I meant to get on with the plot, but the Master's soap opera ended up taking over the chapter... lol

Nothing major in this chapter; have at it. :p

Later that night, Jack found the Doctor in the library and suggested that they let Gray out of his solitary confinement.

"He hasn't earned it," the Doctor said. "He hasn't done much of anything, good or bad."

"He was good with River."

"He was always good with River."

"We'll be more careful with him. We'll lock him in at night."

"Doesn't it bother you? He still doesn't think that what he did was wrong."

"Of course it bothers me." Jack felt his stomach tighten as his mind revisited Gray's assault. "I knew he wanted to hurt me, but… I never thought he would do something like that."

The Doctor paused in his search for books the Master hadn't read yet. He set a few volumes on a table and went to stand by Jack. "Do you want to talk about it? I can do this later."

Yes. But I can't. "No… I'll be all right."

"Jack…" the Doctor hesitated. "I want to help you if I possibly can." He reached out tentatively.

Jack could never refuse a hug from the Doctor, no matter what the circumstances. He took comfort in his friend's closeness as well as their proximity keeping them from having to see each other's faces. "I don't want to upset you more," he explained. "And I don't want you more angry with Gray."

"What upsets me is how unhappy you are. I promise I'll control my temper. I'll hear you out and try to understand."

I know you want to help. Jack sighed. "I'll try. But not now… not here." It might help if you'd sleep by me—for real this time, not just sitting there waiting for me to wake up.

"Astronomy room?"

"Yeah. Okay. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

This wasn't what I wanted, Jack thought as he left the library to calm down before they talked. But I guess I knew it would happen eventually. Better to get it out of the way.

By the time he met the Doctor, he felt much more composed. The Doctor had made some awkward revelations for him in this room—call it karma.

"Which sky is this, anyway?" Jack asked as he joined the Doctor on the floor.

"Barcelona's—only everything's magnified and we can see a lot further than you could ordinarily."

Jack admired the glowing lights that represented all the stars and planets for thousands of light years. It might be fun to sleep in here some night. "I really like it. Does it show the stars from the point of view of whatever planet you're visiting?"

"Well, that's the idea," the Doctor said. "It malfunctions once in a while." He found Jack's hand and held it loosely. "Are you ready to talk about Gray?"

"Yeah. I know that he has a long way to go. And I really hate what happened. But it made me think—how should he know any better? He was so young when they took him; the second half of his childhood, he was raised by savages."

The Doctor remained silent, but he stroked Jack's hand lightly with his thumb.

"In their society, if you want something, you take it. If someone hurts you, you take it out on someone you think you can handle. If you find someone you can take advantage of, you do it. Because there's no future—everything's now. You have to get what you can every second of every day, because if you don't someone else will grab it first and you'll be dead." Jack knew his voice was tightening and the Doctor could probably hear the change. He wondered how much more he could say before he broke down. "We can't expect him to act civilized as soon as he gets away from them. No one taught him better. But the fact that he didn't completely give up and become one of them shows that there's something human left in him." He swallowed. He'd run out of time. His voice wouldn't sound remotely steady if he spoke now.

The Doctor tightened his hold on Jack's hand. "I see what you're saying," he said quietly. "But are you sure he hasn't become one of them? I saw the blood around his mouth, Jack. Once a person turns cannibalistic, it's nearly impossible to bring them back to sanity. I mean, look at Owen Chase."

Jack blinked. "I'm sorry—who?"

"Owen Chase—one of the survivors of the ship Essex sunk by a whale in the 1800s. It's your history, not mine. Some Time Agent you are."

"I was a Time Agent a long time ago," Jack corrected. "Anyway, Gray didn't try to eat me. He just…" His breathing had become quick and shallow. He could see Gray's dark form in his mind, his eyes glinting in the darkness as he leaned down to lick blood off Jack's chest.

"Jack." The Doctor put his free arm over Jack's ribcage.

Jack pressed his face against the Doctor's shoulder and tried to get his breathing under control.

"It's all right, Jack. You're safe."

I know. I know everything's okay now. But that doesn't seem to help. Why am I still afraid? "He was so… so cold. So bitter. He really thinks I don't love him. He thinks I wanted to hurt him. He hates me so much he wants to tear me open and taste the pain." Again, Jack's voice was cut off. He was shaking. He felt the Doctor pull him closer.

"I'm so sorry, Jack," the Doctor's soft voice said in his ear. "It's going to hurt for a long time. I wish I could tell you he'll get better, but I just don't know."

"Please, don't give up on him," Jack whispered. "I need your help."

"I'll try. That's all I can promise you."

Suddenly remembering, Jack moved his arm lower so it was around the Doctor's waist and not in contact with his chest. Why does everything have to be so complicated?

"So," the Doctor told Gray the next morning, "if you can promise to behave yourself, I can let you move about the Tardis during the day. What do you think?"

Gray kept his eyes on the floor as if it were the most fascinating one he had ever seen. "I won't go near him."

"Jack, you mean?"

"I still think he deserves all he got and more. But I won't try anything."

The Doctor gritted his teeth. Flowers, star whales, Tardis, Saturdays. Pleasant thoughts. He inhaled and exhaled slowly. "One day, you are going to see that you were wrong. And I just hope Jack's got enough forgiveness left to take you back."

Gray seemed to think the Doctor was spouting ridiculous gibberish, but he didn't speak.

"Thought you were never coming back," the Master exclaimed.

"I just saw you yesterday," Jack answered, rolling his eyes.

The Master smiled. "A moment away from you is like an eternity."

"Yeah? Hm. Keep talking."

"Here, let me take your coat. Yesterday you said something about dancing."

"And you said I couldn't teach you."

"That was before." The Master waved a dismissive hand. "First rule about dating me: I'm allowed to change my mind at any time and without warning."

"Oh, are we dating now?"

"Dunno. Just take it under advisement."

"Okay." Jack couldn't help being amused. One of the things he found so attractive about the Master was his unpredictability. I'll probably get very sick of it later.

"I moved all my furniture—all three pieces of it! So we would have room to dance. Show me."

"You just moved things around because you were bored."

"Not true! I finished Chamber of Secrets last night. It was better than I expected. Fell in love with Tom Riddle."

Against his better judgment, Jack admitted, "So did I."

"Really? We have so much in common. I like Snape, too, though I'm worried he'll 'turn good' in the end. Don't you hate it when that happens?"

"Um… your life kind of depends on that happening."

"The Doctor won't kill me if I don't turn good—he'll just stick me back in the freezer for a while. That's what he said, anyway. Now come along—teach me."

Jack almost laughed at the Master standing in the middle of the floor, arms open. What is he playing at? I know this is too over-the-top to be genuine, but what does he want? He went to the Master and took his right hand while he settled the Master's left on his shoulder. "Okay, first take a step back on your right…"

"Wait, wait, wait a minute," the Master protested. "I may be new to this, but I'm not completely ignorant. Why is your hand on my waist?"

"Um… because it goes there."

"Not unless you're trying to teach me the ladies' part." The Master stepped away from Jack and folded his arms. "Teach me to lead, or we're through."

This time, Jack couldn't keep from laughing. "All right, you win."

After the Master could lead the basic step smoothly, he said, "Now teach me how to do one of those sexy dips."

"You don't usually do a sexy dip after a waltz."

"What? Well, who cares what you usually do? Teach me."

Jack thought back to the time he had taught the Doctor to waltz. That lesson had been so different. He smiled. "Okay; you're certainly enthusiastic this morning."

"Yes, I am."

A few minutes later, the Master was trying out his new moves to music playing over the speaker in his room.

"I'll say one thing for you—you've got great natural rhythm," Jack told him.

"Yes, I have. I'm sure to be good at things with four beats, considering my whole life was set to four beats up until recently.

"I didn't think of that."

When the song finished playing, the Master pulled Jack around quickly and executed the dip Jack had shown him, balancing their weight perfectly. "Good?" he asked, still holding Jack in his lowered position.

"Very good."

The Master leaned forward and kissed Jack.

Startled, Jack got his weight under him to prevent falling over. They broke apart.

"Careful," the Master said, amusement plain on his face.

Jack inched forward uncertainly.

The Master didn't move further away; he just watched Jack with his narrowed, smiling eyes.

Jack rested his hands on the Master's arms and brought their mouths together again. Instantly, he was reminded of Gray—the Master's tongue invaded his mouth quickly and aggressively. Jack shook the feeling off and concentrated on the present. He moved his hands up to the Master's shoulders and worked on teasing the invasive tongue with his own. Things were just getting very pleasant when he felt himself being pushed away, and he realized that his hands had slipped down onto the Master's chest.

"Sorry," he said quickly.

The Master eyed him for a moment. "No harm done," he said, grasping Jack lightly by the forearms. He directed Jack to step backward until his back was to the wall; then he continued where they had left off.

Jack suddenly felt panic rising inside him as the Master's hands slid down to his wrists and gripped him more tightly. Again he saw Gray in his mind and felt the heavy weight of the restraining cuffs. His breathing became heavy. When the Master tilted his head to run his mouth over Jack's jaw, his breathing was no longer muffled and they could both hear how shaky it was.

The Master leaned back and looked at Jack quizzically. "Wait… you're not getting turned on—you're getting scared. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Jack lied. He pulled his wrists out of the Master's grasp and tried to resume.

"Hold on." The Master kept Jack at arm's length. "There's some sort of demon here. Something's different about you. You weren't like this the first time you came to see me. You were so cold and silent. Now… you're acting as if you've been molested."

Jack knew there was nothing he could do to keep his eyes from betraying the truth. He felt his face getting very warm.

"But… that's impossible," the Master went on. "During the Year that Never Was, we used to joke that you were the one person in the universe who was un-rape-able… because you'd always say yes." One corner of his mouth curved upward, but the gravity of the situation apparently kept his amusement at bay. "So, to whom would you say no?"

"Forget it," Jack told him. "It's got nothing to do with you." Damn it, why can't I just forget it? Why can't I move on?

"Only a family member," the Master concluded. "And the only one around, as far as I know, is your brother. Did Gray rape you?"

Jack tore himself away from the Master. "Okay, we're done here."

"Jack, wait."

But Jack didn't want to know what the Master would say next. He grabbed his coat, made his exit quickly and locked the door behind him. He leaned against the wall, panting. The Doctor said to be careful. And I still underestimated him.

When the Doctor entered the Master's room with a new load of books, the Master looked severely disappointed.

"Oh, it's only you."

"Sorry I'm such a disappointment," the Doctor said. "Expecting Jack?"

"No… not really. Have you seen him lately?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Why—what's going on?"

The Master started collecting the books he had already read into a pile, avoiding the Doctor's eyes. "Things were going so well," he muttered. "We were actually making out."

"Yes? You, making out with a human? Is it near the end of the universe or something?"

"Oh, shove it," the Master snapped. "The thing is, he… he started freaking out."

The Doctor set his load of books on the table. Uh oh… this isn't good. "How d'you mean?"

"I mean like panicking. Doctor… was it Gray?"

"Oh, lord…" The Doctor closed his eyes.

"I was right, then: Gray did something to him. And now Jack's got some anxiety keeping the sex champion of the universe from becoming intimate."

The Doctor glared at him. "You always were too clever by half. What did you say to him?"

"Nothing! I mean, I guess I should have just left it alone, but I wanted to know what the problem was… I swear I wasn't trying to upset him. If I were, I'd have done a much more efficient job of it." The Master paused. "You're not going to put me back in cryo now, are you?"

"I… I dunno. I've got to find Jack." The Doctor distractedly took up the stack of old books and headed for the door.

"Doctor, wait. I have to ask you—"

The Doctor paused. "Yes? What is it?"

The Master looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable. "It's just that this is a hell of a lot trickier than I imagined. I don't understand why he… Well, after all, he is human…"

"Oh… no," the Doctor moaned. "Don't tell me you want to know the difference in how humans make love? I haven't the patience for this."

"You needn't rub it in, damn you. I know the main differences; it's just the little things that are bound to trip me up…"

The Doctor shook his head. "I'll come back later, all right? What have I let myself in for…?"

The Doctor found Jack in his room, staring out his false window that showed the surrounding landscape.

"Jack? Are you all right?"

Jack nodded, not turning toward him.

The Doctor approached him warily. "He didn't hurt you?"

"No. But he knows. About Gray."

"Yes; I just came from speaking with him."

"Was he gloating?"

"No, actually. I've never seen him at such a loss."

"Really?" Jack turned toward him. "What did he say?"

"He said he wasn't trying to upset you."

"Do you believe him?"

"I think so. He certainly wouldn't go out of his way to humiliate himself in front of me; he's far too controlling for that."

Jack frowned. "He was a little smarter than I expected. Of all the people who had to figure it out…"

"I know. It gives him a dreadful advantage. But for now I don't think he intends to use it against you."

"Would you tell him… tell him I'll see him again, but not yet."

"All right." The Doctor squeezed Jack's shoulder and left him alone.

The Master folded his arms imperiously. "Now, let me make clear: I know the humans' main deficiencies compared with us. What I don't know is principally custom. I mean, we'd only just begun snogging when he starting putting his hands all over me. What is that? I knew he was eager and all, but I'd expected to take things a bit slower… I was trying to sort of hold him off a bit, but I think that's what started the trouble."

"Hmm." The Doctor turned the information over in his mind, trying not to picture too vividly the spectacle of Jack and the Master 'snogging.' "Well, I can see the difficulty. Humans have a hard time kissing without following it up with more contact. You may need to set some boundaries for him."

"What—tell him? With words?"

"Then again, you could just get used to it. It wouldn't kill you to let him touch you."

"Eventually, perhaps, but not straight off. I want…"

"You want everything to be on your terms." The Doctor took up an authoritative stance. "Now, look here: You can't expect Jack to just hold still and let you have your way with him. He's every bit as competitive and domineering as you are. Humans like give and take. You can't give more than you're willing to take. And don't you dare take more than you can give," he added.

"I'm not sure I like this."

"I'm not sure you should continue, then. Jack's going to want to give you attention. If you can't stand it, you'd best quit now, before you really cause problems."

The Master frowned at the wall. "It's just who I am, after all. I've never been cuddly."

"You can say that again."

"I just don't like letting people touch me. It's demeaning."

"You just don't like treating people like equals." The Doctor reached out toward the Master, who flinched away. "No, you hold still," the Doctor commanded. He rested his hand on the Master's shoulder. "There, see? You're all right. I'm not patronizing you; I'm just communicating companionship. Is that so terrible?"

The Master looked from the Doctor to the hand on his shoulder with obvious distaste. "If you'd tried something like this back at the Academy, I'd have thrashed you severely, Theta Sigma."

"I know; you were a right bully, even then," the Doctor commented, choosing to ignore the condescending use of his school nickname. "But don't you understand? I'm not trying to dominate you. I just want to be your friend."

With a look of great skepticism, the master lifted his hand and rested it on the Doctor's arm. He raised one eyebrow.

"You see? It's not that difficult. Painless."

The Master took a slow step toward the Doctor.

"What are you up to?" the Doctor asked warily.

The Master leaned in and pressed his mouth against the Doctor's. Without a moment's hesitation, the Doctor brought out his sonic screwdriver and directed its pulse at the Master.

"Oh!" the Master exclaimed, jumping back and clutching his arm. "God—what was that for?"

"Idiocy!" the Doctor snapped. "No more games, do you understand? If you can't tell the difference between companionship and flirtation, then… then…" He released an exasperated groan.

To his annoyance, the Master looked ready to laugh. "I hope you do better when you're not caught off-guard… you're a dreadful kisser."

"You are this close," the Doctor said, holding up his fingers, "to going back in the freezer. Is that clear?"

"Transparent."

The Doctor turned his back on the Master's smirk and stormed out of the room.

I couldn't help it. The Master practically wrote this chapter himself. The crack head.