never forget a face."

"I know you don't," the Curator stated with that bright-toothed grin. "And in years to come, you might find yourself revisiting a few. But just the old favorites, eh?" He winked. The Doctor just stared in wonder as the man moved to the painting. "You were curious about this painting, I think. I acquired it in remarkable circumstances. What do you make of the title?"

"Which title?" the Doctor asked. "There's two. No More or Gallifrey Falls."

The Curator shook his head with a smile. "Oh, no, you see, that's where everybody is wrong. It's all one title." He waved his hand to emphasize each word. "Gallifrey Falls No More." His eyes twinkled. "Now, what would you think that means, eh?"

The Doctor stared in wonder, his jaw dropping in realization. "That Gallifrey didn't fall. It worked. It's still out there!"

The man shrugged. "I'm only a humble curator. I'm sure I wouldn't know."

"Then where is it?" the Doctor pressed.

"Where is it indeed? Lost." The Curator put a hand to his lips. "Shush. Perhaps. Things do get lost, you know. And now you must excuse me. Oh, you have a lot to do."

"Do I?" The Curator smirked. "Is that what I'm supposed to do now? Go looking for Gallifrey?"

"Oh, it's entirely up to you. Your choice, eh?" The Curator was playing innocent but obviously every word he said had meaning. "I can only tell you what I would do if I were you. Oh, if I were you. Oh, perhaps I was you, of course. Or perhaps you are me. Congratulations."

"Thank you very much," the Doctor said and meant it.

That shrug was made once more. "Or perhaps it doesn't matter either way. Who knows, eh?" He tapped his eye, then his nose. "Who. Knows?" He gave a final smile before walking away slowly, leaning on the cane. The Doctor watched him go and then looked to the painting, his entire demeanor now transformed.

The Curator rounded a corner and stopped as he saw the two people before him. One was a man with a jet black goatee, touches of grey in his hair, his eyes deep and penetrating, in a black suit. The other was an attractive women in her 50's, her large dark hairdo also a bit of grey but still intelligent, clad in a scarlet dress.

The Curator paused as he looked to them and smiled. "So…I'm not the only one who likes to revisit a new face now and then."

"A curator," the man noted. "You were the academic sort."

"And you?"

"Still a scientist," the woman said. "I just decide to…work on a different level now."

"Still go by…"

"It's a bit too presumptuous these days," the man said. "I rather find a professor sets people at ease more."

The Curator chuckled to himself. "Well, that just fits, doesn't it?" He looked them both over. "It has been a few ages."

"Since that day," the Scientist said. "It changed so much for all of us."

"Not as much as I'd hoped." The Curator gave a harder glare at the Professor, who merely shrugged. "I told you…I was still me."

Instead of anger, the Curator seemed to accept that. "Yes…yes, you were. And still are."

"You gave him the message?" the Scientist asked.

"I did. It'll take him a while, of course, there's that messy business on Trenzalore that takes up a few centuries and after that…" The Curator shrugged. "Well, he wasn't exactly the most personable person."

"I do recall," the Professor said with a smile. "But…he was just like the rest. One amazing man."

"All of them," the Scientist noted. "I hate to admit it but they all are."

The Curator bowed his head. "Thank you." He looked them over. "So…busy?"

"Why?"

"I just thought…you never know when we'll be like this again. Together, not at each other's throats…One last round perhaps?"

The other two looked at each other for a moment before sharing nods. Each took the arm of the older man, pausing to remember times long past and those yet to come. Then, the Curator, the Professor and the Scientist marched arm-in-arm to the streets of London to honor that bond they'd long held.

So that's that. Hope you all enjoyed this tale, the last bit just hit me as a nice way to honor the late Roger Delgado and Kate Mara. As for the "future" Master and Rani above, feel free to imagine a favorite actor in those roles for a cameo (personally, had Benedict Cumberbatch and Lena Headey in mind). All comments welcomed, hope you enjoyed.