Author's Note: Short chapter, today, because the surrounding two chapters are so long.

Oh, Buffy is so smart with the Master. You gotta admire her. It's not just her super-strength that makes Buffy so legendary, you know.

(Poor Dawn. Everyone died getting her there. Now she's all alone, and she's no closer to saving the world than before!)

Thus ends Part II. Tomorrow, we begin Part III.

After Part III (which is pretty short, considering) comes "the Interlude", which is a little sub-story that's shared by both Martha's World and Seo's World. It features the Second Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe!

Enjoy!

Martha's World:

Buffy knew, the moment Seo walked out, that the Master could see it. That the Monks' trick might have incorporated the Doctor into Seo's reality, enough that the Doctor couldn't see the glowing green energy around her, but… it hadn't incorporated the Master.

The Master could see the energy around Seo. He might not know what it was. But he could definitely see it.

Damn.

"I'm Seosyrae Summers," Seo told him. "The Toclafane's… 'Invisible Lady'. The key to the resistance plans." Her eyes fell on Buffy. "Let my mom go."

The Master surveyed Seo, carefully, musing over her. "Seosyrae," he repeated. Then broke down laughing. "Oh, that is… just… too good!"

Buffy cringed. Her eyes meeting Seo's, trying to gesture at her daughter to flee. Flee for her life.

But Seo stayed put.

(And Buffy had known she would. Not just to save Buffy. But to give Dawn the chance to escape. To make sure she could distract the Master for long enough that Dawn could get away.)

"A second chance for Gallifrey!" said the Master. "A new race of Time Lords, created in his image! And he claims he doesn't act like a god!"

"At least he's not the one putting up giant statues of himself everywhere," Buffy muttered. "Mr. Ego-Trip."

The Master turned. Suddenly remembering Buffy. His eyes darted between Buffy and Seo, a predator choosing his prey.

"You know," he mused, easing over towards Buffy, "with her around," jerking his thumb back at Seo, "I don't really need you at all, anymore. Do I?"

Buffy's eyes narrowed. Her brain thinking overtime. Trying to come up with some way out of this.

"What are you going to do?" Buffy challenged, in a low voice. "Kill me, again, and hope I don't get all CPR-ified, this time?"

Desperately calling up every last memory that Buffy had of the Doctor mentioning his travels with Elizabeth. Desperately calling up everything she'd heard from Willow about how her other-self acted, before Willow had been shot down in Toclafane fire.

The Master stopped. Studying her, carefully.

Good. Very good. He already wanted to think she was the same. Wanted to believe she was the one he'd destroyed, in the other timeline. Just… accept it. Buy it.

Take the bait.

He shook his head, dismissing her, entirely. Then raised up the laser screwdriver.

"No!" shouted Seo, racing towards the Master. But the moment she began to run, the sounds of gunfire echoed, nearby.

"Extremities!" the Master snapped at the UFC troopers, surrounding him. "I want her alive!"

Seo fell. Her blood spilling across the ground. Her body fighting, desperately, to remain conscious. But… slowly… gradually… she lost the battle. And her eyes closed.

The Master turned back to Buffy.

"And now… you," said the Master.

Buffy pretended to struggle, in the UFCAs' grips — struggle with normal human strength. "Don't you dare!" Buffy shouted at the Master. "Not before I smack that bastard Doctor for doing what he did to me!"

The Master froze. Staring at her.

"Do you know how long I've spent cursing him?" Buffy snapped. "Hating him? He's tearing me apart from the inside out! And he won't stop!"

A small smile ignited on the Master's face.

"He's killing me!" Buffy shouted, in a wild frenzy. "Destroying me! He murdered my mother! Ruined my life!" Her eyes locked on Seo. "Saddled me with his worthless kid and then ditched me back on Earth!"

"And you want him to suffer for it?" the Master guessed.

Buffy met his eyes with her own. "Yes," she hissed. "I want to make him pay."

The Master advanced on her. His eyes twinkling. "You hear it, too, don't you?" he asked. Put a hand on her shoulder, and began to tap out a four-beat rhythm. "The drums."

Drums?

Okay — this guy was all with the crazies.

"Yes," Buffy lied.

The Master's face broke out into a delighted smile. "You know," he said, gesturing at the guards to take Seo and Buffy onboard his private helicopter, "I think we might just have a place on the Valiant for you, after all."

And so… they were dragged off.

The Master's prisoners.

Dawn awoke.

It was night. Night, in Glasgow — the city turned into a labor camp to build rockets that could tear apart the universe. Night, in the ruins of Dawn's world. Night, in a world not even Buffy—

Dawn sat up, straight. Buffy! Looked around herself.

But everyone was gone.

The Master had left. Buffy had left. Faith still lay dead on the ground. And Seo…

Dawn jumped to her feet. Raced forwards. Peering into the night sky, just able to make out a helicopter, landing on top of the Valiant. A helicopter… whose passenger list Dawn could guess.

"No!" Dawn shouted at the sky.

The sky didn't answer back.

"It was supposed to be me!" Dawn cried. Her hands bunching into fists. "That's what we decided! That's what was best for everyone! It was…"

The wind whipped through her hair, and Dawn crumpled down to the ground.

"What do I do, down here, Seo?!" she shouted. "What am I supposed to do, now?!"