World's always ending. And I have missed that coat.

[cpt_51century]

"There's one thing I always wanted to ask Jack. Back in the old days. I wanted to know about that Doctor of his. The man who appears out of nowhere and saves the world; except sometimes he doesn't. All those times in history where there was no sign of him.. I wanted to know why not. But I don't need to ask anymore. I know the answer now: Sometimes

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[iehcsok]

"I don't love the man and he does play favourites but one thing you have to understand. The 'hers' are stupid little monkeys. They live normal-ish lives and sometimes it goes wrong or they make stupid mistakes and he comes along to save them and fix their minor troubles," the Master informed Jack though they both knew this was all very painfully obvious. "You formed an organisation that purposely tracks alien life, that isn't a little accident, you wanted this."

And there was the giant difference between Jack and the typical idiot companion, Jack was closer to the danger. Jack was a hero in his own right.

"You try and save the world so much that you end up stumbling into locked events in time and space that even the boldest Time Lord knows not to meddle with, genius. Things have to happen sometimes and people have to die sometimes. And it probably tears him up inside, he is a giant mess of angst. But see, the Doctor can't save the people of pompeii, he can't meddle in Nazi Germany and stop the holocaust, he can't stop the 456... yes, we all knew about that one."

Who in the universe didn't? It was a lesson for humanity and they had learned it.

"If humans didn't learn these lessons, they'd be the same pig-headed morons they were from the start... so when they meet alien life, they would be arrogant and cause more damage than good," the Master had to sigh at how little Jack seemed to get. It wasn't a slight, it was just the Doctor trying to protect time. And sometimes he had to drop the ball to do so "He had a chance to destroy all the Daleks once, or so I heard, he didn't though. Because he had NO right. Just like he had no right in Svelte or miracle day or anything else. To be a Time Lord means to understand that shit happens... deal with it!"

Welcome to the ugly side of being a Time Lord, watching and not acting.

[cpt_51century]

Jack did have to deal with it. He'd had to deal with it for years and he was sick of it. Standing up, he left what could have been a happy conversation fall into nothingness, and all because he was upset at the obvious truth. He wanted to go and mess around with his model planes and regroup. The Master couldn't make him feel bad for feeling used. He wouldn't allow it.

Not when he was finally so close to his goals. Not when, before too long, the Doctor would crumble.

Seeing the man destroyed was the only thing that would make any of this better again. And what Jack needed to stop his own aching heart from killing him so slowly it would only hurt and never release him from it.

[iehcsok]

The Master left him to it because the truth hurt. The Doctor was not a hero, just a man, the trouble was that he tried to save to save people that once he started, any life he lost made it look like he was picking and choosing who he let live or die. N matter what he did now, he would be a hypocrite.

And the Master found himself surprised at how much he empathised. even if he never cared much himself, he watched people die and worlds crumble and just smiled a happy smile.

The Master knew Jack would come back eventually so until then, he spent some time with the TARDIS, chatting to her like he'd seen his father do so. "...If it makes you feel any better, he did die rather horribly? I mean yeah he left you in a junkyard but at least you got put on display for a while. Really, he got a raw deal too."

[cpt_51century]

Jack didn't return until the all clear was given and they could start on finding the Doctor again. Five this time, or so the Master said. He'd also mentioned that Six was the first one to meet the Valeyard...but hey, why not give it a shot? Jack rather liked crossing the Doctor's timeline a few hundred times.

No wonder it always felt as if the Doctor had recognized him, briefly, when they'd met for what Jack assumed was the first time. There was no comfort in that.

He threw himself neatly into the jumpseat when he overheard the Master murmuring to the TARDIS, waiting to be noticed, or at least acknowledged, before he stretched out his legs and rotated his wrist. "Shall we get the show on the road? Neither of us are getting any younger here."

[iehcsok]

"We don't age," the Master pointed out as he patted the TARDIS and got to his feet, well he did but it didn't bother him much, he could just regenerate if he got too old and couldn't move so well. Typing in the location, he leaned on the console and sighed.

"Just don't stand in the middle of us two."

They got very into their sword fighting but then this was the time of demons and knight so it just sort of made sense to do so. More than the last fight.

Once they landed, the Master double checked the console. "We have 5 minutes before the Doctors TARDIS realised it's future version is here and gets distressed."

[cpt_51century]

Well this sword fight was certainly exciting and Jack cheered for the Doctor without realizing he was doing so. The man was tall, blond, young and not so lanky... Jack rather fancied him. The jumper was unusal too. He looked a bit like he ought to go on vacation in that get up. All pastes and bright whites.

All right, so he was a bit smitten. Not hard to do when Jack got smitten very easily anyway.

The moment the Master revealed himself, and Jack applauded at that too, he and the Master managed to cause a distraction long enough for the Doctor to be drawn away. And by distraction, all he needed to do was cough. The two Time Lords in the room couldn't help but realize how wrong he was.

[iehcsok]

Oh the cricket outfit and the celery, it was all very embarrassing. And himself with his shoulder pads. Dropping his head in his hands, he sighed somewhat. He knew Jack would get there attention, he always did. Jack was such an attention whore really, it was useful but annoying.

This time he tried to new tact and decided to speak to himself first.

"Hello me, I'm you. In a bit of a rush so forgive me for not making pleasantries but let's chat fast. This man? Jack. When he tells you Valeyard is coming, swallow your pride and listen," the Master ordered because, well, the Doctor didn't seem great at listening so maybe listening to someone else would work?

"And you, cricket boy, don't turn into Valeyard! Bad Doctor!" the Master ordered, talking to the man like he was a naughty puppy or something.

[cpt_51century]

The other Time Lords, younger men than the one beside him, much younger than Jack himself, looked baffled. Especially by the way that his Master flailed around a bit. What a mad little thing he was. He let him go for a moment more before putting a hand on the short man's shoulder.

"You've a personality in you, Doctor, that is going to destroy the Earth. You'll meet him briefly in your next regeneration--" He had no idea how actually, but he just conned everyone into thinking he had a lot more insight than he actually did. It was amusing.

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something when Jack cut him off with a glance. Another 'naughty puppy' moment. Oh well.

"It'll be centuries from now. Well after we meet again. Try not to fuck it up this time."

[iehcsok]

"If you do then I'm screwing this stupid jumping back plan, we're going to tear the time lock open," the Master insisted with a look of annoyance, maybe they could stop Valeyard from the source. Or, worst came to worst, catch him while he was distracted and locked Valeyard away.

It wouldn't be hard to ambush him while he was raped, would it?

"Last chance, protect yourself from Valeyard once you meet him. Try? Please. You're the only Doctor who has a strand of competence since three," the Master tried and the other Master looked rather openly disgusted with him but screw that bitter old crank, he'd never been harmed by Valeyard. "And shoulder pads? They're not cool."

And with that, he took off and left the other him standing there confused and pissed off.

[cpt_51century]

"But practical if you're on your knees and--" He heard the Master call for him, disgusted, and laughed as he ran after his Master to leave the other behind. "What! It's just practical!" The vroop vroop sound of the machine spirited them away, leaving the younger Time Lords to stare in wonder at each other before carrying on with trying to kill each other...

Jack laughed as he leaned against the console and jumped around before he pattered out some coordinates.

Back to England, or-- Well. They were in England now. Forward then. To the twenty-first century. "Oh, might as well go to Cardiff. Get the old girl a good drink."

[iehcsok]

"He'll wait at Cardiff, you know, he knows we need to be there to refuel which means we can't go present day. So we may run into the other you," the Master complained, he couldn't help it, there was restrictions, the rift got repaired post 2011 so they had to go about winter 2009?

The Doctor wasn't around then because it was post Valiant and he didn't come around Earth for a while after that.

Well, it was just nice to know he made an impact.

"I hate Cardiff," the Master informed Jack because it was pretty crummy, what was fun about bags of chips and rain? Oh and a crappy pier where wind and rain knocked you sideways?

[cpt_51century]

"Hey! Cardiff is amazing, you're just jealous," Jack complained. A little bit of rain for Gallifrey might have saved it. All right, that was terrible. Jack didn't hate all Time Lords...just all the ones that he'd met so far.

So, 2009. It wasn't a bad year, just a boring one. Other than a few invasions here and there. They'd still run into his younger self, though.

Jack shook his head. "Go for the 1700s. That's before I got back to Earth. No little Jackies running around."

[iehcsok]

"The rift opened in 1869... I thought you worked with and around this thing?" the Master mocked, didn't he know the basics. He adjusted the time on the console and sent it back, surely the Jack around then would realise it was the wrong time line and bugger off because he wasn't that thick, surely?

"1870, freshly made and ready to give us what we need."

And hopefully no Valeyard. He didn't recall the Doctor having ever been around then and he was there the year beforehand. It made sense, right?

Forgive Jack. That was played error.

[cpt_51century]

Jack did not miss being here. The place was just filled with some of the worst smells imaginable and he couldn't actually get away from it. He also died for the first time here. Well. The first he remembered dying. The daleks had killed him so quickly it never really registered.

Left, alone, afraid, and with no one to explain what was happening, Jack really had no fondness for any of this.

So fine 1870. He couldn't get away with playing knight for a little while before they got down to business then. Leave it to the master to set him back on track. The ride was bumpy but in the end, it was worth it.

[iehcsok]

"I don't like this time on Earth, humans didn't wash much," And with heighten senses, it was not pleasant for him to be around. He set the TARDIS to absorb what she could and grabbed his jacket, heading out of the TARDIS to have a peer outside. Oh fantastic, it was raining.

He was standing in the wet as he watched the people make their way to the nearest shelter.

"Revolting," the Master remarked as he toyed with going back inside because, really, he needed an umbrella in this weather.

[cpt_51century]

Unfortunately for the Master, umbrellas were a bit of a no-no...and the TARDIS evidently wanted some alone time because just after Jack peered outside with the Master, she shut her doors. Jack actually laughed at that, grabbed hold of the handle to try it.

Nope. Shut and locked.

"C'mon then, I know this amazing little pub!" And off Jack sloshed through the cobbled streets.