The Littlest Timelord: Cracks in Time

A/N - Welcome to the first chapter of "The Littlest Timelord: Cracks in Time". I'm loving writing this story and I hope you will love reading it!

The Doctor came crashing through the ceiling of the Naismith Mansion and landed on all the broken glass. Through blurry vision, he picked up the gun lying next to him and pointed it at Rassilon, but it fell from his hand as he collapsed back down to the floor. The Doctor struggled to get up as Rassilon came towards him.

"My Lord Doctor, Lord Master. We are gathered for the end", Rassilon said.

The Doctor lay on the floor, panting in pain. He struggled to his hands and knees as he begged. "Listen to me. You can't!"

"It is a fitting paradox that our salvation comes at the hands of our most infamous child".

"Oh, he's not saving you. Don't you realize what he's doing?"

The Master ignored the Doctor. "Look around you. I've transplanted myself into every single human being. But who wants a mongrel little species like them, because now I can transplant myself into every single Time Lord. Oh, yes, Mister President, sir, standing there all noble and resplendent and decrepit. Think how much better you're going to look as me".

Rassilon held up his metal gauntlet and every human was restored to their normal selves.

"No, no, don't. No, no, stop it! No, no, no, don't!" the Master yelled.

"On your knees, mankind", Rassilon demanded.

Every human in the room got down on their knees.

"No, that's fine, that's good, because you said salvation. I still saved you. Don't forget that", the Master told him.

"The approach begins", Rassilon said looking up to the sky.

"Approach of what?"

"Something is returning. Don't you ever listen? That was the prophecy. Not someone, something", the Doctor snapped.

"What is it?" the Master asked.

"They're not just bringing back the species. It's Gallifrey. Right here, right now".

The humans in the room fled in fear as Gallifrey got closer to the earth.

"But, I did this. I get the credit. I'm on your side", the Master said.

Wilf came running into the room. "Come on, get out of the way. Get out of the way! Doctor?"

"Help me, please. Somebody, please!" a technician begged. He was trapped in a glass booth.

"All right! I've got you, mate. I've got you", Wilf said going into the open booth.

"Wilf, don't. Don't!" the Doctor begged as Wilf unlocked the other booth.

"I've got you. Come on. Go on", Wilf told him.

The technician fled the room.

"But this is fantastic, isn't it? The Time Lords restored", the Master said, rising to his feet.

"You weren't there in the final days of the War. You never saw what was born. But if the Timelock's broken, then everything's coming through. Not just the Daleks, but the Skaro Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, the Could-have-been King with his army of Meanwhiles and Never-weres. The War turned into hell. And that's what you've opened, right above the Earth. Hell is descending!" the Doctor listed off.

"My kind of world".

"Just listen! Because even the Time Lords can't survive that".

"We will initiate the Final Sanction. The end of time will come at my hand. The rupture will continue until it rips the Time Vortex apart", Rassilon told them.

"That's suicide", the Master argued.

"We will ascend to become creatures of consciousness alone. Free of these bodies, free of time, and cause and effect, while creation itself ceases to be".

"You see now? That's what they were planning in the final days of the War. I had to stop them", the Doctor told the Master.

"Then, take me with you, Lord President. Let me ascend into glory".

"You are diseased, albeit a disease of our own making. No more".

The Doctor was back on his feet and aiming the revolver at Rassilon.

"Choose your enemy well. We are many. The Master is but one", he said.

"But he's the President. Kill him, and Gallifrey could be yours", the Master told him.

The Doctor turned and aimed it at the Master.

"He's to blame, not me. Oh, the link is inside my head. Kill me, the link gets broken, they go back. You never would, you coward. Go on then. Do it".

As he was about to turn the gun back on Rassilon, a small brunette girl came running towards the Doctor.

"Someone grab her!" Rassilon demanded.

The Doctor trained the gun on him again as her small arms wrapped around his leg. She shook violently against him and he wondered how she had gotten there in the first place.

"Exactly. It's not just me, it's him. He's the link. Kill him!" the Master yelled.

"The final act of your life is murder. But which one of us?" Rassilon asked.

The woman to the right of the Doctor lowered her hands from her face to look at the Doctor and the little girl. The Doctor spun around to face the Master again. "Get out of the way".

The Master moved and the Doctor shot the device holding the white point star.

"The link is broken. Back into the Time War, Rassilon. Back into hell", the Doctor spat.

"You'll die with me, Doctor", Rassilon said lifting his gauntlet.

The Doctor placed his hand on the girl's head. "I know", the Doctor said.

Rassilon aimed his gauntlet at the Doctor and the girl as the woman covered her faced again.

"Get out of the way", the Master told him.

The Doctor picked up the little girl and moved off to the side as the Master attacked Rassilon with his built up energy. "You did this to me! All of my life! You made me! One! Two! Three! Four!"

Rassilon was forced to his knees as the Timelords disappeared in a bright white light.

The Doctor shielded the little girl's body with his own as they were sucked back into the Time War. "I'm alive. I've…I'm still alive. We're okay". He raised up on his hands as the little girl sat next to him looking at him with her big blue eyes.

They heard a series of four knocks.

The Doctor looked over and saw Wilf in the glass booth.

"They gone, then? Yeah, good-o. If you could let me out?" he asked.

The Doctor sighed. "Yeah".

"Only, this thing seems to be making a bit of a noise".

The Doctor got to his feet and walked over to him. "The Master left the Nuclear Bolt running. It's gone into overload".

"And that's bad, is it?"

"No, because all the excess radiation gets vented inside there". The Doctor gestured to the other booth with his head. "Vinvocci glass contains it. All five hundred thousand rads, about to flood that thing".

"Oh. Well, you'd better let me out, then".

"Except it's gone critical. Touch one control and it floods". The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Even this would set it off".

"I'm sorry. Look, just leave me".

"Okay, right then, I will. Because you had to go in there, didn't you? You had to go and get stuck, oh yes. Because that's who you are, Wilfred. You were always this. Waiting for me all this time!"

The little girl could see that the man was getting increasingly upset. She got up and walked over to him, taking his hand in her tiny one.

He looked down at her and chuckled bitterly. He was dying and she'd just begun her life.

She couldn't have been more than 4.

"No really, just leave me. I'm an old man, Doctor. I've had my time", Wilf told him.

The Doctor pulled his hand out of hers "Well, exactly. Look at you. Not remotely important. But me? I could do so much more. So much more! But this is what I get. My reward. And it's not fair!" The Doctor was practically crying at this point and the little girl didn't like it one bit.

She wrapped her arms around his legs as she tried to comfort him the best she could.

The Doctor's hearts melted. She had no idea what was going on, but was more worried about how he was doing. He sighed and picked her up. Her tiny arms wrapped around his neck and he gently hugged her before putting her down. "I've lived too long", he said as he walked towards the glass booths.

The little girl followed him.

The Doctor turned around and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have to stay here".

She shook her head, but did as he told her.

"No. No, no, please, please don't. No, don't! Please don't! Please!" Wilf begged.

"Wilfred, it's my honor. Better be quick. Three, two, one". He quickly ran into the booth and unlocked Wilf's door.

Wilf ran out and a red light flooded the Doctor's booth. He cried out in pain.

The little girl ran to the booth and started banging on the glass door with her little hands.

The Doctor curled up into a ball as the power shut down. When he looked up, he saw the little girl's big blue eyes staring at him.

They were misty like she was about to start crying. She'd just met him though.

After a few minutes, the Doctor managed to get up.

"Hello", Wilf said.

"Hi", the Doctor replied.

"Still with us?"

"The system's dead. I absorbed it all. Whole thing's kaput". He pushed open the door to the booth. "Oh. Now it opens, yeah". He stepped out and immediately picked up the little girl.

"She's going to be rather attached to you", Wilf told him.

"Yeah", the Doctor said stroking her hair, "Just us two now".

"Well, there we are, then. Safe and sound. Mind you, you're in hell of a state. You've got some battle scars there".

The Doctor rubbed his face and the cuts vanished.

"But they've…Your face…How did you do that? Wilf asked.

"It's started", the Doctor told him.

Wilf hugged the Doctor, who just stood there. After dropping Wilf off at home, the Doctor took the little girl deeper into the TARDIS to find her a room.

He came across a door painted with stars and galaxies. When he opened it, it was a nursery. "Well, I guess this will do for now", he told her. He laid her down in the bed the TARDIS provided and covered her up with a sheet. "Goodnight, little one", he said, sonicing a night light. He left her in her room as he set off for his reward.

The Doctor stumbled into the TARDIS and saw the little girl standing next to the console. "You should be sleeping", he told her.

Her eyes went wide as she looked down at his hand.

It was glowing with golden energy.

He walked over to the lever and set the TARDIS in motion. "Whatever happens, it's me and you". He stepped away from her and she watched as tears filled his eyes. "I don't want to go", he said and exploded with golden energy.

The little girl was terrified. She didn't understand what was going on. The energy started various fires in the TARDIS and she grabbed onto a Y-beam.

When the golden energy faded, a new man stood there in the other man's clothes.

"Legs. I've still got legs!" he rejoiced. He kissed his kneecaps before moving on. "Good. Arms. Hands. Ooo, fingers. Lots of fingers. Ears, yes. Eyes, two. Nose, I've had worse. Chin, blimey. Hair…" He felt his now longer hair. "I'm a girl! No. No. I'm not a girl". "And still not ginger!" he said, seeing his hair was still brown, "And something else. Something important". He looked over and saw the small girl. "Girl. But there's something else…I'm, I'm, I'm…"

There was a loud bang and it hit him.

"Ha! Crashing!" he yelled happily. He grabbed onto the console. "Ha, ha! Whoo hoo hoo! Ah! Geronimo!"