Right, I warn you now, this is going to be a long A/N, but I do advise reading it as I think it is a very important issue.

As I'm sure many of you have heard, in the next series the Doctor and Martha kiss not once but TWICE. Is this the stupidest thing ever or what?? Now I'm a big 10rose shipper so this has annoyed me to the point of making a list of situations in which it is acceptable for the two of them to kiss:

1. One of them requires CPR.

2. One or both has been possessed by someone else like in New Earth and they cannot control themselves.

3. They are on a planet of perverted aliens and are forced to kiss under penalty of death.

4. The Doctor is on extremely powerful drugs that make him hallucinate, and he believes the Martha is Rose and announces very loudly that he loves her and kisses her.

5. Martha realises that David Tennant – I mean the Doctor – is in fact the sexiest man in the universe (he is!) and demands a kiss of him, holding him at gunpoint.

Also it is always acceptable for Martha to snog him, as long as he is thoroughly freaked out by it and does not disappear through the fireplace yelling 'I JUST SNOGGED MARTHA JONES!' It is also acceptable for him to kiss her on the forehead, as he kissed Mickey on the forehead and so it is clearly meaningless.

Russell T Davies therefore has 7 situations he can choose from. Honestly, they shouldn't kiss, he needs to get a sense of continuity. I'm almost tempted to turn that into a story now… 'A series of acceptable events for the Doctor and Martha kiss'… keep an eye out for it.

Oh, and has anyone seen the new trailer? It's on the website if you haven't and probably on youtube. Good points: she gives him CPR! Ha! I was right! (I only just watched the trailer before I wrote that) Bad points: HE snogs HER which was NOT on my acceptable list and he's kinda holding her bridal style at one point, which is also not acceptable. Maybe when he snogs her it's because she's been silly and eaten some sort of alien poison and he has to save her…

Disclaimer: After all that, does it look like I own Doctor Who?

Anyway, about the story. This chapter was hell to write, I couldn't seem to make it work properly. So I hope it's ok, but it's not brilliant, I personally think. After reading that A/N you've probably forgotten what happened in the previous chapter, so I will start by reminding you.

The Doctor has just found out the love of his life has been brutally kidnapped and is now very angry (and slightly scared about the fact that he may have to kiss Martha bloody Jones) and has just gone into the TARDIS…

xxx

The Doctor instantly ran up to the consol and started the engines. He angrily hit the controls, sending sparks flying. The TARDIS shook and the lights flickered, almost as if she was scared of his anger. Suddenly the room jerked as he hit the wrong button and he was thrown into the railings. He jumped back forward and tried again, but as the room shook again he was thrown into the chair.

He stood up again, but Jack could see this was going nowhere. The Doctor kicked the consol as the TARDIS didn't do what he wanted and Jack ran up to him.

"Calm down!" he shouted.

"I am calm!" the Doctor shouted back. Jack pulled him away from the consol and grabbed his wrists.

"Just relax! Ok? Rose is going to be fine! The Master won't do anything to her because he knows that if he does you won't do what he wants. He doesn't have any reason to do anything to her." The Doctor took deep breaths as Jack stared him down.

"He doesn't need a reason," the Doctor muttered, "he'll hurt her anyway."

"Look, just park the TARDIS seconds after you left, ok? Then he won't have time to hurt her," Jack reasoned. The Doctor nodded, as Jack let go of his wrists.

"Yeah," he said quietly, going back to the consol. Jack watched as he began to control the TARDIS much calmer. The Doctor looked up at Theta and Deneeal. "We've gotta get you back," he said, changing the TARDIS's route. He looked back up at them as the TARDIS began to travel back to where they'd been before. Deneeal was even paler than before, and was sweating and shaking. "Is he ok?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know," Theta answered quietly, sounding almost scared.

"How long has he been like that?"

"Since we found him after he went missing," Theta looked down at his son, "he just keeps getting worse." Deneeal was taking shallow breaths, and Theta held him tighter. "He will be ok, won't he?" Theta asked the Doctor hopefully. For a moment the Doctor didn't answer.

"Yeah, yeah," he said quickly, looking away. "He'll be fine," he pressed some more buttons and looked at the screen. Theta didn't seem to notice his hesitancy, but Jack wasn't so easily fooled. He walked up to the Doctor, lowering his voice so he wasn't heard.

"You ok?" he asked, but the Doctor deliberately ignored him.

"Stand over there," he ordered, pointing at one of the panels on the floor. Theta did as he was told, and the Doctor positioned himself on the opposite side of the TARDIS consol. After a moment of adjusting the controls, he looked back up at Theta and Deneeal.

Theta felt a chill go down his spine as his future self watched him and his son with a deep sadness in his eyes. But before he could say anything, his world went black.

Jack watched as Theta and Deneeal disappeared with a spark, as they were teleported back. He then looked back at the Doctor, who was watching the space with an expression of extreme loss and sadness.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and the Doctor quickly shook his head and looked down at the controls.

"Nothing," he muttered, "just worried about Rose." It didn't take a genius to tell that the Doctor was lying, but Jack decided it was probably better to ask him about it later.

"You don't need to worry about Rose," Jack said, despite the fact that he was pretty sure the Doctor was currently worried about something other than Rose. The Doctor suddenly shot his head up and looked at Jack.

"Why not?" he demanded, "what's not to worry about?"

"I told you, he won't hurt her because he knows that if he does you won't do what he wants." The Doctor shook his head at him as if he was a small boy that just asked if cars could fly.

"He could hurt her until she was near death and I'd still do what he said if I could get her back," he said quietly. A long moment passed, as Jack had to agree. "He may have said that he wouldn't hurt her, but since when has an evil person ever done what they say?" the Doctor said, watching Jack for a second, then looking back down at the controls. After a few more seconds the TARDIS landed, and the Doctor ran out the doors.

xxx

Rose sat on the floor of the Master's TARDIS, her arms wrapped around her legs. She only just had enough room to sit up under the invisible force field she was under. The Master was sitting on a seat above her. He had apparently woken her up because he'd gotten bored of waiting for the Doctor to return, and, it seemed, he wanted to see what her reaction was if he told her the Doctor wasn't coming back for her.

"He's been gone for hours," the Master said mockingly, "He's clearly not coming back."

"Shut up." Rose was almost certain he was lying about the Doctor being gone for hours. But, on the other hand, it was equally possible that he'd piloted the TARDIS wrong.

"You don't need to be so moody," the Master said calmly. He stood up and walked in front of her and knelt down to her level. She quickly turned her head the other way, refusing to look at him. "I can see why he doesn't want you," he laughed.

"Stop it!" Rose shouted angrily, glaring at him. "He's coming back, ok? So just shut up!" She knew she shouldn't have done that, she should have just ignored him. But she couldn't help herself.

"You have so much trust in him," the Master cooed, "It's sweet really." He stood up again, and began to walk around the room. "If only you knew what he'd done before he met you."

"I'm not listening to you," Rose said firmly, knowing that he was just trying to wind her up.

"You should do," the Master replied.

"Well I'm not going to," Rose said decidedly.

"So stubborn," the Master remarked. Rose smiled to herself; the Doctor had always said she was stubborn as if it was a bad thing.

There was a long pause, until the Master spoke again. "Am I right in thinking that you and the Doctor are, shall we say, more than friends?" he asked, standing next to her.

"Why do you think that?" Rose asked, refusing to look up at him.

"The way he was protecting you," the Master replied, "He died for you." There was another pause. "Am I right?" Rose sighed.

"Yeah," she muttered. Frown spread across the Master's face.

"Interesting," he said thoughtfully. This time Rose looked up at him.

"Why?" she asked.

"A Time Lord in a relationship with another species… it's unheard of," he said, walking forward. Then suddenly he stopped. "Almost unheard of." He looked down at her curiously. "Tell me," he said, walking forward to her, "does the name Tom Sigma mean anything to you?" Rose's eyes widened, and before she could say no she'd already given to much away. The Master grinned and walked away again. "Very interesting," he said to himself.

"I've never heard of that name!" Rose said quickly, knowing that the Doctor didn't want anyone to know who he really was, especially not his enemy.

"Ooh the irony," the Master laughed, as a smile spread across his lips. "The Doctor is Tom Sigma. I'd never have guessed. And yet it all makes sense. Why else would the Doctor never reveal his identity?"

"And what about you?" Rose asked, knowing it was too late to deny who the Doctor was. "Why do you call yourself the Master?" he chuckled at her question.

"Why would I tell you that?" he asked.

"It's only fair," she replied.

"Since when was life fair?" the Master said bitterly. "I suppose the Doctor has got you believing a certain way, with a clear idea of good and evil," he speculated, looking down at Rose, who found it impossible to avoid his gaze. "I suppose you'd think I'm evil."

"I'd say that people who take other people hostage are generally evil," Rose muttered in response.

"And you'd think that people stopping other people's happiness is evil, too?" the Master asked.

"Yeah," she said, as if it was obvious. The Master tilted his head.

"Don't you understand?" he asked, "this is for the greater good!" He raised his arms, then knelt down in front of her. "I wish to eradicate free will, and under my order the universe will be rid of pain and suffering."

"You sound like a Cyberman," Rose whispered.

"Ah, but I do not wish for everyone to look like me," he added, standing up again.

"So you want to take over the universe to stop people's pain," Rose said, "not because you'd then control everything and could do what ever you want with reality?" She looked up at him, and he looked down at her.

"I simply wish to stop the pain," he said sincerely.

"So does the Doctor," Rose whispered.

"But he hasn't, has he?" the Master replied, kneeling down to her. "Tell me child – do you still feel pain?" she didn't need to answer for his point to make an impact. He leant closer to her. "Does he still feel pain?" There was a long silence, until the Master finally moved away. "I simply wish to stop it all," he said, and she could tell there was something deeper to his words.

But before she got to say anything, the room was filled with the distinct sound of TARDIS engines. Rose looked up as a familiar blue box faded into existence near the doors, and a huge grin spread across her face.

"Oh, what do you know," the Master said sarcastically, "He did come back after all." Rose shook her head as the engines stopped. Seconds later the Doctor ran out of the TARDIS, with Jack in tow. "Hello again Doctor," the Master said with a sly smile, "Or, should I say, Tom?" The Doctor stopped instantly, as his eyes widened in confusion. His brown furrowed as he stared at the Master.

"What?" he whispered. The Master couldn't help but laugh.

"Interesting, isn't it, life?" he said whimsically, walking around the consol, "You think you know someone then suddenly you find out something that you'd have never guessed." The Doctor watched him as he brushed his hand across the consol he was walking around. He knew there was little point in trying to deny it now.

"How…?" he gasped, shaking his head. The Master stopped, and looked down at Rose.

"Amazing what people will tell you," he said. The Doctor looked down at Rose with a look of surprise and, to a certain extent, hurt. Rose couldn't bear to look him in the eye and quickly turned her head away. The Doctor felt betrayed, but he knew Rose wouldn't just tell the Master something like that.

"What did you do to her?" he said darkly.

"I did nothing!" the Master said with a broad smile, "nothing at all. Did I Rose?" he looked at her for an answer, but she said nothing. "Strange, she was so talkative just now." He looked up at the Doctor with a glint in his eye. "How much do they know, Tom?" he asked, stepping forward, "How much of your childhood do they know about?"

"Enough," the Doctor snapped, "can we change the subject now?"

"Oh, my lord, no!" The Master laughed, "I wish to know about the life of Tom Sigma! Known across Gallifrey! What happened to you, all those years ago? You were believed to have died… and yet you live. I simply wish to know the truth." The Doctor took a deep breath as the Master watched him curiously.

"I'm not going to tell you," he said simply.

"I doubt that," the Master replied, glancing over at Rose. She gasped as she felt a pain rise through her back across her body and down her limbs.

"No, stop it!" the Doctor yelled. The Master glanced back at him, as he stopped Rose's pain. The Doctor took a deep breath. "What do you want to know?" he asked quietly.

"What happened to you," the Master said in an awed voice, "Everyone assumed you were dead."

"That's what I was aiming for," the Doctor muttered.

"So what really happened to you? No hang on, let's recap," the Master leant casually against the consol as the Doctor shifted awkwardly on the spot. "Your alien mother died in childbirth. Then your father committed suicide when you were five. You were put in an orphanage which most likely didn't want you until you couldn't stand the abuse any more and at the age of ten you ran away." Rose and Jack looked up at the Doctor in surprise at this new information, but his eyes stayed firmly fixed on the floor. "You had to live on the streets and protect yourself, a hard thing to do when everyone wants you dead. Is it right that gangs went after you trying to kill you? The more… polite people would just walk past or stare, but a few people actually did try to kill you?" the Master looked at the Doctor questioningly, but he didn't answer. "I'll take your silence as a yes." The Master moved from the consol and began to walk towards the Doctor. "After a few years you just… disappeared. No one knew where you'd gone or what happened to you, it was assumed you were dead. Not that anyone was complaining," the Master put his hands in his pockets, as he stood opposite the Doctor. "So what really happened? And why were you called Theta?" Again, the Doctor shifted awkwardly, but he had no choice but to answer him.

"I learnt how to stop people from knowing who I was, and started a new life as Theta Sigma. Ok?" the Doctor snapped, looking up at the Master.

"Because all us pure Time Lords could sense it, couldn't we?" the Master said somewhat sarcastically. The Doctor visibly winced as he said the word 'pure'. "I can't sense it now, you've learnt to cover it up. Impressive." The Master folded his arms, tilting his head back in an attempt to look down at the Doctor, despite the fact that he was considerably shorter than him. "So what then? What did you do as Theta Sigma?"

"Oh you know, went to university, normal stuff."

"Studied to become a Time Lord," the Master observed.

"As the Doctor, yes." The Master frowned.

"Why the Doctor, and not Theta Sigma?" he asked.

"It's a long story," the Doctor replied.

"We've got plenty of time." The Doctor let out a long sigh.

"This wasn't part of the deal," he said.

"Yes, yes, of course, I do apologise," the Master said, walking away from the Doctor. "It must be hard to talk about such a traumatic past. Shall we talk about the Time War instead?"

"You really don't want to go to after the Time War," the Doctor said.

"Oh but I do."

"Oh but you don't." The Master sniggered.

"Why not?" the Doctor shook his head.

"You just don't."

"Tell me Doctor." He fixed his gaze on the Doctor, "Or do you just not want me there?"

"Well of course I don't want you there, if I had the choice of having a mad man follow me around trying to kill me I'd rather not." The Master chuckled. "But, other than that, it's really not nice. You'd be better off here."

"And why is that?" The Doctor stared back at the Master for a long moment.

"You think you know loneliness?" he said darkly, "You know nothing." There was a long silence following the Doctor's words. "How did you know I'd been in the war?" The Doctor asked suddenly.

"Your TARDIS was giving off readings," the Master replied, "very strange readings. I came to investigate." The Doctor nodded slowly. "Though I must ask – what became of the Time Lords in the war? And the Daleks? I can see that we won, but just out of interest, what happened?" the Doctor was silent, as the Master awaited his answer.

"We didn't win," he said finally.

"But you're alive," the Master said in confusion, "we must have won."

"Neither side won," the Doctor muttered sadly, "the Time Lords and the Daleks died. Both sides lost." The Master stared at him. "They all died. Everyone. Gallifrey's just rocks and dust floating in space." The Doctor looked at the Master sadly, as the Master simply stared back.

"And yet you live on?" he said, more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah," the Doctor said quietly.

"Why you?" the Master asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I've spent a long time wondering myself," the Doctor replied quietly. The Master looked to the floor, a solemn look on his face. But his expression quickly changed as a sinister smile came to his lips.

"Does that make you the last Time Lord?" he asked, looking back up. He didn't need the Doctor's response to know the answer. "While you mourn their loss, there is so much more you can do," there was a sparkle in his eyes, "no one to stop you, you could do anything."

"That's all you care about, isn't it?" the Doctor spat angrily, "Well guess what? You're wrong! With the Time Lords gone it doesn't give me extra powers over time and space! In fact it makes it harder! Now they're gone, any tiny paradox goes out of control with no one to stop it, the vortex is in flux, it's impossible to travel to parallel universes, and so many other things!" The Master, slightly surprised by the Doctor outburst, stared for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"Well if you don't take advantage of the situation," he said with a smile, "then I will. Now take me there before I grow impatient!" The Doctor sighed angrily. "Now," the Master ordered. The Doctor watched the Master for a long time.

"You'll regret it," he said.

"We'll see," the Master replied. The Doctor shook his head angrily and walked back into his TARDIS.