A/N: Just a quick thing I wrote from the point of view of The Master, reflecting on his final moments. Leave my some feedback if you wish!
Fake Your Death
"Some people watch, Some people pray, But even lights can fade away. Some people hope, some people pray, But why'd we have to stay."
The Doctor, oh my dear Doctor. I can never be fixed though, no matter how hard he tries. The drumbeat, the never ending drumbeat. One, two, three four, one, two, three, four, Stretching out forever; a curse from my own kind. They made me sick. He tried to make me better. But he never could; I wouldn't let him have that privilege.
"I don't know what I'd be without that noise." I once told him. And it was true, although it had only been implanted by the Timelords mere hours ago in their timeline, it had been with me my whole life; I'd learn to live with it, it was entwined with my being. Not even The Doctor understood; a symptom of my insanity he called it. I am many things, but he of all people, should know I am not insane. He, himself, called me brilliant; although I suppose all the brilliant people in this universe have a spark of insanity inside them. The Doctor certainly does. Someone once said that Insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again expecting different results; over and over again he tries to save everyone. With every disaster, he's there, trying to save the lives of everyone on this godforsaken planet to make up the deaths of all those Timelords he killed. He knows he never can make up for those deaths. There is no way to stop death.
I'm starting to understand that now; for so long I've been trying to avoid death. Yet now, when it's lurking so close, I'm no longer afraid. It's inevitable; I see that now. I suppose the Doctor would accuse me of giving up. I suppose I am. I'm back on Gallifrey, in this dying body, with no way of escape; whats the point in denying the fact. Once upon a time I would have hatched an elaborate escape plan, but no more; this body is too weak. It was born out of death, all it can do is die.
And all this because of that human; Lucy. All of this, her fault. Although, if it wasn't her The Doctor would have taken me to be his pet. that doesn't seem to be such a bad idea now, come to think about it. A life in the TARDIS, it would be luxury compared to this. Although I'd never give The Doctor the pleasure of knowing that.
I listened to the hysterical laughter for too long before I realized that it was coming from my own lungs; the irony of it all. Laying in the pastures of red grass, under that burnt orange sky; its color seeming enhanced by the fires glowing below it. These were the lands that Koschei and Theta once ran through, yelling at the sky with so many dreams and not a fear in the world. But we are not those children anymore, and we never will be again. We are now children of war, faced with an impossible future. The Doctor, he is left to survive the universe, knowing he is the only Timelord left, and me, I'm left to die in our destroyed homelands.
Even in these dying moments, I'm still expecting that blue box to somehow materialize here; its wheezing, choking engines echoing across the lands with the sound of hope. Of freedom. I hadn't realized until now, how long I had relied on The Doctor when things went wrong; he was always there to save me. And i hated admitting that. I liked the idea that I could fend for myself, however I knew that was no longer true. Even if The Doctor did materialize here, it would be useless. This body, it was too weak to even regenerate now, the lasts of its life energy being used to blast Rasilion back into the timelock; dragging me along with him.
I'd like to claim that saving The Doctor was just a happy side effect of my revenge on Rassilion, but in reality I knew that wasnt true. He's saved my life so many times before, tried to make me see the good in this godforsaken universe. But I never listened. But when I saw the blue glowing glove being pointed at The Doctor, and the calm look of acceptance wash over his face, I knew I had to act. I knew the fear behind the words. And in reality, I was scared. Scared of being the only one left. Why should The Doctor die for me when this body would die soon enough anyway. It was my turn to save him. Get out of the way. I love you.
When I told him I didn't know what I'd be without the drumbeat, he replied smoothly, "I wonder what I'd be, without you." Well, now he would find out. He said we could be beautiful together; once upon a time, as a child, I would want to explore those possibilities. But the Childs innocence was ripped away from me, and it would never return. So those possibilities would go unseen, and unexplored. Maybe in another dimension, and alternative universe, there was another Doctor, and another Master, traveling the universe together; not conquering, just seeing the stars. He said it would be his honor. We would be happy together, in that dimension; I'm sure of it. I once called my dear Doctor my Best Enemy. And that he was, but the brotherly rivalry meant we could never be friends. But i suppose we were more in the end.
I wonder if he cried. When i died, i mean. I hope he did.