a/n: This fic would not have happened without serious assistance from kahki820, Bittie752, LittleWhoMouse, Whoinwhoville and many many other friends and followers who are too numerous to name but know who they are. This is Ten/Rose with others popping in here and there. Oh lord, this chapter. Wellll please be warned there is some strong cursing.

Warning: Strong language/cursing

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the music that is quoted in this story

The Master's trip to Eye of Harmony was quite eventful. He followed the directions, muttering and fuming the whole way. If he thought he was having a difficult time in Gallifrey earlier, it was nothing compared to what befell him in Bannerman Alley. Jamie and Wilf failed to tell him that Bannerman Alley was along the back of several buildings. It was narrow, and the cobblestone path was not as well maintained as the main streets. It was also most certainly not a short cut.

As the Master marched down the alley, a courier on a motor scooter zipped within a breath of him, causing him to stumble to the side as he was splashed with fouled water. The Master scowled and plotted even more horrible things to do to this village and its residents. Of course, that wasn't all that happened. As he was halfway down the alley, he noticed numerous cats were coming up to him.

He kicked one large tabby that was rubbing on his leg. "Get away!"

A few steps later, there were more cats running around his legs and some were trying to climb up his leg. "Stop that!" he shouted and kicked at them, pulling his portfolio out of his coat and swatted at them. They didn't stop. More kept coming, almost like he was the pied piper of cats. Soon he had more than a dozen cats swarming around him. He moved faster, trying to get away from them as he slapped and kicked at the obsessed felines. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a large orange and black calico jumped on the back of his shoulders.

He screamed, and a prodigious amount of profanity could be heard up and down the alley. A woman in an apron came out of what was the back of a bakery and watched the well-dressed man run down the alley with cats clinging to him, almost fixated on the front of his suit as if drawn to something. They were clawing into his chest, lapping at the fabric, climbing up his legs and rubbing in places he didn't want them. He yelped when one particularly frisky kitty got friendly with his crotch. The woman smiled. Thanks to Wilf, she knew the whole story behind the stranger screaming as he ran down the alley. She also knew Rose, as Rose was giving her son piano lessons. As with most people in the village, she was only to happy to teach the plonker a lesson, even if that lesson was achieved with a bit of concentrated catnip that might have been soaked into a certain dish cloth used to blot up spilt coffee. The woman reached into her apron for her mobile, snapped a picture and texted it to Wilf. Operation cat attack was going off without a hitch.

By the time the Master arrived at Eye of Harmony, he had been clawed by catnip-crazed cats and splashed by a bucket of dirty water when someone had carelessly (or not so carelessly) tossed the water out the back door after an impromptu mopping session. The young man apologized and offered the Master a towel. The Master let loose a rather nasty curse, slipped and fell down onto the cobblestone road as he stormed away. He righted himself, and one could almost see fire shooting out of his eyes. As he marched off down the alley, people could hear him cursing the town, sheep, cats and Rose as he marched off. The last thing they saw was him pausing and shaking his fist in the air as he promised, "My solicitors will eat you all alive." He then turned and limped away. Another text was sent out warning Amy that she would soon have the pleasure of the Master's company.

Amy was ready for him. She had Ianto in the story with her, who was examining a violin which he experimentally plucked. Ianto was a tall, well-groomed man dressed in an impeccable black suit. He had raven-dark hair and blue eyes, and all the women in town loved him, making his spa and hair salon, Arcadia, quite popular. He was also quite soft spoken and didn't look at all intimidating. People were often surprised that his pretty exterior hid a man quite capable of defending not only himself but anyone he deemed under his protection, and right now that included Amy. One wrong move, and the Master would learn what happened to people who tested the patience of the soft spoken black belt.

The Master slammed open the door of Eye of Harmony. He stood there for a moment taking in the quaint music store, muttering about "pathetic little rubbish shops" before entering.

Amy felt her hackles rising already, and he hadn't even spoken to her. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"Welcome to Eye of Harmony," Amy gritted out. "How can I help you?"

"You can help me by getting that little bitch out here right now! Pryd, do you hear me, you ungrateful little bint! You get that sweet little arse out here right now, or so help me…"

Ianto stepped forward. "Excuse me, sir. I don't believe that rude language is appropriate."

"It's okay, Ianto," Amy assured him. "I got this one." She walked up to the Master, who stood much taller than her. "Now, you see here, this is my shop, and I have rules," she announced, poking him in the chest. "Rule number one, no cursing in this shop unless I'm the one doing it! Rule number two, the staff is treated with respect!"

The Master snorted. "As if I care about some dingy little nothing music store! Do you even know who I am, what I could do to you?"

Amy stood up tall, her ginger hair an indication of her mood. "I don't bloody care who you are! Nobody talks to me or my staff that way! Now, mind your manners while you're in my store and maybe if you ask nicely, I can help you!" she shouted at him.

The Master looked ready to snap. Ianto stood ready to defend Amy. The Master shot a vicious glare at Amy. He pulled out his mobile and showed her a picture of his missing Prydonian. "I'm looking for Prydonian. Surely even a little backwater place like this has heard of The Toclafane, my Toclafane, I manage them. I am the Master, and unless you want to lose this shop and everything in it, I suggest you tell me where she is. I know she works here."

Amy looked at the picture and raised her eyebrows. "We don't have any Prydonian here and no one who looks like that," Amy advised in a clipped tone, standing her ground. "And I don't appreciate you threatenin' me like that."

"Sweetheart, I haven't begun to threaten you," he said menacingly. He took a step closer to Amy and did his best to intimidate her. "And my threats are promises. I don't play games. Now whether she's Prydonian or Rose Tyler, she's still mine, so you tell me where she is or so help me, I will ruin you and this entire town. In fact, I may do it anyway just for my own personal satisfaction," he said smugly.

The bell on the door rang, and Rory stepped in. He saw the Master looming over Amy, Ianto looking like he was ready to snap the Master in half, and knew he better do something and quickly.

"Excuse me, it would appear there is a dispute arising. Perhaps I can be of assistance." Rory stepped forward toward the Master. "Reverend Williams," he said, nodding his head and staring the Master in the eye.

"Fucking fantastic," the Master said sarcastically and with great irreverence.

"That's it!" Amy spat out. "I've had it with you! How dare you even darken my door step, you womanizing, abusive git! You don't get to come in here and insult me or my friends with your foul language. I want you out now and you can stay out of my shop and away from Rose who isn't here and even if she was, I wouldn't let you near here! And let me tell you, if I even hear of you touching a hair on her head, I will rip you limb from limb and don't think I can't do it! Ianto over here is the master, a real master at the local dojang, and I'm his best student. So maybe you should just haul your filthy arse out of here before I kick your bloodied carcass out myself!"

"Amy!" Rory chastised.

"Why, you little snippy bint!" the Master yelled and took a step toward Amy. Everything happened fast at that point. Ianto quietly executed a move that sent the Master back a few steps gasping for air while Rory opened the door and guided the Master out of the shop, locking the door after him and turning toward Amy with a look that suggested she was in for a lecture.

The Master lost it. He screamed, "That's it! I'm done playing nice! The gloves are off!" He turned around and shouted toward the rest of the village. "Do you hear me, you sniveling peasants? The gloves are off! Enjoy what little freedom you have because in a few weeks, I'll own this village and it will be nothing but rubble!" He then whipped out his portfolio and looked up the directions to where Rose was living and marched straight toward Harriet's home.

dwdwdwdwdwdwdwdwdw

Prior to heading toward Eye of Harmony, Rory had stayed to counsel Rose and the Doctor as well.

"You'll be safe here. No one should be here until tomorrow morning," he assured Rose.

"Thank you, Reverend," Rose said and walked over to hug him. "I am truly sorry I brought my problems to Gallifrey. You all have been so kind and now this has happened."

"Nonsense," Rory said softly and walked her over to a bench while the Doctor explored the room.

"You know, Rose, there are no accidents. God brought you to Gallifrey and not just for your own spiritual fulfillment but for ours too. There is a plan for your life, one that is bigger than just you. You may never know what is in store for you and sometimes you feel like you have been led astray. But put your trust in Him and you will always get to where you are meant to be."

"So you're sayin' right now I'm meant to be here?" Rose asked.

"You are where you need to be with the people you need in your life to help you on the right path," Rory said kindly.

Just then the Doctor burst out of storage closet he had been investigating. "Centurions!" he stated, his eyes wide with excitement.

Rory stood up and walked over to shut the closet. "Are you quite finished snooping about and meddling in things that don't concern you?"

"But there are guitar-making materials and partially constructed Centurions in there!" the Doctor exclaimed, practically bouncing up and down. "The luthier, he must work here!"

Rory sighed and looked heavenward as if asking for patience. Rose walked over to them, opened the closet to peek in and then turned toward Rory as she began piecing things together. Rory looked at her nervously while the Doctor babbled.

"Oh, Reverend, I don't know if you understand, but Centurions are top of the line! I just ordered one and it's like…well, I suppose it's like holding a great masterpiece in my hands, like the Mona Lisa, my own personal Mona Lisa," the Doctor said in a soft reverent tone, holding his hands out like he was holding the guitar.

Rory's eyebrows rose. "It's a guitar."

Rose laid a hand on Rory's arm. "It's more than a guitar, Reverend and I think you know that. For a musician, finding the perfect instrument is like finding a leg or arm you thought you lost or didn't know you had; or maybe it's like gettin' in tune with your soul, learnin' to touch that part of yourself deep inside. You know, spiritual like."

Rory smiled at Rose, looking pleased. "Is that what it is to you?"

Rose blushed. "I've not played a Centurion, but I know when I found my Fender, it was special. I sort of lost myself in my own private world. It was peaceful and happy. Even when I had all that chaos around me, I could find a place just for me protected from the Master and all those greedy, rude people that were always around when I worked for him."

"Yes, yes, that's it!" the Doctor agreed. "Do you know who the luthier is, Reverend? I'd really love to meet him or her!" the Doctor said, still excited. "I promise I won't reveal the identity. I'd just love to meet the artist, to shake his or her hand and say how lovely my Centurion is and how much I appreciate the love and craftsmanship that goes into it."

Rory blushed, and Rose grinned, knowing why. "Doctor, I think you've already met 'im."

The Doctor looked at Rose confused. "What?" he asked.

Rose patted Reverend Rory Williams on the shoulder and looked at the Doctor. "You've met 'im, Doctor. In fact, I think you just made 'im real happy. Isn't that right, Reverend?"

The Doctor stared at Rory, his mouth opening and closing several times before he could speak. "Reverend Williams is the luthier," he said softly.

"Please don't tell anyone," Rory asked both of them. "It's just a hobby, and I don't want it to take away from my work here at St. Luke's. My first duty is to God and shepherding my parishioners." He looked at Rose. "Rose, please, you understand what it means to separate all that wild and hedonistic lifestyle associated with my art from who I am and my own personal life."

Rose smiled at him. "Yeah, I do, and we won't tell anyone. Will we, Doctor?"

The Doctor was grinning and bouncing. "Oh, no! I just, I just wanna hug you!" The Doctor threw his arms around the Reverend for a big hug. Rory let out an "oof" and awkwardly hugged him back.

The Doctor pulled away, and his eyes were sparkling with joy. "This is an honor, and I really mean that, Reverend."

"If you don't mind me askin, why guitars? I mean, how does a minister get into the guitar makin' business?" Rose asked curiously.

Rory fidgeted. "Well, my father was a carpenter and a wood sculptor. He had a wood shop in back of our house. It was something he and I did together. One of our neighbors' daughters needed someone to repair her guitar. I sort of took it on as my project."

Rose grinned brightly. "Amy! It was Amy, wasn't it? She told me you two knew each other as kids."

Rory looked a little embarrassed. "Oh, don't be embarrassed, Reverend!" the Doctor said with relish. "What bloke wouldn't stretch his skills a bit to impress a pretty girl!"

Rose elbowed the Doctor who winced and pretended to look hurt.

"So, you and Amy got to know each other while you fixed her guitar. That's it, isn't it? You started makin' guitars to impress her?" Rose teased.

"Well, there was more to it than that!" Rory defended. "I mean, I enjoy working with my hands, choose the wood, sculpting and bending it, inlaying the design, stringing and tuning it to get just the right chords. When I craft an instrument, I reflect and meditate. It's not about the final product, it's the process."

"That's beautiful," Rose said softly. "Amy's so lucky to have someone like you in her life."

Rory blushed again. "Oh, well, Amy and I…I mean we're not quite…"

"Ohhhh, don't give us that!" the Doctor said brashly. "You are clearly smitten. I'll bet she is too. She's very protective of you and not in the way of a friend but more like a tigress defending her mate!" he said in his typical manic manner.

"Doctor," Rose said warningly knowing Rory would be embarrassed by that comparison.

"What? She is a bit aggressive, and I didn't say it was bad, just that she cares, and I think the good Reverend here cares just as deeply."

Rory cleared his throat clearly uncomfortable with the direction of this discussion. "Yes, well, speaking of Amy, I should be getting to the music shop."

Rose nodded. "Course, thank you for lettin' us stay here."

Rory looked over at the Doctor. "Us? As in the two of you?"

"Of course, I won't leave Rose on her own," the Doctor stated assuredly and walked over and laced his fingers with hers as he looked at her affectionately.

Rory watched them and sighed. "It really is not appropriate for you both to spend the night…um, together…unchaperoned."

The Doctor sighed dramatically. "Reverend, really. We're both adults, and I think we have a bit more self control than what you're suggesting. Besides, I'd never try and seduce Rose in a church of all places and certainly not on some tiny little cot back here."

Rose looked up at him and smile lit her face. He said he wouldn't seduce her here, not that he wouldn't seduce her at all. She bit her lip as she thought about the possibilities, her eyes trailing his body and paying particular attention to his lovely pouty bottom lip and really great hair.

"Rose, will you excuse us for a moment," Rory stated in his best authoritative voice and led the Doctor out of the back room while Rose watched amused at what she believed to be Reverend Williams about to give the Doctor a certain speech that the Doctor had more than likely already heard recently from Harriet Jones.

The Doctor followed Rory, slightly amused at what he was sure was going to be a sermon on abstinence, morality and the repercussions for seducing a young woman in a stressful situation. He could appreciate wanting to keep Rose safe and reminding him that she was in a precarious position right now but his morals were fine thank you very much. He'd also never been particularly keen on abstinence and it wasn't like Rose was any blushing virgin.

Just as he thought that, Rory's palm smacked his face. "Ow! Whadda you do that for?" the Doctor whinged, rubbing his face. "Aren't you s'pose to be all bout peace and nonviolence."

Rory stood and directed a hard look at him. "That was to get your attention. Now see here, St. Luke's is a sanctuary, a place to reflect and hear the word of God. It is not your playground or a place for you to manipulate that girl. Don't think you can swan in here and charm and manipulate your way into Rose's life or into making us believe you have pure intentions. I see the way you were looking at her and I know the type of life you lead."

"I fail to see how you can judge me when you don't even know…"

"We, those that care for Rose, already looked you up, Doctor. Rose came to Gallifrey seeking sanctuary, time away from a corrupt environment. She was hurt physically and emotionally. The people here are not quick to accept strangers, but we did Rose, and do you know why?"

The Doctor shook his head, his hand still on his face.

"Because she was honest. She may not have identified herself as this rock star Pryd, but she showed us who she really was and that was more important. She didn't deny the life she led and over time, she revealed a great more than even she knows she did. Trust is earned. She earned ours through her hard work and kindness, and I like to think we earned hers. Rose is flawed as we all are, as you are, but that doesn't make her a bad person. She is welcome to stay here as long as she likes or needs.

"She's a strong young woman, but it's evident this Master person's presence caused her pain and made her lose some self confidence. I won't stand by while you swan in and take advantage either romantically or by giving her false hope in a new music career where you use her for your own financial gain."

The Doctor was at first insulted and a bit angry. He'd just had this conversation with Harriet and thought he'd proven himself. "Ya know, I'm really getting tired of having to declare my intentions to everyone other than the person that matters the most and it's not like I've had time to do that considering you won't leave me alone with her. I know you care about her so I'm going to give you some leeway, Reverend. I'll tell you what I told Harriet. I respect her as an artist and a person. Rose has been through a lot and she's a stronger person for it. She's talented and I want to help her with her career but I also want to know Rose the person as well. And, not that it's any of your business, but maybe I do want to date her. We are both adults capable of making our own decisions and no I have no intention of taking advantage of her in your church or anywhere else. I care for her and anything else is between her and me. Are we clear?"

Rose cleared her throat from the doorway leading to the back room. "All right, if everyone is done talkin' 'bout me and bein' all overprotective like I'm some fragile Victorian lady, I think one of you needs to go help Amy. And, when I say one of you, I mean the one she's in love with."

Both men looked at her. Rose crossed her arms. "That would be Rory, Reverend Willams. That is unless you have something you wanna confess, Doctor?"

"What?" he exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, a look of horror on his face. "No, no, no! Definitely not!" He turned to Rory, whose eyebrows were raised. "I don't want anything to do with that…" he paused and felt his face still reverberating from the slap, "fiery young woman who is clearly and unquestioningly in love with the slap happy Reverend here."

Rory turned to Rose, ignoring the Doctor's babble. "Are you sure you'll be all right?"

"Yes, we'll be fine. I promise you reverend, no funny business, just us talkin' about what to do next."

Rory nodded. "All right. I'll check back with you later."

"Thanks, Reverend," Rose said again.

"Yes, uh, thank you for everything," the Doctor acknowledged. Rory looked at him, sighed and left them alone. The Doctor turned and walked toward Rose who was watching him with a look in her eye he wasn't sure of but he hoped was full of promise.

They were unaware of the events transpiring during their time taking refuge at the church, of what the Master would endure or how his temper would flare; or how the people of the village of Gallifrey had carefully orchestrated the downfall of the greedy abusive Master that would come to head at the home of one Harriet Jones.