Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, follow and favorite this story. Just a little side note: this story will assume that Rose did not show up at the end of Season four and there is no metacrisis.

This is currently a little side project, as I am currently writing a Lord of the Rings story and it is my main focus at the moment. I needed a diversion from that genre and decided to write this. So I'm not too sure how often I'll be able to update this, but rest assured that this story will not be abandoned.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoy this chapter.


The Master reluctantly strode into the Tardis and Rose closed the door behind them, though he noted that she didn't bother to lock it. Not that locks would stop him if he got it in his mind to attempt an escape, and he concluded that either Rose was naively trusting him, or she was testing him. He just couldn't decide which one it was.

Then the Master felt her hands on his wrists and he stiffened at the unexpected touch, but relaxed when he felt the handcuffs fall off and clang to the floor. He turned to face her, rubbing his wrists. Rose stood still, staring at him with those whiskey colored eyes, while she waited for him to make a move.

"So what now?" the Master finally asked.

"Tea?" she asked, smiling sweetly at him.

His brows furrowed. What kind of game was she playing at? Rose ignored his look and turned to head to the kitchen, but the Master grabbed her wrist and pulled her flush against him. He felt his hearts quicken at the press of her soft body against his, so intimately warm and forbidden. He snaked his arm around her waist, pinning her against him and making it clear that she would not escape. Rose's eyes widened fractionally and he relished at the feel of her lone heart increasing in tempo against his chest.

"What game are you playing, Rose?" he enquired in a low voice. Their faces were so close, their noses almost touching, and it wouldn't take much to close the distance and kiss her.

Rose's eyes held no fear as she stared back at him nonchalantly. Then, without warning, she closed the distance and pressed her soft lips against his. The Master froze in shock. This was not an action he had expected from her, and he hastily let her go, shoving her away forcibly. He had anticipated fear, repulsion, and maybe some resistance from her, but not this.

Rose grinned wolfishly. "The same game as you, Master." She turned and sauntered to the kitchen, her long blonde hair trailing behind her, and he shivered when she had said his name. The Master took a deep, steadying breath. He was going to have to watch himself around this one. He glanced back to the door. He could remain here and wait for the Doctor, but that thought held no appeal. No, his attention and curiosity had been quite captivated by Rose Tyler. The creature of Time.

ooOoo

The Master found her puttering in the kitchen, pouring two mugs of tea. Rose turned and placed the steaming mugs on the kitchen table and went to gather the milk and sugar. He silently sat down and prepared his tea: milky and three sugars. He blew on the tea and took a small sip, watching her guardedly over the rim of his mug as she added two sugars and milk to her own tea. Rose took an appreciative sip, humming blissfully in the back of her throat, and raised a questioning eyebrow once she had set her mug down.

"What are you?" he finally asked, clasping his hands in front of him and leaning forward, almost in a predatory manner.

"Human," Rise offered.

The Master shook his head. "No human can bring back a Time Lord from the dead."

"Human with modifications, then."

He cocked a disbelieving eyebrow, but Rose offered no further explanations. "Care to elaborate?"

"Nope," she replied, popping the 'p'.

Just then, the sound of the Tardis dematerialising interrupted further conversation.

Rose raised her eyes to the ceiling as the Tardis hummed. "The Doctor's dropping everyone off at home. Best we lie low until he's done," she murmured.

"Why did you kiss me, Rose?" he asked, ignoring her statement, and her eyes fell back to his.

Rose shrugged and took another sip. "Because it was the last thing you expected me to do."

They sat there in silence as he studied her. Rose looked the same as the photos he had on file. Big expressive eyes, long blonde hair and a pleasantly rounded and healthy face set off by a wide mouth. She was currently dressed in dark blue jeans and a black leather jacket. She seemed perfectly normal, but her eyes belied a different story. As he pondered the puzzlement of her, he was surprised to find his mind felt so much calmer with the drumbeats gone, and so much clearer. It was comforting and unsettling at the same time. The Master didn't know who he was anymore without the madness and insanity that had ruled him his entire life. Where did he go from here? Did he become good? He shuddered at that thought. Being good was so boring and overrated. He was never one to live life on the straight and narrow. He had always thrived on chaos and destruction, but now, not so much. Was she the key? Several long moments passed as each were absorbed in their own thoughts.

The Tardis hummed again and Rose finished off the last of her tea before placing it in the sink. She leaned against the counter, arms folded across her chest, and gazed expectantly at the doorway.

"He's on his way, isn't he?" the Master stated, a bite to his tone.

Rose hummed in agreement, her face closed off, but said nothing else. And he suddenly felt very sorry for her. She was going to be on the receiving end of the Doctor's interrogations, though he had to admit that he, too, was curious about her story. And he knew she had a whopper of a story to tell, even though her face belied that she did not wish to divulge it.

And then the Master sensed him, the Oncoming Storm, as he entered the kitchen and palpable tension radiating from him. The Master didn't bother turning around to acknowledge the Doctor's presence, as his eyes were resolutely watching Rose's face and her expressions, or lack thereof.

"So…" the Doctor said, drawing out the word.

Rose looked him dead in the eye, the picture of calm, though the Master was not fooled. Her whole body was taut. "So," she said back.

"How long has it been since Bad Wolf Bay?" The Doctor still stood in the doorway, his shoulder leaning against the frame and his hands thrust deep into his pant pockets.

Rose turned her gaze away, and the Master caught a glimpse of something close to heartbreak and rawness in her eyes, which she quickly schooled.

"I lost count," she replied, shrugging.

"How long?" the Doctor pressed more firmly, stepping completely into the room, though carefully keeping his distance from her.

Rose took a deep breath through her nose, her nostrils flaring, and slowly raised her head to look him dead in the eye. "One hundred years, give or take."

The silence that followed weighed heavy in the room. Then the Master burst out laughing and both the Doctor and Rose turned their attention to him.

"Sorry, but you mean to tell me that you still claim to be human, but with 'modifications'? No human, regardless of modifications, is capable of living well over a hundred and twenty and only look to be twenty-eight at the most. And no human I've met can bring the dead back to life and do…what you did," he said, tapping at his temple, indicating the mental healing she had done in his head. He shook his head, his face becoming deadly serious as he pointed a finger at her. "No, I'm not buying it, and neither is he, though he is stupid enough and love-struck enough to believe whatever you tell him."

Rose gave him a small smile. "I am human, or so my DNA strand says, but I have an additional strand that is purely Vortex energy. That Vortex strand has made those modifications," she explained.

"Like what?" the Master asked intrigued, leaning forward in his chair, excitement written on his face.

"I don't age."

"Yes, yes. We already figured that out on our own," he snapped impatiently. "Can you die?"

"I don't know. Haven't really wanted to test out that theory," she hedged.

"Let's find out. Doctor, pass me a knife," the Master commanded, extending his hand out and wriggling his fingers.

The Doctor sighed insufferably. "You shall do no such thing."

The Master rolled his eyes, but he caught Rose's eye and winked playfully at her. Surprisingly, she grinned back.

"So what else?" the Doctor pressed as he edged closer to her, but still careful to maintain distance.

"Isn't Martha waiting for you to drop her off at home?" she deflected, inconspicuously wiping her palms against her jeans.

"Already have. Dropped Jack off, too. Did you know that he becomes the Face of Boa?" the Doctor stated. It was obvious that he had been bursting to tell somebody this bit of information.

"Really?" she asked in surprise.

"Yup," he said, popping the 'p' as he rocked on his heels, a manic grin flashing on his exuberant face.

"You know, she just distracted you from your interrogation," the Master stated coldly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at how easily distracted the Doctor had become.

The Doctor glanced at him and gave him a sheepish smile. "Yes, that she did."

"So is Martha coming back to travel?" Rose asked, still insistent on keeping the topic off of herself.

"With him here, highly doubtful," the Doctor stated, thumbing in the direction of the Master.

"Really? But I'm such a delight," the Master protested as he leaned back languidly in his chair, an evil smirk playing on his lips and his eyes lighting up in wicked amusement.

Rose gave a snort of disbelief and the Master grinned at her. The Doctor decided to ignore him. "I'll go back and offer, but I'm guessing this will be our goodbye. Now, getting back to the subject at hand…"

Rose shook her head. "I don't know, Doctor."

"What do you mean?" he asked incredulously, now standing absolutely still.

"I mean, if I use a limited amount of power, I remember. It's when I do something bigger, that I black out and can't remember. So I try to keep it under control." Rose was obviously struggling to explain as she waved her hands about.

The Master narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Rose was withholding something very big. He glanced at the Doctor and he seemed to be suspicious as well.

"So let me get this straight," the Master sneered. "Bringing me back to life is considered something small? So tell me, Rose Tyler, how big are we talking?"

Rose shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny from both Time lords and stared down at the floor. "I don't know."

"I think you do," the Master pressed.

She glanced up at him and scowled. "Drop it, Master."

The Master stood abruptly, the chair clattering as it fell to the floor, and advanced towards her in a predatory manner. Rose held her ground and glared defiantly back at him, showing she was neither fearful nor intimidated fear. "I will not drop it. How big?" he snarled, enunciating the last two words.

"Back off," she snarled, her lips drawing back over her gleaming white teeth and her eyes glinting like gold shards of ice.

"Master, I think you'd better do what she says," the Doctor said quietly, watching the whole procession with clinically assessing eyes.

The Master glanced at him and then back at Rose. Before, when he was still quite mad, he would have ignored all warning and have tried to have goaded a reaction out of her. But now with crystal clear clarity coursing through his mind, he knew that would be foolish. Rose Tyler was tough, even without her power. She wouldn't hesitate to knock him flat to the ground. And he was betting she packed one hell of a punch.

Rose schooled her features and stared back at him with guarded eyes. The Master abruptly turned and stomped back to the kitchen table, righting his fallen chair and plopping himself down heavily on it. He resisted the urge to cross his arms and pout petulantly. "The two of you are no fun at all. Master, don't do this. Master, don't do that," he whined instead.

"Master, could you give us a moment?" the Doctor enquired, though his tone clearly noted that this was an order.

"If you two want to canoodle, then go to your bedroom," the Master huffed disgustedly.

The Doctor's ears turned bright red and he shifted uncomfortably in his embarrassment.

"Canoodle?" Rose asked incredulously, her full lips twitching as she tried in vain to suppress her grin.

"Yes, Rose, canoodle. Look the word up in the dictionary if you don't know what it means. I'm not going to waste my time explaining it to you."

Rose smirked. "Oh, I know what it means. Just never thought I'd hear a Time Lord say it."

"We've never…canoodled," the Doctor hastily clarified and the Master turned to look at him curiously.

"Never?" the Master asked.

The Doctor shook his head. The Master looked pointedly at Rose and she gave a slow shake of her head. Interesting. Then the Master turned back to the Doctor. "You always were an idiot, Doctor." He stood and headed out the doorway, but turned at the last moment to say to Rose, "Any time you want to canoodle, come see me."

Rose burst out laughing and the Master grinned wickedly at her, throwing her a wink for good measure before sauntering out.

Awkward silence descended upon the room.

"I'm still me, Doctor," Rose stated quietly, her eyes beseeching and pleading with him.

"You've changed, Rose," he replied back just as quietly.

"Yes, but underneath it all, I'm still me," she said earnestly as she approached him.

The Doctor stared down at her with those chocolate brown eyes and Rose tentatively reached up to caress his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, sighing longingly, and opened his eyes, which were now swirling with raw emotions.

"Hello," Rose said, smiling softly as memories flooded her mind.

The Doctor stared at her and slowly, a smile of his own formed. "Hello."

Rose threw her arms around his neck and embraced him, and she felt his arms wrap around her waist as he hugged her back fiercely. He inhaled her scent and murmured against her hair, "I've missed you."

"Missed you, too, Doctor," she replied, her words slightly muffled against his neck. Rose couldn't resist the urge to inhale his scent, a scent reminiscent of time and space.

The Doctor pulled back, his hands resting on her waist. "What happened, Rose?"

She swallowed hard. "Bad Wolf," she said simply.

"But what else?"

She bit her bottom lip. "Let's just say that when Dad passed away and Torchwood found out about my…abilities, I became a favorite test subject. That's how I know about my DNA structure."

His eyes flared in anger. "What did they do to you?" he demanded, his voice low and belying his fury.

"Things I don't want to discuss, Doctor. Those are memories I don't want to relive." She glanced away, unable to meet his eyes.

The Doctor tilted her head with his fingertips so that she was forced to look up at him and she couldn't stop the lone tear that trickled down her cheek. His eyes softened and he cupped her face in the palm of his hands and wiped the tear away with his thumb.

"I'm so sorry, Rose."

She smiled sadly at his words. "It wasn't your fault, Doctor."

His eyes held little assurance at her words, but Rose was infinitely grateful that he wasn't going to press the issue and demand the whole story. He gazed down at her, though he made no other move whilst his thumbs still grazed her cheeks. So they were back playing this game again. Skirting around their feelings for each other, and neither willing to admit what they felt for the other. It was depressing, all those lost opportunities that were wasted because they were too scared.

"Bloody hell! Just kiss her already!" the Master grumbled as he strode past them and made a beeline for the fridge.

Rose and the Doctor sprang apart and she noted the embarrassment written all over the Doctor's face, and she felt her spirits plummet. Yes, they were indeed back to playing this game. And she was tired of it.

The Master rummaged around in the fridge, his focus solely on the contents that lay within. He straightened, his arms loaded with an assortment of food and kicked the door closed with the heel of his foot. The Master then proceeded to dump the contents on the counter and looked up at them pointedly. "I'm making something to eat, so don't you two dare try to kick me out this time. Besides, it's not like you were doing anything worthwhile."

"We were talking," the Doctor stated in exasperation.

The Master picked up a sharp knife and pointed it in the direction of the Doctor. "You should have been doing more than talking. Bloody hell, Doctor! She's practically immortal now. You two can spend the rest of your lives together. So what's stopping you?"

Yes, what was stopping him?

"It's more complicated than that," the Doctor muttered, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous gesture.

The Master shook his head in disgust. "Have you learned nothing yet?" He started chopping up vegetables, studiously ignoring them both.

Rose glanced at the Doctor, but he had that look in his eye that said he wanted to run.

"Go and see Martha. I'll help the Master," she said, and was disappointed by the relief she saw on his face.

The Doctor nodded and hastily exited the kitchen. Rose sighed and strolled over to the Master, leaning against the counter as she watched him chopping up the vegetables. He stopped and pointedly looked up at her. "I don't need your help," he snapped irritably.

"I know you don't. It was a good excuse as any."

He snorted. "So I'm going to be the scapegoat, am I?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Of course not."

The Master continued chopping a few more vegetables and grabbed a pan out of the cupboard and started frying them. He turned his attention to her, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Be warned, Rose. If the Doctor doesn't make a move soon, I will."

She chuckled ruefully. "You practically pushed me away in fright when I kissed you!"

"You caught me by surprise," he cried back indignantly.

Rose snickered. "I think you're more talk than action, Master."

In a movement that was too quick to follow, the Master was suddenly in front of her, pinning her against the counter. He placed his hands on either side of her, and effectively had her caged in. Rose's eyes widened in surprise, a hint of alarm spreading through her body. Her lower body was flush against his and his face was so dangerously close that she could feel his hot breath whisper against her skin. A wicked smile spread on his face at her startled expression.

"Oh, I can take action if I want to, Rose," he purred, his lips brushing slightly against her own as he spoke.

Rose felt her pulse quicken. Was he going to kiss her? She didn't know if she wanted him to or not, and she felt guilt wash over her for even contemplating the thought. What about the Doctor? She swallowed hard.

The Master closed the distance, kissing her lips softly and she gasped against his lips. He took the opportunity to dart his tongue in, his hand entangling in her long hair and holding her in place. Traitorously, Rose felt herself responding as arousal flooded her veins. Then common sense kicked in and she shoved him away.

The Master stepped back and grinned salaciously at her. "You taste delicious, Rose."

Rose gulped a few deep breaths as she tried hard to compose herself. The kiss had unexpectedly awoken something deep within her, and she didn't like it.

What scared her more was the fact that the Master was willing to take action. Unlike the Doctor. She knew she was going to have to watch herself carefully around him.

"Sod off," she muttered darkly.

He chuckled. "Lie to yourself all you like, Rose. But I can smell your arousal. You like me."

She glared at him. "Do you like me?"

He scoffed and turned to stir his vegetables. "No, I don't like you."

"Then why did you just kiss me?"

"To prove you wrong."

Rose scowled at him darkly. The pompous ass! She wagged a finger warningly at him when he turned his attention back to her once more. "Don't do that again."

"I have every intentions of doing that again, and more, but only when you beg me."

"That'll never happen," she vowed as she headed for the door.

"We'll see," he remarked. Once he was sure she was gone, the Master let out a breath he had been holding and ran his hand agitatedly through his hair. Something was stirring deep within him and it centred all on her. What the hell was happening?