"You mean your just gonna... keep me?"
The Doctor nodded his head. "If that's what I have to do." He rotated his body and directed his next words at Captain Jack. "It's time for change." A pause. "Maybe I've been wandering for too long. Now I've got someone to care for." His brown eyes looked over at the Master, who wore a face of horror and disgust.
Martha Jones watched the scene unfold in disbelief. After all the Master had done, to her, to her family, to the entire planet, the Doctor was going to take him home like a stray dog. And maybe that was why, as she was comforting her mother, she did not mention the fact that Lucy Saxon was holding a gun pointed at the Master's torso. She wanted the woman to pull the trigger, to end the man that had caused her so much grief and pain. But someone else had noticed, too.
Jack was at Lucy's side in an instant, and grabbed the gun out of her hand before she had a chance to pull the trigger. No matter how much he wanted the Master to be dead and gone, he knew it would upset the Doctor, and that was the last thing he wanted.
Getting the Master into the TARDIS proved to be an immense struggle. Though handcuffed, the Time Lord was still stronger than most humans his size, and even those a bit bigger than himself.
"Don't hurt him!" The Doctor ordered as he and Jack were holding onto both of his arms, trying to escort him into the doors of the blue box. The wriggling Time Lord glared so fiercely at the Doctor when he said these words that taller Time Lord was forced to look away.
Finally, the Captain grew tired of the game.
A large fist came flying directly at the Master's cheek, but he saw it last second and attempted to duck. Unfortunately he was not fast enough and Jack's fist hit him straight in the temple. He crumpled to the ground as Jack shook out his hand. The Doctor glared at him, but did not make a comment. He knew the Master deserved it, and if anyone had a right to plant a fist in his face, it was certainly the man he had tortured for a year.
Martha wanted to smirk as the wicked man's body hit the ground, but she could not bring herself to do it. Her expression was locked in a permanent glare, and it felt as if she could never find the key. Her family stood closely by her side, and all she wanted to do was comfort them somewhere safe, somewhere away from the wretched Master, but it would have to wait. She had to say goodbye to the Doctor, her Doctor. After the Year that Never Was she had realized the true cost of traveling with him, and her family needed her now more than ever. Well, and the tiny thing about how he completely ignored the feelings she felt for him. Yeah, that too.
The Doctor grabbed the unconscious Master under the armpits while Jack grabbed his legs. Together, they carried him through the TARDIS doors and passed through the console room, down a hallway filled with plain looking doors.
"This one." The Doctor nodded his head towards a door on the left. He let the Master sag a small amount as he let go of him to twist the doorknob. The room was nothing special. A queen sized bed with white comforters and white pillows, soft grey carpet, a desk, a dresser with four drawers. The only thing it was lacking was a window. Other than that, it looked perfectly normal. Not something one would expect to be holding an alien who had just taken over the Earth using mind control and then proceeded to kill off one-tenth of the human population.
They dumped the new prisoner on the bed silently. He was still unconscious.
The Doctor followed Jack out of the room, and shut the door behind him. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and locked the door, preventing any means of escape. They walked back into the console room and found Martha and her family waiting there for them.
The flight home had happened without a snag. The Doctor knew it was not the time for too much excitement, so he was careful to guide the TARDIS along smoothly and without any hitches or bumps. The Jones family were looking around in amazement. They had never been in the police box before, but they dared not to touch anything. Martha still had a cold look on her face, and she was starring in the direction of the room the Master was in. Hatred glinted in her eyes for what he did to her family, what he did to the world.
There was silence when the TARDIS landed. Jack nodded once at the Doctor and then left without another word. He needed to get back to his team. They needed him. And, well, he needed them too.
Tish, Francine, and Clive were quick to depart as well, but they didn't even glance back at the man who had piloted the spaceship. They slipped out the door as quickly as they could, holding onto each other. Martha watched them scurry away, and the glint of hatred in her eyes was replaced with one of pure sadness.
The Doctor looked at her, mirroring her expression.
She began to speak. "Doctor, I can't..."
He held up his hand. "I know." There was a short pause, and his face cracked into a smile. "Martha Jones, it has been... brilliant."
She smiled as well, and embraced the skinny man in a tight hug. She pulled away from him and took her mobile out of her pocket, placing it in his hand. "Don't think this is goodbye. You better come running when that phone rings."
The Doctor smiled even wider in return, nodding his head. "I will."
Another tight hug was shared, but this time it was interrupted when they both heard a loud crash coming from down the TARDIS hallway. Obviously, the Master had woken up and was doing his best to make as much pandemonium as possible.
Martha quickly pulled herself away from the tall Time Lord, gave him one last forced smile, and walked out of the doors without looking back.
The Doctor was left alone. The Master had now taken up screaming as well as kicking things around, and it was the only other sound besides the low humming of the blue box. He flicked a few switches and pulled a lever. The TARDIS heaved sideways, throwing him across the control room, and at the same moment he heard curses screamed from down the hallway.