~20~

The TARDIS

The Master sat in his room in the TARDIS. He was waiting for the Doctor to finish some last minute repairs, the ones he started prior to Nathan's and Shawn's accidents, the ones he refused to leave in disorder so that they could go meet Livinia and John in Santa Barbara. While waiting he was reflecting on the past few days and how he felt that one of them should have gone to Eureka with Owen and Caeli. The Doctor had immediately shot down the suggestion and despite the fact that that wasn't surprising considering he did just try to destroy the planet, it hurt because family had always been important to the Master and the Doctor knew that.

He didn't notice the Doctor entering his room until he heard his voice ask, "What are you listening to?"

The Master looked at him confused until he realized he had music playing in the room and then he became concerned because he didn't remember turning it on. Listening to a few lines, he quickly figured out the song, "Its 'Viva la Vida,'" he told the Doctor.

"Where'd you hear it?"

'Great,' the Master thought, 'he's getting into one of his inquisitive moods.' He knew the only way to stop him asking too many questions was to give him the whole story. "I couldn't sleep, so I wandered around the TARDIS for a while then went out to look at the stars. When I came back in Caeli was at the piano playing it. Thought it had a catchy tune so I sat and listened to her for a while. Before she went to bed, she told me the name and I looked it up a few minutes ago, have it set to replay."

The Doctor must have seen something on his face or heard something in his voice because the next thing the Master saw was the Doctor's grin. "What?" he asked warily.

If possible, the Doctor's grin got bigger, "You like her. You don't like anyone."

"Not true, I like Livinia and I used to like you," the Master scowled as he responded.

"No, Livinia's our daughter and you love her. You still like me otherwise you would've killed me when you had the chance this past year. But you genuinely like Caeli, and not in the 'Oh, she's family so I have to like her' kind of way. And..." the Doctor trailed off and the Master was grateful for the break in being psychoanalyzed.

When the Doctor was still silent after a couple minutes with his head cocked as if listening to something, the Master asked, "Not that I care, but could you either finish what you were saying or leave?"

The Doctor turned back to the Master, "The song," he distractedly said. The Master had forgotten that "Viva la Vida" was still playing.

He listened along with the Doctor, "Shattered windows and the sound of drums/People couldn't believe what I'd become" turning to the Doctor, he asked, "What about it?"

"Tell me you don't see it?" the Doctor asked with an earnest look.

"See what?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"The song...it's you, I mean if everyone could have a song that represented them, this would be yours."

The Master looked at the Doctor as if he was crazy, eyebrow raised, still confused, "What are you on about?"

The Doctor looked about two seconds away from grabbing the Master's shoulders, "Seriously, just listen."

The Master listened; the song had started over and was somewhere in the first verse, "Sweep the streets I used to own" the Master turned to the Doctor then, an affronted look on his face, "I have never swept streets. Now if you're done wasting time, I think it's time we headed to Santa Barbara." He left the room, leaving the Doctor behind. The Doctor sighed then followed.