They're not moving. No, they can't be dead. Not them. Not River. Not the baby. But they are. They must be. They don't deserve this. It should have been me. Why couldn't it have been me?
The Doctor, still restrained by Cybermen, hung his head in despair, practically choking on his sobs of agony. He had done this, it was his fault entirely. This happened to everyone he ever loved; he always put them in danger. His fault.
In his state of misery, The Doctor didn't even register what was happening around him. The aliens were fleeing or otherwise being turned to ash. What finally pulled him out of his daze, however, was the laugh.
That laugh. His laugh. It had changed slightly with his regeneration, but he still recognized it all the same. It was a laugh which belonged to only one man, one whom he thought to be dead.
The Doctor lifted his head. Before him stood a tall, slender man with well-groomed dark auburn hair and matching stubble covering his face. He wore a black pinstripe three piece suit that was perfectly tailored to his body. Blue electricity was shooting out of his hands, scattering the aliens in all directions or otherwise blowing them to bits. He laughed maliciously in the delight of the chaos he was creating, his head flickering back and forth between flesh and a ghostly blue skull as he did so.
"Stop!" The Doctor screamed. "Stop it; you're killing them!"
The Master ignored him, and just continued on with his slaughter. Within seconds, every alien had retreated back to their ship or remained as a pile of bones.
Finally, The Master directed the stream of electricity at The Doctor's Cyberman guards; causing them to burst and release The Doctor from their constraints. The Doctor wasn't spared though: the shock coursed throughout his body as well, causing him to thrash in pain and collapse onto the floor, his breathing heavy from it.
The Master chuckled. "Oh, now that was fun." He said, cracking his neck.
"You…you…" The Doctor panted angrily.
The Master stared at his fellow Time Lord with an amused expression. "Yes..it's me!" He said, throwing his arms out dramatically, "Back from the dead! Again! God I'm magnificent…You're welcome, by the way." He prompted, with the heaviest trace of arrogance possible.
"I'm not thanking you for murdering all those people." The Doctor said, cringing slightly as he attempted to pick himself up off the ground.
The Master laughed in disbelief. "They nearly killed you."
Yeah, well, I deserve it. The Doctor thought."What are you doing here?" He demanded, leaning on the console as he struggled to get up. The Master had caused so much pain, so much terror and suffering in his life; he was so twisted and demented. Nothing good could come from him. Plus, the fact that he got to be ginger only added fuel to his fiery resentment. The Doctor was determined to stop him, whatever his plan might be.
The Master clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Now, now Doctor, is that any way to treat the man who has saved your life twice?"
"Get out of my TARDIS." The Doctor growled.
"Hmmm…no I think I'll stay. I quite like it here." The Master said. He placed his hands casually in his trouser pockets and casually rocked back and forth on his heels.
The Doctor clutched his chest as he felt one of his hearts beat irregularly. He toppled forward, lost his footing, and fell back onto the floor.
"Aren't you going to ask me how I got back?" The Master provoked, not caring about the Doctor's pain in the least. In fact, he was enjoying watching it.
The Doctor just glared at him through the pain.
"Fine, then." The Master said, shrugging. He kicked a piece of charred alien bone with his foot. "I guess I'll just make myself at home."
The Doctor glanced up anxiously at where his wife and daughter lay. The Master followed his eye line.
"Oh! And what do we have here?" The Master drolled. He dashed up the stairs to examine the bodies.
"She's a beauty," The Master said, bending down to touch River's face. "Oooh, and look it, there's a little one…" he said, seeing Freya beside her. He looked down at The Doctor, who was attempting to regain enough strength to stand erect. "How adorable…now how did this happen? Someone's been naughty, eh Doctor?"
"Stay away from them." The Doctor warned.
The Master sighed. "You know, I've just about had it with you. How many times do I have to remind you," The Master said, his voice growing louder as he spoke "not to make me cross?!" And with that, he blasted The Doctor once more with a pulse of electricity.
The Doctor screamed with agony as it hit him. "Please…" He whispered.
"What was that?" The Master asked mockingly, placing a hand up to his ear.
"Please." The Doctor begged. "They need to get to the medical bay now."
"Who, them?" The Master said, pointing to River and Freya. "Oh, they'll be alright. Look, the baby is trying to regenerate, oh how cute."
Hot tears ran down The Doctor's face. He grimaced as he steeled himself enough to shakily stand.
The Master chuckled as he watched The Doctor stumble him way up the stairs to him.
The Doctor did all he could to prevent himself from collapsing on top of River in despair as he knelt next to them. Their bodies were limp and their eyes were closed. But The Master was right; Freya was still emitting a faint regenerative glow. That at least was a good sign. He shakily checked for pulses and breathed a sigh of relief. They were both still alive. The question was, just how much?
He cupped his wife's cheek tenderly. "River…River…" He whispered softly in a desperate attempt to revive her.
The Master rolled his eyes and emitted an annoyed snort.
The Doctor whipped around; there was pure anger in his eyes. "Do you not care about anyone but yourself?! My wife and daughter could have died!" The Doctor fumed, his hands shaking with rage.
"Yeah, but they didn't." The Master pointed out bluntly. As The Doctor turned his back to him, he allowed a mischievous smile.
The Doctor scanned his family with his sonic screwdriver. He pulled at his hair nervously when he read the scans. It wasn't good.
"I need to get them to medical bay now." The Doctor said urgently. He gently picked Freya up into his arms, cradling her head against his shoulder.
"No, I'm afraid that's not going to happen." The Master said bluntly.
The Doctor stared at the Master with angry confusion, holding Freya protectively. "Why are you here?" He asked, gravely repeating his previous question.
"Can't a man visit the only friend he has left in the universe?" The Master said, his voice gushing with sarcastic affection. He flashed a winning smile.
"I'm not your friend. Not anymore." The Doctor corrected.
"Well then, I won't have any problem doing this…"
Once again, The Doctor was paralyzed with head-splitting pain from The Master's electrical wrath. He crumpled on the floor, using all his strength to not injure his infant daughter; the two of their bodies shook violently on the top of the staircase. His only consolation was that Freya most likely wasn't feeling any pain in her current condition.
The Master laughed viciously at the sight of his fellow Time Lord rendered incapacitated by his unparalleled display of power. He knelt down, placed his arms under River's neck and knees, and lifted her up. The Doctor's eyes were filled with anger and pain as he lay sputtering on the floor, his body rendered useless.
"I lost my wife once, Doctor. Now you'll know the feeling." The Master said, smiling down at him.
All The Doctor could do was look on, his hearts shattering, as he watched The Master carry his unconscious wife out of the TARDIS doors.
The echo of his enemy's laugh finally faded, leaving The Doctor with an unbearable feeling of anger-coated despair and an ailing infant who was no longer glowing.
Remember, reviews=faster updates!
Suggestions for stories/future chapters are welcome and encouraged! I can always use some more Muses! ;)