The Master was laughing. The Doctor shot him a filthy look, but he didn't care. The Master was laughing because he knew something that the painting didn't.

"You're so stupid!" he laughed at it. "I mean, really though? You think that I would have resurrected myself, let myself die, just to get killed by a dodgy work of art?"

He stared right at the portrait.

"Oh by the way, your hypnotic abilities are crap."

He clicked his fingers, and Hermione, Harry and Ron collapsed. Then he turned to Luna, and she threw him a small, silver and gold pen-like device, which he activated and aimed at the picture.

"I," he said, with the utmost relish, "am the Master, and I will not be killed by the likes of you."

The painting stared at him for a long moment, smiling. Then it laughed. The Doctor turned to Donna in the confusion.

"When I say run, run," he said.

"But what about you?" she asked.

"Don't argue – just do it!"

The painting looked at the Master and smiled.

"You've certainly changed, haven't you," he smiled. "I remember when you were the Doctors tame pet, and nothing more. I remember when your TARDIS was hiding in his. I remember when you couldn't call yourself a man."

The Master stared at him.

"Haven't you worked it out yet?" the painting said, and the Doctor gasped – because he had. The final loose end. The last piece of the jigsaw.

--

Such a long time ago…

He was dead and gone, the echo reverberating outward… he had never believed that death could be liberating but here he was, liberated from the Doctor.

Then, somehow, he found himself being dragged, dragged down, and down, and down…

And then he opened new eyes, and found himself staring at the two men who had so painstakingly created him.

"Albus Dumbledore?" they asked.

The Echo of the Master scanned new memories, that were there as well as fragmented versions of his own, then he smiled.

"Why, yes!" he said.

--

"You were gone," the Master said. "Gone and deceased."

"Yes, I was," the painting said. "But only for a short time, because I knew you would return. When I heard you had died, I figured that you would return because I knew I would have. And now, the circle is complete, and the Two Masters will become one…"

And then a golden light came out of the painting, and the Master stared at it in abject horror, and Luna smiled, and the Doctor yelled "RUN!"

Donna ran, and ran and ran, because anything that made the Doctor as afraid as he sounded now was nothing she wanted to meet. And then, the Echo Master blinked, and turned to the Doctor with a cold grin. He was Yana, older and colder, wearing the same combo.

"Hello, Doctor," he said. "Long time no see."

He aimed his laser screwdriver at the Doctor, only for it to fly out of his hand.

"No!" Hermione yelled. "You used me!"

"And me," Ron said, equally furious. "I won't let you do it again!"

"You murdering bastard!" Harry added. The Master turned to them, and almost smiled. Then, they came at him, but he clicked his fingers and they stopped in horror.

"This is not your affair," he said. "Go away."

They went away, stiffly, as if they were not in control of their own movements. The Master – the Saxon Master - turned to the Doctor.

"That'll be my cue to bugger off," he smiled. "Have fun – bye bye!"

He turned and before anyone could do anything, he ran. Luna dithered for a moment, but stayed, then she smiled at the Yana Master.

"Do it," he said.

--

The Master ran as fast as he could, as far as he could. He wasn't in the mood to stand by and let this new him decide he wasn't worthy all over again…

And then, horrifyingly, terribly, he felt the old familiar feeling of non being, and looked down to see himself dissolving…

--

"What did you do?" the Doctor barked.

"I levelled the playing field for you Doctor," the Master smiled. "Now there are only the two of us – oh, but look, you're so… young, and strong. Maybe I should copy that…"

And with that, he looked up, smiled and then the golden light burst again, dissolving his features and remoulding them, shining like a sun… and Luna held out her wand, and said the words;

"The Master Reborn…"

And then he screamed, as more light, this time from Luna's wand, went into him… and then, more light, even more light, came from the corridor, and the Doctor knew somehow that this light was that of the Master from the ring…

And then, it was over. The Master fell to the floor, wearing the Saxon body again.

"Ouch," he said. Then he got up, and looked at his hand, then looked at the Doctor, then laughed.

"Oh yes!" he yelled. "Ooh, I'll have to get used to this voice again…"

"What just happened?" the Doctor snapped.

"Well," the Master said, putting on a mock thoughtful voice, "I just regenerated. Completely successfully might I add! And the two separate versions of myself just merged – and…"

He held out his hand, and a bolt of light hit the Doctor square in the chest.

"I can do that! So now, Doctor," and here the Master leered evily. "You will, actually, genuinely die."

Before he could act on this threat however, a vworp vworp noise filled the room ,and a blue Police Box materialised, and a man popped his head out of the door. He was short haired, beaky nose, blue eyes.

The Eleventh Doctor.

"Oh, hi," he said. "Have I crashed the party?"