One day, the Master decided to go out for a walk. He was trapped in the Time Lock, that fateful day that he decided that his love for the Doctor was far greater than he had ever imagined, but, being the Master, had found a way out. He wasn't in the proper universe, at least, he didn't feel like he was, but everything was eerily similar. On his walk, he happened to pass by a very cute couple on a park bench. They had a small child standing in front of them, pleading to go swing on the swings. He thought nothing of it and continued his walk around the park. When he made his rounds and doubled back, he accidentally bumped into the father and his boy that he saw earlier. "Sorry, mate." He said as he walked away, with his head looking down. He was terribly shy, especially in situations like this. He wanted to change for the better, for his Doctor, in case if he ever got the opportunity to travel with him again, it wouldn't be a burden; he wouldn't be imprisoned. "...Master?" He heard a voice say. That voice, it sounded oh so familiar. But...it couldn't be. This wasn't the universe that had his Doctor...he couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel him. He decided it was probably just his mind playing tricks on him and went on his merry way.

He didn't like the feel of his TARDIS as a resting place, so most days he would end up back at the park, which, in his world, was the wasteland that he and his Doctor shared their final embrace. He didn't mean to be so cruel to him, he really didn't. He just couldn't let go of how badly the Doctor had hurt him. Running away after their Academy days to Earth, stealing a TARDIS and expecting himself to cover for him. They were the best of friends, at least he thought, and he loved his Doctor with both of his hearts. He couldn't take it. He went searching far and wide, stealing his own TARDIS, travelling to the Doctor's favorite planet Earth to find him and tell him what he had done, what excruciating pain that the Master had to deal with without his Doctor. He found him, on multiple occasions, but it was a game of cat and mouse, Tom and Jerry, to be exact. They love antagonizing each other, causing each other pain, but never killing the other. The Master didn't know if it was because the game would end once the other was dead or because they were both too immortal to ever die, or simply because they both still loved one another. He didn't want to think about it.

He turned evil, apparently, in all that time he had been chasing his Doctor, seeking revenge, and after a while, he heard the sound of drums. He didn't think anything of it until he realized that they weren't leaving anytime soon. It drove him insane. What hurt even more is when he last saw his Doctor, he didn't believe him. The one person in the entire universe that could possibly understand him dismissed it. He loved his Doctor, he still does, but he knows that it will be unlikely that they will reunite again. But he won't ever stop trying.

John Smith left the park that day dazed and confused. Rose noticed his odd mood, but when she tried to get something out of him he said nothing was wrong. Just like the Doctor. She had come to cope with the fact that John wasn't the Doctor, and had eventually stopped whining about it. She was left with a chunk of TARDIS, which should be finished growing soon. Rose could have experiences with John that she never could with the Doctor. All of the domestic stuff that he hated, John loved. He became a stay at home dad with their child David while she still actively defended the Earth at her job in Torchwood. She loved him dearly, the way his eyes crinkle and light up when he laughs and smiles makes her fall in love with him more every day. John still had the Doctor's memories, and just a slightly different personality, and sometimes, she forgot that he wasn't actually the Doctor. She had gotten over that fact though, because he was her Doctor, and she came to terms with the fact that she won't be able to see the Doctor again. She worries about him often, and so does John, because he can feel it. He can feel when the Doctor is dying or regenerating, just as he can feel when Donna is hurt. He worries about her so much, wondering if she did get to spend her life with the Doctor. But deep down, he knows that the Doctor would never let Donna experience that kind of pain that only a Time Lord mind can handle. She was mostly human, whereas he was mostly Time Lord. The ease on his mind felt very empty at times, but he was thankful for the peace and quiet.

Most of all, he worried about the Master.

The last time that John had seen the Master (as the Doctor, of course) was when he had to burn his body after he died in his arms and refused to regenerate. That bastard. The Master's words stung a bit, when he said that he'd rather die than be imprisoned with him. The Doctor would never "imprison" him. He loved his Master dearly, but he didn't trust him. It all started when The Doctor decided to celebrate his ending of Academy days by borrowing a TARDIS to travel the universe. His first trip was to a beautiful planet called Earth. His first taste of time and space; how could he ever give it up again? He kept running across the stars, because he knew that if he went back now, his rights would surely be taken away. He left his Master behind. It wasn't that he had grown tired of him, or that he didn't love him, he just wanted to be on his own for a change. The Master did find him though. He had guessed that he wanted revenge for leaving him. It was so silly though. The Master knew that he loved him, just as he loved the Doctor. He would come back for him eventually, but the Master was too distraught to overcome his anger toward the Doctor, so he didn't want to be around him anymore.

Then, the Time War came. The Last Great Time War. The Doctor had seen great loss, none greater than the total destruction of his people, his planet, and even his "enemies." In the end, they all became enemies. Wounds on this beautiful universe. He had to stop it. He had seen the universe, and he wasn't going to let the Time Lords destroy the vastness and beauty. So he ran. This time, for good. He could never go back, and nothing could ever get out. It was for everyone's good.

So called him tickled when he realized that he wasn't alone, there was another of his kind out there, escaped the War because he was hiding in human form. As much as he had despised what the Master had turned into, he still loved him...even more so that they were the last ones left. He tried to reason with him, he really did...but to no avail. If it wasn't for Martha, oh brilliant Martha Jones, he doesn't know where the world would be right now. But that Lucy Saxon. Granted, it wasn't her fault; she was doing what she felt she had to do. She had kept all of his secrets and had hidden all of the bruises...she wasn't going to be stepped on by him ever again.

In the end, it is the Master's fault that he is alone again. John has Rose, but the Doctor doesn't have anyone. Not for long. John knows what it feels like, being heartbroken, and he sincerely hopes that the Doctor can find someone.

But today, when they were at the park, John could have sworn that he saw the Master. It would be impossible, because he burned his body. He was dead, and the body was burned. No Time Lord could come back from that. Rose sensed that something was wrong, but he didn't want to bring her into it. She hadn't met the Master, and she had no idea just how much he meant to him. She, of course, was offended, but it was nothing that a little cuddling couldn't fix.

The Master started a new day, waking up in the park. It was still dark out because he didn't want to be seen sleeping at the park. He still had some dignity left. He went to search for food. He found that humans are very wasteful, and would take to eating leftovers that people left on their table. He had to be quick about it though, because the staff wanted to clear the tables to make room for new customers, and he usually was. He still had some agility left from his horrid state that he was in before he got trapped in the Time Lock. He was grateful that he did get trapped there, though. He was already dying when he saved his Doctor, but everything was restored when he went with the Time Lords. He was healthy again, with no drums. That definitely cleared his mind a bit, and made his desire for the Doctor even greater. This made him even more determined to find him again, because he truly believed that this time would be different. He could let go of the past and live happily in the TARDIS, with his Doctor, forever. In a perfect world. Utopia.

He never gave up that dream; it's the only thing that motivates him. He has gotten this far, he sure as hell wasn't going to stop now. He knew that travel between parallel worlds was quite tricky, and it was usually luck when it did work out, but he was going to tough it out in this world for a bit and let the TARDIS rest to see if she could make it happen again. She was in the shape of a blue police box, just like his Doctor's. Her chameleon circuit wasn't broken, but she understood that the Master loved his Doctor very much, and did all that she could to reunite them again. She rested in a spot not too noticeable in a dark corner of the park hidden in the trees. It took him some time to find her again when he needed to, but she never hid from him. Not like his Doctor.

John took David out to the park the next day; it was his favorite place, and he needed to get out of the house to clear his head. Rose was working today, and understood that he did have something clouding his mind but he didn't want to talk about it. It was one of the main reasons why he loved her. But the possibility that the Master might be alive makes him scared, and excited, but fearful, yet giddy and he is just a mess of emotions. Sometimes he'd rather the Time Vortex running through his head instead of all of the conflicting feelings. David went to play with the other children while John stayed watch on the bench. He loved people watching while he was at the park, and decided that David was fine playing by himself for a while without a watchful eye over him, so he could indulge in this pastime. The lovers, the fighters, the families, the other people watchers, which made it quite awkward when they made eye contact, and of course, the children. He loved children so much. He was glad to be a stay at home dad, to keep a low profile because he had never had that before. He's had kids, yes, but he could never spend any time with them. He left them to travel the stars. It wasn't that he didn't love them, of course he did. They just didn't want to see the universe like him. He got caught up in it, he'll admit, and he forgot about them at times, but they were always in his heart. But David was his and Rose's. Rose. She saved him, she really did. He doesn't know where he'd be without her.

Of course, he doesn't know where he'd be without the Master either. Back in his school days, the Doctor was quite angsty and brooding. He was close to the point of suicide when the Master came up to him and made him realize that he wasn't alone in what he was feeling. He was never alone. The Master had always been that one. The one. They tried to have a relationship with each other, and it was going great until they graduated. The Doctor wanted to travel the stars but the Master was a bit reluctant. They ended, what the Doctor thought was amicably, and separated. He didn't understand how much it hurt to be without his Master, how much the Master must have hurt when he left him, and he regretted everything.

David came up to his father and brought him out of his trance and was showing him a fresh cut on his elbow. John kissed it and made it better, but David still wanted to go home. They still lived with Jackie and Pete and their little boy Tony, who had become fast friends with David, despite being a bit older than him. Jackie was out shopping while Tony was at a friend's house. John would usually love having the house to himself, but he was out of sorts right now and really needed someone to look after David. He started to phone Jackie up when she burst in through the door with bags in her hands. She dropped them to greet David and twirl him in the air. "And how is my little grandbaby?" She cooed, until she noticed the cut on his arm. She gasped and went to fetch a bandaid to cover the cut. "Actually Jackie," John spoke up, "Could you watch David for a while, while I go clear my head?" "Of course honey, Rose did say something was troubling you. Take all the time you need." She replied while attending her grandchild's wounds. John smiled at the sight and walked out the door.

He went to the park again, so this time he could people watch in peace. He knew that wasn't the reason he came here though. He knows that he saw the Master here yesterday, and was determined to find him again. His eyes scanned the entirety of the park, searching for a familiar face to no avail. He was disappointed when hours passed and he still didn't see any sign of the Master. Dejected, he decided to see how far along the TARDIS was in its growth pattern. He thought that it should be done very soon, and he could finally go on adventures with Rose again. It was a whole new universe to him, and he couldn't wait to experience this with her. He let the piece of coral grow in the dense patch of trees that was in the park. He felt that this was the safest place for it, since it was a very important piece of Time Lord equipment. It couldn't be going in the wrong hands. He saw it when he first entered the trees, which was odd because he thought that he placed it further in, but also knew that the TARDIS had a mind of her own. He walked in and went to the center console to check the remaining time on it when he realized that...it wasn't his TARDIS.