A/N: Well this is it – the end chapter of the Destiny's Time Lord. I would like to thank all who read it and review it. It has been a privilege and quite the adventure. I might write the continuation of their adventures on the Destiny. The three together are quite the walking menace but only if you want one! Thank you all again from the bottom of my heart!

Disclaimer: The characters of Stargate belong to MGM and those of the universe of Doctor Who to BBC Wales but the words are mine.

The Destiny's Time Lord

'Not all Time Lords perished into the Time Wars. One escaped into another universe.'

Chapter 7

The Master, the Doctor and the Guardian

Location: Planet Gallifrey, the Time War

Date: Some time before d-day

The Master...

Dark fumes covered the once beautiful glass citadel of the Time Lords' capitol on planet Gallifrey. Numerous round ships belonging to the devastating menace of the universe the Daleks had either crashed in it and had been shot down by the citadel's defences.

The time lords' high council had assembled in the main chamber to discuss the further strategy of repulsing the oncoming hordes of Dalek ships. An issue was brought forth.

"I believe it is time we awaken the Master."

"That's unacceptable." The Lord President Rassilon objected. "His methods are heinous."

"In the face of the danger, we must consider even him, milord President."

The Lord President Rassilon left his seat and paced around the table of the councilors. He was not comfortable with this idea. The Master had the tendencies of cruelty and utter disrespect for authority. On numerous occasions he had tried to seize power but was stopped in time by another child of Gallifrey with equal disobedience issues – the Doctor.

But the heinous Daleks were forcing their hands. It was past the time of caution. It was time they responded in kind. The Lord President sighed deeply.

"Very well, wake him!" He commanded. The council members bowed and left the chamber.

Sometime later, the Master was brought into the council chambers before the Lord President and the rest of the councilors.

"Milord Master,"

"Milord President,"

"Your sentence has been refuted for the time being." Rassilon said. "Gallifrey is facing unprecedented threat. The council has chosen you to direct our forces in these dangerous times."

"I see." The master closed his eyes. The inescapable sound of the drums had filled his mind once more. He had thought it would go away but it was still present. His eyes flickered open and he moved to Rassilon accepting his handshake. "Consider it done!"

The Master left the council's chambers and ventured into the higher levels of the city where the defenses of the city were. The time lords had many weapons at their disposal despite the fact that they appeared to be a pacifist race. They were after all the guardians of time and as the Daleks had discovered they were hardly defenseless.

The Master's plan was elegant and yet simple in its deviousness but sadly it backfired and the time lords lost precious positions. The enemy's forces continued their advance despite several other attempts he made to stop them. The Daleks main fleet had come near the outpost that the Master had been using as commander center.

Once the Master lay eyes on what was coming towards him fear conquered him to high heavens. He had no desire to be part of what was to happen next. He was many things but essentially he was a survivor. Despite all his efforts the time lords remained pacifists and with such an army he did not stand a chance in hell winning. The Daleks were an unstoppable mass of hatred. He had to escape the inevitable onslaught.

He reached the time chambers, disposed of the guards and took his precious old clock. Every time lord had one. It was designed to hold the time lord's consciousness until the clock opens and it is once more downloaded into the body. In all other times, the time lord essentially becomes normal like a human, a low offshoot of the time lords.

The Master uploaded himself into the watch and activated the time portal. He winded it up to transport as far away as possible from any chasers and then import a cascade failure into the main mechanisms so one could follow him. The complete transfer was going to take an hour maybe less. So when he opened his eyes he saw he was on some shores. Looking up he noticed the absence of stars in the night sky. The planet he was on had no sun and only an atmospheric shell was sustaining it.

The portal behind him had dissipated with the last view of his beloved planet Gallifrey where once upon a time he was a great man. He was the Master, the lord Master of Gallifrey and the glass tower. The memories faded away and he fell unconscious on the ground. His essence was now in the old clock waiting to awaken one day. If he only knew he had come to the end of the universe, he might not have been as cheerful.

The Guardian…

Some time had passed since the disappearance of the Master. Rassilon, the Lord President, repeatedly reminded the council of their poor choice, and the words – I told you so. He knew it was a bad idea to wake this wicked person because despite everything the Master was a coward. But regardless of this the time lords were losing the war and there was nothing they could do to postpone the inevitable.

On one of the next sessions however the prophet had something to say.

"The last days are marked by the power of Gallifrey's greatest patron. He shall be the instrument of the tools of future development."

"WHAT?" Rassilon had always had trouble with the prophet's words. "Would someone care to interpret this nonsense?"

The council members moved uncomfortably in their seats. Rassilon did not like this at all. It meant more trouble.

"WHAT?" He exclaimed impatiently.

"I'm sorry, Milord." One of the members who usually dealt with the interpretation said swallowing slowly and hard. "The prophet refers to one in particular. The council had considered it before offering the Master as replacement."

Rassilon frowned for this could mean only one person and it was an even worse idea to consider. The person in question was worse news even than the Master. He was the most belligerent among the time lords hence the reason he had been put to sleep. The last time he had been around the time lords had gotten into more conflicts than the past several millennia.

"NO, definitely not," Rassilon waved his hand. "It is out of the question. He stays where he is."

"The prophet is adamant I'm afraid, Milord."

"We tried with her adamancy the last time and look where it got us."

Swallowing hard again and wiping his forehead of the sweat, the interpreter continued. "The prophet is certain that he must be revived. He is essential for Gallifrey's future."

Rassilon exhaled frustrated. His eyes travelled between the interpreter and the prophet. His hand reached for the glove and put it on. Everyone on the table swallowed hard. Rassilon also from time to time was known to lose his temper. But the pressure of having some good news to cheer the rest of his people was the only thing keeping him from using the glove onto the interpreter and the prophet.

He eyed them both when he said through his grinding teeth. "You will keep an eye on him. He is far more dangerous than the Master."

"Of course, milord President,"

"Then wake the abomination,"

The Guardian was kept in the most secret vaults of the stasis complex on Gallifrey. The Lord President was right to fear him for he was unlike the other time lords that were usually peaceful to a fault. The Guardian looked like the most peaceful angel one can find but in his core he was a warrior.

Rassilon knew this was also going to be a colossal mistake. The council had hoped that the devious nature of the Master will save them but instead he ran away conquered by fear. He had the same misgivings about the Guardian though he was certainly different from the Master.

He could even recall the elder days when the children were running around. Ironically, there were always three that were atop every trouble – the Master, the Doctor and the Guardian. The three were a rare menace to peace and calamity on Gallifrey.

Every child faces the Time Schism before acceptance into the academy. The Master stood fixated into it, the Doctor ran away and never stopped while the Guardian, well, he embraced its complexity and even dared approach it. He was stopped in time before touching the time schism with his bare hands.

Rassilon thrust his head and returned back to the grim reality. He needed a backup plan in case the Guardian decides to follow in the Master's footsteps and run away. There had to be something they could do to secure absolute victory for the enemy had gotten a lot closer than before. The last attack shattered the forward glass protectors and destroyed the fountains of Youth.

The next day, the Lord Guardian was brought before the council. This time however they did not meet in the council chambers but before the assembly of the time lords. Rassilon wanted the Guardian to understand the seriousness of everything. He wanted him to know he will be protecting all of Gallifrey and time and space of all creation.

"Lord Guardian," Rassilon greeted trying to put a more diplomatic face.

The Guardian sized the Lord President in one sharp look and then responded. "I see you still carry your ass on your shoulders, Rassilon!"

Rassilon clenched his teeth. This time lord's arrogance had really no limit and the time spent in stasis had not managed to soften it even one bit.

"The reason you have been brought up here should be rather obvious by now…"

"That much is certain." The Guardian said while looking around. "You're reaping the fruits of your own stupidity."

"Silence!" Rassilon exclaimed raising his voice. All chatter that had followed that statement seized at once. "You have been brought to protect all cre…"

"If you had listened to me in the first place we wouldn't be in this mess now!" The Guardian interrupted his eyes flickering dangerously. "I warned you this day was coming but did you listen – NO. The Lord President knows better."

"Enough, Guardian,"

"Lord Guardian for you Rassilon," The Guardian corrected him. "Lord President,"

Rassilon sighed with frustration. This man was driving him closer and closer to the edge. He realized he might have made a mistake bringing him before the full assembly of the Time Lords. The Guardian had his way with words that bring dissention in any ranks.

"I was right the last time we met." Rassilon said. "Your actions plunged us into unnecessary conflicts that…"

"You are not going to pin this mess on me now, are you?" The Guardian heated up. "You brought this on your own. I warned you that your ignorance of events in the universe will lead to a conflict, a battle for all of creation. And now that you are facing this mess, you want me to help YOU?"

"Yes," This one word had been rather difficult for Rassilon to enunciate and admit. "All of creation is at stake. Gallifrey falls, everything falls. I ask you to fulfill your duty as Patronus of Gallifrey."

The Guardian did not respond for some time still eyeing Rassilon. Seeing the anticipation on the faces of the rest of the time lords' assembly, he finally said. "Very well! Under one condition!"

"And what that might be?"

"The high council and you,"

"I don't understand."

"Stay out of my way and I shall do as you ask!"

Rassilon hesitated for a moment but then ceded. He hardly had the choice. It was their last hope of stopping the advancing hordes though he was not getting his hopes too high. Until he finds another way, the Guardian was all that stood in the path of hatred that the Daleks were projecting.

"Deal!"

"Milord President," The Guardian bowed to him and the rest of the assembly then left.

Rassilon observed closely the Guardian's next moves. Ironically he had to be kept under close observation as he had very militant tendencies that the others could not keep up with. He had undoubtedly obtained them during his numerous visits to militant societies.

But then again, the Lord President was wrong in his assessment of the Guardian. True, he was something no other Time Lord was – a warrior. But in his heart the Guardian was peaceful. He did not enjoy employing drastic tactics but when there was no other choice he obliged. Defending oneself was never something he would start apologizing for.

Unfortunately they had chosen to wake him far too late. The Guardian assessed the situation they were in and it was not very hopeful. The enemies were converging on all sides and the Time Lords simply were overwhelmed. But there was still a tiny bit of hope. It is usually the last to go.

Time Lords' technology offered many peaceful ways to deal with threats even of this magnitude. The Guardian sought the materials he required and started working. His plan was to reduce the ranks of the advancing Daleks and force them to retreat until they recover fully their forces thus giving his people the time to patch up the inflicted wounds. The Daleks were a formidable enemy but they had their weaknesses as well.

In one of the lowest levels among thousands of small and big crates the Guardian had left his most precious possession that the others have not uncovered yet his TARDIS. A long time ago, it had taken the form of an oblong rectangular, seven feet high grey crate. Wherever he went with it, it fitted in perfectly, totally indistinguishable.

It was far more presentable than a somewhat square rectangular blue box in the form of a Police Box used in the 1950s of the planet Earth, the country of UK. That was the vehicle of one of his friends he had not seen for awhile the Doctor. Speaking of which, he wondered what has become of another friend of his, the Master. He had been quite more devious than the Doctor who had gotten only smarter with the passing years and by some definition even more dangerous than the former.

But that was old news. The Doctor and the Master were always at each other's throats, glimpses of jealousy one from another but he liked them both. They were fun. Not like Rassilon, the man was simply operated from good humor, imagination and was utterly boring. There were these times when the trio ran together across the vast, orange fields at the foot of the Mountain of Solace and waited for the sunset. Those were the times filled with no worry in the world.

And now he faced the ugliness of total despair and war. It was sad really for the Time Lords had they listen to him might have prevented it. But it was not time to dwell on what might have been either. It was time to do something about it. He knew of course they would not like what he had in mind. It required some fancy maneuvering.

Few days later, he appeared before the council again. He had with him a Dalek high box of orangey metallic color.

"What is that?" Rassilon promptly asked eyeing this new contraption though its design seemed somewhat familiar.

"What does it look it is?" The Guardian replied back.

"I don't have time for your games. What is it?"

"It is a temporal prison."

"A prison ship? You're kidding right?"

"Nope," The Guardian smiled.

"The Daleks will never fall for whatever you're planning."

"You'd be surprised." The Guardian's mysterious answer was. "They will get inside. I have tweaked it."

"You have dared to mess with the technology?"

"Only a smidgen," The Guardian's smile got bigger. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Then why?"

"Ironically, I require the glove you're wearing." The Guardian's stupefying answer was.

"WHAT?" Rassilon exclaimed god smacked.

"You wanted my help therefore it shall be given but the methods are mine and I don't accept no for an answer. The Glove, milord President," And he stood expectantly.

Rassilon could not possibly fathom what the Guardian hoped to achieve with it and frankly he did not want to know but giving him the Glove now that was out the question. In his hands, the Glove becomes or could become increasingly more dangerous.

"I promise you'll get it back in one piece." The Guardian added to reassure Rassilon who did not feel at all reassured.

He picked it up though and approached the Guardian. He left it in his hands and the Guardian put it on promptly. Rassilon's fears were probably going to come to pass but he was wrong. The Guardian merely touched the Dalek high prison shell and it glowed briefly in the all too familiar orange yellow light then he took it off and returned it to Rassilon.

"Thank you, Milord President," The Guardian said bowing. He then elevated the prison shell and together they left the council's chambers and dumfounded expressions of the faces of the members. His plan was actually quite elegant and the Daleks so certain of their victory were never going to see it coming. He had some other small preparations to attend to before the arrival of the main fleet of the Daleks in orbit of Gallifrey.

The Daleks did not fail to arrive right on time but the Guardian had spotted them from afar and his plan was in full swing. The entire planet dissipated much to Rassilon's surprise much like a hologram melts away. The only thing that remained visible was the prison ship though it was not entirely visible that way.

From afar, it looked like there was a clear doorway inside the glass citadel of the Time Lords but smaller for whole ships. The Dalek fleet stopped abruptly in orbit where it remained until millions upon millions of Daleks exited the ships and proceeded through the opening inside the citadel in close battle formations.

Only the ship of the Emissaries of the Dalek Emperor did not join the hordes. It belonged to the cult of Skaro led by Dalek Sec. The cult was an elite organization of Daleks that even outranks the Emperor who created them. The main role of the four Daleks is to assess their enemies and find new ways of killing them whilst they were still able to survive. Because of this they span out and were each given a name in which they are ranked here with decreasing superiority – Dalek Sec, Dalek Caan, Dalek Thay and Dalek Jast. They were also the only Daleks with a somewhat personality while the ordinary Daleks were created only to execute orders and kill.

"Scanning the citadel," The high pitched voice of Dalek Jast broke the silence on the ship while observing the data flow. "Anomaly detected."

"What kind of anomaly?" Dalek Sec demanded turning his cupola to the youngest in the cult – Jast.

"Photonic trace patterns detected. The citadel is made of them."

"Impossible!"

"Dalek Sec," Dalek Caan, second in command, called. "It is a time lord trap. All our forces have gone. We are detecting them no more."

"Time Lords are incapable of such tactics." Dalek Sec replied with somewhat stern pitch.

But an answer was not really needed. Suddenly the opening for the citadel shut down and it was obvious it was metallic in origin that struck the Daleks as extremely odd. Then the entire planet of the Time Lords appeared before them. The metallic door however pertained to a small Dalek high object.

"It is of Time Lord Design." Dalek Jast reported.

"The Time Lords' defenses are targeting the fleet's ships." Dalek Thay announced. "And ours!"

"Retrieve the prison container at once!" Dalek Sec commanded. A beam appeared from the dish like vessel and pulled the time prison inside the emissary's ship.

The prison ship was brought to them and they started examining it while the rest of the fleet's ships were being destroyed by the citadel's defenses. It became fairly quickly clear that they could not open it. But they were not going to stay here either.

"Prepare the void ship!" Dalek Sec ordered. "The Cult of Skaro must survive."

The four Daleks got inside the void ship alongside the prison ship just in time before their vessel was obliterated. The void ship then left the Time War and fell out of the chronicles of time. The Emperor of the Daleks never saw them again.

The destruction of the main Dalek fleet brought many cheers to the Time Lords. Rassilon had been rather surprised this cock and bull plan of the Guardian had actually worked. Now they had the time to tend to their wounds before the next wave arrives. He of course had difficult time admitting this before the council and the Guardian whose smug smile haunted him around the citadel for the following days.

Rassilon however retreated in his private chambers to think of a way to escape all this bloodshed while putting the Time Lords back in their tracks as masters of the universe. Masters of the universe, it had a nice ring to it and gave Rassilon a splendid idea.

The next day he discussed it with the rest of the council unaware that the Guardian was listening in and they all approved it should of course all else fail. The Guardian on the other hand did not find their solution very cheerful. Rassilon had gone rather too far. He knew he still could not swallow that he, the Guardian, had achieved more than any of them.

But the implementation of that horrid plan did not come. The Guardian however was starting to feel uncomfortable with the inevitable waiting for he knew when the time comes Rassilon will make sure the Guardian does not accompany the rest of the Time Lords in this new glorious quest of absolute dominion.

The rest of the Time Lords quickly forgot his ingenious contribution to saving their lives and postponing the inevitable for awhile long. So, the Guardian decided he would make his own peace on his own terms. There was only one course of action left. He had almost done it when he was only six years old but the elders had stopped him. Now that no one was paying attention to him he was to try again. But he could not do it without his faithful companion, his beloved TARDIS.

He climbed aboard and stopped. His TARDIS was different from the previous one he used; actually it was the one the Doctor was in right now. The new TARDIS was different though just as bigger on the inside as the previous one. This one did not have a main round console but it was rather fashioned like a starship. Two seats at the front for navigation and propulsion, two seats for tactical and shields, one seat at the back for the backup, and one seat, one captain's chair in the middle of the others.

The captain's chair of course had a centralized control console that provided all of the main functions of the TARDIS. For the rest he crossed around the command bridge making it a more or less futile exercise but he was so used to it, it didn't bother him that much. The central column of the TARDIS was in the center of the bridge much like the one in the previous one.

"Well, then, you scrumptious beauty, shall we go for one last ride into the heart of the most glorious sight ever?" The Guardian said and patted the central column lovingly. His eyes flickered of excitement. If the Doctor were here he would say this is the most stupid he could ever do and if the Master was here he would probably say something in that general area. But the Guardian had made his mind. It was time he left in a blaze of glory. He had no intention to witness the end of the universe while Rassilon celebrates his ascension.

The TARDIS was ready and he punched it. His ship left the storage facility and headed straight for the beach sands of the Time Schism. The elders' protectors standing on both sides of it looked bewildered around trying to locate the noisy object approaching their guarded treasure but saw nothing. Well, not nothing precisely, at the last moment the Guardian's TARDIS reappeared and headed straight into the TIME SCHISM.

The ripples this entry produced were unlike anything anyone has ever seen. The tear in the fabric of space time maintained its rippling effect for almost two days before it finally dissipated. No time lord instrument however could tell them what has really occurred. This sudden occurrence was something new. What consequences were they to expect, was unknown at this point.

The Doctor…

It did not take long for Rassilon to figure out who had crossed through for he was the only one missing. Rassilon finally had got ridden of him although he still could not believe that he, the mighty Guardian, would voluntarily jump inside the Time Schism for it was suicide. The Master had run away but the Guardian had died inside the schism.

Ironically, it took a great deal of courage, a different type of courage to take one's own life in such a manner. But perhaps in some twisted way, the Guardian might have thought it was the most brilliant way to go in a blaze of glory.

Rassilon was happy either way. The Guardian's poisonous ways and words were no longer a thorn in his eyes. Of course he had little to rejoice as the most notorious child of Gallifrey resurfaced as well – the Doctor. Poor Rassilon thought that there was simply no escape from the 'trio troublemakers' at all.

And he was not very wrong. The Time Lords of course spoke only of the recent loss of the Guardian and pinned it on at the Daleks. The Doctor's fury was raised to high hell but he still had no idea of the grand, master plan of the Time Lords' high council. Rassilon kept the Doctor at a distance on that one for now. There was still much they had to do before enforcing the new directive.

Their enemy, the Daleks did not take the annihilation of their main fleet lightly either. They were hell bent now on 'exterminating' the Time Lords. The Dalek Emperor himself came to claim their deaths alongside the creator of all Davros and a few other enemies of the heathen Time Lords.

The Doctor as usual tried to reason with everyone involved. He managed to drive insane the Dalek Emperor though he did succeed in stalling. The Corsair, well, she came along for the ride and contributed to the subsequent Emperor's bad mood. The Time Lords' defenses however managed to stop the Daleks' advance. The last parting gift of the Guardian had been increased defensive capabilities.

But it was far from over and everyone knew it. For a brief time, there was a pause, calm before the storm. In this particular time, the Lord Guardian returned with Eli and performed his little miracle and caught the interest of the Doctor. And though the Doctor could never truly prove the Guardian had ever been there, it became an interesting and true enigma even by Time Lords' standards.

The Doctor however did not have the time neither to find the strange female Time Lord calling herself Dr. River Song nor the Guardian as the Daleks reappeared. The Lord President then came up with the final sanction – the End of Time and the Doctor decided it best to use the momentum of the war to end it swiftly.

He created an infernal none could escape. He detonated the Gallifrey sun and with that put an end to the Time War. The Time Lords all perished alongside most of the Daleks as the Doctor discovered in subsequent years. He fought them over and over again through the next three regenerations.

At one point he met with the notorious archeologist Professor River Song. Of course at the time it happened he did not recall that encounter near the Time Ward. Sometime later when he learnt more of her, he had a sudden recollection of the event. The odd thing was that the woman he had met all these years ago and the one now had nothing in common. They did resemble each other a great deal but River Song had never been to Gallifrey especially in the middle of the Time War that was time locked and it made the Doctor wonder who could have possibly known that much of River to make such a flawless performance. It was a true enigma to him.

Of course it was possible this could still happen though no one but those already in the Time War could go there. But the last time that was the Master and he was gone now. He, himself, could not return. The Guardian came to his mind again but then he recalled that no one can survive the experience of jumping inside the Time Schism. Speaking of the Guardian, he did again recall everything of that day he met the River Song doppelganger.

Strangely enough, the man described was indeed the Guardian though everything else suggested it was impossible but then again he did not think that the Time Lords could rise again from the time locked Time Lord and he had been proven wrong so what if he could be proven wrong again. And though he wished that be true he knew in his heart it was not possible. So how then could have the Guardian been there? Could it have been an early version of him? That was still a plausible possibility.

But he remembered the readings his TARDIS had recorded and something did not add up. How on Gallifrey did the Guardian manage to produce negative artron energy signature? Sadly, this one was not an easy one to answer. He knew of nothing that could do that. He often asked himself if the TARDIS' sensors were on a fritz that day. But the Corsair saw the same thing as him. It was indeed very puzzling. He hoped that one day he would have his answer.

And then one day he truly did….

The Master….

The half resurrected and ultimately utterly pissed Master continued his vicious assault over Rassilon as they pushed back into the Time War. His energy was running low but it was irrelevant. He hated what the Lord President and the rest of the high council of the Time Lords had done to him. All his life he heard the beat of the drums. They had used him and he was very, very angry with all of them.

In one perfect moment, the Doctor was once more his friend, the one with which he ran across the vast fields of orange grass on Gallifrey when they were young. He should have listened to him. They were after all best friends before turning into enemies. They were not alone though. No, they were three – the Doctor, he and the Guardian. They were atop of all trouble. Those were glorious days.

But now his time was running out. Rassilon, the Lord President of the Time Lords finally fell down dead. The glove in his hand slipped and hit the floor of the high council's chambers with a loud thud. The deed was done. He was done with him. Now, he turned his attention to the rest of the council with merciless, murderous adamancy. They ran but there was nowhere to run from his fury.

He pursued them all until the end. He managed to dispatch the interpreter of prophecies and then the prophet herself. Her dying words were most intriguing. "From the space torn, the Protector shall return to the Glass Tower one last time to bring them together and once more into adv..." He bore not too much onto the meaning of these words and continued his dark deed though he could feel his life force leaving him, this time for good. One last effort, he said to himself, and all of them will be finally dead.

Having killed the last of them, he fell onto a knee. His eyes found the Mountains of Solace and their untouchable beauty, the vast orange fields beneath and glorious sight of the setting down suns. There was no other place like home. There was no beauty in the whole of creature greater than this one. It was a fitting end. His eyes flickered, his body convulsed. He felt the last breath of his life and then fell uncontrollably to the ground.

His life passed before his eyes in a long series of images. There were days when he was vainglorious, days when he was untouchable, respected, and mostly triumphant. But then again, the Doctor always somehow managed to spoil his victory. Now that did not matter as much as did in the days. He had forgiven him.

They were once great together, unstoppable. The days of their youth were simply glorious and he wanted those to come back. He could recall at least four hundred instances in which they had caused some trouble somewhere. And then they had to endure the scolding of their fathers and the high council of the Time Lords.

"Ah, the glorious days," He whispered barely audibly. His strength had almost gone away.

The last things to pass before his eyes were the End of the Universe. It was dismal place and he almost stayed there if not for the imprudent Martha Jones. He managed to regenerate and almost bring an end to the human race but the Doctor and that abomination of the nature Jack Harkness stopped him.

He then had the chance once more as he resurrected. Well not entirely, he had his wife to thank for that. She was after all the one who killed him. He could have regenerated then but he did not to spend his time with the Doctor at the time. He had such a brilliant plan. He transformed every human into himself. And again the Doctor stopped him, oh, no, it was Rassilon who spoiled his perfect idea to transform every Time Lord into him.

And then at the end of all things, he finally understood that they have betrayed him and now he had his revenge. The image came at a halt. His eyes flickered open and absorbed for the last time the supreme beauty of Gallifrey. He was done and gone now to the eternal….and felt rather light…

The Doctor….

The Doctor once more found himself a new companion. Amy Pond was gone several weeks now. The damn Angels took her. He often wondered what he must do to rid the universe of these infernal beings but they were impossibly difficult to eradicate. The last time, he used the rift in the universe, the anti time to get rid of them but they reappeared sadly. He barely made it.

"Well of course they did." The Doctor said to himself. They reappeared when he restarted the universe.

"Doctor did you say something?"

"No," The Doctor said to his newest addition and fell back to his thoughts. 'Oh, Amelia Pond, impossible Pond,' He mourned her passing much like those of the others. Well, he still had River though not for long. Her time was fast approaching too.

And once more he would not stop to look back. He couldn't. There was simply too much pain involved, countless pain. He imagined he would stop running one day, perhaps at the fabled fields of Trenzalore as Dorium had told him, the oldest question.

'On the fields of Trenzalore at the fall of the Eleventh when no living creature could speak falsely, or fail to answer, a question will be asked, a question that must never ever be answered. Silence must fall when the question is asked. The first question, the oldest question in the universe hidden in plain sight – Doctor Who?'

But there was still time for that, he hoped. He did not have to answer the question yet or maybe even never. For one thing was certain he did not want to answer it but then again evading fate was not always possible. One never knows when he would run straight into it.

The Doctor snapped out of his thoughts. The TARDIS had picked up something unusual, something impossible. He ran to the console and the expression on his face depicted a rather large exclamation mark.

"No, no, no, how's that possible? No, no, no, no, it can't be!"

But the data was irrefutable. The impossible just happened. The ride became bumpier than ever before though he knew for certain that the TARDIS was not resisting it on the contrary it was welcoming it. All this was impossible.

"HOW?" The Doctor bellowed into the wilderness startling his new companion a great deal but there was no answer only the humming of his beloved TARDIS anxious to reach its destination. His attempts to slow down or alter course were met with total failure. The TARDIS did not comply this time. "Oh, no!"

Once more into the breach dear friends, the Doctor thought for last. This was the end. He did not know how it happened but this time he won't make it out of there in one piece. It was out of his hands inevitable or worse.

The TARDIS landed. The Doctor did not feel like opening that door but sadly there was nothing else to do. The main controls were frozen and the main column became dark. The light of the TARDIS was no more, not even a flicker. He walked to the door and without looking back opened the door.

And then he gaped in stupor. "That's impossible!" He exclaimed for the sight his eyes were seeing was simply impossible, so very impossible…

The Guardian…

The Odyssey of the Ancient vessel Destiny was far from over but his involvement in it was done. He would return there again someday though explaining it will be rather complicated, very complicated. The non planet had helped him make them forget what really happened with Eli and himself. His disappearance right now was a true enigma to them. But there was time for everything. Now he had another task. He would have let it to be at the fields of Trenzalore as he had decided it in the valley of the Gem of Ayla (for reference see The Saint Physician) where he stopped the Asphegue but times change.

All these years ago, the three (the Master, the Doctor and the Guardian) had shared a pendant, a blue pendant. It glows every time they reach Gallifrey. It is how they knew when the others were home and it was time to play.

The Guardian knew the Doctor had stopped the final directive of the Time Lords – the End of Time. That meant the Master was home but his pendant glowed briefly signifying the Master is dying. The three were linked together to their mutual life force. It was a time for reunion, one last time before the end.

He knew he would be defying all logic and laws but he was not going to let the Master pass away without them being together one last time. Of all the Time Lords he was the only one who could save him. Of course, he also needed the Doctor and so he embarked to find him and he had to find him at the right time, which was not going to be easy.

There was only one chance. It had to be before the time, the last time River Song would see him. So he reached her home and found out he had not come at the right time. He had to jump in and out of time at different times until he hit the bullseye. The Doctor had just found himself the new companion. It was the perfect time, the time before the fields of Trenzalore.

He needed to direct the TARDIS to follow him from the swirls of the Time Vortex into the maelstrom of the Time Schism. No TARDIS in its right mind would do that unless directed to. Of course, he needed first to get rid of the Silences. They were a thorn in the Doctor's eyes and his. They had to be removed for good.

He landed on Callisto IV and went into the local bar where some of the agents of the Silence were. He sat and waited for the one eye patched people. They did not fail to arrive and it was even more perfect than he had hoped.

"Madam Kovarian!" The Guardian called.

Kovarian turned around and faced him. "Who are you?"

"I'm the one who knows the answer to the question, the oldest question in the universe hidden in plain sight, the question that must never ever be answered."

His reply produced the desired effect. Kovarian was taken aback and the Silences appeared soon enough. They surrounded the Guardian.

"Who are you?" One of the Silences asked stunning Kovarian a great deal. A Silence has never directly asked a question before nor appearing greatly concerned.

The Guardian smiled big time. "I AM PATRONUS GALLIFREY OR IN YOUR LANGUAGE THE LORD GUARDIAN, THE LAST OF THE TIME LORDS AND THE GREATEST!" The Silences did not really have the time to process the answer as they lay mostly dead onto the floor. The Guardian had taken care of them. He then turned his attention to Kovarian. "On your knees servant." He commanded.

Kovarian had never seen another Time Lord other than the Doctor, but obliged rather quickly, as the Guardian had eliminated every single Silence in a matter of seconds. And that in itself was quite an achievement given the presence of more than sixty Silences. He had not missed even one despite the fact that he did not carry an eye patch. She was most puzzled on how he was able to see them.

The Guardian took quite offhandedly her eye patch and then the all too familiar buzzing sound echoed in the bar. He reconfigured this infernal device to suit his needs and that was getting rid of all Silences once and for all. The irony of this device was that its effects could be reversed. As the Silences can use it to inflict pain or death to their followers, the same can be done to them and it is activated by a thought.

And the Guardian knew which one would be most befitting. He returned the eye patch to Kovarian and then whispered in her ear. "The Doctor is alive!" Kovarian tensed up at this statement but she was seeing the truth in the eyes of this unorthodox Time Lord.

And the moment she thought of it the eye patch activated. Silences started falling everywhere in the universe cursing in their mortem agony the very day they created this infernal technology allowing their followers to see them and remember them. And every follower of the Silences felt their agony and their death. It was the end of their movement for without the Silences they stood no chance of preventing the Doctor answering the question.

"The deed is done!" The Guardian said aloud satisfied of his work.

"You have no idea what you have done!" Kovarian exclaimed snapping out of the stupor.

"You'd be surprised." The Guardian replied. "Don't worry your precious self, Kovarian. All will happen the way it is meant to." And with that he left, got into his TARDIS and was off on his way to…

Planet Gallifrey, home world of the Time Lords

The Time Lords' assembly was still mourning the passing of the high council at the hands of the notorious Lord Master. The end had drawn near. The infernal sent by the Doctor was fast approaching their beloved world. Rassilon had failed to implement the final edict the End of Time and now there was literary no time.

The Lord Archivist was just preparing the last of the archives though he knew none of them will survive the fall of Gallifrey as it was still time locked. The Doctor had done his job superbly and now not even he could return. It was then he heard the all too familiar sound and he recognized it. It was the Doctor's TARDIS. It had a distinct pattern he would recognized anywhere.

He rushed out onto the balcony only in time to see it land at the foot of the Mountains of Solace. From this distance he could not see the Doctor well so he ventured out. He reached the Mountains just in time to bear witness to the impossible.

The blue Police box TARDIS had landed in the beautiful orange grassed meadow just outside the Doctor's old family estate. It was rather untouched by the ugliness of war and mostly intact. The years of neglect had been almost merciful to the main building.

At the foot of the front gates, the Lord Archivist saw the body of the Master. He was still breathing, still alive. His body seemed no longer to change as it was surrounded by the orange yellow energy of regeneration though it seemed to be somewhat artificial in nature and it was not entirely wrong. A small cylindrical device was floating a few centimeters above him emitting steady pulses. The Master's facial expression though was peaceful. He looked just asleep.

The doors of the TARDIS opened and a moment later a young man in brown raincoat and a red bowtie exited. His facial expression however depicted an exclamation mark. It was clear he could not believe where he was. His eyes immediately fell onto the figure lying on the ground and widened with surprise. He had recognized the Master. He had not seen him for a long time and he had not expected to see him ever. And yet here he was and here was the Master.

The Doctor reached for the small cylindrical device and grabbed it. It stopped its work at once and the Master's eyes popped open then closed again. The Doctor studied the device carefully as it was not standard Time Lord's technology though it had certainly all the characteristics. The sonic screwdriver in hand he forced it open. The circuitry was definitely not Time Lord. But he was unable to determine which race had built it. It was unknown to him.

The Master definitely heard the all too familiar buzzing sound the sonic screwdriver produced and wondered if he were in hell. He had hoped never to hear it again. Lat he remembered his life had passed before his eyes and he had felt his eyes close and his spirit or whatever leaving his body. But strangely enough his senses picked up the sweet, gentle aroma of the orange grass.

His eyes flickered and opened. The first thing they saw was a foot then another in brown boots and he found this very odd. Then his eyes moved along the level of their horizon and noticed pebbles, tiny but rather familiar ones. Turning slightly his head, he noticed more pebbles and nicely cut hedge. It was strange as he definitely knew that hedge. In his youth he used to jump over it bypassing the ornate iron gates of the Doctor's family estate.

But this was a ridiculous notion. He died. He could not possibly imagine that heavens or hell actually looked like that particular estate though he definitely remembered dying just outside the fuming gates of the Glass Tower where he had caught up with the last of the Time Lords' high council and killed him mercilessly. Though, he could not see how he could have managed to move his lifeless body all the day to the foot of the mountains by himself.

Even stranger now, he sensed his own body. It was full of energy, alive. Alive, the thought resonated in his mind. How can I be alive? He had no regeneration capabilities otherwise he would have used them. His body had been half resurrected. The process had been interrupted by his beautiful but rather scorned human wife. And he hadn't been able to resolve the problem. His hunger had been insatiable. Or was it?

He did not feel that hunger anymore. He was whole and ALIVE. That thought was powerful and he used it. He felt every part of his body and with slightest command it moved. It was only then he recalled the pair of feet next to him. He turned his head in that direction and noticed they had gone. He pushed himself in a sitting position and noticed the iron gates. So he was not dreaming. He was right in front of them. He pushed himself back to his feet.

The first thing he saw was the very thing he thought he would never see again. It was the blue box carrying the name atop Police Box. And it was actually humming, which was definitely odd. It made him wondered whether he was not imagining he was alive. But then the door closed and he was definitely certain he was not.

He turned around and faced the gates, the iron gates with the familiar markings. It brought memories back to him. He thrust head and there near the left side he saw a figure in a brown long raincoat with suspenders and a red bowtie. It was the face of young man with bushy beard and hair but the eyes he recognized. It was his long old friend and nemesis the Doctor.

He had changed of course since last he saw him but that was normal. That's what Time Lords do when they cheat death.

"Doctor," He called discovering his voice once again.

"Master,"

The Doctor replied with his new voice. He was smiling actually. Despite all that has transpired between them he was genuinely happy to see him, though the Master was certain he was not happy just being here. And speaking of here, he wondered how he had gotten here in the first place as Gallifrey was time locked.

"How did you get here?" The Master asked anyway.

The Doctor gestured at the TARDIS and shrugged. So he had no idea either.

"Well, you are here for the finale."

"I suppose." The Doctor said. "Shouldn't you be dead?"

"I suppose." The Master shrugged. "Not too disappointed?"

"No, I'm glad you're ok."

And the Master felt it now. He was indeed glad.

"So what now?"

"I don't know. This is not my doing."

And there the Lord Archivist saw the most impossible event.

"You're right it is not. It is mine!" A melodic voice cut through the air. The Doctor and the Master turned heads trying to locate the source of the voice. And then the iron gates opened and its frames stood a young man in a long black tuxedo with a white scarf, orange striped shirt with silver beads, black tie on orange balloons, white sneakers with orange ties, and a black bowler hat, again with orange stripes.

The Master and the Doctor gaped in this odd figure in total, utter disbelief while the young man at the gates was smiling big time. And it was just then that the Master remembered the last words of the prophet – 'From the space torn, the Protector shall return to the Glass Tower one last time to bring them together and once more into adv…'

"GUARDIAN!" The Master and the Doctor exclaimed together stunned.

The Guardian continued smiling and then broke into soft laughter.

"You're supposed to be dead!" The Doctor said.

The Guardian walked to the Doctor and stopped before him. "I guess I am."

"Well, I'm not."

"I'm not so sure." The Master observed. "I'm dead too or I used to."

The Guardian smiled even more. "Well, you used to be indeed but not anymore."

"How…what did you do?" The Master asked.

"This!" The Doctor replied instead and tossed him the small cylindrical device. The Master's eyes widened.

"What the hell is that?"

"That saved your life." The Guardian replied. "It belongs to a race called the HERO although they did not exactly make it to work the way it did. It needed a bit of tweaking."

"Always the technician," The Master remarked though he was happy the Guardian did it. He was alive though he imagined not for long as Gallifrey was about to be consumed in the raging fires the Doctor had unleashed to stop the Time War.

"Well, you know me!"

"Guardian," The Doctor called. "What…?" He was not sure how exactly to place his next question and the Guardian spared him that.

"You mean here?"

"Yes," The Doctor nodded.

"Well, it is here it began."

"So what it is here where it is going to end?"

"Well, unless you prefer it is at the fields of Trenzalore, hmm?"

The Doctor's mood evaporated on the spot. How on Gallifrey he knew about this, he wondered.

"The fields of what?" The Master asked rather intrigued.

The Doctor did not bother answering him. "How do you know about this?"

"Spoilers, sweetie," The Guardian replied.

"Don't you dare, use those words!" The Doctor flared up unexpectedly.

The Guardian's smile grew wilder. "Don't go around the twist, Doctor, but you did hear them for the first time outside the Time Ward!"

The Doctor's sudden eruption of emotion vanished on the spot and he stood rooted as though hit by some magic spell. He recalled that day and then thrust head. No, that couldn't have been him. He simply could not swallow the possibility that the Guardian had impersonated River.

The Guardian was following his thought pattern and it was amusing him a great deal. The Master wasn't saying anything as he knew nothing of these events but then it was a rare sight to see the Doctor speechless.

"Don't worry, it wasn't me!" The Guardian decided to torment him no more. "It was the human!"

"WHAT?" The Doctor finally snapped out of his stupor and looked disbelievingly at the Guardian. "The human – that's not possible!"

"Well, you know," The Guardian locked his fingers together. "Um, if any race out there, ever knew that we can successfully turn anyone into a Time Lord they would have joined the Daleks and the others into killing us all! We'd have fought the entire damn universe."

"Turning…anyone…into…Ti…ti…time…lords…." The Doctor exclaimed stuttering.

"That's not possible!" The Master said.

"Well," The Guardian said innocently with a tiny smile of superiority.

"WHAT DID DO?" The Doctor exclaimed his fury climbing.

"Well,"

"Well what?"

"Well, I did turn a normal human into a Time Lord using the Time Vortex inside the Time Ward and manipulated the human's DNA, altered it. Ironically the human body can handle the process for three four regenerations, mostly when it is young."

Both of them, the Doctor and the Master were god smacked and horrified at the prospect. The Guardian was right about that part. Any race would kill for that.

"How the devils did you achieve that?" The Master finally managed to ask snapping out of the horror of the Guardian's last words.

"It is not that difficult when you know everything about human and Time Lord's physiology and well I have had enough experience with both. As for the exact process, well, I suppose I could give you a pad."

"Did you use the medical template that…"

"You mean the one you used when you transformed the entire human population into yourself. That one, Master?" The Guardian interrupted. The Master nodded. "No! I have no need for such crude devices. My knowledge expands well beyond that."

"Who was the human?" The Doctor returned back to the topic at hand.

"His name is Eli."

"He was a he?"

"Oh, come on, you did not complain when Jack was kissing you, now did you?" The Guardian replied back.

"Of course, the abomination," The Master agreed remembering Captain Jack Harkness.

The Doctor chose to ignore this comment. "How did you transform him into her?"

"Well, I had sample of her DNA."

"That's not enough. She knew things."

"Well, I knew her well about her in great detail."

"How?"

"Well," And the Guardian smiled again. "I was the warden!"

The Doctor's eyes grew in even bigger surprise. He opened and closed his mouth. "But…"

The Guardian chuckled and broke into laughter. "True we did meet."

"NO," The Doctor thrust head.

"Oh, yes,"

"No, I would have sensed you."

"You did not manage to sense HIM and you were just ten meters away. Why would you sense me?"

"He cheated." The Doctor replied curly.

"True, I did." The Master admitted but was smirking.

"Well there you go." The Guardian said.

"Where is he from, Earth?"

"Well he is born there but I did not pick him up there. What he told you was true."

"The Galaxy of Tenera? Planet Novas?" The Doctor repeated remembering Eli's answer. "I have never heard of them!"

"Oh, my dear Doctor, there are billions of galaxies, you do not expect you know them all, now do you?" The Guardian replied.

"No, I guess not." The Doctor admitted though he was sensing the Guardian was not being entirely forthcoming on the subject. "But the TARDIS did not know either."

"What you asked her to take you there? Really?"

The Doctor thrust head. Of course, he did not buy his bluff. "Alright, how are we here? Gallifrey is in the Time War. It is time locked. How?"

"Well, I called you here. Well, I called HER here!" The Guardian replied and pointed at the Doctor's TARDIS.

"You called her here?" The Doctor repeated.

"Yes, and once she heard my call she came right on!" The Guardian replied.

"And why would she listen to YOUR call?"

"Well, if you could have asked her she would have told you." The Guardian replied and snapped his fingers. The doors of the TARDIS promptly opened and the Doctor gaped in disbelief.

"How…?" The Doctor opened and closed his mouth until he remembered again his conversation with HER and the day he found her. "NO," He thrust head suddenly realizing it. "It couldn't be"

The Guardian's smug smile however confirmed the unbelievable, inconceivable, absolute truth.

"She was yours?"

"Yes," He said softly. "Yes, she was."

"That's not possible!" The Master cut in too. "You're younger than us."

"True," The Guardian confirmed nodding. "But it doesn't exclude the possibility. At the time, I was fulfilling my duties for the high council and I did not need her. And she wanted to explore, be among the stars and I couldn't give that to her at the time. So, I left her open with the key at the door for the first to enter. And she lured you, Doctor and the rest is history."

The Doctor broke into laughter, sweet healthy one. "Who would have guessed?"

"Certainly not me!" The Master observed.

"Still it doesn't explain how she broke through the veils!" The Doctor reasoned.

"She did because I helped her. Well not me per say, my TARDIS did."

"Which brings me back to the point, we were dead. Rassilon said you jumped into the Time Schism!"

"You did what?" The Master looked up astounded.

"Well, the main Dalek fleet came to Gallifrey. The high council couldn't stop them."

"I know I was there and when I saw it I ran." The Master said. "That's why they woke me up."

"Well, after you failed, they woke me up. Sadly it was already too late. The enemies were converging from every side but there was still hope. So I took one of our prison ships and tweak it. I used it to lure their main fleet inside it."

"Wait a minute!" The Doctor interrupted. "How does thing look like?"

"It is a box Dalek high."

"WHAT?" The Doctor was stunned. Another piece of the puzzle came into its place. It was at the battle of Canary Wolf. The Daleks came through the rift inside the Void ship and they were carrying what they called the Genesis Ark. "That was you?"

"Well, it is the only way. I trapped millions in there."

"More like thousands," The Doctor corrected him.

"No," The Guardian shook head. "There were millions."

"But I saw only thousands!"

"Who opened it?" The Guardian asked. "You?"

"Well, no, it is Mickey." The Doctor replied then added. "He is a human that travelled with me a few times."

"And because of artron energy he was able to open it. But you see Doctor only a Time Lord could unleash all of them. The human was able to open one of its layers not all of them. I made sure only a Time Lord could open them all which is why I used Rassilon's glove."

"He gave you the glove?" The Master was once again surprised of the Guardian's audacity.

"Well, he was a bit reluctant. I suppose he thought I was going to kill him."

"And the thought never crossed your mind?" The Master asked eagerly.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said no but at the time I had no reason."

"Then why did you decide to commit suicide?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, after the battle was won, I was heading back to the high council's chambers and it was then I heard what they were planning to do. Rassilon came up with the idea."

"What idea?" The Master asked.

"Oh, do you ever pay attention," The Doctor exclaimed annoyed. "The End of Time?"

"Oh that!"

"Yes, they decided that when and if things can no longer be controlled or salvaged they would implement the final edict the End of Time. You can imagine I was dead certain Rassilon was never going to let me be part of the ascended ones so I figured that if I was going to go I would go on my terms, in my own way. You remember when we were young and brought before it?"

"Who could?" The Master exclaimed. "That's when I got the damn sound that haunted my existence. And he ran."

"Well, I did not ran or hear the sound of the drums, I wanted to touch it but the elders stopped me!"

"Why would want to touch it?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, it is such a glorious sight! Who wouldn't want to?"

"Those with some sense," The Doctor remarked.

"Like you?" And the three broke into laughter.

"So how did you survive?" The Master asked as they had calmed down.

"To be honest, I don't know." The Guardian replied. "But something extraordinary had happened. My TARDIS developed an ability no TARDIS possesses."

"What ability?"

"My TARDIS could cross through the dimensional barriers of other universes without affecting the integrity of those barriers. At first I did not think that would be the case as there is always damage when you cross but there wasn't."

"Or so you chose to believe!" The Doctor interjected.

"No, it was not about belief, Doctor. It was mere fact. I went into the universe you were after you closed the barriers. Under normal circumstances that should not have been possible but I crossed."

"You went into Rose's universe after Dona's…?"

"Yes," The Guardian nodded.

"No, it can't be."

"It is not so difficult to believe Doctor." The Master said. "The rift is still open."

"No, that's just it, Master. That rift goes only in our universe's layers not in others. I was into an alternating universe that has nothing to do with ours, nothing to do with our civilizations at all."

"Alright let's assume what you're saying is true how?"

"I figured it had something to do with the negative artron energy signature the TARDIS had developed." The Guardian said.

"The negative WHAT?" The Master exclaimed perplexed. "That's impossible!"

"I actually picked it up too." The Doctor said. "My TARDIS picked it up when he came back but I couldn't explain it."

"Somehow the crossing through the Time Schism gave the TARDIS the ability to go anywhere without doing any damage whatsoever and that's the reason you can't even sense me now." The Guardian said. And that happened to be true. They couldn't sense him. It was like he was not a Time Lord.

"So why did you turn this human into River?" The Doctor asked. It was still bothering him.

"Well, you were coming to the Time Ward and I couldn't let anyone know I'm still alive so I picked up the only person that drives you nuts. Of course that wasn't the plan."

"What was it then?"

"I needed to save his life and preserve a time line. I was planning into turning him into me and then back to himself."

"Into you?" The Master was impressed.

"Well, all I needed was the matrix, the layout."

"Did it work?"

"Yes, it did."

"So you put him back?"

"Yes, he and his friends and colleagues are on amazing journey. A raced called the Ancients set a ship to travel through the depths of the universe to find its secrets, its origin. You see they picked up the original sound of the universe's creation and in it they discovered a pattern signifying…"

"Intelligence before time," The Doctor completed the sentence.

"Yes, so the ship has been travelling for almost a million years and reached billions of light years away from Earth, it is an amazing piece of engineering."

"These Ancients," The Master said. "They aren't around anymore are they?"

"No, they actually cheated death too, well some of them anyway. They ascended."

"Ha, amateurs," The Master observed. "They've deprived themselves of the glory of life."

"True but everyone with their own burdens,"

"So what now? Are we stuck here?"

"And whose fault is that?" The Guardian exclaimed. "You unleashed that bloody infernal."

"It was the only way to stop their madness." The Doctor replied.

"It is stopped." The Master said. "At least with the high council."

"Why?"

"I killed them all."

"Oh, Master,"

"For what they did to me they deserved to die."

"I'm in agreement here." The Guardian shared.

"It's not right." The Doctor said.

"Oh don't get sanctimonious." The Master snapped.

"I'm in agreement again."

"What a surprise!" The Doctor remarked sarcastically.

"Speaking of surprises, I have one for you!" The Guardian said.

"You do?" The Doctor asked apprehensively. The Guardian had somewhat dark humor as the Master sometimes.

"Yes, I got rid of your thorns!"

"Hugh? What thorns?" The Doctor exclaimed perplexed.

"The Silent type,"

"What?" The Doctor at first was not certain what he was implying and then it hit him – the Silence. "What do you mean you got rid of them?"

"I killed them all!"

"What? How?"

"Well, with the most innocent looking thing, the eye patch,"

"Ingenious!" The Master exclaimed impressed. There were times he and the Guardian were very much alike.

"WHAT? HOW?"

"Well, you see the eye patch is what the Silences can use to inflict pain or death and the irony is that the same is valid in reverse as it connects to them telepathically. I suppose they did not think anyone would come up with that idea."

"You committed genocide!"

"Oh please don't get sanctimonious with me. You made sure the human race does it anyway every time they see them. I just readjusted your plan a bit!"

"It was not right!"

"Really? And it was right to turn the human race into murderers for all eternity and they will not even remember doing it? Is that right in your book? Ha, is it?" The Guardian flared up.

"You are not the one to get self righteous with me!" The Doctor flared up on his turn.

"Guys, peace!" The Master said standing between them.

The Lord Archivist and the Doctor's new companion continued to observe this encounter speechless. They continued the banter for a long time before calming down forgiving one another. The Lord Archivist thought 'finally the three together at long last'.

"So what now?" The Master asked.

"I don't know." The Doctor replied.

"How about visiting that Ancient ship of yours?" The Master suggested.

"Oh, no, you don't." The Doctor exclaimed. "You are up to something again."

"Relax, I just want to have some fun before I push a daisy here and there." The Master said his hands rising defensively.

"You are not pushing daisies as I can see."

"Not yet," The Guardian said seriously and rather grimly. The Doctor looked at him. "He has only one regeneration left."

"Oh,"

"So?" The Master looked at them expectantly. "Doctor, you always wanted me to come with you through time and space."

"True," The Doctor admitted.

The Guardian sighed. "Oh, well, why not?"

"Really?" The Master looked eagerly.

"Really," The Guardian nodded. "But you will behave!"

"I will. I promise. The trio troublemakers together at last."

The three looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Just how are you planning for us to leave?" The Doctor asked as it was somewhat of a problem.

"Your TARDIS will materialize inside mine."

"That would be rather difficult!"

"Why?" The Master asked.

"Because she's dead!" The Doctor replied. "Thanks to him!"

"Doctor, she's not dead. She was playing possum." The Guardian said. "Come and see!"

They ventured inside the TARDIS passing by the Doctor's new companion as though as she was not even there. The Doctor gaped. His TARDIS' light was back where it was supposed to be.

"Oh, you!" He exclaimed relieved

The Guardian smiled. "Sorry, Doctor, it was a necessary deception."

"So inside your TARDIS? I don't see her."

"That's because you're blind." The Guardian said and turning to the Master added. "You see mine disguised itself as…" And he pointed to the right side of the iron gates where the Doctor and the Master noticed a seven feet high grey crate lying horizontally on the ground. "And it fits perfectly everywhere."

The Doctor and the Master gaped incredulously. They had seen that thing many times and it had been right under their noses. The Guardian was visibly amused by their bemusement.

"Well then shall we go?" He asked.

"To the Ancient ship it is!" The Master said.

The Doctor's TARDIS initiated the jump on her own volition. They landed soon enough. The Doctor and the Master opened the door and found themselves inside the bridge of a space ship.

"What the…" They exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah, mine is different."

"Belligerent," The Master observed.

"Radical!" The Doctor remarked.

"Oh, he is the Lord Guardian!" The Guardian completed the sentence. "Well, then take your positions!"

The Doctor and the Master did and the TARDIS came to life. The ride was a bit bumpier than they were used to. On the screen they saw the fast approaching Time Schism and winced as though expecting collusion but there was none. The TARDIS crossed through the veil of the torn fabric of space time and plunged into the Time Vortex of another universe.

And the Doctor and the Master got to thinking – 'Not all Time Lords perished into the Time Wars. One escaped into another universe to seek knowledge and adventures into places no Time Lord has ever been before. Another escaped to the end of the Universe disoriented and lost only to find his way back to Gallifrey and the third who unleashed hell upon his own people continuously running all his life has now finally stopped. And the three were now together into this new universe of wonder'.

The vroom, vroom sound circled around the cleaving through the depths of the universe Ancient vessel called Destiny and landed in its storage bay two. The crate's door opened and the three Time Lords stepped out for one last adventure together…

THE END?

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