Title: Remembrance (Chapter 1: Game On)
Pairing: Master/Rose/Ten
Spoilers: Through LOTTL

Author's Note: Ok...so ending my serial story Shattered had the desired effect that I wanted it to have. It got my writer's block out of the way. And so I give you my sequel Remembrance. I expect another 8 parts to this story. Please comment if you can and let me know what you think. Thanks to everyone in advance for reading. It may help to read Shattered first, but is not necessary.

Chapter 1: Game On

Excerpt from the last chapter of Shattered:

They had argued with him, offered to stay, to help find Rose, to help defeat the Master once and for all, but nothing had swayed him. He'd dropped them off and said his goodbyes. And as the TARDIS entered the vortex he thought of her…with him…and knew that if he had to tear the universe apart, if he had to shatter every star in the heavens, he would win her back. And when he did Rose Tyler would never doubt his feelings for her again…and she would remember him. Always.

The Doctor walked through the lonely corridors of his TARDIS. It was quiet now. No Jack, no Martha…no Rose. He stopped outside her door and looked in. She had been here just moments ago. He'd had her back, if only for a short time. And it had hurt so much to lose her again…to him.

As he stepped inside her bedroom his hearts contracted. Every corner of the room contained a piece of Rose that he treasured. The walls were pink, the bedspread white, the four-poster bed was light wood. The shelves on the wall were lined with stuffed animals and assorted souvenirs that she had gathered on their travels. He reached out and picked up a seashell, turning it over in his fingers, memories of their time on the beach of a small oceanic planet coming back to him. He'd almost kissed her then, he remembered. He'd looked down into her eyes and known that he loved her…but he couldn't say it…not then.

And now she was gone…again. He thrust the shell into his pocket and ran his hand through his hair. He had to get her back. He had to rescue her from the Master. Because he knew that, though she had chosen the other Time Lord, she would someday remember…and she would regret it. She would remember that it was the Doctor who loved her, that it was the Doctor who cared about her more than his own life.

But the Master had said 'I love you, Rose.' Had it been a lie? It had to have been. The Doctor couldn't fathom the Master loving anyone more than himself. Besides, this was all just a game to him, wasn't it? A game the Doctor would have to play along with if he wanted to get Rose back.

As he looked around the room again his expression hardened. "Game on," he said with determination. It was time to make his first move.

The Master materialized in the Console Room of his TARDIS just after the Doctor's departure, still gripping Rose's hand tightly in his own.

Rose looked around the room blankly, "Where are we? Are we back in the TARDIS? I thought we were escaping?" she questioned confusedly.

The Master brought her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly, "We did escape. They're gone; just us now. All alone on my TARDIS. Isn't that what you wanted, Rose?"

Rose smiled up at him, "Yeah, that's what I wanted."

"I thought so," he replied as he pulled her through the corridors of the TARDIS towards his bedroom.

When they reached the door he pulled her inside, dragging her quickly toward the bed. But Rose stopped short suddenly, digging in her heels.

He turned and looked at her with questioning eyes, "What's wrong? I thought you wanted this."

Rose shook her head and looked at him hard, "I do…I mean…I think I do. I'm not...not sure."

The Master walked back towards her, "You're not sure?" he asked gently.

"Well, the Doctor, he said…,"

The Master shook his head and looked down into her eyes, "Don't worry about what the Doctor said, all he does is wander around the universe confusing people. He doesn't matter anymore, nothing he said to you matters. Even if he was right Rose, is it really important when we have this?"

And then he claimed her mouth in a deep and passionate kiss.

"And this," he ran his tongue up towards her earlobe and nibbled there.

"And this," he pulled her body flush against his.

Rose stood there locked in his embrace, looking into his eyes, feeling his body pressed hard against hers and her doubts and fears melted away. And when they kissed, neither of them let thoughts of the Doctor intrude on their momentary happiness.

The Doctor woke with a start amidst pink fluff and ruffles clutching a tattered teddy bear to his chest. For a moment he wasn't sure where he was. Glancing frantically around him he realized that he had fallen asleep in Rose's bedroom. He hadn't meant too…really. He'd been scanning the vortex for the Master's TARDIS but had not been having any luck. Apparently the Master was still parked on the Valiant. What on earth was taking so long? What could they be doing?

Scratch that thought. He knew what they were doing. That was the reason he was curled up here in Rose's room. He felt closer to her here. He could smell her…feel her presence. The bear in his arms had been her favorite. She'd told him once that Pete had gotten it for her before he died…the first time…in the world where Pete was still dead. He sighed and set the bear back against the pillows and crawled from the tangle of ruffled comforter.

Back in the Console Room he sat down heavily on the bench and fingered the seashell in his pocket. He was trying hard not to think of her all the time, but he was failing miserably. He could see her standing there on the beach telling him that she loved him. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He needed to get going soon, start tracking them down, get her back, before he went completely insane.

He knew it wasn't good for him to be alone like this. Perhaps it had been unwise to set off without Martha and Jack. They kept him from living in his head all the time, from getting lost in his memories. Memories of home, of what he'd done, of the people he'd lost…of her. But he hadn't wanted to involve them in this mess. He hadn't wanted them to be hurt again because of him.

Suddenly the TARDIS monitor flickered to life and Gallifreyan script danced across the screen. The Doctor ran towards it, taking in the circular images quickly. "What?" he exclaimed in bewilderment as the screen flickered again and an image appeared. "What?" there before him was the Master's Console Room. The TARDIS had provided him a visual link to his prey. He wondered how this had happened. It should've been impossible, but the two TARDIS's had been linked during their brief stay on the Valiant and perhaps a bit of the connection still remained. And then he heard Rose's voice and his hearts lurched inside his chest. His eyes grew misty and as he fought for control he managed one last weak, "What?" Then he sat down, eyes glued to the screen, to watch.

They entered the Console Room hand in hand. The Master was dressed in his usual suit and tie. Rose was freshly showered, hair hanging loose and slightly damp down her back, wearing one of the Master's button down shirts. It covered her to mid-thigh, leaving the rest of her legs and feet bare.

"Thing is," she was saying, "How do I know that your serious? Can you prove to me that you really do love me?"

The Master turned and gave her a mischievous grin, "I thought I just did."

Rose blushed a bit, "Yeah…that's one type of love I suppose, but I was thinking about a more substantial kind of proof."

As he reached for the controls on the console the Master's mind raced. Proof…she wanted proof. More substantial than what he could give her in bed. He thought of Lucy, poor, defenseless, imprisoned little Lucy. And he knew what it was that Rose wanted. Thoughts spun through his head competing with the drums for dominance. He thought of his plans for the Doctor, his plans for Rose, for the future. He thought of humans and their rules and boundaries. Then he factored in his sudden urge to please her.

Why not? He wasn't bound by their laws, their morals. He had just proved how easily he could hold the entire Earth in the palm of his hand. One little promise to one little girl shouldn't make that much difference in the grand scheme of things.

Still deep in thought he absently fiddled with the controls and bit his lip. Rose stood barefoot at his side, her damp hair brushing against his shoulder. Slowly the pieces of a new plan fell into place. He looked down into her wide and hopeful eyes and knew that he could do this…he could ask her…and he could use this to his advantage.

"Rose," he asked softly, a hint of a frown on his face, "Will you marry me?"