Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Summary: Post LOTL, Alternate ending, The Master has taken up residence on board the Tardis as the Doctor decides its time for change, they wonder aimlessly through the vortex, but is the Masters presence having an effect on the Doctors memories?

Stumbling through the cold of night, anxious and scared of what was to come. Theta Sigma continued along the narrow path, being lead by a couple Time Lords from the academy. He hugged his arms around his chest as he moved forward slowly in the cold night.

He was unsure of his destination and decided not to ask his guides, he wasn't very talkative, and the two time lords from the academy were very intimidating. He had heard that some of the other children around his age had gone to the academy for 'initiation'; He figured this was what the time lords were taking him to do. He wished he knew what initiation involved.

As he moved forward he stared at the ground in front of his feet, thoughts spinning in his head. Nobody really understood him and he was often treated as an outcast, which is why he though he wouldn't be sent to the academy. No one really thought that Theta Sigma would ever amount to anything.

And to be honest he wasn't having the best day, he had woken up that morning with a dull headache that was a constant annoyance in the back of his head. By the night the pain had grew much stronger.

After what seemed like an hour of trudging through the damp night, he looked up, shocked to see the thing they were approaching. It looked like a giant funnel, with what seemed to be time spinning around inside it, at its base in front of it laid the seal of Rassilon. He stopped in front of the seal and then without thinking looked up into the swirling pools of time.

Suddenly he felt as though he had been pulled under water, images flashing all around him, they made very little sense at first, unknown faces, running figures, blue boxes, so many people, making the most of their lives. He saw things he didn't understand, city's he had never seen, nameless objects, sky's of blue and waters of green, everything rushing through his head at a dizzying speed.

But the people's faces began to sadden, some reached despair, city's began to crumble, explosions reached the sky. Things became distorted, he felt as if flames were burning through him. He heard a wailing; one person at first along with the cry "help us!" then the noises increased as more and people began begging for help "save us please!" "It hurts" "I don't want to die". It was deafening. He felt as if his head was about to explode, throbbing as the pleas for help combined into a horrifying noise.

"It's your fault!" this message cut through the rest clearly as its tone was harsh and accusing. The noise then merged into that unbearable wailing again when he saw an image, a planet burning, a silhouette standing alone in the flame, and although he could not see his face, he could tell the man was in despair. A sharp pain hit him in his chest as he gasped for breath, but he couldn't breathe, panicking as he felt himself being pulled in all different directions. He couldn't look at the people begging for his help as the pain in his head grew unbearable.

Then as if out of nowhere, he found himself standing in front of the object that had shown him such grief. He dropped to his knees and felt his stomach churn from the shock. He needed to get away, this monstrous thing was too much for him to handle. He quickly got to his feet and started running, he didn't know where he was going and he didn't care, he needed to get away, but before long he felt the searing pain in his head again, he realised he couldn't breath. Gasping for breath he dropped to the ground and the cold hills of Gallifrey and they stars shining brightly in the sky all faded to black as he lost consciousness.

The Doctor woke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He tried to lift his head up to look at his surroundings but was overcome by a searing pain in his head. He ignored the pain, pulling a hand through his hair as he sat up lazily. The golden glow and the reassuring hum made him feel safe in that he was home. Looking around the room he saw endless dusty bookshelves, he was sitting on what seemed to be an antique chair from earth. He realised he had fallen asleep in an armchair in the Tardis library.

He slouched forward resting his elbows on his knees, supporting his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to disregard the dream, locking the haunting images from his childhood away again.

He didn't like to remember, one of the reasons he spent his life running. He didn't want to come to terms with his past. But after the Master had take taken up residence in the Tardis, he seemed to be having more and more nightmares reliving his past. He had a sneaking suspicion the Master was behind it, as the rebellious time lord had nothing much to do on the Tardis, and tormenting the Doctor always seemed to amuse him in the past.

Shaking off the thought he got up and headed for the kitchen, he had been hanging around humans for to long and picked up to many habits of theirs. When he arrived he began assembling a cup of tea, three sugars, this regeneration liked things sweet.

He opened the fridge in search of milk, but only found some the plate of muffins that he and the Master had made the other day while trying to combat boredom.

He soon gave up on milk and just had his tea black. He sipped at the burning liquid as he made his way to the console room.

The Master was sprawled out on the floor with the grates pushed to the side, wires poking out from everywhere, clutching the Doctors sonic screwdriver in one hand. He looked up as he saw the Doctor enter, "You sure have made a bloody mess of this Tardis, you know that right?"

"Says you who cannibalised it" the Doctor semi glared as he spoke, his head still aching, even thought the tea was soothing the pain. "What do you think you are doing anyway, you know you won't be able to escape".

The Master smiled smugly "Oh I could if I wanted to, but you did practically ask me to marry you, what kind of a husband would abandon his wife?"

"I can imagine you would" the Doctor retorted, a smile creeping onto his face, "Wait, wait… Why am I the wife?"

"Oh come on! You're clearly the skirt of the relationship, and anyway, if you must know what I'm doing, I'm fixing your lousy chameleon circuit, seeing as you never will"

"Hey!" the Doctor rushed forward and snatched the sonic screwdriver from the Master and started sorting through the cables and wires and putting the back in their original shapes. "It's not like I don't know how to fix it myself, but I like it this way".

"But where's the fun in that?"

"You talk as if you want to travel" The Doctor said teasingly knowing the Master would react to that.

"What's the point in travelling if you haven't got a home to go back to" The Master said in a stinging tone, the words having their desired affect on the Doctor whom was reminded painfully of his dream.

The Master stood up and left the room, an ever present smirk on his face. Gallifrey, their home, was gone forever, with neither of them being able to come to terms with it.

They were like two lost children, trying to find a way home.

Well I'm not sure if I should leave this a one-shot or maybe continue. As for the memory aspect I love academy era Doctor and Master, it has so much freedom to it. Plus I'm a sucker for anything Gallifrey xP

My Inspiration for writing this is the song Undisclosed Desires by Muse, it seems to fit the Doctor and the Master perfectly. Most of my stories/chapters with be named after muse songs.

May progress into light Doctor/Master.