Note: I know I have another story going but ran into a nasty bit of writer's cramp, I will post soon. I also promised some readers of my last finished story an addition from another view point. I haven't forgotten any of these I just had to get this one out. My first poster realized The Doctor ( Who I meant To be ten ) was more like The Time Lord Victorious. This took my story in a new direction so introducing my re write. Hope people still read!
The Doctor looked down at the still body of The Master at his feet. He looked far less threatening flat on his face with his laser screw drive a safe distance away. The Doctor sighed and lifting The Master under the arms dragged him over to a railing where he propped him up.
"You always have to fight me, don't you? Why couldn't you just come peacefully for once?" The Doctor fastened the restraints binding The Master's hands to the railing. "Of course you wouldn't come peacefully, neither would I."
The Doctor knelt beside his one time friend. He could hear the elevated breathing indicating that The Master was coming around. It also indicated he was furious.
The Doctor rose to move to a safe distance but before he could The Master's foot swept out knocking his feet from under him. He fell hard.
" Serves you right!" hissed The Master raising his head like a slowly uncoiling snake, " Coward! You had to wait until I was unconscious before you could do anything! I don't know why I'm surprised. You never could face your fears!"
The Doctor rose and walked away to a safe distance. "I'm not afraid of you. I've known you too long to be afraid of you."
"Then why am I tied up?"
" I've know you too long to trust you as well."
The Master licked the blood from his swollen lip. "You never would have caught me if I were awake!"
" That, alas, we will never know. Stop squirming! You can't get loose, you'll only hurt yourself."
The Master glared at him petulantly. "Your concern is truly touching."
The Doctor walked a bit closer. Approaching The Master was like approaching a wild creature. You had to take extreme care as you never knew how he was going to react.
" I'm sorry it had to happen this way." Said The Doctor, " I tried to get you to come with me willingly."
The Master gave a sharp hiss of derision. "And we all know how well THAT worked out for you the last time."
The Doctor's face lost all expression, except his eyes which brimmed with anger. His voice was a lighted fuse.
" I wouldn't talk about that if I were you."
"Why not? It's my job to bring up the elephant in the room…in this case I AM the elephant."
"Master…." The Doctor's tone was warning.
The Master's insane eyes grew a bit larger, " Ooooh! Did I hit a nerve? I'm SO sorry! Hate to make you relive your failure."
" Listen to me you…unprintable expletive!" Those actual words came out of The Doctor's mouth, why he couldn't say. He pointed a quivering finger at The Master. " This is MY TARDIS and you are my PRISONER and I will not be toyed with!"
The Master laughed a rich, satisfied laugh. " Temper, Temper! Careful Doctor, wouldn't want to end up like me!"
The Doctor's eyes flashed for a moment and his intake of breath was audible, when he released it his face was calm.
" I am, thank Rassilon, nothing like you. Now stop toying with me or I'll…I'll put you out again."
The Master grinned his foxy grin and tilted his head to one side. " You can't keep me tied up forever you know. Eventually you're going to have to figure out what to do with me. Oh and this…" with a sweep of his head he indicated the entirety of the TARDIS. " We aren't doing this."
The Doctor ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "Would you rather be locked in the Loo? OH! I know! The air lock!"
"TARDIS' don't have air locks you clown. Nice try though!"
The Doctor threw himself down into a chair by the console and turned to face The Master.
" Ok. So, this is how it's going to be…Master." The Doctor said the name pointedly. He hadn't used The Master's true name in centuries. Why start now? " Listen up. If you can even hear me over that percussion session in your head, that is."
The Master glowered and The Doctor felt a slight satisfaction at his discomfort.
" I know your feelings on these arrangements. I have known them for a long time. So you can stop whining about it. Nothing is going to change. I'm not letting you go and until I can trust you not to suicide dive my TARDIS into earth or some other nonsense you are going to stay in those restraints and THAT is what I'm going to do with you!"
The Master groaned, "I wish I'd had someone to shoot me this time. Oh I did feel so very touched by your fair well words to me. 'Please, Please regenerate! We're the only ones left!' Heart breaking! It almost made me wish I were dying for real."
The Doctor slammed his hands on the console and with a vicious smile turned to The Master.
" RULE TIME! Rule number one: Do not mention the past or I will make you eat your screw driver!"
The Master's face was wicked. "Rule number two: No being an arrogant prick."
"Rule number three: YOU don't make the rules, I do! "
"Rule number four: RAM IT SIDEWAYS!"
The Doctor strode forward and The Master grinned. " What are you going to do, lecture me into submission?"
WHAM!
The Doctors shoe met The Master's face so perfectly and with just enough force to make a point without doing much damage. The Master turned fearful eyes on him. "Fair enough." He choked.
"Now, as I was saying…you do as I say,shut up and stop tormenting me for a few hours and maybe, just maybe we can be civil to one another!"
The Master was trembling slightly. "I didn't think you'd HIT me."
"I've hit you before and much harder. "
"Yes, but never so HATEFULLY."
"Aw, hurt your feelings have I? Be…quiet.
The Master's eyes narrowed, he seemed to just be taking in The Doctor's new appearance ( Not just his changed face.) and style.
"You've changed." He said and it was apparent he didn't mean regeneration.
"Yes. I have. The old me wasn't working out for me, thought I might try something new."
The Master looked at him cautiously. "I'm not so sure it suits you."
" It suits me just fine. It's so much easier when you're not a hero."
Moments passed in silence. The Master sat like a crumpled marionette looking more and more dejected as time went on. The Doctor sprawled with his face resting on the TARDIS console trying desperately to figure out how to get out of the corner he'd painted himself into. Finally he spoke.
"Why did you do it?"
"Do What?" said The Master, "I've done so many things to you, you'll have to be more specific."
"Oh I think you know what I mean."
The Master straightened slightly, "Oh…that. I thought you'd know why."
"To hurt me."
The Master gave a bark of laughter, "You are so arrogant! Everything is not about you. I did it because I didn't want to be your slave, your pet, your bloody companion. Like those ridiculous humans you keep around. As I said, I'd rather die than be reduced to that."
"Then why didn't you?! If you're going to die in my arms at least have the decency to stay dead!"
The Master smirked, " Come on, don't you want to know how I did it?"
" No."
"You realize 'no' means 'yes' to me with you right? It was brilliant if I do say so myself. I had it all worked out, just in case. The bullet was a fake. It was hollow, filled with a powerful sedative and when it burst.."
" I saw you bleed!"
"Of course I bled you imbecile! It hurt like hell too. Completely worth it just to see that look on your face!" The Master's eyes rolled upward in bliss, " Oh it was amazing! But enough about that. Here's where it really gets good! I had that little ape arrange to have my body switched. I probably should have mentioned to her that her body would be the one I'd be switching with but too late now. So, while she was burning to a crisp on your funeral pyre I was waking up in my TARDIS. Now, tell me that wasn't brilliant?"
The Doctor met The Master's gloating gaze. He felt the lump rising in his throat and with an effort swallowed it. Blinking back tears he spoke evenly.
"Not very original. I'd give it a C at most. Kind of disappointing coming from you."
The Master's mouth fell open and a look of shock and confusion came over his face.
"Oh, sorry. Did you want me to explode? Were you looking forward to watching me writhe in torment? Well, not today. I'm never giving you that satisfaction again. Now, shut up or I'll get the duct tape and that is not a bluff!"
The Master went silent his eyes on The Doctor like a scolded puppy. He didn't dare speak. Moments passed and slowly his head drooped dejectedly. After a time The Doctor began to wonder if he'd fallen asleep. Then the tapping started. A steady drum like rhythm tapped out by fingers on metal. The Doctor knew the tune well. He looked over and noticed The Master had managed to get one hand free just enough and was tapping his fingers rhythmically against the metal railing he was tethered to. It was a self-soothing gesture he'd had since childhood . Ever since the change in him. Ever since the drums began.
The Doctor turned back to the console, fiddling idly with the controls. The tapping continued like a metal beaked wood pecker in his brain.
Tap Tap Tap Tap. Tap Tap Tap Tap. TAP TAP TAP TAP!
"FOR RASSILON'S SAKE! Will you at least change up the tune a bit?!"
The Master seemed to snap out of his trance. He turned surprised eyes on The Doctor.
" What? What are you talking about?" he looked over to his hand. " Oh..was I doing it again? Sorry, sometimes I can't help it. The drums, you know."
"I keep telling you it's just your hearts beating but you never listen to me."
"I don't listen to you because you're wrong! I know the sound of my own hearts beating, Doctor! Does THIS sound like a heartbeat to you?"
Tap Tap Tap Tap. Tap Tap Tap Tap.
"ARGH! If I take the restraints off will you stop the bloody tapping!"
"I'll try."
"Fair enough! That is horrible! It's like having an active termite colony in your head!"
"Imagine how I feel."
The Doctor removed the restraints and moved a ways away. The Master made a quick movement as though to rush at him and The Doctor lept back like a startled cat. The Master chuckled.
"Fooled you."
The Doctor shook his head. "You are such a child." He turned away as in spite of himself half of his mouth twisted up in a partial smile of amusement. The playfulness in him responding to The Master's child like behavior
The Master stretched and a chorus of cracking echoed through the TARDIS .
"Why would the energy choose to give me a back with problems?"
"There are worse things to have. A broken heart for one."
The Master surveyed his surroundings critically. His voice was dismissive.
"That's why Time Lords have two."
"Not enough." said The Doctor somberly.
"Too many." said The Master sharply, " Your problem is you let yourself feel with both of them."
"Better than not feeling at all.
The Master looked at him sharply, " Why are you looking at me when you say that?"
The Doctor sighed.
As The Master resumed his wandering. The Doctor couldn't help but notice how very ordinary this particular regeneration had made him. He was a few inches shorter than The Doctor and though quite handsome, only quite. There was no imagination in it, none of the sneaking wickedness of previous regenerations. But it was there, in his eyes and it was precisely that subtle madness that made him so unsettling. So wicked.
"I have to ask." Said The Master, his eyes sweeping The TARDIS. "Why of all the TARDIS' in Galifrey did you choose to steal this run down heap of junk?"
"Hush, she can hear you!" said The Doctor protectively.
The Master raised an eye brow. "You have the nerve to call ME mad. I'm not the one that's in love with a machine."
"She's more than that. I can't explain it, you wouldn't understand any way. But trust me you don't want to get on her bad side."
" All her sides look bad to me." Said The Master with a sneer.
"She's sturdy as a brick wall! " he patted the console affectionately and came away with a knob in his hand. He stuck it back on hastily. "That…that's nothing! It's supposed to do that…wireless you know?"
The Master rolled his eyes and resumed his wandering. "I suppose it's all right as far as prisons go. I don't suppose I could drive for a bit?"
The Doctor's look was deadly. The Master's grin faded and he began to back up. " I was kidding! It was a joke! You have no sense of humor! Doctor, please!"
The Doctor guided The Master to the railing and fastened the restraints again. The Master squirmed miserably.
" This is isn't fair! I was joking! Wait…where are you going?!"
" To have a nice cup of tea and maybe a hot bath."
The Master's face was white as a sheet. The Doctor knew how he hated being confined, little own isolated. The Master's tone was panicky.
"You..you can't just LEAVE me here! I'm defenseless!"
The Doctor smiled enjoying himself. " Nothing's going to hurt you here, don't be silly!"
" Don't…please!"
With another Wicked smile The Doctor crossed his arms.
"Say my name."
"Oh come on!"
"Say it."
"Doctor! Doctor PLEASE I can't stand it!"
The Doctor tapped his lips as though in thought . His tone was gloating.
" Hmmm, seems we've been in this position before. Except now the shoes on the other foot. Now, let me think..how did you put it the last time? Oh right! 'tough' . End of conversation! Bye Bye!"
It was an almost perfect imitation of the Master's mocking voice. The Doctor turned on his heels and left . As the door slid closed behind him he heard the Master's enraged howl.
"DOCTOR! You…."
The sound was abruptly cut off by the sealed door. The Doctor burst out laughing until the walls rang. Then he wiped his eyes and whispered to himself. "All right, back in twenty then?"
Then he went off to find that cup of tea.