"Gwen, what the hell!?" Jack said.

"Lucky it's me and not those morons in suits," she replied.

"How..?"

"Never mind how. You want the Doctor, you've got an hour."

He turned and had another shock, Ianto was here as well.

"We saw a burnt body," he said.

"Seska," Jack said. "The suits killed him."

"And the Doctor?"

"Suicidal," was all Jack said and began moving in the direction the Master had taken.

"Jack, the Master."

"I know, he's here."

"No, we think he's gone. There was a spike in the rift, he's abandoned him."

Jack shook his head, "No, I think he wasn't given a choice. I think the Doctor didn't give him a choice."

Gwen had been listening to her com, "Jack, Doctor Stoneleigh says they've got the Doctor contained. We need to get to the Merchant Marine Memorial."

"How far?"

"About a mile," Ianto said.

"Then let's not waste time," he said and they began running.

They made good time and ran out of the trees and spotted Doctor Stoneleigh and Ash!

Jack came to a stop in front of Ash and broke into a grin and hugged him.

"I thought you were dead," he said, then he saw the walking aid.

"I got shot…apparently," Ash said.

A shout went up and the group looked over.

"This way!"

They group moved as another shout went up, this time it was an urgent one.

"Christ, get that thing off him…Jesus!"

That sent Jack into a run and into a small wooded area.

Two men were struggling with the Doctor, and they were trying to wrest a lighted match away from him. Jack didn't stop to think, he kept going and shoving one of the men aside he went, not for the Doctor but for the match.

The force of his attempt knocked the Doctor and then other man flying, causing the man to lose his grip on the Doctor.

The Doctor scrambled up and tried to make a break for it, but was tackled by Ianto and the other man.

Jack snuffed the match out and whirled round.

The Doctor was struggling to free himself and was cursing in his own language, as they tried to keep him on the ground. Jack growled and strode over, and with more force than he wanted to use, he knelt on the Doctor's back.

"Serum Five!" he yelled at Doctor Stoneleigh.

He felt more than saw the syringe and without hesitation he stuck the syringe in the Doctor's neck.

The Doctor let out a string of what was no doubt insults, but Jack didn't let up with the pressure until the Doctor stopped struggling.

"How long have we got?" he asked Doctor Stoneleigh.

"Fifteen minutes."

"What about the boys?"

"They want to talk about that."

Jack nodded.

"Where are we taking him?" Ash asked.

"Cardiff, for now."

Martha had wanted to go to the States, but Jack had said no.

Now she was waiting anxiously; they were only a car journey away. She'd set up the cell that was to hold the Doctor, but wasn't happy. She hated the chains that were hanging from the wall, and she hated all the equipment that sat outside the cell. Nor did she like the fact that if they couldn't help him, he would end up somewhere more permanent. She shook the thought away; she was going to help the Doctor.

There were other problems, what to do with Seska's ashes, and then there were the two boys…what if Jack couldn't get them; what would that do to the Doctor and to Ash.

And then there was the rotten apple in the barrel, the Master. She knew he would be back…someday.

She looked at her watch, only ten minutes away…no five. She checked her equipment again, then sat and waited.

When she heard the whirr of the Hub door, she tensed. The footsteps preluded the small party, Jack in front, carrying the Doctor. She could see by the tension on the Doctor's face that he was starting to come round. She picked up a syringe and gave him another dose of Serum Five.

"I can't give him any more for at least twenty-four hours."

"Then do what you need to do," Jack said as he laid the Doctor on the examination table.

She nodded and began her examination. She noted that he'd put on weight and muscle, but there was also new scarring. She moved to his midriff and stopped…that looked like, yes, they were.

"Jack," she said.

"What's wrong?"

"Not wrong, these are caesarean scars. He's had more children, and recently."

That news subdued any joy at getting the Doctor back. He was going to be difficult to handle as it was, but separated from his babies, he could well be unmanageable.

"I'm done," she said as she placed a swab over the spot she'd taken blood from, then she walked away.

The Doctor knew his chance to join his son in death was slipping away, and when he'd heard the Master and the human close by, it had receded further; he had to save the Master. It had made his hearts ache telling the Master to go, knowing that he would never see him or his babies again.

He'd intended to draw the humans to him, and then slip away and become just another unknown body in some coroner's morgue. But even that had been taken from him.

He'd fought, but when he felt the stomach turning presence of Harkness as he knelt on him, he knew he'd lost.

Then he'd felt the burn of Serum Five, and when he woke, he knew exactly where he was.

"He's awake," Ianto said.

Gwen stopped what she was doing, "I'll go."

Ianto shook his head, "Jack said that only he and Martha should deal with him."

"Well, they're not here are they? Dangerous or not, he still needs food and water."

She ignored Ianto's warning and took a tray of food and a jug of water down to the cells.

She'd expected the Doctor to be at the front of the cell, all manic smile and insidious chatter. Instead he was sitting at the back of the cell, staring into nothing.

She opened the hatch and pushed the tray through, then waited.

After several minutes the tray was still untouched.

"You must be hungry, or at least thirsty. Can't have you getting ill."

The Doctor continued staring at nothing, but he did speak.

"Does it matter?"

He sounded so….forlorn.

"It must have been horrible, losing Seska. If I lost Anwyn."

The Doctor looked at her, and she hoped she'd made a connection.

"Do you really understand, Gwen Cooper? I should have eight children, now I have only four."

Gwen let out a breath; he'd lost four children. No wonder he was suicidal.

"You still have four, aren't they worth living for?"

The laugh her question elicited sounded slightly unhinged.

"Are you that naive? Do you really think I'll ever see them again?"

He stopped looking at her and went back to staring into nothing; she'd lost the connection.

Jack bit back the scathing reply he wanted to use.

"Yes, he's in our most secure cell."

"And you can guarantee he won't be escaping?"

"Absolutely," he lied; no cell was escape proof, not with the Doctor.

The man sitting opposite must have though the same, judging by the look on his face. But it wasn't going to be his decision.

"What about the two boys?"

The man didn't reply straight way; he was obviously listening to whoever was really in charge.

"We are a little uncomfortable at your taking custody of them."

Jack was ready for this, "James is human and doesn't fall under any restriction, and Jakaar, I'm sure his guardian and step- father can look after him, with supervision from myself and Doctor Stoneleigh."

"Yes, you have an influential friend in Doctor Stoneleigh. However, his word and yours are not enough. You will provide us with regular updates on their progress and their whereabouts. If we feel you are not maintaining their separation from their…mother, they will be removed, for their own safety of course."

Yeah right, Jack thought. You're just itching to get your hands on Jakaar.

"This whole thing has been a debacle. Keep the Time Lord under restraint, or we will."

Jack walked out of the room, his heart a little lighter.

Three faces looked up at him as he closed the door

"They said yes."

All three people let out sighs of relief.

"But with strings."

"What strings?" Martha said.

"He can never leave the Hub, and he can never see his son again."

He expected protest and he got them.

"I had no choice!" he roared. "It was either that or he ends up on some autopsy slab and Jakaar becomes a lab rat. Now shut it!"

No-one spoke again until they were on the road.

"You're not seriously thinking of agreeing to it?" Ash asked.

"The hell I am, we're all going to become very good liars."

"When can I get the boys back?" Ash said.

"Tomorrow, Jack replied.

Martha re-read the results of the Doctor's blood test. The list in front of her wasn't being helpful. The only two things she'd recognised was an anti-psychotic and an anti-depressant; the rest were just unidentified, but she assumed they were more of the same.

She would have to get some more blood, but Jack was with Ianto and Ash, bringing the Doctor's sons back to Cardiff, and Gwen wouldn't be in till later; but she really needed to do these re-tests.

She walked down to the cells and nothing had changed. The Doctor was still at the back of the cell; his whole body language said apathetic.

She stepped into the cell and crouched down in front of him.

"I need to take some blood," she said and went to take his arm, but he pulled it away...that was new.

She tried again, but got the same reaction.

"Stop it," she said firmly and tried again.

This time he actually shifted away from her.

"Doctor," she said.

For the first time he actually looked at her, and there was such a desperate look in his eyes.

"Martha, please let me die."

She blinked, not sure what to do next. So she sat on the floor and said.

"You really want to die? I've got aspirin, ibuprofen, Serum Five. I've got a whole cabinet full of things that will kill you. Which one do you want?"

She saw the Doctor's eyes widen at that…was his plea a call for help?

"I won't say I know how it feels to lose a child, because I don't. But I do know what it's like to be separated from your family. It hurt when you chose to be with the one that caused it, but you can't choose who you love, can you?"

She stopped, watching the Doctor's face for a reaction.

He shifted again, but this time he shifted towards her. He reached out and nearly but not quite touched her hand.

In a way too quiet voice he said, "You should never outlive your children, and I've outlived four."

Martha just wanted to hug him.

"Tell me, Martha Jones, tell me why I should live?"

Martha took in a breath; if she gave him the wrong answer now.

"Why, you know why. There's always something to live for, and you have reasons."

"My babies and my boys."

"Aren't they worth living for?"

He looked down then and Martha thought that would be the end of it. Then he looked up and there were unshed tears in his eyes.

"Martha….I," he hesitated. "I don't want to die."

Martha blinked away a tear, and this time he allowed her to take his hand.

"Then let us help you."

TBC in "The Caverns of Perdition."